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Zuma’s K9 Journalists
Engaging lessons based on Insider video clips.
Our four-legged correspondents write for all ages..
Collection of all things Iditarod.
Latest Zuma’s K9 Journalists Posts
The distance from the Willow restart to the first checkpoint, Yentna Station, is 42 miles. These are easy miles for the mushers and dog teams as most are on frozen river ice or well traveled snowmachine trails. Most of the traffic at Yentna station goes straight on through, stopping just long enough to check in …
Restart? How can a race have two starts? This is more than I can wrap my young dog brain around! It’s true though; Iditarod has TWO starts – the CEREMONIAL START in Anchorage and then on the following day the RESTART in Willow. Some folks refer to it as the REAL START. Once the teams …
One day this fall, Handler came into the dog yard and said, “Hey big dogs, do you want to hear about Anchorage and the Ceremonial Start?” We answered, “YES” with a loud and enthusiastic howl. Handler sat on the roof of my doghouse and this is what she told us. On the first Saturday morning …
How do you say Shaktoolik? I’m not sure if I’m saying Unalakleet correctly and how cold does it get in Unalakleet? What about Koyuk? I get these types of questions on a regular basis. Seems like it might be useful to create a guide with pronunciations and pertinent information for teachers and students. So …
Fall is here and there are plenty of signs beyond the date on the calendar. The days are shorter, the nights are cooler, the stars seem brighter and we have started fall dry land training runs! Here in Wisconsin, the temperatures are dipping into the 40s by morning so we are taking advantage of the …
Dear Teachers, In the 2021 Iditarod Pre Race Video, Greg Heister from Iditarod Insider used the following quote to introduce this year’s Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race: “If we fail to adapt, we fail to move forward.” ~Jack Wooden, former UCLA basketball coach The world has been in a state of flux over the past …
Dear Friends, We just completed the 49th Iditarod Race! It began in 1973, planned out by Joe Redington who wanted to preserve the historic Iditarod Trail and revive the Alaskan sled dog tradition, which was rapidly disappearing. What was the Iditarod like back then? When the mushers lined up to take off on their …
Hello friends, It’s always sad to report the end of another Iditarod. However, we are happy for Victoria Hardwick, the winner of the Red Lantern Award. What does that mean? It means she had the courage and perseverance to not give up. It wasn’t easy, her sled met a tree on the Happy River Steps …
Hello friends, Almost everyone has crossed the finish line including our first Rookie. (Being a rookie means this is their first Iditarod.) This year’s Rookie of the Year is Chad Stoddard who is from Anchorage, Alaska. Working with dogs is in his blood as his great grandfather delivered mail around the time of the 1925 …
Hello friends, It’s not over. Most teams have finished, but at this writing there are still 15 teams on the trail. Some mushers are in the Iditarod for the win, they work and train all year for the opportunity of being the Iditarod Champion. Many more mushers are in the race for the adventure and …