Three-time Iditarod racer, Karen Land, and sled dog, Borage, visited Brownwood Intermediate School on February 19th. Cindy McKinney’s fifth graders study the Iditarod Race, a grueling marathon for mushers that stretches 1100 miles from Anchorage to Nome, Alaska. To bring the culture of mushing to life, Principal Connie Easterwood invited Karen and Borage to talk to the students and teachers about real life on the Iditarod.
“It is important for the students to learn about different cultures and ideas that they are not exposed to in this community,” said Mrs. Easterwood.
Every year, the Intermediate School has two or three special guests sponsored by the PTO. Previous programs include Chinese Acrobats, a Latin-American Orchestra, and Folk Story Tellers. “Programs like these build a bigger understanding of the world, as well as enhances the students’ vocabulary,” said Mrs. Easterwood.
This time, the students learned about the Alaskan tradition of mushing.
Throughout the day, Karen and Borage told stories, answered questions, and gave practical advice about running the Iditarod. A few students got to model the seven layers of clothing that mushers wear, and everyone got to pet Borage. (Borage is named after a plant, and has brothers and sisters named Dill, Rosemary, Basil, Mint, and Chives.) “I show photos of the dogs and sled in my class, but the students actually got to see them in person. It was excellent!” said Mrs. McKinney.
Karen explained some lessons she learned from the Iditarod, which students could apply in their own lives. “The Golden Rule of Racing is to never, ever let go,” said Karen. If a racer gets separated from the dogs, then the racer and the dogs will be alone and lost. The second Golden Rule is to always stop to help your competitors. “Mushers work together, because when you are in the middle of Alaska, you have to take care of each other,” said Karen. She recounted the story of loosing her sled team and going for hours without finding them. A fellow musher picked her up and when they arrived at the check point, all 16 of Karen’s dogs were there, curled-up asleep.
Karen also taught the students that it doesn’t matter what one may look like on the outside, it is what is inside that makes one great. Karen runs Alaskan Huskies, which she explained was a fancy name for mutt. “It looks like a humane society in my kennel,” said Karen. “Some of the dogs have floppy ears and brown eyes; they are not all typical looking huskies.” In addition, Karen said the race is not just for the strong. “I’m not that tough,” commented Karen. “I just love dogs.”
The Iditarod begins this year on March 6. Mrs. McKinney’s classes will be following the race after returning from Spring Break.
Photo Caption: Sixth grader, John Paul Salazar, models the 50 pounds of clothing needed for running the Iditarod. With him is musher Karen Land and her sled dog, Borage.
