I have most of my equipment packed and set by the door, ready for a quick getaway tomorrow morning. I am going to race with one of our smallest, lightest sleds; since there is a ten dog limit on this race, keeping your load small is very important.

My team is beautiful. I have ten dogs chosen that aren’t quite making my dad’s team but, for a shorter race, are some really awesome athletes. Blue is my only dog returning from last year’s team, but this year’s group is definitely more talented. Here’s the list,

Blue- a six-year old male leader. Blue won the blue harness award for the best lead dog in last year’s Jr. Iditarod.

Turbo- a three-year old male leader. Turbo was in my dad’s first place Klondike 300 team this year and adds alot of speed to the team.

Curry- a two-year old female team dog. Probably the main reason Curry never gets tired is because she doesn’t work very hard. She does pull up hills though so she gives some of the other dogs a break.

Oscar- a four-year old male and he’ll run anywhere in the team. I am going to start Oscar in wheel and by the end of the race he’ll most likely be in the lead. Oscar is tough because he had to pull Jim around as a yearling.

Hank- a three-year old male wheel dog. Hank would be a very important dog in my dad’s team but he has missed too much training due to a shoulder injury so he is just going to go with me on the shorter race.

Cassie- a two-year female team dog. Cassie’s biggest claim to fame is that she is cute, unfortunately that doesn’t count for much in her line of work. I run her near the back of the team so she doesn’t distract the males too much.

Mugsy- a three-year old female swing dog. Though Mugsy isn’t the fastest dog, she does contribute a steady confidence to the rest of the team.

Holly- a two-year old female lead/swing dog. I’m not planing on running Holly in lead but if one of my other leaders gets tired she’s a willing replacement.

Attila- a two-year old male team/wheel dog. Attila is happy, he is one of the most hyper dogs I have ever run. Even after a seven-hour run Attila is still hopping around rubbing up against my legs acting like a puppy.

Rambler- a six-year old male team/wheel dog. Rambler has finished four Iditarods and is probably the most powerful team member

You probably noticed most of the dogs run in multiple positions in the team. I have arranged the team in the following starting order after much deliberation:

Blue     Turbo lead

Holly     Mugsy swing

Attila     Rambler team

Curry     Cassie team

Hank     Oscar wheel

After the whole year of training and working with these dogs it all comes down to this weekend and, with a little luck, come Saturday morning me and my team will be out on the trail doing what we love and what we do best. LETS ROLL!!!

Tyrell Seavey

Sterling, Alaska