Our final sponsor event before the big day was a fun, family orientated event with the Verizon Wireless team in Anchorage.
Verizon employees and their families all came together to send off our two teams into the wild. Aliy and Allen told some stories and showed a few videos before we all shared a meal and some fellowship with our newest “Lead Dog” sponsor family.
Verizon’s “Better Matters” philosophy fits so well with ours and we are happy to have them on board with the kennel. Thank you to the whole team for your support, Aliy and Allen will take it down the trail with them.
One of our Iditarod traditions is to take a couple of dogs and a few of the crew to the Matson Shipping office at the Port of Anchorage to say hello. Today Allen, Junior, Quito, Chris and Ruth met with the team down there and had a fun, social time.
Matson (formerly Horizon Lines) has been sponsoring SP Kennel for more than 10 years and as Aliy says: “They were with me when I came in 40th and are still with me now. They’ve been with us through thick and thin”. We appreciate the team and enjoy being associated with Matson.
Chris and Junior discuss the route; What’s in your pocket? Got Snacks?
Congrats to Carrie, Shawn and Percy who are fans of Izzy and Shannon and Maggie who are fans of Nelson!
Izzy is beyond confident. She is somewhat of an elitist. She can run any position in the dog team and have a major impact. She is a star!
Nelson looks good. He is always so excited and sometimes we just forget how truly ecstatic he gets when you walk up to his with a harness. The “sweetheart” that you can cuddle with vanishes and he becomes a possessed sled dog.
You both win a copy of the Iditarod Race Annual, signed by Allen and Aliy plus a ID patch. You will also receive a photo print portrait of your dog along with a few other kennel goodies. We hope you enjoy your packets!
We will be doing random draws for fun goodies including signed drop bags and posters throughout the race so keep an eye out for that. Everyone who has joined by the time of the draw and hasn’t already won will be in to win!
Click the button below for more information about how to join:
Click this button to take you directly to the Dog Fan Page.
Allen and the Black Team will wear bib number 36 and Aliy and the Red Team will wear bib 41 down the Iditarod Trail!
During the day, our Ceremonial Start athletes (plus Rambler) and Chris, Ruth and Mark journeyed down the Parks Highway to Anchorage. It was a picture postcard day!
Then, this evening at the Dena’ina Centre in Anchorage the human crew enjoyed the Mushers’ Banquet and Bib Draw. It’s amazing how many familiar faces you see amongst a room of 5,000 people! Thank you to all our Team Members, Dog Fans and supporters that stopped by to say hello, it was lovely to meet you all.
Banquet program; Aliy with Kenny Gill, Matson Vice President – Alaska
Hobo Jim kicked the evening off with his familiar tunes before Mike Williams opened the banquet with a special and particularly relevant invocation. The UAA Glee Club sang National Anthem and the Alaska Flag song and gave a great performance despite some microphone issues. The Athabaskan Fiddlers Assoc accompanied our dinner before we were introduced to honoured guests and several of the major race sponsors. After that we got to hear from every musher as they drew their bibs and thanked everyone who has got them to the starting line. Just getting to that point is a major achievement so it is nice everyone gets to acknowledge the help they have received.
Aliy, Allen and Ashley; Chris, Ruth and Mark
Aliy is interviewed by Greg Heister for the Insider; interview for “The Big Alaska Show”
Allen draws #36
Allen thanked our major sponsors and handling crew plus everyone in the room that makes the Iditarod what it is!
Aliy draws #41
Aliy thanked everyone who sent her love, light and prayers after what happened last year but assured us all she was READY! That drew a huge cheer from the crowd. She also thanked her dogs for agreeing to do this thing one more time. Thanks also to major sponsors Matson who have been with SPK “through thick and thin”, Verizon and Eagle Pack.
One of the most fun sponsor events we look forward to is the annual Eagle Pack breakfast at Gwennie’s in Anchorage. Dr Al Townsend brings together several Eagle Pack employees and representatives to an Iditarod celebratory breakfast with the Eagle Pack family of mushers.
Allen, Martin Buser, Aliy, DeeDee Jenrowe, Dr Al Townsend (Head Vet for Eagle Pack), Justin High
SP Kennel dogs have been eating Eagle Pack since 2000 and all our dogs, from our puppies’ first solid meal right up to our 14 year olds, thrive on it. If you are looking for a great quality food to feed your pet or working dog we definitely recommend Eagle Pack – Natural Pet Food. Check out their website or ask your local stockist for the formulation to best suit your best friend(s).
Following on from her participation at the Lead On conference in November, Aliy has joined forces with ANDVSA and Matson to further the cause. Read the press release below.
Lead On, Aliy!
Aliy Zirkle Teams Up With ANDVSA To Help End Violence in Alaska
ANCHORAGE, ALASKA (March 1, 2017) – Popular Iditarod contender Aliy Zirkle has announced an effort to fund youth education and violence prevention programs designed to promote healthy, safe, and strong communities across Alaska.
Backed by sponsor Matson, Zirkle is partnering with Alaska Network on Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault (ANDVSA) to support and expand youth programming statewide, including rural villages along the Iditarod route, communities Zirkle has come to know well over her years of racing.
“The support and care I’ve received in the villages over the years has been phenomenal,” Zirkle said. “I’ve been looking for a way to give back; and, if I can help get more kids involved in this program that strengthens their communities as well as themselves, it’ll be a start.”
Last year, Zirkle participated in Lead On!, an annual youth conference organized by ANDVSA, and recognized that the attendees are the face of change for this problem in Alaska. “Kids in this program learn new skills in respect of self and others that they take back and use to make a difference in their communities. Changing attitudes can take generations; but if more kids could participate in Lead On!, we’d be well on our way to ending violence and abuse.”
Lead On! inspires, engages, and supports youth who promote respect and work to end violence in their communities. The three-day conference brings together more than 100 teens and supportive adults from across Alaska to participate with national and local presenters, including Alaska Native Elders, guest speakers, dancers, artists, athletes and advocates in a variety of workshops designed to educate and build community leadership among young participants.
“We are thrilled and honored that Aliy and Matson have chosen to partner with us to not only raise awareness of sexual and domestic violence issues but to engage with communities throughout Alaska to let them know how we can work together to prevent violence, and that everybody can make a difference,” said Carmen Lowry, executive director of ANDVSA.
In honor of Aliy Zirkle’s commitment to helping combat domestic violence and sexual assault, all donations made to ANDVSA during the months of March, April and May will go towards helping more youth in rural villages and across Alaska participate in Lead On! Donations can be made online www.andvsa.org/donate or Facebook/ANDVSA.
Matson has made a lead contribution of $10,000 to Zirkle’s Lead On! campaign.
“We are taking Aliy’s lead on this important issue for all of our communities,” said Kenny Gill, Vice President of Alaska Operations at Matson. “If anyone can lead in this effort, it’s Aliy. She is as passionate about Alaska as she is about racing, and there’s no better role model for Alaska’s youth. We are eager to support her efforts in every way we can.”
Through its community support arm Matson Foundation, Matson contributes funds, material goods and services to assist in the development and strengthening of local not-for-profit, charitable and community-based organizations located in Alaska and other locations where the shipping company has business operations.
More information about Matson Foundation, including its grant application guidelines and leadership, can be found at matson.com/foundation. To find out more about ANDVSA or Lead On, visit andvsa.org.
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About Matson
Founded in 1882, Matson (NYSE: MATX) is a leading U.S. carrier in the Pacific. Matson provides a vital lifeline to the economies of Hawaii, Alaska, Guam, Micronesia and select South Pacific islands, and operates a premium, expedited service from China to Southern California. The Company’s fleet of 22 owned vessels includes containerships, combination container and roll-on/roll-off ships and custom-designed barges. Matson Logistics, established in 1987, extends the geographic reach of Matson’s transportation network throughout the continental U.S. Its integrated, asset-light logistics services include rail intermodal, highway brokerage, warehousing, and less-than-container load freight consolidation and forwarding to Alaska. Additional information about the Company is available at www.matson.com.
About ANDVSA
The Alaska Network on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (ANDVSA) is a dual coalition that was incorporated as a non-profit organization in 1980 to strengthen the support systems serving survivors of domestic and sexual violence by facilitating networking among member programs while advocating for social and systems change in Alaska. ANDVSA is the only statewide organization providing training and technical assistance to the array of service providers that directly address domestic, sexual and dating violence in the state.
ANDVSA serves as a resource for our 19 member organizations by providing training, technical assistance, statewide planning and needs assessment, community education, and gathering and disseminating resources and information critical to our work.
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Media Contacts:
Jennifer Thompson, Thompson & Co.
907-561-4488, Jennifer@thompsonpr.com
Lindsey Whitt, Matson, Inc.
907-250-5265, lwhitt@matson.com
Carmen Lowry, PhD, Executive Director, Alaska Network on Domestic Violence & Sexual Abuse
907-586-3650, clowry@andvsa.org
We are just a few days away from the start of the Iditarod! How did that happen? Wasn’t it just fall?
2016 Red team re-start in Willow
The timetable for the squad is pretty full for the next week. Someone said recently that ours is a logistics-heavy sport and this week rigorously tests that theory.
Today, Wednesday: Aliy and Allen along with Mickey, Doug (Aliy’s parents) and Moira head to Anchorage for sponsor events on Wednesday evening and Thursday morning. Then, on Thursday Aliy and Allen have musher meetings for much of the day while Chris, Ruth and Mark drive the canine squad down the Parks Highway to arrive in time for the Start Banquet.
Friday is more sponsor events interspersed with ensuring the dogs get out of the truck as much as possible to stretch their legs and store-up some calories.
2016 Red Team Ceremonial Start (Photo Lee Fisher)
Saturday morning sees the Ceremonial Start on 4th Avenue of Anchorage. The teams will mush 11 miles through downtown out to the Campbell Airstrip. If you are anywhere near Anchorage on Saturday this is a “must see” event – give us a wave and a shout as we go by!
As soon as the Ceremonial Start is complete all our dogs and people head straight back up to Fairbanks so everyone can sleep in their own beds for a couple of nights. That is one of the advantages we have with the restart in Fairbanks.
Sunday we close the kennel to all visitors and will be used to do final preparations; sled packing, psyching up and Aliy and Allen will take the final selection of dogs on a short stretch-out run. Only after that will we be able to let you know the team rosters.
Monday morning it’s all go! The Restart begins at 11am in Fairbanks. Normally that is where we say goodbye to the teams until we see them again in Nome but this year we will take a truck to the first checkpoint in Nenana where we take the drop bags for our teams to pick up. Nenana is different to all other checkpoints on the Iditarod in that handlers are required to be there to bring the drop bags, and are able to help hold and park the teams.
2016 Black team re-start in Willow
As far as coverage of the race: this blog, as always, will be SP Kennel-centric and will follow only our two teams. Other kennels have great websites and Facebook pages that will update you on their progress (there are other mushers?). We don’t offer any kind of strategic commentary (there are plenty of others that do that far better than I ever could) and prefer to stick to what we know about our teams. We will run our own race and see how it all shakes out in the end.
Check out our social media sites as we will also post and share things directly to our Facebook page, our Instagram and maybe even shake the dust off our dormant Twitter account so you can follow along on your preferred social site.
Your best bet for up to the minute coverage is the Iditarod website and Facebook page; and if you haven’t already, I would recommend becoming an Iditarod Insider if you can. Every team will be wearing a GPS tracker that gives loads of information, not just where they are at a given moment. You can check out run/rest schedule graphs and speed trends. We rely heavily on these trackers and at times will watch every inch and every minute.
The Insider Team on the trail will bring you video and stories, and I know they have been testing some live feeds so we may get to see some of that again this year. The team is experienced at following this race and get you right in on the action.
If you are an educator there are some excellent resources available via the Iditarod website and their new Education Portal. It’s actually really interesting even if you aren’t an educator.
There will, of course, be several local and national news outlets covering the race and I will try to link relevant stories as they come up. There are also several Facebook pages that follow the race, offering strategic insights, links to media stories and chat communities. I couldn’t hope to link them all here but if you search for ‘Iditarod’ or variations of that and you might find one that suits you.
Thank you for choosing to follow along with us. We love having you with us and appreciate every comment and “like”. We may not be able to get back to everyone that contacts us through the race but we do read all the messages. In the spring when things are a little quieter, Aliy and Allen do go back to read them all so your message does get through.
Thanks to Dr Dawn Brown, Vet Assistant Mara Renneberg and the whole team at North Pole Veterinary Hospital for doing our pre-Iditarod vet checks yesterday! 40 dogs in and out of the surgery could have been quite a disruption to normal service so we really appreciate how smoothly and seamlessly it all went.
Kodiak charms Dr Brown; Schmoe has range of motion tested
Each dog that starts the Iditarod will have passed through a rigorous testing regime to ensure they are fit to be there.
Yesterday’s check was a thorough physical exam testing general attitude, vitals such as temperature and weight, listening to their heart and breathing plus for any musculo-skeletal including range of motion and any rubs or bumps. Vaccinations and worming status is checked to ensure everyone is fully covered. See right for the full list.
The results from yesterday are combined with the ECG and blood testing from late last week to give the Iditarod vet team a complete picture of every dog.
We took all our potential starters, including our “back-ups” to ensure that, come Monday, we have a big enough pool to choose from and we can get the healthiest, fittest teams out on the trail.
Ginger has range of motion tested; Violet patiently waits her turn with Aliy
Ginger plays “sled dog statue” for her heart check; Junior getting some love
Cayenne has her check while channelling her inner show-dog; good boy Kodiak
