Re: Sled Dog Race, Iditarod, is less than a week away
- From: shore@xxxxxxxxx (Melinda Shore)
- Date: 28 Feb 2006 10:29:26 -0500
In article <72b54$44045c0b$94402b1b$28813@xxxxxxxxxxxx>,
flick <flick@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
So the quotes on the anti-Iditarod site, which have cites, about mushers
racing their dogs 12-14 hours and not stopping at checkpoints are
fabricated? I don't know, Melinda - I'm asking. Are they fabricated?
Yes, definitely. Not only do mushers pass through
checkpoints, they also stop on the trail to snack and water
the dogs, and often to catch a nap. And because of what's
been going on with the weather these past few years they're
resting during the day and travelling at night, when it's
colder. This is really simple: if you don't take care of
your dogs you're not going to get to Nome, period.
The anti-Iditarod stuff is almost completely based on a USA
Today article/opinion piece about the cruelty of the race.
The guy who wrote it went to the ceremonial circus^H^H^H^H^H
start in Anchorage but apparently was uncomfortable in the
cold and was only outside of his hotel room for 1/2 hour.
He didn't go to see the real start and he didn't go to the
checkpoints. He didn't talk to mushers, either, to ask
questions about what he was seeing.
I thought the mushers weren't required to stop long enough at checkpoints
for a vet check of their dogs, and I may have missed it but I don't see it
in the official rules. It sounds more like it's self-policed.
Here's an interview with the chief vet:
http://iditaweb-1.gci.net/gdc/story.php?id=5
There are over 1000 dogs in the Iditarod, afaict.
Um, no. 44 teams * 14 dogs = 616, plus dogs are "dropped"
at checkpoints if they're not doing well or for strategic
purposes, plus there are typically a lot of scratches, so by
the time the race is half over they're probably down to
under 400.
We had Sibes and carts 30-something years ago when we lived in the Southwest
high desert. I don't think a dogsledding vacation equates to the Iditarod
any more than my walks through the woods equate to a timed marathon.
Of course not, but it might help you understand the dogs a
little better.
I'm not able to tell that anyone knows how the dogs are "really doing"
unless they die or become ill during the race.
Okay, now *that's* just unbelievably ignorant. Clearly you
don't know anything about sports physiology. There's no
reason to think you should, but a reasonable person would
say "I don't know about that - tell me more."
Sorry, Flick, but you're doing it again. You've got your
mind made up even though you don't actually know anything
about the dogs or the race.
--
Melinda Shore - Software longa, hardware brevis - shore@xxxxxxxxx
Prouder than ever to be a member of the reality-based community.
.
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- From: flick
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- From: Melinda Shore
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