AR-News: (MN) Star Tribune hypes Iditarod dog sled race

[Glickman37 at aol.com]

Letters to the editor: http://www.startribune.com/feedback/form.php?opinion=1 


Students virtually ride along on the Iditarod
Bill McAuliffe, Star Tribune

Published February 25, 2004
  
These days, it's 80 miles by dogsled from one end of the hall down to Jeff 
Peterson's classroom at Wilshire Park Elementary School in St. Anthony. 

With construction-paper mileposts by every door, and start- and finish-lines 
at the ends of the corridors, Wilshire replicates Alaska's upcoming Iditarod 
dogsled race, for which Peterson is this year's official Teacher on the Trail.

Peterson, who is in his sixth year teaching and his fifth at Wilshire, is 
scheduled to leave today for the 32nd annual race from Anchorage to Nome. Once 
the race across the frozen wilderness, mostly at night, begins March 6, 
Peterson, 29, will be keeping thousands of students updated over the Internet about 
everything they want to know about the 1,150-mile race. He is the sixth person 
selected as the race's official educational correspondent, the first male and 
the first Minnesotan.

"The Iditarod is a great platform for teaching," he said. "Kids have a 
natural curiosity about dogs and competition and Alaska."

He has already built lesson plans around math, geography, Alaskan culture and 
"life skills -- tenacity, courage, self-discipline, the try-try-try again 
that dogs and mushers exhibit on the trail."

Peterson, who grew up in Becker, Minn., and played football there and at St. 
John's University, comes by his mushing interest honestly. His second cousin 
is Jeff King, an Alaskan who has won the Iditarod three times. Two years ago, 
Peterson spent some time in Alaska with King, helping out with his dogs, and 
Peterson brought one home.

But living in Golden Valley and hoping to start a family with his wife, Sara, 
an attorney (they had their first baby in September), the opportunity to 
start dog sledding on his own was limited. He was a Teacher on the Trail finalist 
last year, and he was notified in April that he was the lead dog for 2004.

"Right now this is as close as I can get," Peterson said. "I'll take it."

Watching for moose

The Iditarod has come under some criticism from animal-rights activists and 
news columnists. Sixty-four dogs died in the 19 races from 1983 to 2002, 
according to the Anchorage Times, quoting the race director.

Peterson argues that in any group of more than 1,000 dogs, at least one will 
probably die over the course of eight days or more. And how the dogs are 
treated during the race -- given electrocardiograms and drug tests before the race 
and checked by a vet each day -- is another subject Peterson will cover with 
his students. 

His students are clearly excited, and even a little worried, about being 
wired to their teacher during the Iditarod. Asked last week what they want him to 
watch for, one student mentioned that she was concerned that Peterson might 
get frostbite. That gave Peterson the opportunity to say he will be 
well-equipped with cold-weather gear provided by Wells Fargo, an Iditarod sponsor.

In any case, the students also drew up a list of things to watch for that 
ought to keep Peterson busy: the progress of the race, whether any dogs have 
dropped out, encounters with moose and other wildlife, the weather and "Is the 
country beautiful?"

Peterson said he is up to the chase. 

"If I have to hike a couple of miles to somebody's house and say, 'Can I use 
your telephone?' I've got to do it," he said. 

"He's done wonderful things with his students," said Principal Bonnie 
Kirkpatrick. "They see it as fun. I'm sure this is something they'll remember for the 
rest of their lives."

For full information on the Iditarod, go to www.iditarod.com.

Bill McAuliffe is at mcaul at startribune.com.

http://www.startribune.com/stories/462/4628168.html 


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