2008 International Sled Dog Symposium
Preliminary Program
Sponsored by the Alaska Dog Mushers Association, Fairbanks Junior Dog Mushers Association, and the Fairbanks North Star Borough Pioneer Park.
- Symposium home page
- Speaker biographies
- Program booklet [PDF; 150 KB]
- Registration form [PDF; 95 KB]—can be mailed or faxed
Speakers, session titles, and session descriptions are subject to change. Updates will be posted regularly. Speaker names are linked to biographies as they become available.
All sessions are at the Pioneer Park Centennial Center for the Arts (the civic center) unless otherwise noted. Questions? See the symposium home page or contact Ami Gjestson by email or (907) 488-5621.
Theater sessions will be taped, and the recordings will be available for purchase from Sled Dog Studio after the symposium. The use of recording equipment and cameras (with or without flash) during presentations is prohibited except by authorized press and personnel. Theater presentation audio will be streamed live on the web; the link has been posted and will be playing excerpts from last year's symposium intermittently until this year's event begins.
Last updated 08-Oct-2008.
Friday, October 10th10 am – 4 pm • Blue Room Yukon Quest Rookie Workshop Hear from veterans, veterinarians and race staff how to train, prepare for and run the Yukon Quest. This session is strongly recommended for all rookies of the 2009 Yukon Quest (regardless of experience with other 1000-mile races!), but all future rookies are welcome to join as well. There is no charge for mushers who have entered the 2009 YQ race, but for all other mushers, handlers and guests, there will be a $25.00 charge (separate from the symposium, to be paid at the door) which will include lunch. Seating is extremely limited so please call, fax, or email your reservations as soon as possible. Please RSVP to: Kim Gatto Noon – 4 pm • Main floor & mezzanine Trade fair setup in civic center 4 – 7 pm • Lobby Early-bird registration and advance registration check-in Avoid the Saturday morning rush! Our staff will be standing by to check you in early. If you registered in advance, you can pick up your name tag and information packet on Friday. If you're paying at the door, beat the cashier lines Saturday morning by registering Friday night. Remember, all Friday night activities are free. 4 – 9 pm • Main floor & mezzanine Working Dog Trade Fair opens for weekend The trade fair is free to the general public. The Working Dog Trade Fair opens at 4 pm Friday and will be open from 10 am to 5 pm on Saturday and 10 am to 5 pm on Sunday. Your favorite mushing equipment suppliers will be there, as well as clothing specialists, sled builders, informational booths and much more. See our list of vendors, which we'll update as they confirm their participation. Please check back often to see who is coming. Entries taken for Best Invention Contest Back by popular demand is our second annual Best Invention Contest! Bring in your dog-related invention for a chance to win fame and glory, and maybe some prizes if we can find a sponsor. Entries will be on display at the trade fair all weekend and can be voted on by the public, but we'll also have a panel of judges (not necessarily distinguished…but certainly qualified!). Votes will be tallied and winners will be announced on Sunday afternoon. Entries for the Best Invention Contest will be accepted up until 5 p.m. on Saturday. But if you get your entries in earlier, we can do a better job of displaying them! And some of the judges might offer preferential treatment to early-bird entries. Long-distance entries will be accepted via email to: daisyacres@mosquitonet.com. Send photos (please make them small; the recipient is on dialup) with a description of the invention. We'll print out a copy for display. Your invention may teach us something about how to make dog mushing or kennel management easier, more fun, safer, or just nifty. |
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| 6:30 – 7:45 pm • Theater Hands-on for Junior Mushers Alyssa Quaile, Laura Davis, and friends This is a free presentation. Join the Fairbanks Junior Dog Mushers Association as they demonstrate the importance of dog care and your responsibilities as a dog owner. Distance musher and former junior musher Alyssa Quaile will give a informative presentation on responsible dog care, followed by your chance to participate in hands-on sessions. These will include how to make a neckline; how to make, maintain and repair dog chains; how to care for your dog's feet and prevent or treat foot injuries; and other practical skills. 8:00 – 9:00 pm • Theater Mush with PRIDE Forum This is a free presentation. Please join us for what will tentatively be an open-discussion forum on what we can do to ensure the growth of our sport, fight misperceptions, and ensure proper practices are followed.
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Saturday, October 11th8 am to 3:30 pm • Lobby Onsite registration and check-in; coffee and bakery items from Marty's Bake Shop for sale upstairs on mezzanine Pay at the door if you didn't register in advance; advance registrants can pick up name tags and information packets in the express lanes. Don't forget to buy or renew your ADMA membership for a $5 club discount on registration fees. Entries taken for Best Invention Contest Bring in your dog-related invention for a chance to win fame and glory. Entries will be on display at the trade fair all weekend. Entries will be evaluated by a panel of judges, and the public will be able to vote for a People's Choice award. Votes will be tallied and winners will be announced on Sunday afternoon. |
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Special all-day celebrity visit from the Comeback KennelZorro and Lance Mackey Here is your chance to pet famous lead dog and distance mushing phenomenon Zorro, who will be hanging out at the trade fair accompanied by 4-time Quest winner, 2-time Iditarod winner, and 2-time ESPY award nominee Lance Mackey. |
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9 – 10 am • Theater Conditioning Follow along with Curtis from early season to peak performance conditioning. |
9 – 10 am • Blue Room Sharing Trails Richard Henderson, Alaska Trappers Association Multiuse public trails are the highways of the sled dog world. Become more familiar with proper trail etiquette and signs of other trail users to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience of the great outdoors by all. |
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ADMA Fundraising Auction—bidding opens 10 am • Main floor and mezzanine Preliminary list of auction items (updated regularly) Is there something you need, from dog food to a good book to a truckload of wood shavings? Maybe some mushing artwork, or a gift certificate to a local restaurant? You will most likely find it at the auction. Join us at the trade fair all day Saturday for this annual auction to help raise funds for ADMA. Auction funds are used to support the symposium and other ADMA expenses such as trail maintenance and hall repairs. A list of auction items will be posted on the web, and many more items from our trade fair vendors will magically appear on Saturday. The ADMA auction committee plans to set up tables early so that symposium-goers and trade fair attendees can have all day to check out the goods and bid on items. The auction will wrap up Saturday evening with both silent and outcry bidding. If you'd like to support ADMA by donating an item to the auction, please contact Nancy DeWitt, (907) 322-5537 [cell]. 10 – 10:30 am • Break Go visit the trade fair and bid at the auction tables! The trade fair is free and open to the public for perusing and shopping from 10 am – 5 pm on Saturday and 10 am – 5 pm on Sunday. Don't forget to vote for your favorite invention. Sweets, snacks and beverages from Marty's Bake Shop will be available on the third-floor mezzanine. |
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10:30 – noon • Theater A Season to Remember Listen to Mitch's tales from the trails of the Kusko 300 through the All Alaska Sweepstakes. |
10:30 – noon • Blue Room Building the Basic Toboggan Sled This session covers the parts and assembly techniques needed to build a basic toboggan sled. Areas such as hardware, metals, plastics and structural requirements will be discussed, along with shortcuts gleaned from years of sled building. |
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Noon – 1:30 pm Lunch, trade fair, and auction bidding A variety of sandwiches and sweets from Marty's Bake Shop is for sale on the third-floor mezzanine. Take some time to visit the trade fair and to bid on auction items. Don't forget to vote for your favorite invention! Noon – 4 pm • Parking lot Interior Freight Dog Association Weight Pull Competition Ever wonder how strong dogs really are? Come and see canines pull several times their body weight! In this exciting and inspirational sport, the dogs have 60 seconds to pull a loaded sled 25 feet. This event is open to all canine competitors in four weight divisions. Dogs of all breeds and sizes are harnessed to a 200-pound sled and given 60 seconds to pull it 25 feet. Weight is then added in various increments based on division until a dog is able to outpull the rest of the competitors in his or her weight class. The four weight divisions are under 60 lbs, 60 to 90 lbs, 90 to 125 lbs, and 125 lbs and over. These competitions are open to all dogs with an overwhelming desire to please. It is a great way to teach your dog to pull on command and a great way to have some winter fun! The club encourages beginner dogs to come out and pull. For more information, visit the Interior Freight Dog Association website. |
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1:30 – 3 pm • Theater Keynote presentation: The Mind of the Bird Dog With today's prevalence of pointers crossed with huskies, talk often turns to what makes them tick. John will discuss bird dog breeds, the bird dog sports, and conditioning and training techniques used for hunting and competitive field trials. |
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3 – 3:30 pm • Break Visit the trade fair, bid on auction items, and vote for your favorite invention. Sweets, snacks and beverages for sale on the third-floor mezzanine. |
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3:30 – 5 pm • Theater UAF Film Archives Presentation with accompanying commentary by Joee Redington, moderated by Karl Kassel As a very special treat this year, UAF's Alaska Film Archives will run a series of film excerpts relating to northern dogs and dog mushing. The footage, gleaned from archival silent films, will illustrate the historical use of dogs as racers in interior Alaska, including early ONAC races. Come enjoy this rare historical look at our northern dogs. |
3:30 – 5 pm • Blue Room Snowmobile and 4-wheeler Maintenance Steve Darby Learn from one of Fairbanks's top technicians how to properly maintain your equipment at home and make emergency repairs on the trail. |
5 – 9 pm • Main floor, Pioneer Park Civic Center ADMA Fundraising Auction—silent and outcry bidding Is there something you need, from dog food to a good book to a truckload of wood shavings? Maybe some mushing artwork, or a gift certificate to a local restaurant? You will most likely find it at the auction. Join us Saturday evening for both silent and outcry auctions to help raise funds for ADMA. Auction funds are used to support the symposium and other ADMA expenses such as trail maintenance and hall repairs. A list of auction items will be posted on the web, and many more items from our trade fair vendors will magically appear Saturday night. If you'd like to support ADMA by donating an item to the auction, please contact Nancy DeWitt, (907) 457-1420 [h] or (907) 322-5537 [cell]. Sunday, October 12thAll day • Main floor Winter Camping Exhibition Provided by Joe Henderson and others 8 am to 1:30 pm • Lobby Onsite registration and check-in; coffee and bakery items from Marty's Bake Shop for sale upstairs on mezzanine Pay at the door if you didn't register in advance; advance registrants can pick up name tags and information packets in the express lanes. Don't forget to buy or renew your ADMA membership for a $5 club discount on registration fees. |
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9 – 10:00 am • Theater High Tech Sleds Mark Cooper (Cooper Sleds), Hans Gatt (Gatt Sled), Gar Morey (Outlaw Sleds), and Jacques Philip (Antipode Sleds); moderated by Andrea Swingley Cutting-edge design and materials bring a whole new level of performance to these sleds. Panel members will discuss how they were developed and why they are such a joy to drive. |
9 – 10:00 am • Blue Room Training with a GPS Learn how a GPS works, differences between units, how to use a GPS to pace your team for various training objectives (long, slow, distance, threshold, intervals), and their place in controlling speed in races. |
10:00 – 10:30 am • Break Visit the trade fair! Don't forget to vote for your favorite invention. Grab a snack from Marty's Bake Shop on the third-floor mezzanine. |
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10:30 am – noon • Theater Evolution of Distance Racing Mitch Seavey, Brent Sass, Kelley Griffin, Sonny Lindner, and Bill Cotter; moderated by Tammi Rego From the tried and true methods that have been used over the years to new ideas in dog care and training, panel members will talk about what works in today's long-distance racing. Audience questions are highly encouraged. |
10:30 am – noon • Blue Room Building the Basic Basket Sled Covers various aspects of basket sled construction, including wood selection, mortise and tenon joints, and a tying demonstration. Proper attachment of brakes and drags will also be discussed. |
Noon – 1:30 pm Lunch and trade fair A variety of food is for sale on the third floor mezzanine. Take some time to visit the trade fair. Last chance to vote for your favorite invention! |
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1:30 pm • Theater Best Invention Contest results announced |
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1:30 – 3 pm • Theater Arctic Expeditions Arctic dogsled travel is a unique experience in the realm of modern mushing. Joe Henderson will share his experiences of more than 20 years of freighting in the arctic with his team of 22 Alaskan Malamutes. His discussion will include a brief history of dogsledding in northern Alaska and a summary of the methods of travel, training techniques, and gear he employs to travel successfully each winter. Joe will share a slideshow of his most recent expedition photographs and stories of adventures with his team. His sleds and tent will be on display. |
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3 – 3:30 pm • Break Visit the trade fair and chat with fellow participants and organizers. Sweets, snacks and beverages for sale on the third-floor mezzanine. Don't forget to turn in your evaluations! Please let us know what you thought of this year's symposium so we can make it even better next year. |
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3:30 – 5 pm • Theater Canine Massage Therapy How well do you really know your dogs? Increase your dog team's performance level through specialized massage techniques. Learn how to use the Lea Method, the "martial arts of massage," and how to increase your communication and observation skills. Massage can help you catch imbalances or injuries earlier, heighten your effectiveness in working with your dogs, and alert you to signs of potential future problems. Massage is a great complementary addition to other forms of dog care and can boost your dogs' athletic prowess as well. |
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