ASK THE MUSHER VOL 16: Martin Buser

[Buser]

Martin, Thanks so much for being the role model to younger mushers and kids who follow the races. My students really liked the segments with you we were able to see on the computer from Channel 2. It is readily apparent you love your dogs and they are what makes you a very happy man (other than your family of course!). They especially thought your dogs in the dog yard would be great fun to train. Are you helping any younger, or up and coming mushers, as far as training techniques, teaching them how to get and keep a great string of dogs, or anything of that nature?

As I read your previous posts I was thinking how much fun it would be to have Martin Buser as my substitute teacher! I think the kids would be in for such a fun day and learn so much from you. Care to come to Oklahoma to sub?

I also wanted to thank Kathy for her personal email about how to get the Alaska Airlines shirts. I was not expecting such an immediate personal reply, figuring you guys were too busy to answer your emails right now. Thanks for that effort Kathy.

After watching you in the YQ & this year's Idit I am now a die hard Martin fan. You do not give yourself enough credit when you say maybe people over 50 shouldn't do both. I was quite impressed with your showing as a rookie, regardless of your age. I am just amazed you did both of them, finishing in the positions you secured. If only I was able to get on a dog sled and drive a team of 4 dogs! What great fun that would be.

Thanks for your great sportsmanship and proving the humanitarian awards you have received in the past were right on the money, especially when you don't run it for the glory!

And Happy Happy birthday to you!

Susan

re: young mushers ~ We are part of the official ITC rookie meeting and we invite all the Jr. Iditarod or other interested mushers to attend. We try to share as much information to anyone who asks. We do usually have a young helper or two at the kennel and try to teach them about the sled dog world. Three of our former handlers were driving teams of their own on the Iditarod this year, Aaron Peck, Sven Haltman and Matt Hyashida. We try to be available for seminars with young people as often as possible.

I covet my humanitarian awards and display them proudly. But I doubt I will get another one due to the new point system assigned to the award. Points are awarded for each dog a musher brings into Nome and deducted for dropped dogs. I often drop dogs as a preventive measure or at the first sign of any issue, which only I probably notice. My family has gotten used to my dog dropping philosophy. In the early days it made them very nervous. In one Iditarod I had 10 dogs in Nikolai and ended up finishing with 7 dogs in 2nd place with a happy team. That's really the bottom line for me. Maybe I'm just a softie.

[Buser]

Hello, Martin and Kathy!

We are truly honored by your presence! Thank you for all the time you're devoting to us in this thread.

Like most in here, I'm a great fan of yours. Unfortunately, this is only my second year following the Iditarod. (I was somewhat inspired by Susan Butcher, but back in the pre-Internet days, you'd be lucky to see an occasional two-column-inch mention of the Iditarod in the local papers, even though Susan was a mushing superstar. So I've missed your greatest triumphs, unless you count finishing this year in all the horrible weather one of them.)

Story - I am going to write a detailed reflection for 09. We are working on compiling all our Iditarod stories in a book for publication. The reflections do help me process each race but I also need to digest the race before I write about it.

After last year, my first Iditarod, I purchased "For the Love of Dogs." I've played that wonderful DVD over and over. I'm delighted to hear that you'll have a book available soon, and can't wait to buy my copy!

I had to laugh, thinking about Rohn as a freshman in school. I can just see it. "What did you do last year?" "I worked at McDonalds. What did you do?" "I went to Disneyland with my family. Rohn, what did you do?" "I finished my first Iditarod." ... Dead silence...

I don't have a particular question for you. I just want to share my best wishes with you and Kathy. I think you're both wonderful people, and am delighted to have this opportunity to say "Howdy!"

All my best,

Tom Lackamp
Tukwila, WA

Glad you enjoyed the DVD. It was a project from the heart with our friends from Sprocketheads in Anchroage and Marla Williams in Seattle. Our goal was to provide a glimpse into our lifestyle with our dogs. We feel so fortunate to be able to pursue what we love. We couldn't really do it without the support of all the folks like you who share the dream and our sponsors who believe in what we do. With the race purse taking such a dramatic decrease this year, 18th position suffered a 54% hit from last year, we know race money could not sustain us. Luckily we diversified a few years ago and started our summer tours. We'll just have to work smarter and harder!

[Johncn]

Martin,

I am an administrator with BSSD, and we once again thank you for always taking time to allow our Student Broadcasting Team (SBT) students to interview.

You are always gracious and patient with them, and never fail to take the time to answer their questions just like they were from the major media outlets...whether they approach you at your kennel, the Ceremonial Start, Unalakleet, in our villages along the coast, or in Nome. You are always the same guy...a class act.



Thanks, too, for interacting directly with fans here in the Mushing Forum. You have some truly dedicated, long-term supporters among the members.

Regards,

Johncn

[Taz]

Hello! Well I am not sure if I am too late but I am posting anyway. I have been checking you site to check for Iditarod 09 stories and saw that you are (were) here. Martin, I think it is a tie between Di and me for being your biggest fans (my name is Dianna too so that is pretty cool!). My questions have pretty much been asked and I am very curious to get your story about the race this year. I already ordered your DVD last week so hopefully that will come soon. I hope to read about your Iditarod stories as well. I just want to say that I love your attitude and your care for the dogs. While I saw very little of you this year by way of videos, in past years I have enjoyed your upbeat attitude and your whistling and talking to your dogs during the race. Your love for you dogs is so apparent and for me, a softy, that it what makes you my favorite musher (plus you are pretty good at winning too!)

I guess a question if do have is in terms on breeding some shorter/thinner hair breed dogs for racing. In light of some of the events this year, it seems maybe some dogs are not "built" to be in those kind of conditions. Do you have any thoughts or suggestions in this regard? I guess I am used to seeing the dogs with the thicker coats and it seems that now we are seeing dogs that might not be able to handle the harsh weather conditions. Does this vary from say a musher from Nome or Fairbanks versus a musher from Anchorage? Do you consider more where the races will be or the climate in which the dogs will train and live?

Thanks again for taking the time to answer our questions!

Taz (Dianna)

[Di*]

Hey Taz, shhhhhh! All in good fun Martin, although we do get a little crazy after staring at our computers for ours on end with no "mandatory 24" in sight!

Taz reminded me of another comment I wanted to make, absolutely loved your whistled rendition of "What A Wonderful World" whistled to your dogs! I think it was on ADN's website! So great!
I found the link, here it i...! Scroll wayyyy down to the bottom, it is the last one on that page!
http://community.adn.com/adn/node/139013
Do you have a whole repertoire of songs to whistle to them?

[Buser]

Hello! Well I am not sure if I am too late but I am posting anyway. I have been checking you site to check for Iditarod 09 stories and saw that you are (were) here. Martin, I think it is a tie between Di and me for being your biggest fans (my name is Dianna too so that is pretty cool!). My questions have pretty much been asked and I am very curious to get your story about the race this year. I already ordered your DVD last week so hopefully that will come soon. I hope to read about your Iditarod stories as well. I just want to say that I love your attitude and your care for the dogs. While I saw very little of you this year by way of videos, in past years I have enjoyed your upbeat attitude and your whistling and talking to your dogs during the race. Your love for you dogs is so apparent and for me, a softy, that it what makes you my favorite musher (plus you are pretty good at winning too!)

I guess a question if do have is in terms on breeding some shorter/thinner hair breed dogs for racing. In light of some of the events this year, it seems maybe some dogs are not "built" to be in those kind of conditions. Do you have any thoughts or suggestions in this regard? I guess I am used to seeing the dogs with the thicker coats and it seems that now we are seeing dogs that might not be able to handle the harsh weather conditions. Does this vary from say a musher from Nome or Fairbanks versus a musher from Anchorage? Do you consider more where the races will be or the climate in which the dogs will train and live?

Thanks again for taking the time to answer our questions!

Taz (Dianna)

I do love my dogs a lot. The dogs definitely vary greatly geographically. Northwestern coastal dogs need more hair than our sunbelt dogs. What matters more is how we take care of them. We all should have dog coats and belly bands for all our team members and be proficient in using the protective equipment. It is true that the recent past races did not throw many cold weather challenges, but his year we got some. We had many races of that nature in the late 80s and early 90's. Some of the dogs with the same blood lines look different because of the weather where they live. Mushers with longer haired dogs have to contend with warm races and manage their team accordingly. As part of the Rookie Musher Training, I plan to spend more time on caring for dogs in extreme temperatures. Care and management of the team is the key to performing in any challenging weather ~ warm or cold.

[Buser]

Martin, these are tough economic times for everyone. However the Iditarod and Quest both seem to have taken a big hit both in reduced prize money and increased expenditures for mushers to run the race. How do you think this will affect the future of these races and the sport of mushing? Do you have any suggestions for the ITC and Quest on how to improve the situation?

Also Hugh Neff posted in our "Ask the Musher" series:

I also firmly believe that we should have 'floating fours' on the coast where mushers must choose to stop twice at whatever checkpoint between Kaltag and Elim for 4 hours.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on that idea. Do you think it would be in the dogs' best interest to give them more rest at this stage of the race without compromising the race itself?

And finally, the GPS...as fans we love it, but the mushers - not so much . In your opinion, is the money/fans it brings in to the race worth it? And how has it altered the race for the mushers?

Thanks so much for answering all our questions. You have a very inquisitive group here, that are loving all the information you can share with us.

The financial times might make it difficult for new people to get involved in the races. We felt the impact this year. Just like we do, the ITC has to work harder and smarter to secure funds to put on the race. We could not participate in this race without our own personal sponsors and we are eternally thankful for the faith they have in our kennel even when the race doesn't exactly turn out the way we hoped. If the race becomes too elitist where only people with lots of money enter, the general public will lose interest. I feel part of the allure of Iditarod is that anyone who meets the qualifications can enter. It draws people to the idea. I know it must be especially challenging for young people just starting out.

layovers ~ I am generally against mandated layovers because they create an artificial time island. People race toward their 8 hour on the Yukon and especially race to White Mountain. If you have a mandatory coming up, you may look more at getting to the rest stop than looking at your dogs. Even when I set the record in 2002, I gave my dogs a three hour break in Elim, just before White Mountain. Some watching thought I had given the race away but I knew that rest would yield results further down the trail. And I easily repassed the team that had gone through Elim without stopping. One way to assure that dogs are getting enough rest is to make a rule that mushers must be standing on their runners with the dogs leaving under their own power when they leave a check point rather than mushers dragging teams onto the trail.

Because of the huge popularity and financial gain for the race, the Official Finishers in Nome voted for complete openess of information of what's on the tracker. We can watch what is happening in real time while we are in the checkpoints. (Kathy tells me you could watch stuff on the big screen in Unalakleet thanks to BSSD.) If we ever have another race like this year while two people are stuck in a shelter cabin, we could know exactly when they started to move and pack up and leave ourselves. Knowing about what those guys, in the shelter cabin outside Shaktoolik, were doing would have been crucial information and certainly could effect the race. In the future with a free for all on information, we could all know what's happening. It will become a race for information as well as for the trail.

[Moose]

Last year it seemed you were not in favor of the tracker program. Was that an incorrect assumption I made, or have you changed your opinion of it? Some of us "old schoolers" have seen it as a mixed blessing. It did change the race dynamics for fans here. Was it a mixed blessing for teams on the trail?

Does the ITC appreciate the mystique, the allure the Iditarod holds for so many folks around the world that this is "any man's race"? If so, what steps are being taken to ensure participation by the little guy, the Native musher, the trapper, the up-and-comer with stars in her eyes?

My DH and I are a bit ahead of you on the path to "retirment", whatever that might be, but we are looking at the future of our own trail. Just curious, but where do Martin and Kathy see themselves in ten or 15 years?

From where I sit, Martin, you're a good guy. Thank you for all you've brought to the race, for the smiles you bring to the faces of the fans.

[BB Backer]

Martin, thank you so much for your enlightening responses. I'm learning so much. I had assumed that more mandatory rest would be beneficial to the dogs, but your response helped me see it from a different angle.

If you have a mandatory coming up, you may look more at getting to the rest stop than looking at your dogs.

I love how your race strategy is based totally on the welfare of the dogs.

One way to assure that dogs are getting enough rest is to make a rule that mushers must be standing on their runners with the dogs leaving under their own power when they leave a check point rather than mushers dragging teams onto the trail.

This was a really harsh year for mushers and dogs. Do you have any other suggestions that you'd like to see the ITC incorporate to help ensure the safety of the dogs and mushers? Do you think rookies should be required to take a survival course prior to the Iditarod? Maybe you should have your dog care presentation on dvd for rookies to watch before they sign up.

If the race becomes too elitist where only people with lots of money enter, the general public will lose interest.

I couldn't agree with you more. Many of us here on the forum long to hear the stories of all the mushers! The race is so much more than just who wins it. The challenges, the perseverance, and sacrifices...the stories behind the race... are the ones we love most and draw us to the race. I wish the race coverage would realize that we want more than updates on who is in the lead. We have such respect and reverence for all the mushers and dogs that tackle the Iditarod challenge. As a teacher who followed the Iditarod year after year with her classes, that was always the emphasis.

Thanks again for sharing your knowledge and time. Fascinating!

[tilstede]

Could you please tell us a little about your local community - I'm curious about things like how many live there, where is is geographically, what you like about the area, why did you chose to live there - and what is the most important day of the year for the community?

Thanks