Highlight on Wingman and Fish

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Continuing our posts on the 2015 puppy class, let's highlight Wingman and Fish!

Wingman has very similar mannerisms to his mom Neptune (Fire's daughter and sister of Niagra and Ham). In other words, he makes weird noises, stands in awkward positions, and is just all-around adorably goofy. He's grown tall and leggy like his dad Koyuk from Matt Hall's Smokin' Ace Kennel and has an insatiable appetite.

Fish is the epitome of a "flying squirrel." Occasionally she likes to be cuddled, but more often that not she'd prefer to sprint around and get into everything. She's very smart and has unfortunately learned that she doesn't always have to come when she's called- playing loose in the yard is way more fun than getting a treat at her house. Due to her limitless energy, she's given puppy walkers the run around a couple of times. Of all the Card Game Pups, she is the least like Perm. Instead, Fish seems to take after dad Reef in appearance.

Wingman as a pup

Wingman at 6 months

Wingman at 6 months

Fish as a pup

Fish at 6 months

Maliko's Recap

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What a fun race!  We had such a great time running the Two Rivers 100.  This time, Ryne sat out and worked as a check point volunteer at the Two Rivers Lodge while I ran most of the A team along with a couple of our two year olds, Lefty and Belle.  This was a great experience for them to be in the midst of experienced dogs and learn to deal with a bit more demanding race schedule. 

It was both incredible and nerve wracking to run Ryne’s race team, on the one hand, its amazing to see a mature team in race mode, on the other hand, I felt like I should be handling them with kid gloves at all times!  Our 50 mile run into the finish line was one of the most gorgeous night runs I’ve done in a long time.  The moon was so bright I ran without a headlamp for half of it, and the aurora came out to dance across the sky.  One of the most beautiful scenes for me as a dog musher is watching your dog team and its moonlit shadow race across the wilderness under the northern lights.  And let’s not forget what a great team Ryne has here at Ryno Kennel.  

Fire and Katy

Fire and Katy led us the whole 100 miles, and they are a dream in front.  Literally power steering fifty feet in front of you.  

Jana and Drummer (of Boundary Sled Dog Kennel owned by our friend Amanda Gecas) were two hard driving swing dogs that absolutely loved it when we passed other teams. 

Supai and Kindi ran just behind Jana and Drummer and were solid team dogs.  We like to call Jana and Drummer and Supai and Kindi the two sets of twins, if you dodn’t know them well, you’d have trouble telling them apart!

Pirate and Charley (also from Boundary Sled Dog Kennel) were another set of great team dogs.  They’re both big and powerful and even though Charley doesn’t always like to go very fast, he stepped it up for 100 miles.  

Niagra and Belle were next in the team.  Belle, I think, had a little bit of a hard time mentally keeping up with our shorter rest and faster pace, but she didn’t slack off, and Niagra enjoyed being in team for once, rather than leading the B team.

And last but definitely not least, Rucu and Lefty in wheel!  These guys were great.  As I’m sure you remember from my last post, Lefty is going to be a super star here at Ryno Kennel.  These two powerhouse boys were amazing in wheel.  They drove hard and ate everything in sight, even Lefty!

Two Rivers 100

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Today, Maliko and 12 Ryno athletes will be heading out to run the Two Rivers 100 put on by our local Two Rivers Dog Mushers Association. The race will begin at Chatanika Lodge then climb 50 miles up and over Iowa Dome to the first checkpoint at Two Rivers Lodge, our local watering hole. After a mandatory 4 hour rest, Maliko and team will complete another 50 miles on our home training trails to finish at Pleasant Valley Store. Tessa will be Maliko's all star handler during the race- thank you Tessa!

Trail map of the first 50-mile leg

Who are the canine athletes? Maliko will be joined by Fire and Katy in lead, Jana and Drummer, Supai and Kindi, Rucu and Niagra, Lefty and Belle, and Charley and Pirate in wheel.

While Maliko is racing, I will be helping manage the first checkpoint at Two Rivers Lodge. This means trying to organize and park 40 teams on a small pond next to the restaurant. That's 480 dogs! Logistics won't end there. On Saturday is Quest Food Drops, so I'll be finalizing and transporting all of our Quest 300 food drop bags.

Derek has signed on as trail sweep and will be following the teams on snowmachine, picking up trail markers and making sure everyone arrives at Two Rivers Lodge and Pleasant Valley Store safely.

Off to the races!

Highlight on Yuker and Crunch at 6 months

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Remember the adorable little pups from this summer? Wow- they've grown, and they're only 6 months!

Today- highlight on Crunch and Yuker!

Crunch- 6 months old

Crunch still has his adorable, goofy ears, but he too has grown significantly. He's on the smaller side of the pups but has one of the biggest attitudes. Crunch is known for his temper, so we'll have to make sure he doesn't get too big for his britches. Both are such handsome boys!

Yuker- 6 months

Yuker is now a ridiculously handsome cocky boy who is already taller than his mom, Perm. I have no idea where Yuker got his size with Perm being only 45 lbs and Reef only slightly larger at 50 lbs.

Ryne's Team Recap

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Ryne and Derek- photo taken by Amanda Brooks

First off, a HUGE HUGE thank you to the incredible handling team of Derek and Tessa. Derek has taken on all the thankless tasks in a kennel (fixing trucks, fixing sleds, fixing cabins, fixing gear, sewing gear, fixing other things), and for that I am forever grateful. I tend to break things rather than fix them, so thank you Derek for helping me keep life in order. Tessa, thank you for flying all the way up from California to pick up dog poop, pack drop bags, rake up straw, and get no sleep. This is Tessa's second season handling during Ryno Kennel races, and I feel so reassured knowing that our handling team is beyond experienced. Thank you Derek and Tessa!

Now on to the Canine Athletes- Fun Facts About the Team:

9 female athletes (10 if you count Ryne) and 3 males athletes

Ages
2 years- 1
3 years- 5
4 years- 5
6 years- 1

Weights
35-40 lbs- 2
41-50 lbs- 5
51-60 lbs- 4
61-65 lbs- 1

Fire- So many good things to say about this dog. She’s always happy, loves her job, has total confidence in her leadership skills, passes teams without once looking in their direction, and above all is incredibly trustworthy. Fire has my total confidence. I owe a lot to this little dog.

Cartel- Cartel really stepped up her performance in this race (if that was even possible). She’s such an intelligent dog that she knows the difference between racing and training. In training, it’s not uncommon for Cartel to test the rules and see how much mischief we’ll let slide; however, come race day, Cartel is all FOCUS. She was a hard driving speed demon who regularly led with Fire, including on our final run to the finish line from Mendeltna where we posted the fastest time by 28 minutes!

Ham- This gangly boy once again proved his drive and focus. Ham and Katy led on the two longest stretches of the race: 73 miles to Meiers Lake and 85 miles to Mendeltna Lake Lodge. When not leading, he shined as a cheerleader in the team, getting everyone excited to run as he continually slammed, and slammed, and slammed his harness. Good thing I could set a snowhook!

Katy- Katy aka “The Cheetah” was partnered with Ham to lead on the long sections of trail. She charged ahead, and rather than settling into her normal smooth trot, she loped almost the entire race! Katy’s struggle has always been her slimming figure and occasional picky eating, but this year Katy has fantastic weight and is looking stronger than ever.

Fez- Fez missed the first part of the training season due to a wrist injury from a porcupine encounter, but wow, am I glad she is back and 100%! This little dog has finished every race with me, and I surely would have missed her on this Copper Basin. Fez was always happy, sassy, and ready to rock. She’d spring up from the straw and trot around in circles until it was finally time to leave. Fez is a hard-working energizer bunny!

Perm- Loud, sassy, in your face- the perfect dog to get a team fired up to run. The moment I started to stir and gear up the team to leave a checkpoint, Perm would immediately be on her feet and doing her loud yawn/bark/whine, wagging her tail, and prancing around in the straw. Her recovery time is incredible. If everyone got out of bed immediately as happy as Perm, then the world would be a wonderful place.

Kindi- I ran Kindi and Supai together for a few reasons: (1) They eat EVERYTHING, always. If they ran next to anyone else, then their partner would be shorted on their meal. Kindi always ends up with a food baby, but I’m not sure where she gets all her extra food from. (2) They’re both red. Yes, it’s fun to color coordinate the team. (3) Their tails wag in unison. Kindi’s tail never stopped wagging. Even when she rode in the sled for the last 4 miles of the race, she was smiling and happy. There is never a sad day in the life of Kindi.

Supai- Supai was stellar as always. Like Fez and Rucu, he has finished every race with me. Slow or fast, hills or flats, Supai was barking and excited to go with a tight tug to match. His croaking bark could be heard over everyone else whenever we were ready to leave a checkpoint. I can’t imagine a team without Supai in it.

Rucu- Rucu had a fantastic race, but did struggle with the warmer temperatures. When our speed picked up in the flats, he would keep up but not necessarily be a driving force. I have to note, he is a 65+ lbs dog, which is typically detrimental when trying to go fast. Luckily, he pretty much single-handedly pulled the sled up every hill and made up for any coasting in the fast flats. Like Supai and Fez, Rucu has finished every race with me. Such a special dog.  

Jana, Drummer, and Pirate all joined us from best friend and fellow musher Amanda Gecas at Boundary Sled Dog Kennel. This is their second year with the Ryno Team, but I’ve known them since they were yearlings. Thank you to Amanda for allowing them to join Team Ryno!

Jana- Jana is a fast little loper that helps drive the team’s speed. Like her sisters, Drummer and Pirate, she ate everything in sight and always had a great attitude. She rarely makes noise or draws attention to herself, but the second you start moving, you know Jana is in the team.  

photo taken by Nick Guy

Drummer- Drummer is a quieter, more shy version of Jana. She’s easily overlooked because she is low-maintenance, which might not sound like much of a compliment, but in the sled dog world it’s huge. She always ate, always pulled, and always was excited to do her job. Great little dog Miss Drummer.

Pirate- Pirate reminds me of a large dinosaur or a body builder. Or a body building dinosaur. She’s exceptionally muscular and weighs in at 57 pounds! Like Rucu, she struggled with the higher speeds in the flats, but she was a powerhouse in the hills. Pirate also ran on my 2015 3rd place Copper Basin team, so I was ecstatic that she would be running another season with Ryno Kennel.


Maliko's Team Recap

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Maliko did an absolutely incredible job racing with the young team in the Copper Basin this year. I asked her to share her thoughts on each athlete's performance, and here is what she wrote-

Maliko and Drake

Wow, what an amazing weekend!  I don’t have enough wonderful things to say about this up and coming team of two year olds and the adults that pulled me to the finish of the 2016 Copper Basin 300, but I’ll try and give a small summary of each dog.

Niagra – Great command leader!  She’s been a steady team dog with Ryne, but this race was her time to shine up front, and shine she did.  Not only was she a hard driving dog up front, but she has really shown her ability lead like a champ.

Boone – This little lady has also been a great team dog for Ryne with some experience up front, but during this race she proved to be a powerhouse leader.  She obviously knows commands, loves to speed around corners and ADORED hills!  Every time she saw one coming up, she broke into a lope and probably would have pulled us all up on her own if she had to.

Derby – If every dog had the heart that Derby did, we’d all win every race.  Derby is always willing to go, she was a cheerleader leaving every stop we had and had endless energy.

Sally – What a fun little dog!  Sally ran swing the whole race, did a great job keeping the team in line and helped make sure the leaders were going the right way.  She also loves SPEED and made sure we never slowed down.

Maliko at the start

Charley (He joins Ryno Kennel from Amanda Gecas with Boundary Sled Dog Kennel. You may remember him from last year's Copper Basin team and Yukon Quest team) – Steady and strong are probably the two best ways to describe Charley. He’s always willing to get up and go and he’s got the strength to keep us moving. Charley is a great dog because he’s one you often forget is there.  Always moving, always doing his job and always ready to pull.

Fenton – Another great and steady worker, Fenton is going to mature into a big, strong, hard worker.  He was another dog that I tended to forget about because he was so consistently good.  

Coot – Coot was probably the best eater on the whole team.  He’d try to steal snacks from his neighbor and ate everything I put in front of him, a great asset in a young male.  

Drake – Having a big dog like Drake on your team when you’ve got long hills to go up is an incredible asset.  Drake hits hills like a bulldozer and powers up them.  He was always happy and in a great mood.

Brant – Little Brant!  I love this dog, he’s matured so much since we first started running together this fall and has been growing on me ever since.  Even though he started to get a little tired towards the end of the race, he was always willing to give it his all.  After almost 300 miles, Brant still wanted to lope to the finish!

CJ – What a girl!  CJ is a funny dog who has often been easily distracted during training, but she buckled down for the race and proved to be a solid team and wheel dog.  

Belle – Belle is another one of my favorites and I was devastated to have to drop her for a sore shoulder in Mendeltna.  Belle doesn’t like to lope when the rest of the team speeds up, instead she moves her little legs in a trot so fast they’re almost a blur, and she’s always bubbly and happy, not matter what kind of terrain or mileage you throw at her.

Lefty – Saving the best for last (don’t tell Brant and Belle), Lefty is going to have a bright future at Ryno Kennel.  Lefty is a big boy that likes to lope and already shows great promise as a future leader.  He did well in any position I put him in all the way down to the wire.  Whenever he saw a team ahead of him, he’d start pulling as hard as he could to catch up and pass them!  This boy’s got some competitive spirit!

Ryne and Team Win the Veterinarian Care Award!

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In addition to the standard placings, additional awards are handed out at the end of races recognizing various accomplishments including The Red Lantern (last place), the Golden Rake (best handler), Rookie of the Year, Sportsmanship Award and the Vet Care Award.

At this year's Copper Basin, the winners of the awards are as follows-

Red Lantern- Jason Stewart

The Golden Rake- Kim Franklin's handler

Rookie of the Year- Dave Delcourt

Sportsmanship- Darrin Lee

Vet Care Awards- Ryne Olson and Torsten Kohnert

Yes! We were ecstatic to win the Vet Care Award along with Torsten Kohnert. Finishing well in a race is always a source of pride, but nothing is more rewarding than being recognized for the health and happiness of the dog team. A huge thank you to Fire, Cartel, Ham, Katy, Perm, Fez, Rucu, Jana, Supai, Kindi, Pirate, and Drummer for making Ryno Kennel look good!

Expect a fast, crazy finish!

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At the last check point, the Mendeltna Creek Lodge, all race teams must complete their mandatory accumulated rest time for the race, 18 hours.  Therefore, new leave times for the last leg to finish have been posted:

Matt Hall 2:53 AM; Allen Moore 3:22 AM; Ryne Olson 3:28 AM; Aliy Zirkle 3:31 AM; Nicolas Petit 3:58 AM; Jessica Hendricks 4:29 AM

Ryne's team is very rested and looks very healthy and excited to go. This is going to be a crazy finish --- about 60 miles to go!

Go Ryno Kennel go!