Choosing+a+Musher+-+Advice+from+Gypsy

=  Hi Boys and Girls, = It’s getting close to race time. Are you ready? You will be "drafting" a musher to follow in the Iditarod. Here are some tips on how to pick the best musher for you to follow.


           <span style="font-size: 110%; color: rgb(8,7,7);"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 90%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> I hope that this helps you pick a musher that is right for you. The most important things are to have fun, enjoy learning about whoever you pick, and always be positive...even if your musher isn’t doing as well as you want him/her to do. He or she may be running the race as he or she wanted and may be accomplishing a personal goal. Once you pick a musher, write me and let me know who you picked and why. I can’t wait to hear your stories.
 * 1) <span style="display: block; font-size: 90%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;">Look for similar interests - Read the <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[|musher bios on the Iditarod site] <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 90%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. Pick someone who has similar interests or hobbies as you. Find someone who’s from the same state you live in, or who has a non-mushing job that is a career you are interested in. Really read the bios and find something the says, “This person is for me”.
 * 2) <span style="font-size: 110%; color: rgb(8,7,7);"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 90%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="display: block; font-size: 90%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;">Look for something familiar - Pick someone with the same name as yours, or someone who reminds you of a family member.
 * 3) <span style="font-size: 110%; color: rgb(8,7,7);"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 90%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="display: block; font-size: 90%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;">Take a chance on a beginner. You never know which musher will be the “Rookie of the Year” or a future top finisher. Most rookies have been planning for years to run the Iditarod and have set goals for themselves. Try to find out what his or her goal for the race is.
 * 4) <span style="font-size: 110%; color: rgb(8,7,7);"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 90%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="display: block; font-size: 90%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;">Pick a musher who has a website - If you are going to have to write a biography, or a report about your musher, this is a good way to make sure you have enough information to write a good report. You will also be able to see pictures of your musher and the team. Many times, someone will update the website during the race so you can get up to the moment stories about your musher and how the race is going for him or her.
 * 5) <span style="font-size: 110%; color: rgb(8,7,7);"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 90%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="display: block; font-size: 90%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;">Look towards the middle and back of the pack - Some of the best stories along the trail come from the middle and the back of the pack. Most of these mushers do not intend to win the race. They have set finishing the race as one their goals. If they have run the race before, their goal is probably to finish in a better position and time than before. These are certainly mushers to look at when picking someone to follow.
 * 6) <span style="font-size: 110%; color: rgb(8,7,7);"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 90%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="display: block; font-size: 90%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: left;">Picking a winner - Everyone loves a winner and loves to win. You need to remember that just because someone has won or placed high in the race before doesn’t mean the same will happen this year. This is a race where anything can happen and anyone can scratch - even the best. A plus to picking a past winner or top placer, is that they probably have a website and/or there is lots of information about them that you can use for your any reports you might have to write.

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<span style="font-size: 90%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Have fun, ====<span style="font-size: 90%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">[|Gypsy] <span style="font-size: 110%; color: rgb(8,7,7);"> ====