SPECIAL GUESTS

Lance Mackey

http://www.mackeyscomebackkennel.com/

Lance Mackey pulled off his 3rd consecutive win in the Yukon Quest Sled Dog Race, finishing 6 hours ahead of his closest competition! He also obliterated the former record by more than 12 hours. Lance and his incredible dog team have also won Iditarod 2007! He is the first musher in history to pull off back-to-back wins in the two longest races in North America.

Most of the amazing dogs on his Iditarod team were also on his Quest team— true testament to their incredible stamina, and to Lance's skilled dog care and training.

John Stetson

http://www.globalwarming101.com/

John Stetson, accomplished sled dog trainer and racer, arctic explorer and Global Warming 101 Expedition manager.

Steven Lindsay

http://dogsportscotland.com/

Dog Sport Scotland Project Manager, Steven Lindsay, has been a musher for 16 years. During this time, Steven has won many races and Scottish and National championships, culminating in him winning the World Dryland championships in the 6 dog class in Poland in April 2005. He went on to successfuly defend this title again in Belgium in December 2005. For the last 4 years Steven has focused on gaining as much mushing experience overseas as possible and has made trips to Norway and North America to gain an insight into mushing on snow. He achieved 9th place with a borrowed dog team in the world snow championships in Oregon in January 2005. Other trips have included travelling into and living on the Hardinkjoller glacier in Norway with a dog team.

Egil Ellis

http://www.egilellis.com/

Egil is a seven-time winner of the Open North American Championship, four-time winner of the Fur Rendezvous, and eight-time winner of the Tok Race of Champions open-class sprint races. He has also won the European Championship and the World Championship. Egil has been racing for 21 years in Scandinavia, Europe and Alaska. He is originally from Sweden but has lived in Willow, Alaska, since 2001, where he and his wife, Helen Lundberg, operate their kennel of pointer crosses. Egil has been obliterating track records across Alaska for the past 8 years. He is the successful breeder of the original pointer-cross line of sled dogs that are now found on most top sprint teams around the world.

Helen Lundberg

Helen was born in Sweden, and has been racing with sled dogs since 1985. She and her husband, Egil Ellis, have been together since 1991, and in 2001 they moved from Sweden to live in Willow, Alaska. There, they operate Ellis Racing Sled Dogs, a sprint kennel of pointer/husky crosses. Helen has been training and racing with sprint dogs in all classes from 4-dog up to the open class. She has won the Swedish Championships in the 6- and 8-dog class and is a multiple winner and current track record holder of the Limited North American 8-dog class. She was also World Champion in the 8-dog sprint class at the IFSS World Championships in Fairbanks in 2001. Now she is running the second string with young dogs in most of the open sprint races they enter, and often doing pretty good. Helen is also editor for ISDRA's magazine, Dog & Driver.

Daphne Lewis

http://www.dogscooter.com/
http://www.dogsacrossamerica.org/

In 1997, after Daphne wrote and printed "My Dog Likes to Run, I Like to Ride", the idea of a business selling scooters showed up. "If Rubro and I like it, other people and dogs will, too". Unfortunately, Daphne could not find any scooters to sell. In 2000, DogScooter began when Lewis imported Jones scooters from Australia and opened a checking account! After a few years, Daphne was able to find other manufacturers: Torker, Blauwerk and Diggler. Gradually people heard of the sport of Dog Scootering. Mushers began to embrace dry land racing and accepted scooters as training machines for their lead dogs. Daphne is also very involved in the nationwide organization, Dogs Across America.

Lou Serre

http://www.angeltowns2.net/ls/index.html

Lou started racing in 1986 and within a few years quickly rose to the top rank in Canada and the World. He has won 22 ISDRA medals and is now first in all ISDRA’S history. 4 world championship medals, including gold in Alaska, bronze in Lake Placid, bronze in Finland, silver in Dawson City Yukon, plus 11 World Cup titles. Lou has derived his own breed of racing dogs (Lurohounds ) and has done extremely well with them these past few years. He now has breeds from the best kennels. He and his wife Jeanne own and operate a kennel of over 50 dogs.

Danny "Mush Mon" Melville

http://jamaicadogsled.com/

You gotta be kidding! Who in his right mind would even think of starting a Jamaica Dogsled Team in a country with no snow. You gotta wonder what the creator of this wild idea was smoking. That is exactly what everyone including the family of the founder were saying. “Dad, you’ve really lost it this time.”

Meet Danny Melville our illustrious leader and founder (not exactly your normal, everyday business guy). His Jamaica Dogsled team is a heart warming tale of tails that includes Jimmy Buffett, Scotland, Minnesota and more.

Now what… a movie, of course. Sun Dogs rocks!— Can you imagine? A full fledged documentary. Thanks to the foresight of producer Chris Blackwell of Palm Pictures and Canadian Director Andrea Stewart the incredible evolvement of this outrageous undertaking has been captured on film and will appear on the big screen shortly. Yahoo!

Greg Sellentin

http://www.mushing.com/

Owner/Editor Mushing Magazine

Maryna Ozuna

http://www.azdoggyduderanch.com/
http://www.dogbodycare.com/

Maryna Ozuna (Ma-ree-nah O-zoo-nah) nee’ Sheryl Studley, B.S. Biology, Russian, Vassar College; J.D. Thomas Jefferson School of Law, is the owner and head trainer for Arizona Doggy Dude Ranch, the founder of the Kinaesthetics™ system of body care for humans, horses, and dogs, and the former Director and principal practitioner of the Kinaesthetics™ Pain Clinic in Sierra Vista, Arizona.

For over 25 years, Maryna has been at the forefront of innovative strategies for a holistic approach to animal behavioral and physical care. With both Canine Kinaesthetics™ and Equine Kinaesthetics™ she has helped pioneer the concept that physical issues can be at the root of behavioral problems, and worked to develop alternative training strategies to help foster more effective partnerships between humans and animals. She has worked with thousands of horses and dogs both in Europe and the United States from intimate consults on an aging canine companion to World Championship equine competitors to designing a complete sports therapy program for a 120 dog sleddog kennel.

Known for the accuracy and depth of her analysis of movement patterns in both animals and humans, Maryna’s involvement in the world of the moving body began early. Raised in the Hudson Valley of upstate New York, Maryna began coaching soccer at the age of 16, became the first female soccer referee at the age of 17, and co-founded the first girls’ soccer league. She later taught recreational skiing and horse back riding, and was an Instructor for T.R.O.T. (Therapeutic Riding of Tucson). For many years, she was deeply involved in the sport of endurance riding (long distance horse races) as competitor and crew, where she pioneered the introduction of concepts of sports therapy into the sports horse world. She would go on to apply what would become Kinaesthetics™ to elite athletes from the disciplines of competitive trail, cutting, dressage, driving, endurance, eventing, racing, roping, and vaulting, including winners of the Tevis Cup, and World Championships in Rome, Italy in 1986, and Stockholm, Sweden in 1990.

Over the years, Maryna has worked with and been influenced by many different techniques and teachers both in the animal world and human, including, TTeam Touch™, Feldenkrais™, Traeger, Polarity, Craniosacral Therapy, Osteopathy. From 1994-2000, Maryna studied and worked with traditional healers of Sonora, Mexico on thousands of human patients ranging from acute arthritis complexes to congenital birth defects, honing her skills with her hands and expanding their knowledge base beyond any conceivable baseline then being done in the world of body care, in a location where a pair of hands might be the only healing tool available within several hundred miles. Kinaesthetics™ in its present form is deeply indebted and profundly influenced by all these experiences.

Committed to passing on this knowledge to others, Maryna has taught throughout the United States. In 1994, she was the featured speaker at the annual conference for the International Association of Canine Professionals, (IACP, www.dogpro.org) where she is also a professional member, and regular contributor to the newsletter, Safe Hands Journal. We are proud to welcome her to Dog Power 2007, and the 2007 Annual Meeting of the International Sled Dog Racing Association.

Michael Callahan

http://www.skijor.com/

Mike has been skijoring since 1993. In 1997, 1998, and 1999 he was the International Sled Dog Racing Association's (ISDRA)Gold medalist in skijoring. He earned the ISDRA Bronze medal in 2000, and the silver in the 1 dog and 2 dog catagories in 2001. In his time on skis behind his small team, he has acquired a good deal of knowledge about dogs and their training, skijor touring, racing, and bikejoring. Mike will be glad to share what he has learned and will be doing hands-on line-making demonstrations.

Sally Bair

Sally Bair has been involved in sled dogs for over 30 years. For 20+ years she was an avid competitor in the 5-6 dog and 3-4 dog sprint classes, but in 1999 she bowed out of competitive racing. However, she continues to keep a small kennel of Alaskan huskies because "I just can't part with these dogs."

Born and raised in Rochester, Minnesota, the daughter of a Mayo Clinic ophthalmologist, Bair received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Colorado Woman's College (now Denver University), Denver, Colorado, and did her graduate work at the University of Minnesota and Bemidji State University (Minnesota). In 1999 Bair retired from a career in teaching spanning over 30 years. She taught mainstream history and English but spent the majority of her career as a special education instructor at the high school level. She also coached girls' gymnastics for many years but turned that in to pursue sled dog sports.

For 13 years she was the editor of Minnesota's North Star Sled Dog Club's publication, THE TUGLINE, and has contributed her desktop publishing skills to a variety of endeavors. In 1997 she was awarded the Maeb Bayers Memorial Trophy for outstanding contributions to North Star Sled Dog Club. In 1999 Bair was appointed Secretary General of the International Federation of Sleddog Sports (IFSS). Through her travels and work in this position, she has been able to gain a global perspective on the sport and observe it in all its aspects.

It was as Secretary General that she first saw the opportunity to pursue opening up sled dog sports to Special Olympic athletes while attending the beginning of the Iditarod in 2001. Coincidentally, Special Olympics was holding its Winter Games in Anchorage at the time, and Bair utilized the opportunity to talk with some of the SpO athletes, who were absolutely mesmerized by the dogs. Partnering sled dog sports with Special Olympic athletes gained further impetus in 2004 when she met with Matt Blair, retired Minnesota Vikings All-Star football player and long time spokesperson for Special Olympics Minnesota. Blair was running a team of dogs from Mark and Mary Black's kennel in the Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon to raise money and awareness for Special Olymics Minnesota. Subsequent to Blair's race in 2004, P.A.W.S. (Promoting Abilities with Sleddogs) was born to further develop the partnership between sled dog sports and Special Olympics Minnesota. Mushers Mary Black and Chel Ethun and Kathy Karkula (Special Olympics Minnesota) all contributed their talents to the development of the P.A.W.S. initiative.

The P.A.W.S. program combines three aspects of sport: education, recreation, and competition. It is based on pairing Special Olympic athletes with mushers, who act as a mentors, teaching the ropes of the sport. Underlying P.A.W.S. is the belief that mushing is a healthy life style and that special needs athletes can participate in sled dog sports provided that adaptations are made while exercising the principle of the "least restrictive environment." P.A.W.S. attempts to provide Special Olympic athletes with experiences that will contribute to their well-being and enable them to bond to the canines that are integral to a unique setting as well as to enable the SpO athletes to transfer this learning and experience to their daily lives.

Bair now lives in Duluth, Minnesota, with her two geriatric Alaskan Huskies.

Barbara "Dog Drop" Schaefer

Barbara "Dog Drop" Schaefer earned her nicname for her outstanding care of dropped dogs on the Iditarod Trail. She volunteered for 10 consecutive Iditarods in remote checkpoints caring for dropped dogs. Barbara's run her dogs recreationally since getting her first Siberian Husky in 1987. In Fall of 1998 she attended Jamie Neslon/Ann Stead's Mushing Boot Camp and Barbara was propelled into the world of sled dog racing. Barbara and her team of Siberian Huskies have earned numerous awards including the Siberian Husky Club of America Working/Showing Trophy in 2000, 2001, and 2002; and the ISDRA 6 dog to unlimited Gold Medal in 2005 & 2002 and Silver Medal in 2003. Barbara is past SNDD vice-President and Board Member. Barbara's best known for her mentoring of teenagers in the sport of mushing. The following students will be accompanying Barbara to Dog Power 2007 to speak and meet with mushers from around the globe.

Liz Simpson
Liz Simpson - Liz started in mushing 2 years ago and runs the 4 dog sprint class. Liz is training to work in the field of veterinary science.

Brent Rivard
Brent Rivard - Brent lives 3 hours away from Barbara yet manages to travel to her house one weekend a month and for school breaks during mushing season. Brent runs Barbara's "left overs" in the 6 dog mid- distance class.

Cameron Byers
Cameron Byers has been mentored by Barbara for 4 years. Cam trained his own team from Barbara's dogs in the 6 dog mid-distance class. (He is taking a brief break from mushing while he studies Forest Fire Management.)

Brandon Raphael
Brandon Raphael is a 12 year old who started training just two weeks ago. We are all anxious to watch his progress in the sport!

Robert Stradley

Robert Stradley, 43, is director of Harmony Pines Christian Camp, a resident camp located near Wrightwood, CA. At age 3, Robert began his outdoor adventures with his family on long term High Sierra backpacking excursions. At age 17, Robert attained the rank of Eagle Scout, the highest achievement in the Boy Scouts of America. Robert was awarded the Congressional Award of Merit from the United States Congress, an award that recognizes youth in the areas of personal initiative, physical fitness, and volunteer service. He graduated from Biola University in 1986 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Recreation and Camp Administration. Robert worked for five years at Disneyland where he climbed the Matterhorn and taught Disney history and philosophy at the Disney University. In such organizations as the Boy Scouts, Girls Scouts, and various camping programs, Robert has been teaching youth for over twenty-five years. He and his wife Karla began dog sledding in 1998 after joining an Iditarod team on a nighttime training run in Wasilla, Alaska. Since that time, he and his family have been training and racing sled dogs, while educating people about these fascinating animals.

The Stradley family (Robert, Karla, Talon, 9, and Trent, 7) run Team Quest Racing Kennels, a kennel of 22 sled dogs. Robert and his family have run races in Wyoming, Colorado, and northern California.

In 2003 Robert established Adventure Quest Institute, Inc., an educational non-profit organization created to teach, to motivate, and to inspire people of all ages and backgrounds through the captivating world of dog sledding.

David Hess

David Hess grew up with a thirst for exploration. Mingled with his various career paths, including CEO of several philanthropic foundations, Trust Officer and Securities Advisor, he has traveled through cities and the wilds of countries around the world. “On many of these trips I didn’t have any idea where I was, or I was just plain lost—but I was never concerned. Successful navigation is primarily a mental game. Tools, such as maps, compass and GPS units, are useful tools but the most useful tool is your brain.”

David has used his experiences and skills to help hundreds of people learn how to stay found. The Boy Scouts of America have recognized his work by bestowing on him their highest recognition for an adult volunteer. David is also the recipient of a Presidential Citation. Today, if you don’t run into him in the backcountry with his wife, you will find him at REI where his is enjoying semi-retirement as their Outreach Specialist.

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