Posted: 5/14/03

Anderson gives area classrooms a taste of Iditarod experiences

Berk Brown
Sports Editor

For many area students, watching the movie ìSnow Dogsî was the only way to learn about mushing. Until Ken Anderson came to town, that is.

Anderson, a 1990 Forest Lake Senior High graduate and the fifth-place finisher in this yearís Iditarod Sled Dog Race, returned home last week and toured several elementary schools in the area giving a presentation about what itís really like to be a musher.

Anderson was at Scandia Elementary on Friday, spent Monday at both St. Peterís and Linwood Elementary and was at Forest View Elementary ñÝhis former grade school ñÝon Tuesday.

Anderson said he typically makes it back to Forest Lake once a year from his home in Fairbanks, AK, and this year he decided to give something back to the community he grew up in.

ìI like sharing this with the kids,î Anderson said Friday after a day full of presentations at Scandia. ìI think doing things like this only helps the sport (of sled dog racing) as a whole.î

While Anderson feels introducing sled dog racing to area students may be good for the sport, he also said he hopes to inspire some of the students much like he was inspired to pursue the sport when he also was a youngster.

It was about the time when he was in grade school, Anderson said, that he began to take an interest in sled dog racing. Winter camping trips to the Boundary Waters with his parents ñÝHenry and Betty Anderson of Forest Lake ñÝhelped spark the interest, as did a book he was given about the Iditarod.

ìIt was when I was about their age that I decided it would be a dream of mine to be in (the Iditarod),î Anderson said. ìI was able to see my dream come true and now, Iím able to do it full time.

ìI knew I would have to work hard, but I had a dream and I held true to it.î

Over the years, Anderson, 30, has been able to parlay his dreams and inspirations into a successful sled dog racing career.

He has run in three Iditarodís, finishing 26th as a rookie in 2001, 18th in 2002 and fifth this year.

His fast rise in the worldís premier sled dog race has even caught Anderson a little off guard. In a sport where it can be tough to crack into the ìeliteî division of racers, Anderson said he thinks he is living proof of what can happen if you believe in yourself and follow your dreams. And that, he said, is a big message he would like to get across to the young people heís speaking to.

ìTo be able to take that big of a leap this over over that competition curve was really cool,î Anderson said of this yearís Iditarod. ìI think I was able to turn a lot of heads in dog mushing.

ìOut goal is to win the race. I think weíve learned a lot each year and each year we progress. I think weíre on the right track.î

Andersonís presentations over the past week havenít been just about success, theyíve been about quite a few things.

Heís able to give first-hand accounts of desolate areas of Alaska, thus letting students learn a unique geography lesson.

He talks about the weather, safety ñ both for him and his dogs ñÝnutrition and perseverance.

And while his presentations were popular with the students, teachers and parents who gathered to listen also walked away with amazement. To put it simply, when a man has traveled more than 1000 miles across Alaska on a sled pulled by dogs, the stories and experiences he can pass along are nearly endless.

The highlight of the presentation, however, was when Anderson turned the floor over to Mara, one of his faithful K-9 companions.

And when he took questions for the final few minutes, Anderson was generally pelted with stories about family pets who had died, a friendís dog who looked like Mara, or other students wondering if he has ever watched ìSnow Dogs.î

Anderson soaks it all up, though, and relishes the experience of talking to students ñÝsome of whom sit in the same classroom he did some 20 years ago.

ìComing back here, itís kind of like stepping back in time,î Anderson said. ìTo share my experience with people is really cool.î

Top of Page