Champ brings it home

Resslin' Around, by Casey Ressler

As fans of the Iditarod, you like to see good people win the race, and that's why all of Alaska should be happy for this year's champion, Mitch Seavey. I got the opportunity to cover two Iditarods as the sports editor here. On my first trip to McGrath, I didn't have the first clue what to expect. One of the first mushers into the checkpoint that year was Seavey. It was bitterly cold, and after getting a few photos, I returned to the checkpoint to warm up and have a cup of coffee. Looking weary, Seavey didn't retire to the back room and a warm sleeping bag. Instead, he sat up and talked with everyone there, signed autographs for the village children and talked for a while with a really green Iditarod reporter from the Frontiersman.

Seavey wouldn't recognize me from the next guy, but the way he treated everyone with class stood out in my mind. That's why it's great to see him -- and his family -- enjoy winning this race.

As a sports editor, you can't really root for this person or that team, but now, I get that opportunity. That's why it's great when you can see people you enjoy watching succeed. I've got no problem admitting that I like to see guys like Seavey, Martin Buser and Jeff King win, because they are good people.

I think most of all, I'd love to see Ramey Smyth pull into Nome ahead of everyone one year, just because he's a good Valley guy. He's another musher I met on the trail five or six years ago, this time in Skwentna, and even though he probably has no clue who I am, I remember our conversation over a plate of Joe and Norma Delia's spaghetti. I remember later that year when Smyth ran alongside his team all the way into Nome, just to lighten the load so he could overtake a musher or two and finish higher up in the standings, with more prize money. Some mushers look like NASCAR drivers with all their corporate sponsorships -- but not Ramey. He looks like an Alaskan first, which says something. I'd also love to see DeeDee break through and win her first Iditarod title. She has become a symbol for the Iditarod, and a role model for all.

When Seavey was interviewed live on television after crossing the Burled Arch, he commented that it's about time an "Alaskan Boy" won this thing. He spoke for race fans around the state. We've shared it with Montana and Norway for a few years, but it's nice to see that crown staying where it belongs -- in the Last Frontier.

Casey Ressler (valleylife@frontiersman.com) is the Valley Life editor.