Some would like to boycott the Willow restart

March 4, 2005

Spectrum/Ed Boot

The Iditarod restart will be staged on Willow Lake, located behind the Willow Community Center.

Mark Nordman, race marshal, offered the following comment in regard to the necessary changes, "Unfortunately, our repeated observation, as late as earlier today, of the overall trail conditions between Anchorage and Eagle River and Wasilla and Knik is that they are not adequate for 79 dog teams to safely travel."

Stan Hooley, executive director, went on to say, "Trail conditions in the early miles of the race are even more important and the commitment of this organization to the mushers and their dogs is to ensure that decisions such as this are made with their best interest in mind."

The above was a direct pick from Iditarod.com, official Web site of the Iditarod. Unfortunately the reports of unfavorable conditions are completely false. I have spent extensive time on the race route leading from the Wasilla sports complex and have been trying to get the word out for weeks now that the trail is in good condition at its worst and excellent in many areas.

I was on the trail yesterday with KTVA news reporter Christine Nangle to cover the story. I was very pleased to finally get some attention to this issue and yet the entire story still needs to be heard.

Regarding the boycott of Willow restart, I got involved as I did because anybody with any sense of perception should be able to see there is (and was at the time of the decision) more than enough snow to hold the restart here in Wasilla.

While previewing the route about a week and a half before the decision was to be made with Mr. Langholz, I became excited because I realized there was no way Wasilla could be denied this year.

We stopped by Iditarod Headquarters immediately after to find out why we saw absolutely no sign of trail prep being done. The first question an Iditarod employee asked Mr. Langholz was if he would be willing to install fencing posts in Willow for the Iditarod if it went there. This set the mood for the rest of the visit … all the conversations I overheard involved prepping for going to Willow.

The next employee we talked to stated during our conversation that he "has no personal love for the city of Wasilla and would just as soon see the Iditarod restart in Willow every year except they tax too heavily, so next year I will probably be recommending we move it to Big Lake permanently."

Quite an attitude for someone influential in deciding where the race is held.

I would be interested to know what motivation Iditarod has to work so hard to get the Iditarod out of Wasilla. There are reports that will be documented of conversations weeks before the big decision day that it was already decided, "The race will be in Willow this year."

This sickens and infuriates me. I want those responsible reined in. If I am not mistaken there is a very large sign on the edge of Wasilla that says we are the "Home of The Iditarod." There sure isn't much evidence to support this.

Efforts to reach people of influence at the Wasilla mayor's office and the Greater Wasilla Chamber of Commerce were unsuccessful. I received a letter from the GWCC yesterday in which it is stated that there have been a series of meetings "weekly the past 4-6 weeks" between Cheryl Metiva, Bruce Urban, Chas St. George, and Ron Single to monitor and assess the trail conditions and how they can preserve the restart in Wasilla.

I would be interested to see the meeting minute notes from each of those meetings and the documentation of trail conditions that led to the decision to restart in Willow. I tried to call Cheryl on Feb. 28 at 1:30 p.m., was told she was there and was asked who I was. She was unavailable in a meeting.

If everyone is so interested in preserving history and tradition, why is there not more visible effort? Why is all the energy that is spent on preparing for either restart location not applied to making the Wasilla route better? There were many volunteers willing to import snow to the trail to appease Iditarod, yet these and many other volunteer resources were ignored by those who make the decisions. Why?

It will be a sad day a hundred years from now when little Johnny is asked where the Iditarod goes and he answers "Why, from Willow to the North Pole, of course, everyone knows that."

Please support our effort to draw attention to this loss of heritage and tradition. I spoke with Vi Redington and she is as sickened as I am that the race has lost so much of the meaning that Joe Sr. had intended - preserving tradition, memorializing the real Iditarod Trail, and the camaraderie that comes with sharing a trail with a friend. The old saying, "The race must go on," has been twisted nowadays to … "the race must go on, but from where?" I say it must go on from Wasilla and through Knik !

I about choked last night when I heard the talk of the precious "high-class" dog teams and the high-class mushers driving them, it sure would be a terrible thing to have one of these "high-class" individuals damaged during the first 100 miles of the race.

It appears more and more of the "high-class" mushers prefer a "high-class" perfect trail. A very, very sad day for mushing. I invite any musher who agrees with me to spend a great day Sunday mushing the route from the Wasilla sports complex out to Lucille Creek and go as far as you like in protest of this outrage.

Would love to see an organized event maybe to Seven Mile Lake and back, but time is short so I just wish you all a good day this Sunday. As for myself, since I don't have mushing skills, I'll be out playing on Knik Lake or in the area as my own personal protest.

Ed Boots is a

Wasilla resident