SHAYTAAN SIBERIAN
HUSKIES
Happy are those that dream dreams and are ready to
pay the price to make them come true - Leon J. Suenes
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Happy are those that dream dreams and are ready to pay the price to make them come true - Leon J. Suenes |
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Racing
Rob finishing at Aviemore, Scotland First Corner at Fineshades, Huntingdon
2007/2008 Season Our plan for this year is to keep building the team and gain as much experience as we can in the process. As with 2006/2007 our focus is on the Can Am 60 although hopefully we will also be able to run in a few longer distance races in order to learn more about distance racing and to gain an understanding of checkpoint procedures. At the start of the winter we planned to run in the Eagle Lake 100, l'Odyssée Appalachienne 60, Greenville Wilderness 100, Stratford 40, Western Mountain 40 and the Can Am 60. The main team were to be selected from the 10 dogs over 2 years of age whilst Louise planned to continue gaining race experience doing a couple of 30 mile races with the yearlings. As ever things didn't work out as planned: lack of early season miles due to unseasonably warm weather meant a slow run at Eagle Lake followed up by Rob scratching at l'Odyssée. Deciding to give the dogs a break in order to regroup Rob withdrew from Greenville and this was followed up immediately with a family bereavement that saw us withdraw from Stratford and Western Mountain. Returning from Europe to a team of under trained dogs we decided to just enter one team in the Can Am and so Rob dropped out of the 60, entering the bulk of his team into the 30. At this stage it looks like we will endeavor to make the best of what has been a frustrating and sad winter by running two teams at Bartlett. Click on race banner for the race story
2006/2007 Season Our three year plan for North America was for us to run up to 8 dogs in year two depending on what younger, more competitive dogs we had available. Fortunately we had added Cal, Paris and Hektor to the 5 younger dogs that we brought over from the UK so we (just) had an eight dog team. Again weather interfered and up to New Year we still had not been out with the sleds. Races were once again getting cancelled at the start of the year however we did manage to finish the winter having completed five races, each with a steadily improving performance. We successfully defended the red lantern at Tahquamenon Country this time running in the 43 mile 8 dog pro, was last but one in the 30 mile per day, 2 day open class at Stratford (running an 8 dog team), we were fifth and eighth respectively in the 16 mile, 6 dog and 10 mile, 4 dog pure bred Mannsville Quest. We were then absolutely delighted to achieve our main goal for the season and ran in the Can Am 60; we were very pleased to finish our longest, most grueling race of the year and even more pleased not to get the red lantern. Our season was rounded off with the Bartlett Fun Run running 6 dogs over the 23 mile course and once again avoiding the red lantern. After a very poor and frustrating start to the winter where we learned what it was like to try to run 65% yearlings and finally realised what a lead dog really is, we were pleased with how the winter turned out. Click on race banner for the race story
Tahquamenon Stratford Nighthawks Mannsville Quest Can Am 60 Bartlett 2005/2006 Season For our first winter in North America we had planned to run a mixture of the younger, faster dogs and the older, slower dogs. Our intention was for Rob and the younger dogs to get experience of running on snow and to gain an understanding of the differences between dryland sprint racing in the UK and mid distance racing on sleds. Unfortunately the weather undid all our plans and as a result of a mixture of race cancellations and our own unpreparedness due to lack of training we only took part in one race, the Tahquamenon Country 6 dog sportsman run over 19 miles. We won ... the red lantern. Click on race for the race story
Tahquamenon
2004/2005 Season With Fya having had a remarkable summer in the show ring we decided early on that this year was now or never if we were going to win the SHC of GB Dual Championship. Having narrowly missed out to Dave and Jill Hemming's Zef the previous year, and knowing this was potentially our last ever racing season in the UK, we developed and stuck to a training and racing program that far exceeded anything we had tried before. After the initial rally on the flat, grassy trails of Kings Forest, trails which have never seemed to suit our dogs or style of training, we very quickly settled into a comfortable and consistent pattern. Very rarely was Rob's team outside the top three; the team far out performed any previous years. Fya did win the Dual Championship with co-leader Poppy finishing in 4th place as top bitch. Naively thinking we were preparing for mid distance, at the end of the winter we made the 11 hour drive north to Fort William and took part in one of the most exclusive yet friendly UK rallies ever, the Husky Club's Lenachan Lope. Having enjoyed our weekend in the shadow of Ben Nevis immensely we pulled out of Fort William on the Sunday afternoon in slightly disconsolate mood; we had just run our last UK rally but no one had really understood why we had made that great trek north - one last time. SHC of GB Rallies: Delamere, Kielder, Clogaenog, South Alwen, Grizedale, Fineshades, Sherwood Pines, Aviemore, Huntly, Castle O'er, Grimsthorpe, Friston, Leanachan Lope
Rob's Full SHC of GB Race Results
Louise's Full SHC of GB Race Results
Having missed out on the two previous winters, and now living much more centrally in England, we were able to finally able to get out and do a fair amount of racing ing 2003/04. Largely running in the three dog E Class with Fya, Nero and Fel, often placing in the top 6 and picking up a couple of wins in some of the smaller rallies along the way. The highlight of the winter for Rob was probably running two teams at Aviemore, our own three dog team and Bette Hawthorn and Mark Theaker's 4 dog team (in the 6 dog class). To say I was tired at the end of that weekend would be an underestimation. SHC of GB Rallies: Delamere, Yately Heath, Buttersteep, Grizedale, Dalby, Fineshades, Sherwood Pines, Aviemore, Rendlesham, Grimsthorpe, South Alwen, Clogaenog, Pembrey, Kings Forest
Alaskan Malamute Working Association Rallies: Thetford (Louise 2 Dog, Rob 3 Dog)
2002/2003 Season SHC of GB Rallies: Stowe Gardens, Fineshades, Sherwood Pines, Pembrey, Aviemore, Grimsthorpe, Clogaenog, Kings Forest Affiliated British Sleddog Activities Rallies: Sherwood Forest British Siberian Husky Racing Association Rallies: Brandon Forest
2001/2002 Season Post 9/11 events meant that Rob was out of the UK right up to Christmas 2001 and so unable to race and train the team. This did however give Louise another winter of running the team. ABSA Rallies: Thruxton (Louise)
2000/2001 Season Our racing in 2000/2001 was very much curtailed by Rob spending a large part of the winter on exercise in the Arctic and the foot and mouth outbreak in Britain that limited access to a lot of training trails. Rob's absence did however mean that Louise finally got to run the team competitively. ABSA Rallies: Ringwood (Rob) Thruxton (Louise)
1999/2000 Season 1999/2000 was our first real winter of racing. Living down in the far south west of England we had little opportunity to race however we did get our first couple of races under our belts with the Siberian Husky Club of Great Britain. Rob raced in the 2 dog D class running Flint and Fel. Our very first race was Abbey-Cwm-Hyr run in the forests of North Wales. This was an exhausting course and a real baptism of fire for our first race. Over the two days Rob finished 15 of the 27 pure bred Siberian Husky teams entered in the 2 dog class. Up until encountering the Stratford and Can Am courses in 2007 this was easily the most difficult trail we had run on. SHC of GB Rallies: Fineshades, Pembrey, Aviemore
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