MEET THE MUSHERS

-- 6 DOG CLASS --

WAYNE BAKER Wayne is 50 and started running sled dogs at age ten at Falls Creek with a Samoyed. Wayne has been racing dogs since 1994. ‘We started off racing with sibes, and did so fairly successfully for many years. In 1996 my racing career changed when Di bought me my first Alaskan Husky from Joseth Toth. Since then we have been running Alaskan Huskies. Anyhow hope everyone has a good race and stays upright’.

**Wayne is sponsored by Schusski Apartments**

BRETT HADDEN

Brett runs sled dog tours, taking hundreds of tourists each winter for sled dog rides at the lovely alpine village of Dinner Plain. Brett has 10 huskies. All of this dogs are Siberian huskies most o which are rescue dogs from Shire pounds and/or unwanted huskies. Brett has been sled dog racing for 7 years but he did breed huskies 18 years ago and is very passionate about the rescue programs to save huskies, as he turns his unwanted city dogs into prime working sled dogs or sled dog tours. Brett’s choice of racing sled is an ‘Outlaw’ – an American sled made of aluminium and weighs approx. 15kg.

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TRENT HAYMAN

Trent joins us from NSW with his mixed team of Alaskan Huskies and Siberian Huskies

PETER DOBBS **Sponsored by Koki Alpine Resort **

Peter joins us from Victoria and is running a team of Siberian Huskies

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TAMAR SMITH All the way from Queensland Tamar is back at Falls Creek – this time in the 6 dog class with Alaskan Malamutes

MERV TURNER

Merv started back in 1991 with 2 malamutes & was lucky enough to have the best of both worlds - a really great weight pull dog in Taurus and a great one dog in Isis. From there things have just grown. Have always loved running the dogs and at every chance I get I have been known to run in every class available. Started the first snow race in 1994 with Rob & Sue and Donna Gook. Have run 3 breeds in four dog Alaskan Malamutes, Sibs & Alaskan Huskies. We still have Sibes and Alaskans but our main breed is the Alaskan Malamute doing weight pull and showing. Even our best in show winner at Sydney royal has to work occasionally. This year should be fun & that’s my main aim - always has been. To get around the course without any tangles take each turn and most of all have fun with my dogs. **Merv is sponsored by Trackers Mountain Lodge**

MEET THE MUSHERS

-- 4 DOG CLASS --

FRANK HABERMANN I started working with sled dogs in Scotland about 12 years ago, first Skijoring and later with sleds. Since coming to Australia I have been involved in all sorts of activities with Huskies, sprint racing on dry land and snow, or just simply running with them. Any exercise with them in the outdoors gives me pleasure, and the occasional injury! I always felt that sprint racing was frantically short for my personal taste and that I wanted a different type of challenge. Basically seeking to test my physical and mental endurance, while travelling with dogs through nature. My focus changed to Distance Sled Dog Races, certainly challenging me in all aspects. More Highs and Lows to remember them all! Over the last 2 years I have completed 100 Mile, 150 Mile and 300 Mile races in Alaska. I now own 11 dogs, mainly Alaskan Huskies. My 4 dog team in Falls Creek consists of the 3 Alaskan and 1 Siberian Husky.

MICK HODGSON Hi, in the past I have run both two and four dog teams here at Falls, but this year my daughter Molly will be running two of her Siberian Huskies, and I will be running my two Wire-Haired Pointers along with two of our friends dogs, an Alaskan Husky and a Siberian Husky. I am hoping for a clear crisp evening so that those watching can enjoy it nearly as much as those of us who are participating. I would like to thank all those people that make this possible including Falls Creek, the Race Committee, and particularly the Falls Creek Country Club who generously support our teams.

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COLIN MCPHAN

Dogs’ Names: Jai (7 yo grey male), Rush (18 mths black male), Jack (6 yo red male) and Darcy (2 yo red male) – all pure-bred ALASKAN MALAMUTES. I have been breeding and showing Alaskan Malamutes for almost 20 years, but have only been involved in sled dog racing for the last 6 years. This will be my 5th year racing on snow and my 3rd year competing in the Falls Creek Sled Dog Classic. In my current team I have Rush and Jai running together in lead and Darcy and Jack running in wheel. All 4 boys were bred by myself and my wife (Tanome Kennels). Jai, Jack and Darcy have competed on snow in previous years but this is Rush’s first season in harness and will be his first time on snow. I am heavily involved in all aspects of this wonderful breed, ie: sledding, weight-pulling, backpacking, conformation showing. Working my dogs is definitely my passion and is at the forefront of my interest in the breed. I look forward to participating in the 2013 Falls Creek Sled Dog Classic!

**Colin is sponsored by Kilimanjaro Alpine Apartments**

STEVE POTTER Hi all my name is Stephen Potter. I live in Westport in the South Island of New Zealand, with my wife Christie, two kids, a cat and nine Siberian Huskies. I have been racing Sibes for eight years and with some new pups, hope to for another eight years. Good luck to everybody and safe racing!

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VAUGHAN WINTHER This is my 3rd Falls Creek race and it is the event that so many mushers look forward to. The crowds, the excellent trails and running at night in the snow - I am as excited as my dogs. I run Alaskan Malamutes with 12 + 2 huskies in our kennel, shared with my wife (who is also competing) and my 2 kids who are junior mushers. I am running a 4 dog Alaskan Malamute team at this years race, with Maggie and Buckley in 'lead' steering the team and Recko and Mishka in 'wheel'. This year my team is young and have only been working together for a couple of months with Mishka and Recko running in only their debut season, but they are coming along really well. Feel free to come and say hello and give some Mally's a belly rub!!!!

ROD MURPHY

I have been lucky enough to race every year at Falls Creek, including the exhibition race in 2010, so I am very pleased to be back with a 3 dog team again this year. My family have enjoyed owning, showing and sledding Alaskan Malamutes and more recently (due to our daughter!!) Siberian Huskies for over 16 years. I would like to thank our very good friend Beth McCombe for trusting me with her dogs to run. This year I have the 2 “rangas” Bella and Bruce and Brewin. Brew is the show boy but gets super excited to be sledding. This is Bella’s 2nd year in harness and just keeps improving. Bruce is Bella’s son and in his first year of racing. Very special thanks go to SNOWDRIFT LODGE for their very generous sponsorship of accommodation for this weekend.

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TAMARA MURPHY

I first made my debut in dog racing at the Falls Creek Classic Exhibition run in 2010, an exhilarating event that had me hooked. The sport has become my passion, following in the footsteps of my family who have been breeding, showing and sledding Alaskan Malamutes for many years. Being the “traitor” of the family, I introduced Siberian Huskies to our crew and having added another two to my ranks in the last 12 months has allowed me to upgrade to a 4 dog team this year. I am running Sibes, Hunter and Shadow in lead, and first year runners, Zeus and our flying mally, Bongo in wheel. Thanks to Justine and Marcus of Tutumaiao Kennels for my lead dog Hunter who makes his return to racing this year, having taken time out to show. Special thanks to SNOWDRIFT LODGE for their sponsorship of our accommodation for this weekend.

MARANDA WEGRZYNIAK I started running dogs about 13 yrs ago when I got my first Border Collie. I had friends with Malamutes and heard about dog sledding, but it wasn't until I saw a Husky x Border Collie run that I thought why not give it a go. A few years later I got my 2nd Border and started running him too. In 2010 we bought our first rig and dog trailer, and soon after Todd adopted a 2 year old Alaskan Malamute, Maddie, right at the end of the season. In 2011 I started running a 3 dog team for the first time, and despite their size differences, the Borders & Maddie ran well together. This was to be my first year racing at the snow too, so it was great having Maddie's power up the ski runs at Falls Creek. Unfortunately I missed racing at Falls Creek in 2012 as I got sick only days before the race, but it was still fun being able to help out the other teams and watch the race from the sidelines. This year I have had to retire Trixie from racing, at 13 yrs of age, but have been fortunate enough to borrow a couple of Siberian Husky's

from some friends to run in the 4 dog class. Bronson, the Border Collie, has stepped up to run single lead at 10 yrs of age, with the sibes, Amber & Dakota, in the swing/team and Maddie providing the power once again in wheel. We may not be the fastest team out there but we always have fun and that’s all that matters!

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-- 3 DOG CLASS --

JO BADENHORST Jo and her 3 siberian huskies have joined us at Falls Creek all the way from Queensland

DUGALD BAIRD Dugald lives on 10 acres at Wattle Bank, Victoria which is about two hours south east of Melbourne. During the week Dugald works at Melbourne Water as a Project Manager within the development sector. On the weekends, at this time of the year, he can be seen training his “girls” on the local roads, which always attracts plenty of attention. Dugald has been racing Siberian Huskies for over 15 years. His team are also treasured family members and are likely to be the oldest team racing this weekend. They are almost 11 years old. The enthusiasm of the team has not waned but the years are starting to catch up. Dugald has participated in the Falls Creek Sled Dog Classic since it began and one of the most enjoyable parts of the ‘Classic’ is running through the village with the crowd cheering him on. Dugald and his family enjoy the hospitality and great food at Ripparoo Ski Lodge and would like to thank Claire and Al for their support again this year.

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GREG GOODFELLOW

Greg and Sean have both travelled with their Siberian Huskies from South Australia to compete at this year’s Falls Creek – welcome back guys!

SEAN HENNESSY

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DARREN WATSON

Darren will race his team of Alaskan Huskies again this year at Falls Creek. Darren has been racing since 1996, starting with Siberian Huskies. Darren will run in the 3 and 2 dog classes this weekend.

FastaK9 Racing Team is sponsored by EUKANUBA and Kirella Lodge.

E’VETTE LEVETT

E'vette has been running Alaskan Malamute's in harness since 1995 and also show's and breeds them under the 'Snowsteeds' Prefix. The highlight of E'vette's year is to bring her pack of happy Mals to the snow and spend some quality time with her friends and fellow mushers enjoying this amazing sport in all its glory. Quite a few of the dogs she has bred are also competing here with their wonderful owners and she wishes them all a fabulous time and nice clean runs. E'vette is actively involved in sled dog sports being the current Racing Coordinator for the Northern Victorian Sled Dog Club Inc. Evette has successfully raced teams from one to eight dogs and looks forward to running her six dog Alaskan Malamute team at Falls Creek this year. E'vette would like to thank all of the sponsors and organisers for putting on such a spectacular event. Running her flying two dog team down the ski slope under lights at last years race is one of the highlights of her racing career.

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PHILL FORESTENKO My name is Phill Forostenko. I am a Physiotherapist / Exercise Physiologist, and I own and run two physiotherapy and massage clinics in the Brisbane CBD. I am a member of the Northern Exposure Gig Racing Club (NEGRC) in Brisbane. I placed 5th in last years FCSDC ad looking to improve. I love my dogs and there is no better feeling than when you are sledding with them. I am using my two Siberian Huskies up front for speed and a friend's Malamute at the back for strength.

TIMOTHY HUNTLEY

Tim lives in Victoria and races Siberian Huskies. Tim is sponsored by Summit

Ridge Alpine Lodge.

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MEET THE MUSHERS

--2 DOG CLASS –

EDDA JESSEN Edda has 7 dogs, 4 Alaskan and 3 Siberian huskies. She has mostly raced in sprint races in Australia but more recently has started to participate in mid distance racing. Most notably earlier this year she took part in the Tustumena 100 race in Alaska. Edda spends her holidays with her dogs in Alaska, training and racing under the guidance of her Alaskan tutor, Tim Osmar. "Every day with my dogs out on the trail means some new experience, something new to learn and to understand. My dogs are my best teachers and my best friends", says Edda. This year she is racing two of her veteran dogs in the 2 dog class.

JO WINTHER Our family has been sledding for over 10 years now for fun and enjoyment with our dogs. Even our kids sled! I have been running this brother and sister pair, Jazz and Hamish, for four years now. They work well together and get so excited about running at the start line they don't like to wait. Just being in the snow hypes them up. It is a lovely hobby that that allows the whole family (humans and dogs) enjoy our time together.

MEET THE MUSHERS

MEET THE MUSHERS

JULIE BAVINGTON We are Team Natural Disaster - aka Blaze and Storm with recently joined Quake (:-)) who is currently 16 weeks old and a rescue pup from Husky Rescue WA. We are show line Siberian Huskies, not racers and most of all very well loved and spolit pets! We have only been racing one year, absolutely love it but pretty rubbish at it!!! Storm is the pulling power and "Princess Blaze" only pulls and runs when there is a camera! I've always vowed I would show them the snow and what a fab way to do it - travelling across Australia from Perth to Victoria - fantastic road trip :-) I emigrated to Australia in 2007 from the UK and travelling across by road is definitely one to tick of my bucket list. Cant wait to see my fur kids reaction to the snow and yes, I will be the one coming in very very slowly and will probably have to take food supplies with us!

KATY DILLON Katie also joins us from Western Australia with her two Siberian Huskies.

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MOLLY HODGSON

I have been sledding since I was just a Pee Wee and have now got my own team of Siberian Huskies, I am running Chase, my boy, who is two years old and Noir, my youngest girl, who is one and a half years old. This is both, theirs and my first snow race and we hope to have an enjoyable time. On behalf of our team I would like to say a huge thank you to the Falls Creek Country Club for all their support.

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KELSY GIBOS

About me: I'm originally from the southern Rocky Mountains in Canada. I came to Australia to work and ended up staying longer than I had originally planned. I live in Myrtleford with my

partner Travis here in the Alpine Shire and am constantly in awe of the local produce, the beautiful scenery and wildlife and the friendliness of the local folk. It truly is a home away from home. I

have run bigger teams long distance in the powder snow in Canada and have trained in the sport of ski-jor, but nothing compares to mushing in Aussie conditions (you guys are crazy!). Like a

moth to the flame, you can't keep Canadians from the snow and I managed to fall into dog handling with Australian Sled Dog Tours at Dinner Plain. Following that I was welcomed into the Victorian sled dog community so much so, that even as a temporary resident I had to get my own

dogs!

About my dogs: Twigs and Trout are true Aussie mongrels. With the help of a rescue group, we pulled them from the confines of a high kill shelter near Sydney. Four pups and the father were

left behind and were due to be destroyed within a few days. Completely unprepared for dogs (we had a motorbike, a flat with no yard and insecurity in work) I couldn't say 'no' after I'd seen their photo. In 2 weeks we traded for a truck, moved into a scantily furnished house with a yard and

signed on to stay in the country for another year. The rescue group suggests that they are Siberian Husky crossed with Aussie Cattle Dog, but I'm sure there are some other breeds thrown

in there to make it interesting (something with big ears!). I guess that 'technically' makes us Alaskan huskies... I think we'll always place in the bottom of the pack, but Twigs and Trout pull with the hearts of true Iditarod sled dogs and we always have heaps of fun. They will be our

favourite Australian souvenirs.