Musher Bios

John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon

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2010 Mid Distance Musher Bios
	AMANDA VOGEL – Ray, MN Amanda is 32 and is originally from Bay City, MI. She currently resides in Ray, MN. When she isn't racing sled dogs, she is a social worker. Amanda is looking forward to seeing the North Shore via dog sled and gain more racing experience in this length of race.
	DAVE LUNDBERG - Monticello, MN
	STEVE DUREN - Spirit Lake, ID Steve is a retired Airforce Aircraft Mechanic. His kennel is Sierra Kennels which consists of Alaskan Malamutes and Alaskan Huskies. The majority of his dogs are from J. Barron, Swingley and Ellis Iines.
	JERRY PAPKE – Kingston, MI Jerry has been involved with sled dogs for over 14 years. He is a lineman for Detroit Edison and lives in Kingston, MI. He has 38 Alaskan Huskies in his kennel.
	JOANN FORTIER – Gaylord, MI Joann has been married to Larry Fortier for 9 years and they have a 5 year old daughter, Ana. Joann has worked for her dad's company, Northwood Land Company, for 10 years. They have 29 Alaskan Huskies in their kennel and this is Joann's 10th racing season.
	MAGGIE HEILMANN – Somerset, WI Maggie has a small kennel of dogs and they had their second litter of pups this summer. Her husband, Peter, and daughter, Maddie who is 13, are her great handlers. In the off season they bike, kayak and ride their horses.
	SOPHIE BEAUREGARD - Port Wing, WI "It's my third year running dogs. I see the Beargrease as a great learning experience for my dogs and me."
	DON GALLOWAY – Makinen, MN Don shares a kennel with his partner and wife August Galloway, who he met working at a sled dog business twelve years ago. Don works full time as a health practitioner in Virginia/Cherry MN.
	GALLOWAY TEAM 2 - Makinen, MN
	CLARKE GARRY – Togo, MN Clarke has been caring for sled dogs since the age of 60. He and his wife, Sue, moved north to Togo, MN, after his retirement from teaching college biology in western Wisconsin. They have 26 Alaskan huskies, 12 who are active runners, 8 retired adults and 6 exuberant puppies. Clarke’s goal is to finish the Mid-Distance with healthy, happy dogs.
	LINDA HART – Stillwater, MN Linda and her husband Steve live in Stillwater, MN and have been involved with sled dogs since 1986. Steve ran his first Beargrease in 1989 and they have participated in every race except one. Linda is an Emergency Communications Manager at the Minneapolis/St. Paul Int’l Airport. They have 13 dogs in their kennel including their wirehaired pointer, Roy. In 2006 Linda had a confrontation with a tree limb on the Beargrease trail, broke two ribs and had to scratch. She is hoping for a clean run in 2010.
	NGAREWA HOUSTON-CUMMIGS – White River Junction, VT Toiamai (Toy-a-my) Sled Dogs are owned, trained and raced by Adam Cummings and Ngarewa Houston-Cummings. They are based in Norwich, VT. Like a lot of mushers, they began with just one dog and then became hooked to everything running dogs had to offer. They have immersed themselves into this addictive sport for 6 years and now have a small kennel of 24 dogs. "We are constantly learning from our dogs as each season they teach us something new. The best thing for us is how rewarding it is to put in the hard work of training a good team and have them perform their best on race day! When they aren't training dogs, they enjoy snowboarding, biking and traveling.
	BOB WRIGHT – South Range, WI Bob has been racing sled dogs since 1997.
	ELIZABETH LEVITSKI – Bryant, WI
	ROBIN BEALL – Grand Marais, MN Robin lives in the great north woods. She manages their kennel of 50 Huskies. During the off season, she is very involved in the Minnesota Quarter Horse Association showing her horse, James.
	DAVE TURNER- Sandy, OR Dave and his 15 Alaskan Huskies live and train the foothills of Mt. Hood east of Portland, OR. They have been competing in the Midwest for the last three seasons and look forward to challenging the best teams in the country for the top spot this year.
	AARON HARWOOD – Iron River, WI Aaron and his wife, Natalie, own Wild Wind Siberians Kennel located near Iron River, WI. Wild Wind Siberians, www.wildwindsiberians.com, is home to approximately 30 racing Siberians. Aaron is a healthcare consultant when he's not training or running dogs and has been racing dogs for about 6 years.
	DAVID PERRON – Embarrass, MN David started mushing in 1991 with his good friend, Eyk, and has been hooked ever since. David and his wife, Beth, currently have a kennel of 22 happy, healthy, racing, recreational and retired sled dogs. "When we aren't feeding, grooming, scooping or training dogs, we are the very proud parents of our son, Noah, who attended his first race before he was born! In their free time they enjoy camping, Black Powder Rendezvous, winter BWCA trips, canoeing, gardening, home improvement projects and spending time in the outdoors.
	TEAM GORDON – Duluth, MN
	ROBYN SMITH – Bruce Crossing, MI Robyn is a Special Education teacher by vocation and a dog musher for 12+ years by avocation. She has 15 dogs training in her kennel which is now located in the western U.P. The Beargrease is her favorite race and she is thankful to be racing it once again this year!
	EMILY MEYER – Ashland, WI Emily has been mushing all of her life and absolutely loves the sport. She has been racing since age 9 and is working her way up to bigger races. "This is my first time as a musher in the Beargrease!"
	NICK TURMAN – Two Harbors, MN Nick enjoys sailing, kayaking, dog sledding and family get togethers.
	DAWN BREEDLOVE - Bryant, WI Dawn started mushing in 1990 by skiing behind her pets and it grew to a passion in racing and tours. She has enjoyed mushing adventures in the Rocky Mountains and now the mid-west. Dawn is now training 20 out of her kennel of 24 dogs.
	SAM HUBER – Alexandria, MN
	BILLIE DIVER – Cloquet, MN Billie is a nursing student on UND in Grand Forks, ND
	JIM METHVEN – Mason, WI Jim has been mushing since 1996 and has a small kennel of 11.
	TROY GROENEVELD – Two Harbors, MN
	SCOTT BALLANTYNE – Emerald, WI Scott lives with his wife, Suzanne, and 14 dogs on a small farm in western Wisconsin. They began mushing over 10 years ago and have owned a small kennel of Alaskan Huskies for the past 7 years. Scott teaches genetics at the University of Wisconsin - River Falls. His students have been conducting sled dog paternity testing for several kennel owners. Scott and Sue are long time Beargrease fans and they tried unsuccessfully to complete the mid-distance last year. This year they are armed with some fresh blood (both dogs and handlers) and a much greater appreciation for this demanding trail. Their goal is to finish the race with happy, healthy dogs.
	JOANNA OBERG – Ignace, Ontario, Canada Joanna has been running dogs and racing for over 17 years. It is her passion and hobby as well as her job since she is a guide and kennel manager for their touring/racing kennel, Run Silent Dog Sled Trips. Though they currently live north of Ignace, Ontario, Canada where Joanna's parents operate a year round resort/fish camp, Agimac River Outfitters, they are originally from Ely, MN. Besides running her dogs, she enjoys fishing, swimming, hiking, reading, writing, photography, as well as training and competing in dog shows/events with her Beaucerons.
	BRIAN WIESE - Kakabeka Falls, Ontario, Canada Brian has run the Beargrease seven times, The Wildcat 550 twice, the Northern Lights Challenge 300, and the White Oaks and Wolftrack Classics. He has logged many other miles in the addictive sport of mushing which is his life long passion. Brian says ”Every year has been a thrill!”
	BILL BOYD – Warroad, MN Bill and his wife, Shirlee, have had sled dogs for approximately 10 years. They enjoy winter camping and spending time with the dogs. Currently they have 29 Alaskan Huskies, 1 Black Lab and a Basset Hound in their kennel. They share the dogs with scout groups, school classes and the occasional tourist group. In addition to the dogs, they enjoy hunting, fishing, trapping and living in Northern Minnesota. They also have a son and daughter, both of which are attending college.
	KIRK AILI – Ray, MN
	TOM CLARK – Amherst, WI
	CHAD SCHOUWEILER – Irma, WI Chad is 28 and has worked for UPS for 7 years. This will be his second Beargrease. Chad is owner of Otter Run Kennel home to about 20 dogs.
	MARTHA SCHOUWEILER – Irma, WI Martha is the mother of 4 children, Calisa, Laura, Chad & Molly. She will be running a team of Chad's dogs from Otter Run Kennel. Martha is the Outdoor Adventure Series Coordinator for Nicolet College in Rhinelander, WI. The Beargrease is one of her favorites.
	HANK DeBRUIN – Haliburton, Ontario Hank and his wife, Tanya, own Winterdance Dogsled Tours a purebred Siberian Husky kennel with 140 dogs. They live in the Haliburton Highlands, a wilderness area on the edge of Algonquin Park, Ontario. The DeBruin's have been running tours for 10 years and Hank has been involved in distance racing for the last 4. After many years of planning, the team will be heading to Alaska after the Beargrease to run the Iditarod. Hank has 4 children, Logan 10, Dustyn 8 and Michaela 4 all who run their own dogs and 2 year old Jessica. You can meet all the Winterdance huskies and follow Hank through his Iditarod blog and facebook page by visiting www.winterdance.com.
	john hull – Elton, WI
	jerry trudell - Calumet, MI Jerry and his wife are transplanted Yoopers from the south that have been mushing since 2006. They have a small kennel and share dogs and training with Truman Obermeyers Brewery Creek Racing Kennel in Calument, MI. Jerry's wife/handler/training partner is a teacher and Jerry is a pilot for Delta Airlines. "We look forward to our first Beargrease challenge."
	KELLY JO ENGLE – Atlantic Mine, MI "This year's goal is to make it to the starting line, if I get that far. I will be thrilled to enjoy the Beargrease trail once again. This will be my first time racing as a Grandma - does that make me a racey grandma or just a crazy one - maybe both. My granddaughter's name is Elizabeth Leigh Castorena."
	Alice White - Armuchee, GA
	Frank holmberg - Newberry, MI Frank will be running the kennel's second team for this year's Beargrease. This team is primarily comprised of young dogs with little to no race experience. "One of my fondest racing memories is running neck to neck for hours with Bruce Kolhase on the second leg of the 2002 BG 150. Bruce went on to win the event. It wasn't my day but it was a great run and race!"
	JOHN STETSON - Duluth, MN John has been running sled dogs for 25 years as an educator, expeditioner, tour operator and racer. John with his son Nelson live a simple subsistence lifestyle on their organic farm. John is currently planning a 5,000 mile dog sled expedition across Canada which will keep him from running the John Beargrease for a few years. For more information about John or sled dog tours see www.dogmusher.com.
	dave gordon - Duluth, MN
	STEVAN BRONNER - Frankenmuth, MI Steve is a self employed businessman from Frankenmuth, MI. Over the years he has helped train and race dogs for Ed and Tasha Stielstra at Nature's Kennel in McMillan, MI. This year he will be running a young team from Jim Warren's Sled Dog Lodge in Newberry, MI. "After handling teams and volunteering for the Tahquamenon Country Sled Dog Race for the past couple of winters, I am really looking forward to getting back on the runners this winter."

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