Hi everyone, and welcome to Katie Preston for the next hour. We're going to talk to one of the greatest performers ever in her sport Libby riddles who last year became the first woman ever to win the top of engine dog sled racing ruling Alaska Iditarod baby grew up in Minnesota. Now you live there year-round in the Tiny Town of teller Alaska there. She works full-time raising and training her dogs or sport is a fascinating one combining ability to work with animals that's required in horse racing along with an Arctic explorers ability to withstand severe weather conditions and logistical expertise that has no parallel in sports Libby riddles join us tonight from her home in Alaska and you can call with your questions about dog sled racing at 2276 thousand.But first let's take a look at everything that happened in the World of Sports so far today, Minnesota Strikers involved in game four of the major Indoor Soccer League Championship Series tonight at the Met Center another standing-room-only crowd at the Met Strikers leading the series two games to one but they're trailing the game right now really in the second half of play at the Met is the San Diego Sockers 3 and the strikers nothing that the best-of-seven series record leading two games to one will keep you posted on the score of that game from time to time during the evening Strikers Trail right now three, nothing early in the third quarter. How's it going on tonight? The game 2 of the Stanley Cup playoff series the championship series in the National Hockey League and the second. It's Calgary to Montreal one Flames won the first game of that best-of-seven series and again will keep you updated through the evening here on sportfolio right now in the second. Has Calgary to Montreal one.Baseball today the twins into their seven-game losing streak and Bert Blyleven was the pitcher who got things done for the twins. They beat Milwaukee by a score of 5 to 3 y living with by far is best game of the year giving up just four hits three of them came all bunched up in the sixth inning a homer by Rick Cerone double by Robin Yount in Homer by Cecil Cooper, but the twins took the for nothing lead into that and even so they never trailed in the game by letting you gave up just four hits on the game didn't walk anybody and really look terrific today has he won his third game of the season finally for the twins. They got four runs in the sixth inning a big two-run double by Kirby Puckett was the big blow their and a solo Homer by Gary guy Eddie later on kind of was icing on the cake. So the twins move out of last place in the American League West now 14 wins 23 losses. They poke just a half-game ahead of Seattle and got back up in the sixth place when they open a three-game series at Boston tomorrow night against the Red Sox win the American League today. Let's see what we've got the Red Sox stay in first place in the Eastern Division, maybe Texas in 10 Innings by a score of 5-2 4th Red Sox with the best record in the American League 23 + 30The rap game ahead of the Yankees Yankees beat Seattle this afternoon 11 to 3 Toronto be Cleveland TN to to the Blue Jays swept the Indians Cleveland has now lost 9 of its last 10 Baltimore crushed open 13-2 for first baseman, Eddie Murray, but seven runs batted in including the 14th Grand Slam home run of his career was the White Sox over Kansas City 521 the White Sox continue their hot play of late Bret saberhagen took the loss of the Royals last year's World Series hero now 2 and 4 on the season and won game postponed by rain today in the American League California at Detroit and that rain out there after they played a couple of innings also washed out a home run by Major League home run leader Wally Joyner. He had 15 going in today would have been a 16th, but with the game Scrub by rain, it doesn't count the Angels didn't win or lose today because of the rain. But they remain in first place in the American League West 20 + 17 their one game ahead of the Texas Rangers. Overran the national league today George Foster hit a pair of home runs has the Mets beat the Dodgers 824 the Mets still the hottest team in baseball 23 winds 9 losses.The free game lead over the Montreal expos in the National League East expose hot themselves. They're not 21 and 13. They beat San Diego today 823 shortstop Hubie Brooks with a grand slam home run and now has 10 homework 32 runs batted in on the season both those figures leave the national league San Francisco Giants moved into a virtual tie for first place in the Western Division. Surprising Giants beat Philadelphia today for to won the Giants adjust percentage points behind the Houston Astros who lost the Chicago Cubs 522 us. Where are the Braves beat the Cardinals 522 couple of home runs in that game for Bob Horner and Cincinnati Over Pittsburgh 723 first win of the season 4 of Cincinnati's Tom Browning who was a 20-game winner has a rookie a year ago.The University of Michigan won the Big Ten Baseball Championship today at Siebert field the Minnesota Gophers. So I managed to get past Wisconsin in the early game today thirteen23 run the right for a rematch with the Wolverine, but for the second time in two days, Michigan beat Minnesota score today was 9 to 5 and them Michigan's Jim Abbott came in the third inning of that game in relief struck out 10 batters going the rest of the way quite a story freshman Jim Abbott. He has just one hand is left hand. He throws the ball with that and about 90 miles an hour and he completely baffled the Gophers today. The Gophers wind-up is the Big 10 runner-up. They don't get the automatic berth to the NCAA Regional Tournament, but they do hope to be invited as an at-large team. They'll find out about that sometime late tomorrow. Meanwhile at Tim McIntosh to go for right fielder was voted most valuable player of the tournament. He said to Big Ten Tournament records with four homeruns 10 runs batted in during the season 3 of the Gophers made the all-tournament teams Works. Mark Hess who died of tournament record for hits with 10. Also third baseman, Jeff Gordon and pitcher Greg now who beat Wisconsin today on a five-hitter?The Boston Celtics will be back in the championship round of the National Basketball Association playoff. The Celtics finished a four-game sweep of the Milwaukee Bucks today in Milwaukee at 1:11 to 98. Larry Bird had 30 points for the Celtics 17 of them in the fourth quarter, Kevin McHale, the former gopher star with 20 points and 11 rebounds another former. Go for in the game for the bucks. They're starting center. Randy Brewer and Randy was shut out today no point for Randy Brewer has the Box swept by the Boston Celtics. Now the question is who will the Celtics play? They don't know yet, but I tell you it looks like right now they're going to be playing the Houston Rockets the Rockets beat the defending Champion Los Angeles Lakers today 105-95 Rockets now leave that best-of-seven Series 3 games to 1 going back to Los Angeles for game 5 Wednesday night, San Joaquin. Olajuwon was quite an Unstoppable Force the Rockets today 16 points in the first quarter finish the game with 35 also a very fine contribution by former gopher Jim Peterson, St. Louis Park who let Houston and rebounding today with 13 of them did a real nice job Off the Bench when Ralph Sampson got in foul trouble. So the Rockets lead that series over the Lakers 3 game1 rational golf today Dan Pohl when his first PGA tournament in his nine years on the tour won the tournament down in the Fort Worth $108,000 one and sudden death of a fellow by the name of Payne Stewart. Shorten a 54 holes because of rain be tomorrow in the women's store in New Jersey was Becky Pearson. Also getting her first. When is the Pro she's been on the tour I think about seven years now. She wanted a buy one shot over Deb Richard and Betsy King also in that tournament Pat Bradley tide for 11th. And as a result, she became the first woman ever to win more than 2 million dollars over a career as a professional golfer field except for the Indianapolis 500 1 week from today. I'll be Rick Mears two-time winner of the 500 sitting on the pole and in the middle of the front row defending champ. Danny Sullivan will get his start.Couple notes from tennis today Yvonne Lendl win the Italian Open. He beat Emilio Sanchez of Spain by 4 stats in the finals Saint. She has to come in by beating Boris Becker and must feel under today Linda winning 75466 161 and on the women's tour. They've got the tournament in Berlin in West Germany this week in the championship game will be tomorrow. No surprise there. It'll be the number one seed Martina Navratilova against the number two seed Steffi Graf. 8 minutes after 9 and you listening to us portfolio here on Minnesota Public Radio ksjn 1330 MJG Preston and I guess tonight is what one of the top performers in the world of dog sled racing and I think we've got an interesting hour ahead of us. If we find out about her and her sport Libby riddles who's talking to us tonight from her home and then Tiny Town of teller Alaska Libby. I really appreciate your coming on with this tonight. No problem, but it's going to be good to be here. I will explain to the listeners in advance. That one does not just ring telephone poles to a place like teller Alaska when asked to get telephone conversation in there by satellite and as a result between the time that it takes my voice to go 25,000 miles into space and back down to Libby's likewise of a little bit of a delay between are parts of the conversation tonight. So listeners at home or in the car, wherever please don't get too discouraged will both talk to each other eventually. I might just take us awhile from time-to-time. Libby riddles will be with us to talk about dog sled racing and what goes into it the boat from the human standpoint and from the dog standpoint and the actual or deal with the races themselves, especially the Alaska Iditarod when she won last year, which is pretty much a a trans Alaska race that takes a couple of weeks to finished and if you have any questions about the sport for Libby riddles, you can certainly give us a call here on portfolio and put you on with her at 2276 thousand at number again is 227-6011. As you know, as I explained that when we contacted you about doing the show on the 1st. Play so I decided that I really had to have you on this program. When I read your your diary of the Iditarod race last year that was published in Sports Illustrated around the time of the Iditarod this year. I sort of went into that article. Thanking a dog sled racing. I mean, I guess I'm not really deeply grip by this but I was really fascinated by the stories you had to tell it's it's it's a sport that combines a whole lot of really different things. People don't realize then I'm glad you enjoyed the article on I got a lot of letters about it. And I think it had the same effect on a lot of people so it was good. I guess you grew up the st. Cloud area tell me that did you go to Alaska because you had gotten interested in dog sled racing or did you go to Alaska first and then get interested in the dogs? No, I I went to Alaska first and then got interested in the dogs up there. But I lived in St. Cloud for three or four years while I was going to high school also lived over in Lacrosse, Wisconsin and lived out on the west coast for a while to in Bellingham, Washington. I guess everybody who goes to Alaska has their own usually very good thing reason for doing so what was yours? I was just ready to sorts and I had quite a few friends that have moved up to Minnesota. I mean from Minnesota to Alaska and so that was encouraging to that. I knew people up here so but I found quite a few a good Adventures when I got up here, so I haven't been discouraged. Where did you move when you first went North? Will my first big adventure when I came up to Alaska was going home sitting out. It's on Stoney River. It's in the interior of Alaska and learned a lot by doing that built the cabin and later on after I grease the Iditarod. I really liked it up in this part of the state up on the northwest coast and that's part of the reason that brought me up to this part of the state. It's it is real good for dog training to it. Maybe we can describe where you are your least according to my map even farther north than Dome with most of us think of his sort of the end of the world and it looks like you're a lot closer to the Soviet Union than you are SATA Fairbanks. Yeah, a lot closer gets within maybe a hundred fifty miles or so. And it what kind of I mean, you know, you know, I ignorant people are down in the in the lower 48. We think it's just permafrost and nothing but blizzard all year long. What what kind of weather do you got tonight? For instance? We still have little bit winter here. All those things are melting but we've got we live on a big bass and Inland Bay and it takes the ice almost until the middle of June to go out does quite well before we have real spring yet, but the others 24 hours of daylight right now, which is kind of nice but it's still freezing up at night every night. But the thing I think that surprises most people about this area is when they think of an area that spun draw for some reason they think it's going to be flat but there's really there's lots of heels and all 50 or 60 miles away. There's a mountain range that you can see when you're up on the hill with done. It's so wide open country though. It's a good place to train the dogs. Why is that? Well, there's no reason for that for one. It's a fairly easy to say no help supplement your dog food around here Reno buy fishing or whatever. So that's that's good that I can get a lot of dog food for them. And then it's real good for lead dog training because you got this baby eyes to go on let's just so you know, I don't know the bay is maybe six miles across by 12 Mile and there's the open ocean freezes up, you know later on in the winter, but it's real good for leader training because they have to really rely on you to tell him where to go. You know, there's not always accept Trail for them to follow and they can do, you know listen to you and do more things for you than a leader. This is trained in a entry country where there's a real. Well defined Trail, you know, so I like that and you'll only way you can go a different place each day just about the wind really packs of snow down pretty good here too. So even Overland you can pretty much pick wherever you want to go and just know that it's real hard packed. So I think those are part of the reasons that make it real good for training dogs. The winner of the 1985 Alaska Iditarod is with us tonight on sportfolio to talk about dog sled racing here on ksjn. My name is Jade repressed. And then our phone number if you have any questions for Libby is 227-6002 calling from outside the seven-county Twin City metro area. You can call us collect. If you're in Western Wisconsin or area code is 612 or number on portfolio to 276 thousand. You can say hi to Sue will put you on the Air Tonight with Libby riddles talking about dog sled racing here on ksjn on portfolio. I don't know. Let me maybe at some point along your travels. Is it as a young woman you had thought about her had some interest in dog sled racing the tell us how you actually got started after you got up to, Alaska. Yeah, I never knew much about the sport until I did go to Alaska. But the first time I came in contact with his sled dogs, I just really, you know, I watch the race in Downtown Anchorage. I guess it was and I was really impressed by how the Hamill's all work together and they're so quiet when they run and just the attitude of the dogs and it just it seems like a real good relationship. They have the animal where you can work side-by-side, you know, and it was useful to because when I first had dogs, I was just using them and my cabin, you know for hauling water and Hauling firewood, so it don't fit in with what I was doing up in Alaska real well, so even just for a living out on your own and then the interior of the state you had to have dogs more or less as work animals, huh? Will you think you know a person's got the choice nowadays you could have a machine but I prefer to have the dog. That's how they used to do things up here, you know all the time before they had the machines and it's a good way to get around. Not when I when was this let me when you when you saw your first sled dog race. I moved up here. That you're the next year that I first saw sled dog racing. I just started getting dogs. Probably in around 1975. And the first time I raced any kind of a race is a Sprint race at 78 and 79 erased 180 mile race in preparation for running Iditarod the year after that are there yet princess a like that like thoroughbreds in horse racing. Is there is there a demand date of the type of dog was there just to kind of a preference according to what they actually happens to do well. Still there's really not that many registered dogs that are used in racing Aldo over in Europe. I know a lot of times that they have to run registered breeds butt up here. If it's more that particular people or areas have their own strength of dogs, you know, when we've got some dogs are pure that are a little bit different than anybody else's but their crosses between different types of dogs on some of the better ones are you know, like the Huskies that come out of the Native Villages or real tough dogs on they come from, you know, generations and generations really good dogs in those are mixed in with anything from bird dogs to Siberians to Setters and they've got all kinds of crazy combinations share bread or at least trained to for racing. I mean that that's their that's what they spend their lives doing then is concentrating on their the racing part of it. Yeah, racing or Pinot pulling a lot of people have dogs as for recreational use, but you were the Husky it's just their Instinct just as much as with a you know, a bird dog catching a bird for a husky can take a young pup nine times out of ten the first time you put them in a harness. They're going to go like mad cuz they just are born to Born to do it. They just love it. They don't make the world's greatest anyting know they're a little bit wild instincts to make individual. Call dog racer. Libby riddles is our guest tonight on sportfolio talking to his former home and Teller Alaska. And if you have any questions about the world of dog sled Racing for Libby, give us a call at 227-6000 at their number on portfolio here on ksjn 2276 thousand want to give you an update before we go to the phone's an update on the Stanley Cup playoffs after 2 periods. Now in Calgary. It's the Calgary leaving Montreal to 21 Flames lead the series going into the Knights game won game 2 nothing got our first caller on the line tonight on the portfolio. And her number again is 227-6002 Rhodes Ville high you'll The yard is my Christmas tree. The polar trips are requesting volcano wheel sticker and his group went to the pole and Monica. Kyrsten. Sinema is going to go to the South Pole. Seems to be the ultimate Shine for people like you and for the dog. My question is did any of these people contact you to be part of their team? I had one inquiry to consider something like that, but that would have involved starting with the initial planning while my partner was preparing for the Iditarod and I didn't think I had time to handle both at once. I think you know, that's not out of the question that I should ever do anything like that. But for me, you know if I'm more well-known in the Iditarod race in Alaska right now, so it's fairly easy for me to get sponsors for that race and I think for right now the next few years. Anyway, that's what I'm going to keep my eyes on. Olivia are you able to to completely support Yourself by activities related to dog sled racing. Is there enough purse money or is you mentioned sponsorship? Is there enough money available in that that you can focus on that full-time? Well, it's been really hard and you know over the years. It's kind of gradually gotten better. You know where the dogs are already more money after winning the race that helped quite a bit though on but still know that the economy in the state of here is tightening up quite a bit and I don't think it's going to be easy for any of us to get sponsors. Although I'm sure I can get enough to race and to support myself in the dogs. But I still have to really work for it. Now. You mentioned your partner earlier in people who may wonder why was he won the Iditarod last year? How did you do this year, you didn't raise any Iditarod this year because you and your partner currently take turns and Alternate years is who's going to run which year and the other one helps when the other ones running? Right and my partner took her near East the year before I won the race and came in third with our dogs and then this year he came in second place and they had a record time on the racist year of 11 days and I did go up there to Duluth to go racing your dared retrace though and January because the one of us will usually always resubmit distance race in January somewhere. So I really enjoyed that. It was really strange. It was about thirty below two days before the race and then it got up to about 40 bucks on the race, which they say very rarely happens there, but that's how it goes though. Libby riddles, the winner of the 1985 Alaska Iditarod is our guest tonight on sportfolio here on ksjn and our phone number for your questions about dog sled racing is 2276 thousand yen to do when you first started off with dogs in training to Racin, maybe you can tell us about the process of just I'm just finding your dog putting together a team in and getting ready to compete in this sport. Yeah, where I started the way many drivers start and that's with the giveaway dog sits. I think people gave me most of them because they like to fight so much and I had a heck of a Time the first couple years getting straightened out there a friendly when I wanted to race your did Rod 1980 the dogs I went with were some dogs. I bought and others that I at least that were older dogs that it already rescheduled her out on somebody else's team. So they were in fact veterans and they taught me quite a bit about sled dog racing 88-81 and I came in in the money in both races. Although towards the back into the money was the 18th Place in 1980 and in 1981, it was 20th. Place two days are in two places. That's okay. That's what I keep telling myself on that. But after that I knew I was going to have to try to raise some new dogs and I was a lot more interested in racing dogs that I raised myself because I think you have a better on you know, you could have a better connection with a dog or whatever. If you've raised it from a pup and I found two dogs that were close to the ideal type of dog. I was looking for one of the female. I had to lease from a friend just for the breeding and the other was a husky that had some Hound bred into it and I was real lucky and got some real my pup. So does that live in another later that you're in in the same year my partner Joel got some real good pups that you're too and that was the main of our racing team was were those dogs and they even though there were five years old this year and they're still the really the heart of the team. We were racing one day or even a year-and-a-half-old and they were really doing well. I came in third place at the Cusco 300 mile race in Alaska when they were just a year-and-a-half so they didn't they were really good dogs. I've been real happy with them. And now I'm getting pups out of these dogs too soon. We're learning about sled dog racing tonight on sportfolio with Libby riddles the winner of the 1985 Alaska Iditarod. And our phone number for your questions here on ksjn is227 6000 have a caller on the line right now from Minneapolis local I have first to comment is a former Alaskan to brought the sled dog back from from Fairbanks. I do little Ali mushing here in Minneapolis. Now, it's a lot of fun. I I wonder if I used to follow the the racers in Fairbanks quite a bit and I'm wondering if you ever follow, you know, some of the ladies that much in Fairbanks say that's no Roxy with a little bit and But she was the traffic athletes. I guess. I'd like to know if George Atlas still racing. You don't hear too much about that around around here. Good news about that. Nothing. I think it was last winter winter 85. That's Canadian. It is 3 / came to Anchorage and feed all the alaskans and told George at what he was washed up and all this other stuff. So they had to cancel that race in Anchorage this year because there wasn't any snow but they did have the North American race and it was great. He made a real good strong come back and you beat the skyscraper and it was a real exciting race and Roxy woods and still been racing quite a bit. You know when my mind she's one of the best women dog drivers in Alaska. She's got a lot of experience and all this has been really consistent in the Sprint racing. I notice to there have been a lot more women in the top standings of the Sprint race is there's a Linda Leonard and quite a few other women drivers have been doing pretty well. It's hard for me to get information on the Fairbanks races to most most information we get is actually at Anchorage, but occasionally I do see those statistics from the Fairbanks sprint races, speaking of women in sled dog racing Libby. Your your Reign is the only woman to win the Iditarod lasted only a year because this year is Susan Butcher from Montana was the winter. Yvette well as I've been telling everybody all long as they always had girl dogs in the winning team. So I wanted to ask you about that as you well know a lot of been made of the fact that you were the first woman to win the race, but really as far as the requirements of the race itself and what goes into it. Is there anything particularly special about that particular surprising about that and a reason that it is it should be remarkable aside from the fact that they're the first time for everything usually gets noticed. Well for me thinking of it, it's not too much more than that really is that it's you know what I happen to be the first and it was historic and that was great. But I don't know what they're at. You know, there's always been a handful of women racing Iditarod and I think they've always done pretty well considering it's a small percentage. I think the main thing that makes makes it a sport where women can compete on a equal basis. I think with us men drivers is that there's so many skills that are involved in Long Distance racing, especially when you have to have a good rapport with your animals, which is one reason, I think women make good dog drivers and you got to be able to have a lot of patience and be able to keep a cool head in the bad situation and you know, just lots and lots of other things and skills that it makes makes it possible for all different types of people. Bed bug racer Libby riddles our guest tonight talking with us from her home until her Alaska. She was the winner of the four stages Alaska Iditarod race last year in 1985 that several colors waiting with questions for Libby before we get to them. I want to just get you updated on the scoreboard real quick. As I promised. I would have to three periods of the major indoor soccer league game at the Met Center, it's San Diego leading the strikers by a score of 3 2 1 Strikers leave that Series right now to game the one at the best-of-seven series soccer's hold a two-goal lead going into the final. And with 13 minutes to play in the third period of our Stanley Cup game in the NHL playoffs tonight if Montreal to Calgary to that game being played at Calgary Flames lead the series right now won game 2 None are phone number tonight with your questions for Libby riddles here on portfolio is 2276 thousand and we have a caller on the line. Which one is up in Plymouth. Hello feel. I had a question about feeding the dogs. She mentioned that up and tell her that it's a good place because there's access to a lot of Things to feed the dogs. I'd like to hear a comments on what she feeds them when they're up there in training and what she feeds them when she's in a race. Well, the main thing that I like about being able to feed them from what we can catch her on here as you can give them some fairly fresh stuff. We have a lot of Sam and come through in the summer and hearing and white fish in northern pike that we catching the winter and that's all real good. Good dog food for a mother over the last few years here in a little bit of sponsorship money and that sort of a thing that we've been operating on little bit better budget that we can afford to buy with a lot of the rest of the dog drivers across the state seeds and that is commercially processed either chicken or hamburger is usually used in its dog food grade and comes in 50 lb bricks. And that's the most common type of dog food. You don't decide with a good dog commercial dog food. You know that's used and so are dogs usually end up eating some fish and meat and chicken and liver and commercial dog food main ingredients in for racing. The thing you have to keep in mind. It's it's state welfare freezer summer maintenance diet for your dogs. They might eat one pound of food a day and then winter training, they might eat 2 and 1/2 to 3 pounds a day and not a race. They're probably going to eat even for 5 lb of food a day. So you have to increase the quantity for a race and then you have to have a more higher fat content to your food too. So we see things like lamb and beaver meat and other real high fat high energy foods during the race and lots of water is real important. And about how much does each Dog weigh Libby Oh mine a little bit compared to some but the smallest to probably forty-five in the biggest or probably 60th. How many dogs do you have all together in and how many of those dogs are used in competition? We're actually we've got a pretty small kennel as far as a lot of competitive Racers go. I've got about thirty dogs out here and then Joe's got about 35 his and all the doors. I think for next year. I figured you probably probably even twenty-five eligible dogs and we'll pick a team of a 16 out of and then some of their other dogs might go on a like a B team or something. You know, when young dogs how many dogs are used in the Iditarod? How many days do you use to start the race and how many be have to carry in any given time? You have to start with at least seven, but the most common amount of dogs as prey 14 to 16. And then the upper age limit is 18 dogs. Libby riddles the winner of the 1985 Alaska Iditarod is our guest tonight on sportfolio here on Minnesota Public Radio ksjn got some callers waiting with questions for a living and if you'd like to get on with their will give you our phone number. Once again, it's 227 6000 come back and take some more questions for Libby riddles. But first, let me tell you about some of the other find programs you here here on ksjn tomorrow on ksjn Morning Edition will take a look at some of the problems facing Minnesota wheat farmers in the wake of our wet spring season. What's on fly but the u.s. Ambassador to Yugoslavia. The latest news Kevin kettles later. We'll discuss business yard sticks and John lundell will keep you out of tie ups on our Twin Cities Road and stay tuned for special fishing season traffic reports tonight on ksjn Minneapolis-Saint Paul. one night stand great dance tunes from the big band era join host Chris Nielsen Monday night at 10:05 for one night stand on listener-supported. Ksjn Minneapolis-Saint Paul. It's 933 27 minutes before 10 here on Minnesota Public Radio. Ksjn MJG Preston and you're listening to us portfolio with our guest tonight sled dog race or Libby riddles talking to his former home and I'll ask her phone number for your questions for living. The night is 227-6000. And before we go back to the phones, I just want to pass along a piece of news for those of you loyal listeners just portfolio over the past few months. We're changing our time here pretty soon. We've been on from 9 to 10 on Sunday night since we went on the air back in January, but next month we're going to start being on on Saturdays will be on Saturday at 12 noon starting on June 7th, I guess that is so we got the couple more Sundays to go after this and then we go to Saturday noon. So we I personally like to thank all of you been listening to the past few months and help make us successful enough in the eyes of the people who run the place around here that are going to move it on two Saturdays in the daytime and I hope that'll work out well with your schedule too so that you can join The Saturdays at noon starting June 7th for sport fully open. The next few weeks will continue to be with you. Sunday evening now, I guess tonight Libby riddles talking to us from Alaska. We have a caller on the line from Saint Paul. Hello Craig about how long the line is of these 14 dogs that you have how far apart the dogs out and then also maybe how do you separate a couple dogs who are fighting? Haha, okay. Let me see. OK the first question is how you make them turn left and right and that's a lot of work. It's the best way to do it is to just use one day at a time in the lead position, you know and in a very small team where you have real good control and sometimes even getting a dog that will go on front can be a problem. But if he's got one that goes out front of the best way to do it is just to let the dog build his confidence by just running and leave for a while without trying to put too many heavy demands on him for learning the commands and then gained confidence in running away. Then you can start working him, you know running at Montreal's where there's a y intersection and stop there and tell the dog to command until and hoping to get Daddy and if he doesn't you just have to have a lot of patience and move them over there and wanted as a side you want him to go and hopefully they start getting the idea after a while, but once you've got one Leader trained you can use that later to help you train other dogs, and that's what I do quite a bit and the other dogs can learn either in a double lead situation next the other later or sometimes they learned quite a bit just running behind leader. And as far as the length of the lines used to know your hug line for the dog is I couldn't tell exactly how many inches but it's a little over 3 feet and then the the the main line that that's on his maybe around six feet or maybe a little longer and then they've got a short neckline. It's about a foot long and different people put their lines together differently for different purposes like some Sprint Racers. I notice have a pretty good section maybe even a foot-and-a-half in between where the back line of the dog starts in the neckline of the others, but I personally like shorter section. So your team doesn't get spread out over half a mile if your running 18 dog. And what was the last question you had wanted to know about dogs were fighting and how you handle that? Just fight so much that it's almost not worth it to have them in a sled dog situation, you know where they've constantly going to be dealing with other dog. What we always try to do is just train or dogs that we won't allow any, you know bad-mouthing or anything like that from a real early age if they are fighting. Foremost my dogs are trained to where they'll quit if I really yell at them but in some serious fighting situations the best way is to have like a stick or something even Pride Ortiz apart cuz I've got so much power in between them. Either that or if the dogs are biting you can grab them in between a bites and separate them, but the sun dog has really have bad instincts that way and it's hard to cure him a fighting as if they've gotten away with it a couple of times the dog racer Libby riddles with us tonight on sportfolio Lennar phone number is 227-6011 caller on the line from Saint Paul. Thanks for waiting. Tommy. You're on the go ahead. Tommy go ahead. Are you close to the lost it? Not to close over a thousand miles out. I don't know not what it knows. It sounds like big mouth in it and you see that you know, you know. I like the chase game. All right, moose is probably the biggest problem though because they can move the gut instinct against dogs because they think there's something like a wolf. Every once in awhile does moose will try to kick them around? Where is sometimes we see him in the spring not real often fortunately though. I guess when you're when you're racing at least of the Iditarod Libby, you're spending a lot of time and in territory, that's where people don't usually spend much time there. I suppose you're all kinds of big game wild animals that you have to deal with in a fairly regular basis. Well, it's not as much as what you think. You know, most of them are pretty scarce. The Moose are the most common commonly seen by far but there is like a buffalo herd up towards the grass and you might see Bears out there and although that's pretty infrequent and I've heard wolves howling, but I've never even really seen him but you know, they're also seem like a caribou herds. Other than that. Too much or you're more than a thousand miles or bank or just that that's hard to conceive and then still be in the same state and heck you aren't even as far away as you can get. No could be in Barrel. How how far away is Barros Bakery? From us another almost a thousand miles I would imagine I've got to get up and see some of this someday. It's it's almost too much to believe. Libby riddles our guest tonight on sportfolio talking about sled dog racing in before we go back to the phone's Libby. I just want to talk for a while about the Iditarod as we made references to it tonight and I've used adjectives like ruling an arduous describe it but that that that hardly does it justice and I have the feeling that really the only person who can give a real firm sense of what this race is really all about is somebody who's been in it. So so tell us about the about the course in the distance to the length in in and the weather in in just the things that go into the Iditarod to make it a special race it is Yeah, it's really an incredible race and it's awfully hard to explain it to somebody who hasn't actually been out there racing, you know, like we were talking about it's a big state and the race crosses over just about every kind of train there is to offer in the state. It starts in Anchorage and we drive the dogs just like 15 or so miles from the starting line and they have to be trucked for short-distance because there's a few Bridges and stuff that they can't talk to him over. But from there, they start the team start over and cross the Big susitna River and head over towards the Alaska range and we usually go through rainy pass in the Alaska range cross over the mountains and down onto the kuskokwim river area and the City of a graph And from there you go over some kind of Rolling Hills in the interior of Alaska and every other year the race will alternate routes just in this section of the trail in the McGrath area. The year. I raised we went the southern route where we go through the old gold mining District of Iditarod we should race is named after and when Joe race last year, they go straight north of true beyond the Yukon river instead. So depending on which route you went through the gold mining areas of over at Iditarod and then we connect up on the Yukon river travel 2 miles on the Yukon where it's always just incredibly cold. It was about 52 below at the coldest when I raced through there and I know it was at least forty below this year. and from there we go up to the Village at Cal tag and there is a And Overland Portage that will take you to the code from there to the Village of eunuch late. And most of the rest of traveling is done. So, you know close to the ocean Coast the way up there are some in land stretches and there are a lot of kills big Hills to go through in there. Sometimes we have one heights crossing that's about sixty miles in between a to The Villages and on the last stretch into gnomes. Got to go over some pretty good hills and then you drop down onto the flats in the last 3 miles to know me pretty much on the on the flats down there along the edge of the ocean and its erase they've been having since and back in those days. It was taking something like twenty one Days Grace it than I did a normal is probably a 14 days is 16 days in this year. They did it in 11 for the race seems really be Lottery year that get the whole lot of international and trees in there and they had over 70 teams. I think this year entering which is a record and I'm just really excited to keep giving it my best shot every once in a while here on my my turn traces coming next year here running to the resting. How far would you go to stretch? And then how long do you knock off before you get on it again? Well real roughly. You want to start out the race running as many hours as you rest and how we do that as well. You should go maybe drive the dog 4 5 6 hours at the most and then stopped and cook cook for them and rest them at least four or five hours and you very that little bit because you don't want to run him as hard and as long during the heat of the day you want to run usually more at night seems to be better on the dogs 2 so you might put in a little bit longer legs at night. You see the heat of the day. Yeah, the sunshine on those dogs. If it's anywhere above Steven 10°, it gets pretty hard for those dogs with their big kitty coats and in a working real hard, they're easy to so you got to be real careful about that. I can run him in the heat of the day if they're trained for it and they're not too overweight and then I just keep resting them real off and short frequent. And now you mentioned cooking I guess when you do rest you as a driver or not exactly resting because you got to take care of these dogs. You have to do it fast and you have to do it first before you do anything. So your dogs can get a good rest after they've eaten so no matter how tired and cold you are It's just tough luck. You got to cook for your dog's first an hour before our stuff for 5 hours to do to take me about an hour and a half to get the dogs fed and get things squared away. And if I'm lucky I might have time for an hour or an hour and a half asleep for myself and then I get up about a half hour before I want to leave so I can get the sweat all packed and get ready to go. Obviously you're you can handle this live in you handle it. Well, but just went to sleep standpoint alone that I think that would knock me out of the race like that after about 18 hours. It started for heart. Sleeping like that. But when you worked so hard, you know, it's weird that race in mind. It's enough to stay up for if you know what I mean. I think I understand Libby riddles the winner of the 1985 Alaska Iditarod is our guest tonight on portfolio. I have plenty of questions about the sled dog racing for Libby, but I know you do too and so we'll go back to the phones for some of your questions. My number is 227-6009 from Minneapolis. Hello. Bop shape. Let's say in the offseason for this if any or is it always with the dogs and number two, as this race is growing in popularity and like you mention all the international competition. Are you finding the more and more teams are getting more and more secretive about their training. Let's say in their diets and stuff because there is so much at stake or is there a real Spirit of Cooperation and sharing of techniques and whatnot amongst different competitors. Okay. Well it for that last question. There are some people that are fairly secretive on some things or if they like people that have a particular breed that they don't let anybody else get their hands on but I think for the most part I think people are pretty open with what knowledge that they have because I know from for me anyway, I don't have any qualms about really doing that because I really think it's for the betterment of the dogs. And you know, if I think it's a it's a good thing and other people learn how to take care of the dogs better not certain things as far as your basic strategy in the race or you know, it's on the actual race itself. You might want to be a little bit more careful, you know, it is far as you know, letting other people know what your strong points are and what your weak points. Are you pray when I just keep that to yourself as far as your strategy goes, but All the people on a race for the most part are really cooperative and there's a lot of camaraderie and I've just never seen anything else like Iditarod as far as you know, it's between competitors yet. If anybody gets in a position where they need something or need any help, you know, their competitors are right there with what they've got and I'll help you out and it's really great as far as my own personal training. I usually don't do much training myself. But what do you have to stay on is just kind of a lifestyle that we have up here involve so much work and chores and stuff like that that I probably wouldn't have time to work out. Even if I wanted to but they like we don't have running water. So we have to pack water and all winter and be melting snow for our water in the dog's water and in the summer, it's Lose Yourself a truck to do it with but then we burn firewood along with her still dwells. We have to be finding wood and there's not much in this country at all. Just washed in Driftwood. Not much of that caring for the dog cuz off lot of work, especially during the training season. During the off-season. I came in late just so you know, we'll take pups out for walks and whatever but the only thing I've ever really tried to incorporate into just the dog training is to try to do some kind of a stretching routine because you're doing a lot of work that's almost just like weightlifting and roll heavy work and you need to stretch out and limber up after that from the world of sled dog racing talking with us tonight from her home and tell her Alaska not too terribly far from the Arctic Circle you have any questions about the sled dogs and and what they are all about for Lettin the Night. Our phone number here on Sports folio is 2276 thousand got a caller on the line right now from St.Paul. Hello Jim. What happens? What do you do? If you're out and important race and Save in Racing 3 hours in the whole team is running just fine except for say one. It was physically really in trouble and then number to how many dogs died each year and that it did arrive brace. Okay, the first question if you do have one dog, that's not a problem though. There's several problems that you come up on a raid sometimes if a dog has so many dogs from different areas coming together in a race that they trade viruses and get a lot of dogs and you don't get sick from that just like the same thing if you got that many people together. So there are some sicknesses that come like that and occasionally you can have a dog trip and put their leg and hurt a muscle to where they're going to limp. And then you've got problems. Then you have to carry your dog in the sled until you get to the next checkpoint and then you can fill out a form and drop the dog and have him sent home and you don't give him good canary care if they need to and as far as dog dying on the race, there are a few that died here hun. I'm not even sure if there was any died in his last year's race. There might have been butt. You're talking about. Mm dogs in this race. And you know, what the width is tough is the races. I'm amazed no people have been killed yet. And I think it's probably only a matter of time before that happens, but there have been a few hacks Dental dog deaths on the race, you know, some dogs have been killed and dog fights, strangled and teens would have gotten away but it's been accidental and I think the percentage of it happening is really pretty low and you look at how many dogs are involved in the whole picture? so talking to Libby riddles tonight on sportfolio here on Minnesota Public Radio ksjn before we get we'll go back to the phone. Let me update you on the major indoor soccer league game tonight at the Met Center tide game now with the 2 and 1/2 minutes left in the fourth quarter Strikers 3, San Diego Sockers three Strikers lead that series two games to one at the best-of-seven series Strikers win tonight. They'll need to win only one of the last three games to win the misl championship. So we'll keep you posted on that count on that that game may very well be over before we go off the air tonight Iran's portfolio will let you know how it comes out. Our phone number here is 227-6800 a question about dog breeds. I had an interest for a while and looking for a malamute dog. And I heard something about that. There were Malamute a malamute breed that was considerably larger than the AKC American Kennel Association or Kennel Club type of breed and I was wondering if that if there is in fact on some larger dogs available. And then next thing I was wondering about was whether a large sled breed dog. Like this would be a good choice of a dog for some for a family dog for one thing. But also to do some a little bit of pulling in in Wilderness Travel just so small amount. Occasionally with Malamutes. I don't know if he's ever owned one. One of the first dog that had when I was up here was a male Musa and they're nice dogs, but you really have to be prepared for what you're getting in for one of these kind of dogs. They they've got some habits that make them or can possibly make them not very good as pets for 1 male me can be you know, the males and females both can form a habit of trying to fight with other dogs, and it's hard to restrain, you know, such a large dog if they do fight and they've got bad instincts as far as occasionally, you know killing other small animals or whatever. So so kind of dog that you have to be prepared to keep it contained. You know what I have to be a dog that's going to be chained up or contained but also is a dog that needs a great deal of exercise and as long as you're prepared for those types of things you can make a pretty good pet. As far as knowing if there is a larger type of Malamute, I really wouldn't know about that. I've seen some pretty big dogs that they call Mackenzie River Huskies that has bigger bigger than the Malamutes but we're talking to Libby riddles the winner of the 1985 Alaska Iditarod the premier event in sled dog racing talking to us tonight from her home in Alaska. If you have any questions about sled dog racing for Olivia, give us a call here on ksjn 822276 Thousand number once again to 276 thousand obviously a lead dog is very important to your success on the racing front. How do you go about picking alley dog? What what characteristics are you looking for there? Or maybe the gorge jump out at you that make you think you got to leave dog candidate. Where would I do with a young dog? Cuz I just tried them all in and weed eater with the in a small team by themselves or more often next to an older leader just to see if they'll run out front and if the dog will run out front, you know, you try to start working more with them and you know working by themselves and lead and try to build up their confidence. Like I said earlier and you know, you want the dog to the dog shift speed and they should enjoy being in the front some dogs just obviously don't like to be in the front they'd rather follow somebody else and that's fine. You just have to try them and lead and see if they'll go and then from there start the dog training but you know, I'll talk to some people would I was in New York, they weren't even aware of the fact that you know, you don't drive these animals like with rains or anything. It's completely voice commands and I've been in many situations. Where I feel like my life was actually in the hands of my leader, you know, if you're going straight towards open water and you give your dog a command to go to the left to take you away from that, you know, if they don't listen to you, you can help me getting very welcome in trouble. If your dog is going to take you over a cliff just for fun or if they're going to listen to you. So it's it's very very critical that you have a well-trained leader. Would you like me to count on it? Someday. A caller on the line from Saint Paul for Libby riddles tonight? Hello Paul 23 sharlands. Can you give me an idea of the price range on these animals and number to how long is this race and number three to go in the dark? Okay price range for pups anywhere from probably two hundred bucks up for Iditarod veteran type of dog. Probably looking at at least $1,000 if they come from the better team and leaders usually started around 1500. I would say if there any kind of good for you too tall. And let's see your how long the races I don't know if you meant in miles or days, but the mileage is something over a thousand miles is probably around Eleven Hundred Miles Overland. And yes, we do run quite a bit at night because it's cooler for the dogs down and we use one of these battery power to headlights then. Yeah just straps over. The golfer hat there. I think we got time for another call tonight here on sportfolio for Libby riddles from Saint Paul. Good evening, Greg. I was wondering if if any dog trainer is used wolves or use wolf pups and then and then use them as them and train them as to run. There have been some people that have experimented with wolf crosses on but usually they have read it down quite a bit because for one the wolf I have for you to whatever are still a pretty big dog, you know compared to the size of most people are racing with and it's not really very common that all people are more concentrating on breathing other types of dogs are a pound. Lab Setters from different kinds of dogs like that instead of the winner of the 1985 Alaska Iditarod. It's been a very interesting our finding out about the what's your sport is all about. Tell us. When do you when do you resume the racing tour now? Well, actually I've still been training up here this spring but it's just raining pops and I'll probably run them off and on even during the summer and I'll start serious training in the fall for next year's Iditarod in Savannah be the next race. You actually competing will be the 87 Iditarod. What are the dates on that so we can keep an eye on you then? usually the first until two weeks later or whenever the first party manages to get into gnome. Let me thank you very much. I really appreciate your taking the time out from from the dogs and everything else could be with us tonight on sportfolio is real pleasure. Thanks for entertaining us. You got my pleasure and thanks for all the calls and thank you listeners for listening and calling up the really appreciate it. But next week on sportfolio. What are we going to do? Are we going to have a Peter golenbock? Who's the writer from New York who's been involved in in baseball autobiographies? Graig Nettles Sparky Lyle, Billy Martin Davey Johnson. His latest project will be talking to Peter golenbock next Sunday night on the technical stuff so we can get all the real work involved with this program. And I thank you for listening on JG Preston will see you again next Sunday night at 9:40 for polio. Coming up on 10:00 here on member supported Minnesota Public Radio ksjn 1330 Saint Paul world and national news is next in the Associated Press Bala to 1005 by music from the hearts of space.