Welcome to our first 2009 Teams!

Last week, our first Idita-Read Teams signed up to participate in the 2009 race! We welcome YQ1, representing an after-school program in Montana, whose Team Manager reminded me that Montana has its own Sled Dog Race called, Race to the Sky, which kicks off on February 12. Also, welcome to the Chignik Lagoon Wolverines, representing Alaska. The Chignik Lagoon Team Manager participated in the 2008 race, so welcome back to the Trail!

I have also been getting emails with a couple of common questions:

1. Can I run an Idita-Read race without paying a fee? As an educational nonprofit, we believe that it is important to do whatever it takes to inspire students to read more, but we also know that budgets can be tight. We suggest two ways people can inspire and motivate students through Idita-Read activities, without pulling from of their personal or classroom pockets:

• Get a Sponsor -- Talk to local businesses, organizations, family members or other student/classroom supporters to pitch in for a team subscription. The fee is only $30 ($25 if four or more teams in a school sign-up), so if five employees, for example, chip in $5 each, then that would cover the six-week activity for up to 50 students!
  
  Use our Idita-Read flyer (PDF), which explains how we will recognize each Team Sponsor on the official Idita-Read.org website, to help spread the word and find team supporters!
  
  
• Hold a local-only Idita-Read race -- many classrooms have been doing this for years, and our Idita-Read Mushing Kit provides totally free Tools (printables and educator resources) and Supplemental Learning Links to share with students for online ways to learn more about the Iditarod, and related topics in broader subject areas.
  

2. What are the benefits of subscribing to the online Idita-Read.org? We have had teachers participate in our online version, who have done the local-only version in previous years. What they have told us is that the online version excited their students even more -- students share book reviews and family members anywhere can follow the Trail Stats of their favorite students and cheer them on. It also boosts the sense of (friendly) competition (among others, not limited to peers within their own class or school), and tying in students' trail progress with cool satellite maps along the actual Iditarod Trail makes the journey especially interesting.

For example, if you look at a Student Musher page, like Danielle T.'s, from the 2008 race, you will see how her mileage logs added up and she could zoom in on Iditarod Checkpoints as she arrived at them along the route.

Here in Montana, it has been minus-something degrees every day, keeping our several inches of snow alive but making it tough on my puppy dog's toes for outdoor adventures. He is very sad about that, generally being a snow-happy hound. Perhaps I should think about getting him some of those cool booties sled dogs wear to protect their feet.... Here's to hoping we get more snow but warmer temps in the weeks leading up to the race!