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2009 Yukon Quest Media Coverage |
'Mushers withdraw as Yukon Quest purse falls short' Yukon News story by Tom Patrick - January 12, 2009 [“We’re having people say that we have no purse at all, and we had all kinds of bizarre things going on. So we wanted the mushers to know directly from the organization what the total value of the secured purse is.” - Yukon Quest executive director Stephen Reynolds] 'Quest loses raffle' Yukon News story by Genesee Keevil - January 21, 2009 [The Quest’s a wonderful race, but the organization isn’t focused, said (Ex-race marshal) Mike McCowan, mentioning a $20,000 grant from the City of Fairbanks the Quest “forgot” to apply for.] 'Quest coffers coughing cash' Yukon News story by Genesee Keevil - January 23, 2009 [“Whoever’s responsible for raising money for the Quest is not doing his job" - Hans Gatt] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Email received on February 13, 2007 from Al Foster [Foster has since moved up to CBC Yukon's prime position as the 'A New Day' morning (radio) show host]: Re: Sled dog abuse Hello. I was hoping I could get in contact with you regarding your campaign. I'm a television reporter with CBC in Whitehorse and would like to give you the opportunity to air your views to a bigger audience. I am one reporter who does question the value of the Yukon Quest. The parallel I always use is the following : "I grew up on a cattle farm, but my family never attended or advocated a rodeo!" Please call me back at your earliest convenience so we can hopefully set something up! Cheers. Al Al Foster Reporter/Editor CBC North Whitehorse Yukon [Mr. Foster did in fact conduct a fair-minded television interview for CBC Northbeat. It is hoped that seeing Mr. Foster is "one reporter who DOES QUESTION the value of the Quest," that he serve his listening audience (and the 4-legged 'athletes') by asking some tough questions of the Yukon Quest organization, the mushers, the race veterinarians and to also seek some accountability from those public officials who lavish so much PUBLIC MONEY on a race that injures and kills dogs.] ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
Yukon News cartoon by Wyatt Tremblay - Feb. 13, 2009 |
'Fast and furious furry few' Yukon News story by Genesee Keevil - February 18, 2009 [“I followed those guys on the trail and you can see puke and dogs shitting blood,” said Jean-Denis Britten. “They’re pushing too hard."] 'William Kleedehn pinches Little's poke' Yukon News story by Genesee Keevil - February 18, 2009 [In which it is learned that Alaska musher Jon Little had had 4 dogs killed in a training accident, a month before the 2009 Quest] 'Shut out' Yukon News story by Genesee Keevil - February 18, 2009 [Media and sled dog tourists have limited access to mushers: “In ‘01 we were able to walk through the dog yards and we even had a video camera over the shoulder of a vet watching them do surgery,” said Henry Koopman. “Now we can’t even get close."] 'Pee reading' Yukon News story by Genesee Keevil - February 18, 2009 ["No comments" from Quest head vet Kathleen McGill when questioned about the mysteries of sled dog myopathy - she "didn't have time."] 'Honda has engine problems' Yukon News story by Genesee Keevil - February 18, 2009 [Wrist injury to leader hampers Honda racing team] 'Sleeping while they mush' Yukon News story by Genesee Keevil - February 18, 2009 [Comfy seats allow mushers to catch some beauty sleep, while their dogs do all the work] ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- February 19th update - CBC's Al Foster drinks the Kool Aid: Al Foster this week, has been doing anything but 'question the value' of the Quest. He has joined the rest of the clowns at CBC Yukon and is now himself a shameless promoter of Yukon Quest animal cruelty. Very disappointing in that he had told me in 2007 over the telephone prior to the CBC Northbeat TV interview, about how shocked he was upon seeing the poor condition of the dogs in the Dawson Quest dog camp the year before, now seeing the dogs in the dog camp is "something to look forward to." [Feb. 19 CBC 'A New Day' show] - Listen to 'Radio Free Quest' at: http://www.cbc.ca/listen/streams/r1_whitehorse.html February 21st update: Interesting Quest story on APTN National television news yesterday by Whitehorse-based reporter Roxanne Livingstone (Livingstone has been following young Alaska First Nations musher Josh Cadzow and Newton Marshal, the Jamaican musher). The report from Dawson City contained an interview with Marshal and his trainer/mentor (and supplier of dogs), Quest/Idiotarod veteran Hans Gatt. Gatt was offering some subtle criticism of Marshal (who is currently competing for the "Red Lantern Award" - last place), for taking too many rests and camping too much (not pushing the dogs enough in order to be competitive). Marshal is a soft-spoken, very likeable 27-year old man of humble origins (reportedly currently learning how to read and write), caught up in the media circus which serves to advertise the Jamaican sled dog tour business which employs him (musician Jimmy Buffett is a business partner), and which also provides the Yukon Quest with desired spin-off publicity (over 100 national and international media people following the Quest) - Great job, Tourism Marketing Branch! Do you people over at the Tourism Information Centre do anything other than promote the Yukon Quest in your day jobs? Anyway, I can't help but think that there is some exploitation being done with regard to Newton Marshal, who was drafted into competing in the Quest, thereby bringing potential danger to his own life and the lives of the dogs leased from Mr. Gatt. Good on Newton, though, that he is not driving the hell out of the dogs like some of the egomaniacs (like Gatt himself) who apparently don't give the slightest damn about their teams of dogs. Mr. Gatt used the 2009 Quest as a '500-mile training run' for the Idiotarod (before dropping out of the Quest). MORE REPORTS from Genesee Keevil, who, along with Roxanne Livingstone, is in an exclusive club - among two reporters I am aware of who will be able to sleep the "Sleep of the Just" after the 2009 Quest becomes history. Be sure to explore the Yukon News web site for the many Quest-related stories filed by Genesee Keevil. Kudos also should go to Yukon News reporter/photographer Ian Stewart who is accompanying Keevil on the trail, and to Yukon News Senior Editor Richard Mostyn, for publishing a very touching, yet hard-hitting letter to the editor (the 'hard-hitting part' aimed at CBC's Quest cheerleading and Quest veterinarians) from Whitehorse animal advocate Mike Grieco, in Friday's paper: 'Village racing meets big money mushing' [Shooting dogs 'a sore subject': "But you have to. You can’t afford to keep the grampas and dogs that don’t work.” - Clifton Cadzow, father of young Alaskan musher Josh Cadzow] 'Quest executive director will resign' [Despite having received close to 2 MILLION DOLLARS of race marketing funding from Yukon Government, Quest still can't survive without public money] 'Diarrhea delays dogs' [“I had bloody diarrhea right after Braeburn, and it was severe in a few dogs" - Whitehorse-area Quest musher Hans Gatt] ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- February 23rd update: 'No food, no race' Yukon News story by Genesee Keevil - February, 23 2009 [“I was just giving them straight water. And going 16 hours with no food, just water - I don’t think they trust me after that. They are thinking, ‘Hey, this guy didn’t feed us. We’re not going to go for him if he did that to us.'" - 21 year old Alaska musher Josh Cadzow] Neff a cheater, says Quest race marshal Yukon News story by Genesee Keevil - February, 23 2009 [“I want to win this race more than the Iditarod. The Quest has stolen my soul.” - Rogue musher, Hugh Neff] |