Atta Boy 300 poised to hit the trail in spite of little snow

This is a World Championship year for the Atta Boy 300 Oregon World Cup Sled Dog Race for Vision, more commonly known as simply the Atta Boy 300.

The race, founded by Jerry Scdoris, a lifelong devotee of sled dog racing, began its run in 2001.

The Atta Boy 300 begins Wednesday, January 5. Sisters will host two stages of the race, on January 10-11 at Hoodoo Mountain Resort and at Upper Three Creek Sno-Park.

The Atta Boy 300 has drawn such notables as Doug Swingley, four-time winner of the Iditarod. Swingley was the 2002 winner of the Atta Boy 300.

Libby Riddles, the first woman to win the Iditarod (1985), is this year's race marshall.

Race coordinator Cheryl Rhea expects between 60 and 70 mushers from all over the world. Five, from South Africa, Scotland, Sweden, New Zealand and Poland, will be in the United States for the first time.

Race founder Jerry Scdoris has made teams available to these competitors from his own kennels in order to reduce the costs and logistics of transporting their own teams.

The rest of the mushers are from North America. Three racers with dual citizenship and living in the U.S. will represent their "other" country in the World Championships, one each from France, Switzerland, and Argentina.

Other Central Oregon mushers accepting the challenge are Becki Timson (Bend), Rick Johnson (Powell Butte), Karen Yeargain (Prineville), Tom Riley (Sunriver), Justin Harris (Sunriver), Bino Fowler (Sunriver), Buck Church (Christmas Valley), and Wes Rau (Powell Butte).

A native Oregonian, Jerry Scdoris began his sled dog career in Gold Beach, running a team of Siberian Huskies on the beach as a hobby. Referring to the Atta Boy 300, Scdoris said, "This is the Super Bowl of sled dog racing."

Scdoris is an accomplished and respected dog racer, but is probably better known as the father of 19-year-old Rachael Scdoris.

Rachael was born with a vision disorder that causes both near and farsighted vision and color blindness. She is legally blind.

Her interest in sled dogs, first apparent at age three, became a passion that led to her realizing a life-long dream, qualifying for the 2005 Iditarod, the king of all sled dog races.

Her dedication and perseverance have become an inspiration for visually impaired individuals worldwide.

Rachael Scdoris began mushing at age 11. In 2001 she became the youngest person to complete a 500-mile race. This is her fourth Atta Boy 300 and is the inspiration behind the "Race for Vision" theme of the Atta Boy 300.

On and off the track Rachael's father campaigns for ophthalmology research and promotes an awareness of the abilities and potential for visually impaired individuals to live fulfilling lives.

Vet checks will be conduct Wednesday and Thursday, Jan. 5 and 6 at the Big R in Redmond with opening ceremonies in Bend's Old Mill District Thursday evening.

The two stages of the six-dog Mid-Distance (MD) Championship will be run out of Mt. Bachelor Nordic Center on January 7-8. Each race will be 25 to 30 miles in length.

The six-day 12-dog MD starts the next day at Mt. Bachelor, then travels to Hoodoo, Upper Three Creek Sno-Park out of Sisters, Walton Lake Sno-Park near Prineville, Newberry Crater near La Pine and ends back at Mt. Bachelor.

Twelve-dog teams will race over 50-mile stages, the longest being at Hoodoo at 51.8 miles. In the event of insufficient snow in the Hoodoo area, that stage will probably be run from Upper Three Creek Sno-Park to Mt. Bachelor. That decision, if needed, will be made a week before the race.

A fun event, scheduled daily at the same venue as the championship race, is the Hare & Hound Race. Elite cross-country skiers (the Hares) are given one- to 1-1/2-hour head starts on the dog teams (the Hounds).

The Hares try to reach the safety of the finish line, 30 miles away, before they are caught by the Hounds.

Generally the hounds win, but not always.

Another extra is the nightly Musher Banquet, held in the community closest to that day's race.

The Sisters banquet will be hosted by the Rotary Club of Sisters starting at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, January 10 at Sisters High School. Tickets are available at the door. All events are free with the exception of the banquets.

For information visit www.attaboy300.com or contact Cheryl Rhea at [email protected]