Grandjean has worked hard to help develop the international mushing scene and to ensure that all competing canine athletes receive the best veterinary care. He has developed international policy on sled dog drug use and drug tests. More importantly, Grandjean has been instrumental in developing the role of race veterinarians as helpers and supporters of racing mushers, not simply enforcers of drug rules. In Europe he has developed veterinary teams that attend races to assist competitors with any dog illnesses or injuries.

Grandjean has been chief veterinarian for eight Alpirods; two stage races in Argentina; the Olympic-venue races in Lillehammer, Norway; a new Scandinavian stage race "Scandream"; more than ten European Sled Dog Racing Association Championships; and most IFSS World Championships since 1990. He has also been a trail vet for eleven Iditarod's.

The author of three books on sled dog nutrition and care and many chapters in other books, Grandjean has focused his research on topics such as basic biochemical data on sled dogs, stress-related problems (stress diarrhea, oxidative stress and vitamin E), joint problems (he used wrist wraps in the Iditarod as early as 1985, well before they became standard), a variety of products to improve the treatment of soreness and diarrhea in racing dogs (Algyval, a peanut oil extract that reduces inflammation; Smectivet, a fine clay for diarrhea; L-carnitine to enhance fat metabolism). He received the International Sled Dog Veterinary Medical Association's 1997 Tom Cooley Award, recognizing outstanding contributions to sled dog medical research.

Grandjean has also worked toward getting the dog quarantine lifted in Scandinavia so that dogs from around the world may compete without unnecessary restrictions. He has been instrumental in developing microchipping as a way to mark and identify sled dogs during competitive events.

In addition to his interest in sled dog sports, Grandjean is an officer in the Paris Fire Department and has a search and rescue dog military unit.

The Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Grandjean during September's International Sleddog Symposium in Fairbanks, Alaska. More than 250 people were present when he received the award, commemorated by a framed mushing poster signed by five recent Iditarod champions

Tim White

1997 Lifetime Achievement Award Goes to Tim White

Minnesota musher honored for being goodwill ambassador for sled dog sports

Mush with P.R.I.D.E.'s third Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Tim White of Grand Marais, Minn., by P.R.I.D.E. president David Monson during the Alaska Dog Mushers' Association symposium in October. White has worked with sled dogs for over twenty-five years, has won many races, is dedicated to the highest level of dog care, and has brought many innovations to sled dog sports. Monson said that White's greatest achievement has been as a "goodwill and promotional ambassador worldwide."

White started the International Council on Sleddog Sports, a business group, has raced on at least four continents, and has promoted sled dog sports from Japan to Argentina. He is currently chair of the International Federation of Sleddog Sports junior programs committee. According to the nomination statement, White "works tirelessly on behalf of children and their involvement in sled dog sports wherever he can, from the Internet to the school next door.

"He is an outstanding trainer with the ability to get inside a dog's head and give it confidence in itself where it had none. He is willing to help others learn this skill. He is gentle and kind (albeit just a little temperamental and very stubborn!). He has given his all for the sport of dog mushing and for his dogs."

White said that as he was listening to the award presentation, he thought that whoever was being described "must be awfully old and pretty tired!" He said that he is as proud of what he has done with sled dogs as what he has done for them, and that most of his innovations came about so that he could spend more time with his dogs and less time working on gear. He said he hoped he has encouraged others to make mushing safer.

Roxy Wright Champaine

Wright Champaine Earns 1996 Lifetime Award

Sprint mushing legend Roxy Wright Champaine was awarded the 1996 Mush with P.R.I.D.E. Lifetime Achievement Award at a recent fund raising event in Fairbanks, Alaska. In his presentation, P.R.I.D.E. president Will Forsberg said Wright Champaine's dedication to helping the sport grow, not just her impressive list of wins, earned her P.R.I.D.E.'s recognition.

The 45-year-old Wright Champaine is best known for being a star in sprint racing circles, having won the Anchorage Fur Rendezvous World Championship and Fairbanks' Open North American Championship three times each. In 1989, she captured both titles in the same year. She also won the women's classes of those events eight times each. Wright Champaine has been a leader in opening the way for women in unlimited-class sprint racing, making the separate women's class obsolete in most respects.

But in addition to her competitive successes, Wright Champaine has excelled in non-competitive ways, sharing her time and expertise with other mushers, said Forsberg. Wright Champaine has been an active member of the Alaska Dog Mushers' Association (ADMA), grooming trails and helping in whatever ways were needed to pull together events. In years past, when there was a sweepstakes program, she chaired the committee and helped to raise the purse for the North American Championship. She has also helped with ADMA's junior musher programs and served as a panelist at the club's annual sled dog symposium. In November, Wright Champaine and her husband, Charlie Champaine, helped Iditarod musher DeeDee Jonrowe, who was injured in an automobile accident (see page 6), by bringing Jonrowe's dogs to their home in Salcha for training.

The Lifetime Achievement award was presented to Wright Champaine at ADMA's fund raising auction in October. Four-time Iditarod champ Susan Butcher, who attended the auction, said Wright Champaine was not told about the award in advance and was obviously moved when she accepted it. Many members of Wright Champaine's family attended the presentation, including husband Charlie, a sprint mushing great in his own right, father Gareth Wright, also a speed mushing champion and the founder of the Aurora line of huskies; stepmother Miranda Wright; sister Shannon Erhart; son Ramy Brooks, an Iditarod musher; daughter-in-law Cathy Brooks, organizer of the junior mushing symposium in Fairbanks, and granddaughter Abby Brooks. In her acceptance of the P.R.I.D.E. award, Wright Champaine cited her father and son as being two of her own heroes.

Wright Champaine was presented with a framed Jon Van Zyle poster autographed by five recent Iditarod champions. The Mush with P.R.I.D.E. Lifetime Achievement Award is presented to a musher who exemplifies the goals and spirit of P.R.I.D.E. throughout his or her career. The first award was presented last year to Mary Shields.

Wright Champaine began mushing at an early age, during a time when dogs were a common method of transportation in Alaska. She began entering formal races when she was a teenager living in Fairbanks. Not only did Wright Champaine go on to win Alaska's biggest sprint events, but she also ran the Iditarod once and in 1990 won the Alpirod, a European stage race. Wright Champaine and her husband retired from competitive mushing at the end of last season, citing a desire to spend more time with their family.