This photo of The Hub and Winston was taken during the 2004 Iditarod Sled Dog Race the only sports event I get truly excited about. It was taken in our back yard. You can see from the amount of snow on the ground here in Maryland that Sled Dog Racing would not be a very popular sport. Every March, I go bananas like the worst addict to March Madness....and not another soul in the area has any idea what I am talking about. When I lived in Massachusetts, occassionally I'd run across another "Iditiot": there are some sled dog races in New Hampshire and Vermont.

Though Winston certainly has the streangth and intellegence to be a good sled dog, he is lacking the speed and the agility....and, who are we kidding here - the general demeanor of the magnificent canine athletes that comemorate a lifesaving delivery of medication to the town in the 1920's. We're talking about a heroic effort undertaken to save the lives of children against almost impossible odds. But Balto and Gunner Kaassen became a world wide media sensation when they delivered the diptheria syrum at the 11th hour. The sport has everything I love: the great outdoors, co-operation among competitors, colorful ( to say the least) participants, men and women can compete on a level playing field, a history, a code of honor, and of course large, fluffy, beautiful dogs. Thus, this is my contribution to the Thursday Challenge for the theme "Sport"