Jump to content
When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.
  • Current Donation Goals

Sportsmanship


Nanuq

Recommended Posts

Every year at this time is Fur Rondy and the Iditarod sled dog race.  Lots of neat things are written about it; google up Don Bowers Iditarod Trail Notes to get a taste of what it entails.

 

Yesterday we watched the Iditarod finish and something really neat happened.  Mitch Seavey came in first, the old timer setting all kinds of records in the process.  After him was a serious race between his son Dallas Seavey and the competitor Nicolas Petit from Girdwood.  They pulled out of Safety, heading for Nome 16 minutes apart.

 

The cameras were watching all the way down Front Street in Nome, and they picked out a dog team coming up off the sea ice.  We couldn't see who it was until they were 500 yards out, and we saw it was Dallas.  Yahoo!!  He came in 2nd place, behind his dad.  Then right away came bib #24, Nicolas Petit.  He had made up almost 13 minutes in the 22 mile race from Safety to Nome.  What a run!!  So he passed under the burled arch and accepted the crowd's cheers for 3rd place.

 

What the cameras didn't catch though, is what mattered.  He quietly handed something to Dallas ... his Vet Book.  In the commotion, Dallas had dropped it on the snow in Safety as he pulled out, and Nicolas grabbed it for him.  The rules require the Vet Book to be in the front of the sled at every checkpoint, and without it Dallas would have been forced to scratch.  Or go back and get it.  By quietly handing to book to Dallas, Nicolas gave up 2nd place in the greatest race on earth.

 

That's sportsmanship.  :notworthy:

 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Indeed. It's great to see it and shows that the competitors respect each other. 

As a retired amature racing cyclist I admire the sportsmanship in the pro cycling world (forget the drugs for the moment) whereby most competitors will slow the race if the race leader has a crash, puncture etc and allow them to catch back up. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...
Please Sign In or Sign Up