Ramy Brooks
Encyclopedia
Kennel
A kennel is the name given to any structure or shelter for dogs. A kennel is a doghouse, run, or other small structure in which a dog is kept...
owner and operator, motivational speaker
Motivational speaker
A motivational speaker or inspirational speaker is a speaker who makes speeches intended to motivate or inspire an audience. In a business context, they are employed to communicate company strategy with clarity and help employees to see the future in a positive light and inspire workers to pull...
, and dog musher
Mushing
Mushing is a general term for a sport or transport method powered by dogs, and includes carting, pulka, scootering, sled dog racing, skijoring, freighting, and weight pulling. More specifically, it implies the use of one or more dogs to pull a sled on snow or a rig on dry land...
who specializes in long-distance races. He is a two-time runner up in the 1,049+ mi (1,600+ km) Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race across the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
state of Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
, and a former winner of the 1,000 mi (1,600 km) Yukon Quest
Yukon Quest
The Yukon Quest 1,000-mile International Sled Dog Race, or simply Yukon Quest, is a sled dog race run every February between Fairbanks, Alaska, and Whitehorse, Yukon...
dog sled race across both Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and the U.S. He is currently on probation from the Iditarod after completing a two year suspension for beating his animals, one of which died the day after the beating.
Family
Brooks is descended from the Yupik EskimoEskimo
Eskimos or Inuit–Yupik peoples are indigenous peoples who have traditionally inhabited the circumpolar region from eastern Siberia , across Alaska , Canada, and Greenland....
s and Athabascan Indian
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
s, two of the indigenous groups who were the first to mush dogs in Alaska. His grandfather, Gareth Wright, was a competitive musher who won both major Alaskan sled dog races of the 1940s, the American Championship (twice), and the Fur Rendezvous World Championship (three times). Wright was also a dog breeder and kennel owner who became known for breeding the Wright's Aurora Husky from the Irish Setter
Irish Setter
The Irish Setter , is a setter, a breed of gundog and family dog. The term Irish Setter is commonly used to encompass the show-bred dog recognized by the American Kennel Club as well as the field-bred Red Setter recognised by the Field Dog Stud Book....
, the St. Lawrence Siberian Husky, and village dogs.
Brooks's mother is Roxy Wright (or Wright-Champaine), another kennel owner and competitive musher. She became the first woman to win both the Fur Rendezvous World Championship in Anchorage, Alaska
Anchorage, Alaska
Anchorage is a unified home rule municipality in the southcentral part of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the northernmost major city in the United States...
and the Open North American Championship in Fairbanks. She won the open class of each event three times, and the women's classes eight times apiece. In 1990, she also won Europe's largest dog sled race, the Alpirod
Alpirod
The Alpirod is a defunct sled dog stage race in southern Europe. Its name comes from a combination of the Alps, where the race took place, and the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, upon which the race was based. The competition consisted of a 14-day stage race in 11 cities in four countries: Italy,...
, across Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. She is also was honored with the Mush with PRIDE Lifetime Achievement Award in 1996, and once competed in the Iditarod.
Brooks's maternal aunt is Shannon Erhart, who competes in sprint races. She placed third in the Women's Fur Rondezvous race in 2000, and has also raced in the Open Fur Rondezvous. Her husband Curtis Erhart has raced in the Kuskokwim 300
Kuskokwim 300
The Kuskokwim 300 is the most highly-regarded mid-distance dogsled race in the world, annually attracting the top mushers in the sport. The race starts and ends on the Kuskokwim River in Bethel, Alaska, and is run on and adjacent to its namesake river....
.
Personal History
Brooks was raised in a Yukon RiverYukon River
The Yukon River is a major watercourse of northwestern North America. The source of the river is located in British Columbia, Canada. The next portion lies in, and gives its name to Yukon Territory. The lower half of the river lies in the U.S. state of Alaska. The river is long and empties into...
fish camp
Fish Camp
Fish Camp may refer to:*Fish Camp, California, a small town in the United States*Fish Camp, an optional retreat held for incoming freshman to Texas A&M University...
in the Fairbanks and Rampart
Rampart, Alaska
Rampart is a census-designated place in Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska, United States. The population was 45 at the 2000 census. In the 1950s, a large hydroelectric project called the Rampart Dam was considered for the Yukon River near the village. Had the project been completed, it would have...
areas. During the summer he operated a fishwheel, and during the winter he mushed the family dogs. After high school he joined the U.S. Navy then went to the University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
before returning to Alaska and married his wife, Cathy. His wife was raised in a dairy farm in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
and attended Penn State, but moved to Alaska where she is employed by the University of Alaska Fairbanks
University of Alaska Fairbanks
The University of Alaska Fairbanks, located in Fairbanks, Alaska, USA, is the flagship campus of the University of Alaska System, and is abbreviated as Alaska or UAF....
and works as the 4-H
4-H
4-H in the United States is a youth organization administered by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture of the United States Department of Agriculture , with the mission of "engaging youth to reach their fullest potential while advancing the field of youth development." The name represents...
youth development specialist for the Alaska. Originally they lived in Fairbanks, but moved briefly to Delta Junction, Alaska
Delta Junction, Alaska
Delta Junction is a city in the Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, Alaska, United States. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 897. The city is located a short distance south of the confluence of the Delta River with the Tanana River, which is at Big Delta...
then Eureka, Alaska in 1997, before settling in Healy, Alaska
Healy, Alaska
Healy is a census-designated place in and the borough seat of Denali Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. The population was 971 at the 2007 census.-Geography:Healy is located at ....
by 1999. They have two young daughters, Abbigal and Molly. The cabin they lived in at Eureka was owned by former Iditarod champion, Susan Butcher. He and his family are currently living on Murphy Dome Road in Fairbanks Alaska. They still own the 50 acres (202,343 m²) kennel in Healy.
The family owns and operates Kami Kennels, primarily composed of Alaskan Huskies
Alaskan Husky
The Alaskan husky is not a breed of dog rather it is a type or a category. It falls short of being a breed in that there is no preferred type of and no restriction as to ancestry; it is defined only by its purpose, which is that of a highly efficient sled dog...
. Kami
Kami
is the Japanese word for the spirits, natural forces, or essence in the Shinto faith. Although the word is sometimes translated as "god" or "deity", some Shinto scholars argue that such a translation can cause a misunderstanding of the term...
is a respectful Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
term for sacred
Sacred
Holiness, or sanctity, is in general the state of being holy or sacred...
spirit
Spirit
The English word spirit has many differing meanings and connotations, most of them relating to a non-corporeal substance contrasted with the material body.The spirit of a living thing usually refers to or explains its consciousness.The notions of a person's "spirit" and "soul" often also overlap,...
s, and Brooks chose the name to symbolize the importance of his family. Brooks has visited schools as a motivational speaker since 1993, participates in Mush for Kids since 1997, and from 2003 has been a trustee
Trustee
Trustee is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, can refer to any person who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility for the benefit of another...
of the Alaskan Children's Trust.
He attempted to commit suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
at age 16, and suffered from depression
Clinical depression
Major depressive disorder is a mental disorder characterized by an all-encompassing low mood accompanied by low self-esteem, and by loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities...
in his 20s. As a result, he began working with the Alaska Mental Health Trust in 2005, in an attempt to reduce the extraordinarily high rate of suicide among Native Alaskans.
Racing
| Year | Position | Time (h Hour The hour is a unit of measurement of time. In modern usage, an hour comprises 60 minutes, or 3,600 seconds... :min Minute A minute is a unit of measurement of time or of angle. The minute is a unit of time equal to 1/60th of an hour or 60 seconds. In the UTC time scale, a minute on rare occasions has 59 or 61 seconds; see leap second. The minute is not an SI unit; however, it is accepted for use with SI units... :s Second The second is a unit of measurement of time, and is the International System of Units base unit of time. It may be measured using a clock.... ) |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 17th | 11 days, 15:41:30 |
| 1995 | 16th | 10 days, 14:08:00 |
| 1996 | 11th | 10 days, 02:56:00 |
| 1997 | 8th | 9 days, 21:51:09 |
| 1998 | 18th | 10 days, 14:09:03 |
| 2000 | 4th | 9 days, 09:20:30 |
| 2001 | 12th | 11 days, 20:47:05 |
| 2002 | 2nd | 9 days, 00:49:18 |
| 2003 | 2nd | 9 days, 17:37:10 |
| 2004 | 8th | 9 days, 19:58:09 |
| 2005 2005 Iditarod The ceremonial start of the 33rd annual Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race across the US state of Alaska began in Anchorage on March 5, 2005 at 10 AM AKST , and restarted in Willow the next day at 2 PM... |
5th | 9 days, 21:30:00 |
| 2006 2006 Iditarod The ceremonial start of the 34th annual Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race across the U.S. state of Alaska began amidst the crowds of Anchorage on March 4, 2006, and the start of the competitive race, or "restart", began the next day in Willow... |
31st | 10 days, 19:10:26 |
| 2007 2007 Iditarod The ceremonial start of the 35th annual Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race across the U.S. state of Alaska began amidst the crowds of Anchorage at 10 am on March 3, 2007, and the start of the competitive race, or "restart", began at 2 pm the next day in Willow... |
DQ | Disqualified |
Brooks won his first race, the single-dog Junior North American Championship, when he was four years old, with his dog Sam. He went on to become the first person to win the race three times in a row, and by 14 years of age he had won every class in the race. He started competing in long distance races in 1992 and 1993.
Brooks placed 17th in his first Iditarod, in 1994, and won the Rookie of the Year Award. He consistently improved his ranking for the next three years, breaking into the top 10 in 1997 with an 8th place finish. After two family deaths less than 10 days before the 1998 race and recurrent dog problems, he completed his worst finish in 1998. In 2000, he returned and has consistently placed in the top 10, with his best a back-to-back pair of 2nd place finishes in 2002 and 2003. In 1998, he won the drawing for the Joe Redington, Sr. Award, and in 2000 he won both the Sportsmanship and Most Improved Musher Awards.
Brooks is one of the few Alaskan Natives competing in the modern Iditarod, which is a considerable change from the early days of the Iditarod. In 1976, more than one quarter of the entrants, including the record-breaking Emmitt Peters
Emmitt Peters
Emmitt Gordon Peters, Sr. the "Yukon Fox", is an Alaskan American hunter, fisher, trapper, and dog musher. The last rookie to win the 1,049 mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race , he and his lead dogs Nugget and Digger shattered the previous speed record by almost six days.Peters is an Athabaskan...
, were of native descent. The most common reason given for this paucity is the expense of the training and equipping a competitive team. Rural Alaskans find it difficult to acquire the necessary sponsors.
| Year | Race | Achievement |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Yukon Quest Yukon Quest The Yukon Quest 1,000-mile International Sled Dog Race, or simply Yukon Quest, is a sled dog race run every February between Fairbanks, Alaska, and Whitehorse, Yukon... |
15th place (12 days, 21 h, 50 min) |
| 1994 | Iditarod | Rookie of the Year |
| 1996 | Henry Hahn 200 | 1st place |
| 1996 | Kuskokwim 300 Kuskokwim 300 The Kuskokwim 300 is the most highly-regarded mid-distance dogsled race in the world, annually attracting the top mushers in the sport. The race starts and ends on the Kuskokwim River in Bethel, Alaska, and is run on and adjacent to its namesake river.... |
4th place |
| 1996 | Kuskokwim 300 | Eddie Hoffman Humanitarian Award |
| 1998 | Iditarod | Joe Redington Sr. Award |
| 1999 | Yukon Quest | 1st (11 days, 8 h, 27 min) |
| 1999 | Yukon Quest | Dawson Award (1st to Dawson City) |
| 1999 | Yukon Quest | Kiwanis Award (1st to cross border) |
| 1999 | Yukon Quest | Mayor's Award (to winner) |
| 1999 | Yukon Quest | Golden Harness (winning lead dog) |
| 2000 | Iditarod | Sportsmanship |
| 2000 | Iditarod | Most Improved Musher |
In 1993, he placed 15th in 1,000 mi (1,600 km) Yukon Quest dog sled race. In 1999, he won the race from Fairbanks, Alaska to Whitehorse, Yukon
Whitehorse, Yukon
Whitehorse is Yukon's capital and largest city . It was incorporated in 1950 and is located at kilometre 1476 on the Alaska Highway in southern Yukon. Whitehorse's downtown and Riverdale areas occupy both shores of the Yukon River, which originates in British Columbia and meets the Bering Sea in...
with a time of 11 days, 7 hours, and 31 minutes. His 1999 win was accompanied by the Dawson Award for being the first musher into Dawson City, Yukon
Dawson City, Yukon
The Town of the City of Dawson or Dawson City is a town in the Yukon, Canada.The population was 1,327 at the 2006 census. The area draws some 60,000 visitors each year...
, winning 4 oz of gold, the Kiwanis Award for being the first to cross the United States-Canadian border, and the Major's Award for winning. His lead dog, Pretty Boy, won the Golden Harness.
Brooks has also raced in the Kuskokwim 300
Kuskokwim 300
The Kuskokwim 300 is the most highly-regarded mid-distance dogsled race in the world, annually attracting the top mushers in the sport. The race starts and ends on the Kuskokwim River in Bethel, Alaska, and is run on and adjacent to its namesake river....
, Copper Basin 300, Tour de Minto, Fire Plug Stakes
Fire Plug Stakes
The Fire Plug Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race held in January at Laurel Park Racecourse in Laurel, Maryland. The Fire Plug, is open to horses four-year-olds and up willing to race six furlongs on the dirt. It was the 18th running of the stakes race in 2010.An ungraded stakes, it...
, Sheep Creek Classic, and Henry Hahn 200. He won the Henry Han 200 in 1996, and placed 4th in the Kuskokwim 300 in the same year (also winning the Eddie Hoffman Humanitarian Award), but his primary goal is to win the Iditarod. According to Brooks, "living my dream and the love of working with my dogs", is the reason he races.
Iditarod disqualification and suspension
During the 2007 Iditarod2007 Iditarod
The ceremonial start of the 35th annual Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race across the U.S. state of Alaska began amidst the crowds of Anchorage at 10 am on March 3, 2007, and the start of the competitive race, or "restart", began at 2 pm the next day in Willow...
, witnesses said they saw Brooks punch and kick some of his dogs and hit them with a ski pole when they refused to leave a checkpoint during a March 15, 2007 stage in Golovin, Alaska
Golovin, Alaska
Golovin is a city in Nome Census Area, Alaska, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 144.-Geography:Golovin is located at ....
, less than 100 miles (160.9 km) from the finish in Nome, Alaska
Nome, Alaska
Nome is a city in the Nome Census Area in the Unorganized Borough of the U.S. state of Alaska, located on the southern Seward Peninsula coast on Norton Sound of the Bering Sea. According to the 2010 Census, the city population was 3,598. Nome was incorporated on April 9, 1901, and was once the...
. Brooks denies the more serious allegations, but acknowledged "spanking" the dogs in his team with a trail marking lath. One of Brooks‘ dogs died the day after the incident, but a necropsy could not determine why the dog died and race officials said there was no evidence that Brooks was to blame. On March 17, 2007, the judges voted unanimously to disqualify Brooks from the 2007 Iditarod.
On May 18, 2007, the Iditarod Trail Committee Board of Directors announced that they had suspended Brooks for the 2008 and 2009 race, and following that Brooks would be on probation for 3 years. Interviews of three adult and two child witnesses by an independent investigation team factored into the decision.