December 4th, 10am – 5pm AK Time
We are super excited to bring you the first ever Mush On Conference, where we’ll sit with various folks connected to mushing, including a race veterinarian, a mushing data expert, and a lot more.
This conference is donation-based: we want to share this info with anyone who wants to drop in. You can come and leave, check out sessions that interest you, or just look back at the recording later, which we’ll send out to registrants.
Donations will go towards honorariums for our speakers, and to fundraising towards ATAO’s second Iditarod (the one to NOME!). As an additional fundraiser, we’ll be holding a silent auction, and we’ll do some fundraising drives along the way to help get some of our major projects financed!
But don’t worry- you don’t need to drop coins to enjoy this conference. You’ll get the chance to hear from a variety of folks in the mushing / dog sledding sphere, to ask questions, and to rub virtual elbows with your fellow ATAO friends. Check out the schedule below!
MUSH ONcon 2021 Schedule
A breakdown of the virtual presentations brought to you this year from ATAO’s first Mush OnCon
Between events, we’ll share video from around ATAO, update you on the auction, and answer important questions like “what is Belle’s favorite snack?”
All times in Alaska Standard (GMT-9)
Presenters:
Amber Bird
Amber is an aspiring artist who loves drawing animals– especially good dogs. When she is not doodling or obsessing over a tracker during race season, she is taking care of her feral children and house full of furkids.
Melinda Shore
Melinda Shore (she/her) is Principal Security Architect with Fastly (a content distribution network), a former member of the Internet Architecture Board and a current member of the Internet Research Steering Group, and a frequent contributor to internet protocol standards. Combining the better part of a lifetime being excessively literal with a passion for dogs and dog mushing, it was nearly inevitable that she’d start writing about mushing data and trackers, which turned into Mushing Tech. She has what’s believed to be the world’s largest collection of mushing data.
Dr. Mercedes Pinto, DVM
Dr. Pinto grew up and went to school in Colorado, but fell in love with Alaska the summer after vet school, and Fairbanks has been home ever since. Dr. Pinto has practiced small animal and emergency medicine in Fairbanks before transitioning to shelter medicine last year. She was invited to volunteer for the Yukon Quest in 2011, and loved it so much she has volunteered for every long distance dog race she could since then.
Shawn Goggins
Shawn (they/them) is the spouse of Will, and official puppy-snuggler for ATAO kennel. Shawn moved to Alaska in 2017 sight unseen. Since then Shawn has braved little by little more of the mushing world. Shawn loves the big dog family and Alaska homestead they share with Will. Shawn also holds a day job working with children in the foster care system. Also also Shawn always has a senior rescue friend!
Whitney McLaren
Alaska has been Whitney’s home since 2005 when she moved here with her family from Montana. Whitney’s degree and initial work experience were in Archaeology. Photography started as an elective for her in school but resulted in a new passion. Whitney has been an official photographer for the Yukon Quest since 2014. Whitney shares her love of dogs and mushing through pet portraits, mushing photography, and more. Whitney is “owned” by eight lovable huskies.
Will Troshynski
Will has been mushing sled dogs since 2001. He and his spouse Shawn own ATAO Kennel in Two Rivers, Alaska, where they spend time with 35 amazing dogs and occasionally each other. Will and 14 of the ATAO athletes ran their first Iditarod in 2021. You can find Will wearing some combination of summer and winter attire at any given moment of the day.
Auction Items
These are just a few of the items that we’ll be auctioning off. Check back here as December 4th approaches for more details soon!
Print by Whitney McLaren
Fancy Care Pack with Bath Salts and Oils from Morgana’s Magicks
Website Build and 1 year of support (available in April)
Digital Pet Portrait
ATAO Coat / Leash Hanger
Water Color Pet Portrait
If you are interested in DONATING an item or items towards our auction, please fill out our contact form with the subject line ‘Auction Donation’ — THANK YOU in advance!