Born and raised in Michigan, Sam moved to the Upper Peninsula to pursue a degree at Northern Michigan University. She volunteered for the UP 200 in 2014 – unknowingly planting the mushing seed. In 2019, she moved to Juneau, AK to work on the Mendenhall glacier where she got her first taste of handling. Taking the knowledge learned that summer, she moved to Big Sky, MT to become a tour guide musher. It wasn’t until the fall of 2020 when she moved to Two Rivers to begin working and training with ATAO!
In February of 2021, Sam competed in her first race with ATAO, the Willow 300, and is currently training up to take on her last two Iditarod qualifiers, the Copper Basin 300 and Yukon Quest 200!!
When not out on trail running dogs, Sam enjoys biking, painting, and adventuring with her two dogs Dalzell and Gibbs!