When Tommy Gibson was in third grade, he learned about a historic winter pastime. His teacher spent a few weeks teaching Tommy and his other classmates about sled dogs, mushers and one of the toughest races on earth, the Iditarod. Tommy was fascinated. A dog lover since he was a baby, the young Maple Grove resident began to dream of standing behind a sled with a team of dogs racing him through the snow.
After learning about the 1,150-mile sled race across the Alaskan wilderness, Tommy, then 8, looked at his Brittany Spaniel, Riley, and had an idea. He hooked up Riley's leash to a plastic sled and pretended to be a musher with his wild sled dog.
His mom, Kathy, knew that though buying Tommy a dogsled was out of the question, skis were a possibility. A few years later on New Year's Day, the Gibsons--including Tommy's sister Libby and older brother Mickey--went to Elm Creek Park Reserve to try cross-country skiing. Tommy became immediately hooked on the sport.
By 2004, Tommy's obsession with dogsledding was at an all-time high. He was a subscriber to Sled Dog Magazine and was flipping through the glossy pages when he had a revelation. There, in the magazine, was a photo of people skiing with their dogs. it was perfect.
"I had been trying to convince my parents to get me a dogsled, but that wasn't going over too well," Tommy said with a laugh. "I knew skijoring would be cheaper, so I started asking for that gear instead."
Skijoring is a combination sport that merges cross-country skiing with dogsledding. Generally, one or two dogs are hooked up to harnesses attached to a skier's waist.
Two years after seeing that picture in the magazine, and after using makeshift equipment for months, Tommy recieved a Christmas gift that solidified his new found passion. He happily unwrapped real skijoring gear: the dog harness, the bungee cord and the waist band.
"It was hard to teach Riley at first, because all he wanted to do was run around," Tommy says. "The first time I started going down a hill Riley just sat there, and I skied right over him." But Riley and Tommy learned how to work together, and now during the winter the pair ski together for hours each weekend.
Now 16, Tommy skijors regularly as part of his Nordic ski team training.
"It's a great sport for Riley, too," Kathy says. "When I get the equipment out, Riley knows what to do," Tommy adds. "he sits quietly by the door and just waits."
And though skijoring is a huge part of Tommy's winter, the Maple Grove High School sophomore is also busy with the Nordic ski team, snowshoeing and taking time to help his sister, Libby, wax her skis.
"I just love the outdoors," Tommy says. "I love the cold weather. I'm not really a hot weather person."
As the cold weather rolls in, Tommy and Riley always head to Elm Creek, just a few miles from their home. And this year the Gibsons are trying something new with their furry family member.
"We have some new booties to try out this year," Kathy says. "[Riley] hates wearing booties," Tommy chimes in."Every time we put them on, he tears them off."
Hopefully with more secure foot coverings Riley will be able to run longer with Tommy. "We have to stop every so often, and I have to sit him down and pick the ice balls out of his paws," Tommy says. "But Riley loves...the snow. He's a winter dog."
