MUSA Nominates Mushers for IFSS Dryland World Championships

Mushing USA (MUSA), the United States governing body of sled dog sports, has selected two mushers to represent the USA at the IFSS (International Federation of Sleddog Sports) Dryland World Championships in Piandelagotti, Italy, November 17-18, 2007. Amy Cooper of Holmen, Wisconsin, will compete in the Women’s Bikejoring, and Ed Clifford of Raymond, New Hampshire, will compete in the Men’s Bikejoring. Both have previously represented the USA in IFSS Dryland World Championships, Cooper in the 2005 event in Maasvallei, Belgium, and Clifford in the first IFSS Dryland World Championships in Ravenna, Italy, in 2003.Cooper, a twelve-year veteran of sled dog sports, is a research veterinary technician, having graduated from Sienna Heights College in Michigan. Her past dryland race record is impressive, and she has also garnered many trophies in the limited classes in snow races. At the 2005 Belgium dryland event, Amy says she “learned from the Pros” and is now anxious to return to Europe to see “how we compare to the Europeans.” She hopes she is a positive role model, helping to convince others to give this form of sled dog sports a try. Clifford is a second-generation musher. Now a UPS Service Representative, Ed admits to a seeming disconnect between his college major in political science (University of New Hampshire) and his current career. His past mushing includes mid-distance, Nordic, and sprint events, but for the past four years he has focused on dryland. He wants to “represent the US with a strong performance and demonstrate our relative improvement.” Like Cooper, he, too, hopes that an exemplary showing will be an impetus for increased participation in dryland racing and not simply a “preparatory period before snow racing.” MUSA congratulates these two worthy competitors on their selection and wishes them the best success.