Kami Club - Race History

History of Sled Dog Racing in Alaska

Sled dog racing has been a popular sport in Alaska since the early 1900's. In the early 1900's dog teams were the primary means of transporting mail and freight. When diphtheria broke out in Nome in 1925, sled dog teams were used to rush serum across the wilderness of Alaska. At the time, airplanes were not yet advanced enough to handle the arctic temperatures. However technology advanced and as the planes improved, the dependency on dog teams decreased, but the spirit of competition thrived. By the 1940's two major Alaskan sled dog races had been established: The Open North American Championship and The Fur Rendezvous World Championship. Then in the late 1960's Joe Redington, Sr., and Dorothy Page began to organize a race to commemorate the 1925 race for life to Nome. The Iditarod Sled Dog Race became reality in 1973, covering over 1100 miles from Anchorage to Nome. The race traditionally begins the first weekend in March and attracts world attention as one watches man and dog challenge the forces of nature and time.

Since the inaugural running of the Iditarod in 1973, the interest in long distance racing has grown and brought about the establishment of other distance races like the Yukon Quest, the Kuskokwim 300, and the Copper Basin 300.

The popularity of sled dog racing has helped to steadily increase the quality of dog care. Race organizations, mushers, and veterinarians, work with and through groups such as PRIDE (Providing Responsible Information on a Dog's Environment) and ISDVMA (International Sled Dog Veterinary Medical Association) to continue to improve the quality of care that the dogs receive, both in their home environment and racing environments, helping the sport to thrive.

Family Mushing History

Dog mushing is a part of Ramy's ancestry- Athabaskan and Eskimo. Ramy's great-grandfather, Arthur Wright, was an Athabaskan interpreter for Hudson Stuck, the Archdeacon of the Yukon, as they traveled around Alaska by dog sled for the Episcopal church. Archdeacon Stuck sent Arthur to Carlisle Institute for formal education where his classmate was Jim Thorpe.

Ramy's grandfather Gareth, Arthur's son, began to raise his own dog team as a teenager. His idol was Johnny Allen, a famous sled dog racer and breeder in the early 1900's. By the late 1940's Ramy's grandfather had begun to develop his own breed of dog by combining and cross-breeding several breeds including the Irish Setter, village dogs, and St. Lawrence Siberian Husky. These dogs, known as the Wright's Aurora Husky, are now owned and raced throughout the world. With his Huskies, Ramy's grandfather won two North American Championships and three Fur Rendezvous World Championships.

Ramy's mother, Roxy Wright, followed in her father's footsteps and has lived up to the family tradition, by also becoming one of the most respected dog mushers in the world. She has won several Women's North American Championships and Women's Fur Rendezvous World Championships. In 1989 Ramy's mother became the first woman to win both the open class (unlimited number of dogs) North American and open class Fur Rendezvous. In 1990 she won the Alpirod, Europe's largest sled dog race. Ramy's mother and her husband, Charlie, continue to influence the world of dog mushing. When other top mushers need advice in breeding, training, and care of their dogs, many of them look to Ramy's grandfather or his mother and Charlie for advice.

Personal History

Ramy grew up along the Yukon River at a fish camp, where the only access to home was by boat in the summer and by dogs or snow machine in the winter. While city kids were taking trash out for chores, Ramy was busy training and caring for the family dogs. On school days he got up early to run dogs before school so his mom would allow him to race. Ramy's mom felt that if he wanted to race that he had to work for it.

Ramy began racing sled dogs at the age of four when he won the one-dog Junior North American Championship with his dog Sam. Sam and Ramy went on to become the first pair to win three straight one-dog championships. By the age of fourteen, Ramy had won each class of the Junior North American Championship races.

As a teen, Ramy left Alaska to see the world and later joined the Navy. After his service in the Navy and college, he knew it was time to come home to his family and the dogs.

Ramy and his wife, Cathy, along with their daughter, Abby, own and operate Kami Kennels. Kami, means a divine power or aura, often associated with one or more ancestors. With Ramy's ancestry and the lineage of the dogs it seemed to be a fitting name for the kennel.