The Thrilling Sled Race
Champak|December First 2023
In the village of Kulusuk in Greenland, the world's largest island located between the Arctic Ocean and the North Atlantic Ocean, the summer season had ended, and the lakes had started freezing.
Kusum Agarwal
The Thrilling Sled Race

The arrival of the winter meant sled races. It was an old Greenlandic tradition that created an atmosphere of excitement and enthusiasm in the entire village.

Preparations for the races would begin many weeks in advance. The families in the villages had different breeds of dogs, like Balto, Togo, Samoyed, Chinook and Siberian Husky to pull the sleds.

Training the dogs for the races was essential as there were only two ways of travelling in that area-by air or by sled. As sleds were a common sight, decorating them had become a tradition.

Since the village children participated actively in the preparation for the races, every year a race was organised specially for the children and their pets.

There was a boy named Jimmy in the village. His family had a majestic pair of Balto dogs, Jet and Sam, who were well-known in the village for their strength and agility. With brown and whifur, white-tipped paws, and healthy and strong bodies, Jet and Sam were truly magnificent.

Jimmy had immense love for his dogs because they had grown up together, and he had made up his mind that he and his dogs were going to participate in and win the sled race that year.

Jimmy had started preparing a long time ago. Along with his father, he took good care of Jet and Sam's diet. He would give them nutritious food to keep them healthy. He spent a lot of time with Jet and Sam so that they would bond well with him and follow his instructions carefully.

Jimmy would take his dogs all around the village to get them accustomed to the turns and curves on the race route. He knew that being familiar with the path would help them in winning the race. At the same time, he was also getting to know how efficient his sled was.

This story is from the December First 2023 edition of Champak.

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This story is from the December First 2023 edition of Champak.

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