Skrevet av: Hanne Rosenberg/Stefan Sanne
Dato: 05.08.2004 18:57
Vegard Hykkerud (25) was elected this spring to be the new leader of the Alta Trekkhundklubb. This means that the youngest ever participant of the Finmmarksløp will be heading the club arranging the race in the 25th anniversary year 2005. He will be leading the club together with Bjørnar Leistad and Jorunn Bakke. This election shows that the "new generation of mushers" is not only beginning to beat the "experienced" in the track but that they are also willing to take responsibility within the organisation.
Vegard Hykkerud was born into dog sled racing. - I cannot remember the first time I was mushing. I have done it all my life, says Vegard. His father, Benjamin Hykkerud, has been an active member of the "mushing society" for more than 25 years and raised his son in this tradition and underlines that Vegard has always been interested in mushing.
Even as a small boy participated Vegard in the children's trophy. That sparked the interest. - I was really proud, when I participated in the children's Finnmarksløp for the first time. I remember that we went a longer distance of may be 5 km and then had to take a mandatory rest of two hours in the garden of my uncle Levi. Afterwards we had to go for another 5km before we crossed the finish line. We had to have mandatory equipment in the sled and the race marshall checked it. We had heard that about the "grown-up" race and thought it was really cool to be a part of that. I think that this experience really gave me the inspiration to continue with mushing. When I was 15 years old I was handed the responsibility for my own team and started training. I also got a training buddy, Agnar Sivertsen, and together we reached for new borders all the time. We learned an extreme amount and grew and developed together with our dogs.
- When I turned 16 I participated in the "adult" race. I was mushing for 600km both in 1996 and 1997 and finished 8th and seventh. In 2000 I raced for 500km and finished in fourth place after a very exciting and close finish. Mushing dominated my whole childhood and so my parents started to worry about me because I did not have time for anything else. But now I am in a phase of my life in which training and racing with dog sleds are not a present "problem". But "once a musher, always a musher"- so I do get the chance to remain active within the group of mushers and I think that I will start racing again in about 10 years from now.
Vegard is the youngest musher that ever participated in the Finnmarksløp.
Vegard has a daily responsibility with the work on the farm at home, took his exams in economics at the Høgskolen i Finnmark this spring and is furthermore a project leader for "Bondens Marked" in Finnmark. This is a project that organises market trading for small producers of food. After participating in the 2000 Finnmarksløp he finished a three year education at the Høgskolen i Hedmark in ecological farming and is living now with his girlfriend Anne Katherine, who is called "AK".
- I like to work with new projects and to meet new challenges. Mushing is about breaking through your own limitations and tackle unforseen problems. I think this left an impression on me and therefore I did not need to think for a long time when the position to lead the Alta trekkhundklubb became an option. For me it is a new challenge in a known environment.
When we asked him about his motivation to take on the honour of leadership he answered this:
-I have thought a lot about that and figured that the Alta Trekkhundklubb and the environment around it have been an important part to make me into the person I am today. This environment had a big impact on me, both dogs and humans. Now I am getting the opportunity to pay some of that back by doing a good job. I have some ideas and thoughts about the work in the future. Listening to the experience from others and combining it with own visions and ideas will make it possible to proceed and develop the sport, Finnmarksløp and the organisation further concludes a young, enthusiastic and target oriented leader of the ATHK Vegard Hykkerud.