Ava Lindner, 17, started mushing her own team in 2006 but says, “I have grown up with dogs my entire life. I started mushing because it looked like fun.” She says her dad, Sonny Lindner, has been mushing for 30 years. She says she fell in love with racing after her first race, the 2007 Jr. Iditarod. “This last spring, I completed a 1,400 mile trip with my dad and 24 or our dogs. Half of this trip was on the Iditarod trail. Dog mushing is my life. It is by far my favorite thing to do.” A senior at Lathrop High School, she enjoys snowboarding, camping and anything outside. She plans to take a year off of school to run the 2010 Iditarod and will attend UAF the following year. She says, “Yes, I will continue mushing.”