Emma Showcroft, 17, is the oldest of five kids in her family. She started mushing about seven years ago when she started training with a family friend. She finished third in last year’s Jr. Iditarod. She has a strong oonnection with all her dogs but her connection with Tiger is the strongest. Emma says, “Tiger loves me and I love her.” A senior at Lathrop High School, she participates in cross country running, cross country skiing, choir, media club, and after school art classes. Emma says her hobbies are snowmachining, drawing, painting, singing, writing, piano, soccer and hunting. After graduation, Emma plans to go to college either in Fairbanks, Anchorage or Idaho. She says, “I love running my dogs. Sometimes it’s hard to do so. As a senior in high school many adult responsibilities are being shoved in our faces. And trying to make plans and get SAT’s and ACT’s, it’s a pile of papers being stacked on top of one another. Mushing takes up hours and hours of personal time, putting mile after mile on the dogs so they will go the length of the trip. The pressure all around is building. Finding scholarship money for college — it’s all just becoming a wall. Being overwhelmed is quite common in these situations. The best solution is to push through and focus on one individual project, which relates to time management. Sometimes homework loads get in the way of mushing. But I’m so lucky to have a dad who’s so amazing to help run the dogs when I have loads to do even though he’s busy. My dad is a big support in my life. I don’t know what I’d do without him.”