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The Yukon Quest held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) on June 23. Executive Director (ED) Bonnie Michaudville, who started as ED in April, said, 鈥渙ur financial statements were reviewed and accepted, new board members voted on.

So nothing outstanding at the AGM, just business as usual.鈥�

The new board of directors is as follows:

鈥� Susan Rogan, President

鈥� Bryan Alp, Vice-President

鈥� Trudy Burdess, Secretary

鈥� Anne Tayler, Treasurer

鈥� Didier Moggia, Director

鈥� Thomas Tetz, Director

鈥� Hans Gatt, Director

鈥� Sebastian Schnuelle, Director

鈥� Patrick Beille, Director

鈥� Frank Turner, Musher鈥檚 Representative

According to Michaudville, this is Rogan鈥檚 second year on the board, and Didier Moggia鈥檚 as well. Some of the other board members were recruited to 鈥渇ill in the blanks鈥� when other board members left. The rest are new.

Michaudville says there is a good balance on the board.

鈥淲e have mushers 鈥� obviously you have to have mushers on the board for their input 鈥� it鈥檚 a race for the mushers.

鈥淲e鈥檝e got some business people on board, some tourism people on board 鈥� so I think it鈥檚 a really good balance between hands-on marketing experience and 鈥� I鈥檓 quite happy with the board,鈥� states Michaudville.

Rogan was interim president at the end of the 2020-21 fiscal year, as the former president, Bev Regier, took a leave of absence. Rogan took over for a couple of months.

鈥淲e had a meeting after the AGM, of the new board of directors, 鈥� relates Michaudville. 鈥淪he was voted in as president there.鈥�

Frank Turner resumed his role as musher rep.

鈥淚 think it鈥檚 a really good balance of people, with mushers with experience of the trail, and marketing people, business people 鈥� I think it鈥檚 a really good blend right now.鈥�

Michaudville says the board has lots of experience with putting on races, and also brings marketing experience to the boardroom table.

The board members have been elected for different terms.

鈥淎 percentage of them are on for two years, and a percentage are on for one year. You can only have so many members on a two-year term on your board, so this encourages turnover at staggered periods,鈥� explains Michaudville.

She says the Quest鈥檚 financial picture is looking good.

鈥淲e鈥檙e actually in a good spot right now. Our budget has been passed for 2021-22, and we鈥檙e very happy with it. We鈥檝e started sponsorship procurement, and 鈥� we鈥檙e in a good spot.鈥�

鈥淭hat being said, you always have to be careful, because especially this is my first year in this position, so I want to make sure that we are fiscally 鈥� are financially responsible to not just our members, but Yukon Quest fans as a whole.鈥�

When asked if COVID affected the bottom line, Michaudville replied 鈥渘ot really. It affected our race schedule for this year more than anything. Whether that race schedule affects our bottom line and sponsorship remains to be seen 鈥� I鈥檒l soon find out. I just started the sponsorship campaign.鈥�

Michaudville said the financials were pretty much as usual, with one important exception.

鈥淲e did put aside a little bit 鈥� (I) wouldn鈥檛 say different amount, because this is a different race structure. So we just allocated different purse money to the Yukon Quest Cup, which has never happened before.

鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 say it is more purse money. It is less money, because we鈥檙e not putting on as big of a race.鈥�

Michaudville explains the Yukon Quest Cup, and how it came about.

鈥淭he Alaskan Board and the Yukon board got together and we put out a survey to all mushers 鈥� in Yukon, in Alaska, all over Canada and the U.S. 鈥� anybody who had come before, (or) had an intention of coming 鈥� and we got about 106 responses back. And out of those responses, there was a certain percentage who wanted to run the 1000 mile in 2022, but out of that percentage, there was only so many that could qualify, because COVID 鈥� there weren鈥檛 as many qualifiers last year.

鈥淪o the boards decided it wasn鈥檛 reasonable and responsible to run the 1000 mile this year. But the interest that was indicated on the survey was gonna be there for 2023.

鈥淪o Alaska鈥檚 running their two races. We鈥檙e running our two races. If somebody runs a race on both sides, then they qualify for more purse money, which we鈥檙e calling the Yukon Quest Cup 2022.鈥�

鈥淭here鈥檚 the Yukon Quest 300 鈥� Yukon, Yukon Quest 550 鈥� Alaska, and then the other two races, then they could qualify for the cup. Which is a separate amount of purse money. It鈥檚 a bonus,鈥� says Michaudville.

鈥淲e鈥檝e committed 鈥� for the 300, a minimum of $35,000; the 100, a minimum of $5000. Right now, the Cup purse is a minimum of $5000,鈥� she adds.

According to Michaudville, on the Alaskan side they鈥檙e doing a 550-mile race and a 200-mile race. If somebody races on both sides, they could do two qualifiers for 2023.

The races here in Whitehorse are both starting on February 19th, 2022. The 300-mile is going to start at 3 p.m., followed by the 100-mile at 4 p.m.

The 300-mile will go along the Yukon Quest trail. They鈥檒l pass through Pelly, go around Stepping Stone, and back to Pelly for the finish line.

The 100-mile starts here in Whitehorse and finishes in Braeburn.

鈥淭he Alaskan board and the Yukon board are working very well together and we鈥檙e both committed to the 2020 race in 2023,鈥� reports Michaudville.

鈥淲e wish there was a 1,000 mile in 2022 but there wasn鈥檛 enough mushers, and the mushers have been hit by COVID. Of course the border鈥檚 always in the back of our minds 鈥� whether it鈥檚 going to be open or not. But COVID has hit our mushers financially as well, so it鈥檚 just too bad all around.鈥�

Are there any circumstances in which they would cancel the races?

鈥淣o 鈥� I can鈥檛 see us cancelling ever. We may not get signups from somewhere else, but, I can鈥檛 see us cancelling at all,鈥� stated Michaudville adamantly.

She鈥檚 hopeful the border situation will change before it鈥檚 time to 鈥榬elease the hounds.鈥�

鈥淲e鈥檙e not allowed to go into the states yet, but hopefully that gets sorted out before February, and some of our mushers can cross back and forth to enter both races, and that鈥檚 the goal of this, to bring more 鈥� because Alaska has more mushers than us, so to bring some of them over here, and help the Alaska races by some of our mushers going over there, and to keep the partnership alive that way, which everybody鈥檚 so excited about,鈥� she added.

As for what kind of COVID protocols they may have in place for the race, Michaudville was understandably noncommittal.

鈥淚 can鈥檛 really speak on that. It will depend on what the regulations are 鈥� by the government. Whatever regulations they put in front of us, we鈥檒l have to comply with.鈥�

Michaudville closes with a message to the worldwide legions of Quest fans out there.

鈥淛ust to keep posted on our Facebook and our website. We鈥檙e doing lots of marketing, and updates as we go along. We鈥檙e going to have musher profiles on our Facebook page, and eventually on our website, so just to keep tuned.鈥�