interview with a PRO: Lena Boysen Hillestad

This time MEMO DOG have interviewed a champion , which has won a lot and continues to win., a person who loves racing and turned his passion into a job ...Ladies and Gentlemen from Norway , Lena Boysen Hillestad.


First of all a few warm up questions just to warm up a bit ...


Favorite season during the year (SPRING, SUMMER, FALL, WINTER...)?
Summer, sea, golf, HOT weather. Winter, sun, good trails, mountains, happy dogs. April is a good month. Great conditions, not too cold, and a summer to look forward too  :)
Ice cream or hot choccolate?
I’m always cold, so I have to say hot chocolate
Did you think that Pluto(walt disney) can be a good dog for a sleddog race?
He could be a good team dog. But he is probably too much “playing” for a lead dog.


let's be serious , let's begin the interview:


can you introduce yourself
Lena Boysen Hillestad, born 1969
Married to unlimited musher Kjetil Hillestad
2 childern: Julie 11 years old and André 8 years old
Golf player: Hcp 9,7
6 dogs: Vorsther (GSP) and Greysthers
Kjetil have 27 dogs in training.


First race 1979. Pulka.
First sleddog race 1993
Skijoring, pulka, dryland, sled 4-dog (and Norwegian Champion x2 in 6-dog class)
18 x World Champion
14 x European Champion
22 x Norwegian Champion
Pirena winner 2009

you've got an impressive number of wins, championships, world championships / where is the secret ( do you have talent for working with dogs?)
Good contact with the dogs. They are my family. And training always comes first. I really like to compete, and the dogs can feel that!


How different is dog sledding and skijoring today from the '90 (even more tecnical?)
In the ’90 there were more people competing and we had more snow. We had many nations competing in pulka, today not.
Some trail are more challenging today, but I can’t remember the big difference really.
With which dog you shared the most beautiful moments ?
That is really hard to tell. Turboprinsen was my first Greysther, and I won my first World Championship with him. Miss Alaska is totally crazy and never stop to run. Tigergutt was a photo model. Buff is just great. Frøken Norge is lovely. Gullgutten is the most beautiful dog ever. Provit is very cute. Ole Brumm, Turbo Junior, Snehvit and all the rest have all been someone to remember. Bergans was especial, but he died much too young…


Worst injury of one of your dogs?
Frøken Norge and Miss Alaska had lung problems in 2008. The vet-hospital could not say if they would survive or die. That was horrible, and they had to stay for about 10 days. One of Kjetil’s dogs died from the same thing. Both mine run very good now J


Goals for the future?
World Championships in Norway 2011. Gold!

You run a kickbike company , how is going nowadays?
Good. Most people have not seen the scooters before, and they are really interested when they see them. A lot of dog owners buy them (not only mushers)


The most beautiful and the worst race ever made ?
Pirena is a beautiful race !!!
And Olympic Model is much fun!!!
Actually I find the trail from this year’s Norwegian Dryland Championship top fun and challenging.
World Championships in 2007 Piandelagotti (Italy) dryland was MUCH FUN! With snow J  Action!!


I don’t remember the bad races…


The most beautiful moment in your career?
Norwegian Championship in Pulka 2-dog about 10 years ago. Great dogs did great. And it’s much fun to race with a good pulka team.
European Championship in Hungary dryland: Frøken Norge and Miss Alaska was 1,5 years and raced for the first time. Gold medal in scooter 2 dog!
++++++++


Can you explain a typical day in you life?
Kids to school
Feed dogs, and feed my selves
Train dogs, and perhaps me
Kids from school. Homework, dinner and different training for both kids (ski, football and golf)
And in between I sell scooters, work at a mental institution, and we have started the plans/work with a climbing park where we live.


I see that your children have taken a bit of both (mom and dad), I think we will see other two champions. How do you see your kids in 10 years ?
Our daughter is not interested in dogs, but she has the competing attitude. Maybe golf J
Our son is very much into dogs, and he will probably like to spend much time with the dogs in the futire.
I don’t care what they do as long as they have healthy interests. We will support them much anyway, but I have some hopes…J


If you do not practice these sports what would you have done in your life?
I would probably compete in something else. I’m not a team player (even if I played football/soccer until I was 22 years old). But downhill skies is a good guess. Or if I had started to play golf 10 years earlier I would drop work and dogs, and only play golf…
I really like to be outdoors, and I enjoy competing very much. I have thought about rally cross too. That would really be fun!

Thank you so much for taking the time to do this interview! Do you have anything else you would like to add?
If we want our great sport to grow, we have to think new. We need to sell ourselves: Short laps, mass starts and pursuit, and not so many classes in the Championships. Our sport is confusing for media and spectators. Make it easy. What do media want ? If we listen to the media we will get spectators, sponsors and media. We deserve that !!


check the pages:
www.boysen-hillestad.com
www.123hjemmeside.no/sparkesykkel-kickbike
www.holmenkollensportsclub.com


all the photos are a courtesy of Lena Boysen Hillestad