COUNTDOWN TO 2023
First and foremost, Skijor USA & Skijor International
wishes each of you
A VERY HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
May your day be filled with food, fun, family and friends.
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~ RING IN THE NEW YEAR ~
Start your 2023 skijoring season in
Meeker, Colorado
Friday, December 30th
(registration completion)
Saturday, December 31st
(race day and evening Calcutta
& Tucker Rose Band concert)
Sunday, January 1st
(race day and awards)
Registration opens online December 1st
at https://www.meekerskijor.com/
Last year, Meeker ran a Junior Division,
a Sport Division and a 3D Open Division.
Please consult their website for rules and regs as well as
clarification as to
how the 2023 race divisions will be structured.
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~ 2023 CALENDAR ~
Over 25 events have been announced so far!
MEEKER, CO ~ DEC 31 & JAN 1
RIDGWAY, CO ~ JAN 14 & 15
PAGOSA SPRINGS, CO ~ JAN 21 & 22
SKIJORING UTAH ~ TBD
DRIGGS, ID ~ JAN 28 & 29
LEWISTOWN, MT ~ JAN 28 & 29
WHITEFISH, MT ~ JAN 28 & 29
SUNDANCE, WY ~ FEB 4
BIG SKY, MT ~ FEB 4 & 5
SARATOGA, WY ~ FEB 4 & 5
BUFFALO, WY ~ FEB 11
TOPSHAM, ME ~ FEB 11
PINEDALE, WY ~ FEB 11 & 12
BOULDER, MT ~ FEB 11 & 12
STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, CO ~ FEB 11*
SHERIDAN, WY ~ FEB 18 & 19
SILVERTON, CO ~ FEB 18 & 19
BELLEVUE, ID ~ FEB 18 & 19
BEAR LAKE, UT ~ FEB 18, 19 & 20
GILLETTE, WY ~ FEB 25
CANTERBURY PARK, MN ~ FEB 25
SKOWHEGAN, ME ~ FEB 25
WISDOM, MT ~ FEB 25 & 26
LEADVILLE, CO ~ MAR 4 & 5
POLE AND SPUR, BLAIRMORE, ALBERTA, CANADA ~ MAR 11
RED LODGE, MT ~ MAR 11 & 12
*Steamboat’s event is during Winter Carnival and only children
ages 6-14 are pulled down Lincoln Avenue by horses
To view this calendar go to:
https://www.skijorusa.com/
and click on each event for a direct link.
Please contact loren@skijorusa.com with any
changes or additional dates/events!
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~ KEEPING AN EYE ON ~
Idaho & Wyoming
The Midwest
The Northeast
Alberta and Quebec, Canada
We will let you know about more races
in Alberta, Canada and any more events in the United States
as soon as we hear any news!
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~ SNL "SKIJOR" STYLE ~
Saturday Nights come ALIVE at Skijoring Events
Last year, several races offered country music concerts
and the tradition continues!
Colorado is taking the lead on Saturday nights.
Tucker Rose Band at Meeker, CO
Wynn Williams at San Juan Skijoring, Ridgway, CO
TBD at Pagosa Springs, CO
Hold onto your hats and helmets for 2023!
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~ SKIJOR GOES NEON ~
Teton Skijor in
Driggs, Idaho is bringing the skijoring tradition
back to town in 2023
with Neal and Tayler Stobaugh
leading the charge!
Mark your calendars for January 28th & 29th.
Check out Driggs' new logo and website at
https://tetonskijor.org/
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~ IN THE NEWS ~
Silverton Skijoring
has already had an article published
in their local newspaper!
Click here for a snippet
(readers must subscribe to view the whole article)
https://www.silvertonstandard.com/news/equine-skijoring-will-return-silverton
Congratulations to writer, Margot Early,
and organizer, Karen Srebacic-Sites, who is carrying the torch forward
and, who, with a very dedicated team,
is working hard on making this iconic and historic race
better and better each coming season!
Silverton will be using a highly regarded
competitive timing company, CJ Sports Timing, this year.
They have named Golden Block Brewery
"Sponsor of the Year"
for their willingness to host Friday night's registration,
and plans are in the works to provide
more food vendors and restaurant options for both
competitors and spectators alike.
They are working on increasing their prize pot daily
and hoping to surpass the $26K in prizes they awarded last year!
In their 14th year, it is important to support
Silverton Skijoring
and the new crew that has taken on this challenge!
Oh! And did you hear they released a documentary in October!?
https://www.silvertonskijoring.com/
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~ SKIJOR USA INVITATIONAL 2023 ~
As readers of this newsletter know,
at the end of each season, Skijor USA,
(through a painstaking process, we might add,)
awards points to competitors who have placed
in the top 10 each day of each race
and then uses this data to determine an overall winner.
Rankings from 1 to 10 are then published.
In 2023, we intend to modify this
and award points to a limited number of
Teams, Riders, Horses and Skiers
who will be determined at the beginning of the season.
Also, races will be designated as "sponsored"
to participate in the program according to certain qualifications,
such as being a two-day event, length of course, types of divisions, etc.
We will also set parameters according to
which state each competitor represents and
in which states these teams or competitors may race
in order to earn points.
In the past, the points have been cumulative
and all races were included in the overall count.
This year, only the team or competitor's top three races will be counted
and two out the three must be in their home state.
Exceptions will be made for states with only one or two events.
Riders will be limited to two horses per division and skiers will
also be limited as to how many horses and riders
they can partner with to earn points.
Horses and skiers must remain in one division.
We are still brainstorming exactly how this will work,
and our Advisory Committee will be consulted after the
Thanksgiving Holiday for more guidance.
We hope that you will all embrace this attempt
at determining who, in our sport, has most earned recognition
when the season is all said and done.
At the end of the 2023 season,
our goal is to honor the top teams and competitors,
both equine and human, from each state,
and to encourage a road towards a
national finals in the near future
whose inclusion would be determined by performance,
in other words, qualification would be required,
and whose entires would represent teams from all states and regions
ultimately competing against each other for a title.
As our Mission states,
Skijor USA is committed to seeing the sport of equine skijoring
grow in a responsible, safe and fair manner.
And our Vision remains,
"Our purpose is to lead skijoring through its next evolutionary phase and create a positive wave of change necessitated by our continued growth. As a community, we need a healthy environment in which to grow and expand, and a body that is event-centric, well structured, firm in their leadership role and non-prejudicial, yet innovative in its approach."
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~ 2023 CALENDARS ~
Give the PERFECT gift this holiday!
Mark LaRowe
is offering three beautiful calendars this year.
"Scenic Montana"
"Cowboys of Western Montana"
& "Equine"
Each calendar is 12" x 8" in size, spiral bound at the top and
printed on a very high quality, thick, pearlescent paper,
so each images is suitable for framing on its own.
Click on this link to see all three calendars:
https://marklarowe.photoshelter.com/index/C0000Ri9ssvCrqHM
To purchase a calendar click on the cover image only
and you can add them to your cart.
The cost is $28 plus shipping.
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~ EUROPEAN STYLE ~
Skijor International continues to follow developments
in Europe and includes all types of skijoring:
reindeer, horses, dogs, and motorized.
It is the last type that is gaining traction this year.
GP Ice Race in Zell am See, Austria
on January 27th - 29th
is worth exploring!
https://gpicerace.com/
It is described as
"A Unique Automotive Winter Festival
in the Magnificent Austrian Alps"
and is the brainchild of four enthusiastic friends:
Ferdi, Tino, Pia and Josh
Skijor International continues to acquire new additions
to expand our vintage skijoring collection
and the motorized sport offers a rich array of collectibles!
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JOR ON!
Loren Zhimanskova,
President, Skijor USA, Inc. & Skijor International, LLC