happy easter & womens champions
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~ IN THE NEWS ~
One month has passed since the 2022 skijoring season ended,
and yet, the sport is still making headlines!
On Tuesday, April 5th,
Skijoring Utah
hosted a private screening of a film that will soon be televised on a national level.
We believe this is an “hour long special” created from two days of footage at the 2022 Utah event.
We’ll keep you posted on the network and release date!
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On Tuesday, April 12th,
Wired Mustang,
an equine marketing company based in Denver,
posted a “Spotlight” interview about skijoring.
In it, a brief history of the sport, our recent growth and a vision
for a potential role for equine skijoring at a future Winter Olympics is discussed
with CEO and Managing Partner,
Anna Mannerfelt Fingers.
Anna was born in Sweden and, therefore,
was delighted to discover that competitive equine skijoring
has its roots in her native country.
It was at the Stockholm Winter Games in 1901
that skijoring was introduced on the world stage.
Click here to see the Spotlight:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ls4zGkf4L9I
Anna’s enthusiasm for “everything equine” is contagious!
We encourage everyone to visit her website at
where you can explore their services as well as other equine related “Spotlights”
and links to their social media pages:
Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Tik Tok.
Thank you for your interest and the great exposure, Anna!
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~ UPDATED 2023 CALENDAR ~
Over 20 events have been announced so far!
MEEKER, CO ~ DEC 31 & JAN 1
RIDGWAY, CO ~ JAN 14 & 15
PAGOSA SPRINGS, CO ~ JAN 21 & 22
DRIGGS, ID ~ JAN 28 & 29
LEWISTOWN, MT ~ JAN 28 & 29
SUNDANCE, WY ~ FEB 4
BIG SKY, MT ~ FEB 4 & 5
SARATOGA, WY ~ FEB 4 & 5
BUFFALO, WY ~ FEB 11
PINEDALE, WY ~ FEB 11 & 12
STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, CO ~ FEB 11*
SHERIDAN, WY ~ FEB 18 & 19
SILVERTON, CO ~ FEB 18 & 19
BELLEVUE, ID ~ FEB 18 & 19
GILLETTE, WY ~ FEB 25
CANTERBURY PARK, MN ~ FEB 25
SKOWHEGAN, ME ~ FEB 25
WEST YELLOWSTONE, MT ~ FEB 25 & 26
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
Please contact loren@skijorusa.com with any
changes or additional dates/events!
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~ LETS KEEP GROWING! ~
Idaho
At the Chapman Springs event last January, several competitors came forward
with ideas for more events in Idaho in 2023.
We’ll stay on top of any developments for you!
Midwest
We are excited that a group is being formed called Midwest Horse Skijoring
which will promote races in this region.
Look for new races in Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota.
Northeast
Skijor USA is also in communication with the organizers in Maine
and hopes to see a new race in upstate New York next year!
Perhaps New Hampshire will also be on board again soon.
For many years events took place in New London, NH under an organization called NESJA.
Alberta and Quebec, Canada
Our relationship with skijoring events in Canada continues to grow stronger every year.
More and more Albertans are competing in races in the US, and we need to support theirs!
Events in Quebec were also under the NESJA umbrella.
Let's bring them back!
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~ YOU GO, GIRLS! ~
In the spirt of Easter. . .
Ski bunny? Buckle bunny? Skijor bunny? HARDLY!
The only “bunny” we have seen at an event is an adorable child
on the shoulders of their parent with a nose turned pink from the cold
and a hat with rabbit ears on their head.
Our female athletes, while both beautiful and competitive, are after one thing: to win!
Yes, they ski, yes, they win buckles and yes, they skijor,
but they are a lot tougher than bunnies.
Women have been skijoring for 100 years.
The postcard above, dated January 8, 1923, offers proof.
Skijor International’s vintage collection has nearly 50 examples of women
BOTH riding and skiing, often as teams.
The fact that both men and women athletes
(as well as male and female horses)
enter and combine freely as teams makes our sport very unique.
Our community supports athletes of all genders, ages and ethnicities,
and teammates are equally supportive of one another.
While three events offered a Women’s Division in 2022:
Bellevue, ID, Big Sky, MT and Kamas, UT,
in every other division at these and all other races,
there are no gender rules or restrictions, only age.
(This is true of skijoring in Switzerland as well.)
At a time so full of controversy on this subject, we are fortunate,
and skijoring illustrates that a winning team
is simply made up of three heartbeats
(two in Switzerland).
How refreshing.
Now let’s look at the stats.
On the ski/snowboard side, male competitors still vastly outnumber female
in Open and Sport Divisions. In Novice, the ratio is more balanced.
Throughout our sport, the ratio of riders is roughly equal throughout all divisions,
and women win just as often as men.
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Skijor USA would like to acknowledge
The Top 10
female skiers and snowboarders of 2022.
They are bravely taking on the sport’s challenge
as the athlete being towed
and slowly changing the dynamic.
1. Tara Hines
Tara accumulated the most points of any female skier/snowboarder in 2022,
ranking 17th in the Open and 6th in Sport since she competed in both divisions.
Tara earned a Champion Sport Skier buckle at the Red Lodge, MT event this year.
Will she be the first woman to win an Open Skier buckle at a race in 2023?
We’re rooting for you Tara!
2. Alina Gemza
Alina competed in Women’s in Bellevue, ID finishing 1st and 3rd.
She also competed in Sport in Boulder, MT, where she placed in the top 10,
and in West Yellowstone, MT, where she didn’t place but skied
despite having her arm in a sling due to a broken elbow!
Skijor USA is proud to sponsor Alina
who proudly displays our logo on a patch on her ski parka.
3. Elli Pospischil
Elli competes in the Snowboard Division.
She placed 4th in Big Sky, MT and finished in the top 10
in Ridgway, CO and Pagosa Springs, CO.
Elli is friends with Valeria Holinger
who won First Place at the White Turf event
in Saint Moritz, Switzerland in 2017
to become the first Queen of the Engadin!
Here is an excerpt:
"In the over one hundred years of White Turf's history, there have repeatedly been women – albeit just a few in number – who have managed to break into the male sphere of skikjöring. Around 1908, for example, women's skikjöring races were one of the special attractions on Lake St. Moritz. Wearing skirts but not helmets in those days, the ladies were pulled the length of the race track. Then, it took until 1983 for a woman to stand on the starting line again in the person of Hedy Danuser from Chur. However, she never reached the finish as she broke her foot during the race. Valeria Holinger's moment finally arrived in 2009: She had reached the minimum age of 18, and after passing the skikjöring exam, she could at last take part in White Turf. And she made it to the finish, the first step towards being overall winner, the "Queen." But Leta Joos from Samedan beat her to the first victory when she became the first woman to win a skikjöring race, in 2015".
Article from Credit-Suisse.com
Read the FASCINATiNG full story
of women skijoring at White Turf below:
https://www.credit-suisse.com/about-us-news/en/articles/news-and-expertise/a-queen-for-the-engadine-201703.html
4. Phoebe Alverson
Phoebe is a teenaged Sport Skier who finished 2nd overall
in West Yellowstone, MT and 5th overall in Big Sky, MT.
She also competed in Boulder, MT and Red Lodge, MT
and entered Switch-A-Roo events
with her sister, Fiona, and her father, Dennis.
5. Brittany Leafe
Brittany has been a very enthusiastic Sport skier for many years now.
Her first race was in Ridgway, CO in 2017 where she
captured a first place win in the Novice Division.
She same year she entered Sport in Leadville, CO
where she continued to compete until 2020.
Brittany remains one of the few women to ski at “The Daddy of ‘Em All”
with its high jumps and flat landings.
(Tessa Ganellen pulled by Ali Briggs is another.)
Brittany received coaching from Tug Birk and Dan "Thunder" Peirce
before her first run down Harrison Avenue.
She commented that the skijoring community has always
been extremely friendly and helpful to her
in her quest for a win.
Brittany's personality is as bright and sparkly as her ski outfits,
and the signature pig tails sprouting from her helmet
always put a smile on everyone’s face.
Brittany now lives in Buffalo, WY where she continues to compete
AND now promotes races in the region.
6. Molly Osborne
This past season, Molly was the only woman to
ski in Leadville.
She rode in Sport on Saturday and skied in Sport on Sunday.
She is the closest Leadville may ever see as a Switch-A-Roo competitor!
7. Allison Kline & Kelsey Sievert
We still need to get clarification on who rode and who skied,
but Allison and Kelsey were the female team at Canterbury Park, MN
placing 6th in the Open Division.
8. Kayla Seaman
Kayla is a former Miss Rodeo Montana!
9. Carrie Lee
10. Anastasia Echeverria
These three Novice Skiers had top 10 finishes at multiple Montana skijoring events.
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~ EDITOR’S NOTE ~
Kalei Pitcher was acknowledged in the previous newsletter as the top snowboarder of 2022.
This distinction stands, and we again congratulate Kalei, also known as Clay.
We mistakenly used the possessive pronoun “her” instead of “his”
due to his unusual name.
Our apologies.
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JOR ON! and Stay safe and healthy!
Loren Zhimanskova,
President, Skijor USA, Inc. & Skijor International, LLC