CHEERS TO THE NEW YEAR!
And there’s a hand, my trusty fere!
And gie’s a hand o’ thine!
And we’ll tak a right gude-willie waught,
For auld lang syne.
In this famous Scottish poem or song,
the line "tak a right gude-willie waught"
means "take some good will" or "have a drink together"
&
we all know in 2019
we will be spending plenty of time
doing just this!
In fact, skijoring is synonymous with camaraderie
and good times around the globe,
&
no doubt, this New Year's Eve many of us
happily rang in 2019 with skijoring friends at our side.
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~ AULD LANG SYNE ~
Over 100 years ago, skijoring was a popular winter sport in
the Adirondack Mountains and more specifically, at the
Lake Placid Club in New York state
which was founded in 1895.
This is proven by historic photographic evidence.
While there has been speculation that skijoring came to the United States after WWII on the heels of our 10th Mountain Division or Soldiers on Skis,
this can be disproven by historical records which create a
more reliable timeline.
As the writing on the postcard states:
"Jim, how would you like driving a horse when you had skis on?
~ They say it is awfully funny to all people trying to do it,
but great sport if you really succeed. ~ "
The post mark on the card and 1 cent stamp
further proves that skijoring came to America prior to WWII.
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~ VOX CLAMANTIS IN DESERTO ~
"A Voice Calling Out In The Wilderness"
In addition to Lake Placid, New York,
Hanover, New Hampshire
included skijoring races at the Dartmouth Winter Carnival
as early as 1916.
"Skijoring became part of Dartmouth's Winter Carnival ski competition in 1916. From images it appears that the races involved both the riderless form and the form with a rider directing the horse. The races were sometimes conducted around the Green, but other times they took place on Tuck Drive or at Memorial Field. The last time skijoring was part of the Carnival competition was in 1934. Henry Doremus, '36, won that competition. It was not a sport of the feint of heart: a note on the back of the image of Doremus's winning run states that the other seven contestants fell before completing the circuit."
Courtesy Rauner Library Collection
Skijor International has been collecting archival photographs
for a decade and a selection will be on exhibit
at the Skijor West
Skijor USA National Championship Finals
in
West Yellowstone, MT on March 9 & 10, 2019.
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~ A HOMECOMING ~
Given the fact that skijoring came to the
Northeastern United States as early as 1910,
it is apropos that there will be a skijoring race in
Skowhegan, Maine
this February 8th, 9th & 10th
as part of the Somerset Snowfest
supported by Mainstream Skowhegan
For details go to:
https://www.somersetsnowfest.org/skijor-skowhegan/
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~ REINING IN THE NEW YEAR ~
Let's not forget that skijoring began behind reindeer
and that reindeer races still occur above the Arctic Circle
in countries like Norway, Sweden and Russia.
A bit further south in Ukraine, Poland, Switzerland and France
skijoring with horses remains popular to this day
and has a history dating back
to the 19th Century.
The White Turf event in Saint Moritz, Switzerland
will be hosting their 112th year of racing!
www.whiteturf.ch
Our friends to the north in Alberta, Canada
have embraced skijoring in Calgary
building on a tradition that began in Quebec.
Hopefully, a Quebeçoise race will re-emerge, too!
www.skijorcanada.com
We, at Skijor USA, are excited to be building upon
the American tradition which began in the Northeast,
expanded throughout the Rocky Mountain West
and is bound to reach the Northwest by 2020!
For a complete global history of skijoring
go to:
www.skijor.com
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~ THE COUNTDOWN ~
Who's counting?
We are!
Skijor USA has reached 900 follows
and 1000 is well within reach!
Again, our likes and follows are organic
meaning, we have not imported or paid for any lists
to give us a "jump start".
This is in real time!
So keep connecting with us,
and thank you for your continued support.
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~ AS THE SNOW FALLS ~
While the ball may have dropped on Times Square
at midnight ushering in the New Year for millions of Americans,
Skijor USA will not drop the ball in 2019,
but will continue to run with it
according to how the snow falls.
Recent weather patterns are presenting some challenges,
but as An Alliance,
our races are working together to find solutions.
We will let everyone know as decisions are made to reschedule races.
Currently, the Last Chance Skijoring: Race for the Gold
in Helena, Montana
has been postponed due to lack of natural snowfall.
We will be assessing the status of the
Jackson, Wyoming
race this coming week as well.
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JOR ON!
Your Team at Skijor USA
Mark, Levi, Loren, Dana, Bruce, Clay, Josh and Jerry
&
Your SJUSA Member Race Delegates
Photos courtesy of Skijor International, LLC.