OLD MAN WINTER
Photographs courtesy Montana Winter Fair, Michael Miller and Loren Zhimanskova & "Jac"
February 10, 2023
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~ LET IT SNOW! & LET’S SKIJOR! ~
The season continues to heat up, no, not literally, thank goodness!
It's just that every weekend gets more and more exciting
and action packed.
As you will read in a national magazine story below,
skijoring is being called "the fastest growing
winter sport in North America".
It doesn't hurt that
this year has been a very good one for snow.
Saratoga had enough snow to run horses on a snowy track
and build bigger jumps.
Kaley McLean, the organizer of Coal Mountain Skijoring in Craig, CO,
had to dig out her venue's horse stalls in preparation for her race this weekend.
It took her 7 hours!
Spectators numbering in the thousands
in Heber City, Utah and Big Sky, Montana
cheered on record number of teams, 246 in Utah and 149 in Montana,
while the snow fell steadily.
The ice on the lake in Saint Moritz is frozen solid enough
to hold a tent city and a horse track not to mention thousands of spectators!
&
The southern region of Poland near the Slovakian border
has plenty of snow for their series of events!
Thank you, Old Man Winter!
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~ S O S ~
Before we get into upcoming races, results and skijoring in the news,
we are sending out a call for help.
The event in Skowhegan, Maine is having trouble finding insurance this year.
It is scheduled for February 25th, so time is of the essence.
The race in Quebec had to be cancelled recently for the same reason.
If anyone knows of any resources or has any recommendations,
please contact organizer,
Mary Wadleigh,
at MWadleigh@kyeinsurance.com or call her at (207) 474-9561.
We don’t want to see races cancelled when our sport is growing rapidly,
especially when Old Man Winter is in full cooperation!
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~ UPCOMING EVENTS ~
This coming weekend 4 states will be hosting races.
Coal Mountain Skijoring in
Craig, Colorado
Pinedale Winter Carnival in
Pinedale, Wyoming
Skijoring the Big Rock in
Boulder, Montana
Topsham Fair Skijroing in
Topsham, Maine
It is also time for the 110th annual
Steamboat Winter Carnival,
where local cowboys and cowgirls will be towing young skiers
from 6-14 years of age behind their trusty mounts down Lincoln Avenue.
Besides skijoring, horse events also include
a Street Slalom, a Donkey Jump and a Shovel Race.
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Then over President’s Day weekend 5 races will span 4 states once again!
Sundance Winter Festival in
Sundance, Wyoming
Sheridan WYO Winter Rodeo in
Sheridan, Wyoming
Silverton Skijoring in
Silverton, Colorado
Wood River Extreme Skijoring in
Bellevue, Idaho
Skijoring The Bear in
Bear Lake, Utah
Go to SkijorUSA.com and click on any of these races for a direct link and more information.
PLEASE NOTE
Many skijoring events are now Live Streaming on The Cowboy Channel Plus.
This is a paid monthly ($9.99) or yearly ($99) subscription
that can be obtained by going onto The Cowboy Channel Plus website.
https://www.cowboychannelplus.com/
BEWARE of attempts to scam would be viewers to click on FaceBook links
that try to get you to input your email address and credit card number.
These are NOT ways to watch skijoring events!
Organizers should delete these posts as soon as possible
when they appear on your FaceBook pages.
If an event is Live Streamed on FaceBook, it will simply appear.
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~ EUROPE ~
In addition to the United States,
competitors in Switzerland and Poland
continue to skijor this weekend.
As many of you know, in skijoring,
the Europeans "drive" their horses rather than ride them
using vocal commands and reining them from behind on skis.
Next week, Skijor USA will be visiting an adventuresome group of equestrians
in Minnesota that have adopted this ski-driving style here in the States!
They have formed their own Skijoring Club,
and get together every weekend to train their horses and practice.
Afterwards, they gather around a bonfire to compare notes
while drinking wine and munching on scrumptious snacks prepared by fellow club members.
Sounds amazing, and we can't wait to report back!
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Speaking of sipping on champagne and skijoring,
the second weekend of White Turf in the iconic, elegant mountain resort of
Saint Moritz
will be live streamed on YouTube so tune in to see this spectacular event.
Saturdays are now Family Days where young athletes are groomed for future races.
The racing is on Sunday, and given the time difference,
(six hours ahead of New York and eight hours ahead of Rocky Mountain states)
it may be fun to watch in the early morning
before our own skijoring races begin.
The live stream is FREE and easy to access via their website:
www.whiteturf.ch
or their YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/@WhiteTurfStMoritz/streams
We highly encourage you to watch how
the Swiss have been skijoring since 1907 in the European driving style!
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In Poland, the next event in the Parade or series will take place in
Bukowina Tatrzanska.
Next year, Skijor International hopes to organize a trip to see these fascinating European events.
In Poland, events include three disciplines,
Kumoterki, which is driving a wooden sled with a single horse,
Skiring, which is skijoring without a rider, and
Ski-skiring, which is skijoring with a rider
like we do in the United States.
Here are the results from last weekend in Ludzmierz, Poland.
Skiring 12 competitors
1st: Zbigniew Skwarek with Egzegma 19.07
2nd: Zbigniew Skwarek with Diablo 19.50
3rd: Stanislaw Rzadkosz-Pulka with Grand 19.61
Ski-Skiring 13 teams
1st: Stanislaw Babiarz on Diablo with Zbigniew Skwarek 20.22
2nd: Adam Dzierzega on Domino with Piotr Mardula-Wierchowy 20.43
3rd: Adam Raczka on Huragan with Marcin Raczka 20.53
Ok, Branden Edwards, JW Kinder and Cody Waldrip,
let’s hear you give those names a try
from the announcer's stand!
Scroll down further to see results from the last two weekend’s races in the United States.
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~ IN THE NEWS ~
Inside Hook
Skijoring was featured in a national digital magazine called Inside Hook which,
in addition to covering work out and health news provides
“lively conversation about hot-button topics in culture and entertainment.”
Our sport made the cut!
The article begins with:
"In the wildest show on snow, equestrian skijoring puts carving skiers and
galloping horses together for the fastest-growing winter sport in
North America."
To read the full article, click below:
https://www.insidehook.com/article/travel/skijoring-extreme-winter-sport
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The Cowboy State Daily out of Wyoming
featured a wonderful article about Saratoga Skijoring.
What we love about this coverage is that it is VERY personal
with some GREAT interviews!
The skijoring event is now a strong tradition in Saratoga after it replaced the traditional cutter races.
Our thoughts are with Will Faust, event organizer and skier,
who was injured while competing. Heal up fast, Will!
The press in Big Sky also wrote a story expressing
that local cross country ski enthusiasts
were ok with having their trails disrupted by last weekend’s event
because "the fun outweighs the sacrifice."
Hopefully, a lot of Nordic skiers came to the event which looked to be a BLAST,
literally, since there were pyrotechnics
and an X Games snowmobiler doing jumps and tricks over the track.
Congratulations to organizer, Justa Adams, on a successful event!
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Skijoring Utah also got some press from local news stations.
Congratulations to organizers, Joe Loveridge, Brian Gardner and Brandon Francis
on another "over the top" event!
One media group touted the idea of skijoring making an appearance at a future
Winter Olympic Games.
They cited Skijor International as the source, and yes,
we ARE working towards this goal
should the Park City bid for 2030 or 2034 be accepted.
It should be clarified, however, that equine events
may no longer be included in future Olympic competitions
due to a German coach punching a horse at the Tokyo Olympics
when it would not jump.
Under pressure from animal rights advocates, the International Olympic Committee
voted to change the modern pentathlon for the first time
in over a century, substituting another discipline for equestrian,
so skijoring may be destined to remain an exhibition sport
as it was back in 1928.
PETA is now calling for the IOC to eliminate all events involving horses.
To read more, click on the article below:
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/03/sports/olympics/horses-equestrian-jumping-modern-pentathlon.html
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Skijor Canada put on an AMAZING show in Banff last weekend
and some extraordinary photographs and video footage were captured.
Great job, Sam Mitchell, and the whole Skijor Canada team
which included trick riders and freestyle skiers.
Never a dull moment north of the border!
Get ready for Skijordue on February 25th.
Registration has been OPEN since February 6th.
Categories are
Circuit, Relay, Sprint and Jump.
Click the link below to enter, and have a FUN team name ready!
https://www.skijorcanada.com/shop/
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~ RECENT RESULTS ~
Congratulations to everyone who entered each division.
We LOVE seeing new names on the rosters
and
we hope you keep coming back for more skijoring fun!
All told, just shy of 600 teams competed in 5 events over 2 weekends,
which includes our friends at the
Montana Winter Fair in Lewistown, MT
who are pictured above!
Utah attracted the most teams with Big Sky next,
then Saratoga, Whitefish and Lewistown.
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Utah Skijoring 246 teams
Pro (Combined Times) 32 teams
1st: Preston Arnoldson and Jeff Johnson 53.52
2nd: Clayson Hutchings and Ryan Dither 53.87
3rd: Marquise Young and Addison Dvoracek 55.1
Sport (Best of Two Times) 84 teams
1st: Clayson Hutchings and Scott Hoover 26.95
2nd: Rebecca Wamsley and T-roy Houston 27.08
3rd: Zam Poulsen and Kole Balser 27.15
Novice (Best of Two Times) 64 teams
1st: Robert Jorgensen and Colton Lambert 25.48
2nd: Scott Long and Jackson Long 25.56
3rd: Marie Wamsley and Colton Lambert 25.85
Snowboard (Best of Two Times) 23 teams
1st: Brandon Francis and Derek Sims 28.99
2nd: Savannah Ranes and Evan Snedden 31.11
3rd: Karl Jensen and Black Henricksen 31.67
All Around (Combined Times) 11 teams
1st: Brad Washburn and Scott Hoover 65.69
2nd: Grace Mull and Rosie Smith 68.33
3rd: Whitney Watts and Cody Cowdell 75.3
Womens (Best of Two Times) 17 teams
1st: Grace Mull and Rosie Smith 32.88
2nd: Team Takodas Run 33.83
2nd: Leanna Huber and Karen Riley 33.83
3rd: Ashley Owens and Sylvia Greer 34.38
Century (Best of Two Times) 12 teams
1st: Clarke Hanes and Carl Budge 26.07
2nd: Bobby Marriott and Mike Owens 27.34
3rd: Staff Sorenson and Wyatt Hanvey 27.78
Lil Buckaroo (Best of Two Times) 3 teams
1st: Elsa Washburn and Olly 36.5
2nd: Misty Cain and Bear Keller 36.85
3rd: Addison McMullin and Fitz Adams 37.29
Whitefish Skijoring 82 teams
Open 24 teams
1st: Kristen Macasek on River and Cody Smith 38.86
2nd: Melissa Ostrander on War Pony and Foster Kennedy 38.92
3rd: Dennis Alverson on Jet with David Rizzolo 39.72
Sport 27 teams
1st: Arley Douglas on Dragon with Oliver Van Everen 45.66
2nd: Matt Griffen on Maverick with Oliver Van Everen 49.33
3rd: Todd Patterson on Moses with Clint Beiermrann 50.15
Novice 31 teams
1st: Gina Spangler on Coco with Johnathan Diem 42.94
2nd: Elizabeth Cohee on Splash with Carson Averill 48.56
3rd: Arley Douglas on Deadline with Kristin Van Everett 50.21
Big Sky Skijoring 149 teams
Open 34 teams
1st: Josh Abbott on Elvis with Aaron Griffen 41.59
2nd: Richard Weber on Serge with Colin Cook 43.52
3rd: Richard Weber on Serge with Tyler Smedsrud 43.68
Sport 41 teams
1st: Monica Plecker on Z with Lane Feldeisen 45.88
2nd: Kristen Beck on Lefty with Lane Feldeisen 49.28
3rd: Adam Sneed on Moose Knuckle with Wyatt Smith 49.47
Novice 30 teams
1st: Alyssa on Matt with Andrew Marsh 54.24
2nd: Hollis Lloyd on Trace with Tyler Boody 1:07.11
3rd: Meilan Sim on Perks of Frenchman with Tayler McVey 1:10.00
Snowboard 28 teams
1st: Jennifer Butler on Junior with Kalei Pitcher 44.09
2nd: Tyler Smedsrud on Three with Kalei Pitcher 47.43
3rd: Mary Gandy on Butters with Jakobe Chacon 50.47
Switcharoo 7 teams
1st: Tyler Smedsrud with Colin Cook and Three 47.86
2nd: Dennis Alverson with Aaron Griffen and Jimmy 1:00.61
3rd: Fiona Alverson with Phoebe Alverson and Raven 1:21.08
Junior 9 teams
1st: Josey Woodring on Freya with Bryson Miller 1:25.11
2nd: Josey Woodring on Huey with Kate Thompson 1:32.76
3rd: Josey Woodring on Jaxon with Trippe Tubbs 1:55.82
Saratoga Skijoring 102 teams
Open 1D 7 teams
1st: TJ Simmons on Luigi with Kevin Wilder 20.15
2nd: TJ Simmons on Turbo with Kevin Wilder 20.18
3rd: Kaley McLean on Chopper with Ben Hessling 20.69
Open 2D 15 teams
1st: Lauren Urista on Josie with Craig Kopasz 21.67
2nd: Janelle Urista on Wicked Willa with Ozzie Hay 21.69
3rd: Holly Binnian on Libby with Ozzie Hay 22.42
Open 3D 39 teams
1st: Richard Raymer on Lady with Ozzie Hay 23.16
2nd: Dori Fritz on Sassy Girl with Riley Irwin 23.25
3rd: Caileigh Perry on Pinion with Travis Lee 23.30
Novice 29 teams
1st: Richard Raymer on Rusty with Levi Wood 27.86
2nd: Alexis Peck on Princess with Trevor Merrill 30.88
3rd: Trevor Vorn on Quincy with Luke Preston 31.64
Junior 12 teams
1st: Abby Raymer on Lady with Hanna Cheesbrough 39.71
2nd: Kaley McLean on Chopper with Kaleb McLean 41.10
3rd: Kaley McLean on Chopper with Brynlynn Spaulding 50.50
For complete results go to
SkijorUSA's Facebook Page
where links from each event's results were shared.
https://www.facebook.com/skijorusa
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JOR ON!
Loren Zhimanskova,
President, Skijor USA, Inc. & Skijor International, LLC