February 4, 2025

OLYMPIC AMBITIONS

Top Photo at Skijoring Utah by Afton McConahay
& Leadville Photos by Skijor USA

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In our last newsletter,
we announced
the Sun Valley Invitational
during the Audi FIS World Cup Finals.

Now let's talk Olympics
French Alps 2030
&
Salt Lake City 2034

We feel that skijoring
has an excellent chance of being
represented in some way as either a
side event, an exhibition or as part of the torch relay,
and ours efforts are focused on Utah.

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BACKGROUND

Here is some info on going for "The Full Monty".

The criteria to be recognized
as an official Olympic sport is daunting,
and the hill, steep to climb.

Before even becoming an exhibition sport,
sports must not only have centralized and well-functioning
national organizations in different countries,
but also an international organization
that bands these national organizations together.

Furthermore,
there need to be international competitions
at venues on several continents.

Events need to have common rules, tracks
and guidelines, and athletes, whether human or equine,
need to be part of a drug testing program.

Optimally,
a sport needs to have an international
following not only on a professional level, but also
on a recreational level to some extent.

Sponsorships and media need to be top tier,
and growth, rapidly on the rise.

If anyone is interested
in doing research into sports
that have been down this pre-Olympic road,
take a look at Pickleball or Bandy.

 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

TIMELINE

So, how long would it take
for skijoring to meet these criteria?
Well, I guess that is up to us.
Bandy, a version on ice hockey, organized in the 1950s
and they are JUST NOW being considered seriously.

Given the fact that skijoring takes place
in both the French Alps and Utah,
also gives us a leg up, but another issue, however,
may be that the sport involves horses.

Equestrian events were
included in the first Olympics due to the same man
who insisted that skijoring be included,
Pierre de Coubertin.
Now, however, this is a sensitive subject
due to a specific incident that occurred at the Tokyo Olympics
at which a German coach punched a horse
when it refused to jump.
Subsequently, a decision was made to substitute cycling for 
horseback riding in the Modern Pentathlon.

An article in Fan Arch on February 7, 2024, states
"The elimination of horseback riding from the Olympic modern pentathlon was driven by a combination of concerns related to animal welfare, fairness, logistics, and the modernization of the sport.

To read the complete article, click here:
 https://fanarch.com/blogs/olympics/why-horseback-riding-was-eliminated-from-the-olympic-modern-pentathlon

All hope is not lost, however,
since dressage, jumping and eventing
were still included at the Paris Olympics in 2024.
At the IOC's executive board meeting in Mumbai
in October 2023, the decision was made to also include
equestrian sport in the 2028 LA Olympics.

“We are delighted with the IOC’s announcement that the equestrian disciplines at competition at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games will be on the Los Angeles 2028 sports program,” Fédération Equestre International President Ingmar De Vos said in a statement, and "Not to be included in Los Angeles will be the show jumping portion of the modern pentathlon competition."

Since skijoring would be a singular discipline,
perhaps we would be viewed favorably.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

There are events
on our calendar that are
tracking toward this kind of growth,
and we applaud their vision, efforts and sacrifice
when it comes to personal investment
in time and money.

Skijoring Utah,
under the direction and vision of
Joe Loveridge and Brian Gardner, co-organizers,
is leading the charge in many ways,
and they are joined by
Skijor Canada, Extreme Events MN
and Teton Valley Skijoring.

This season alone Skijoring Utah
is putting on 4 events.
Their first was an exhibition in downtown
Salt Lake City,
and it attracted 15,000 spectators
in one afternoon during a two-hour exhibition!
This event came about due to the
SLC bid for the Olympics,
so these folks already have skijoring on their radar.

In this exhibition,
not only traditional skijoring, but
freestyle skiers entertained the crowd
as skiers and snowboarders were towed in by horses
to catch big air and do tricks.
This mix of Western Lifestyle and Ski Culture
suits Utah's brand to a "T".

Their next race,
Cache Valley Skijoring,
was a new event that Skijoring Utah
pulled together in less than two months at the fairgrounds
in Logan, Utah.
150 teams competed despite rainy weather.

This teed up Skijoring Utah up for their 9th annual race
a few weeks later in Heber City.
This epic event has grown from its Soldier Hollow
location, and Skijor USA loves how this group
consistently raises the bar, thinks outside the box,
brings in new sponsorships, creates new media opportunities
and attracts talented competitors on both
the rider and skier sides.

This year, Dillon Flinders and Parker White,
both big mountain skiers
on the World Cup Tour which has taken them to
places like Alaska and Japan
to find the most challenging pistes,
skied behind riders with competitive rodeo backgrounds.
Clayson Hutchings, for example, won his
High School Championship in saddle bronc and went on
to place 3rd in College Nationals.

The Heber City race
hosted 370 teams and 10,000 spectators.
There were close to 40 vendors on site
offering food, beverages and merchandise.  
They are the only event that runs a portion of the race
under lights after sundown.
It was beautiful this season since snow
was falling lightly.

The Showdown
is unique to Skijoring Utah's main event
since they take the 20 fastest teams over the two-day
event and have them compete for additional money
at the very end  of the weekend's competition.
This year the winners were Josh Abbott and Colin Cook,
(Elvis aka Love provided the horsepower),
who won an additional $2500 on top of their first place overall finish.

A Prize Pot of $25,000
PLUS prizes provided by sponsors such as Camp Chef stoves,
Wyld Gear coolers, custom chaps and breast collars,
Rockwell Eyewear, STS jackets and Corral boots
were awarded to dozens of competitors.

This year, the Big Air competition
was set up so that the audience picked
the winning jump/trick
by going online to choose their favorite one.
The winner got a year's supply of Spylt Milk!

In previous years, Skoekli skis, Pit Vipers sunglasses,
Backou scooters and even high-end blenders
were part of the prize package.

Just when you thought Utah was finished for the season,
an Invitational at
Brian Head Ski Resort
was announced for
on Saturday, March 15, 2025!

Talk about being on a roll!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The publicity these events
has generated has been staggering.

 A professional model 
who now calls Utah home,
presented SKIJOR fashion in a clever
Instagram post prior to the Heber City event.
She and her friends cheered on the competitors
from a VIP tent near the finish. 
Skijoring Utah posted two videos
each of which achieved
70K likes in 24 hours.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DGd5Wzpy_1a/
https://www.instagram.com/p/DGCXZbFJTdt/

Action photography and reels
from the February main event also went viral.

The photo pictured above is 
Joe Loveridge on his horse, Bossman,
a Draft Quarter horse cross,
pulling freestyle skier, Parker White, into the jump.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

CONCLUSION

So where does this put the sport of skijoring
from an Olympic perspective?

Skijor USA has engaged in conversations
with people "in the know" and has done their own
research into what it takes to achieve Olympic status.
While we have a tough and long hill to climb,
equine skijoring does have some things going for it.
 

~ We have a rich history over 100 years old. 
~ We currently have competitions in four countries:
the USA, Canada, Switzerland and Poland.
~ Horse events are still included in Olympic Games.
~ There are promising movements toward organization
as well as structure, such as a yearly calendar of 50 events,
but our rules and the formats in which we compete is not common,
for instance, some races have riders on horses and others do not.
~ We are beginning to get the attention of larger sponsors,
media outlets and tourism bureaus, and our athletes are beginning to get recognition.
~ We have strong events, like Skijoring Utah, Skijor Canada, Extreme Events MN and Teton Valley Skijoring raising the bar year after year.

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~ IN THE NEWS ~

Skijor USA is partnering with
a man from Tennessee, TC, who has designed new horseshoes
using an innovative computerized welding process to
adhere carbite crystals to sections of the shoe.
This revolutionary design should give
horses better traction on and off the skijoring course.
They will also last longer than shoes using borium or studs.
Both St. Croix and Kerckaert shoes are available
in #000 - #3 sizes.
Prices range from $9.50 to $14.50 per shoe,
and are discounted by the case.

Go to SKIJOR.COM
and click SHOP, then TACK & MORE
to see photos and pricing.
There are also pins, caps and clothing for sale!

Videos and testimonials are coming soon.
Competitors have already used them in Heber City, Utah
and Leadville, Colorado with positive results.

For questions, contact Loren at
(646) 209-0229
loren@skijorusa.com

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~ DADDY OF 'EM ALL ~

Leadville Skijoring
put another one in the books
this past weekend.

Under crystal clear blue skies
and with temperatures in the mid-40s,
the committee pulled off an extraordinary
achievement running a record 130 teams each day.
Jason Dahl, and his track crew, worked tirelessly,
strategically spreading salt, raking and shoveling the track,
and dragging it with a snowmobile towing a palette
on which Jason often rode adding weight
and inspecting the track as he rode.
The track remained safe for human and equine competitors
throughout the five hour race.

Horses were clocked at speeds 
ranging from 39 mph in the Open,
and 36 mph in the Sport.

The rings proved challenging
since they were staggered along the length
of the track in three groups of two.
Jumps returned to higher levels
than the year before,
the Open jumps at 7 and a half feet tall.

The 77th annual race
attracted media from local Colorado stations,
magazines across the US such as Outside,
and even a television crew from France.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Leadville employed its traditional
Match/Draw format in both divisions,
and adopted a 3D payout in Sport this year.

On Saturday, first place in the Open
went to Lauren Urista on JJ
with skier Bruce Stott at 16.68.
On Sunday, first place
went to Richard Weber
on his newest horse, Lickem For Luck,
also with skier Bruce Stott at 15.97.
Lickem for Luck ran Exhibition Only on Saturday
and also had a time under 16 seconds.

Mind you, the reason Bruce won is because
he was wearing his "Dahl Jeans",
a play on the word "genes",
which we was awarded a few years ago.
Jeff Dahl and son, Greg,
took 2nd on Saturday with Rage
only .13 seconds behind 1st
and
took 3rd with Cash on Sunday
only .12 seconds behind 2nd
(Savannah McCarthy/Tank/Bruce Stott)
and .31 seconds behind 1st.

On Saturday and Sunday,
first place in 1D Sport
went to Janelle Urista on Zeva
with skier Malcolm Seamans.
The team ran a 16.62 and a 16.72.

Congratulations to Overall Winners:
Savannah McCarthy, Bruce Stott, Janelle Urista,
Bryson Threatt, Richard Weber and Eric Brynildson
and horses Tank, Zeva and Lucky

For complete results, click here:
https://www.leadvilleskijoring.com/run-time-sheets

Congratulations to Paul Copper, Duffy Counsell,
Talus Schreiber and their committee members
and volunteers on a successful event.

We would also like to acknowledge
Jody Manly,
who passed in 2017 at the age of 84.
He was known as the Godfather of Skijoring
since he was one of the founding members of Leadville Skijoring, 
and it was Jody's vision
that created and built the track design that Leadville still runs
its race on today.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Skijor USA enjoyed
watching the race from the back 
of a square bodied, 1997 flat bed Ford.

"Well, I'm standing on a corner 
In Leadville, Coloradah
And such a fine sight to see. 
It's a girl, my Lord, in a flatbed Ford 
Slowin' down to take a look at me. . ."

And LOOK we DID!

We were on the look out for both competitors
and spectators dressed for the occasion
in true SKIJOR style.
Men in furs, women in Serape ponchos,
cowboys with mustaches 
combed and twirled at the ends sporting their best
wild rages tied expertly around their necks.

The Leadville Exchange,
now located right on Harrison Avenue
next to the famous Manhattan Bar,
is a great source of Skijor Vintage pieces!
Shop online with owner, Nancy, at 
https://www.leadvilleexchange.com/

We met wonderful people from
Texas, Wisconsin, Tennessee, Illinois,
New Mexico, California, Vermont, Connecticut, New York,
and even Scotland and Australia!
all eager to take in the spectacle and be
a part of it by dressing in their best combination of
fur, leather, fringe, denim, wool and more.
So many new bonds were forged,
and old friendships rekindled.
We connected with a rider from Madison, Wisconsin
who wants to organize a race there!

See our Facebook and Instagram
posts on Skijor USA channels and be inspired
to be a part of the SKIJOR party scene
at your favorite race!

https://www.facebook.com/skijorusa/

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~ AN EMOTIONAL RETIREMENT ~ 

Jerry Kissel
started skijoring 42 years ago.

This year in Leadville,
he announced his retirement.

No one puts it better than Jerry's lovely wife, Sue:
"Started March 1983 last run March 2 2025. It's been a wild fun 43 year ride for this man. I'm so proud of him for following his heart and never letting a bump in the course deter him from his next run
Lots of tears today and so much love from our skijoring family has filled our hearts beyond capacity!
Weather was sunny and a bit too warm. Which you rarely hear me say. But this weekend was the perfect way to retire.
I love you and am so proud of you Jerry Kissell
Thanks for the amazing memories (and there are soooo many) and to the future of helping build the sport and share your knowledge!"

Besides skiing behind hundreds of riders
and horses at hundreds of races,
Jerry has been an active and dedicated member of 
Skijor USA's Advisory Committee
for close to a decade.
His willingness to impart his knowledge for the
betterment of the sport, especially when it comes to safety,
is greatly appreciated.

We wish Jerry the best and know we will continue
to see him at events whether he is
volunteering, cheering on his friends,
or mentoring new competitors.
We were happy to be a part of Jerry's last perfomance
in Leadville this weekend,
cheer him on, capture photos and hear him reminisce about
his many memories.

We affectionately call Jerry
"The Six Million Dollar Man".
For those of you who may be too young to know,
Steve Austin was a handsome character
in a popular television series in the 1970s
whose body had been rebuilt
after a crash on a NASA test flight,
hence his moniker.
Jerry, you have been through more surgeries
and recoveries as the result of skijoring,
yet you always came back for more.

Thank you for your dedication and outstanding example.

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~ UPCOMING EVENTS ~

This weekend,
five events will take place.
Two in Alberta, Canada,
and one in Boulder, Wyoming,
Red Lodge, Montana &
Grand Lake, Colorado.

Red Lodge has been having a race since 1980.
While it is not a true National Finals,
despite its title, it does attract
teams from multiple states and Canada.
Divisions include: Open, Sport, Novice, Junior,
Snowboard and Pee Wee.

There will be music both
Friday and Saturday nights
at the Snow Creek Saloon.
Races start at 11:00 AM.

Skijor USA has been to Red Lodge
several times over the past 10 years and
celebrates its skijoring tradition.
We wish the organizing
committee, the track officials and volunteers, and
the competitors a safe and successful event.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Steele Ranch and Grand Lake
are races newer to the skijoring calendar,
and they are two-day events,
on March 8th & 9th.
The Canadians in Alberta have held
Pole and Spur,
Thunder in the Pines,
(whose Tik Tok promotional video
features the Shot Ski,
which should tell you something!)
and Skijoring for MS,
a fundraiser,
as single day events for several years.

Go to SkijorUSA.com
and click on each event for details.

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JOR ON! 

Loren Zhimanskova,
President, Skijor USA, Inc. & Skijor International, LLC