tattoos on this town

February 24, 2022

Photos of Wood River Skijoring
provided by Mark LaRowe Photography

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Whenever I hear Jason Aldean singing,

"It sure left its mark on us, we sure left our mark on it
We let the world know we were here with everything we did
We laid a lot of memories down,
And we'll always be hangin' around,
Like tattoos on this town"

I think of skijoring events
and the positive impact they have, the "lasting mark" they leave,
on communities, large and small,
all over our country and the world.

I am proud to be a part of this growing sport,
and I wish to thank EVERYONE who
participates whether as a competitor, an organizer,
a town council or chamber of commerce member,
a volunteer, a sponsor, a member of the media
or a spectator either live or virtual.

Each and every one of you deserves recognition!

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~ LATEST NEWS ~

On Saturday,
Skijor the Bear
brought skijoring to the Bear Lake Resort
in Garden City, UT
for their second annual event.
Nearly 100 skiers signed up, half of them under the age of 15!
Riders with about 30 horses thrilled this energetic group
by pulling them through a course
meticulously prepared by organizer, Mark Smoot, and his crew.
As with other events, he relied on the help of
community members to shave off a layer of freshly fallen snow
before the event could proceed safely.

Mark commented that this event is one of the best days
of his life since it brings such joy to folks, the majority of them, locals.
He happened to celebrate a birthday to boot!

About 500 people watched, an uptick from only 75 the year before.
He also credits the Bear Lake Chamber of Commerce
and Beaver Creek Lodge
with making the event a success.

Mark was edged out of placing by a team
which had attended Skijoring Utah
earlier in the month.
It seems these two young ladies had a thirst to win!

Skijor the Bear will return
on President's Day weekend in 2023,
and Mark is contemplating if he wants to
keep it small and local or see it grow into a larger event.
We'll keep you posted!

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Silverton Skijoring
is back
bigger and better than ever!

A town tradition since 2010, Silverton
offers a FANTASTIC venue
with teams racing down "notorious Blair Street".
The charming historic town is the perfect setting for an event,
which livens up this slumbering alpine town during their quieter winter months.

34 horses, 23 riders and 25 skiers
combined to form 74 teams
and competed in Novice, Sport and Open Divisions.
They came from as far as Montana, Wyoming and New Mexico
to join their Colorado compatriots on the course.

The course was built by Rob Conaty,
one of the event founders,
and, for the first time in Silverton, he incorporated
rollers, a banked turn and a gap jump
which thrilled onlookers.

The new organizer, Karen Srebacic-Sites,
did an outstanding job with the help of her brothers,
Phillip and Patrick Byers, and wife, Amanda.
Accepting a baton that has been passed from previous organizers
is no small feat, and Karen and her group of hard working
volunteers (most of them veterans), and community sponsors (which have grown with Karen's efforts)
did a GREAT job!

The Grand Imperial Hotel stepped up and hosted
the registration, and J.W. Kinder, a professional rodeo announcer,
made the trip from Casper, Wyoming to entertain the crowd.

The event attracted journalists from
The Colorado Sun, a Denver based news agency,
The Durango Herald,
and many more photographers and videographers.

One of our own, Josh Morrison, who hails from New Zealand,
celebrated a birthday over the weekend,
with his beautiful girlfriend, Madelyn Wise, in town to help celebrate.

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Wood River Skijoring
in Bellevue, Idaho
looked to be an AMAZING event
from the photos captured by Mark LaRowe.

Awesome snow conditions, blue skies over the weekend,
and an enthusiastic group of competitors and onlookers combined
to make this event a success with 58 teams
competing over 6 divisions.

Organizers, Bill and Michelle Bobbitt and Josh Glick
have been putting on this event for years,
and a portion of proceeds support
the HS Hockey team.

Just look at the lengths people are taking to dress up for skijoring!
WE LOVE IT!
This just shows what a positive impact we can
all have in today's world.
Live, laugh and love MORE!
SKIJOR!

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After a postponement earlier in the season,
Whitefish Skijoring
was rarin' to go!

With 15 Novice, 33 Sport and 11 Open teams
the day of competition was FULL!
Folks from Alberta, Canada; Keely Gibb, Foster Kennedy & Nevada Kramer,
and Idaho; Wes Chapman, joined up with Montanans,
Toby McIntosh and Michael Miller, to name a few,
for a weekend of rabble rousing.

From the looks of the photos posted on social media,
Whitefish competitors had to deal with
a snow storm as they raced.

Scott Ping, of Skijoring Magazine,
helped as area judge and safety and flag
coordinator on the course.

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White Turf
in Saint Moritz, Switzerland
completed its 116th event this past Sunday.
In Skikjöring, Franco Morro,
who was Skikjöring for the 100th time,
clinched 1st place trophy in the Grand Prix CREDIT SUISSE.

If you missed the 30 second Canon commercial
from November of 2015
which featured Franco Morro and his horse
skijoring in Patagonia, it is a MUST SEE!

Click here:
https://youtu.be/HJqMSJOqMak

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Ukrainian Skijoring Festival

At this very dangerous and difficult time in Ukraine,
we thought to share the 3 minute video below
which shows just how INNOVATIVE our friends in Ukraine
are when it comes to skijoring.
They skijor on snow, on water and on turf!

God Bless everyone in Ukraine.
We are praying for you here in America.

Show your support by liking their Facebook Page!

https://www.facebook.com/Ukrainian-Skijoring-Festival-207558742772292/

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~ UPCOMING EVENTS ~

With Wisdom, MT & Buffalo, WY
sadly having to cancel due to lack of snow,
(events in southern Poland are in the same predicament)
we are left with two events this weekend.

West Yellowstone, MT ~ February 26 & 27
& Skowhegan, ME ~ February 26 only

Then, three more will follow to finish off the season.

Leadville, CO ~ March 5 & 6
&
Blairmore, Alberta, Canada ~ March 12
&
Red Lodge, MT ~ March 12 & 13

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West Yellowstone's Shotgun Skijoring
will have six divisions:
Junior, Novice, Snowboard, Switch-A-Roo, Sport & Open.

Payout will be 100% of registration fees
plus whatever can be allocated after event expenses are finalized
in the coming days.
There is Day Money paying top three placements
&
Overall will pay 6 places in Open,
4 in Sport and 3 in all other Divisions.

Registration and Pizza Party
begins at 6 PM at Wild West Pizzeria!
They are a Gold Level Sponsor
donating the highest level of cash and hosting registration, Calcutta and awards.

The Town of West Yellowstone is a main sponsor as well
providing funding, labor and a loader.
Tri State Excavating is making the course building possible
offering a deep discount on time, labor and equipment.
Hatchery, a tech company, did all the web design and social media.

The Wrap Agency is providing banners,
and Red Rover is also on board!
Buffalo Bar is partnering with Bozeman Spirits as vendors on site,
so pack a lunch or visit one of WYS's many restaurants before or after the race.
Sweet Home Montana, a lodging company,
offered discounted rooms to participants,
and Montucky Cold Snacks donated beer for competitors.
FKMGS Construction, out of Seattle, donated cold, hard cash.

The course is looking SUPERB on the latest
Facebook post! Plenty of snow with which to work and sculpt!

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Skowhegan, Maine's Somerset SnowFest
will include a skijoring event
on Saturday the 26th.
This follows the Ice Fishing Derby last Sunday.

Skowhegan's local businesses are supporting
the event, and Baxter Brewing Company, has been their
LEAD SPONSOR since 2020!
(What is it about Skijoring and Beer!?)

We wish our friends in Maine,
a mere 2630 miles away,
a FUN and SUCCESSFUL event!

Fun Fact: Look how close the events are in latitude!

West Yellowstone, MT, United States

44.658743" N, 111.106711" W

Skowhegan, ME, United States

44.8019961" N, 69.6635841" W

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~ WINNERS CIRCLE ~

Before we get into last weekend's winners,
we want to acknowledge a pretty amazing feat!

Steve Noyes sustained a serious injury
to his shoulder and collar bone
at the beginning of the season on January 8th in Ridgway, CO.
(Trust me, I saw the X-rays, full 6" separation).
He was competing in the snowboard division as a snowboarder.
He flew home to Helena, Montana for surgery
only to discover he had to wait due to
testing positive for COVID.

Less than a month after his surgery, he decided to compete as a rider in Boulder, MT
with his horse, Arrow. He pulled Lewis Douglas, a fellow snowboarder.

Here is what he wrote to me:
" For the past two years all I have wanted was a buckle. Finished second several times and won in Lewistown MT and ID but no buckle... Go figure my first buckle would come from being the rider just 3 weeks out of surgery! First time my horse and I have ever competed in anything too! I guess I can now “retire.” 😂"

Congratulations to Steve Noyes! You are an inspiration to us all!

Our thoughts go out to any other skiers or riders that were hurt this season,
and we wish you all a full and speedy recovery.
Thankfully, all horses have stayed safe.

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Silverton, CO

Novice
1st Blaze Branford and Amanda Sanders on Peaches
43.59
2nd Milo Dietemeyer and Kimber Cook on Badger
44.44
3rd Milo Dietemeyer and Amanda Sanders on Peaches
46.21

Sport
1st Kevin Wilder and Noah Gregory on Dev Gru
37.5
2nd Kevin Wilder and Carissa Dahl on Rage
37.54
3rd Kevin Wilder and Justin Atkinson on Chupacabra
37.8
4th Kevin Wilder and Dennis Alverson on Jimmy
38.71

Open/Pro
1st Tyler Smedsrud and Sarah McConnell on Hardened
34.55
2nd Tyler Smedsrud and Richard Weber on McLeod
35.95
3rd Tyler Smedsrud and Sarah McConnell on Derby
36.15
4th Colin Cook and Richard Weber on Kitty Kitty
36.55
5th Colin Cook and Savannah McCarthy on Tank
37.49

Snowmobile: Day only
1st Blaze Branford (Skier) and Nipper Alsup (rider)
20.09
2nd Todd Bove (Skier) and Austin Lashley
36.99
3rd Bailey and Austin
(best effort and our only snowboarder)

For full results go to:
https://www.facebook.com/Silverton-Skijoring-265566703518563/photos/pcb.6974306315977868/6974304802644686/

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Wood River Skijoring

Pee Wee
1st: Jim Pierce/Fooler & Bella Brower

2nd: Katelyn Berman/Cricket & Juniper Farner

Snowboard
1st: Hollis Lloyd/Peppy & Hayden Jenkins

2nd: Travis Clelland/T-Money & Tyler Rowland

3rd: Lauren Nesbit/Paycheck & Tyler Rowland

Women
1st: Katherine Licht/Babe's Last Rascal & Alina Gemza

2nd: Katelyn Berman/Cricket & Julie Youngblood

3rd: Whitney Watts/Dash & Aline Gemza

Novice
1st: Karli Lloyd/Trace & Joe Lloyd

2nd: Harry Youren & David Ray

3rd:Hollis Lloyd/Peppy & Joe Lloyd

Sport
1st: Tyler Peterson/Super Dave & Josh Glick

2nd: Ryan Thomas/Walter & Eric Stonehill

3rd: Harry Youren & Peter Stevenson

Open
1st: Katherine Licht/Babe's Last Rascal & John Anderson

2nd: Katherine Licht/Babe's Last Rascal & Cam Fraser

3rd: Ryan Thomas/Walter & John Anderson

We didn't take the time to do the math for placements,
but Day 1 and Day 2 times can be found on the link below.

For full results go to:
https://woodriveresja.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/2022-RESULTS-WRESJA-FINAL.pdf

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Whitefish Skijoring

Novice
1st: Lucas Garrett/Luna & Jade Thomas
57.18
2nd: Jake Sweeney/Sweet Pea & Nik Caron
1:00.30
3rd: Lindsay Engibous/Stetson & Emily Lampman
1:00.98

Sport
1st: Audrey Williams/Junior & Aaron Oberlitner
39.71
2nd: Steve Armstrong/Cocoa & Nick Becker
41.14
3rd Eric Christianson/Lucky Dee & Lance Nelson
41.21

Open
1st: Jennifer Butler/Fast & David Rizzolo
38.42
2nd: Kristin Macasek/Batman & Toby McIntosh
38.96
3rd: Leah Mitchell/Bango Is Her Naymo & Nevada Kramer
39.77

For full results go to:
https://my.raceresult.com/192383/?fbclid=IwAR362pQcw_q1Q_3-_rDUxVmUuEZuAheH4yfM2WH97zw_uplDOMcVLiBbxS4

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~ COOL VIDEOS ~

Check out this video from Carroll Spurs,
a sponsor of Extreme Events MN at Canterbury Park event.
This shows just what our sport can do to promote your business as a sponsor!

https://www.facebook.com/144Visuals/videos/5017001405012601

&

Skijoring Utah
also released a new video
which shows their event from a spectator's perspective.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNFw0aL9VOU

KEEP 'EM COMING!

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~ FACES OF SKIJORING ~

Check out some photos taken by Skijor USA at Silverton Skijoring
https://www.facebook.com/skijorusa/photos/?ref=page_internal

We didn't take as many as usual, since Loren was on the announcer's stand.

PLEASE LIKE OUR PAGE & TAG AWAY ! ! !

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~ PHOTOS FROM EVENTS ~

Additional photos from
Silverton will be posted shortly.

For photos by Mark LaRowe from Wood River Skijoring
go to:
https://marklarowe.photoshelter.com/gallery-collection/Wood-River-Skijoring/C00003ysBixYCAOw?fbclid=IwAR2ScWh0OulxtbEDAlPZzawjLrSwdEpkX548vAC4IwnnlAUhH2UTfA71aos

For photos by Dave Hopkins from Whitefish Skijoring
go to:
https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=10158512838315980&set=pcb.985592118748459

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JOR ON! and Stay safe and healthy!

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