~ Whoa, Nelly! ~

January 13, 2020

There's an old cowboy saying,

"If you're ridin' ahead of the herd,
take a look back every now and then to make sure
it's still there with ya."
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~ ANNOUNCEMENT  ~
 

After careful consideration and consultation with our Advisory Committee, Skijor USA has decided by unanimous vote to forego a race series in 2020.  

Weather conditions in the northern region played an important role in this decision as did other factors.  We will be using this season as a hiatus to continue to learn from the races that are held this year and will continue to support these races.  

As an organization, we care deeply for the sport of equine skijoring and feel that our decision is in the best interest of individuals, horses and the sport as a whole.  

We wish everyone safe and successful competitions in the weeks ahead!  JOR ON! 


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~ LOOKING BACK ~

We thank everyone involved with Skijor USA and
feel a sense of pride in all that we accomplished in such a short period of time.  We provided a platform for people to share great ideas and attracted a strong following right out of the gate.

While many new concepts worked beautifully,
others did not have enough time to take hold or may have been misinterpreted.
We will take the time to analyze this in the coming months
 so that, as an organization, we can grow stronger.

What is most important is that new ideas were introduced:

An Advisory Committee
made up of highly respected and experienced individuals
A Hall of Fame Committee
made up of skijoring's legendary individuals
Organizers' Summits
which often had a dozen + participants on the line
The 3D Format
a brilliant idea posited by Mark LaRowe
which eliminated many problems plaguing our sport
Team Nomination for Points
no membership was imposed or required to compete
Stringent Safe Track Criteria
taking into account scientific factors
Consequences for Unsportsmanlike Conduct
valuing all members of our community like volunteers
Mentoring of New Races
multiple races will begin as a result of our tutelage
A Web/TV Series
identifying outstanding athletes and horses
Regional Races with consistent rules & regs
leading up to
a National Championship Finals
for which competitors must qualify within their regions.

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~ THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS ~

I look at the vintage postcard from 1922 above, and I can't help but think of Mark LaRowe and I holding on for dear life
as Skijor USA was launched and boldly charged forward.
Now it all seems a bit ethereal. . . 

I would like to thank Mark from the bottom of my heart
for the endless hours of hard work and time he spent both in person and on the telephone not just with me, but with many race organizers and committee members over the past two years.

Mark is moving on from a board position at SJUSA to pursue his professional photography career full time, but as a race organizer he will remain on calls and his input will be valued every bit as much as it has been up to this point.
We wish him well
and know that his photographic imagery will continue to make an impact on our sport and the story we have to tell! 

Loren will be continuing in her role as a Skijoring historian and promotor of the sport both nationally and internationally.

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~ LOOKING GOOD ~

We gave it our all.  
Throughout 2019, we had a stellar Advisory Committee backing us up whose members attended meetings so that we always had a quorum.
Many race organizers praised us for what we were doing, and we enjoyed wide participation in our hour plus conference calls.
We experienced record opens for our newsletter, which told us the community was behind us and that the media was staying engaged.

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~ LOOKING FORWARD ~

What is important now is that during 2020 and beyond,
Skijor USA continues to play 
a vital and positive role in the evolution of the sport.
In addition to outreach and providing resources,
we will be focusing more on marketing and promotion.
This will include ALL races in North America.
Whether an event follows the traditional format, the 3D format, or creates one all its own, and whether a race is independent or otherwise affiliated, Skijor USA will promote that event without prejudice as part of a comprehensive national series. 
This has been sorely lacking
as a valuable resource to our broad community.
 

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~ IN MEMORIUM ~
 
Our thoughts go out to Scott Ping
who lost his champion horse, Kona Koffee,
just over a week ago, last Sunday.  Kona was 24.
Kona and Scott are a team to be remembered and admired.
We wish you peace at this difficult time.

JOR ON!

Loren, Mark, Dana, Jerry, Bruce, Josh and Clay

Photo courtesy of Skijor International, LLC