The first-ever Didsbury Dog Sled Derby promises to be great fun for competitors and spectators alike, say officials.
"We are really excited and it should be a really fun family event," co-organizer Dena Wannamaker told the Gazette. "We were waiting to see if we'd get some snow and we really got some snow."
Scheduled to be held at the Didsbury Agricultural Society grounds on Jan. 7 and 8, the event is expected to attract dozens of competitors from across Western Canada, she said.
"We are expecting anywhere between 25 and 35 competitors," she said. "We even have a fellow coming from Manitoba, and people from Alberta, B.C. and Saskatchewan."
Dogs expected to be involved in the race will include Siberian huskies, malamutes and Alaskan huskies, she said.
The Didsbury Agricultural Society grounds - located just north of town at Twp. Rd. 314 and Rge. Rd. 20 - should be ideal for the races, she said.
"The Didsbury Agricultural Society is hosting this brand new event at the exhibition grounds," she said. "It's a perfect venue."
The trail was put in at the site on Dec. 26 and practices started on Dec. 27.
"It looks amazing," she said.
About 35 volunteers are involved in planning and putting on the derby, she said.
"We have a great group of volunteers," she said.
The derby will feature races in a number of categories.
"There will be dog sled racing and skijoring, where people have cross-country skis on and one dog or two dogs pull them around the race trail," she said.
"There is four-dog, four-mile; and six-dog, six-mile (categories). And we have a junior class which is under 12 years old, and a novice class for people just learning.
"In the novice class there are two or three dogs and they go two miles. We have two-mile and four-mile skijouring."
Wannamaker herself is a competitor in the six-dog open dog sled class. Her two daughters, Rachel Wannamaker and Chelsea McLaughlin are also scheduled to compete.
The winners in each category will be determined by how they compete over the two-day event, she said.
"It's a two-day total time event with races both days," she said.
The Didsbury derby is sanctioned by the International Federation of Sleddog Sports (IFSS), he noted.
Under IFSS rules, race veterinarians must be present throughout the race to "monitor the health and welfare of all dogs, advise drivers in caring for their dogs' medical needs, and provide veterinary treatment for dropped dogs, if necessary."
Didsbury Veterinary Services will be providing a veterinarian and veterinary technician for the derby to "ensure that all animal welfare concerns are addressed as required," she said.
The derby itself came about following the demise of the former Rosebud dog sled race, which was held in Didsbury in recent years, she said.
"We had helped organize the Rosebud Run in the past, but the Rosebud Run shut down when they didn't want to do it in the valley anymore," she said. "So the agricultural society approached us and said they would host it at the ag grounds."
There will be no charge for spectators, she said.
"There's a big parking lot and they will have that all plowed out on race days. And there will be a concession," she said.
Competitors will be billeting in the area or staying at local motels, she said.
More information on the Didsbury derby can be found at www.didsburydogsledderby.wordpress.com.
"We are really excited and it should be a really fun family event."Dena Wannamaker
