Newspaper
| 2009 |
Volunteers used a heavy roller to pack down snow on several sections where ice had become a hazard.
About 100 teams will be trailing into the area to register for races beginning Saturday morning and continuing
Sunday.
Serre, 59, said it's been stressful talking to fellow mushers who are concerned dogs may get injured by running
them over sharp ice or if a sled tips when runners catch in a rut.
The race, originally scheduled for last weekend, was postponed after a post-Christmas rain melted snow and left
icy sections in the lowland areas.
"The good thing is we got a little bit of snow now to patch things up ... it's very important to have a good trail," he
said, explaining that this race is a practice run for the world championships in Quebec later this month.
Serre's home and kennel in Markstay serves as a stopover for some race teams.
Pavel Porubsky of the Czech Republic has been living in a motorhome outside Serre's home after arriving for the
original race date.
He said Canada is usually much colder than his home country, where they hold four major dog sled races a year,
although the sport's popularity is limited due to few acceptable venues in Europe.
But Porubsky, who has been racing for 15 years, said he had just called home and was told the temperature has
plummeted to -36 C in the mountain areas.
Another racer from France, who lives and trains primarily in Anchorage, Alaska, was also visiting Serre, although
he's not racing this weekend because it's too close to the championships.
James Calloway, of Hanmer, assists Serre as a dog handler and races his second team.
He said the top racers are the people who are competitive at heart.
"Lou Serre wins because he's the hardest-working guy out there," Calloway said, referring to the number of
kilometres he covers on the trial and the length of time he spends getting the dogs ready to race.
"You have to be really determined to win to put in that kind of effort."
Calloway said most people who come out to watch their first sled dog races are surprised that most of the dogs
are not stereotypical Siberian huskies.
He said greyhounds and pointers have been bred with Alaskan huskies for the speed needed for the short sprints
that will be seen this weekend.
He said the Euro-hound and Louro-hound, named after Serre, "is easily twice as fast as Siberians."
"Even in the distance racing, you don't see that many purebreds," he said, partly because the smaller dogs have a
shorter recovery time.
Serre, who has 33 sled dogs, said the most amazing thing for people new to the sport is how much the dogs love
to run.
He said they're treated and trained like "great athletes" with the best foods and treats, as well as vaccines and
vitamin supplements.
"(Mushers) treat them like a coach would treat his players," Serre said, with sleep schedules for proper rest and
bedding for comfort.
"Every little detail counts," he said.
Several kinds of races will take place this weekend, including ski-sojourning with one to three dogs, as well as
four, six and eight-dog classes. Spectators can see most of the action with the trails cutting across farmland near
the Warren arena.
"There's a big crowd of people who are gung-ho about the race and they're all coming out to cheer us on," he said.
About 100 teams will be trailing into the area to register for races beginning Saturday morning and continuing
Sunday.
Serre, 59, said it's been stressful talking to fellow mushers who are concerned dogs may get injured by running
them over sharp ice or if a sled tips when runners catch in a rut.
The race, originally scheduled for last weekend, was postponed after a post-Christmas rain melted snow and left
icy sections in the lowland areas.
"The good thing is we got a little bit of snow now to patch things up ... it's very important to have a good trail," he
said, explaining that this race is a practice run for the world championships in Quebec later this month.
Serre's home and kennel in Markstay serves as a stopover for some race teams.
Pavel Porubsky of the Czech Republic has been living in a motorhome outside Serre's home after arriving for the
original race date.
He said Canada is usually much colder than his home country, where they hold four major dog sled races a year,
although the sport's popularity is limited due to few acceptable venues in Europe.
But Porubsky, who has been racing for 15 years, said he had just called home and was told the temperature has
plummeted to -36 C in the mountain areas.
Another racer from France, who lives and trains primarily in Anchorage, Alaska, was also visiting Serre, although
he's not racing this weekend because it's too close to the championships.
James Calloway, of Hanmer, assists Serre as a dog handler and races his second team.
He said the top racers are the people who are competitive at heart.
"Lou Serre wins because he's the hardest-working guy out there," Calloway said, referring to the number of
kilometres he covers on the trial and the length of time he spends getting the dogs ready to race.
"You have to be really determined to win to put in that kind of effort."
Calloway said most people who come out to watch their first sled dog races are surprised that most of the dogs
are not stereotypical Siberian huskies.
He said greyhounds and pointers have been bred with Alaskan huskies for the speed needed for the short sprints
that will be seen this weekend.
He said the Euro-hound and Louro-hound, named after Serre, "is easily twice as fast as Siberians."
"Even in the distance racing, you don't see that many purebreds," he said, partly because the smaller dogs have a
shorter recovery time.
Serre, who has 33 sled dogs, said the most amazing thing for people new to the sport is how much the dogs love
to run.
He said they're treated and trained like "great athletes" with the best foods and treats, as well as vaccines and
vitamin supplements.
"(Mushers) treat them like a coach would treat his players," Serre said, with sleep schedules for proper rest and
bedding for comfort.
"Every little detail counts," he said.
Several kinds of races will take place this weekend, including ski-sojourning with one to three dogs, as well as
four, six and eight-dog classes. Spectators can see most of the action with the trails cutting across farmland near
the Warren arena.
"There's a big crowd of people who are gung-ho about the race and they're all coming out to cheer us on," he said.
'Miracle' snow lets sled dog races go on
Warren to host championships this weekend
By DAVE DALE, SUN MEDIA; NORTH BAY NUGGET
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Just enough snow fell Wednesday for the third annual True802 Challenge the
Champ Sled Dog Race this weekend.
"It looks gorgeous ... we made a miracle," Lou Serre, event trail co-ordinator and a
worldclass racer, said Thursday after conducting a safety inspection.
Champ Sled Dog Race this weekend.
"It looks gorgeous ... we made a miracle," Lou Serre, event trail co-ordinator and a
worldclass racer, said Thursday after conducting a safety inspection.