Bellevue event hosts 75 teams, 1,000 fans
By Eric Valentine
The “perfect storm” of good local weather, other regional event cancellations due to bad weather, and a heart-wrenching comeback performance by a 16-year-old cancer survivor made the most recent skijoring event the best one yet, organizers and community members said.
“I’ve been involved with this since 2012 and the most we’ve ever seen turn out is around 500 people,” said Michelle Bobbitt, secretary/treasurer for the WRESJA—Wood River Extreme Ski Joring Association. “On Saturday alone we had over 600. We sold out of food and beer. All we had left were potato chips.”
Bobbitt said upwards of 1,000 people came out last weekend to 81 Browning Lane in Bellevue to witness 75 teams of paired-up horse riders and skiers take part in a niche competitive winter sporting event that may be regaining popularity in some parts. Skijoring originated in Scandanavian countries and is derived from a Norwegian word meaning “ski driving.” It involves one person on skis who is pulled by a horse and rider, a dog (or dogs) or a motor vehicle. The duo is timed for how long it takes them to get through a slalom or other obstacle course, and they are penalized if they miss a particular obstacle.
The Organizers
As niche a sport as it is, skijoring is nothing new here. In fact, Bobbitt explains, the Valley began holding competitions nearly 20 years ago and even used to hold two events per year at one point. Just prior to that, the North American Ski Joring Association was formed. The first international sanctioned race wasn’t held until 2006 at St-Donat Airport, Canada.
In recent years, some new life was breathed back into the WRESJA, which now hosts one of eight competitions that lead up to the national finals March 14–15 at Red Lodge, Mont. The group has a formal board of directors and a healthy volunteer and sponsorship program, too.
“More volunteers, more effective marketing, it all helped us pull off a great event this year, but the weather helped, too,” Bobbitt said, referring to not only temperate conditions last weekend here but the fact that two regional events elsewhere got cancelled due to bad weather in January.
“I met people from Colorado who came out here after their other event got cancelled,” Bobbitt said.
The Comeback Kid
Perhaps one of the biggest winners last weekend was someone who placed 12th and 14th against seasoned circuit professionals in her two events. And according to people at the event, her performance garnered a stunned crowd reaction.
Sixteen-year-old Devon Peterson, after finally getting clearance from her doctors, rode her horse Super Dave and pulled skiers Josh Blackburn and Hunter Storey to successful runs after a nearly four-year battle against leukemia. Peterson underwent a bone marrow transplant in 2017 and had the subsequent compromised immune system that comes along with that serious procedure.
At her doctors’ orders, Peterson had to stay away—at least at times—from dogs, horses, and even school, since not all students are vaccinated. This year was her first chance since her pee-wee competition days that she could fully engage. She competed as one of two local riders in the pro division on a horse her dad, Tyler, won on in Hailey in 2008 and in Jackson Hole in 2015. In 2016, when Devon was in treatment, her dad and Super Dave had the fastest time, but didn’t win for errors. Devon picked up where her dad left off.
“I was super-excited but super-nervous, too,” Peterson said. “It felt great just being a normal kid again.”
