Colorado Skijoring -- WEB
Metadata
- Colorado Skijoring -- WEB
- March 11, 2022
- Content Type Package
- Language English
- Transcript/Script English COLORADO SKIJORING HEADLINE: Horses Pull Skiers in Race Through Obstacle Course During Colorado Festival TEASER: Winter sport blends skiing and rodeo in Rocky Mountain town of Leadville PUBLISHED AT: 03/11/2022 at 8:35AM BYLINE: SCOTT STEARNS DATELINE: Leadville, Colorado VIDEO EDITOR: SCRIPT EDITORS: Reifenrath, Mia Bush VIDEO SOURCE (S): ALL VOA PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV X RADIO __ TRT: 03:57 VID APPROVED BY: MAS TYPE: TVPKG EDITOR NOTES:)) ((INTRO)) [[High in the U.S. Rocky Mountains, skiers race through an obstacle course pulled by riders on horseback in a decades-long tradition that is part skiing and part rodeo. VOA correspondent Scott Stearns has our story from Leadville, Colorado.]] ((NAT SOUND:)) “Ready? Let’s go!” ((NARRATOR)) Montana horse wrangler Tayler Stobaugh says galloping down a snow-covered city street pulling a skier on 10 meters of rope takes a lot of confidence. ((Tayler Stobaugh, Skijoring Rider)) “You have to believe in your horse, and you also have to believe in yourself. You have to know your horse’s limits so when you’re going down the track if it’s a little bit of bad terrain or if it’s too deep in the snow, you have to know if your horse is going to be able to make it through it.” ((NARRATOR:)) Stobaugh is part of a sport called skijoring, where horses and riders pull skiers through a timed course with jumps and sets of rings to catch with your arm. As the rider, she is coordinating her horse and her skier. ((Tayler Stobaugh, Skijoring Rider)) “So you have a little pep talk before every race to ask them how you want your horse to run, where you need to be so they can hit the jumps and so they can make the gates easily.” ((OPT)) ((NARRATOR:)) Rider Josh Abbot says that communication is key. ((Josh Abbot, Skijoring Rider)) “The skier reads the track and can kind of tell you, ‘Move over here’ or ‘Slow down here.’ The skier gets to know the gears of the horse and the tendencies of the horse. So that really helps out on the teamwork aspect. It’s really three heartbeats out there.” ((END OPT)) ((NARRATOR)) Two-time national skijoring champion Colin Cook grew up in Montana ski racing. ((Colin Cook, Champion Skijorer)) “You can’t just grab somebody that has ski raced, throw them on the end of a rope and expect them to do good. It definitely takes training. ((OPT)) ((NARRATOR:)) Because you cannot always see where you are landing, Cook says you have to scout the course ahead of time. ((Colin Cook, Champion Skijorer)) “You’re sitting on top of the ramp looking at where your gate is and then find a point where you know you need to be going off that gate with that direction because you can’t see that gate. It’s hidden behind the jump. So you are going off to make sure that when you go off of it, you are pointing at that spot that you saw during inspection so that when you come off and land you are ready to get that turn.” ((END OPT)) ((Scott Stearns, VOA News (stndup version)) “On a circuit that includes events in Alberta, Canada and the U.S. states of Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, and Utah, for this type of skijoring, Leadville is where it all began.” ((NARRATOR:)) Skijoring historian Loren Zhimanskova. ((Loren Zhimanskova, Skijor USA President)) “Leadville ski joring is the oldest ski jouring race that has an obstacle course. It started in 1949. You see Golden Burro Cafe behind us. ((PHOTO COURTESY: Lake County Public Library)) That is where some cowboys and skiers got together and challenged each other. Said: “I have the fastest horse. I have the best skier that can hold on to that horse. Let’s race.” ((NARRATOR:)) More than three kilometers above sea level, Leadville is North America’s highest incorporated city, built on silver mining in the 1870’s and now dependent largely on tourism. So, this was a welcome return of crowds kept away from last year’s race by Coronavirus. ((Loren Zhimanskova, Skijor USA President)) “After taking a bit of a reprieve last year, the crowds this year have been larger than I’ve ever seen. The enthusiasm, the ability to cheer, to be all together to gather at restaurants. We had a live band last night. It really is a great release.” Aspen Traders co-owner James Smits. ((James Smits, Co-owner Aspen Traders)) “It seems to have brought more people to Leadville because so many people want activities that are outdoor and something that is real. And Leadville is an authentic Old West town. Skijoring is a real important part of that.” ((NARRATOR:)) Stobaugh says this year’s crowds boosted all the competitors. ((Tayler Stobaugh, Skijoring Rider)) “So, I love it. I think it is great. But I think my horse personally runs faster when she has people cheering her on. She loves the attention, and she will give it her all. So, it is awesome to see all these people come out to watch us ride and watch us ski.” ((NARRATOR)) Skijoring was part of the Winter Olympics in St. Moritz nearly 100 years ago. Supporters are hoping to see it return as a demonstration sport or as part of the torch relay should the winter games come to Salt Lake City, Utah, in 2030 or 2034. ((SCOTT STEARNS, VOA NEWS, LEADVILLE, COLORADO))
- Transcript/Script COLORADO SKIJORING HEADLINE: Horses Pull Skiers in Race Through Obstacle Course During Colorado Festival TEASER: Winter sport blends skiing and rodeo in Rocky Mountain town of Leadville PUBLISHED AT: 03/11/2022 at 8:35AM BYLINE: SCOTT STEARNS DATELINE: Leadville, Colorado VIDEO EDITOR: SCRIPT EDITORS: Reifenrath, Mia Bush VIDEO SOURCE (S): ALL VOA PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV X RADIO __ TRT: 03:57 VID APPROVED BY: MAS TYPE: TVPKG EDITOR NOTES:)) ((INTRO)) [[High in the U.S. Rocky Mountains, skiers race through an obstacle course pulled by riders on horseback in a decades-long tradition that is part skiing and part rodeo. VOA correspondent Scott Stearns has our story from Leadville, Colorado.]] ((NAT SOUND:)) “Ready? Let’s go!” ((NARRATOR)) Montana horse wrangler Tayler Stobaugh says galloping down a snow-covered city street pulling a skier on 10 meters of rope takes a lot of confidence. ((Tayler Stobaugh, Skijoring Rider)) “You have to believe in your horse, and you also have to believe in yourself. You have to know your horse’s limits so when you’re going down the track if it’s a little bit of bad terrain or if it’s too deep in the snow, you have to know if your horse is going to be able to make it through it.” ((NARRATOR:)) Stobaugh is part of a sport called skijoring, where horses and riders pull skiers through a timed course with jumps and sets of rings to catch with your arm. As the rider, she is coordinating her horse and her skier. ((Tayler Stobaugh, Skijoring Rider)) “So you have a little pep talk before every race to ask them how you want your horse to run, where you need to be so they can hit the jumps and so they can make the gates easily.” ((OPT)) ((NARRATOR:)) Rider Josh Abbot says that communication is key. ((Josh Abbot, Skijoring Rider)) “The skier reads the track and can kind of tell you, ‘Move over here’ or ‘Slow down here.’ The skier gets to know the gears of the horse and the tendencies of the horse. So that really helps out on the teamwork aspect. It’s really three heartbeats out there.” ((END OPT)) ((NARRATOR)) Two-time national skijoring champion Colin Cook grew up in Montana ski racing. ((Colin Cook, Champion Skijorer)) “You can’t just grab somebody that has ski raced, throw them on the end of a rope and expect them to do good. It definitely takes training. ((OPT)) ((NARRATOR:)) Because you cannot always see where you are landing, Cook says you have to scout the course ahead of time. ((Colin Cook, Champion Skijorer)) “You’re sitting on top of the ramp looking at where your gate is and then find a point where you know you need to be going off that gate with that direction because you can’t see that gate. It’s hidden behind the jump. So you are going off to make sure that when you go off of it, you are pointing at that spot that you saw during inspection so that when you come off and land you are ready to get that turn.” ((END OPT)) ((Scott Stearns, VOA News (stndup version)) “On a circuit that includes events in Alberta, Canada and the U.S. states of Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, and Utah, for this type of skijoring, Leadville is where it all began.” ((NARRATOR:)) Skijoring historian Loren Zhimanskova. ((Loren Zhimanskova, Skijor USA President)) “Leadville ski joring is the oldest ski jouring race that has an obstacle course. It started in 1949. You see Golden Burro Cafe behind us. ((PHOTO COURTESY: Lake County Public Library)) That is where some cowboys and skiers got together and challenged each other. Said: “I have the fastest horse. I have the best skier that can hold on to that horse. Let’s race.” ((NARRATOR:)) More than three kilometers above sea level, Leadville is North America’s highest incorporated city, built on silver mining in the 1870’s and now dependent largely on tourism. So, this was a welcome return of crowds kept away from last year’s race by Coronavirus. ((Loren Zhimanskova, Skijor USA President)) “After taking a bit of a reprieve last year, the crowds this year have been larger than I’ve ever seen. The enthusiasm, the ability to cheer, to be all together to gather at restaurants. We had a live band last night. It really is a great release.” Aspen Traders co-owner James Smits. ((James Smits, Co-owner Aspen Traders)) “It seems to have brought more people to Leadville because so many people want activities that are outdoor and something that is real. And Leadville is an authentic Old West town. Skijoring is a real important part of that.” ((NARRATOR:)) Stobaugh says this year’s crowds boosted all the competitors. ((Tayler Stobaugh, Skijoring Rider)) “So, I love it. I think it is great. But I think my horse personally runs faster when she has people cheering her on. She loves the attention, and she will give it her all. So, it is awesome to see all these people come out to watch us ride and watch us ski.” ((NARRATOR)) Skijoring was part of the Winter Olympics in St. Moritz nearly 100 years ago. Supporters are hoping to see it return as a demonstration sport or as part of the torch relay should the winter games come to Salt Lake City, Utah, in 2030 or 2034. ((SCOTT STEARNS, VOA NEWS, LEADVILLE, COLORADO))
- NewsML Media Topics Sport, Arts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
- Topic Tags Skijoring
- Network VOA
- Embargo Date March 11, 2022 15:57 EST
- Description English High in the U.S. Rocky Mountains, skiers race through an obstacle course pulled by riders on horseback in a decades-long tradition that is part skiing and part rodeo. VOA correspondent Scott Stearns has our story from Leadville, Colorado.
- Brand / Language Service Voice of America - English