Feb 18, 2015
As usual, the Sharbot Lake Snow Drags, which took place at Oso Beach on Saturday February 14, attracted winter speed demons of all ages. The annual event, now in its fifth year, was resurrected in 2011 after a long hiatus by an enthusiastic group of young participants in the YAK program.
Official snow machine races are few and far between in Ontario, and so the Sharbot Lake Snow Drags continue to attract hundreds of riders from all over Ontario, Quebec and New York state. This year the event attracted 125 registered machines, 10 more than last year and more than that number of racers, proving that it continues to grow in popularity.
There were participants from Vals-des-Monts and Saint Jolie, Québec as well as American riders from Hogansbury and Ogdensburg, New York. In addition to the regular races, a few new classes were added to the lineup, including an improved stock trail class and a King of the Trail open class.
This year Rob and Jen Day of Kingston put on the BBQ lunch to feed the hungry riders and announcer Robin Flaro did a stellar job announcing the races. Youngsters were awarded their trophies right after their races and the other awards and prizes were handed out at a special awards ceremony at Oso hall once when the races wrapped up in the early afternoon.
The event is put on by the Oso Recreation of Central Frontenac with the help of a number of dedicated community volunteers. Key volunteers include Scott and Mitch Cox and their crew, who prepare the snow tracks. Mitch Cox said that the work for him and his crew this year was considerably lessened when professional groomers from the Snow Road Snow Mobile Club offered to groom the snow track. Previously, it had to be packed down by countless volunteer riders prior to race day. Spencer Robinson and his crew took charge of preparing the ice track.
This year, conditions were perfect for the races and Mitch Cox said that riders, observers and volunteers really lucked out on race day because the weather was considerably warmer than the biting temperatures on Friday and Sunday.
The races also give young riders a chance to show their skills. Seven-year-old Kaylee Mustard of Westport, who has been sledding for just over two years, raced for her very first time and it was a happy day for her when she took home a trophy after placing first in the Kitty Kat half track class. Hats off to all of the organizers and the countless dedicated volunteers who together put on another safe, smooth and seamless event that keeps sledders coming back year after year.
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