Northern Ont. hosts weekend-long dog sled World Cup qualifiers

Dog sled racer Luke Siertsema, from Blyth, Ont., gets his four-legged racers ready. He puts his helmet on and harnesses his dogs.

Competitive dog sled racer Luke Siertsema from Blyth, Ont. has been mushing for more than 15 years. He was in South River for the International Federation of Sleddog Sports World Cup qualifiers on Jan. 20 & 21. (Eric Taschner/CTV News Northern Ontario)"I love the competition,” he said.

“I love dogs and am definitely an animal person".

Siertsema said he started racing competitively more than 15 years ago when his dad got him into it. He raced in the 2017 Winter Sleddog World Championships in Haliburton Forest, Ont.

"We start training in mid-fall when the temperature starts dropping,” said Siertsema.

“It has to be a good temperature for dogs to start exercising."

Throughout Saturday and Sunday, mushers are strapping up to compete in one, two, four and six-dog sled races in the trail system at Almaguin Highlands Secondary School in South River.

This weekend South River, Ont. saw a competition where every dog had its day as it hosted International Federation of Sleddog Sports World Cup qualifiers. (Eric Taschner/CTV News Northern Ontario)There was also a junior category that featured one and two-dog sled races plus a kid and mutt event where young children could race their dogs on small sleds over a 500m distance.

"You actually see their (the dogs’) reaction and how pumped up and amped they get. They love it,” said Matt Paquette, the competition’s co-organizer and Sledding Sports Association of Southwestern Ontario (SSASO) representative.

“If the dog doesn’t want to pull you, you are not pushing him to do it. When we train dogs, positivity and love goes a long way.”

Among the categories: one-dog skijor (where the individual is on skis and pulled by dogs), two-dog and four-dog sled races are qualifiers for the upcoming World Cup, which is hosted by the International Federation of Sleddog Sports (IFSS).

This weekend South River, Ont. saw a competition where every dog had its day as it hosted International Federation of Sleddog Sports World Cup qualifiers. (Eric Taschner/CTV News Northern Ontario)"This is also a golden ticket status event,” said the other co-organizer Jessica Switzer.

“The winners from this race, in each section, automatically qualify for nationals."

Switzer is also an SSASO representative.

A large variety of dogs were competing including Huskies, Alaskan Huskies, Samoyed and Malamute.

Officials said 40 mushers are competing from all over Ontario, Quebec and several U.S. states like New York, Maryland and Pennsylvania.

Musher Mandy Collins made the trek up from Michigan.

Musher Mandy Collins made the trek to South River, Ont. from Mich., USA for the International Federation of Sleddog Sports World Cup qualifiers on Jan. 20 & 21. (Eric Taschner/CTV News Northern Ontario)“I was in Spain for the dryland world championships and this dog went with me,” she said.

“It was a great experience and I was there for 19 days. I had a lot of fun. I finished in the middle of the pack. You know, I can learn where I can improve."

In 2022, a handful of Ontario racers visited the town to check out the trail conditions, coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic. Last year, the same trail played host to a one-day-informal dog sled time trial. Paquette said there was momentum building in the dog sled world.

This weekend South River, Ont. saw a competition where every dog had its day as it hosted International Federation of Sleddog Sports World Cup qualifiers. (Eric Taschner/CTV News Northern Ontario)If the trail's length can be increased by one or two miles, the other races can be sanctioned as World Cup qualifier events as well. Paquette is optimistic that local organizers can make that happen for future World Cup competitions, keeping safety in mind.

"We're hoping to put together a team to keep improving this trail,” said Paquette.

“Not just for mushing, but we want to do it for everybody.”

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The weekend was truly a competition where every dog had its day.

“We'd like to see it come back,” said Siertsema.

“So we're going to support it."