Salisbury, CT, January
26, 2020- Are you up for some quirky winter fun? Get a group of your friends
together to enter JumpFest’s Human Dogsled Race! This unusual winter event is
part of the 94th annual Ski Jumping Championships in Salisbury,
Connecticut taking place on Friday, February 7, Saturday, February 8, and
Sunday, February 9.
The human
dogsled team consists of six people, five pulling, and one rider. It is so much
fun to watch these colorful sleds and costumed teams race against one another!
The teams compete in timed, two teamed races, and the two fastest times in the
men, women, and mixed categories run a second race. Trophies are awarded to
the three fastest teams in each category. There is also a people’s choice
trophy for the most unusual sled and costumes.
The Human
Dogsled Competition takes place on Friday, February 7 around 9 p.m. after the
ski jumps for the evening are over. The registration fee is only $25 (paid on February
7 at the event) and all human dogsled participants get into Jumpfest free! For
detailed information www.jumpfest.org. To download the registration form click
here.
The registration
fee helps SWSA, a non-profit volunteer organization to continue to foster the
sport of ski jumping and the Eastern National Ski Jumping Championship.
Festival Schedule
JumpFest kicks
off on Friday, February 7 at 6 p.m. with Target Jumping beginning at 7 p.m.
Target Jumping is followed by the infamously fun Human Dog Sled Race, a crowd
favorite that begins between 8:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. Teams of six participate,
five pulling the sled and one riding. The sleds and costumes, of course, boggle
the imagination! Trophies are awarded for the best in men's women's, mixed
categories. Competitors navigate a .3-mile course through the snow. It’s all in
fun, and teams can get very creative with both their costumes and
sleds. Two large bonfires and warm food and beverages are available.
On Saturday,
February 8, things warm up with a Junior Meet that is followed by the
practice of participating jumpers from 11 a.m. to 12 noon. The main competition begins at 1 p.m. It is thrilling to watch these
Olympians in the making defy gravity and soar through the air with runs
of up to 200 feet. Another tradition is the Snow Ball Dance taking place at
the White Hart Inn with entertainment by the Steve Dunn Band. This is the
perfect time to mingle with fellow sports lovers, bid at the silent auction,
and take a chance on a raffle ticket that benefits the Salisbury Winter Sports
Associations (SWSA) programs. The admission to the Snow Ball Dance is $15. The
highly anticipated Eastern U.S. Ski Jumping Championships on Sunday,
February 9 begins with practice at 11 a.m.; the competition begins at
1 pm. At this event, there are often Olympic hopefuls that display
the tremendous coordination, skill, and grace that have what it takes to
soar so far and so high with a smooth and successful landing. Make ski jumping
history and be there to see if the Salisbury record is broken - perhaps a
new contender for the Olympics! Even the most sedentary spectators will
appreciate the extraordinary coordination and skill required to make this jump!
Judging from past history, some of the competitors here will go on to the Olympics.
Coffee, hot chocolate, beer, wine, hot toddies, and food will be available at all events. As this is an outdoor event,
and it is winter, please dress warm - don't forget your cowbell and cellphone
for great photo opportunities! On Friday, February 7, the event ticket booth opens
at 6 p.m. and admission is $15; on Saturday, February 8, the event opens at 10
a.m. and tickets are $15, on February 9 the event opens at 11 a.m. and tickets
are $15. The Snow Ball Dance is $15 at the door. The Human Dog Sled Race entry
is $25 on Friday, February 7 with the downloaded pdf.
About Salisbury Winter
Sports Association (SWSA)
It all began in
1926, when a gentleman named John Satre (Say-tree) showed off the sport he had
learned in his native Norway with the unlikely feat of jumping from the roof of
a shed while wearing skis. To everyone’s surprise, instead of crashing Satre
soared through the air and glided to earth. It looked like fun and by the next
summer, several neighbors had gotten together to begin building a proper
takeoff and ski run. A former cow pasture became the landing area. On January
29, 1927, the club, the Salisbury Winter Sports Association (SWSA) held its
first competition with a crowd of more than 200 spectators. This all-volunteer
group has hosted several National Championships and, today continues
to maintain Satre Hill, introduces young and old to the sport of ski
jumping, and organizes the competitions.
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