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Whitecourt, Alberta

Rally deemed a success

Hundreds of snowmobilers showed their support at the Whitecourt Trailblazers’ annual Poker Rally

by Dwayne Brandly

The 2008 Whitecourt Trailblazers' Poker Rally was held on February 16 and 17, and everyone who attended had fun.

During both days a total of 2,453 poker hands were sold and an estimated 750 sleds took part. The rally started with pre-registration and a social event on Friday evening.

Saturday was very busy and 1,536 poker hands were sold. An estimated 500 sleds filled the parking lot before hitting the well-groomed trail to the first checkpoint. Another 917 hands were sold on Sunday and 250 sleds took part.

“This was the most successful rally we have had so far,” said Ken Linford, president of the Whitecourt Trailblazers.

The first day of riding followed a 100-kilometre trail that went from the Seniors Circle Lodge in town, across the Athabasca River and north to the Eagle River staging area where the second checkpoint was set up. There, the parking area was jammed from edge to edge with sleds and riders. The long line to the warm camp kitchen moved quickly as new cards were recorded on each hand. The weather was quite warm at -6°C and there was a lot of visiting and sharing of sledding stories while we waited our turn at the checkpoint. Doughnuts, coffee, juice and hot chocolate were made available to all, free of charge.

I was pleasantly surprised to see many families and their children taking part in the rally—and everyone enjoyed themselves.

The route north toward checkpoint number three was well groomed. This was a fairly long trek and the trail wound through the boreal forest, along creeks and through open, new-growth forest. Here, it was quite windy and the trail was a bit drifted over—but that made travelling even more fun.

This was not a race and everyone kept up a 70-km/h pace. The third checkpoint was at the new cabin at the Gundy rest area, which had been built a few months ago. This pays tribute to the many months of hard work contributed by club members. There was a shorter lineup at this checkpoint and that gave the riders time to cook a free hotdog over the fire and enjoy a doughnut and drink.

After that, we headed off to checkpoint four. Again, the perfectly groomed trail led us on a winding path through the forest—it was just a beautiful ride on a beautiful day.

After drawing another card and warming our hands by the fire, we went to find the last checkpoint. We followed a pipeline and played in the untouched snow off the trail, then rode along a power line, over a few hills and back along the Athabasca River.

When we returned to the Seniors Circle Lodge, we drew our last card and checked in. Then, we waited for the day’s prizes to be awarded. The local United Church group served a hot lunch in the lodge and it was delicious, to say the least. Prizes were given to the five riders who had the highest overall hands and five men and five women with the highest hands. Many door prizes were handed out as well. It was quite the day and we had made many new friends. Later that evening, we checked in with our hosts at the Lakeview Inn and had a comfortable night. The clean room and hot shower was welcomed after a day of sledding.

The next morning, we enjoyed a free breakfast provided by the innkeepers and then we headed for the Seniors Circle since we had agreed to run the first checkpoint.

The day’s run covered approximately 80 kilometres and it ran northwest to the Carson Cabin; from there, it went to the Trail Marker Number Ten and then to the Eagle River staging area and back to the final checkpoint at the Seniors Circle. At each checkpoint, riders were treated to a warm fire and free refreshments. All of the trails and turns were well marked with clearly visible signs indicating the correct route. Getting lost was not an option.

Showing their support

When everyone had returned, it was time for the grand prize draw for a 2008 Yamaha Nitro MTX. The winner was Brenda Merrifield of Whitecourt and she was thrilled with her new sled.

Some extraordinary things happened at this year’s rally: the co-winner of Saturday’s highest hand, Kerry Meyer, donated his prize money of $400 and another $140 to the Stollery Children’s Hospital; Eric Wyatt shaved his head for pledges and donated $540 to the Stollery Children’s Hospital and Sunday’s winner of the third highest hand, Alvin Clementovich, donated his winnings of $200 to the Cancer Foundation.

This was the most successful snowmobile rally ever held by the Trailblazers, due to the support of the snowmobilers, volunteers and sponsors from the community of Whitecourt and area. In fact, a representative of four levels of government—county, town, MLA and MP—stayed at the Seniors Circle on Sunday to support the club and congratulate all the prize winners.

Looking ahead

At the closing of the rally, Linford made a major announcement for next year: a snowmobile freestyle event will be held on February 13 and 15, 2009. This will be held in conjunction with the Trailblazers 30th Anniversary Snowmobile Rally on February 13, 14 and 15. Organizers expect this major event to draw up to 12 freestyle riders and between 1,000 and 1,500 sled entries for the two-day poker run. More information about this great event will be provided at a later date.

Many thanks to the Trailblazers for once again putting Whitecourt and the province of Alberta at the head of the snowmobiling class.