Yorkton is on its way to being named the SnoRiders SledTown Showdown Champion for the second year in a row.
SnoRiders magazine is a snowmobiling magazine based in Western Canada. Each year, they pick deserving towns from Manitoba Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia to be recognized as the best snowmobiling towns to visit.
The finalists are dwindled down based on votes from the public. Last year, Yorkton tied in first place. This year, out of 64 towns, they are one of four remaining teams in the semi-finals after winning provincially for Saskatchewan.
Jason Popowich is the president of Snoriders Yorkton, and he explained the whole process.
First, a town has to be nominated by SnoRider West magazine. Round after round, the towns that receive the lowest number of votes are eliminated. The four western provinces are equally represented, and are eliminated equally so the final round has one town from each province.
“Now we’re in the semi finals and we have to get by this round, and hopefully by two rounds later, we can call ourselves western Canada champions,” said Popowich.
Popowich said they weren’t surprised to receive the nomination after winning last year.
“But we know all of the neighbouring clubs in Saskatchewan, and each and every one of them deserves recognition,” he said.
The support from the people of Yorkton and the surrounding areas is what Popowich said is the key to their success.
“We have to thank the support of the community, they got on board and pushed for the votes,” he said. “But we wouldn’t have that support if it [wasn’t for] the hard work of the volunteers and corporate sponsors.”
He said Yorkton is wellknown for having great snowmobiling trails and shelters, which wouldn’t be possible without the volunteers and sponsors.
So, what’s the prize at the end of the long competition?
“Bragging rights,” joked Popowich. “We’d get the title, and a trophy.”
“But the real reward comes any time you can promote tourism – I don’t think a lot of people understand what’s at stake.”
Popowich said with this recognition comes a lot of tourism to Yorkton in the winter months – a time when there’s usually a lull in visitors.
“It’s a win-win for everyboday,” he said. “That’s the true reward – it’s the next time someone flips open the magazine to spend a week or so snowboarding, they’re going to look at Yorkton.”
He said this kind of attraction will help everyone from gas stations, to restaurants, to hotels.
Voting is simple, but requires two important steps. First visit snoriderswest.com/sledtown_showdown and scroll down until you see Yorkton.
Once the town is clicked, you then have to submit your email address. The magazine will send you a confirmation code, which is required to submit your vote.
Voting for this round of the competition is open until Tuesday, Dec. 20.
