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South Colton dog sled team competes at the Dryland World Championships in Bristol, Quebec

Posted 12/1/15

Andre van der Merwe leads a South Colton dog sled team at the Dryland World Championships in Bristol, Quebec, Canada. SOUTH COLTON -- Call of the Wild Racing Siberian Huskies, owned by Carolyn & …

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South Colton dog sled team competes at the Dryland World Championships in Bristol, Quebec

Posted

Andre van der Merwe leads a South Colton dog sled team at the Dryland World Championships in Bristol, Quebec, Canada.

SOUTH COLTON -- Call of the Wild Racing Siberian Huskies, owned by Carolyn & Spencer Thew, participated in the 2015 IFSS (International Federation of Sled Dog Sports) Dryland World Championships which took place in Bristol, Quebec, Canada from 28 Oct – 1 Nov 2015.

Call of the Wild Dog Boarding Kennel, also owned and run by Carolyn and Spencer Thew, is located in South Colton.

The local team was driven by Andre van der Merwe, Call of the Wild Sled Dog Team trainer.

Andre hails from South Africa and has over 22 years experience in dryland racing.

In dryland racing, the sled dogs pull carts. The carts used by Call of the Wild teams are designed and manufactured by Andre.

Based on the IFSS (International Federation of Sled Dog Sports) race statistics program, where each drivers racing career is tracked, Andre was selected to represent Team USA based on his performance as a sprint team driver in the 4-dog Nordic Breed class over the last 3 years.

In 2014/2015 IFSS Dryland Racing Season, Andre was ranked # 1 in Northern America (USA & Canada) and # 3 Worldwide by the IFSS.

All 3 years Andre and the Call of the Wild Racing Siberian Huskies raced in both the 4-dog and 6-dog Nordic Breed classes – winning the 4-dog class in 2013 and 2014 and placing second in the 6-dog class in 2014. All at Call of the Wild Kennels are very proud of Andre & the team for their Bronze Medal on an international podium at the IFSS 2015 World Championships.

Upon being congratulated on his accomplishment, Andre’s response: “I could not have done this without the Call of the Wild Siberian Huskies…there is no “I” in this sport – only “we”, “team” and “us”.

Call of the Wild sled dogs, although mid-distance athletes who normally set a pace of between 8-10 miles/hour over distances of 250 miles… simply love the opportunity of just being able to run flat out at 19mph for 3.3 miles, having fun!

Having had the honor of representing USA at the Dryland World Championships, shaving 1 min 40 seconds off their personal best time and taking the Bronze Medal on the international podium – the sled dogs and their mushers are now back to training for the upcoming snow season, putting serious miles under the teams feet in the annual process of getting them up to mid-distance fitness.

The general public is welcome to participate in a training run. The team trains daily (weather permitting). Call 262-2145 if you are interested in experiencing these amazing athletes and visiting with their mushers and handlers.