|
39 years in chuckwagon racing
Mac Olsen
for South Peace News
Leon Jamerson has two passions in life, racing chuckwagons and promoting the sport.
Jamerson is from Saddle Lake, near St. Paul, Alberta, but he also lived in Athabasca for about eight years. He’s been chuckwagon racing for 39 years and doesn’t plan to retire from the sport anytime soon. One reason he likes the sport is racers helping each other in time of need.
“Everybody tries to keep everybody together and help one another,” says Jamerson. “There aren’t many sports like that now.”
He’s a member of the Alberta Professional Chuckwagon and Chariot Racing Association. He raced two teams during the Elks Pro Rodeo Aug. 3-4 and placed 19th and 20th in the standings, with overall times of 134.74 and 138.23 respectively. The Town of High Prairie sponsored one of the teams. He also races chariots, but did not race in High Prairie.
Jamerson likes chuckwagon racing the best because chariots are really small and turn so fast, making the balance hard to manage. He has been in several accidents, including one where he went end-over-end and injured his arms. Despite the risks of accidents and death in the sport, he does not shy away from participation.
“It’s just like a race car driver, when you heal up and you get right back in,” says Jamerson.
In fact, if Jamerson were to die in an accident, it would be with the satisfaction he had devoted himself to the sport.
Jamerson has received many awards, including the Greg Smith Memorial Sportsmanship Award, which is due in part to running wagons for many years as well as trying to maintain public interest in the sport.
Smith was from Coleville, Sask. and he used to run chuckwagons. However, he died in an accident in Vermillion in 2009, so his family established the award to exemplify his sportsmanlike character.
< Previous
Home
Next >
|
