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Sled dog racing

Sled dog racing (sometimes termed dog sled racing) is a winter dog sport most popular in the Arctic regions of the United States, Canada, Russia, and some European countries. It involves the timed competition of teams of sled dogs that pull a sled with the dog driver or musher standing on the runners. The team completing the marked course in the least time is judged the winner.

Sled dogs are a highly trained dog type that are used to pull a dog sled, a wheel-less vehicle on runners, over snow or ice, by means of harnesses and lines. A sled dog race was a demonstration sport at the 1932 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York and again at the Olympics in Oslo, but it did not gain official event status.

Sled dog races include “sprint” races over relatively short distances of 4 to 25 miles, mid-distance races from 28 to 200 miles, or long-distance races of 200 to over 1000 miles (Iditarod). Races are categorized not only by distance, but by the maximum number of dogs allowed in each team. The most usual categories are four-dog, six-dog, eight-dog, ten-dog, and unlimited (also called open), although other team size categories can be found.

One example of a dog race is the American Dog Derby, which was first started in 1917. The American Dog Derby is the oldest dogsled race in the United States and was the first dogsled race that rose to international prominence. Begun in 1917 and heavily promoted by Union Pacific Railroad, it was on par with the Kentucky Derby and with the Indianapolis 500 in terms of interest and press coverage in the early part of the 20th century and was considered to be the world championship dogsled race.

Monday, January 30, 2012

2012 Winter Youth Olympic Games

For the first time ever, young athletes gathered Jan. 13-22 in Austria for the Winter Youth Olympic Games. The event began with traditional opening ceremonies for more than 1,000 competitors from more than 70 nations. Ranging in age from 14 to 18, they competed in the 15 core events held at the Olympic Games. Keep an eye out for the names you see here, as they may appear again in Sochi, Russia, during the XXII Winter Olympics in February 2014. -- Lloyd Young (29 photos total)

The flag bearer from Austria, Tamara Grascher enters the stadium during the opening ceremony of the first Winter Youth Olympic Games in Innsbruck Jan. 13, 2012. (Dominic Ebenbichler/Reuters)

Austrian downhill skiing Olympic champion of 1980 Leonhard Stock skies down with the Olympic flame during the Opening ceremony of the first Winter Youth Olympic Games on Jan. 13, 2012 in Innsbruck. In all, 70 national Olympic committees are taking part in these Youth Games, "which for winter sport is a very good figure", said IOC chief Jacques Rogge. (Samuel Kubani/AFP/Getty Images) #

Judges watch a ski jump from their windows during the Winter Youth Olympic Games Ski Jumping at Seefeld Arena on Jan. 14, 2012 in Seefeld, Austria. (Julian Finney/Getty Images) #

A ski jumper in action in the nordic combined ski jump practice during previews to the Winter Youth Olympic Games on Jan. 12, 2012 in Seefeld Arena, Austria. (Julian Finney/Getty Images) #

Switzerland's Christian Maag competes during men's singles luge competition at the Winter Youth Olympic Games in Innsbruck on Jan. 15, 2012. (Samuel Kubani/AFP/Getty Images) #

Arkhip Nekolenko (not pictured) of Russia scores his team's opening goal over Finland goalie Kaapo Kahkonen during the mens final between Russia and Finland at the Tyrolean Ice Arena during the Winter Youth Olympic Game on Jan. 22, 2012. Finland won the gold 2-1. (Martin Rose/Getty Images) #

Germany's Kim Meylemans starts on the track during the women's skeleton event at the first Winter Youth Olympic Games in Innsbruck on Jan. 21, 2012. (Reuters) #

Yuri Gilitski and Eugenia Tkachenka of Belarus perfrom in the ice dance free dance figure skating during the Winter Youth Olympic Games on Jan. 17 in Innsbruck, Austria. (Julian Finney/Getty Images) #

Max Raymer of the United States performs in the men's snowboard slopestyle event during the Winter Youth Olympic Games on Jan. 19 in Kuhtai, Austria. (Finney/Getty Images) #

An athlete competes in the 1500m women's speed skating event at the Olympic Speedskating Oval on Jan.16 in Innsbruck, Austria. (Shaun Botterill/Getty Images) #

Patrick Caldwell from the United States competes in the men's classic 10km cross country skiing race during the Winter Youth Olympic Games at Seefeld Arena on Jan. 17 in Seefeld, Austria. (Martin Rose/Getty Images) #

Anthony Herringshaw of the United States starts his skeleton first run at the sliding center during the Winter Youth Olympic Games on Jan. 21 in Patscherkofel, Austria. (Julian Finney/Getty Images) #

Aaron Blunck of the United States during the Men's Freestyle Halfpipe competition on Jan. 15 in Kuhtai, Austria. (Shaun Botterill/Getty Images) #

Aydin Djemal of Great Britain, Xiucheng Lu of China, Yin-Cheng Chang of Taipei and Thomas Insuk Hong of the United States compete in the men's 500m short track speed skating at Olympiaworld on Jan. 19 in Innsbruck, Austria. (Shaun Botterill/Getty Images) #

New Zealand's Piera Hudson speeds down the course during the women's alpine skiing super G race at the first Winter Youth Olympic Games in Innsbruck Jan. 14, 2012. (Dominic Ebenbichler/Reuters) #

New Zealand's Hamish Bagley performs a jump during the men's snowboard halfpipe finals at the first Winter Youth Olympic Games in Innsbruck on Jan. 15. (Dominic Ebenbichler/Reuters) #

Ondrej Kosztolanyi of Slovakia and fellow competitors collapse to the ground after the men's 10km pursuit during the Winter Youth Olympic Games on Jan. 16 in Seefeld, Austria. (Julian Finney/Getty Images) #

Swedish players celebrate after winning the women's hockey final game at the first Winter Youth Olympic Games in Innsbruck on Jan. 22, 2012. (Reuters) #

Danielle Vrielink of Canada skis past the mist in the women's 7.5km pursuit during the first Winter Youth Olympic Games on Jan. 16 in Seefeld, Austria. (Julian Finney/Getty Images) #

Slovakia's Petra Vlhova celebrates after winning the first run of the women's alpine slalom event at the first Winter Youth Olympic Games in Innsbruck on Jan. 20. (Reuters) #

New Zealand's Piera Hudson clears a gate during the women's alpine giant slalom race at the first Winter Youth Olympic Games in Innsbruck on Jan. 18. (Dominic Ebenbichler/Reuters) #

Switzerland's Sandro Simonet clears a gate during the men's alpine slalom race at the first Winter Youth Olympic Games in Innsbruck on Jan. 21. (Dominic Ebenbichler/Reuters) #

Norway's Martin Sesaker (left) and his teammate Stine Haalien work on the stone while playing against Estonia during a mixed team curling event at the first Winter Youth Olympic Games in Innsbruck, Austria on Jan. 17. (Kerstin Joensson/Associated Press) #

Finland's Joel Kiviranta, Kasperi Kapanan and Manu Honkanen (L-R) celebrate after winning the men's ice hockey final game at the first Winter Youth Olympic Games in Innsbruck on Jan. 22 (Dominic Ebenbichler/Reuters) #

Poland's Kaja Ziomek falls during the women's 500 meter speed skating race during the Winter Youth Olympic Games in Innsbruck on Jan. 14. (Kerstin Joensson/Associated Press) #

Austria's Miriam Kastlunger reacts after the women's singles luge event at the first Winter Youth Olympic Games in Innsbruck on Jan. 16. (Reuters) #

Athletes skate during the women's speed skating mass start race during the first Winter Youth Olympic Games in Innsbruck, Austria on Jan. 20. #

Austria's Elisabeth Gram performs a jump during the women's freestyle skiing halfpipe final at the first winter Youth Olympic Games in Innsbruck on Jan. 15. (Dominic Ebenbichler/Reuters) #

Clara Direz of France celebrates after winning the women's alpine giant slalom race at the first Winter Youth Olympic Games in Innsbruck on Jan. 18. (Dominic Ebenbichler/Reuters) #