RAISING REINDEERS
Track and Field in Sápmi
Most people who race reindeers are Saami. The Finns have been doing it for a long time. For us it started when my dad came into contact with some Finns and together they started the Finnish/Swedish Cup. This was six or seven years ago. Everyone will compete in a sort of league and get points according to results. The reindeers stand in a cage with the skiers next to them, just like in dog racing. When the cage snaps open the starting pistol sounds and that’s when the reindeer takes off. People will go four and four. The track should be exactly one kilometre long and pear-shaped. It’s basically just about staying on your skis and doing your best, it isn’t more complicated than that. The tracks are very narrow. If you’re not tough the reindeers will charge right into you. The average speed of a race is 50 km/h, but usually there are no serious accidents. You’ll just fall over, and that’s it. But you’ll need a helmet, goggles and a throat protection if you race. I compete in ski gear, with tights.
There are sleigh races as well, but I’ve always been on skis. Some people will use slalom skis, but I stick to cross-country. Most people do. They’re faster. The minimum weight for a competitor is 63 kg. If you weigh less you’ll have to wear weights. There is no upper weight limit, being as light as possible is the most desirable.
Men and women compete together. When we started out I used to be the only girl. In total there have been about three or four girls racing. I’ve been a competitive slalom skier so I had that as an advantage. Right now I’ve been on a break from competing for a while due to giving birth to babies. There aren’t more than about 20 jockeys in total in both Finland and Sweden, there are races in Norway as well, but I don’t know about the rest of the world.
Reindeers are just like horses, they’re all different from each other. Some are going to be good and some are going to be bad. We’ve been training ours with snow scooters, having the reindeer run next to it, and I would ski everyday.
We don’t raise reindeers with the purpose of competing with them, we breed them to be eaten, and they will live wild in the forest all year round. Only the tame ones stay in a paddock, because otherwise they’ll get themselves run over, and they’re way to valuable to run loose.
INGEGERD ANETTE ROKKA
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