This February, thousands will pour into the Lakes Region for a trilogy of winter sporting events. The first weekend of February marks the beginning of the New England Pond Hockey Classic. The weekend after will host the Great Meredith Rotary Club Ice Fishing Derby, as well as the Laconia World Championship Sled Dog Derby.
Organizers from all three events are excited at this year’s prospects after delays, modifications and cancellations due to the pandemic last year.
Last year, the Sled Dog Derby was canceled due to the coronavirus, dashing the hopes of many racers, including local competitor and veterinarian Brittany Colbath of Franklin.
“It was pretty heartbreaking,” said Colbath, “we put in all our time and effort into this dog team. When races started getting canceled it was devastating.”
For Colbath, sled dog racing has informed every aspect of her life, and eventually lead to her career as a veterinarian. She began racing at age nine under the tutelage of her uncle Keith Bryar.
“He recently passed away, but he was a big name from Moultonborough, and he raced forever,” Colbath said. “I begged and begged my parents to let me go train with uncle Keith. From then on, I spent every weekend training in the fall and winter.”
Although last year’s race was canceled, Colbath has kept her dogs in top shape, and hopes to race in the open class. She’ll have 10 dogs pulling her sled up to 13 miles. The World Championships Sled Dog Derby will be held Feb. 11-13, with the spectator-friendly starting and finish line located at the intersection of Old North Main Street and Parade Road.
“We’re looking to show off what we’ve been working on the last couple years,” Colbath said.
Colbath isn’t the only one looking to show off some winter skills during the second weekend of February. Others are hoping to flex their fishing and hockey muscles on the ice of Lake Winnipesaukee.
“We’re back to pre-pandemic numbers, about 280 teams. About 2,200 participants,” said Scott Crowder, founder of the New England Pond Hockey Tournament. Last year the tournament was limited to 130 teams due to COVID. “The teams are excited to be back,” Crowder said. “Everyone that couldn’t attend last year felt the void of not being able to come up and play and enjoy the Lakes Region.”
This year, there will be 26 rinks for teams to compete on, during the three-day tournament starting on Feb. 4. The ice will also host spaces dedicated to music, food and drink, and spectators are welcome to get their fill of amateur competition. This year’s tournament will look much like it was prior to the pandemic, with the exception of a few events, normally held indoors, being staged outside for COVID precautions.
“99% of our event took place outside in open air, which can be a fairly safe environment,” Crowder said. “One aspect we did inside was a welcome event and player check in, we’ve just moved that outside.”
As 280 hockey teams battle for supremacy along the ice, ice fisherman from all over will vie for the biggest catch at the Great Meredith Rotary Ice Fishing Derby. The derby will be held on Feb. 12 and 13, and, while it will accept entries from lakes and ponds from across New Hampshire, most of the action will be on Lake Winnipesaukee – and Meredith Bay in particular.
“Things are going well,” said John Columbus, the volunteer chairman of the derby, “the big thing is we have a good winter and plenty of ice. With this cold weather, Mother Nature is cooperating really well. Ticket sales have been healthy. We’re hoping for a good turnout this year.”
Despite COVID, Columbus stated that the previous fishing derby went on pretty well.
“Last year we didn’t know what to expect because of COVID,” Columbus said, “a lot of people at that time were looking to get out and get fresh air.”
Columbus cited the outdoor and spaced-out nature for the event as a contributing factor to its safety. Some adjustments were made, such as making a virtual fish board, which will be present this year in addition to the in-person board. That way anglers from far away can monitor the data in real time.
In addition to bringing in some more tech for tracking catches, the derby has a new website, icefishingnh.com and has set up digital ticket sales. “Two thirds of the people or better are buying tickets online,” Columbus said, “we revamped it this year. A lot of volunteers are taking time with their tech skills and have continued to enhance our technology this year.”
In addition to buying tickets for the derby, customers can also purchase merchandise.
“It’s all volunteers, all the money we raise goes right back into the community in the form of charities, scholarships and so on,” Columbus said.
All in all, the month of February is looking to be an active one in the Lakes Region for both spectators and competitors alike.
These articles are being shared by partners in The Granite State News Collaborative. For more information visit collaborativenh.org.