CPCA remains optimistic for 2021 season ahead

Representative with the CPCA Kim Carey said the changes to initial scheduling were made purely due to the pandemic, and the uncertainties that remain surrounding where regulations may be at for communities in the coming months.

Carey said while those questions have made it a challenge to try to nail down sponsors for the events, and caused them to have to be flexible with the scheduling, she maintained the CPCA is still very optimistic to be able to return to action this year as scheduled, after being forced to cancel last year’s 2020 campaign.

“The association, the drivers, our fans and people in general are really looking forward to having something to go to and be able to do this summer,” she said. “If that means we have to make a few changes as we go and follow some new restrictions, then we’ll do what we need to [do] to have a season for all involved.”

Local veteran of the circuit, Todd Baptiste said he is looking forward to kicking off the schedule in front of the hometown crowd in North Battleford.

“It’s always exciting being able to come back to our hometown in front of our family, our friends and supporters who have been following us throughout the years,” he said. “It’s huge, and it will be very exciting.”

The 2019 season was one to remember for Baptiste, who won both the CPCA High Point Championship and Champion Driver Award with 17 top-five runs and 23 in the top 10.

However, much more than the success, what really drives Baptiste is the passion he has for the sport of chuckwagon racing and its cultural importance to his family and many around the region.

“This is what we do, and has been our lifestyle for many years,” Baptiste said. “As competitors, we feel the crunch, but also the horses are a big part of our lives. They’re bred to do this, and it’s what we’re accustomed to doing as a lifestyle since we were young. So to be able to uphold our western heritage in and around our communities is important.”

Fellow local Jamie Laboucane, who grew up just southwest of St. Walburg, is also hungry to get back on the track following 2020s season cancellation.

“It was the first year really, in my entire life without chuckwagons, because my father raced before [me],” Laboucane said. “But by the end of the year, I knew for a fact I wasn’t done racing. Not only [for] myself but my whole family, and the horses were very excited to be back at it.”

“The horses were quite confused when we didn’t bring them in [to train] in the spring, so when we did bring them in they were pretty eager and ready,” Laboucane added. “They meet me at the gate to go train, so we’re really excited to get back on the track.”

Laboucane is also coming off a strong 2019 campaign two years ago that saw him finish the season with seven top five runs and 17 top 10 runs. Laboucane has finished top seven in the CPCA standings each of the last eight years.

The summer CPCA season usually begins in late-May or early June. This year’s late-June start is expected to be the latest start the organization has had yet. For all the latest news and updates on the CPCA and their plans for the 2021 season, visit their website, or find them on Facebook.

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Martin.Martinson@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: MartyMartyPxP1

by Martin Martinson

CPCA remains optimistic for 2021 season ahead

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