Yorkton has advanced to the Final Four in the SnoRiders West magazine Sledtown Showdown competition.
Voting opened Monday in the Semifinal Round pitting Yorkton against Athabaska, Alberta. The other remaining matchup is Houston, BC versus Swan Valley, Manitoba.
The competition to name the 2016 snowmobile destination of the year began with 64 towns, 16 from each of the four western provinces.
Yorkton beat out Candle Lake, North Battleford, Hudson Bay and finally Nipawin (with 73 per cent of the vote) to become the Saskatchewan provincial champion.
“This is fantastic news for Yorkton and Saskatchewan,” said Jason Popowich, president of Snoriders Yorkton.
Popowich credited the members of the club, from Foam Lake to Invermay to Margo, for their hard work getting the vote out.
“It’s a great accomplishment for our club and a real recogntion of the whole area,” he said.
Randy Goulden, executive director of Tourism Yorkton, agreed.
“Being named provincial champion was excellent but this [competing in the Final Four] elevates us to the next level of snowmobiling,” she said. “We’re pretty excited about this.”
Goulden noted that SnoRiders West has already designated Yorkton with a preferred destination rating, which is a boon to tourism. The impact of sledders, she said, is felt right across the Yorkton economy because they use a wide range of services including but not limited to accommodations, food and beverage, fuel, clothing and repairs.
Becoming the overall champion would be huge for the city, Goulden predicted.
The local SnoRiders club is busy now trying to get the vote out in the semifinal round, which runs until December 20. Popowich said voting is open to everyone through the SnoRiders West website snoriderswest.com/sledtown_showdown/2015_finals.
People can also vote directly on the Snoriders Yorkton Facebook page.
“Please Vote and let’s put Yorkton and Saskatchewan on the map for the favorite sled town and favorite sled province in western Canada, Popowich said. “Each computer, mobile device, and i-Pad with internet access in your household is eligible for one vote.”Yorktobaccommodations, food and beverage, fuel, clothing and repairs.
Becoming the overall champion would be huge for the city, Goulden predicted.
The local SnoRiders club is busy now trying to get the vote out in the semifinal round, which runs until December 20. Popowich said voting is open to everyone through the SnoRiders West website snoriderswest.com/sledtown_showdown/2015_finals.
People can also vote directly on the Snoriders Yorkton Facebook page.
“Please Vote and let’s put Yorkton and Saskatchewan on the map for the favorite sled town and favorite sled province in western Canada, Popowich said. “Each computer, mobile device, and i-Pad with internet access in your household is eligible for one vote.”
