Glencross, Hockey Rink To Chuckwagon Arena
11/07/2008 03:53
An integral part of the Calgary Stampede is the tradition of chuckwagon racing. The thrill of speed and the element of danger make for as much excitement as NASCAR racing.
For every chuckwagon driver that makes the loop around the track, there's a real support crew at the barns helping with the large number of tasks involved in the sport. That ranges from looking after the high-spirited horses, to washing the chuckwagon, to mucking out the stalls.
It's a lifestyle bred into many families, but it attracts others.
The Rae Croteau Jr. outfit has been getting a lot of attention this week because one of the hands around their barn is among the newest members of the Calgary Flames.
Curtis Glencross just signed with the Flames last week, after spending a good chunk of last season with the provincial archrivals up the road, the Edmonton Oilers. But when he's not stick handling, he loves to be part of the chuckwagon world. It was something he did all last season, and is doing, when he can, this year.
"It's something a little different," Glencross told me at the barns, as the buzz of pre-race activity was beginning to increase. "You meet a lot of good people. Hanging out in the barns with the horses, and just the atmosphere around here, it's awesome."
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SWIVEL HIPS SAYS:
Chuckwagon racing is an odd off-season hobby for most NHL hockey players, but it seems to come naturally for Glencross, the former Edmonton Oiler and transplanted farm boy from Provost, Alberta.