U.S. National Toboggan Championships facts for kids
The U.S. National Toboggan Championships is a super cool event! It's the only organized race in the world where people race on wooden toboggans. This exciting race happens in Camden, Maine. The special toboggan chute is at the Camden Snow Bowl. This place is a fun recreation area that's been around since 1936. It's helped many people learn to ski! All the money raised from the race helps support the Snow Bowl.
History of the Toboggan Chute
The very first toboggan chute was built in 1936. Volunteers worked hard to create it. They also built a ski lodge and a ski hill. This was one of the first ski areas in America!
The chute was rebuilt in 1954. Local Coast Guardsmen helped with this project. It was used until 1964. Sadly, it fell apart because of rot and not being taken care of.
In 1990, the chute was brought back to life! Another group of volunteers helped rebuild it. They used special pressure treated wood. This new chute became known as the Jack Williams Toboggan Chute.
Before the race, people work hard to make the chute super icy. They do this at night when it's coldest. They use a clever invention by David Dickeys. It's like a "Rube Goldberg" machine! It pulls a tub up the chute. The tub slowly drips water from holes in its back. This creates many layers of ice.
The chute is about 400 feet (122 meters) long. It drops about 70 feet (21 meters) in height. Toboggans can reach speeds up to 40 miles per hour (64 km/h)! After the chute, the toboggans slide onto frozen Hosmers' Pond. If the ice is clear, some sleds can go all the way across the pond. That's about a quarter of a mile (0.4 km)!
The Nationals used to be held on the first weekend of February. But to avoid clashing with the Super Bowl, the event moved. Since 2008, it's held on the second weekend in February.
Rules for Racing Toboggans
To race in the Nationals, your toboggan must be traditional. This means it needs to have the right shape, material, and design. Just like in any race, people try to push the rules. They tweak their toboggans to go even a tiny bit faster. Even the "Inspector of Toboggans" in 2007 was caught! He had changed his toboggan to make it faster.
Anyone can enter the U.S. National Toboggan Race. And anyone can become the National Champion! It doesn't matter how old you are or how much experience you have. In 2007, two people from Tennessee entered. They had never even seen snow before! But they won second place in the two-man division. How cool is that?
