Montana family wins top prize at Lethbridge Indian Relay Races

Two days of Indian Relay Races wrapped up Wednesday night, with a family from Montana claiming the $4,000 first prize.

The group of relatives made the short drive north from Browning, Montana to compete in the event, which celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Sik-Ooh-Kotoki Friendship Society.

Tony Carlson’s family entered two teams — Two Medicine Relay and Carlson Relay — into the event, with Carlson winning the championship relay.

Carlson said his family has travelled all over the continent to compete in the sport.

“We’ve been as far as Seattle, Washingon, down to Stillwater, Oklahoma, over to Belcourt, North Dakota, way up north past Edmonton in Bonnyville,” said Carlson, “so we’ve travelled quite a ways, but… it’s kind of good to come here and it’s right in our backyard.”

Carlson said his family enjoys competing together, even when they’re on separate teams.

“We do it together as a family, that’s big for us,” said Carlson, “Chazz and Cody compete against each other — it’s uncle and nephew — and we’re all brothers, we all grew up together.”

“Just togetherness and competing, and the adrenaline of the sport.”

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Chazz Racine was the rider who won the championship race for Carlson Relay.

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Racine says that while competing against his family is fun, it’s more about passing down tradition.

“I’m teaching him, you know,” said Racine. “I’m showing him everything I know from growing up racing this relay sport, and kind of mastering it really.”

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“There’s nothing better, you know, because I’m passing it on to someone who wants to learn, and do it, and do it right.”

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The sport is also an opportunity to share Indigenous culture.

“Definitely, we get to put our culture on display for the world,” said Carlson. “Since social media is out there now, with Facebook and Snapchat and all that stuff, we get to showcase our culture to pretty much the world.”

And the sport can be shocking to people who may not have witnessed it before.

“The athleticism of the guys that ride and the horsemanship,” said Carlson, “it’s an eye-opener for them, they get to see — I like to say — true horsemanship.”

Over the course of a race, riders complete three laps while bareback on their horses. Between laps they leap off their horses, still moving, and onto other horses being held along the side of the track by their team.

“It’s an open start, no starting gates or anything,” said Carlson. “A lot of speed, kind of chaos in the exchanges sometimes.”

The lack of saddles is matched by the lack of protective equipment for riders.

“Everybody does it without a vest or a helmet,” said Racine, “but you know, if you’re going to do it like we do, you just don’t really think about it because it will get in your mind.

“It is dangerous, but that’s the sport.”

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The family plans to attend more events around the continent throughout the summer.