Mississauga, ON- For the third consecutive year the Harness Horse Youth Foundation (HHYF) Summer Camp will be back in Ontario from July 4 to July 8 at Mohawk and Woodbine Racetracks. A dozen lucky children between the ages of 10 and 13 will get the opportunity to experience harness racing from a “hands-on” perspective during the five day camp. This year’s Campers are:
Michael Black, 13, Fergus, ON
Leah Brown, 11, Nestleson, ON
Allison Chandler, 12, Richmond Hill, ON
Faith Cuffy, 11, Etobicoke, ON
Gail Garceau, 12, Caledon East, ON
Jason Hachey, 10, Aurora, ON
Allison Halligan, 11, Caesarea, ON
Jessica Kane, 13, Bellwood, ON
Steve Katunas, 10, Burlington, ON
Emily Leach, 12, Georgetown, ON
Lyndsay Piper, 12, Guelph, ON
Carly Thomas, 12, Acton, ON
To be eligible for the Camp, participants submitted a 250-word essay entitled, “The Wind In My Helmut-Why I Want to Feel The Thrills Of Driving A Horse!”
Thirteen-year-old Michael Black of Fergus, ON wrote: “Cruising around the track surely must be fun and an experience unlike any other. As much as I hate to admit it, summer is boring if you don’t learn something…..participating in this Youth Camp will give me a learning opportunity with lots of fun and cool memories at the same time.”
Barn 8 at Mohawk Racetrack will serve as the Camp’s base of operations. Campers will perform daily chores, feed and jog horses and work closely with local trainers, drivers, veterinarians and farriers. They will also tour Glengate Farms, one of Canada’s leading breeding operations as well as the training facilities at Argyle Farms and the Ontario Veterinary College at the University of Guelph. Grand River Raceway, Canada’s newest racetrack located in Elora, will be hosting the children for a night at the races, providing them the opportunity to participate in a race presentation as well as tour the track and meet many of the individuals who work there. Camp organizers have also scheduled numerous social activities including an evening at Playdium.
The Camp draws to a close on Thursday, July 8 at Toronto’s Woodbine Racetrack with a race between Campers using trotting-bred ponies hitched to two-seated jog carts. Each camper will be accompanied by a professional driver.
Ellen Taylor, Executive Director of the HHYF, has been operating the Youth Camps since 1999 and will conduct a total of eight camps in 2004. “The previous two Camps in Ontario have been unqualified successes,” Taylor, who lives in Indiana, said. “That’s due to the local support and the dedication of the volunteers. You just don’t get treated any better than you do in Ontario.”
Taylor will be back in Canada in mid-August, hosting another Camp in Alberta.
Initiatives like the Youth Camp that reach out to a new generation of potential racing fans are vital to the industry, according to Wendy Rinella, the Executive Director of the Ontario Horse Racing Industry Association. “The Camps expose the children and their families to the horse racing industry in a tremendously positive and educational manner,” Rinella said. “I want to congratulate all the children in this year’s Camp. This is a wonderful experience that will generate a lifetime of memories for every Camp participant.”
It is only with the support of loyal and committed sponsors that this Camp can continue to achieve success. This year’s sponsors include the Woodbine Entertainment Group, Ontario Horse Racing Industry Association, The Ontario Sires Stakes, The Ontario Harness Horse Association, The Canadian Sportsman, Glengate Farms, Mulligan Marketing, 4-H Ontario, Grand River Raceway, Argyle Farms and the Ontario Veterinary College at the University of Guelph.