Hal Johnson and Joanne McLeod navigate the Atlas Coal Mine as they participate in The Amazing Race Canada. The episode featuring the valley aired on Monday, July 29.

    The consensus was Drumheller looked amazing, according to staff from the Royal Tyrrell Museum and the Atlas Coal Mine National Historic Site as they gathered to watch this week’s episode of the Amazing Race Canada.
    The national television show was through Drumheller in May. Many involved in the show waited with bated breath to finally see and talk about the show. In the end, all were impressed with the nearly 40 minutes of national television spotlight on Drumheller.
    “There were some really nice shots of the Badlands. I’d want to go there,” said Andrew Neuman, executive director of the Royal Tyrrell Museum, adding it showed the entire valley well.
    The contestants on the show started this week’s episode line dancing at Ranchman’s in Calgary before heading to the Valley.
    When posed with the choice of lump-by-lump or bone-by-bone, six of the seven teams headed to the Atlas Coal Mine to load a coal car, while one opted to go to the Tyrrell to assemble a dinosaur skeleton.
    There were a number of local faces as the team tripped through Drumheller, including Bill Kowalchuk, who gave one team directions, and Bob Moffatt, who was the train operator at the Atlas Coal Mine. Jay Russell at the Atlas and Dr. Don Henderson, of the Tyrrell, were judges for the challenges.
    The racers were greeted at the end stop by Don Howard at Horsethief Canyon.
    “It’s too bad the Tyrrell wasn’t used more, but there was great coverage of the one team that went there,” said Neuman chuckling that when five opted for the challenge at the Atlas, they were getting a little worried.
    Linda Digby was thrilled to see so many come to the Atlas to shovel coal into a car under the watchful eye of Russell.
    “It was super fun,” said Digby. “Who would choose to load coal over any other option? But they did!”
     To keep the appearance of the crews a secret until the show aired, Digby said new staff were given the day off, and a school group that was visiting had to be corralled so as not to observe or leak any of the production.
    She also laughs that her one regret was the roofing project of the tipple wasn’t complete so the new bright red roof was not yet on the structure.
    “If you are on national TV, you want to look your best!”

    It takes a special breed of cowboy to climb aboard a chuckwagon or chariot and put themselves on the line. It’s those brave drivers that make chuckwagon races so exciting.
    Shane Cartier, president of the Alberta Professional Chuckwagon and Chariot Association (APCCA), took some time to share with The Mail just what it takes to grab the reins.
    “The physical and mental demands has two ends. When things are going good (team is running, turning and competing ) life rolls along pretty smooth and you’re always upbeat. You always try to get more competitive. When things aren’t going well, it can be stressful. Trying to figure out what to change to make things come around and work for you,” said Cartier.
    “The physical part can be demanding. They did studies at the UofC when I was running with the WPCA and we were told that driving 1 race was the same as a 1 hour complete workout. I’ve had 2 broken legs and a fractured neck over the last four years just to name a few.”

Shane Cartier, president of the Alberta Professional Chuckwagon and Chariot Association, driving his wagon. Cartier has had a 27 year career driving chuckwagons and in that time has broken two legs and has had a fractured neck. However, he loves driving and the family he has found among the other drivers.

    Cartier has been racing since 1986, where he started racing with the APCCA with his father and four brothers. In 2004, he joined the World Professional Chuckwagon Association (WPCA), where he posted six top ten runs and won the Calgary Stampede’s Orville Strandquist Award for Top Rookie Driver in 2007. In 2011, he returned to the APCCA.
    During his time with the WPCA, he remembers racing in Drumheller quite fondly.
    “I never ran in Drumheller until I went up to the big wagons and when I did, it was probably some of my best shows,” said Cartier. “I was second three years in a row!”
    However, perhaps one of the biggest bonuses of being a driver, according to Cartier, is the family-like atmosphere among the drivers.
    “The racing community is for the most part, just like one big family. We race together, we travel together and we help each other out no matter what happened at the races that day. We don’t always agree on everything but we do get over it quickly just like a good family does,” said Cartier.
    Despite the family-like community, there is some “sibling” rivalry.
    “All our shows in Alberta are point shows. There are standings right from the beginning of the year to the end. It’s been one of those years where five different guys have won the shows. No one has really been clearly out front,” said Cartier.
    Some of the top chuckwagon and chariot racers in the province will be in action over the weekend in Drumheller.
    From Friday to Monday, the Alberta Professional Chuckwagon and Chariot Association (APCCA), in association with the Drumheller Stampede and Ag Society will bring  back break-neck racing action to the Dinosaur Downs.
    “I think the best way to describe what I like about it is it’s non stop action,” said Shane Cartier, president of the APCCA. “Last year, we were in Drumheller and hopefully we can build things so we bring the fans back out to the races.  I can’t wait to get there and have the horn blow for 21 heats of racing per night.”