Toboggan team brings back silver

Forget those cheap plastic sleds. Throw away those saucers. For the true adrenaline junkie looking to get down a hill in the most exhilarating way possible, there’s no comparison to the U.S. National Toboggan Championships, held each February in Camden, Maine. Just ask Doug Fagley and Andy Rose, two Sussex Countians with a serious appetite for excitement.
Coastal Point
CAndy Rose and Doug Fagley, the Rad Rod Slider team, placed second in the two-person timed race with a combined time of 17.456 seconds at the U.S. National Toboggan Championships.

For 10 years, Fagley – a Millsboro resident – has been making the trek up to Maine each February for the friendly competition. A cabinet maker by trade, his wood-working skills have come together with his passion to design and perfect the ultimate toboggan for the race. The U.S. National Toboggan Championships host hundreds of teams from across the globe, from two-man teams to four-person teams, with ages running the gamut.

“For me,” said Fagley, “it’s all about being creative and designing something you can compete with. This year, I had added ducted air to my sleds. I like to have some sort of engineering that people haven’t seen here before. We definitely turned some heads this year, but it’s all friendly.” Fagley was well-equipped last month as he headed up north with seven sleds in tow and a number of teams ready to take to the slope.

One-by-one, teams climb atop their toboggans and await the signal. The sledders shift their weight, lock their legs into position and hold on for dear life as the toboggan runs an icy trough, reaching speeds of 50 miles per hour before careening across a frozen lake. There are plenty of techniques and maneuvers the riders will try to gain and edge, as most times come down to hundredths of a second from their competitors. The single ride itself usually only lasts 10 seconds or less, but the experience is unsurpassed, Fagley said.

“The event draws to a hometown atmosphere,” noted Rose, a resident of Selbyville. “It’s actually a lot like the events you see locally in Delaware. What Doug does with these sleds is phenomenal, too. There’s a lot of technique involved in the competition itself, and he is really a master at it.”

The best performance for Fagley this year came by way of his team Rad Rod Slider (which pays homage to custom-car builder and artist Ed Roth) – a tandem team consisting of himself and Rose. Rad Rod Slider took second place in the two-person team timed race this year, finishing with a time of 17.619 seconds – the combined times of two runs. They fell by a small margin to the first-place team, Kansas City Connection, whose combined runs clocked in at 17.456.

“The times are so close,” said Fagley. “We didn’t lose to first place by much, but I always look to see what I can improve on each year. There are really only a certain few that go and really try to win each year, though. It’s like a big carnival all weekend. You meet a lot of great people.” Campfires, a ski lodge and a welcoming social atmosphere tie the Toboggan Championships together.

Fagley also invited his neighbor, first-year tobogganer K.C. McCloskey, who brought his sons, 14-year-old Kace and 11-year-old Andrew, who each had their turns on the slope. K.C. McCloskey and Fagley assembled as a two-man team dubbed Lil’ Deuce Coupe, which finished fifth overall among the two-man teams, and Kace and Andrew McCloskey climbed aboard with Fagley as a three-man team, Back in Black (Smokin’), which earned 13th place in their division.

“Each toboggan takes on its own identity,” noted Fagley. “How you build it is important, but it also depends on the weight traveling down the slide, too.”

For McCloskey and his sons, the first trip up has inspired plans for a return.

“It was a great experience,” he said. “We’re hooked. We’re going back every year if we can. It really is a fun time, and it’s just a beautiful area.”

For Fagley, that’s what the weekend is all about.

“This is something I look forward to each year,” he said. “You race what you bring and you have fun. Maine is one of those places where you can wake up and find a new adventure all the time. I come a long way each year, but I want others to know about it and enjoy it, too. People realize that you don’t have to be indoors in the wintertime. I’ve met people [at the Toboggan Championships this year] who I’ve met over the years. It’s like a big family. I won’t see them again until next year, but each time we pick up where we left off.”

The ride itself is something that Rose describes as amazing.

“It’s all kind of a blur,” he said. “The event is really one of the best-kept secrets.”

For more information about the U.S. National Toboggan Championships, including results from this year’s event, check out www.camdensnowbowl.com.