Kelly Sutherland is recognized in Grande Prairie both coming into town from the North and at Evergreen Park Race Track. Drive through High River, Alberta and the picture of WPCA driver Jason Glass is displayed on flags throughout town. WPCA driver Vern Nolin, his brother Shane along with Jerry Bremner and Layne Bremner are recognized on signage in Rapid View, Saskatchewan located 10 minutes North of Meadow Lake.
Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan is home to just over 5,000 residents and is known as the gateway to the north and to passionate chuckwagon racing fans. The south entrance however will now include the gateway to some chuckwagon racing history with the addition of a sign featuring home town drivers known as the Gorst Racing Team.
Gary Gorst, the veteran of the team started driving wagons in 1970. Over his career Gary has recorded multiple awards and victories and has proudly represented his hometown of Meadow Lake. Gary joined the World Professional Chuckwagon Association in 2012 after a lengthy career with the Canadian Circuit where he recorded three high point titles over a four year span and a Canadian title in 2010. Gary has had 7 horses named to the WPCA and Calgary Stampede Equine Outfit of Excellence.
Along side Gary Gorst on the track are his sons Logan and Dustin. Logan started outriding in 1997 then took the reins of his own outfit in 2008. During his outriding career Logan won multiple championships in the CPCA and at the Calgary Stampede. Logan’s greatest win of his career came in 2019 when he won the Calgary Stampede GMC Rangeland Derby as a driver.
Dustin Gorst rounds out the Gorst Racing Team. Dustin started outriding in 2002 and started driving in 2014. While competing as an outrider on the Canadian Circuit Dustin recorded 3 outriding titles, 2 aggregate outriding titles at the Calgary Stampede and in 2005 he was one of the Calgary Stampede Championship Outriders. As a driver Dustin won the 2015 WPCA Rookie Driver Award, he won the Battle of the Rockies in 2017 and that same year was recognized as the Orville Strandquist Memorial Award Winner (Top Rookie Driver) at the Calgary Stampede.
The idea of the sign originated with Meadow Lake resident Renee Stevenot and her family. Renee worked for Logan Gorst for a couple summers after graduating from high school. Every summer Renee and her family helped at every show they could. Every year they would plan their summers and family holidays around chuckwagon shows. “We have been infatuated with chucks ever since we were little” Renee said, “we used to go with our whole family (my parents Brad & Lori, and my 3 sisters Maegan, Chelsie & Lyndsay). Dad always took us back to the barns to see the Gorsts after races. We have posters and autographs from Gary, Dustin & Logan from years ago and as we grew up we got the opportunity to help in the barns and taking outriding horses for all three barns.”
Renee says it was her sister who initially suggested the sign. “My sister Maegan has been saying for years to my dad why don’t we have a Gorst sign in Meadow yet? So about a month ago we decided to see if we could get one made in time for Gar’s last race in Meadow Lake.”
The family called up a bunch of friends and old Gorst sponsors from years past and started getting it put together. “We have a group called ‘Friends of the Gorsts’ that helped sponsor and pay for the cost of the sign” says Renee, “my mom Lori & I designed the sign and we got a local business here to make it. My dad, boyfriend Yannis and sisters Meg & Lynds spent quite a few weeknights & weekends building the actual sign frame and panels and got it into position.”
