THE WAGON TRAIL JANUARY 1, 2009 Through the history of professional Chuckwagon racing many women have played and all important role in the Chuckwagon community. Only one however has competed as a full time outrider. She started out riding for her dad Art and her brother Gary in 1976. 1979 marked her first year at the Calgary Stampede when she followed the late great veteran Dick Dye around the track a young Jim Knight and her dad and brother. In 1984 and 1985 she out rode at Cheyenne, Wyoming for Ray Croteau and Mindy Shingoose.  In 1986 Pat Ross was having trouble with outriders and asked her to outride at Green Lake, SK. No one ever complained about horses when she was done. Other wagon drivers she out rode for were Wayne Knight, Herman Flad, Roy Bremner and Clifford Wuttanee. To this day she is recognized as one of the finest horsewomen in the sport as she serves as the barn boss of the CPCA rounding up wagons and getting them to the track on time. May Gorst has left her mark along the Wagon Trail and in October at the CPCA awards banquet received the Loranger family award presented to a member of the CPCA race personnel team in recognition of their Fairness, Honesty, Support and Dedication to the Drivers and Outriders of the CPCA. The tradition of the Old West continues……. DECEMBER 1, 2008 Chuckwagon racing, perhaps more so than any other professional sport, is a true family affair. More often than not, several generations, of men, women, boys and girls work side by side, caring for horses, cleaning barns and repairing tack. These groups travel together in a convoy of mobile RV vehicles, liners and pick up trucks from show to show. These are their summer homes that have replaced the Chuckwagon as the original "home on the range". It is common for young men to follow their fathers and grandfathers to the oval track. Each family has begun by someone who got "hooked" in the figure 8 sport of Chuckwagon racing. One of those mentors was Art Gorst of Meadow Lake, SK who started driving wagons in 1967. Art at that time drove harness broke saddle horses, as was common at that time. Later he traded 10 cows for his first thoroughbred Chuckwagon team. Art Gorst qualified to drive at the Calgary Stampede from 1979 to 1981, when he sold out and retired, however he passed the Chuckwagon tradition on to his sons Chester, Gary and daughter May, the first female outrider to ride at the Calgary Stampede. Gary took up the reins at the age 15 and 2008 marked the rookie year of third generation driver Logan Gorst..... The tradition of the old west continues........