A Cree youth in northern Quebec discovered an early passion for snowmobile racing at the tender age of nine.
Karter Shecapio comes from Mistissini. He has already competed in two Mini Ski-Doo challenges that are popular in the Cree Territory of northern Quebec. So far this winter he has been on the podium in both races.
“I was going fast and it was fun,” said Shecapio in Cree. He turned nine earlier this month.
In his first Mini Ski-Doo Challenge of the season in Nemaska two weekends ago, Shecapio took first place.
“I was very happy when I won the race,” he said.
And this past weekend, Karter placed second in the Mistissini Cross Country Challenge in the kids’ mini-race category.
Fascinated from an early age
Ruby Gunner is Karter’s mother.
She said he has been fascinated with Ski-Doo racing since he entered his first race as a young boy.
“Karter was always where the Ski-Doo races were, he would walk with the people, then he said I want to race too,” Gunner said in Cree.
Karter got his first Mini Ski-Doo at the age of seven.
One of Karter’s idols is Elijah Matoush, a professional racer from Mistissini who regularly wins races and championships.
“Karter would say, ‘I want to see his Ski-Doo,’ or ‘I want to touch his gloves.’ Karter wanted to see or touch everything Elijah owned; he had that much respect for Elijah Matoush,” Gunner said.
At the start of his Ski-Doo racing, Karter wore number 38, the same number as Elijah Matoush. Recently, however, the young racer changed his number to 37 in honor of a late uncle, Charlie (Jalee) Gunner, who died in 2015.
Earlier this season it was clear that Karter’s first Mini Ski-Doo was outgrowing him and the family went to great lengths to help him win one by purchasing tickets in various community raffles.
“[He] thought he was definitely going to win the Ski-Doo but he lost and was very disappointed,” Gunner said, adding that the family then decided to throw in all the chips and buy one for him as a surprise.
His Ski-Doo was gifted to him at his grandparents’ house, where the whole family was gathered on either side.
“His grandfather said to him, ‘Hold out your hand… and he gave him the Ski-Doo key… Karter saw the Ski-Doo, he started crying… leaned on the handlebars with his head down and kept crying and he it was so happy,” Gunner said.
Mom is worried about safety
Gunner said she’s worried about her son and she and his father are talking to him about staying safe.
“[In Nemaska] I couldn’t watch him,” Gunner said. “I was very worried … every time they got to the corner of the circuit, it seemed like they were going to run over each other.”
Karter’s next race is on March 3rd and 4th in Oujé-Bougoumou, another Cree community in northern Quebec.
