As startingly low temperatures and hints of a snowstorm raged on throughout Eastern Canada, competition brewed in Montreal. Engineering teams from across Canada made the trek by plane, train, and car.

Somewhere amidst that jumble of vehicles, within trailers, trucks, and crates, 300lb toboggans banged against the sides of their enclosures, begging to be freed and raced down a hill.

These are the toboggans that competed in the Great Northern Concrete Toboggan Race (GNCTR), a competition that happens once a year drawing large media attention wherever it is. There have been years where reporters have reported on riders that have been flung off their toboggans. And some years, the reporters are the ones that are endangered.

This year, the race was held just outside Montreal on the GPAT ski hill on Jan. 25th, 2025. An astonishing hill that marvelled in each toboggan’s eyes as they were unpackaged there at the base.

This race was about more than the feat of engineering or racing down the hill the fastest. No, the bond riders have with their toboggan. It was about the taming of the toboggan. And some bogs simply cannot be tamed.

Not unlike headstrong stallions, these bogs fight against their riders as the humans attempt to assert dominance over them. It is a constant battle of push and pull as they race down the snowy ski slope.

One exceptionally stubborn bog at this year’s race was named Ringo; the UofT toboggan. She handled very well on the course and especially in the slalom. But, off the course, her heart could not be tamed.

She was still reeling from her divorce with her tail cone; it was like that tail cone was a piece of her, but due to life circumstances, she had to leave him behind. In Montreal, determined to find love, she pushed forward.

After a bumpy ride there and two days confined in a cramped little crate, she was finally unveiled to the world in all her yellow submarine glory. She first laid eyes on the YorkU toboggan, she was pretty and covered in orange; a colour that would compliment her own. Alas, Ringo found York too young and fresh – she needed a toboggan that was broken in, one that knew how to ride just as well as she.

From her handlers, she heard whispers of her competition. ‘Mac looks pretty solid this year’ ‘Toba is absolutely killing it’ ‘Western almost beat us last year, they’re always pretty fast’.

What was that she heard? The Western Engineering Toboggan Team (WETT) was fast? Well, she was never one to shy away from her competition. Maybe enemies to lovers was the way to fix her heart. Plus, they were surfing themed, which is pretty adjacent to submarining.

That night she laid in wait, her anticipation bubbling for race day. Waiting until she could finally see her biggest competitor. Finally the moment came, they had both won all of their preliminary races and were head to head in the final race. Whoever won this would win it all.

“Hey, make sure your steering works.. wouldn’t want you spinning out on me ;)”, Ringo called out to WETT.

“You’ll hardly see me before you even have a chance to think about winning,” she teased back. Oh, Ringo liked her.

Then suddenly, the starting shot was fired. The pushers were trying to build up the momentum to push Ringo down the hill, but she was so enamoured with her competitor that she wasn’t budging.

At last, she came to her senses. That goof had cost the team a few seconds and maybe even the race.

As WETT raced down the hill, Ringo thought to herself, “She really wants this, maybe I should let up and give her the win.” Her speed slowed and her riders panicked.

Ringo made it down the hill 3 seconds after WETT to the dismay of her team and her pleasure. What’s that saying? “I hate to see you leave, but I love to see you go.” Boy did she love seeing her go.

As the teams celebrated their respective wins and placements in the competition, the toboggans finally had a chance to themselves.

“You might’ve won the battle, but I’ll win the war, Wett.” Ringo purred to her fellow bog.

“Don’t count your chickens just yet, Ringo. You know I’m a high calibre girl…”

The riders began to cart them off, “Will I see you again?” Ringo was desperate for a new connection. “I don’t know darling, but remember, we’ll always have Montreal.” WETT called out, her voice fading as her team pushed her away to pack her up for travel.

We will. We’ll always have this moment