Ice Cross Downhill champs train for Finland with huskies / Red Bull

Ok, Ok, I know it is not news on a water sport, but still pretty cool and it is on frozen water!  Ice Cross Downhill World Champions Derek Wedge of Switzerland, Kyle Croxall of Canada and Martin Niefnecker of Germany warmed up for Saturday's Red Bull Crashed Ice race in Finland with a pack of huskies for a fun-filled training session on a lake near Helsinki – the northern-most race in the 14-year-history of Ice Cross Downhill on a track that is only 800 kilometers south of the arctic circle.

HELSINKI (Finland) Wedge, the defending champion, along with Kyle Croxall, the 2012 title winner and 2010 world champion Niefnecker put their ice skating skills to the unorthodox test as they got up to speeds of 40 kilometers per hour behind a pack of huskies, who were also clearly happy to get in a workout on a sunny but frigid afternoon in Finland.

"That was a fantastic experience to ride behind dogs,” said Wedge, who visibly enjoyed the high-speed experience with the dogs. “It’s really interesting to be with the animals on the ice. It’s a special sensation.”  Kyle Croxall also came alive on the ice behind the well-trained huskies. “It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience to be pulled around by a dogsled team of huskies,” Croxall said. “I really enjoyed it and I’m really happy to have had the opportunity.”