Orono Student is Snowmobile World Champion

Taylor Cole took first place at the Snocross World Championships in Wisconsin earlier this month. Cole won the junior novice division for 10 to 13 year olds and was awarded a trophy, jacket and the coveted checkered flag. 

“It felt great,” he said. “I was excited for that accomplishment.”

Cole was introduced to snowmobiling by a friend when he was in first grade. 

“Before finding snowmobiling, Taylor was struggling to find something he liked to do,” said his mother, Sandra Fenske. “None of the team sports like basketball, hockey or baseball really interested him.”

Cole became passionate about snowmobile racing and has won an estimated 175 trophies and medals. 

Where does he put them? 

“I don’t really have a designated spot,” he said. “The recent ones go in my bedroom, and the older ones are down in the basement.”

Cole's parents say they have seen the benefit of racing. 

“His hard work resulting in success has given him confidence in other things,” said Fenske.

The 12-year-old races almost every weekend of the season, which starts around Thanksgiving and goes through March. He raced in South Dakota last week and is heading to Michigan next week.

“I miss a lot of school in the winter, usually Thursdays or Fridays when we travel,” said the Orono Middle School student. 

To stay on pace with his school work, Cole meets with a tutor twice each week. 

“I try to get my homework for the week done before I leave for a race,” he added.

His favorite class is math.

Cole owns four snowmobiles that he keeps at a track in Elk River. 

“They are different sizes for different races,” he said. “My main sled is an Arctic Cat 500 liquid.”

Cole said one of the best things about snowmobiling is the friendships he has made with other racers from different places. Cole won two checkered flags at the championships, and he gave one to a five-year-old racer who couldn't make it to the race that weekend. Cole also enjoys cheering on his five-year-old brother, Cameron, who competes in snowmobile racing.

"I taught him how to hold on to the handlebars to stay on when he first started," Cole said.

The sport made headlines last month when Caleb Moore tragically lost control while flipping his snowmobilie at the Winter X Games. 

“I’m not really motivated to try that stuff,” said Cole of the acrobatics.

With the risk of injury, it can be a hard sport for parents to watch. Cole's mom says the sleds just keep getting bigger and more powerful every year.  

“Taylor is a smart racer as opposed to a daredevil, which helps him avoid crashes—I hope,” she said.

This year, Cole has avoided injury. Last winter, he hyperextended his knee and fractured his leg, ending up on crutches for several weeks. He snowmobiles even on weekends when he isn’t racing. 

“My dad and I like to go on trail rides,” he said. 

After the snow melts, Cole will find other ways to be active outside. He goes wake boarding on the lake in the summer and plays tennis and golf. In the fall, he plays football for the Spartans.

But with the first snowfall, he will don his snowsuit and get back on the sled.