Most race development people and dog drivers lack the general understanding of what local communities and sponsors need from a sled dog race. If we can build a substantial base of race fans, the race will develop strong name recognition. Strong name identification will attract the media, increasing the number of media exposures a sponsor's name or its product's receives. It also gives the community staging the race strong name recognition which draws increased numbers of people to their community. After reading these comments, please do not take the fatalistic attitude that sprint racing in the Midwest has reached the end of its life cycle.
All indications are that interest in our sport is strong.
North Star Sled Dog Club has not lost any of its existing races and several communities have expressed an interest in developing new races. A recent phone conversation with a member of the Wisconsin Trailblazers Sled Dog Club revealed that they also have several communities interested in developing new races. Interest is very strong the first few years. Through a great deal of effort the community is able to raise several thousand dollars for race expenses and purse money during the developmental stage of a race. After that, raising the money needed to stage an event becomes increasingly difficult.