IPSSSDR set to begin Jan 25th
by International Pedigree Stage Stop Sled Dog Race
January 10, 2013
On Friday, January 25, 2013, at 6:30 p.m., the International Pedigree Stage Stop Sled Dog Race (IPSSSDR), the largest sled dog race in the lower 48 states, comes to Jackson Town Square, beginning an eight-day race through four states and 10 stage stop communities (Jackson, West Yellowstone, Alpine, Pinedale, Lander, Big Piney/Marbleton, Kemmerer, Mountain View, Lyman, Evanston). The race will go through parts of Wyoming, Montana and Idaho and dip down into Utah before finishing back in Wyoming.
A roster of 23 teams, racing some 368 dogs, will be mushing in this year’s race.
"It’s show time," says Race Director Frank Teasley. "And this year’s spectators are in for a surprising start in Jackson."
For the first time in the race’s history, there will be a side-by-side start with two mushers leaving the starting line at the same time vying for position as they race down Broadway. In the past, mushers have left the starting line one team at a time.
START will run a free shuttle following the race from the Town Square to the party at Snow King to help reduce traffic congestion. The START shuttle will run every 15 minutes from the Town Square to the corner of Cache St. and Snow King from 7 – 8 p.m. after the race; then from 8 – 9 p.m. it will run from Town Square to Snow King Center Bus Stop.
"We could not put on this race without the support of the Town of Jackson," says Teasley. "The track the Public Works Department creates is one of the best I’ve seen in racing. And Mayor Mark Barron and the Town Council have been tremendously supportive of our event." Mayor Mark Barron will drive a dignitary team from the starting line on the 25th.
The Bank of Jackson Hole has supported the race since day one, and continues to be a major local sponsor of the race 18 years later. The Bank of Jackson Hole also hosts the Alpine start of the race from the parking lot of its bank, The Bank of Alpine.
With its unique stage stop format, the IPSSSDR has become a popular mushing event attracting the world’s top competitors. Pedigree® Food for Dogs is the title sponsor of the IPSSSDR. The Pedigree® brand actively supports a wide range of programs that promote responsible pet ownership and highlight the contributions dogs make to society.
The International Pedigree Stage Stop Sled Dog Race was founded in 1996 by Frank Teasley to make sled dog racing more accessible to the public.
Junior Mushers
Select students, aged 9 to 13, from the International Pedigree Stage Stop Sled Dog Race (IPSSSDR) communities of Jackson, Lander, Alpine, Pinedale, Big Piney, Marbleton, Kemmerer, and Uinta County, Wyo., and West Yellowstone, Mont., will participate in a sled dog race of their own on Saturday, February 2, 2013, following the final stage of the race in Uinta County. Each year the IPSSSDR invites host communities to send two students to represent their towns in the Junior Stage Stop, a short exhibition fun run that also gives the kids a hands-on experience of community service.
The Junior Stage Stop takes place at 2 p.m. on Saturday, February 2, at the finish line of the IPSSSDR at the North Slope Road Trailhead 30 miles south of Evanston on the Mirror Lake Scenic Byway, Highway 150.
"It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience for students to interact with world-class mushers and their teams," says Jr. Stage Stop Coordinator Terri Arnell. "We encourage all communities to send students to this amazing event."
This year’s junior mushers will include Moss Tomson from West Yellowstone, Montana. Wyoming juniors include Megan (Meg) Anspach, Brent Faler and Vincent Faler from Pinedale; Kaelyn Frable and Emma Watkins from Jackson; Allie Statham, Justin Seeman and Isarel (Izzy) Seeman from Big Piney; Josephine (Josie) Currie, Taylor Corbin and Dylan Gentile from Alpine; William Shade from Lander; Bailey Barker, Noah VanVleet and Charles Winfield from Evanston; and Cameo Spray and Brock Quinney from Lyman – and honorary Utah participants Dani Ball and Ella Ball from Park City will also take part. Additional students from Kemmerer are expected to participate, as well.
As part of their requirement for participating, junior mushers agree to perform 10 hours of community service work prior to the race and donate $25 to the nonprofit Uinta County Community Youth Coalition. Students do not need their own dogs or previous mushing experience to participate – equipment and dog teams are provided by the IPSSSDR.
The 2013 Jr. Stage Stop is coordinated by the Uinta County Sled Dog Race Committee. The committee, consisting of Natalee and Mike Legault, Andy and Heidi Spray, Lisa and Troy Bradshaw, Penny Robbins, Joe McFarlane, Jessica Parkyn, Angie Fessler, Lisa Silcox, Marian McLean, Lynn Pahl, Holly Miller, Paul Knopf, DuWayne Jacobsen, and Terri Arnell, worked together to organize race details.
For more information, visit the race website at www.wyomingstagestop.org or contact the race at 307-734-1163.
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