The Future of Live Horse Racing and Live Dog Racing is Headed For Trouble

by Bill Peterson

Live horse racing and live dog racing have been staples of entertainment and spectator sports in the United States for a long time. But even though these institutions have ranked high as spectator sports and have found their way into our culture, they are in serious jeopardy. Race tracks are increasingly trying to shift their focus from live racing to casino gambling, slots, and card rooms.



The biggest problem, as is often the case, is short sighted greed. Of course race tracks have to show a profit and have a responsibility to their investors, but what appears to be a smart investment can often turn out to be a poor investment if all factors aren't considered.



One of the factors that I think isn't being given enough notice is that there are only so many casino gambling dollars available and we are quickly reaching the saturation point. As more and more race tracks try to get in on the casino gambling market, they will find that there just isn't enough of a market, enough players, to justify a large investment in casino gambling or card rooms.



Another danger of this, "Let's get in on the casino gambling goldmine," mentality is that racing is being shoved aside and ignored. Live racing, particularly at greyhound race tracks, has suffered in recent years. Race tracks are closing or going with fewer live performances. New England was once a good region for live greyhound racing, but Plainfield Greyhound in Connecticut has closed its doors and the New Hampshire tracks have all gone to fewer live performances making it harder for the fan of greyhound racing to enjoy his or her favorite past time.



It took many years and lots of hard work to build a customer base for horse racing and greyhound racing. Even though the numbers have been slipping over the years, there is still a core of dedicated fans who attend the races. If tracks close or go to much shorter seasons or fewer performances, they will lose that customer base. True, some of those people will try casino gambling for a while, but many will find it a poor substitute for the colorful and exciting spectacle of live racing and will eventually leave the casinos behind for good.



Another problem the new casinos, racinos, and cardrooms will face is that if racing fans do turn to casino gambling as a past time, they may not go to a local casino or cardroom, but may decide to go to a gambling destination like Las Vegas, Atlantic City, or any of the larger gambling destinations that offer so much more than a local casino can. How many of you race track managers and owners have thought of that?



Though times may be lean for greyhound racing and horse racing at the moment, I'd like to remind you of a quaint statement that has a lot of truth and wisdom within it, "Dance with the one that brung ya." Racing made and paid for those race tracks and supports many people in those communities. Turning your backs on that infrastructure that supports racing as well as the customer base may leave you with no racing and consequently no way to return to racing and much less profit than predicted from other forms of gambling.



For fans of live racing I urge you to contact your local race tracks and legislators and tell them that you want live racing to stay in your area and not to let it die out in favor of casino gambling. Its not that we are against casino gambling, it is that we are for live racing.


Wil Langford, R. Hy., is a 54 yr. old. Clinical Hypnotherapist, Integrated Energy Therapist, author, and Gambler, and applies physics and metaphysics to develop winning gambling strategies like Super Poker Power , and The New Age Gambler , and Power Point Poker .



Article Source: The Future of Live Horse Racing and Live Dog Racing is Headed For Trouble

Alaska - History of the Iditarod Dog Sled Race

The annual dog sled race in Alaska, the Iditarod race, is held the second Saturday in March each year. The race starts in Anchorage with the finish line in Nome, approximate distance of 1,200 miles. The first race was held March 3, 1973. Since that first race, the popularity of this event has grown through the years, along with the amount of the prize money. The winner of the 1973 race received $50,000 and today that amount has increased to around $500,000.

The mushers spend anywhere from a few thousand dollars to tens of thousands of dollars on the race. Not only do they have the entry fee to pay, but also the cost of their sled, their clothes and equipment; plus the cost of keeping their dogs all year, which estimated total cost of everything runs around $60,000. They do have corporate sponsors who sponsor them, which helps to defray their cost.

The Alaska Iditarod is to Alaska about the same as the Indy 500, the Super Bowl or the Olympics. It is the longest distance dog sled race in the world. It was originated as a tribute to an actual event which occurred during the winter of 1925. During that winter of 1925, a deadly outbreak of diphtheria had struck, threatening all the children of Nome. They needed the serum to fight this disease, but the serum was in the city of Anchorage, over 1,000 miles away to the southeast.

There was one airplane that could have been flown to Anchorage to pick up the medicine, but it had been dismantled and stored for the winter. A large Alaskan wilderness of uninhabited land lay between Anchorage and Nome. There was frozen and rough terrain with no roads. As a last resort, it was decided to try sled dogs to travel to Anchorage and pick up the medicine.

The medicine was taken to Nenana from Anchorage by the Alaska Railroad. A dog sled relay would be used to pick up the medicine at Nenana, a town north of Anchorage. Twenty mushers volunteered to relay the medicine from Nenana to Nome, 674 miles away. It was 50 below zero, when the first musher left Nenana and six days later, on February 2, 1925, the dog team of Gunner Kaassen arrived in Nome. Legend has it that on this last leg of the trip, a big gust of wind turned the sled over, with the life-saving serum falling out onto the snow. Kaassen used his bare hands to dig the serum out of the snow, turned his sled upright and proceeded to finish the trip into Nome.

The lead husky of Kaassen's dog team was Balto. He immediately became a world hero, as the world had been watching this story unfold through newspaper accounts. Balto traveled the United States for two years after the serum run, with people celebrating his heroic deeds that helped save the children in Nome.

Then in 1933 when Balto died, his preserved body was put on display at Cleveland's Natural History Museum. His popularity lives on, as in 1995 an animated movie about Balto was made.

He has become a highlight with the Alaskan children and some are working to get Balto brought back to his home state of Alaska to the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Museum in Wasilla.

Balto is also partly responsible for the Iditarod race which was first started in 1973. It is held to commemorate the courage of the mushers and the dogs who participated in that life or death race to save the children of Nome.

Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Alaska Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Russell

The History of Iditarod (Sled-Dog Races)

The sled dogs were used as a source of transport in Alaska for more then six thousand years. In the 19th century - just before the arrival of the Russian fur traders - the Iditarod Trail was used by the native American Inuit and Athabaskans. The usage of dog sleds was improved by the first gold seekers that started to appear in the territory of Alaska in the middle of the 19th century. Soon after the big gold rush in the 1896, the number of gold seekers in the Klondike reached several tens of thousands and the value of the sled dogs was appreciated quite soon. The provisions they bought mostly in the town of Knik and brought back to their various mining areas around the area of the Klondike.

In the end of the 19th century in the summer period, the most significant source of communication and transportation link between the port cities was a steamship. In wintertime, when the biggest ports like Nome became icebound and the steamship usage as a source of transport link with other sea ports was useless, the only choice that was left and that seemed to be quite reasonable and acceptable was the usage of dog sleds. During winter time dog sleds were used to deliver needed supplies between the trading posts and settlements.

In 1908, the trail was officially surveyed by the Alaska Road Commission of the United States Army. Before airplanes came into common use in 1924, the trail was heavily used for a mail delivery service between Seward and Nome. A dog sled team that diverted tragedy in the next year captured the attention of the whole world. In 1925, a diphtheria epidemic broke out in Nome, where there was no serum. Many people were dying, including a lot of children. Twenty teams of mushers carried the serum from Anchorage to Nome. They made the 674 miles in 127 hours. This serum run that was done from Anchorage to Nome is also known as the "Great Race of Mercy". The mushers and dog teams became heroes in the whole world overnight.

As soon as good roads were built in the territory of Alaska and the snowmobiles and airplanes started to appear in the middle of the 20th century, the sled dogs started to lose their significance. For more than forty years the Iditarod Trail was nearly forgotten. But thanks to Joe Redington Sr. and Dorothy Page in the 1960s sled dog racing came back to life. With the help of groups of other people, they both are considered as the Father and the Mother of the Iditarod. The first Iditarod race started in 1967 and it was only a nine miles long race between Knik and Big Lake. Since then this race is more known to the masses as the "Last Great Race". Since 1973, the race happens every year. The race currently starts in Anchorage although the old Iditarod trail actually started in Seward. This race is a real challenge because of its length - over 1,160 miles of Alaskan frozen terrain in blistering cold where wind chill reaches -100° F (-75° C). Usually the mushers and the sled dog teams complete the race in about two weeks. This is a symbolic race where people pay their respects to the heroes of 1925 that delivered the serum from the Anchorage to the Nome during a diphtheria epidemic.

Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Alaska Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Russell

Greyhound Racing Basics

Greyhound Racing Basics
By Mansi Aggarwal

In Egypt the greyhounds were mummified and buried with their masters. The Egyptians viewed them as supreme among all animals. The greyhounds also find place in the literary works of Shakespeare, Chaucer and Homer.

In England, greyhound was considered as a status symbol back in 10th century. Only noblemen were permitted to hunt with them. Later, Queen Elizabeth I made rules regarding the use of greyhounds to chase hares. In early 1900s Patrick Owen became the first one to introduce the concept of greyhound racing. Later, the first circular track was made in California in 1919.

The greyhounds are kept in the paddock before the race begins. After the pre race tests and procedures, the greyhounds are put in individual compartments in the starting box, called traps. These traps have automated doors. When the race starts the dog is made to chase a lure. A lure is a mechanical device that moves around the track at a considerable distance from the dog. The lure resembles either a bone or a rabbit.

After the race, the greyhound is provided with water and an open area to walk. The winner is called in the winner’s circle.

The registration and identification of greyhounds is the duty of the National Greyhound Association. It is a non profit organization and carries its work in North America. Only registered owners can enter into an exclusive contract with a registered kennel. These kennel in turn contract with the tracks. The tracks decide the schedule for the race fro a season.

There are certain states like California and Maine that prohibit greyhound racing. Other States prohibit the use live rabbits and other small animals as a bait for the dogs in the race.

The way the greyhounds are handled and trained is also a matter of controversy. While some greyhounds are naturally fit to race, the others lack killer instinct. the dogs unfit for racing are either killed or given in laboratories for experimentation. In certain cases the dogs is starved in order to develop in him an impulse to kill the small animals for food.

The World Greyhound Racing Federation ( WGRF) was established in 1969. it is a non regulatory organization and is dedicated to providing information and promoting the sport nationally and internationally. Various nations participate in the Bi- annual World Greyhound Racing Conference. At the 2003 conference the organization has adopted a welfare charter which aims at promoting the mental and physical well being of the dogs.

Greyhound Pets of America is another non profit organization that finds home to the retired greyhounds. It advices the owners of these pets how to take care of the greyhounds and helps it fit in the new environment.

The American Greyhound Council is responsible for researching diseases that infect the greyhound and providing well trained professional and veterinarians to better take care of the dogs. It also employs inspectors to check any mistreatment of greyhounds.

Like in horse racing, betting in greyhound racing is also quite prevalent. The betting game has its own terminology like bookie, beards, quiniela etc. Betting, being a wager can never be foolproof, but one cam increase his chances to win by playing smart. For example, a dog with a consistent performance can be good to bet on. The medical history and the appearance of the dog can be another parameter. Success cannot be guaranteed in the game of betting, but doing a little homework never hurts.

Mansi aggarwal writes about greyhound racing topics .

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mansi_Aggarwal
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Sled dog race helps Make-A-Wish Foundation

Mike Schwandt's three rambunctious dogs won't let him forget that he has several children to help this December.

For the third consecutive year, Schwandt is organizing the Can't Depend on Snow Sled Dog Race. The event raises money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, an organization that grants the dreams of children with life-threatening medical conditions. Races, weight-pulling contests, games and other festivities will be held 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 1, at Rolling Meadows Golf Course, 560 W. Rolling Meadows Drive.

As the name suggests, weather won't affect the event, he said. If the ground stays green, participants will use special sleds with wheels.

Organizers would prefer snow, though, because citizens enjoy seeing an authentic sled dog race. The dogs can also run faster, he said.

"I don't expect (snow)," he said. "I just hope for it."

Schwandt, a Fond du Lac resident, hopes the third time's the charm. He said donors gave $1,100 the first year and $2,600 last year. This year, he hopes to raise $5,000.

This year's race shows promise. Schwandt said the 26 teams that raced last year all vowed to return. He's also received many calls from interested teams. An estimated 30 to 35 teams from Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota, Kentucky and Iowa are expected to participate.

Attendance has steadily increased. Last year, more than 500 people visited Can't Depend on Snow, but Schwandt hopes for more.

"I would like to have the whole city show up," he said.

Schwandt attributed the success to generous hearts and four-legged friends.

"Everybody loves dogs," he said. "It's a fun event."

People also can't resist helping sick children, he added.

He's willing to do all he can to grant a child's final wish.

"The Make-A-Wish kids, they've got a pretty bleak future," he said. "To hear the stories… it almost makes you cry."

Local money raised assists local kids, said Heather Lindner, field office administrator for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. For the 2007 fiscal year, the organization granted 268 wishes statewide, 41 in northeastern Wisconsin.

Make-A-Wish tries to grant more wishes every year, so fundraisers like Can't Depend on Snow are vital, she said.

"It's awesome," Lindner said. "We absolutely love to have people who are as enthusiastic as we are. Mike is very much that person."

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