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World Class Teams to Race in 2000 International Rocky Mountain Stage Stop Sled Dog Race Presented by Pedigree ® 

Jackson Hole, Wyoming-January 12, 2000--Twenty-three world class sled dog champions are slated to compete in the 2000 International Rocky Mountain Stage Stop Sled Dog Race (IPSSSDR), January 28-February 9, announced Frank Teasley, Director. Two-time IPSSSDR Champ Hans Gatt, British Columbia; Jacques Philip, Alaska; Keizo Funatsu, Alaska; Dan MacEachen, Alaska; and Sam Perrino, Yellowknife, Northwest Territories are some of the top contenders for the race's nearly $120,000 purse.

Now in its fifth year, the IPSSSDR is the largest sled dog race in the lower 48 states and a qualifying event for the Iditarod. With its unique Stage Stop racing format, the race traverses through 14 Wyoming communities, stopping in a different town each night. The 1999 race begins in Jackson Hole, before traveling through Moran, Dubois, Pinedale, Lander, Atlantic City, Mountain View, Lyman, Evanston, Kemmerer/Diamondville, Afton, Alpine and returning to Jackson Hole.

The 2000 race is sponsored by Pedigree ® food for dogs. The Pedigree brand actively supports a wide range of programs including animal shelters' efforts to promote responsible pet ownership, the National Association for Search and Rescue, police canine units, and non-profit organizations that train and place service dogs for people with disabilities. Pedigree Food for Dogs is 100% complete and balanced for the intended lifestage and also highly palatable. Developed with veterinarians and recommended by breeders of champion dogs, Pedigree products contain the Champion Skin & Coat System that provides all the nutrition required to give dogs the healthiest skin and shiniest coat.

The International Rocky Mountain Stage Stop Dog Sled Race was founded in 1996 by Frank Teasley with the assistance of co-founder Jayne Ottman, RN MS, to promote childhood immunizations, and to make sled dog racing more accessible to the public. Also known as "Wyoming Pulling Together, The Race to Immunize," the event promotes awareness of the need for children, especially those under age two, to be vaccinated against preventable diseases. Race organizers are working to link the race to the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympic Games as an exhibition or event. For more information on the race, visit the race Website at www.wyomingstagestop.org or call (307) 734-1163.


2000 IPSSSDR Mushers

#1 Jacki Snodgrass,  Dubois,Wyoming 
#2 David Torgerson Elliston, Montana
#3 Sam Perrino Yellowknife, NWT, Canada
#4 Dan MacEachen Snowmass Valley, Colorado
#5 June Davies Victor, Idaho
#6 Ed Clifford Raymond, New Hampshire
#7 Zach Steer Anchorage, Alaska
#8 Dan Carter Jackson, Wyoming
#9 H.G. (Bob) Holder Fairbanks, Alaska
#10 Melanie Shirilla Lincoln, Montana
#11 Bill Pinkham Aspen, Colorado
#12 Clint Hallam Lyman, Wyoming
#13 Jacques Philip Nenana, Alaska
#14 Debbie Moderow Anchorage, Alaska
#15 Matt Hayashida Meeker, Colorado
#16 Terry Adkins Sand Coulee, Montana
#17 Keizo Funatsu Osaka, Japan
#18 Sarka Meyer Fairbanks, Alaska
#19 Amanda Yust Kremmling, Colorado
#20 Ken Anderson Fairbanks, Alaska; 
#21 Rose Sanders Jackson, Wyoming
#22 Buck Church Christmas Valley, Oregon
#23 Hans Gatt Atlin, British Columbia