by John Pawlak, the U.S. Trotting Association

Columbus, OH — The U.S. Trotting Association and its member racetracks are looking for a few good fans — who in turn will be available to volunteer to meet, greet and educate those who attend the races on Back to the Track Weekend, July 15, 16 and 17.

We’re calling it our “Back to the Track Team.”

The idea is simple: You love harness racing, and we want you trackside that weekend to help answer questions, spread some enthusiasm and make more friends for the sport. We’ll provide you with a Back to the Track T-shirt, so that the fans can find you, and tracks will also offer some incentives for your participation.

As a first step, visit www.backtothetrack.com and click on the “Volunteer Sign-Up” button. Provide your full name, phone number, home mailing address, e-mail address and the name of the pari-mutuel racetrack nearest you. Each track will be given the information you provide to us — we won’t share it with anyone else — and will then select the number of Back to the Track Team members they will need and contact them directly.

Once the track has contacted you, the USTA will provide you with written materials that will educate you about the special national wagers being offered that weekend, and how to place those bets, and details about how fans can win trips to the Little Brown Jug. The tracks will also brief you on their message to fans. Your knowledge of the sport will also serve you in good stead!

We think our current fans can be a powerful force for spreading the word about the excitement of our sport, and having fans such as you there on this big weekend can only help turn curious customers into fans.

Step forward and help.