The occasion was the Iron Sharpens Iron Team Wrestling Camp at Iowa Central Community College.

And it was another example of how Visit Fort Dodge is promoting sporting events and working with businesses and other organizations to bring people to the city.

“The sports market is a real huge component of tourism right now,” said Kerrie Kuiper, executive director of Visit Fort Dodge.

“Fort Dodge has always had a big, strong presence in the sports market with Harlan Rogers,” she added, referring to Harlan and Hazel Rogers Sports Complex.

-Submitted photo
Racers prepare to head to their vehicles at the sound ot the start gun.

The sports complex north of the city has softball, baseball and soccer fields. It has been the home of the Iowa Girls State Softball Tournament for more than 50 years, and is the site of many other events.

The Iron Sharpens Iron camp was a new event in the community. “Really, Iowa Central did the big lift,” Kuiper said.

She said her organization helped with hotel rooms and contacted businesses to see what kinds of deals they would be willing to offer people in town for the wrestling camp.

“We’re kind of that resource that pulls all the community efforts together,” she said.

She said having the camp in Fort Dodge had an economic impact.

-Submitted photo
All-terrain and utility task vehicles covered the tracks at Sports Park Raceway in August 2023 for the annual GBC Powersports Tires Heartland Challenge.

“Those 900 wrestlers plus the coaches and parents who were with them spent three or four days eating out,” she said. “They went to Fort Frenzy. They went to Rosedale Rapids. They really did move around the community.”

Another big sports event that drew people from across the country to Fort Dodge last year was the GBC Heartland Challenge. That’s an endurance riding competition for off-highway vehicles. It was held at Sports Park Raceway south of Fort Dodge and drew people from 20 states.

Kuiper said having the event at the race track gives fans a great view of the riders that often isn’t found at other venues.

“The viewpoint for the spectators is really good,” she said.

The GBC Heartland Challenge came to Webster County for the first time in 2021. It returned in 2022 and 2023. This year it will be held in late July.

Sports is far from the only thing Visit Fort Dodge has been promoting.

It has pursued conventions, such as the I Lead Leadership Symposium. And it seeks to bring leisure travelers — people on vacation — to Fort Dodge.

Visit Fort Dodge has also brought travel writers and online content providers to the community to show them what Fort Dodge and Webster County have to offer.

“We need to be known as a destination,” Kuiper said.

In addition to numerous online references, Fort Dodge received mention in three recent travel books. Those books are “100 Things to Do In Iowa Before You Die” and “Midwest State Park Adventures,” both by Sara Broer and “Secret Iowa: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful and Obscure” by Megan Bannister.

During 2023, Visit Fort Dodge was honored with the Website of the Year (Urban) Award from the Iowa Tourism Office and the Destination of the Year Award from the Midwest Travel Network.

Visit Fort Dodge received a $70,000 Regional Sports Authority Grant, which Kuiper said will enable it to support 19 events. Those events include softball, baseball and basketball tournaments plus a dance competition.

A recently awarded $10,000 state grant will support production of the Fort Dodge and Webster County Destination Guide. Kuiper said that an audio version of the guide will also be produced. A Spanish version of the guide will be published.

That grant will also pay for digital promotional campaigns in Omaha, Nebraska; St. Joseph, Missouri; and Windom, Minnesota.

This year, the community will be represented by Visit Fort Dodge at the Iowa Bike Expo and the Omaha Boat and Travel Show in Nebraska. Kuiper said the Gypsum City Off-Highway Vehicle Park will be promoted heavily at the latter event because Nebraska doesn’t have OHV parks.