Since Copperdog first arrived on the Keweenaw peninsula one of the event’s largest sponsors has been the incrediblebank in Calumet. Recently incredible bank helped Copperdog kick off its sponsorship drive with a gift of 10,000 dollars. Race director Kelly Probst says organizers are grateful for incredible banks’ support throughout the years. And not just as a financial sponsor.
But they opened their doors to us on Friday, letting us run our vet checks and our race registration. That’s a really big operation that they do there. They put out hospitality. It’s just very generous of them to allow us to run out of their facility. And then of course you see the Incredible Bank team volunteering throughout the weekend, but most significantly bringing dog teams to the start gate on Friday night. – Kelly Probst, race director, Copper Dog
Incredible Bank’s Calumet location provides Copperdog with a large area for volunteers to meet with teams for veterinary check-ins. While Incredible Bank helps maintain control of the starting gate on Friday night, other non-profits and businesses will get involved at large road crossings along the trail.
So the road crossings we do need to get those filled up as soon as possible. We’re looking pretty good elsewhere. A fence teardown is always a big one too. We need some folks to help us with that on Sunday afternoon. But for right now it’s those road crossings that we have to focus on covering. – Krissy Tepsa, volunteer and musher coordinator, copper dog
Volunteer coordinator Krissy Tepsa adds that volunteers who have not worked with Copperdog in the past will have an opportunity to learn about dog handling and the challenges most teams expect at crossings.
So Friday, February 21st at the CLK Multi-Purpose Room, we’re gonna have our annual training from 5.30 to 7.30. So the first hour will be indoors, and you’ll learn the do’s and don’ts of the road crossings. And then the last hour will be dog handling. So Tom Bauer will be there with the kids from the Mushin Club at Michigan Tech. If you haven’t handled a dog before, definitely attempt to learn how to handle a dog. You’d be surprised what those little guys can do. – Krissy Tepsa, volunteer and musher coordinator, Copper Dog
Copperdog organizers encourage first-time volunteers, especially those working with dog teams, to attend the copper dog training at CLK schools on February 21st. Those interested in learning about the race’s large road-crossing teams can find a full list online. Anyone interested in volunteering with Copperdog or wanting to support the race can find information at copperdog.org.
