Kent Kraft/For the Gazette Volunteers help at the start of the CopperDog race in Calumet in 2023 as announcers, timers, and dog handlers.

CALUMET – On Friday evening, teams of dogs will race down Calumet’s 5th Street and head towards Eagle Harbor via the snowmobile trails. The dogsled races of CopperDog’s weekend events are a sight to behold and, with the event starting back in 2010, are well known far beyond the Keweenaw.

“Our volunteers come from as far away as South Africa, Texas, and Tennessee,” said first-time race director Kelly Probst. “They plan their snowmobile trips and spring breaks around the race so they can participate. They come back year after year and they bring friends with them or scout troops or their own kids.”

The Board of Directors for CopperDog were asked what the importance of volunteers is to them and their event. Secretary Beth King was succinct in saying, “Without volunteers we could not hold the race.”

Kora Johnson, Vet Check Coordinator and Featured Artist Coordinator agreed with and expanded on that idea, saying, “Volunteers are the backbone of CopperDog. They keep the race safe, organized, welcoming, and community centered. From a logistical standpoint this race wouldn’t happen without our hundreds of volunteers. But they also bring a unique spirit to the race that reflects the character of the Keweenaw: resilient, tight-knit, and supportive.”

Kiko de Melo e Silva, Assistant Race Director and Chief Timer, added “to run a race you need three things: teams, a trail, and volunteers. Without any one of those, nothing can happen. That’s how important volunteers are. Our volunteer army? Best in the business! Hands down.”

He was not alone in likening the group of CopperDog volunteers to a well-trained force. Krissy Tepsa, Volunteer Coordinator, said, “The volunteers truly make this race happen. It’s their commitment that brings the mushers and their dogs and the spectators to our race. The start in Calumet turns the streets into what Calumet used to look like. The Calumet that our parents and grandparents talk about. Without our army of volunteers, we wouldn’t be able to pull off what we do. That’s pretty special to me.”

Probst added the volunteers “share our passion for safety and take pride and ownership of their jobs. The volunteer army of CopperDog is the most important element to having a safe race and we could not have a race here in the Keweenaw without them. This is a fact.”

Others highlighted the safety angle as an integral part of why the race needs volunteers. Matt L’Esperance, who helps run the IT and AV, said, “For me, the volunteers are a critical part of the CopperDog for the safety of the race participants, both the 2- and 4-legged athletes.”