PPlease note that Jerry Papke is bib number 3. Sorry about that folks
Feb 04
Musher Schedule
FRIDAY, JANUARY 18, 2013
9:00am—11:00am: Musher Registration @ YooperLand Realty ( 1. East Genessee Street Iron River)
11:00am—1:30pm: Vet Checks–we will fill vet check slots at registration, first come first serve. @ YooperLand Realty parking lot
1:45pm—Musher’s/Staff Luncheon & Musher’s Meeting@ The Station Pub ( 30 North 4th Ave. Iron River)
2:30pm—3:30pmBib Draw/Musher’s Meeting also @ The Station
4:00pm—Mushers Park @ RV Park
5:00pm—Bag Checks
6:00pm—Opening Ceremonies
6:30pm—Start of Race
*All times are Central Standard Time
SATURDAY, JANUARY 19, 2013
9:30am—2nd Stage Starts: RV Park/Musher’s Village
2:00pm—3:00pmProjected Finishes
3:00pm—5:30pmMusher Village Mingle, meet & greet
6:00pm—Awards Banquet @ Zippidy Duda’s (202 West Genessee Street Iron River)
*this is a tentative schedule. A few minor time changes may be made, but this is the basic breakdown.
Jan 12
RESCHEDULED DATE
IMPORTANT IRONLINE RACE UPDATE & POSTPONEMENT
Due to awful, Springlike weather in the Upper Peninsula and surrounding Northern Midwest states, the IronLine has to defer to our contingency dates of February 8-9th 2013. This does nothing more than move the same, exact race (days, times, locations, schedules, etc.) two weeks down the calendar.
We know that this will cause some mushers to need to change schedules, run a different configuration of dogs, and maybe even drop out of the race entirely. We are offering a 100% refund to those who are already registered and have paid their registration fee. We would love it if you would strongly consider staying with the race this year, as it has been wonderful to talk to and meet so many of you.
We are very pleased to announce that our local supporters and our town of Iron River are still very behind us and want to see this great sport of sled dog racing in our community this year. Most of our support staff, planners, and volunteers are still available and we have even had a couple new mushers interested in our new date.
We seriously hope this will not inconvenience anyone too much and we thank all of you for your patience and encouragement in difficult weather conditions. We all want it to snow so we can race these super dogs! If you have any questions, concerns, or advice…please feel free to call us or email us at anytime. Our contact in on the website.
Thank you for your consideration,
Josh & Grace Brindle, IronLine Race Directors
Jan 04
The IronLine is Rolling!
Just wanted to keep everyone posted. Been getting a lot of questions lately from area folks and mushers alike. I will try to run through this as quick as possible:
Yes, we have enough snow to do the race. And we are expecting more!
Yes, the ice is thick enough to race on and our temps have been nice and cold, so no problem there.
NEW! Please check out the newly posted 2013 IronLine Race Rules.
Also, please check out additions to our list of registered mushers.
MUSHERS! You can register late and pay when you show up to the race, as long as it is before you want to hit the trail. This can be taken care of at registration.
VOLUNTEERS: We are still looking for some dog handlers & a few road crossing folks as well as setup and tear-down people. Please email or call us.
SPONSORS/DONORS: We are just barely covered for this year’s budget. A little bit more and we will be able to put some icing on this cake!
AND: Stay tuned for a Summer IronLine Run & Bike event!
Dec 20
Important IronLine Dates to Remember
Please keep all these dates in mind as we head into the unbelievably busy month of January. Whether you are a volunteer, a musher, or a spectator, this schedule should help you with the pace of all things IronLine!
Dec 20
IronLine Lodging Options
We have had some questions on lodging recently, so here is some area lodging info. We want the mushers and their handlers and families to know that we do have several host home options available.. For more info, please email us or call us ASAP as we will give these away on a first come, first serve basis.
Four Seasons Motel 1100 Crystal Ave. Crystal Falls 906-875-6596 www.crystalfalls.org/fourseasons/
The Listening Inn 339 Clarks Road Crystal Falls 906-822-7738 www.thelisteninginn.com
Americinn Motel And Suites 40 E. Adams Street, US 2 Iron River 906-265-9100, 800-634-344 www.americinnup.com. (Not many rooms left)
Chicaugon Lake Inn 1700 County Road 424 Iron River 906-265-9244 www.chicaugonlakeinn.com. (Just a few rooms left)
Iron Inn Motel 211 Cayuga Street Iron River 906-265-5111
Iron River RV Park 50 E Genesse Street Iron River 906-265-3822. any musher brave enough to camp in your truck or bring a camper can have a spot for free!
Lac O’ Seasons Resort 176 Stanley Lake Drive Iron River 906-265-4881 800-797-5226 www.lacoseasons.com
Lakeshore Motel 1257 Lalley Road Iron River 906-265-3611 www.lakeshoremotelicelake.com
Pioneer Lodge Ski Brule Village 119 Big Bear Road Iron River 906-265-4957, 800-362-7853 www.skibrule.com
Nov 30
Todd Brassard: Mentor from The Copperdog
“I love how this article portrays a huge learning curve, hard work, and some good old stick-with-it-ness. So thankful that Todd has been showing us the sled dogging ropes!”—Josh Brindle
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Todd Brassard is a computer programmer at Calumet Electronics, a printed circuit board manufacturing company, and owner, along side his wife Jessie, of Brassard Media, a video production and web design business. Todd was introduced to the sport of mushing when he was recruited to produce a promotional video for Brewery Creek Racing, a kennel operated by musher Truman Obermeyer.
As many do, Todd fell victim to charm of the dogs and the beauty of the sport. When he learned of a sled-dog race being organized for the Keweenaw, he volunteered his services (web programming) and his wife’s talent (graphic design) and put together a web site for the event (www.copperdog150.com).
Todd was asked to join the Board of Directors and soon found himself working very closely with the CopperDog 150′s founding Race Director, Brian Tiura. Tiura was an inspiring leader for Todd who taught him the ins and outs of mushing and sled-dog racing. Although the first annual event was extremely demanding on everyone’s time and energy, Todd very much enjoyed the payoff of a great event despite tough weather conditions.
When the Brian Tiura and family moved to Alaska, Todd was left in the unexpected position of knowing more than most about organizing and planning the CopperDog 150. Seeing few options, Todd was nervous and excited to take on the role of Race Director. In this new role he imparted what he had learned from Brian, introduced some of his own ideas, and worked closely with other people like himself who really loved the event. With so many good people pulling together, the second annual CopperDog 150 was a great success, especially with the favorable weather conditions.
With one race under his belt, an amazing core planning team, and growing community buy-in, Todd focused on upping the “production value” of the CopperDog 150 in 2011/2012 by planning an ESPN worthy Friday night start, improving hospitality for the growing numbers of fans, and setting a more relaxed schedule for mushers and their dog teams. He also used is program skills to great an online volunteer registration system to make it easier for the volunteers to get involved on race weekend. Todd worked closely with Asst. Race Director Meredith LaBaue who would move on to assume the Race Director position.
In August of 2012, the CopperDog Club became CopperDog, Inc., its own 501(C)3 non-profit organization and assume the position of Executive Director as part of the reorganization. Todd continues to work very closely with the race planning committee, but is also focusing other non-race activities that will help grow and sustain the CopperDog 150.
Todd motto is “Happy healthy dogs, happy healthy mushers!”
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