Pittillo Named Race Chef of CopperDog 150

February 17, 2012 by Portage Health, a Point Dog sponsors of the CopperDog 150

HANCOCK – While most people will focus on the dogs during the third annual CopperDog 150 sled-dog race, Portage Health’s Director of Food Services Mark Pittillo will be focused on quenching the hunger of mushers, fans and organizers.

Pittillo has been named Race Chef for the event, which will begin in downtown Calumet on Friday, March 2, run north through Eagle Harbor and Copper Harbor before finishing on Sunday, March 4, back in Calumet.

“I was a spectator last year,” said Pittillo. “It’s a fantastic event for our area. The entire scene is so romantic, I couldn’t be happier to be involved.”

The food services team from Portage Health will be on hand Friday afternoon to host a pre-race lunch for mushers and race organizers. The crew will then man a booth at the start line with a chili bread bowl and feed the mushers during a post-race awards ceremony.

All of the bakery products are being purchased from Old School Bakery in Lake Linden and beverages for the awards ceremony are being donated through Keweenaw Brewing Company.

"What's more important than the great meals Chef Pittillo prepares, is his innovative thinking, fresh outlook, and passion he puts into community work,” said Todd Brassard, race director. “We don't want the CopperDog 150 to just be an event, we want it to be an amazing event, and getting people like Mark involved is what makes that happen."

It’s believed that the CopperDog 150 is the first race in the nation to have a chef.

"It’s only once in a great while that you get to be first at something,” Brassard said. “I'm pretty sure that the CopperDog 150 is the first dog-sled race to have an official ‘race chef’ and that's pretty cool."

Find out more information about the CopperDog 150 at copperdog150.com.

CopperDog 150 positively impacts Copper Country

February 4, 2012
by Stephen Anderson (sanderson@mininggazette.com)
The Daily Mining Gazette

CALUMET - In a sense, the CopperDog 150 is the Copper Country's Super Bowl.

And, just as Sunday's big game will impact its host city Indianapolis far beyond the game itself, the March 2 to 4 CopperDog will have a significant impact to the Copper Country beyond just a sled dog race, particularly in terms of community vitality.

And just like any major event that draws thousands of spectators, the CopperDog costs thousands of dollars to put on. Organizers are using the race's two previous years and their extensive combined event management background to ensure the $45,000-50,000 budget for the race is raised and used responsibly, ultimately benefiting the community in the long run.

"Sometimes people ask me, where does all the money go?" race director Todd Brassard said. "Fortunately, our Finance and Liability committee really knows what they are doing, and all of our records are in great shape."

The Finance and Liability committee is one of six committees which makes up the CopperDog 150 subcommittee of the promotions committee of Main Street Calumet, the nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that ultimately oversees the event.

"Putting on the Copper Dog 150 - or any event - requires financial integrity. That is what our sponsors, donors, volunteers, participants and the public expect in addition to planning an exciting race and race-related activities," said Finance and Liability Chair Jo Cauvin, whose event management background includes an NCAA Final Four and Frozen Four, Junior Olympics and even working with the Super Bowl XL Host Committee. "Through careful budgeting and cash flow considerations, the CD 150 is strong and continues to grow."

Though the CopperDog's organization sounds like a complex hierarchy, it is actually an efficient managerial structure, ensuring detailed breakdowns of every aspect of the event. The other five CD 150 committees are sponsorship, community outreach/events, fundraising/merchandising, marketing/PR and race planning.

Race planning alone requires $39,135, including a $23,000 race purse; $4,000 for the snow road in downtown Calumet; $3,400 for veterinarians, medicine and race judges; plus money for trail grooming, snowmobile usage, an awards banquet, food charges, insurances, permits and more.

"It take a lot of money to have a dog race," summed up CD 150 treasurer Pam Hecht.

To determine the cost for this year's race, Hecht looked closely at last year's records and organized the expenses into each committee, then pressed each committee for more detail on each expense.

"We started back in early summer with each committee really looking at what they need for a budget to make their plans work for this race," she said. "By the end of December, all committees had a financial plan put together for me. At the present time I'm putting the final budget together for our club meeting in February."

Something perhaps surprisingly absent from that budget was labor.

"Some people out there think that the planners of the CD 150 somehow make money off the event," Brassard said. "Nothing could be further from the truth. The CD 150 is 100 percent staffed by volunteers."

Even still, with less than a month to go until the race, organizers have collected about $24,000 of the budgeted $32,000 in sponsorships. About 70 percent of the CD 150's total operating funds come from sponsorships, which are broken down into several levels depending on amount.

"Sponsorship and volunteers are the lifeblood of the CopperDog 150," sponsorship chair Abbey Green said. "Without the community leaders and our local businesses we would not be able to run an amazing event or promote economic vitality in the community like we do."

River Valley Bank is the CopperDog's marquee, or "Lead Dog," sponsor. Portage Health is a "Point Dog" sponsor, along with The Daily Mining Gazette, Wolf Radio and ABC10, whose collective media presence helps garner national recognition for an already popular regional race. Copper Country Rentals and AmericInn of Calumet help as "Wheel Dog" sponsors by providing free snowmobile rentals for trail workers and housing race officials and vets, respectively.

Countless other business have stepped forward to help with finances, logistics and promotion, and much of the sponsorship money comes in $200 to $300 at a time.

One business owner, Frank Fiala, who owns 5th & Elm Coffeehouses in Calumet and Houghton, has sponsored the race each year and has upped his commitment this year.

"I was one of the original planners for the race and from our experiences with sled dog racing when we lived in Alaska, (so) I knew firsthand what such an event could do for the local economy," Fiala said. "It has and it will only get better."

And the CopperDog is still looking for both sponsors and volunteers, both of whom can easily get involved online at copperdog150.com.

"This will be year three for the CopperDog and the event gets bigger and better every year. ... The (community) impact is substantial," said Tom Tikkanen, Main Street Calumet executive director. "We commend the hundreds of volunteers and all communities. This is truly a Keweenaw community effort."

Event Integrity

by Jo Cauvin, Financial & Liability Committee Chair
on February 2, 2012

From the business perspective, the CopperDog 150 (CD150) is a subcommittee of the promotions committee of Main Street Calumet, a Michigan non-profit organization, operating under Section 501 (c)(3) of the IRS code.  Within the CD150 are six committees of which Finance/Liability is one.  Our committee strives to work closely with Main Street Calumet to keep track of the CopperDog 150 financial and legal obligations in accordance with their requirements.

Putting on the CopperDog 150 (or any event) requires financial integrity.  That is what our sponsors, donors, volunteers, participants and the public expect in addition to planning an exciting race and race-related activities.  Through careful budgeting and cash flow considerations, the CD150 is strong and continues to grow.   Working with the financial and legal aspects of the event, which includes proper money management, trail permits, insurance, etc. has helped us develop the
process and procedures that can assure growth (as well as a lot of fun).
 
As our Race Director Todd Brassard has so eloquently said time and again, “nobody gets paid a dime for planning or working on this race.  The entire organization is made up of volunteers who are committed to the success of our home towns.”  The community vitality generated by the CD150 promotes a positive image of downtown Calumet, our Eagle Harbor and Copper Harbor checkpoints as well as the trail system we are so fortunate to have in the Keweenaw.
 
In order for all of us to have a successful event requires sponsorship and donations.  With less than one month to race day, we still need to raise more funds in order to have the best-yet sled dog race in the copper country.  We have many ideas that can enhance race weekend in March and in future years, but it does take money and support from all of us—businesses and government, organizations, volunteers, and the public.   Knowing what it takes to put on this event gives each of us the opportunity to see how we can help improve our community vitality, build our community pride and have a good time doing it.
 
Personally, I have been involved with the Copper Dog 150 for the last three years and on our committee’s board as chair of the Finance and Liability Committee for seven months.  I had the opportunity to sit in on many of the CD committee meetings during the planning for the 2011 race as well as this year.  My background includes serving in various volunteer management positions with many non-profit organizations including the NCAA Frozen Four local organizing committee, NCAA Final Four local organizing committee, Super Bowl XL Host Committee, the Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix, Junior Olympics, etc., as well as many years in public television.  These experiences have provided me an overall perspective, as well as the day-to-day business needs, of planning, developing and executing a major event. 

It is the Copper Dog 150 and these types of events that involve individuals from all parts of our community irrespective of their own personal background.  It is something that brings us together and helps us get to know, appreciate and respect one another and our individual talents—all things essential to developing community vitality.

• Heikinpaiva Hounds
  

• and Director of Food Services, Portage Health
  

by Kim Pici
on January 31, 2012

Thanks to some CopperDog 150 volunteers and the help of local sled dog Mushers Jerry and Pat Trudell and Truman Obermyer, the 4-legged stars of the CopperDog 150 were a hit in the Heikinpaiva parade on this past Saturday.

Truman Obermyer brought 8 of his sled dogs down for the festival that marks winters half -way point for traditional Finns. And while the snow CD 150 volunteers led (well actually the dogs led) down the streets of Hancock.

One thing was for certain; the dogs were ready to go! They barked and howled their way through downtown Hancock as the crowd watched. The public got a chance to get up close with some of the dogs during the parade. One little boy that this dog walker spoke to inquired,  “Why are they all barking?” I said, “ Because they are ready to race!”

The “hounds” also walked away  $100.00 as the First Place winner of the parade entrants.

Thanks to all who made this event fun for all. 

CopperDog 150 Seeking Volunteers

By Stephen Anderson (sanderson@mininggazette.com)
January 28, 2012  The Daily Mining Gazette

Published by The Daily Mining Gazette
a Point-Dog Sponsor of the CopperDog 150.

CALUMET - Thousands of people will crowd downtown Calumet March 2 to 4 for the CopperDog 150 sled dog race, but to pull off an event of that magnitude requires hundreds of behind-the-scenes volunteers perfectly coordinated throughout the Copper Country.

And with the race just more than a month away, the push for volunteers is picking up steam.

According to race director Todd Brassard, there are currently 453 volunteer shifts available, and that number will only increase as the race approaches.

"I am very pleased that we have filled 327 volunteer shifts today, but we still have a ways to go to hit our goal," Brassard said.

At a bare minimum, 94 more volunteer shifts need to be filled for the race to run smoothly, from handling dogs, to monitoring trails, to helping at road crossings and many more.

With the race in its third year, Brassard used his background in web design to create a quick, easy volunteer sign-up section on copperdog150.com that simply involves creating an account, finding a shift of interest and clicking. The system automatically sends email reminders and updates.

"Our online volunteer system has been wonderful this year," said Doug Harrer, CopperDog 150 board chair and volunteer trainer. "If you see something you're interested in, click it, and you're done."

The CD150 will also be holding a volunteer drive from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Feb. 4 at River Valley Bank in Calumet. Aspirus Keweenaw is serving as the official volunteer sponsor of the CopperDog 150 and they will be taking photos of kids with the dogs at the volunteer drive.

"I felt this was a perfect place for Aspirus Keweenaw to represent the event since I know how great our employees are at giving their time at other local events that we participate in," said Matt Vertin, marketing director for Aspirus Keweenaw. "We are very aware of the logistics of an event this size and that without a strong volunteer base supporting the many areas that need to be covered, it would not be possible to pull everything together to make it a successful event. Ultimately, without volunteers, this event could not possibly happen."

It takes quite an effort to fill 450-plus volunteer shifts, but it's also critical to train each of the volunteers, and the CD150 has that component covered as well, with Harrer leading the way. Hands-on training will be held Feb. 25 at the C-L-K Elementary School parking lot.

"It's a wonderful way for volunteers to understand what they can expect at a road crossing, bringing a team to the line or doing jobs that don't include handling dogs," Harrer said. "What some people don't understand is we have a ton of jobs that they can do that don't even have to do with handling dogs."

Another way for volunteers to get involved is the new Musher Host Family Program, where local families volunteer to welcome mushers to stay a night, with their dogs staying in the mushers' trucks. Host families are needed March 1-4 within 30 miles of Calumet, Eagle Harbor and Copper Harbor.

"The sport of mushing has a longstanding tradition of bringing race teams and host families together," Brassard said. "We want in on that tradition because some great friendships are created between mushers and host families."

To get involved with the program, email Host Family Coordinator Melissa Goulette at hostfamily@copperdog150.com.

For get involved or find more information about the CopperDog 150, which is only 34 days away, visit copperdog150.com.

Cyclotron to Round Out CopperDog 150 Weekend

Snow bike race added to event schedule

By Stephen Anderson (sanderson@mininggazette.com)
January 21, 2012  The Daily Mining Gazette

Published by The Daily Mining Gazette
a Point-Dog Sponsor of the CopperDog 150.

Click here to download and Hang an Event Poster!

CALUMET - Thousands of people lined Fifth Street in Calumet on March 4, 2011, for the start of the second annual CopperDog 150 sled dog race. Many returned on March 6 for the race's exciting conclusion, but for all intents and purposes, with a snow road in place, downtown Calumet turned into a ghost town on the Saturday in between - something organizers plan to change this year.

This year, the race runs March 2 to 4, just 41 days away, and as mushers work their way from Eagle Harbor to Copper Harbor on March 3, another event will take over downtown Calumet to take advantage of the snow road: the Red Jacket Cyclotron Fat Bike Criterium, a snow bike race.

"In our first year, we made the mistake of putting in a snow road and then leaving it empty all day Saturday. Big oops! A local business owner nicknamed our event the 'Ghost Town 150,'" second-year CopperDog race director Todd Brassard said. "Thing is, he was absolutely right. We realized that if we're going to block regular traffic with a snow road, we need to do something with it."

Enter: the Red Jacket Cyclotron.

"Todd was looking for something to do with the snow road on Saturday and because snow bike racing is catching on in the U.P., I suggested a bike race," said Pat Szubielak, a CopperDog 150 volunteer, Swedetown trail groomer and biking enthusiast.

Brassard took Szubielak's suggestion and in November he got in touch with Chris Schmidt, another local avid biker racer with experience in organizing bike races.

"After discussing it, pitching the idea to other cyclists, and getting the OK from the CopperDog 150 board and Calumet city council, we decided to give it a go," Schmidt said.

The Cyclotron will actually involve three racing events between 9:30 a.m. and 3 p.m., with an awards ceremony following.

Race day registration will run from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. at Cross Country Sports in downtown Calumet with a 10:45 pre-race meeting, followed by three snow bike criterium races at 11 a.m. for 'B' men's class, 11:25 for women and 11:50 for 'A' men's class.

The Criterium is a lap race, and the bikes used in the event feature 4-inch snow tires with low air pressure under 10 psi.

"Riding or racing on snow is a completely different experience than riding on pavement or dirt trails," Schmidt said. "The soft tires float on the snow, but the speed is reduced greatly by the increased resistance rolling resistance and heavier bikes. Everyone is in the same boat though, so speed is relative."

"Four Cross" sprint races will take place at 12:15, 12:40 and 1:05 p.m., with the same three classes in the same order. At 1:30, the "Atomsmasher Mountain Bike Criterium" will give racers with regular mountain bike tires a chance to tackle the snow road.

The racing will conclude with "Miss & Out" races - where the last person across the line on each lap is eliminated until one biker remains - at 1:55 and 2:30 p.m. for women and men, respectively.

"Snow bikes have really taken off this year. There's a good sized community of winter bikers in the Keweenaw and an even larger scene in Marquette," Schmidt said. "We're hoping to attract racers from the U.P., northern Wisconsin and Minnesota. Our goal is a fun, safe event that's a draw for competitors and spectators alike."

Eventually, Schmidt hopes to turn the event into an all-day winter bike festival, but for this year he hopes it will fit in nicely with the CopperDog 150 and its mission of community vitality, while serving as a nice addition to the snow biking race season. There are three other snow bike races this year: the 15k Low Pressure Loppet on Feb. 4 on the Michigan Tech trails in conjunction with the Keweenaw Nordic Festival, the Tri Winter Cup on Feb. 25 sponsored by the Copper Harbor Trails Club, and the Great Bear Chase Snow Bike Race and Midwest Snow Bike Championships put on by the Red Jacket Cycling Team on March 11.

"I hope we get 20 or more riders for the race for the first year - the sport is new and growing," Szubielak added. "We are planning to do a pre-ride of the Bear Chase Snow Bike Race course at Swedetown the night of the Cyclotron."

For the original story click here.

An Interview with Christopher Schmidt

Designer and Director of the Red Jacket Cyclotron

by Stephen Anderson (Daily Mining Gazette writer)
on Saturday, January 21, 2012

Q. How did the Cyclotron come about and how did you get involved as race director?

A. "Todd Brassard, director of the CopperDog 150, contacted me in November and explained to me that the CopperDog 150 was looking for a way to utilize a snow-covered 5th Street in Calumet on Saturday, March 3  – the day between the departure and the return of the dogsleds. In our initial conversation, he told me that Pat Szubielak, an avid cyclist and CopperDog 150 volunteer, had suggested the idea of a  snow-bike criterium – a bike race held on a short circuit using bicycles specially designed for use in snow.

I met with Todd, Pat and Meredith Labeau – another Coppe Dog 150 race director – to talk about whether it was a viable idea and what it would take to make the race happen. After discussing it, pitching the idea to other cyclists, and getting the OK from CopperDog 150 planners and Calumet City Council, we decided to give it a go.  I'm a long time bike racer and love organizing bike races as much as racing them, so I was happy to take on the position of race director."

Q. How does this complement the CopperDog 150?

A. "The organizers of the CopperDog 150 do an amazing amount of work to prepare for and hold the dogsled race. In addition to the race itself, they work to ensure that the start and finish in Calumet are events in their own right, each bringing thousands of spectators to town. During the race itself, the action moves onto the back roads of the Keweenaw and all that remains in Calumet of the CopperDog 150 until the finish is a snow-covered 5th Street.

But by holding an entirely new event, we're able to utilize a resource (the snow on 5th Street) that might otherwise need to be removed. Thus, we're both giving people one more reason to spend some time in Calumet with an event we would not otherwise have had the opportunity to hold as well as helping to ensure an exciting downtown finish to the dogsled race on Sunday"

Q. How much different is it to race bikes on snow, and what do you enjoy about it?

A. "With their extra-wide tires (4” and up) and very low air pressure (under 10 psi), riding or racing on snow is a completely different experience than riding on pavement or dirt trails. The soft tires float on the snow, but the speed is reduced greatly by the increased resistance rolling resistance and heavier bikes. Everyone is in the same boat though, so speed is relative. The cold weather brings additional challenges: proper clothing being a big one. For bikers, snow biking is a great way to keep pedaling through the winter – and is a great complement to other winter activities, such as cross country skiing."

Q. What are your expectations for it in its first year?

A. "Snow bikes have really taken off this year. There's a good size community of winter bikers in the Keweenaw and an even larger scene in Marquette. We're hoping to attract racers from the U.P., northern Wisconsin and Minnesota. Our goal is a fun, safe event that's a draw for competitors and spectators alike."

Q. What are your long-term goals with the race, and are there any other local snow bike races in the works?

A. "I'd love the see the event grow into an all-day, winter bike festival, possibly with a free-ride park at Agassiz park, right next to the Red Jacket Cyclotron venue.

In addition to the Red Jacket Cyclotron, three other snow bike races in the works in the Keweenaw this winter. The 15k Low Pressure Loppet is scheduled for February 4 on the Michigan Tech trails in conjunction with the Keweenaw Nordic Festival. The Copper Harbor Trails Club is hosting the Tri Winter Cup on February 25, an event that includes a snow bike class. And, on March 11, the Red Jacket Cycling Team will be holding the Great Bear Chase Snow Bike Race and Midwest Snow Bike Championships. The 10/25k race will use the same course as the Great Bear Chase Ski Marathon held the previous day."

Q. Do you have any additional comments to contribute to the article, which will run in Saturday's paper?

A. "To keep the event fast moving and to give competitors numerous chances to race over the course of the three-hour event, three different races are planned: a criterium, or lap race; sprints, either 2 or 4 people at a time depending on turnout; and a miss-and-out type race, where the last person across the line on each lap is eliminated until one biker remains. Overall champions in three classes will be determined from placings in each of the events. Also on the race schedule is a mountain bike criterium, which will give bikers with standard mountain bikes a chance to race on the Red Jacket Snowdrome.

Full details and a link to the race registration page can be found on the Red Jacket Cyclotron website: rjcyclotron.com. Information on snow biking in the Keweenaw and on other events in the region is available at bikethekeweenaw.com."

CopperDog 150 Prepping for Third Year

By Stephen Anderson (sanderson@mininggazette.com)
January 14, 2012  The Daily Mining Gazette

Published by The Daily Mining Gazette
a Point-Dog Sponsor of the CopperDog 150.

CALUMET - Now entering its third year, the CopperDog 150 sled dog race is hoping to build on the success of last year to help establish a nationally recognizable, sustainable event. And the race is so much more than a competition, according to organizers.

"We don't do a race to have a race; we do it because we think it's going to help the community," second-year CopperDog race director Todd Brassard said. "One of the primary imperatives of our mission is to improve community vitality."

Last year, about 4,000 people lined Fifth Street in downtown Calumet for the start of the race, and those people fill up hotels, visit restaurants and buy from local shops. And if the race continues to be a success, the economic impact on the community will extend well beyond race weekend, which is March 2 to 4 this year - just 48 days away.

"For some reason, this place is magical. People come here ... and they tell us that the community is beautiful and the people are so friendly. That is the feedback we're getting from the mushers, the helpers, the families," Brassard said. "Because of this they come back on their own and what that is, is brand-new, fresh tourism dollars.

"And I want to believe the cumulative effect if we can keep doing this year after year after year is it will have an impact. ... We want to put our region on the map," Brassard added.

Even with such ambitious goals, Brassard said he and a dedicated group of organizers have a humble approach, and six months of preparation go into putting on a successful CopperDog event, headlined by a 150-mile race from Calumet to Eagle Harbor to Copper Harbor and back to Calumet.

The CopperDog 150 is ultimately a subcommittee of the promotions committee of Main Street Calumet, and with several subcommittees under that, more than 25 people work behind the scenes to make the event a success.

Managing a couple dozen people and an event expected to cost upwards of $50,000 is no easy task, but the committee has learned from past years and has several improvements to make the 2012 CopperDog even better.

"The quality of the event is really important to us," Brassard said. "We decided not to grow the race this year because we want to solve naggy little problems from last year before we try to grow the size of the event."

The 2012 race reached its 30-team limit in just 10 days when registration opened in September, which Brassard thinks is a strong indication of the race's quality, but now the success of the event depends on several factors, namely good volunteer turnout, sufficient sponsorships and weather conditions.

Organizers can't control the weather, but they've created a new, more efficient volunteer registration system that should make finding the ideal opportunity easy. People can match volunteer opportunities to their schedule and interest, and sign up at copperdog150.com. Interested sponsors can also pursue opportunities through the detailed, regularly updated website.

In addition to the new volunteers and sponsors who have already signed up, this year's event will feature several other new additions, including a hand-crafted, 5,000-pound, all-wood starting gate for downtown Calumet; and a reverse start for stage two of the race, which means the slowest stage one team starts first and the fastest starts last, creating more excitement throughout.

"What is good about this? Everything. It's super fun and you see a lot of action very quickly," Brassard said. "The mushers get to see each other, there's lots of passing, dogs see other dogs. ... It reduces the volunteer shifts and time by half, which is big. We did this last year as an experiment and the mushers and volunteers loved it."

For more information on the CopperDog 150, visit copperdog150.com.

Click here for original story.