Every nonprofit talks about giving back. But it’s a challenge to truly give back to the communities and people who keep the tradition of Iron Dog and snowmaching alive. Iron Dog teams will tell you the best part of the race is the interaction they have with the people on the trail and they do their best to give back with a photo or a high five. This year the Iron Dog helmet program made a comeback, and for one enthusiastic rider the gift made a big difference.

 McGrath School sixth-grader Jerry Greenamyre said he is thankful for the new Iron Dog helmet he received last month after he collided with a moose while riding through town. The accident, which took place March 6, damaged the 11-year-old Iron Dog fan’s sled, and sent he and the moose tumbling into a snowbank.

 “I was passing by this elder’s house named Dorothy, and this moose ran out, and I don’t really have brakes on my snowmachine,” said Jerry, who rides an old 340 that he says has “lots of sentimental value.”

 “So, I couldn’t stop, and I continued to go, and then it ran me off the road,” he continued. “I hit the moose, crashed into the snowbank and rolled up on the snow.” 

 It all happened in the blink of an eye, Jerry said. Fortunately, he was wearing his brand new, HJC full-face helmet, one of 212 given out along the Iron Dog racecourse this year and one of 44 handed out at the McGrath School, to every student who wanted one. Before receiving the helmet, Jerry said he wore a thick hat while riding, like many other kids in the community. 

 “It’s a pretty cool helmet,” Jerry said. “It’s like white, black, grey, with some red. It has an Iron Dog sticker on it too.”

The helmet giveaway program is the brainchild of Iron Dog board member Doug Dixon, who hosted the first giveaway during the 2020 race, and brought an improved version back for this year’s race. Sponsors contributed more than $20,000 in cash, services, and other support to administer the giveaways, which took place from every checkpoint from Unalakleet to Nome and around the Red Dog Loop. 

“We are trying to make a way that Iron Dog is giving back to the communities rather than just fueling up and blowing through,” he said. “This is such an expensive sport, and anything helps.”

Dixon said he didn’t even know about the accident until McGrath School principal Matt Shelborne called him and told him about it. 

“Iron Dog has a unique platform for making safety gear cool,” Shelborne said. “Not only did they put helmets on their heads, but they made it cool to wear helmets. I don’t think anyone else can do it, and it may very well have saved (Jerry’s) life.”

Jerry’s mother, Miki, said she is sure the helmet protected her son. She and her husband, Chad, were out driving when the accident happened, and scary scenarios rushed through her mind as they rushed to the scene.

“His snowmachine was in a pretty good angle on a hard, solid berm in the yard,” Greenamyre said. “There was hair from the moose in the front yard, and on the handlebars, and I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, you and the moose actually hit each other.’ This could have been so bad.”

A report from 2003 from the National Library of Medicine cited 22 snowmachine-accident-related deaths by youth under 18; While that data is somewhat dated, the main cause of death and injury, remains similar today: head injuries. 

Dixon hopes to expand the helmet giveaway program even more next year. The larger community checkpoints received the bulk of this year’s giveaways. 

“The other smaller places like Nulato, Kaltag and Elim – we could send some there too,” he said. “In these communities, kids are either driving snowmachines or four-wheelers. It’s how they get around.”

For his part, Jerry is perfectly content to wear his helmet no matter the season. While both he and the moose ultimately were OK, the run-in scared him enough to know that wearing a helmet is not only cool, but also the smart thing to do. 

“It happened so fast – one second I hit the moose, one second it was gone,” he said. “We both got away unscathed, but the snowmachine took a hit.”

Iron Dog Race Inc. is a proud leader in the snowmobile community, promoting snowmobile safety and outdoor education through trade shows, seminars, and community events. Iron Dog Race, Inc., is a 501c3 nonprofit organization. The 2022 sponsors who contributed $1,000 or more include: Spernak & Son, LLC , McKenna Bros Paving Co, Inc. , Specialty Truck and Auto , Fine Line Interiors , Rain Proof Roofing , 907 ICE , Northern Asphalt, Bering Air Nome , Quintillion , Summit Doors and Windows , Alaska Terminals, Pfeffer Development and Donlin Gold. To contribute to the 2023 helmet program, or to learn more about it, contact Iron Dog Board of Director Vice President, veteran racer, and volunteer Doug Dixon at ddixon@irondog.org.