Musher Movie at Calumet Theatre

“Musher” – [G] 2021 – $ Donation as Entry Fee – Calumet Theatre – Calumet, 340 6th St. – “A heartfelt look at the culture of sled dog racing in remote Upper Michigan through the eyes of an 11-year-old girl and three women; a senior citizen, a veterinarian, and an author.
Movie centered around the mushers getting ready for the CopperDog in Calumet, Michigan.”

“Musher” is a documentary film about an exhilarating year in the lives of four sled dog racers – mushers – and their dogs. Recorded over the course of a year, the changing seasons set the scene as puppies are born, young dogs are trained and everybody yearns for the coming winter’s races and the joys of being back on the snowy trails.

Kelsey Beaber is 11 and just participated in her first big race; Blair Braverman is a published author who writes about her experiences as she tries to qualify for the Iditarod; Alex LaPlante runs her own veterinarian practice, a fair complement for her racing hobby; Martha Schouweiler, 62, is winning races and feeling better than ever; could be her fitness regimen of kettle balls, or the 30-foot rope she climbs every day.

The lives of the dogs and the mushers are intertwined, and closely resemble those of devoted athletes from other sports. The film reveals what it means to be a musher, and what it takes to be a sled dog. It also explores the role of women in the sport, as dog mushing is one of just a few sports where men and women compete together.

Finally, the sport is dependent on snow and cold, and Alaskan sled dogs thrive in unbelievably cold temperatures, but cannot handle heat at all. What will a warming future hold for these athletes and their sport so dependent on the cold?