David Archambeau/For the Mining Gazette Sigma Tau Gamma hill jockeys digging, then lifting a snowmobile out of 3 feet of snow at MASTERS Winternationals 2021.

For the past four years, members of Sigma Tau Gamma fraternity at Michigan Tech have been working as hill jockeys at the snowmobile hillclimbs in South Range.

A hill jockey is a person that helps a hillclimber get their snowmobile unstuck. They also keep the snowmobile from going down the hill without the driver.

The brothers of Sigma Tau Gamma are located in different places on the side of Whealkate Bluff. They work in groups of two to three. Every hillclimb close to 100 snowmobiles are lifted up and turned around.

“Although it was a lot of fun watching these machines go up this big hill, it can be a lot of work. Depending upon where you are located on the hill,” explained Andrew Phelps, Sigma Tau Gamma member. “I was located on the lower side of the hill. This is where there are the hardest gates and most riders get stuck and fail.”

Since Sigma Tau Gamma began as the hill jockeys for the Mid America Snow & Terrain Expert Racers (MASTERS) hillclimbs, the fraternity has never asked for any financial support from the circuit or the drivers.

They did it because they love it!

“The Hillclimb is probably one of my favorite service events I have done. You get to watch these extremely cool snowmobiles, some with professional drivers driving them, competing against others to climb this massive hill,” commented Phelps.

It was at the last Mid America Championship hillclimb that the MASTERS circuit and drivers decided to donate money to the fraternity.

“No strings attached, they can use the money in any way they want. From having a social get-together to house improvement, whatever they want,” stated MASTERS officials.

Here is why this fraternity is so special at Michigan Tech and in the Copper Country. They decided to turn the $350 gift into a donation to Copper Country Special Olympics.

“The Special Olympics is Sigma Tau Gamma’s national philanthropy. Every chapter has some kind of event they do annually dedicated to raise (money) for Special Olympics,” explained Brad Burnish of Sigma Tau Gamma of Michigan Tech.

“On Friday of Winter Carnival, we run from the Winter Carnival building all the way back to 1020 College Avenue in our underwear,” Burnish added, describing the Grundy Run. The fundraiser encourages people to donate money and to write whatever they want on the bodies of Sigma Tau Gamma members.

“With the support of the MASTERS and the drivers as hill jockeys, we will be just shy of our $5,000 goal,” Burnish stated.

For the hillclimbs, the hill jockeys are fully clothed, but the work they do lifting 400-500 pound snowmobiles out of deep snow is a challenging task.

“As a jockey, we have to get the snowmobiles unstuck and help in any way we can, especially when the snowmobile is stuck in a 3-foot hole and buried down to the dirt. It’s a lot of work; it is definitely a lot of fun,” concluded Phelps.

“I don’t know what we would do without them. I sure have used them often and can’t thank the Sig Taus enough,” commented one unnamed hillclimber. “I still can’t believe they are not using it for a party, but to just give the money to Special Olympics. That’s impressive!”

The MASTERS had an owner of one Hillclimb team that donated $100. He did this on the basis he did not want his name or business mentioned.

One MASTERS official said, “All too often fraternities get a bad rap. Parents with sons in college need to know all the work fraternities, like the Michigan Tech chapter of Sigma Tau Gamma, does. They also invoke a spirit of helping others in the community, while building leadership skills, and how to get snowmobiles safely down Whealkate Bluff!”

The fraternity also sponsors the MASTERS children’s class at the hillclimbs.