HUMAN

Name: Ervin “Swerv” Petty
Age: I’ll be 71 in May
Residence: Eagle River, Alaska
Occupation: I’ve retired. I did 24 years in the Air Force as a pararescueman, and then I worked 14 years with the state of Alaska in emergency management.
Years involved with Iditarod: My first year was ’93. I started out as a volunteer at the VFW in Eagle River, which was actually the first checkpoint for Iditarod.
Iditarod Role: Actually, I’ve stepped back a little bit. I was a coordinator in Eagle River for ’93 until right after 2000. A younger man came up and I trained him to take over the coordinator position to eventually moved from Eagle River VFW to the BLM here in South Anchorage.

Current Location: Lakefront Hotel, Anchorage, Alaska
Date of Photo: March 5, 2020
Temperature: 68 F inside

What, who or how and when did you first get involved with the Iditarod?

I first got involved with the Iditarod when we moved up here with the Air Force. I came up in ’81. I was gone ’82, that year, the race – took a trip to Australia – but ’83 we started going to watch the racers come into the VFW checkpoint. And it was pretty exciting, so we did that. Then we came downtown a couple times to watch the start. And then when I retired from the Air Force, the guy who had been the previous coordinator for the checkpoint had a new job and he couldn’t make many of the meetings, so he asked if I would kind of help him along, which, with all his out-of-town work, I became kind of the primary and he just handed it off to me completely. 28 years later, I’m still enjoying it. Actually, I think I might be enjoying it a little bit more with my buddy taking over in the coordinator position.

What is your Why?.. Why are you here today and involved in Iditarod?

28 years later, I’m still enjoying it. Actually, I think I might be enjoying it a little bit more with my buddy taking over in the coordinator position.

Tell me about just one of your most memorable Iditarod experiences?

One of the most memorable experiences I’ve had doing this when I was the the main coordinator in Eagle River is, we were very limited on parking, so the volunteers, I had to have them park a distance away, and then we would shuttle them in. For all my main coordinators and ITC staff, we had a special spot for them to park next door to the VFW. That year, Joanne Potts, who was the race director at the time – whatever her position was – her and a couple other of the high level ITC staff came out there and I told them, “Go to this parking lot right next door.” My security guy was pretty new and he was told that you don’t get into this lot unless you have one of our tags from the VFW. And Joanne pulled up to the door, or the gate, and the guy wouldn’t let her in. He said, “I’m sorry, you’re going to have to go up to Walmart and take the shuttle bus down here.” They actually made her go out there. Well, Cheryl, who was with Joanne, reached over to the young man and said, “Do you see her tag? She’s one of the top officials in the race!” “I’m sorry, I was told by the coordinator, if you don’t have our tag, you can’t get in.” So Joanne had to take the bus.

What do you know for sure?:

Well, what I know for sure in life is, I don’t know everything that’s left out there. I’ve got a few years under my belt and it’s been a good life, but I’m still wondering what’s next to come for me. And I hope to continue on with the Iditarod for some time yet.