More Southern Mushing in the News!
Jan 29th 2008
wolfmoonsleddog
Southeast
Location: Northwest GA
Time - 2:54pm
Temperature: 65 degrees F
Conditions: Cloudy, breezy
Forecast: Thunderstorms tonight, sunny tomorrow. Warm.
 Well, I have been SWAMPED. The article on me and Calypso is all over the place right now and it’s a little bewildering.
But let’s focus on another Southern musher - Fayth Smith of North Carolina. I’ve met Fayth a couple of times and she is great!
Here’s what the Gaston Gazette had to say. Be sure to go to the original article and post a comment!
From: http://www.gastongazette.com/articles/Iditarod_16190___article.html/Fayth_Smith.html
Journey of determination
Girl dreams of taking part in Iditarod
By Bernie Petit
January 28, 2008 - 6:24PM
When then-15-year-old Fayth Smith first told her parents, Tonya and Jeff, that she wanted to be a dogsledder and one day compete in the Iditarod, they didn’t take her seriously.
“They were like, ‘Whatever,’ †said Fayth, now 16. “They didn’t think I would be able to find someone to train me.â€
But Fayth was determined to pursue her dream of making the 1,500-mile voyage across mountains and frozen rivers, and through deep forests and the Alaskan tundra in 2010.
She saved money to buy her husky, 1½-year old Dominic, and she spent three months searching on the Internet and calling strangers until she found a trainer.
Her parents were skeptical, but relented.
“I always try to give my kids the chance to do something they really want to do, said her mother Tonya. “I still ask her every day, ‘Is this something you want to do?’ â€
So far, Fayth’s answer has remained unchanged, as she regularly makes the 260-mile trip to Chapin, S.C., (outside Columbia, S.C.) and back to train with expert musher Chapin Burgess during the winter months.
Recently, Fayth traveled to Damascus, Va., a small Blue Ridge Mountain town, to participate in the second annual re-enactment of a 1925 dogsled run that brought life-saving medicine to the isolated Alaskan town of Nome.
The original run featured 20 mushers carrying a vaccine for diphtheria (an upper-respiratory tract illness) 674 miles across the harsh Alaskan terrain; the re-enactment covered 16 miles in roughly 50-degree weather.
Fayth, participating in the event for the second time, ran the second-biggest team of dogs at the re-enactment, including Dominic and seven huskies belonging to her trainer.
“I was scared,†she said. “I was running a team of new puppies that hadn’t run much, with one of Chapin’s lead dogs up front with Dominic. They did really well.â€
Chasing this dream has meant many changes for Fayth and her family. She’s homeschooled by her mother and she, her parents and nine-year-old sister Danielle, a fourth-grader at Sherwood Elementary, travel a lot more than they did before. The addition of Dominic has meant another animal to an already crowded York Chester-area home — they have four other dogs, a cat and a rabbit.
“We’re just a family with a passion for animals,†Tonya said.
Dogsledding can also be a huge financial commitment. Besides the travel and training costs, sledding gear and supplies can cost mushers up to $80,000.
Fortunately for the Smiths, Burgess isn’t charging Fayth for lessons and has supplied her with most of the materials she needs, which has greatly reduced the expenses they would otherwise incur. Her father worked with Burgess to weld her a cart and does much of the physical labor involved in preparing for mushing events and practices.
Her family’s unwavering support has not been lost on Fayth.
MORE ABOUT FAYTH SMITH
AGE
16
PARENTS
Jeff and Tonya Smith
HOW SHE GOT INTERESTED IN MUSHING
By watching the Universal Studios animated movie “Balto†when she was three-years-old. The 1995 film, based on the lead husky of the final leg of the 1925 serum run to Nome, remains one of Fayth’s favorites.
“I still watch it all the time.â€
HER FIRST MUSHING LESSONS
She learned the directional commands - “Gee†for “right turn,†“Haw,†for “left turn,†and “On by†- to keep the dogs straight by distractions such as squirrels or foxes.
HER OTHER LOVE
Fayth has been drawing anime for more than a year. She became interested in anime after seeing “InuYasha†on Cartoon Network. Other favorites include: “Naruto,†“Blood Plus,†“Bleach†and “Avatar: The Last Airbender.â€
She’s also been creating her own manga (a Japanese-style comic) and has developed her story line, characters and three chapters.
“I love them to death for everything they’ve done for me,†she said.
Great to see mushing getting so much attention right now. You go Fayth! This looks like it is the year of the sled dogs!
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