Rachael Scdoris, a dog sled racer who could become the only legally blind athlete to ever compete in Alaska's Iditarod, was in Utah Wednesday showing schoolkids how to find their dreams.

The 19-year-old musher, who attends community college in her native Oregon, encouraged children at Ogden's St. Paul Lutheran School not to give up no matter what adversities might get in their way.

"If you have a passion for it, don't let people tell you you can't," said Scdoris, who suffers from a rare congenital blindness affecting one in 33,000 Americans.

Scdoris is the youngest musher in the world to finish the 500-mile International Rocky Mountain Stage Stop race in Wyoming.

She also performed well in the Atta Boy 300 race in Oregon, after which she was chosen to be the spokeswoman for Atta Boy dog food. St. Paul Lutheran School principal Christine Eggbert said her son suggested the school invite Scdoris to share her story after he saw her picture on a bag.

Eggbert and the rest of her family also had seen an article about Scdoris in National Geographic magazine.

"This is something kids are not usually exposed to," Eggbert said. "I just want them to know sled dog racing is a fun thing the dogs love."

The trip to Utah, her first ever, was made possible because of Bill Bahnken, director of manufacturing for American Nutrition, who has two children attending St. Paul's.

The company sponsors Scdoris to help her win races, not just compete in them, he said.

View Comments

In the 2005 Iditarod, she will overcome her visual impairment by using a guide sled. Although help from another sled is technically illegal, it has been approved by the race's governing council.

"I requested that accommodation for me," she said. "I know it may open doors for others so they can fulfill their dreams."

By making that decision, the race has become more inclusive and will hopefully attract the support of more people, she said.


E-mail: akirk@desnews.com

Join the Conversation
Looking for comments?
Find comments in their new home! Click the buttons at the top or within the article to view them — or use the button below for quick access.