Dog Sledding Jamaica Style
By Sally R. Simon, Iditarod Educational Journalist
When one thinks of Jamaica, palms trees and crystal clear waters probably come to mind. The last thing one would envision is a big grinned native being pulled by a dog sled team. Well, get ready to shatter your previously held beliefs about Jamaica because Newton Marshall has arrived on the scene.
In 2009, Newton became the first Jamaican to finish the Yukon Quest. Now he has his sights on the Iditarod, and he isn’t without tons of support. Jimmy Buffet of Margaritaville’s fame, along with several other businesses, are backing this unlikely mushing team. Oh yeah, did I mention that Lance Mackey is helping him train?
So, when I saw that Newton was going to be at the Adventure Travel Expo in New York City, I just had to go and meet the man for myself. At the end of an aisle full of Caribbean destinations, I found Newton and his support team chatting with curious patrons. I waited my turn and introduced myself as a huge Iditarod fan and teacher. He was surprised that I had come just to see him. We talked about the Yukon Quest and how his training for the Iditarod is progressing.
Danny Melville, the founder of Jamaican Dog Sled team, was eager to talk to my husband while my sons headed straight for the Alaskan Huskies brought by mushers from upstate New York. They also had a dry land training vehicle on display. It was such a training sled that started the JDT in 2005 when Danny bought one in Canada and got the crazy idea to start dog sledding in Jamaica.
As the booth got busy, Newton remained happy to chat with everyone and pass out his picture. I was impressed by his youth and energy. It will be an exciting year for Iditarod fans to have a musher from a tropical climate to cheer on. As I said my goodbyes, I wished him luck on his upcoming fundraising events and told him I hope to see him on Fourth Street in March.
To find out more about the Jamaican Dog Sled Team, visit their website at www.jamaicadogsled.com. Or for those of you who are on Facebook, you can join the fan page, Jamaican Dog Sled Team , to keep up with Newton’s journey to the Iditarod starting line. You can also follow JDT on Twitter.
Enjoy the slide show highlighting Sally and her family’s visit with Newton.
