Astronaut visits second day of skijoring competition

DRIGGS, Idaho (KIFI)- It was the second day of competition for the skijorers who were competing in Driggs this weekend. And with the snow coming down many were hoping for a fun day on the course.

"Yesterday it was a beautiful blue sky day. The course is awesome. This is down in a little sunken driving range on a golf course. So it's one of the best courses I've ever seen. Today, we've got a moose that's literally sitting right behind the camera it's a crazy experience," said one of the competitors Riley Tubbs.

Tubbs added that he was appreciative of the efforts that Community came out and supported the event. "Driggs is a welcoming place. The community has been great so far."

One of the spectators Ana came from Jackson after a busy day Saturday and says its been fun to see it all take place. "It's wild, it's like someone just had a horse and skis and went why not?"

She adds that she likes seeing the athleticism behind the event as well.

The day was also memorable thanks to a visit from the first Native American to visit the International Space Station. On his experience as an astronaut Herrington said it was definitely memorable. "Oh, that was great. I was selected the Astronaut Office in 1996. I flew on the shuttle in 2002, went to the space station, did three spacewalks. I'm a citizen of the Chickasaw Nation, Oklahoma, so I was considered the first member of a fairly recognized tribe to fly on the space shuttle to do a spacewalk."

Herrington says he came to Driggs as a part of a tv show he's currently filming. "Who was there to film everything for a web series he is working on. "I'm with a group filming for what's called Brand USA, and they have a streaming site called Go USA TV. It's an app you can get. And this is the third season that we're doing called Trails And Trailblazers. We came to Driggs, Idaho, to film skijoring. The idea is to go some places that have some adventure. Adventure to it, meet some people that are doing it and then me to participate in it. So that's why I'm here."

John adds that while he isn't nervous to participate in the event he wanted to make sure he was able to complete the run. "This is a risk and everything, right? So you mitigate the risk. I got a little slower horse the guy I'm riding with, said these two would kill you so you can try to run slower. And I asked how fast. He said about 22 miles an hour, which is great. So the idea is, you know, there's a risk, but mitigate it. And I'm like, well, that might be me or not so."

Organizers of the event say it was a larger crowd than they were expecting but everyone had a good time.