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PrintConey's Legacy
Annual skijoring event offers crazy fun while raising funds.
Jane Linville-Wiens gets tugged toward the starting line by her Katrina rescue dog, Bayou, to compete in the Coney Classic.
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What began as a way for Maria Hayashida to exercise her sled dogs and learn to ski, has become a yearly event that attracts more than a hundred participants and raises thousands for local nonprofits. Yet there is no website for the Coney Classic Fun-Jor, nor is there a team of organizers behind it. It just kind of happens every year.
The basic rules for anyone who participates: pick up the poo and park somewhere legal. “It’s the best dog party,” Jackson resident Jen Gornell said during the 2010 Coney Classic. “Where else can you and your dog wear a boa?”
Boas are an important accessory in the annual event—set for February 13 this winter—as are tutus, wings, wigs, and any other manner of costume, for both dogs and owners. “The costumes have been there since the first year, but they weren’t my idea,” Hayashida said. “I’m not sure where that came from.”
Just as important as the proper attire is having the right harness. However, there is no tried and true model. During an afternoon at the Coney Classic, one likely will see everything from jury-rigged spiderwebs of leashes to tidy, professional-looking systems.
“I’m just trying not to fall,” said Sean McNells, a carpenter who lives in Wilson, during last year’s event. “It’s my first time trying to do this with my dogs.”
