Little girl's big voice starts off races

At 9 years old, Cethe Autumn Choux of Carson City knows what she wants to do with her life.

Sunday about 400 race fans were enlightened to the dreams of the Bordewich-Bray Elementary school student when she belted out the "Star Spangled Banner" at Champion Speedway's opening day races.

Decked out in earrings, T-shirt and pants emblazoned with the Stars and Stripes, Cethe calmly walked to the flaggers stand in the middle of the bleachers and took the microphone in her hand.

From the moment the first note drifted from the tiny songstress, race fans fell silent. At the crescendo of the song, listeners began to hoot and whistle as the high notes were hit.

A beaming Cethe returned to her family and got hugs all around.

The applause seemed to last forever.

Since she was 3 years old, Cethe, who uses only her first and middle name when performing, has been regaling her family with song.

While living in Hawaii, she did the "karaoke circuit" singing, "You Are My Sunshine" her father, Marcel Choux, said.

She landed the Champion Speedway gig when the owner of Red's Old 395 heard her sing the National Anthem during a karaoke night there.

"He told my dad, 'She needs to sing at a big place,'" Cethe said.

Recently, Cethe began working with voice coach Joey Navarro, of Carson City.

Choux, a construction worker, claims he can carry a tune, but nothing like his golden-lunged daughter.

After Sept. 11, the precocious third grader took it upon herself to add the National Anthem to her repertoire.

"I am just so proud of how patriotic she has become," said her grandmother, Sheri Asay, of Gardnerville.

Asay, who works for the legislature when its in session, scored Cethe an audience singing "My Heart Goes On" for Nevada senators Ann O'Connell and Randall Townsend.

"She'll sing wherever they'll let her," Asay said.

"She's had a lot of opportunity to do a lot of fun things for her age."

What's next on the list of things to do for the little diva?

"Learn the guitar," she said, adding with a chuckle, "But I don't like the calluses."