Swift the Groundhog

Sanford the Groundhog (more commonly known by his nickname, Swift) is a groundhog who is the hero of the Speed Rush series. He first appeared in the 1998 game Speed Rush, then appeared 10 years later in its 2008 remake.
==Personality==
===1998-2003===
===2008-Present===
Swift is a very quiet character. He is shy and is known to be an introvert. In his recent games, he speaks less when he is around others. Swift is softspoken and easily discouraged when talking to people. If someone does not hear him when he calls out to them, he will panic and run away. He has the courage to face oppenets, but he hardly speaks to them. He is very serious and never gets cocky when he wins battles.
In the beginning of Speed Rush (2008), Swift was hardly aggressive at all. Elise told him he had a lot of power he should be able to use. Swift gained more confidence when she used her magic to change his appearance and give him new powers.
==History==
Swift's backstory has been unknown for quite some time. He doesn't like to talk about his early life, and there are signs he's had a rough childhood. Swift likes to speak of finding a girlfriend, who he calls The One.
==Powers and Abilities==
In the early games, Swift's trademark was his speed. He was able to dash over 500 miles per hour. If he was fast enough, he would run along the sides of walls or even up them. When Swift would reach his maximum speed, he would be abble run upside-down. He was able to run evern faster by using the Dash, which was introduced in Speed Rush 2.
Swift has been able to use the Tackle since the beginning of the series. The Tackle is similar to the Homing Attack from the Sonic the Hedgehog series. While in the air, Swift will charge into the nearest object (whether an enemy or an item box). Swift also possessed the Dash, a move that makes him run at an even faster speed, defeating any enemy in his path. His dashing is limited to the dash guage. When it is empty he starts running at his normal speed. The guage is filled by collecting shards.
Dashing was not present in Speed Rush (2008). In fact, none of his high-speed maneuvers were. He was drastically slowed down in the 2008 game. His style focused more on fighting combat and not speed.
Swift is also shown to be very skilled at hand-to-hand combat. However, it is proven that his Tackles are more powerful than his arms and legs. He is highly coordinated and very agile. This is shown in the CGI openning short of Speed Rush (2008). Swift has mastered many aerial maneuvers. He uses these while mixing in his Tackles to defeat his foes.
==Game Appearances==
===Speed Rush===
Swift's first game appearance. In the game, he travels through his land to defeat Monstro (for reasons unknown). When Swift confronts Monstro in his fortress, they engage in a long fight. Eventually, Swift wins and restores peace to the land.
===Speed Rush (2008)===
In this reboot, Swift is just a teenage groundhog, but when his homeland is held under siege, he must gather his courage to save the world. 
==Trivia==
*Swift is laregly based off the author in two ways: Swift's real name is the same as the author's (Sanford), and their personalities are similar.
==Gallery==
File:Classic Swift.png|Speed Rush
File:Swift SR22003.png|Speed Rush 2
File:Swift SR2008.png|Speed Rush (2008)
File:SwiftTheGroundhog FSBR.png|Swift using his old look in Fantendo Smash Bros. Rumble
Category:Characters
Category:Good Characters
Category:Speed Rush
Category:Main Characters
Category:Teenagers
Category:Males
Category:VictoryStar
Category:Fan Characters