I have been the lucky benefactor of running with a burro that has to be at least considered in a "Hall of Fame" conversation for Pack Burro Racing Jack. Jack has three wins at Fairplay, six at Leadville , and a Triple Crown win. And a lot of 2nd and 3rd places in the mix there as well.
Part of the reason I have had that luck of running with Jack is by way of support of Bill Lee of Laughing Valley Ranch and Amber and Brad Wann. They have been nothing but supportive of me in donkey racing and life for over a decade. They bring a passion to burro racing and a wanting to share that with others.
I have seen how some folks don't share their vision. In 2012, when Jack and I made a run at the Triple Crown (we came up short, losing in BV after winning Fairplay and Leadville), it was made clear to me that others didn't appreciate a suburbanite from New England who was now a Colorado corporate weenine "who didn't own his burro racing for such a trophy.
And then Jack would put his head on my shoulder and I could know that at least this donkey didn't care if I was the person who owned him or not. We enjoyed each other's company and we dug running in the mountains together.
In the eyes of critics, I didn't really understand these animals and therefore I was somewhat of an outsider. Bill, the Wanns, Laughing Valley Ranch ... by some they were considered as part of a problem of inviting in outsiders and spoiling the sport.
In my view, they were doing the opposite: they were creating an opportunity for people to learn about animals, the outdoors, our state history, and themselves through Pack Burro Racing, Their passion was the key driver to make this ridiculous event Colorado's official Summer Heritage Sport by law.
Jack and I are both past our fastest racing days but we will both look to make some show at the burro racing circuit this summer. And I wish I could say that is all there is too it: just a simple thanks to Jack, Bill, and the Wanns for some great races and memories.
Unfortunately, that is not the case.
I have been decidedly fairly quiet in the public space about much of the news surrounding pack burro racing in the last couple of years. Pack burro racing has always had what its own folks call "donku-drama." It is a term I first heard from either Bill Lee or the now deceased Curtis Imrie. Those guys shared with me that Colorado's Summer Heritage Sport had a long standing tradition of people worrying about things that the donkeys really didn't seem to care about. There have been debates about saddle weight, what is really a pick axe, the use of intact jacks in races, the use of in heat jennies in races, if this team cut a race corner or lost control of the rope and didn't go back to where they lost it, and any number of things.
In the last couple of years however, the amount of this drama and its volume seems to swelled to new levels: questions over the integrity of Western Pack Burro Association elections, who calls the shots at the races (the town or the WPBA), heightened debates over rules of the races including where spectators can observe from, use of jack chains, and cutoffs at races.
I have tried to steer clear of most of this stuff, but I have waded into the soup on occasion. I wasn't a fan of splitting the start between long course and short course at Fairplay. One year at Idaho Springs, another racer accused me of not keeping my rope and I accused him of cutting a switchback (and we weren't smiling about it ... by the way, neither of us won that race).
I and those around me look to remind me that it is better to consider the bigger picture: be grateful that you can run these things with these beautiful beasts of burden in an amazing backdrop of the Rocky Mountains. And oh yeah, mostly - the donkeys don't care about our human created ridiculousness.
The Chaffee County Times have recently released two articles on some of this (1, 2), Like any good controversy, there is a bunch different perspectives, hurt feelings, and multiple sides to the story.
This story however also has a character that has been considered divisive for years, and long before his entry into the burro racing circuit as a race director or WPBA member. You can refer to the article to get a sense of some of that history.
I find when this person comes up in conversation, most of us are a bit stuck. Most of us don't want to wade into controversy, or are looking to abide by the rule of "if you have nothing nice to say, don't say anything at all." And so we don't do or say anything publicly. We let it go, and hope that it will go away.
But my experience is that in our private conversations we state our disgust at his ego, his brazen nature to capitalize for himself first while trying to paint it in the light of some broader good fellowship effort and, perhaps worst of all - his inability to respond to any criticism. This is almost always met with some sort of rant of how he is being bullied, and a character attack on the person raising the concern.
You might not share my view. That is fine. You make your choices and I will make mine. If you don't like the decisions of any town with their race choices, including who the RD is, "vote" with your choices and don't participate. Instead, support those who support the values you support.
I recognize my essay here, support of Bill/The Wanns and the criticism of some won't sit well with some and I may deal with consequences from that. There are some who could interpret this text as being disrespectful in some regard, and therefore, such behavior could disqualify me from participating in pack burro races (see page 31). I am willing to deal with those consequences if some authority deems them necessary and appropriate: I'd rather stand with these folks who have helped me than at the starting line of a race being directed by someone who has questionable motives, been destructive and I think the sport would be better off without.
And remember, the donkeys mostly don't care.
