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3Four Corners SPORTSNOVEMBER 2014

content| 4 |

Snaggin’ salmon

They’ll arrive with camping gear, fishing

gear, and lots of determination. They’ll

come from Texas, Oklahoma, utah, Col-

orado and Arizona. And they’ll all come

for the same reason — it’s salmon snag-

ging season.

| 8 |

Road Apple RallyWhen Patricia Cummins Siegel got on her

bike to participate in the 2014 Road Apple

Rally mountain bike race on October 4,

the event was more than just another

race.

| 12 | Taking the reinsAs the fall season begins it’s time to look

at the continuing carousel that is high

school coaching.

| 18 | On a tearRiley Rahm, a 17-year-old senior at Piedra

Vista High School, is on a tear to begin

the 2014-2015 golf season.

| 24 | Big game mapsThe Bureau of land Management has part-

nered with the New Mexico Department of

Game and Fish to offer mobile maps of New

Mexico’s big game hunting units through

the CarryMap Application.

| 22 | The Breakfast Clubin the truest form of Americana, retired

men and women sit around their local

McDonalds drinking coffee and solving

the world’s problems. This is far from the

case for Jim Bateman and Mark McFar-

land, affectionately known by the Civitan

Golf Course clubhouse golf attendants as

the Breakfast Club.| 14 | Mastering the board

At the age of 34, Daniel Diswood is living

his dream. Doing ollies and kickflips, and

occasionally suffering the consequences

of them. Diswood and his skateboard are

all but inseparable.

| 25 | Hike, bike free in 2015

| 24 | Color DashNew Beginnings at The Navajo united

Methodish Center is hosting The Color

Dash at Berg Park on Saturday, Oct. 25.

| 32 | First Tee

| 29 | Fishing report

| 30 | Nascar Nellie

| 26 | Editorial column

Don Vaughan

PuBlISHER

Cindy Cowan Thiele

EDITOR

Rick Hoerner

Tom Yost

Dorothy Nobis

CONTRIBuTING WRITERS

Curtis Benally

Josh Bishop

CONTRIBuTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Suzanne Thurman

DESIGNER

Shelly Acosta

Clint Alexander

Aimee Velasquez

SAlES STAFF

For advertising information

Call 505.516.1230

www.fourcornerssports.com

Four Corners Sports magazine is published once amonth by Majestic Media. Material herein may not bereprinted without expressed written consent of the pub-lisher. Opinions expressed by the contributing writersare not necessarily those of the publisher, editor or FourCorners Sports magazine. Every effort has been madeto ensure the accuracy of this publication. However thepublisher cannot assume responsibility for errors orommissions. © 2014 Four Corners Sports magazine.

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17Four Corners SpoRtSNOVEMBER 2014

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“We (the early skateboarders)

did it because it was the anti-sport.

We didn’t have a coach telling us what

to do. It’s an activity you own and

there’s no crowd cheering for you”

— Daniel Diswood

you, you know you have to do it. Most people will look at you like you’re an idiot but,

something inside tells you, you just have to do it.”

Diswood stresses the importance of safety equipment for those “have to do it” times

and for every time a skater gets on the board. “Most injuries are with the ankles and

knees,” he said. “I pad up completely – elbows and knees, gloves and a helmet. Road rash

is not fun. It burns you, tears you up and takes forever to heal.”

Kevin Werito has been skateboarding since he was 14 years old. Now 25 and with a

wife and son, Werito continues to skate, but for a slightly different reason than when he

was a teen.

* Skateboarding 34


heavy-duty fishing rod and reel and snagging

hooks. “Patience and a first aid kit are also

helpful,” Wethington added with a laugh.

Accidents can – and usually do – happen

when people gather for snagging season.

“And use common sense and restraint,”

Wethington encouraged snaggers. “Often,

when people start snagging, they get lost in

the moment and don’t think about what

they’re doing.”

It is those times, he added, when acci-

dents can occur. The snagging hooks can get

lodged in the skin and are difficult to re-

move. In addition, because much of the

shoreline where anglers snag is rugged,

Wethington said people need to be careful

when walking to and from their favorite fish-

ing spot.

The biologist recalled a couple of acci-

dents in recent years. “A guy was snagging

from the spillway and fell from 15

to18 feet into the

water. He

got up and went back up to his spot and kept

on snagging. People are pretty serious about

getting their limit. I’ve seen hooks get

snagged in people, and they’ll remove the

hooks from each other and continue snag-

ging.”

Those favorite fishing spots include the

southern corner of the docks. The area adja-

cent to the spillway and north of the boating

ramps at Navajo are “quite good” Wethington

said, adding that snagging in the Saint Fran-

cis Canyon is also a good place to snag the

salmon. Snagging is not allowed from the

boat dock or from the boat deck.

“We still have a lot of boat traffic (during

the snagging season) and there have been

minor conflicts between the boaters and the

snaggers in the past,” Wething-

ton explained.

The best time to snag is early in the morn-

ing and early evening, “From dusk to dawn is

good and from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. is really

good,” Wethington said. “Salmon are light

sensitive, so days that are overcast, rainy or

snowy are good days to snag.”

The season peaks from the second week

in October to the first week in November, he

said. “Heron Reservoir typically draws huge

crowds for opening day. The fish seem to

concentrate there.”

While Wethington has friends who enjoy

snagging salmon, it isn’t something he par-

ticipates in. “It’s too intense for

me,” he said with a

laugh.

6 Four Corners SPORTS NOVEMBER 2014

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“I’ll visit with my friends when they’re snagging,

but I don’t join them.”

Wethington is a fly fisherman, he explained. “I fish

the Quality Waters and I enjoy that. I deal with fishing

every single day and I live at Navajo Dam, so usually I

choose not to think about fishing (on my day off).

The campgrounds at Navajo Lake State Park are

busy year ’round, and the salmon snagging season

brings campers to the park in droves.

“October (the beginning of the snagging season) is

extremely busy,” said Cheryl Moline, Navajo State

Park Administrator. “People come from everywhere

(to snag).”

With 78 campsites in the main campground, more

than 20 sites at the Sims Mesa campground, which is

on the opposite side of the lake, and 47 sites at the

Cottonwood site (on the San Juan River), Moline said

salmon snaggers and anglers fishing for trout keep

the park busy all through October.

“Salmon snagging usually ends by the end of Octo-

ber, when the weather is colder and the salmon die

off,” Moline said. “And October is also a great month

for trout fishing, which increases activity at the

park.”

The park staff is prepared for the influx of those

seeking salmon and trout in the fall, Moline added.

“It’s a continuation of our summer, so we’re always

ready for it.”

The Four Corners Region Geotourism web site

states that, “World class fishing is experienced all

along the San Juan River in New Mexico, but the 4.25

miles of river just below Navajo Dam, known as the

Quality Waters, holds over 80,000 trout. The Quality

Waters teem with rainbow, brown and cutthroat

trout. Fabulous year-round fishing exists in the Qual-

ity Waters as well as along the 12 additional miles of

open water along the San Juan River.”


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Marc Wethington said Navajo Lake State

Park offers great gishing and improvements

to ehnance the anglers enjoyment of the area

are always ongoing.

As the fishing biologist, Wethington said he

is involved in most of the New Mexico Game

and Fish projects in the area. “We just com-

pleted a project on the San Juan River in

June,” he said, “that increased the parking lot

and boat ramp at the Hammond Tract area.”

That project, according to the Outdoors NM

web site, included a new concrete boat take-

out ramp, an improved parking lot and a new

outhouse. “We also cleared 50 acres of land

and removed the Russian olive andsaltxedar

trees to provide more access to the river,”

Wethington said.

The estimated 4625,000 project was funded by

grants from the State Forestry and the San Juan

Soil and Water Conservation District, federal

wildlife and sport fish excise taxes on the sale of

sporting goods, New Mexico Department of

Game and Fish funds and contributions from

ConocoPhillips, WPX Energy and the New Mexico

Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife, according to the

Fisheries Management of the NMDGF.

The Hammond Tract is located on an un-

marked dirt road of NM 511, near the intersec-

tion of US 64. Wethington said the project

began in 2006/2007. New projects are in dis-

cussion stages, Wethington added, between

the New Mexico Tourism and Travel Depart-

ment and the New Mexico State Parks Division.

Wethington said he enjoys the projects he’s

been able to work on during his 19 years and

two months (as of September) he’s been a

fishing biologist. “It’s been a good job and a

good career,” he said of his position.

“I’ve been allowed to be part of bigger proj-

ects that people get to see and enjoy. Getting

feedback from sportsmen and the people who

enjoy those projects is the best part of the

job.”


When Patricia Cummins Siegel got on her

bike to participate in the 2014 Road Apple

Rally mountain bike race on Oct. 4, the event

was more than just another race.

“My parents and my brother owned Pedal

Sports in Farmington years ago and they

took part in the first Road Apple Rally,” Siegel

said proudly. “I did the rally for the first time

last year and I’m here again this year.”

Siegel lives in Albuquerque and was one of

many from the Duke City who enjoyed the

race. Siegel’s friend, Deborah Kearney, also

participated in this year’s race. “It looked

like a fun race,” Kearney said. “It’s a beautiful

day and a wonderful course. I loved every bit

of it.”

Wiley Corra, 11, and Nicholas Unkovskoy,

12, are from Durango and crossed the finish

line less than a minute apart, taking first and

second in the 15-mile loop. Neither of the

boys was winded or tired, and congratulated

each other on a good race.

The boys are part of Durango DEVO, a not-

for-profit organization that encourages kids

to become life-long cyclists. The group

brought several young cyclists to the rally.

Corra and Unkovskoy said they practice two

days a week as part of DEVO.

“We got out front,” Corra said of the rally,

“and we pushed each other to the max all the

way.”

Corra finished the race in 57 minutes and

52 seconds, while Unkovskoy claimed a time

of 58 minutes, 7 seconds.

Sadie Schafer, 13, is also a member of

DEVO and was the first girl to cross the finish

line with a time of one minute, six seconds, in

spite of the fact that she was a little under

the weather.

“I think I got a little sick with a stuffy nose

More than 200 mountain bikersrace in the Road Apple

Story by Dorothy Nobis | Photos by Josh Bishop

A beautiful day on a

9Four Corners SportSNOVEMBER 2014

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and a cough,” Schafer said. When asked what

part of the race was the best, she did not hesi-

tate when she said, “The best part was the

start and the finish.”

One Farmington resident took part in the rally

– an event he supervised for years as the race

director. Shawn Lyle worked for the City of

Farmington’s Parks, Recreation and Cultural

Affairs Department and retired last year.

“I retired, but I still wanted to be part of it,”

Lyle said of the race. “It’s a fun race. The

course is in good shape and I wiped out a cou-

ple of times.”

“One little kid kicked my butt,” Lyle said with a

laugh. “I couldn’t catch him to save my life.”

Lyle was with several members of Cross-

roads Community Church, on of the sponsor

of the race. Dave West, pastor of the church,

said his congregation enjoys getting involved

in community events. “This is one of the best

activities in Farmington,” West said. “We

wanted to expose our congregation to the

event.”Racer Ryan Szabo of Albuquerque.

11Four Corners SPoRTSNOVEMBER 2014

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Ken Weisheit is the assistant pastor at Crossroads and said just fin-

ishing the race was an accomplishment for him. “I had a great time

and it was fun seeing all the people.”

Lyle finished with a time of one hour, 19 minutes and 32 seconds;

West came in with a time of one hour, 19 minutes and 52 seconds; and

Weisheit managed a time of one hour, 17 minutes. “Shawn is never

going to let me live it down that he beat me by 30 seconds,” West said

with a laugh.

Two former law enforcement buddies also competed in the race.

Robert Grona, from Bloomfield, and Manny Gutierrez, from Allbu-

querque. The two were stationed together in the Farmington office of

the New Mexico State Police and enjoy doing the race together every

year.

“We enjoy it,” Grona said of the rally “It’s a good race with nice

trails.”

For Shana Reeves, the Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs super-

intendent, the race is fun, but requires alot of work from the 25 staff

members and more than 60 volunteers who help with the event.

“It’s a beautiful and fast course,” Reeves said. “It’s also unique be-

cause it’s unpaved with a lot of open areas that are dirt trails. It’s a

different kind of challenge from other mountain bike races.”

Racer Brent Winebarger of Durango* Road Apple 28

12 Four Corners SPoRTS NOVEMBER 2014

Rick Hoerner Photos Curtis Benally

As the fall season begins it’s time to look at

the continuing carousel that is high school

coaching. Miraculously, Farmington High will

begin the 2014-2015 season with the same

coaching staff with which it finished last sea-

son, while Piedra Vista welcomes some recog-

nizable faces to their coaching fraternity.

Adam Huff - Girls Soccer

Familiarity begins with the Panthers looking

internally for their new girls soccer coach,

which over the years has been quite the re-

volving door since Errol Baade. Enter Piedra

Vista boys basketball coach Adam Huff. Coach

Huff will add the responsibility of bringing

consistency to the program while juggling his

responsibilities as the head basketball coach

and assisting in the PV track program. Huff

will be assisted by former Panther boys coach

Wayne Leupold. The Panthers enter the season

behind district foes Farmington and Aztec,

who have been in the final four of the state

championships over the past couple of sea-

sons.

Piedra Vista welcomes new coaches

MICHAELBEJARWRESTLING

TAKING


Pat Denney - Boys Soccer

like his counterpart on the female side,

Denney takes over a soccer program that will

be under the leadership of their fourth coach

in four years. While this will be Denney’s first

year as a head high school coach, he does

have soccer experience. Denney has been in-

volved in youth soccer in Farmington for the

past 18 years. Denney takes over a Panther

squad that has played second fiddle to the

Farmington Scorpions in district play and will

have their hands full trying to overtake the

two-time state champions. The Piedra Vista

athletic director hopes that Denney will finally

bring some stability to the boys program and

believes Denney will “bring a lot of energy” to

the sidelines for the Panthers. in an ironic

twist, former girls head coach Shawn Taylor

will assist Denney just as the boy’s former

coach is now assisting the girls.

Michael Bejar - Wrestling

The most interesting coaching change in

the district this year may be for new Panther

wrestling coach Michael Bejar. Coach Bejar

takes over one of the most dominating pro-

grams in the state in any sport following de-

parted coach levi Stout. Bejar’s Panthers once

again will be an overwhelming favorite after

four consecutive state champions. The Pan-

thers return four-time state champion An-

thony Juckes as well as defending state

champions Zach Ahlgrim, Philip Archuleta, and

Sam Sandoval. Bejar’s toughest challenge may

be off the mats where he will have to rebuild a

squad that adamantly defended former head

coach levi Stout after his dismissal after the

2014 season for rules violations. Bejar has the

luxury of being part of the Panther program

over their championship run and will be as-

sisted by former Panther head coach Greg

Ruybalid.

THE REINSADAMHUFF

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BOARD

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15Four Corners SpOrTSNOVEMBER 2014

BOARD

THE

At the age of 34, Daniel Diswood is living his dream. Doing ollies

and kickflips, and occasionally suffering the consequences. Dis-

wood and his skateboard are all but inseparable.

Diswood is among an ever-increasing number of people who enjoy

skateboarding. It was a yellow plastic “banana board” that was 27

inches long and 6 inches wide that hooked Diswood into what he calls

an “activity.”

“It’s not really a sport, but it is becoming more of a sport be-

cause of its popularity and the competition,” Diswood said. “It’s an

activity that gets kids trying to be better skaters. We (the early

skateboarders) did it because it was the anti-sport. We didn’t have

a coach telling us what to do. It’s an activity you own and there’s no

crowd cheering for you.”

Organized sports offer participants the opportunity to win titles,

get trophies and enjoy the recognition. Skateboarding, Diswood

said, can be a lonely activity.

“You don’t get anything out of it but what you accomplish,” he

said. “But you do get increased self-confidence and self-esteem. A

lot of skateboarders will work on the same trick for a month. Then

you land it, but there’s no one there to cheer for you. You do it for

the reward and for the effort you put into it.”

In 1984, Diswood got that yellow banana board and learned how

to ride it. With the bumps, bruises and a scar on his nose, Diswood

perfected his boarding and, in 1994, it became his passion.

The small banana board gave way to a bigger board – one that

was 9 ½ inches wide and 33 inches long. By 1995, long boards be-

came the activity trend, when the boarders had a “need for speed.”

In addition to a longer board, the new skateboards had bigger,

softer wheels. “The bigger the wheel, the faster you go,” Diswood

said. “And the softer wheel will soften the vibration of asphalt,

which gives a smoother ride.”

For Diswood skateboarding isabout achievement not competition

Story by Dorothy Nobis | Photos by Josh Bishop


Diswood’s personal best on his longboard is

59.1 miles an hour. “I did that at an undis-

closed Colorado location,” he said with a laugh.

“But I’m hoping to break that record on that

same hill in a couple of weeks.”

Diswood said he skates harder and more

often at 34 than he did when he was a teen. He

had worked for the Shredd Shed in the Animas

Valley Mall, where he had the opportunity to

visit with people about skateboarding and

share tips and tricks.

“It was a shop like we had never seen be-

fore,” Diswood said of the Shredd Shed. “If you

were passionate about skateboarding, it was

the place to be. I loved hearing about people,

how they skated, what they’ve done, if they

found a new spot and what was going on with

their lives.”

When the shop moved, then ultimately

closed, Farmington was without a skateboard-

ing shop. Four years later, Diswood decided he

needed to open his own store, and SnS Skate-

boarding opened on Butler Avenue, just across

the street from Brookside Park. “It’s a spe-

cialty shop,” Diswood said of his store. “If

you’re a skateboarder, it’s where you come,

where you fit in and where you find the stuff

you want.”

On a recent Friday afternoon, there was a

steady stream of customers coming through

the doors of his current location on Main

Street in historic downtown Farmington. Most

were there to purchase wheels, shirts, hats, or

boards, but some stopped by just to talk about

skateboarding.

“They’ll come in to buy a new skateboard or

just to look at everything,” Diswood said. “The

best thing about this – and any – skate shop is

the stickers. Stickers are the best thing skate

shops brought about. I sell a ton of them. They

put them on their skateboards or just collect

them. I love stickers. I buy them and save them.

Stickers – that’s why you own a skate shop!”

While his customers are of all ages, Diswood

is especially fond of the younger ones. For

years, skateboarders were looked upon as

troublemakers, he said. “We were looked at as

street trash and troubled youth,” he said. “But

we’ve become more mainstream and skate-

boarding has grown in popularity.”

“Kids have a one-track mind,” Diswood said

of the younger skateboarders. “They all want

to be professional skateboarders. I tell them to

stay in school and get some training. There’s

more to skateboarding than the boarding. You

can be a graphic designer and design skate-

boards, you can study business and own your

own shop. You need to stay in school and find a

job that will pay you to skate.”

Diswood doesn’t just emphasize the impor-

tance of an education to the kids who come

into his shop to look, buy and listen. He also

works hard at creating skateboarding events

for them so they can compete and have fun. He

offers competitions – one recently on Orchard

Avenue in downtown Farmington. The Red

Apple Rampage brought out skateboarders

who skated down the hill. With the help of Eliza-

beth Isenberg Phillips, the downtown coordina-

tor, the event was a great success.

“We’ll do it again next year, but probably on

Wall Street (Avenue), if we can,” Diswood said.

“And it will be an all-day event.”

“There’s a mental and physical challenge to

skateboarding,” Diswood added. “You’re ollie-

ing off something that’s 10 feet in the air. It’s

high up there and you’re afraid. But inside of

17Four Corners SpoRtSNOVEMBER 2014

PPaarrttnneerrss AAssssiisstteedd LLiivviinngg SSeerrvviicceess

505-325-9600

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PPAALLSS

“We (the early skateboarders)

did it because it was the anti-sport.

We didn’t have a coach telling us what

to do. It’s an activity you own and

there’s no crowd cheering for you”

— Daniel Diswood

you, you know you have to do it. Most people will look at you like you’re an idiot but,

something inside tells you, you just have to do it.”

Diswood stresses the importance of safety equipment for those “have to do it” times

and for every time a skater gets on the board. “Most injuries are with the ankles and

knees,” he said. “I pad up completely – elbows and knees, gloves and a helmet. Road rash

is not fun. It burns you, tears you up and takes forever to heal.”

Kevin Werito has been skateboarding since he was 14 years old. Now 25 and with a

wife and son, Werito continues to skate, but for a slightly different reason than when he

was a teen.

* Skateboarding 34


Riley Rahm can’t wait

for golf season to begin

Riley Rahm, a 17-year-old senior at Piedra

Vista High School, is on a tear to begin the

2014-2015 golf season.

Rahm has won a tournament at Hillcrest

Golf Course in Durango with a score of 1-

under par, 70, and has also won his third

tournament of the year at Riverview Golf

Course in Kirtland with a score of 2-over par,

74. Rahm has earned two of the three legs

for state and is preparing to improve on his

prior finishes at the state golf champi-

onships.

“To be quite honest, my game isn’t where

it needs to be right now,” said Rahm. “My

short game has been saving me this fall, but

my swing hasn’t been very good. So I am

going to continue to work hard through the

winter and the spring to make my swing bet-

ter for the state tournament in May.”

A relatively late bloomer, Rahm didn’t

begin playing golf until his high school fresh-

man year. Rahm’s older brother, Nick, was at

the state golf championships when Riley was

in 8th grade.

Story by Tom Yost | Photos by Josh Bishop

ON A TEAR


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“I went to watch Nick play at the state golf

tournament, bought my first driver, started hit-

ting golf balls, and just got hooked,” explained

Rahm.

Rahm joined his Piedra Vista High School

team at state as a freshman, and by his sopho-

more year shot the lowest second round score

at state and the second lowest round for the en-

tire state tournament (a 1-under par, 71). That

round vaulted him into the top 10 individually at

the Class 4A State Championships in Las Cruces.

His junior year, Rahm finished 15th individu-

ally at UNM South in Albuquerque – playing the

second round in near freezing temperatures –

not conducive to playing great golf. Heading to

his senior year, Rahm is looking to use these ex-

periences to vault him to the top in Roswell this

year.

“I learned that the first day you can’t let the

nerves get to you,” said Rahm. “You can’t win the

tournament the first day, but you can definitely

lose it. I am a better golfer when I am aggres-

sive, so I am going to continue to stay aggres-

sive, which should allow me to reach my goals of

winning state and earning a Division 1 golf

scholarship.”

“I learned that the first day you

can’t let the nerves get to you.”

— Riley Rahm


New Beginnings at The Navajo United

Methodist Center is hosting The Color Dash at

Berg Park on Saturday, Oct. 25. The proceeds of

the run will go to support New Beginnings, a

nonprofit that provides direct services and

transitional living shelter for women and their

children who are survivors of domestic vio-

lence and/or homelessness throughout the

Four Corners area and the Navajo Nation.

Participants and those interested in getting

more information can register online at thecol-

ordash5k.com. Prices to participate are $40 for

an individual and $85 for a family. This is a run

for fun that will involve runners getting

splashed with colors dur-

ing the race.

“The event comes with

perfect timing,” said Navajo United Methodist

Center’s Elaine La Van. “October is National Do-

mestic Violence Awareness Month and this will

give New Beginnings great exposure in addition

to raising much needed funds.”

The race at Berg Park is family friendly and

will include live entertainment as well as food

booths.

Registration on Oct. 25 will be at 8:30 a.m.

and the race will begin at 10:30 a.m. Join in the

fun and help raise funds for a great cause by

participating in The Color Dash 5k.

New Beginnings hosts 5K at Berg Park

Story by Tom Yost | Courtesy photos

22 Four Corners SpORTS NOVEMBER 2014

In the truest form of Americana, retired men

and women sit around their local McDonalds

drinking coffee and solving the world’s prob-

lems. This is far from the case for Jim Bate-

man and Mark McFarland, affectionately

known by the Civitan Golf Course clubhouse

golf attendants as the Breakfast Club.

On any given morning Bateman and McFar-

land, are joined most days by a host of other

retired men like Richard Ruybalid, Bill Bush

and Bill Gilliam, are waiting at the gate for Civi-

tan to open looking to be the first golfers on

the freshly cut grass.

For most of these golfers the game is as

much obsession as sport. While The Breakfast

Club is most certainly playing a minimum of 18

holes every morning the course is open, on

certain days they will return for another round

in the afternoon. “Seniors only pay $125 for an-

nual pass, “ McFarland says, “My goal is to play

300 times a year, so it’s less than $.50 a

round.”

Jim Batemen is a retired oil field and con-

struction worker and like many blue-collar

workers, 40 years ago thought that golf was, in

his words, “stupid.” Bateman began playing 19

years ago and plays for what he calls “the

challenge of every single shot.” Bateman tries

to play at least two times a day and says his

game has gone from obsession to addiction.

Civitan a second home for Jim Bateman and Mark McFarland Story by Rick Hoerner | Photos by Josh Bishop

Jim Bateman, at left, and Mark McFarland meet for golf every morning at the Civitan Golf Course. McFarland says his goal is to play at least 300

times a year.

Mark McFarland returned to playing the

game back in 2004 after getting away from

golf for nearly 20 years. After retiring from a

career at Meridian oil he returned to what

he calls “his unending addiction.”

McFarland credits his golf addiction to his

pursuit of the hole in one, a pursuit that he is

still chasing even though he has nine over

the past 11 years in his nearly 300 rounds a

year. McFarland looks at Civitan as part of

his own belongings and is consistently seen

picking up around the course and maintain-

ing ball marks on the greens and divots.

As McFarland says, “ they should just give

me a set of keys. I’ll open up the clubhouse

and even the bathrooms. I’ll be here anyway.”

Fifteen minutes before first tee the Break-

fast Club waits with the exact clubs needed

to complete their rounds.

For Bateman, it’s a single 3-Wood that he

uses from tee box to green using the flatter

edge of the wood as a putter. McFarland car-

ries only three clubs a 9 iron along with a 3

wood for Hole No. 9, and a putter.

they never keep score and they never

warm up or practice their putting and chip-

ping before heading to the first tee box. they

only count pars and birdies and of course

they never gamble at a nickel a hole because

that would be illegal.

As the fall shortens the golf course hours

at Civitan and the lush green grass fades to

brown the Breakfast Club will continue to

wait at the gate to be the first golfers on the

course. If you want to be the first to tee off at

Civitan get there early, try to beat them to

the clubhouse, and you may want to bring

donuts to bribe the attendant.


McFarland and Bateman discuss a shot as they head to the next hole with Bill Giliam, another Civitan golfing buddy, laughs at their

conversation.

24 Four Corners SPOrTS NOVEMBER 2014

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The Bureau of Land Management has part-

nered with the New Mexico Department of

Game and Fish to offer mobile maps of New

Mexico’s big-game hunting units through the

CarryMap Application. This unique application

allows users to store hunting unit maps on

their mobile devices and access them regard-

less of cellular coverage.

The free CarryMap Application for iOS and An-

droid devices is available at the App Store and

Google Play Market. The information also is

available for download to computers. To down-

load the big-game hunting unit information,

please visit the BLM website

www.blm.gov/nm/huntingmaps and accept the

conditions.

“This application is a great example how

agency partners can use modern technology to

improve customer service,” New Mexico Gover-

nor Susana Martinez said. “I’m sure hunters

throughout the state will appreciate the hard

work that went into it.”

“The BLM is pleased to partner with the De-

partment of Game and Fish to provide this mo-

bile application to the hunters of New Mexico,”

said BLM State Director Jesse Juen. “This will

provide better access to public lands, while

also increasing hunter’s confidence that they

are in the correct locations for their hunt, re-

gardless of cell phone reception.”

“The New Mexico Department of Game and Fish

believes in utilizing technology to provide our

hunters and anglers with the best information

in the field,” Department Director Alexandra

Sandoval said. “We are thankful for the effort

BLM put into development of this free mobile

application.”

For more informa-

tion, contact BLM

Geographic Infor-

mation Systems

Specialist Jeremy

Zimmerman at

575.838.1259 or

New Mexico Department of Game and Fish As-

sistant Chief of Information Lance Cherry at

505.476.8003.

Big game maps

BLM, Game and Fish partner

to provide mobile hunting maps


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The Bureau of Land Management, in conjunc-

tion with other agencies within the Depart-

ment of the Interior, will waive

recreation-related fees for visitors to the Na-

tional System of Public Lands on four occa-

sions in 2015

1. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (Jan. 19)

2. Presidents’ Day weekend (Feb. 14-16)

3. National Public Lands Day (Sept. 26)

4. Veterans Day (Nov. 11).

One fee-free remains for 2014: Veteran’s Day,

Nov. 11.

“We want everyone to enjoy the incredible

recreation opportunities available on BLM-

managed public lands,” said BLM Director Neil

Kornze. “Waiving fees is also a way of reaching

out to those of you who may not yet know that

we offer more recreational opportunities than

any other land management agency -- from

hunting and fishing to mountain biking and hik-

ing -- and we look forward to welcoming you!”

The BLM manages more than 245 million

acres of public lands which provide numer-

ous opportunities for a wide range of recre-

ational opportunities from hiking, fishing and

camping to riding off-highway vehicles and

rock-climbing. About 61 million visits were

made to BLM-managed lands and waters in

2013, supporting more than 42,000 jobs na-

tionwide and contributing almost $5.5 billion

to the nation’s economy.

Site-specific standard amenity and individual

day-use fees at BLM recreation sites and

areas will be waived for the specified dates.

Other fees, such as overnight camping, cabin

rentals, and group day use, will remain in ef-

fect. More details about fee-free days and ac-

tivities on BLM-managed public lands are

available at:

http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/

Recreation/BLM_Fee_Free_Days.html.

Hike, bike free in 2015

BLM announces fee-free days for 2015


it has not been a good summer to be an NFL

running back. First, of course, there was Ray

Rice and domestic violence being thrown to the

forefront of TV media with the National Football

League on the hot seat as though they are so-

cially responsible (which they are of course)

while the justice system has left the issue to plea

bargains and the dreaded “entering treatment.”

There were very few, outside the ridiculous ESPN commentator Stephen

A. Smith, who sided with Rice. However, then came the Adrian Peterson

child abuse allegations and what has been a continuing argument that

has been going on since i entered college to major in education; does

corporal punishment work ?

Even today this issue will split a room. There are those that would

never spank their children under any circumstance and there are those

who are of the “i got spanked and i turned out Ok” camp.

My wife teaches Early childhood and Family Development at San Juan

college and even there a class will be split on corporal punishment as a

disciplinary tool. Enter Adrian Peterson who has been charged with

child endangerment after admittedly spanking his 4-year-old child with

the time-honored tradition of picking your own switch to deliver your

own discipline.

The NFL and Peterson’s team in Minnesota did what most corpora-

tions and politicians do, they drifted in the wind of public opinion first

deactivating Peterson, then taking him back, then using the catchphrase

of the month, “we were wrong and are in the process of rectifying the

situation,” before placing Peterson on the new commissioner’s Exemp-

tion List until the case has run itself through the justice system.

immediately there were those that came out against Peterson’s sus-

pension, claiming that Peterson has the right to discipline his child as

he chooses, it is cultural for African Americans to spank their children,

and of course the ever popular “it worked for me.” Among Peterson’s

supporters was basketball Hall of Famer and TNT Analyst charles

Barkley, who in an interview on cBS’s pre game coverage stated: “Listen,

we spank kids in the South. i think the ques-

tion’s about whether Adrian Peterson

went overboard. Every black parent in my

neighborhood in the South would be in trou-

ble or in jail under those circumstances…

But i think we have to really be careful trying

to teach other parents how to discipline their

kids. That's a very fine line."

These arguments have been made before. When Michael Vick was ar-

rested and later convicted on dog fighting charges the same cultural ar-

gument was made that those removed from that specific culture simply

do not understand it. However, consider who Vick and now Peterson are

both presumably college educated men that should understand that

while culture and tradition are naturally part of the human condition, so

is social evolution.

My Father was not a religious man by any definition, but believed in

the old Biblical adage “Spare the rod and spoil the child.” My brothers

and i all felt and were forced to watch each other suffer the wrath of

what my dad called “Ol 3-fingers,” a barber strap cut in three strips and

delivered with every syllable spoken while stating the biggest parental

lie ever; this is hurting me more than it’s hurting you. Did it work? i

would argue no. My older brothers eventually just accepted the beatings

and really never changed. For me, it worked, but only through fear not

respect.This was a trait i did not want to pass on to my children.

While my oldest brother continued my father’s discipline plan, i have

not, and, was fortunate enough to be married to a woman who shares

that view. it has not been easy by any means. My natural response, espe-

cially when my children were younger, was to slap their hands when

they reached for something they shouldn’t have or a quick swat on the

butt for misbehaving. But i’ve evolved, and while i was swatted in school,

i wouldn’t do it there either, even when i may have wanted to.

The idea of corporal punishment is outdated. consider that what a

parent may choose to do in the privacy of their home would not be ac-

ceptable behavior anywhere else. Solving any issue with violence in the

public sphere would be considered inappropriate and perhaps even ille-

gal, but at home it’s considered discipline. if it works, why wouldn’t we

spank employees or hit them, for that matter, when they don’t do what

is expected?

Finally, let’s look at Peterson’s case as a perfect case of why disciplin-

ing your child through spanking is ridiculous. Peterson is a six-foot one

217 pound professional athlete matched up against a 4-year-old child.

This is David vs Goliath with David not having a rock to sling at the per-

son who is supposed to care for them the most. While the average per-

son who swats a child is most likely not of the strength of Adrian

Peterson, it is time we all evolve to a better parent-child relationship

where the idea of right and wrong is based on moral imperative, not

fear. it really comes back to what your kindergarten teacher told you on

the playground – we don’t hit. Especially when you are three times the

size and weight of your victim.

Spare the RodRickHOERNEREditorial columnist

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requirements include attending weekly meetings on

Mondays at FHS. Also you must take a test to do any-

thing above junior high level. You must also register

through the state.

I think the toughest thing for a new official is pa-

tience. You have a lot of parents and coaches yelling

at you and for most it is very intimidating. Be confi-

dent in your whistle and just be patient.

the hardest part of reffing for me is seeing an injury

to a player. Most these kids play hard and it breaks

my heart to see one of them go down.

Best line I’ve heard has still got to be a footlocker

quote. It’s not very appropriate, but it was funny. I

will always give a smile to someone who throws a

good zinger at me. You have to have thick skin when

it comes to the crowd.

the five-second count when a player is closely

guarded, the hand check rule, which impedes a

player’s direction to the basket, are big ones. Also,

this year, you may try for a rebound on a free throw

on the shot instead of the rim.

Bock/ Charge is always the most difficult call to make.

What is misunderstood by most is that a defensive

player does not have to be standing still. once that

player has established legal guarding position, a charge

call would be made. It’s always a crowd pleaser!

I would like to see a shot clock in high school. I think it

would speed up the game and make it so you couldn’t

use the stall strategy.

If you are interested in getting started, please contact

me by email ay [email protected] or go to

NMACt.com and click on the official’s link. We are al-

ways looking for officials so if you have a passion for

the sport and would like to give back to your commu-

nity and make a few bucks along the way come join

us!

I believe the hardest part is getting the experience.

Being in such a small group sometimes really limits

potential. We will try to do a better job moving for-

ward with getting the younger officials matched

with a veteran official to help them get better.

there are 3 levels of officiating. Jr high is where

most start. C/JV games usually go to the 2nd or 3rd

year guys first and then you have the Varsity level

that is for most the veterans in the group. Some

move up faster than others.

this basketball season it's your job to recruit new

officials. What are the requirements to become a

basketball official?

1

What do you think is the toughest thing for new

officials to learn?

2

What has become the hardest part of keeping

officials year after year?

3

What are the different levels of officiating and

where do the new officials start?

4

For you, what is the hardest part of the job? 5

What is the best line you've ever heard from the

bench or the crowd?

6

As a warning to the average fan, what are some of

the points of emphasis in officiating this season?

7

What is the single most difficult call to make? 8

What would be one rule change you would like to see

high school basketball adopt

9

If anyone out there would like to become an official,

how do they go about getting started?

10

Christopher Farmer moved to Farmington in 2008 from Salem, oregon.

He has been officiating basketball for 16 years. this will be his seventh year

officiating in Farmington. He also officiated for six years in oregon and three in

pennsylvania. He married Christa Mobley in 2013 and has three kids Cole age 7,

Emery age four and Westyn five months.



Road AppleBecause of the length of the race and the sometimes difficult terrain,

the safety of the more than 200 riders is a priority, Reeves said.

“The Totah Amateur Radio Club is vital to us,” Reeves said of the volun-

teers. “We put them in the most remote areas of the course with their

radios. The Farmington Police Department and Fire Department are

also here to help.”

Because riders come from all over the country, many of them have diffi-

culty adjusting to the altitude, Reeves said. “And the riders can’t have

outside help, so if they blow a tire or a chain comes off they have to be

able to fix it by themselves.”

Since the Road Apple Rally is a sanctioned event by the USA Cycling, it is

often used as a qualifying course for other races, Reeves added, and at-

tracts professional cyclists as well.

With more than 200 participates this year, many of them are returning

riders and plan to come back again and again.

For Patricia Cummins Siegel, taking part in the race is a personal com-

mitment. “I’m going to do it until I win it,” she said with a laugh. “It may

take me until I’m 80, but I’m going to win it.”

Long Course Overall Winners

Place Name City Number Age1 Todd Wells Durango CO 269 392 Travis Brown Durango CO 263 453 Ned Overend Durango CO 266 594 David Vaughn Carlsbad NM 268 315 Erich McAlister Durango CO 265 376 Randy Flores Santa Fe NM 271 437 Brent Winebarger Durango CO 293 378 Frank Mapel Durango CO 284 419 James Bodine Durango COL 277 4410 Mike Wilk Durango CO 270 3411 Ted Compton Durango CO 279 4512 Ryan Szabo Albuquerque NM 289 2413 Ricky Willis Telluride CO 292 4414 Cody Stephenson Fort Collins CO 267 2915 Jason Quenzler Durango CO 287 4316 Miles Venzara Durango CO 290 3617 Neil Merrion Farmington NM 358 5118 Jacob Gonzales Taos NM 281 4219 Quinn Simmons Durango CO 288 1320 Jerome Moreau Albuquerque NM 285 43

Short Cource Overall Winners

Place Name City Number Age1 Wiley Corra Durango CO 425 112 NICK Unkovskoy Durango CO 460 123 Garrett Farmer Farmington NM 430 164 Daniel Percell Wichita Falls TX 447 345 Shawn Peed Lewis CO 446 396 Dan Voecks Farmington NM 462 557 Sadie Schafer Hesperus CO 416 148 Christopher Cathelyn Thornton CO 423 419 Jeffrey Keller Carbondale CO 438 5310 Randy Stouder Grand Junction CO 45711 Lloyd Percell Farmington NM 448 6012 Ken Newland Farmington NM 444 4413 Cecilia Compton Durango CO 406 1314 Alma Wolf Durango CO 418 1415 Joseph Owen Farmington NM 445 4016 Sheri Peterson Farmington NM 414 5317 Patrick Parks Aztec NM 464 4018 Michael Sanders Aztec NM 454 4119 Tim Harvey Farmington NM 436 4620 Manny Gutierrez Albuquerque NM 435 51


FishingFishingREPORTREPORT

FishingREPORT

T.J. Massey

San Juan River Outfitters

www.sanjuanriveroutfitters.com

505.486.5347

Current flows on the San Juan River

below Navajo Lake are 598cfs. Fishing

remains good throughout most of the

day.

With the gin-clear water, try to pres-

ent the fly with a drag free drift.

Some of the best nymphs to try are:

Size 22 Red Larvae

Size 24 Gray Midge Pupae

Size 24 Olive Midge Pupae

Size 22 Gray Rs2

With very clear water conditions and

a cloudy day, expect to see fish rising.

Some of the best dry flies to try are.

Size 22 Griffiths Gnat

Size 24 Parachute Adams

Size 26 Brown Cdc Midge

Fishing below the Quality Waters has

been good. Worms, salmon eggs, and

orange power bait have been the bait

of choice.


Nascar Nellie is a big fan of Dancing With the

Stars and was surprised when the stars were

announced for the fall season. Nascar Nellie

used to like Mikey, but one time when he

dissed Dale Earnhardt Jr., the sport’s most

popular driver for the past 11 years, NN put

him on her NELA (Never Ever Like Again) list.

NN is nothing if not loyal to her favorite driver

and to her NDEJD (Not Dale Earnhardt Jr. Driv-

ers).

NN watched the first episode of DWTS, and

when Michael Waltrip took the floor, NN really

thought he should take that floor outside of the

dance studio. Not only was MW dancing like a

robot, he almost

wasn’t “dancing” at all. It was more like mov-

ing kinda sorta clumsy-like around the floor. If

NN liked MW better, she’da felt bad for him. But

since he dissed Junior that one time, she

raised her glass of Sweet Cherry Pie wine and

said “Adios, Bubba.”

Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. The

fans/judges (’K, so

mostly the fans,

whoever they

are) have kept

MW on the dance

floor even though,

bless his heart, he’s

just not very good at

dancing. In an effort

to win back the hearts and

votes of fans who didn’t ap-

preciate that one time when

he dissed Junior, MW chal-

lenged the sport’s most

popular driver for 11

years in a row to,

hisownself, join the

DWTS cast. While all of

Junior Nation would tune in and crash the

DWTS voting site with votes, our General said

he will never do DWTS. NN is pretty bummed

about that, on accounta she’d like to see Jun-

ior in some of those cute-but-not-much-of out-

fits they put the guys in on

DWTS. NN is old, but not

blind and she has been

known, on occasion, to drool

over some of the dudes on DWTS.

Just sayin. . . .

And speaking of Nations, Nascar Nellie is

just a tad upset that the NASCAR people have

given all of the 16 drivers in this new chase

race their very own nations. ’Scuse NN, but

there is only ONE Nation and that belongs to

Dale Earnhardt Jr., the sport’s most popular

driver 11 years in a row (just in case you

forgot). NN doesn’t mind those ’nother

drivers having a small country or terri-

tory, but they can’t have Nations. It is the will of

Junior Nation fans, of which there are a gazil-

lion billion. Just so’s ya know.

The 16 drivers will be whittled down to four,

who will compete for the championship trophy,

which is bigger and prob’ly worth more in dol-

lars than the mirror ball trophy Junior (but

prob’ly not MW) would win

in DWTS.

NN watches

her NASCAR races

religiously (and

heaven only knows

she prays a lot during

those darned races,

’specially when Junior or

one of her NDEJD isn’t doing

well), and while NN doesn’t

pretend to know (or care)

about the engines or the

tires or the horsepower

or the wedges (al-

though MW did say on

DWTS that he had a wedgie, but

NN is pretty sure it’s not the same thing. . . .),

she does care about the drivers, their

wives/significant others and their sponsors.

Just so’s ya know.

Nascar Nellie is NOT a fan of Brad Ke-

selowski or Joey Logano, although even NN will

admit both drivers are really, really good. NN is

also not a fan of Kyle (Boo-Hoo) Busch, al-

though Boo-Hoo doesn’t boo-hoo so much any-

more and is not quite as arrogant and

insufferable as he usetabe, so NN is consider-

ing bringing her million dollar (that would be

million dollars SPENT, not WORTH) of M&M col-

lectibles back out of the banished-from-the-ca-

sita shed, but only a few at a time, in case

Boo-h

oo says something not nice about Junior,

which is never ever good in NN’s NASCAR book.

Just sayin’. . . .), or AJ Allmendiger, who one

time took NN’s ’nother most favorite driver, her

Doing the robotMichael Waltrip should stick to his day job

race and NN can, sometimes, forgive, but she

never ever forgets when one of her drivers is

wronged.

NN also useta not like Jimmie Johnson, but

when Junior joined the Hendrick Motors

Sports team with JJ and Jeff Gordon, she was

forced to shop at Lowe’s and like JJ. It was a

difficult transition for NN on accounta she re-

ally, really didn’t like JJ, but JJ loves Junior

and that matters most in NN’s NASCAR world.

NN does believe this is Junior’s year to win

the championship, but also knows the General

might have some trouble with JJ, BK, JG and

Happy Harvick, who has the unfortunate chal-

lenge of being a teammate of BK and JL. What-

ever.

NN doesn’t watch the Nationwide Series

much, although since her Sweet Baboo got de-

moted to the minor league of NS, she does

sometimes, and when she does she roots for

her Sweet Baboo (even though he remains

happily married to that woman who stole him

from NN, even though NN promised the now-

wife her entire collection of disgraced M&M

collection if she’d back off and let NN have

him) and Chase Elliott (whose dad, Bill, was the

sport’s most popular driver until Junior came

along) and for Kyle Larson.

NN’s dirt track racin’ buddies, Bradley and

Joshua Huish, have actually raced with Kyle

Larson and they say he’s a good guy. Not that

NN always believes anything/everything

Bradley and Joshua say (they are HUGE fans of

Boo-hoo, which NN is pretty sure was caused

when they fell on their heads at some time

when they were younger. NN has offered to

knock ’em up alongside their heads again, to

bring their good judgment back, but Bradley

has gotten to be bigger than NN and Joshua

can run faster, so that hasn’t happened. What-

ever.), but NN does like Kyle Larson and does

root for him.

NN will be glued to her television set and

will have her IV of Sweet Cherry Pie wine

hooked up for all the races for the rest of the

season and for the reruns of the races Junior

won and did well (they would be almost all of

’em – just sayin’. . . .) And if you ever feel the

ground shake on race day, you can be pretty

certain it’s because Junior has either passed a

car, taken the lead or – as he has done three

times so far this year – won a race.

NN and Junior Nation are nothing if not pas-

sionate about their driver. NN even bought one

of those Fathead lifesize decals (’K, before NN

gets calls and text messages, “lifesize” for NN

is anything over three feet tall) of Junior and

has a place of honor in her NASCAR shrine

room, where everything is all about Junior.

Just so’s ya know. Go 88.


The New Mexico Activities Association’s

Board of Directors met in regular session on

Sept. 24 in the NMAA Hall of Pride and Honor.

Sally Marquez gave her Director’s Report

that included information on the NMAA’s

newest staff member, Sports Information Direc-

tor Tyler Dunkel, and the NFHS Section 6 Meet-

ings that were held in Oklahoma City in mid

September.

Business Manager Shari Kessler-Schwaner

presented the NMAA Financial Report that in-

cluded information on the finalized reports for

the 2013-2014 fiscal year and annual audit.

Deputy Director Dana Pappas presented the

NMAA Activities Report which included informa-

tion on the September Activities Council Meet-

ing, non-NMAA member schools participating in

sanctioned activities, the 2015 national student

council meeting which will be held in Rio Ran-

cho, N.M., and the future includes plans to im-

prove track statewide participation numbers in

all activities.

Deputy Director Dana Pappas presented the

New Mexico Officials Association report which

included information on the 2014 NASO Summit

that was held in Albuquerque, the numerous

basketball camps held across the state, the

creation of a baseball umpires educational

forum (similar to the current basketball REF),

the success of the current feedback/film train-

ing process for football officials, and the crisis

we face today regarding officials’ numbers in

all sports across the state.

Sally Marquez went over several

discussion/informational items with the Board

that included the possibility of holding the State

Spirit Championships in December, potential

legislative issues pertaining to non-member

private school student participation and char-

ter school participation, the new Compete with

Class Sportsmanship Initiative, and the upcom-

ing Commission and Board elections.

The board of Directors took action on the fol-

lowing items:

• Voted to table a proposal that would elimi-

nate non-travel assessments for various mem-

ber schools within the Albuquerque metro area

• Voted to table a proposal to increase offi-

cials’ fees

• Voted in favor of a proposal to change the

district tie-breaking procedure in the sport of

softball

• Voted in favor of a proposal to change the

Class A/4A golf districts for the 2014/2016 block

The next NMAA Board of Directors meeting is

scheduled for Dec. 4, 2014.

NMAA host annual board meeting

raymond torres had the week of his

life from Sept, 24th to Sept. 28th in Mon-

terey, Calif. the senior from Aztec was

selected as one of 81 participants from

all of the chapters of the First tee to

play in the Nature Valley First tee open.

the festivities came fast and furious

as soon as he and Hidden Valley Golf

Course Head Golf professional and the

First tee Level II Coach, tom McClurg,

arrived.

raymond played a practice round at

poppy Hills Golf Course on Wednesday

and was joined by Champions tour

player Stephen Ames. on Wednesday

night, the entire group met Colbie Cail-

lat and was entertained by a private

concert near the 18th green at pebble

Beach Golf Links. that evening torres

also found out he was playing with


Aztec’s RaymondTorres plays in

Nature ValleyFirst Tee Open

Courtesy photos

Champions Tour Veteran, mark mcNulty in the pro-

Junior competition.

Thursday brought the opportunity to play a prac-

tice round at pebble Beach Golf Links and another

banquet that evening.

on Friday morning Torres and mcNulty teed off at

poppy Hills at 7:41 a.m. They shot a best ball score of

even par. on Saturday, the pair also shot even par

when they played pebble Beach.

Even though Torres failed to make it into the top

23 pro-Junior teams for Sunday’s final round, The

First Tee still treated them to a round at Bayonet and

Black Horse Golf Courses on Sunday.

The time was a memorable one for Torres, as he

kept a journal and will describe it to you the reader

in his own words in the next issue of Four Corners

Sports magazine.

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“Skateboarding takes me out of real-

ity for a while and it’s so much fun,” he

said. “When I’m down at the (Brookside)

park skating, with my music on, it’s just

perfect.”

“Rolling away from a trick is a great

thing,” Werito said, adding that he usu-

ally skates four hours a week. His 5-

year-old son, Carter, is also learning to

board, but Werito is cautious about his

son’s activity. “I’ll wait for him to ma-

ture a little more before we go skate-

boarding together.”

Werito shares his love of skateboard-

ing with the younger people who skate

at Brookside Park. “The younger kids

want to talk to me about skateboarding

and ask for tips,” he said. “And these

younger kids are getting pretty good!”

Scott Hunter has been skateboarding

for half of his life. “I started when I was

12 years old and the boys across the

street were skateboarding,” Hunter

said. “I had done scootering, but it does-

n’t hold a candle to skateboarding.”

Hunter appreciates the history of

skateboarding as well. “It’s got a history

other extreme sports don’t have. And

once you step on a skateboard, you

can’t stay off one.”

A graduate of San Juan College and

Fort Lewis College in Durango, Hunter is

the shipping and receiving manager for

Maria’s Bookstore in Durango. While he

often skateboards to work and around

Durango, he misses the camaraderie of

skateboarding with his friends.

“I enjoy Brookside (Park),” Hunter

said. “It’s not the best, but that’s where

my family core group of skateboarders

is. They don’t care how much money you

make or where you live. They just think

if you’re a skateboarder, you’re a cool

dude.”

Skateboarding continued from 17

35Four Corners SporTSNOVEMBER 2014

Hunter credits Diswood and SnS Skateshop for fueling his passion

and encouraging him. “I was against (skateboarding) competition be-

cause it seemed so fake,” he said. “But Daniel is good about competi-

tion and he makes sure everyone has fun and everyone participates.”

Hunter has another take on skateboarders as a genre, and be-

lieves it to be an intellectual activity as well. “I tend to look at skate-

boarding as an intellectual exercise,” he said. “Skateboarders look at

a (skateboarding) bank and see more than just a bank. They see the

architecture of it and they see the ledges. Skateboarders have a way

of looking at things that other people don’t see.”

For Diswood, the popularity skateboarding has enjoyed brings a

cause for pause.

“I’m anti turning it into a sport,” he said. “If it’s a sport, you have

tournaments and tours of different cities and it turns into basketball

or football. Skateboarding is now marketable and it can generate

money. Turning it into a sport means corporate logos like on race

cars. But money makes the world go ‘round.”

For now, at least, Diswood and the legion of skateboarders across

the country take their boards, find a hill, learn new tricks and they

skate. There are no fans in the stands, no referees on the slope and

no money to be made.

But the thrill of mastering a new trick doesn’t need cheering fans.

It’s the satisfaction of achieving a goal and knowing you did it –

alone.

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Documents

fourcorners sports magazine

golf season

fall season

majestic media100

breakfast clubin

bike free

daniel diswood

salmon snagging season