Basketball is a sport that never interested me until I began to play it in College as an intramural sport. After playing in College I wish I had taken up an interest in the sport while I was young and could still learn something about playing the game. I enjoy watching both college and professional basketball on television. My favorite player of all time would have to be James Worthy of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Football is strictly a sporting activity of my past. I played football in Jr. High School and in High School. I limit my football today to armchair quarterbacking. I love to watch the game and especially like the Washington Redskins and the Oakland Raiders. I really dislike Dallas.
Skateboarding I was an avid skateboarder in the late 70's. I still skate today but only occasionally. I began skating just after the invention of the polyurethane wheel. Tom Sims had the best wheels of that time. I formed a skateboard club at the college I attended and we called ourselves Manfred's Raiders. I was selected as a skateboard team member in Covina California for the Wild Wheels Skateboard park. My specialty was slalom racing. I enjoyed riding in swimming pools more but there were many other riders on the team much better than I at that activity. When it came to slalom racing, I was number one. I could also compete in freestyle events. My favorite places to skate were the Upland Pipeline, Big O Big "O" and Pomona Pipe and Pool. Skateboarding in New Mexico was largely done in flood control ditches. Albuquerque had the best ones around. I have some Quicktime movies and images from that time period.
Weight Pulling is an activity that is done with a dog. If you are fortunate, your dog will obey your commands and pull when you want him to. If you are not so fortunate, you will look like a fool while spectators watch you jump up and down, get down on your knees and beg your dog to please pull! My best puller was a Malemute by the name of Shublik. He was a great pet and just a so so weight puller. He did manage to win a couple of weight pulls in his division and I enjoyed his personality almost as much as the spectators did.
Drag Racing I enjoy drag racing a great deal. I was personally involved with drag racing between the years of 1976 and 1980. It was largely a Summer activity for me as a between College school years. My biggest moment in drag racing was racing against C. J. Baker who was the editor of Hot Rod Magazine at that time. The car he raced was a 1969 Chevelle that was black in color. That car was the record holder in 1975 for the quarter mile in the Pro Stock Division. His car was almost identical to my 1969 Chevelle except for the color. The race was a no contest except for the first 100 yards because we were racing brackets. Bracket racing is where the slower car is given a head start to make the race more exciting. C. J. Baker was using the bracket race to fine tune his car for upcoming big events where there would be no handicapping of any kind. I still own my Chevelle but it remains parked in Covina California today and I see it about once every five years. If you enjoy drag racing you should visit the NHRA home page for a look at some awesome Quicktime movies as well as racing news and graphics.
In November of 1997 I attended Frank Hawley's Drag Racing School in Pomona, California. I wanted to experience the thrill of racing a car in the professional ranks. The type of car that I would never be able to afford to build or own myself. I enrolled in the Super Comp Dragster course. Here's a few images from my experience and a few quicktime movies as well.
Chess is a sport that I really enjoy. I am not a strong player but enjoy playing and watching others play. Especially if the players I am watching are much stronger players than I am. I recently began a renewed interest in Chess because my daughter asked me to teach her how to play so she could join the Chess Club at her school. I now help out once a week with her club. It sure is great helping kids learn this game.
Boxing is another of my many sports interests. I participated in Golden Gloves boxing in New Mexico in the 70's. After coming to Fairbanks I participated in the Rough House Boxing in two different years. 1986 and 1987. Today I limit my boxing activity to watching boxing on television or ocassionally to defending myself during brawls in basketball games (ha, ha, ha!). Highlight of my boxing was when I met Muhammad Ali.