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Rigby takes bowl of green chili to nationals

Mary and Charles Rigby celebrate his win as the Colorado state chili verde champion in Winter Park over the weekend. Rigby will represent the state in the World Chili Cook-off in Reno, Nevada, in October. Cavalier King Charles spaniel Bailey, a therapy dog, cheered him on.

Durangoans can get blasé about being exceptional – national, world and Olympic contenders in sports; chefs competing on TV; one of the best small, Western, arts, outdoors towns in America ... “yada yada yada,” to quote “Seinfeld.”

And now we can add one more exceptional to the list – Charles Rigby, better known to many as a real estate broker/co-owner of Re-Max Pinnacle, who won the Colorado State Chili Verde Championship. He cooked up his exceptional bowl of green at the International Chili Society-sanctioned Colorado State Chili Cook-off in Winter Park over the weekend.

In addition to the $300 prize and bragging rights, the win sends Rigby to Reno, Nevada, for the World Championship Cook-off in October.

This is not his first rodeo, so to speak.

Rigby has cooked competition chili since 1989. He was previously the New Mexico state champion, Rocky Mountain Regional champion, Cowtown champion and a finalist at the 2008 World Championship Cook-off in Omaha.

I asked Rigby for some tips, and here’s what he said: “Use quality chili powder. Keep it simple. Visit www.chilicookoff.com to see winning recipes from previous World’s champions.”

I got to know Rigby and his wife, Mary, during the many years they organized the Snowdown Chili Cook-off, when they recruited me as a judge. It was a great lesson in what competitive chili looks and tastes like.

For at least some of those championships, Rigby won for his red chili, so suffice it to say, if the Rigbys invite you over for chili, you can expect an excellent repast with either red or green chili on offer.

Which leads me to a recent question at the Thursday evening trivia contest at the Powerhouse Science Center.

Did you know New Mexico is the only state with an official state question? And, of course, it’s “Red or green?”

•••

It’s time for the Virgos to celebrate, including Ralph Kehle, Beth McMacken, Liz Cahill, Annie Simonson, Melissa Mosley, Bob Mueller, Mike Ollier, Jane Norton, Justice Tower, Jenny Hancock, Susan Davies, Geri Swingle, Gini Benton, Judy Simmons-Risner, Mary Hammond, Amber Jackson, Melodie Addington, Pamela Hatten, Wilma Cooper, Creighton Fesler, Essie Williams, Mickey White, Tom Mulligan, Kassidy Winn, Gloria Freitag, Micah Orlowski, Clara Wolf, Adeline Couch, Amy Johnston, Isaac Magyar, Dominique Malik, Jeron Plotnik, John Awe, Julian Ciluffo and Matt Mulligan.

•••

In the best-laid-plans category, I had intended to write a story about Durango’s home-grown Olympians while the Olympics were still underway, but you know what they say about best-laid plans. Since this column has the theme of Durango’s outstanding nature, I don’t want to let the Olympics fade away without at least mentioning them.

Ed Zink dropped us a line about how Durango has been connected to every mountain biking competition in the Olympics since the sport was included in the games in 1996.

In that first year, Julie Furtado was selected for the team, and she was living and training in Durango at the time. In an additional link, Zink was an official technical delegate for the sport in Atlanta.

In Sydney’s 2000 Olympics, Travis Brown (born/raised in Durango) and Ruthie Matthes (resident) were both on the team. When I interviewed Brown, he said one of his favorite moments was looking into the stands while leaving the Opening Ceremonies and seeing his parents, Dean and Sandy Brown, cheering. Brown has been on the Durango Devo board since it was formed, but he said none of the kids probably even know he was a professional mountain biker and Olympian, he’s just a board member to them.

In Athens (2004), Beijing (2008) and London (2012), Todd Wells, Durango resident and Fort Lewis College graduate, was on the mountain biking team, giving the U.S. its highest finish in the Olympics at 10th. While the Olympics were taking place this year, Wells, 40, was winning back-to-back the Leadville 100 (for the third time) and the Breck Epic in the Breckenridge area.

And of course, this year, in Rio de Janeiro, Howard Grotts, Durango High School and FLC grad, rode for the U.S. Unmentioned, but a multiple-Olympian in his own right, is Tom Neb from San Juan Cycling, who has been the mountain bike mechanic.

I want to send kudos Howard Grotts’ way – not only did he crash in the first lap in Rio, he had two flat tires and a broken seat and still managed to finish. That, my friends, is the heart of a champion.

Not to mention a Durango dynasty.

There was an Olympian in Rio who was born and partially grew up in Durango who has gone unremarked. Army Reserve Staff Sgt. John Nunn competed in the 50K race walk, coming in 43.

None of this includes Olympians and Olympic champions in other sports who are associated with Durango, but believe me when I say the list is long and impressive.

•••

Celebrating their anniversaries are Gary and Ronda Conrad, Tom and Nancy Williams, Floyd and Laura Jaramillo, Jon and Linda Geer, Jim and Cheryl Clay and Larry and Emily McCardle (50!).

neighbors@durangoherald.com

This column has been updated to correct the spelling of Charles Rigby’s last name.



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