I’ve ridden the Iron Horse with Ted Compton and he is an exceptional competitor. He’s not just an amazing athlete, he has a discipline and work ethic that makes him formidable against those 20-plus years younger than him.
As a Fort Lewis College graduate, a sense of hard work and good sportsmanship is the fundamental thing I love about this community. That same sense of fair play is what I tried to instill in my athletes as the coach at Durango Swim Club.
That is why it was disappointing to see that Bill Waters broke the rules in trying beat Ted Compton. Waters was aware enough to alter some of his campaign materials, but somehow let 2,000 illegal door hangers slip through? It seems like once he saw the first door hanger, he should have stopped hanging them – both as a demonstration of fairness and attention to detail. If it was a mistake, why not also remove the yard signs with the LPEA font and logos? An apology doesn’t mean much if you don't also correct your behavior.
I’m sure Waters is a good person, and I get it – any race with Compton is hard work. However, that never makes it OK to skirt the rules to win. If you cheat, even because of a lack of attention to detail, the right thing to do is to withdraw from the race.
It is the sportsmanlike thing to do. It is the Durango thing to do.
Alexander Martinek
Boise, Idaho
