Page 4 - April_2014

publisher commentary
by Angelo Lynn

We do love our dogs.
heads of state than I ever did. of more than 100. He’s setting up a business plan and

Take a gander at the It’s clear many of us share much of our lives with our
intends to have a production manager in place by the
dozens of photo sub- dogs and we’re happier for it. Enjoy the photos and time he heads off to college next year.
missions we received story on pages 14-17, and we encourage you to go to The sticks? They deliver a sharp pass, are flexible and
for this magazine’s an- our website at www.vtsports.com to check out who the responsive when catching and pack a harder whack
nual dog photo contest, winners of each category are and to see the dozens of when checking opponents. Made of New Hampshire
and you’ll see the depth photos readers submitted in three categories: best look- ash, they use local products and put ingenuity and

of that love in the cra- ing, most adventurous and cutest/most humorous. It’s craftsmanship to good use.
zy things we do with a light-hearted take on sports, but meaningful just the **********
them. We run them on same.
Our lead story focuses on a new initiative by VMBA
leashes alongside our ********** (Vermont Mountain Biking Association) that is putting
skateboards; toss sticks In Vermont, some love our beer almost as much as
many of the state’s existing mountain biking trail sys-
into lakes, streams and our dogs, so it’s good to know the state is welcoming tems under a single statewide pass for $49 annually.

the ocean until they tire four new microbreweries all within Chittenden County. The passes go on sale this April and essentially weave
us out; hike to the tops We introduce them to you on pages 10-11. This just the trail systems of VMBA’s 15 regional chapters under
of peaks with them, canoe and kayak, hunt, throw Fris- reinforces the fact that Vermont has more micro-brews a single umbrella.
bees, go skiing and riding; and, when we’re not playing per capita than any other state in the union.
It is in its infancy, but state tourism officials hint that
outside they laze around with us indoors.
Must mean we like to work hard and play hard, and the move may well give the association more clout if
I had two black lab mutts in succession that came to enjoy ourselves afterward.
they can market Vermont as a Northeast mountain bik-

work with me almost every day for three decades. In ********** ing mecca. While smaller, it could be as important in
their prime they could hit 20-plus mph behind the car Talk about excelling, at Proctor Academy in New
summer as the Vermont Ski Area Association is to the
going home on a dirt road and would run 6-8 miles on Hampshire, senior lacrosse player and ski racer Cor- state in winter — and that’s big news.
mountain trails with me without breaking stride. The tland Begor has turned a woodcarving hobby into a But it may take a few years. Not all of the smaller
first dog climbed 13,000-foot peaks with me out West, business, all while attending classes, applying for col- chapters have trail systems that are ready for bigger

could leap over my head just barely using my hunched leges and being a full-time student athlete.
numbers. Still, it’s the start of a major initiative that
shoulder as a touch pad, and, I swear, could understand Begor and his brothers used to carve wooden lacrosse will continue to drive the sport of mountain biking
almost every word I said. Former Gov. Howard Dean, stick handles at their second-home in Sunapee, N.H., throughout the state — and that means more riders,
during his terms of office, used to say that dog must and became so adept at it that friends started asking if more events and more trails to ride for everyone.
have been one of the smartest in the state — having sat they’d make a handle or two for them. By the time he Like the explosion in backcountry skiing, this has its
through dozens of interviews with heads of state for was a junior, Cortland took the hobby in a more seri- downside along with the upside, but all-in-all Vermont

the 20-plus years I had been editor. And sure enough, ous direction, developed a name, TimberStix, and now has a lot of land to explore and good reason to use it in
that dog used to get a lot more compliments from those
produces the hand-crafted wooden shafts in batches
ways that promote outdoor recreation.

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April 2014