First Tracks

March 16th, 2008 at 09:21pm Mitch Mulhall 171

Despite massive amounts of evidence to the contrary, I’ve spent my life firmly rooted in the idea that most people are good, and that what arises as a result of human interaction is, naturally, also good. Equivocate, if you must, about the definition of "good," as almost everyone does given the least opportunity, but that’s a trail I’m not walking tonight.

Surely a basis for bona fide depression is an experience that makes you realize it’s quite possible you have spent too much of your life in a blissfully unapologetic naiveté. Still, I’m not ready to give up. I’ve got three pre-adolescent children to raise.

Given this responsibility, one couple here in the Valley gives me hope that my long-held-ideas about the natural leaning of people toward goodness is not only well-considered, but warranted.

For more than a decade, Bob and Tish Lockard have inspired the children of the Roaring Fork Valley by teaching the discipline of alpine ski racing through the Buddy Werner program at Sunlight Mountain Resort. That’s right. Slalom, Giant Slalom, and Super Giant Slalom, served up on a palette of genuine enthusiasm designed to appeal to children ages 5 to 95. While most Buddy Werner participants are children ages 5 to 12, Bob and Tish have made Sunlight’s Buddy Werner program an art—a way for willing parents to actively participate in teaching their children to ski. While the focus of the Buddy Werner program may be ski racing, I find myself one of the fortunate few who have learned that where Bob and Tish are concerned, the only real metric is helping a child find self-worth and confidence through skiing.

While Bob and Tish’s children have grown beyond the Buddy Werner program, they remain committed volunteers to the community’s youth, spreading their infectious enthusiasm for alpine ski racing to the children of this Valley.

What’s most telling to me is that the service Bob and Tish have demonstrated to this community is evident in their own children. An accomplished alpine skier in his own right, Blake Lockard is following in his parent’s footsteps, coaching and mentoring young skiers in the discipline of alpine ski racing.

To me, that’s not merely remarkable, it’s the side of human nature that keeps me from becoming jaded.

Cheers,

Entry Filed under: Skiing, Sports, Glenwood Springs, Aspen, People