A bright star flares out?

DBD Headquarters

Kitchee Gammi Club

c/o Sir Eki & Mr. Farrow

Dear Sirs: In brazen disregard for DBD protocol (and all that is proper and just), it has come to our attention that young Buffington has shamelessly purchased a Starcraft “pop-up” trailer and parked it ostentatiously in his front yard for the entire world to see. As you know, Ernest and I have a long and often heartbreaking history of standing with the both of you in your support of Mr. Buffington, but this recent transgression puts us in an untenable position. Mallory and his people are outraged and are calling for your talented, yet reckless youngster to be tarred and feathered. The matter has been officially discussed and the ambiance has not been favorable with a decidedly vindictive and punitive tone throughout. Due to the onset of tea time, the issue has been tabled until later in the week. Your only hope is that with ingestion of a few libations, Mallory and his people will strike a more tempered theme in terms of consequences. It would be a blow to the Club to lose such a talent, but with his brief and erratic career with the Club, his chances do not look good. Can you please speak with him in an attempt and call for reason, ASAP? Perhaps he could claim that it was a kind of ruse? Or an attempt at humor?
Concerned,
Tȟašúŋke Witkó (aka Crazy Horse)

Personal Commentary…
A fall from grace…when honor is lost what is left? Where have all the young heroes gone? Do we expect too much from our leading men/women? Above is just a sampling of my emotional queries upon hearing the Board’s initial decision on the Buffington Affair…

My stout heart wept within when I heard the news, although outwardly I remained stoic as is our custom… Perhaps some chronological background information is needed to frame what has been a roller-coaster ride for the Northern Colony Chapter of the DBD of late in terms of dealing with this new and talented upstart.

With reservations, Buffington is invited to join the DBD after winning out in a controversial vote last January. Lead by Mallory and Tilman, concerns are raised regarding his role in the Heck of the North debacle, his unbridled propensity for running, coupled with disclosures of several demeaning remarks made to the media regarding the composition of the current living members of the DBD’s Northern Colony. Yet in the end, the Pro-Buffington contingency under the direction of Ernest Shackleton and Crazy Horse, narrowly wins out by extolling the young man’s ability to brew fine ales of all sorts and emphasizing his willingness to suffer wantonly and needlessly as exemplified by his finishing up the 75 mile Tuscobia on a skinny-tired bicycle whilst all other like-equipped competitors quit early on.

Immediately after his inception, the “yes” voters are heartened by Buffington’s effort at the Arrowhead 135 Classic, where he finished high up amongst a talented field and then tended to the aged and faltering Farrow (and his frost-ravaged toe). Nevertheless, with spring came renewed questions and accusations of acts of dishonor. Whilst other DBD men traveled to Red Wing to test there meddle at the demanding Ragnarok 105, Young Buffington went to Florida and was seen blatantly running barefoot and nearly naked there on the beach! Then whilst the Trans-Iowa fiasco wrought dishonor upon all members of the Northern Colony, savvy Buffington was able to astutely dodge most of the criticism by blaming the other more experienced members for the travesty at Grinnell…The leadership seemed to agree with him and used their precipitous scorn against Farrow and Eki, but the whole affair left a stain upon his record.

Subsequently as spring morphed into summer, as if to flaunt the DBD moral code of conduct, Buffington embarked on a public regimen of training for and running in marathons!!! Mallory was outraged and called from him to be censored, and then publicly drawn & quartered. But by this point, the young man had won over several high ranking members and they were able to overwhelm the calls for his demise…citing the unbridled exuberance of youth…

By summer, all transgressions were forgotten as Big Buff (as he became affectionately known) was dominating at two WEMS races. He won the single speed category at the challenging Thunderdown, even pushing the venerable DBD stalwart, Sir Eki, for the top overall finish. After which he flew at the demanding Levis 100 finishing an amazing second overall on a single-speed. Then at the 24 Hours @ 9 Mile, he finished an outstanding 2nd place behind the stallion, Stawicki, and 3rd overall!!! The future looked bright for him…

But now this??? Oh the shame of it all!!!! Yet, do we expect too much from our youth these dayz…Please share your thoughts…Should Buffington be thrown out of the DBD? Does his acquisition of the "pop-up" trailer go to far? Mallory likened it to carrying bottled oxygen whilst climbing...Oh the shame!!! Tilman compared it with having a motor-engine installed on one's sailing craft...Or should the Club once again bend itz rules to accommodate the ever changing modern world…First suspension bikes, then carbon, now POP UP TRAILERS??? What next????