Where I Stand — Mike O’Callaghan: People, dogs and games

Friday, July 16, 1999 | 9:48 a.m.

Mike O'Callaghan is the Las Vegas Sun executive editor.

THE TOUR DE FRANCE, an eight-stage women's bicycle endurance and speed race in Idaho, the Ironman Triathlon and other tough physical tests have captured television viewers' attention the past 15 years. This, along with Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura with his wrestling and SEAL training stories, have captured the nation's fancy.

Nevadans don't have to travel very far to see some physical competition that measures up to all of these fancy trials. Any good Basque festival, and Nevada has several of them, has some demanding physical feats that challenge the arm and leg strength of the strongest of men. Carrying weights in both hands for distance and wood-chopping competition are some of the toughest Basque trials.

Probably the toughest competition takes place every few years in the Great Yerington Sack Race. It used to be a yearly event up there in Pizen Switch, but now it takes place every two to four years. A sack race sounds like a lot of fun, doesn't it? Well, this is a 120-pound sack of grain that is carried 10 miles in 100-degree heat. Before you think about entering the contest make certain you can even shoulder a bulky 120-pound sack of grain prior to running. Better yet, have a complete physical and mental checkup, also.

I recall a big Wolf Pack football player, Howard Dodge, winning the race in 2:08.48 during a heat wave 19 years ago. He set an even faster record four years earlier.

You don't need a fancy bicycle or a colorful outfit to be able to compete in Yerington. A sack of grain, strong legs and a big heart is all it takes to prove your manhood. But don't think for a minute that women are left out of the competition. The "weaker" sex must carry a 60-pound sack for only five miles. Try that for a starter and see how far you get, gentlemen.

Thanks to Father Dave Casaleggio and the people of Our Lady of Las Vegas Church, 10 more youngsters will be going to a Las Vegas Sun summer camp. ... Yes, like other Americans I was thrilled by the women's soccer team victory in the World Cup. Unlike many people reporting the game on television, my hero of the game was goalie Briana Scurry. There wouldn't have been a chance for victory if she hadn't blocked a Chinese penalty kick. Being a goalie defending against penalty kicks before 90,000 fans in the stands and millions more on television has to be the height of mental and physical pressure. ... The honoring of Ted Williams at the All-Star Game in Boston was thrilling. Around the country there were probably hundreds of World War II and Korean veterans who were thinking about Ted the combat pilot. ... The memorial services this week for Bob Morgan brought a lot of old friends together. Bob, a longtime Sun employee, had friends from every walk of life. He treated every person with the dignity he or she deser

ved. Being fair and honest were the inborn traits of this former paratrooper. ...

I was going to write about the happiness a warm puppy can bring to a home, but thought better about it because of past experiences. Following a successful pheasant hunting trip with my son Tim and our Irish Setter I got carried away and wrote about Big Red's warm tongue slurping across my face to awaken me.

This drew some rather critical letters from mothers who had been teaching their children not to allow dogs to lick their faces. One lady didn't mince any words when writing:

"How dare you write a column telling you let your dog lick your face?

"We have been trying to keep our children from having our shaggy dog lick their faces and you destroy everything we have been preaching.

"Didn't your folks tell you it wasn't healthy for a dog to lick your face?"

In the next column I apologized by telling her that my folks had also told us not to allow our hunting dogs to lick our faces. Nevertheless, when we were out bringing in the cows or hunting with them, a friendly lick or two always was an acceptable sign of affection. Our dogs all died from old age and never caught a serious disease from us. I assured the letter writer that unless her kids had some deadly disease her dog was probably safe.

We couldn't print the letter that followed that column. She was really upset and ripped me up one side and down the other. It was a letter that won't be forgotten, so I won't be telling you much about my new puppy at home. She's now 8 weeks old and hasn't learned that she shouldn't be washing my face with her tongue. If she ever quits, I'll certainly write and tell our readers about her warmth and cuddling habits.

Twenty years ago this column was about the following Southern Nevadans:

Bridget Hughes, Jill Bower, Robert Gong, Becky Haag, Tammy Tindall, Michael Novick, Scott Collins, Richard Thomas, Annette Aiwohi, Mark Schiller, Wade Hathhorn, Roelene Wood, Kent Blad, Debbie Leavitt, Bruce Doty, Richard Nickerson, Crystal Cobb, Michael Ritter, Chris Bogart, Lee Jeffs, Alex Jensen, Lori Belt and Brian Costello.

Where are these people today and why did I write about them in 1979?