Sabotage is a long standing tradition of the CHIditarod. Often attempted, seldom nuanced. A minute to learn, a lifetime to master. Sabotage is an often-controversial aspect of the event within the teams. It keeps the race… interesting.
Each year, CHIditarod happily gains popularity and welcomes a controlled amount of newcomers. A result of this growth is that more unsuspecting folks become potential `easy targets` for saboteurs. For the second consecutive year, we emailed a post-race survey to all members of the CHIditarod VII teams. The following report was generated from those survey responses, focusing on:
- The responders’ years of participation in the CHIditarod
- The relationship between a racer’s level of experience and the likelihood that they dished out or received sabotage.
It has Charts and Stuff and Things.
Behold: The 2012 CHIditarod Sabotage Report.
CONCLUSIONS
- An interesting find — Men are 45% more likely than women to be saboteurs.
- First, we have a great representation among our racers in terms of age and gender. We’re happy about this. We really hope you guys keep coming out to play. We like you.
- Second, sabotage continues to get more and more creative every year. Racers force us to re-think our sabotage taxonomy every year, because they keep doing crazier and crazier stuff.
- Third, the trend that we thought we were seeing—of first time racers falling victim to sabotage more often—seems to be disappearing. Either we were wrong the first time around, or newbies are coming to the race wiser and more prepared, or racers are getting more equitable with their wanton destruction.
- Fourth, since we have more males reporting acts of sabotage than females, we can assume one of two things. Either there really are more male saboteurs than female, or men just like telling their war stories in the survey more than women do. So, women, you are either much nicer, or less of a braggart. Either way, you win.
But always keep in mind:
- We do this for our fellow Chicagoans who suffer from food insecurity.
- We do this together because we are stronger together, as a community, than we are as individuals.
- We do this for each other and with each other because we are all equally rad.
- It’s all in good fun!
RECOMMENDATIONS
- Buck up, campers, and keep being excellent to each other. Mush!