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Spoofhounds and Bushwhackers

BETHANY, Mo. -- Today is the third day of this year's Cycle Across Missouri. CAM often is a loop tour of a region of Missouri, and this year is one of those.

The ride began Sunday at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and will end there Friday. Sunday night, we stayed in St. Joseph, Mo., then we moved on Monday to Maryville, Mo.

Maryville probably is the most obscure of the communities that host a public university in Missouri, Northwest Missouri State, but Maryville High School probably has one of the most obscure nicknames in the country, the Spoofhounds. The Spoofhounds are so unique that they even have their own entry in Wikipedia!

The story goes that a football coach had seen a bunch of Plaster of Paris toys called The Spoof Hound, then told his players after a particularly bad practice that they looked like Spoof Hounds. The name stuck, and the schools' teams are still known as Spoofhounds.

The Bushwhackers are people like Jesse James and others of his ilk who once roamed that part of Missouri.

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I am doing this ride more in a support role rather than a cycling mode, although I'm trying to get some miles in when I can. It certainly is educational being on the other end of a supported weeklong trip. What I've learned isn't quite clear yet, but I'll let you know soon.

Labels: cycling, Missouri, tours

Roger 0 comments 4:07 PM