Oh No! Jen Chung reave open itarics tag, now whole Gothamist site rook rike italics.

Actually, Boy Scout Troop 666 won best sabotage in 2005 and 2006.

Best Sabotage in 2005 did not go to Cobra, it went to Boy Scout Troop 666, as it also rightfully did in 2006. Please correct your mistake.

Please also note that in 2006, Cobra made a fake checkpoint. Big deal. Troop 666:
1. Dumped 5,000 marbles at the start of the race
2. Chained together other peoples carts with a bike lock and chain
3. Ran around slashing over 20 teams ropes so they could not pull their carts
4. Caused other teams to slip on banana peels
5. Hit other teams with eggs, water balloons, and deli meat
6. And finished first, through sabotage, but were not awarded 1st place in lieu of best sabotage

Clearly, Troop 666 deserved to win Best Sabotage in 2006, just as they did in 2005.

I have to say that some things in last year's Idiotarod were uncool, mostly those things mentioned above. I hope those things don't happen again this year. Sabotage is one thing, out and out intent to kill is another. I've run it for two of three years, and it got a little physically rough last year, sadly.

Elderta = pussy.

sac up! it's the idiotarod.

I ran in the race and 666 were nothing but gentle.

they deserve there patches for "Best Sabotage 05 & 06"

First of all, I was wrong, 666 split the prize with COBRA in 2005, so they both won. Sorry. The reason the prize was $90 was because it was split between Cobra and Troop 666.

Secondly, 666 did not ignore the checkpoints, they had their signatures from the judges and would have been disqualified if they simply "ignored the checkpoints". I believe one judge was bribed. That's some pretty good sabotage.

Thirdly, 666 was not "rough" with anyone. I agree they were assholes, but they didn't push anyone around or do anything like that. Maybe you guys don't remember the 2004 Idiotarod with the Black Label Bike Club, who did push people around. Although I did admire some of their tactics, like chaining a bike to the side of a cart.

Fourth, throwing things at people has always been a part of the Idiotarod, whether it be the "Where's the Beef team" who threw uncooked meat, or the "Mayo Clinic" team who through rotten mayonnaise. In 2005, the people running the race were throwing snowballs and ice-balls at people as they entered Tompkins square park. That stuff hurt. Deli meat and water balloons do not hurt. In fact, let me quote from the Wikipedia article on the Idiotarod, which i did not alter or anything. "Forms of sabotage include tripping competitors, throwing marbles or large obstacles in their paths, and the spreading of misinformation, such as false route information." While I don't endorse physical violence, tripping the competition has always been in the spirit of sabotage, whether it be by marbles or banana peels. And Troop 666 was the first team to use marbles, they helped write the book on sabotage, as did COBRA.
Some teams don't have inside information like COBRA does, and know where the checkpoints will be before the race, giving them the ability to set up a fake checkpoint. Also, one team with 30 members is against the rules--a team should consist of 5 members. Such a large power base gives an unfair advantage to one "team".

And fifth, "intent to kill?" Are you serious? Where was the intent to kill, with the use of water balloons, or with the banana peels? That's Bugs Bunny, not Bugsy Moran. Intent to kill is a ridiculous claim. Don't give people the wrong idea.

First of all, I was wrong, 666 split the prize with COBRA in 2005, so they both won. Sorry. The reason the prize was $90 was because it was split between Cobra and Troop 666.

Secondly, 666 did not ignore the checkpoints, they had their signatures from the judges and would have been disqualified if they simply "ignored the checkpoints". I believe one judge was bribed. That's some pretty good sabotage.

Thirdly, 666 was not "rough" with anyone. I agree they were assholes, but they didn't push anyone around or do anything like that. Maybe you guys don't remember the 2004 Idiotarod with the Black Label Bike Club, who did push people around. Although I did admire some of their tactics, like chaining a bike to the side of a cart.

Fourth, throwing things at people has always been a part of the Idiotarod, whether it be the "Where's the Beef team" who threw uncooked meat, or the "Mayo Clinic" team who through rotten mayonnaise. In 2005, the people running the race were throwing snowballs and ice-balls at people as they entered Tompkins square park. That stuff hurt. Deli meat and water balloons do not hurt. In fact, let me quote from the Wikipedia article on the Idiotarod, which i did not alter or anything. "Forms of sabotage include tripping competitors, throwing marbles or large obstacles in their paths, and the spreading of misinformation, such as false route information." While I don't endorse physical violence, tripping the competition has always been in the spirit of sabotage, whether it be by marbles or banana peels. And Troop 666 was the first team to use marbles, they helped write the book on sabotage, as did COBRA.
Some teams don't have inside information like COBRA does, and know where the checkpoints will be before the race, giving them the ability to set up a fake checkpoint. Also, one team with 30 members is against the rules--a team should consist of 5 members. Such a large power base gives an unfair advantage to one "team".

And fifth, "intent to kill?" Are you serious? Where was the intent to kill, with the use of water balloons, or with the banana peels? That's Bugs Bunny, not Bugsy Moran. Intent to kill is a ridiculous claim. Don't give people the wrong idea.

Yes, I do have one. Thanks for noting that.

As for the antics of last year, sorry, but as with your post, they just weren't clever.

My post wasn't intended to be clever, it was intended to defend us. Oh the sabotage was "not cool." That's the f'in point, it's sabotage. Of course the teams that are sabotaged aren't going to like it, but if they can't take it they won't participate. No should one define what is "cool" or "uncool" sabotage, as long as you're not physically hurting other people. You can't make an award for best sabotage and then get upset when your friends don't like it cause they slipped on a banana peel or had their ropes cut. They're just upset they didn't think of it first.

It sounds like the only feelings that were hurt were yours and the one team that won't be participating this year. Boo hoo. Sounds like they're the ones that aren't taking it like a man. There's 100 teams that run it, and I'm sure the ones with some balls will try and stop us this year, and more power to them, we could use some competition. Or at least some competition from a team that doesn't consist of 30 members with inside information and the judge's ear.

And it's too bad that you don't think my posts are clever, it was a rational, cohesive argument, not meant to be clever. But if you won't dignify my comments with a rational argument of your own, you've already lost. Don't just take potshots at me, or whine about your friends. It appears that you have a vendetta against our team, and I'm sorry that you're running the race if your judgement will be compromised. I will say that the event has been very well run, with the exception of the 4 hour wait that ocurred last year between the end of the race and the awards ceremony. So there, I'll make another straightforward, crational argument. Please refute it. But don't throw out wild phrases like "intent to kill," or take potshots at my "cleverness". That's so "uncool."

not even this can save CSI NY. What a lame show

No, spider, I'm not a Republican. I think 5,000 marbles versus shopping carts pulled by human beings is dangerous. Slashing ropes is dangerous. How did you slash the ropes? With paper cutters? Come on, stop trying to justify your actions. It's taken a 104 years for someone to get seriously injured at the Coney Island Polar Bear event, let's not beat that 'record' by taking unnecessary risks with rolling carts. I'm sorry if you cannot understand that. Just be a little more safe next time. That is all. Just take safety into consideration.

I don't recall Cobra being that bad, actually. There was, however, another team dressed like EMT's or medics who just basically went around smashing people's art on their carts. That is not sabotage, that's just really sad. Theatrical sabotage is fun, but sabotage with the intent to destroy or hurt is another story, and not one that the Idiotarod represents.

http://www.cartsofbrooklyn.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=16

Thank you for finally responding to me in a sensible way so that we can discuss this. First of all, I think there's an inherent danger to the entire event. We're running, tied by a rope to a shopping cart through the streets of New York without permits or security. The biggest danger comes from the possiblity of getting hit by a car, as any bike rider would tell you. You're tied to a shopping cart! Being pulled by four other people, racing other people tied by ropes to shopping carts! It's dangerous! There's pushing, there's shoving, it happens, but we, as most every other team does, tries to keep it civilized. One member of our team was trampled on the Brooklyn Bridge in '05 at the bottleneck trying to get onto the bridge. Every year there's some pushing and shoving on the bridges as teams try to pass each other, but Troop 666 doesn't bully other teams, we let them pass us if they are faster. There's an inherent danger to the event. In my opinion, throwing marbles on the ground isn't any more dangerous than running an event where people tie themselves to shopping carts and run through traffic. We threw the marbles at the start of the event, where people would not be running full speed or having any danger of slipping and getting run over by a car. We did consider safety. People can see a bunch of marbles going onto the ground, and run slower so that they don't fall. I can understand your point of view that you think they are dangerous, but the scope of the inherent danger of the entire event dwarfs our marble tactics.
And our marbles were celebrated, at least on the Wikipedia site which says, "The race, though fun, is competitive, and teams are known to sabotage each other in an effort to win. Forms of sabotage include tripping competitors, throwing marbles or large obstacles in their paths, and the spreading of misinformation, such as false route information." I didn't write that. No one I know wrote that. But somebody liked our marble tactics enough to include it in the definition of what sabotage should be.
In fact, the definition of sabotage at Wordnet is: noun
1. a deliberate act of destruction or disruption in which equipment is damaged.
Look it up. It's Best Sabotage, not Best Misinformation, or Best Con. While I do enjoy Cobra's tactics, their tactics don't even fall under the definition of sabotage.

As for the slashing of the ropes, I admit it sounds dangerous. Here's what happened. Almost all the runners last year were pulling their carts by rope from a good distance, at least 5-10 feet between them and the cart. So I would run alongside them for a moment, get into position, and cut their ropes with a retractable box cutter, with a blade an inch long. I wasn't running around with a bowie knife threatening people. By the time most people figured out what was going on, I was running on to the next team. There were teams that figured out what I was doing, and would yell something like "Hey stop!" And when they would try to stop me, I didn't try to stab them, I just moved onto the next team. There was never the threat of physical violence of any kind. I never got into any fights, the only thing physical altercation that ocurred was team Mayo Clinic dumping rotten mayonnaise on me, and I took it. If I had fallen while running with the box cutter, that extremely dangerous inch long blade would have skittered harmlessly along the ground. I considered safety, and I sabotaged other team's ability to finish the race. Sounds Kosher to me. Our methods of sabotage were no more dangerous than the overall race as a whole. I don't want anyone to be seriously injured either. If you want it to be so safe, get permits for it so that no one gets hits by a car or at least run the race through less traffic congested areas, or places where people won't get trampled like a bottleneck entrance to the Brooklyn Bridge. We have also considered safety and rejected other ideas like fireworks, or blocking the bridge because that affects other people not racing like bicyclists or pedestrians.
So please don't insult me, call me thick, or tell me to take it like a man, especially if you are a judge at the event and are suppossed to be impartial. I'm sorry that your friends will not participate. But don't take it out on me or my team. We've done our best to come up with creative and clever ways to sabotage other teams, and we've done so better than any other team, by the definition of the word, in a manner that was as safe as possible and without raising the overall level of danger at an inherently dangerous event.

I agree with my fellow Saboteur. CSI NY is run by a bunch of Corporate pricks. One of my favorite parts of the phone conversation is when the CSI spokesperson says “In the entertainment business we do things in yesterday.” The response from COBRA of “Can we meet Yesterday?” was hilarious. I saw the Roller Derby episode. It was ridiculous. I’m horrified to see how they represent the idiotarod.

you are such a bore. you read my first post, but not my second "Yes, I know that wasn't the real intent, but sabotage does not mean throwing things at people, it's true." You conflated one of my posts to someone else as to you. I'm like Bush? This is about shopping cart racing, not politics. I finally answered you, but you just had to go on and on and on. it's over. your team and a few other did stupid things. it's a fact. i just hope that this year it won't be as bad. as i said, blah blah blah.

Elderta, the crux of your argument is valid, in that people should respect each other's safety. However, how are YOU diminishing the amount of violence in the world with snarky comments and judgments and outright rejections of people you've never met? Now, I met some of the folks in the Warhol cart and they were pleasant and positive and downright funny! If you were, indeed, one of those people, what happened to make you write such negative things?