Why We Compete

The Washington Post's Eli Saslow was online Monday, July 2 at 3 p.m. ET to discuss Why We Compete, a series exploring why sports endure and why we compete. In Part III, Eli focuses on the role ego plays in competition, as he profiles a family that owns and competes with dozens of coonhounds.

A transcript follows.

____________________

Eli Saslow: Thanks again for reading and askings questions about this Compete series. We've got three done -- and five to go -- and the feedback and everything else has been great so far.

I had a great time reporting this story out in Pennsylvania. For the second time, photographer/videographer/intimidator Preston Keres accompanied me to the woods for the Compete series. Chat diehards might remember that, for the story about the Barkley marathon, Preston trudged around the course and decided he needed to change his lifestyle and diet. Well, bad news on that front: Preston's health kick died a rough death in the Pennsylvania country side last week. We dined on Hoss's steakbits and fried foods, and Preston polished off one of those fried apple tarts at the dog show for breakfast. I'm just hoping Preston survives through the series, because -- as his photos and his video attest -- he still manages to crank out awesome stuff.

The hardest part about reporting this story for me, honestly, was being around the dogs. They are unbelievably cute and friendy, and I wanted to sneak one back home. Sadly, my DC apartment doesn't allow dogs, and I think a coonhound might make too much noise to keep secret. Alas...

Anyway, enough about me. On to the questions...

(and please e-mail me at saslowe@washpost.com if I don't answer yours or you have one later).

_______________________

Hebron, Ind.: How many neighbors does this family have?

Eli Saslow: They've got about five or six neighbors left, but that number is dropping pretty quickly. Bob told me that he's probably going to buy another house soon, because a new neighbor is complaining about the dogs. Bob estimated that he will own the whole block sometime in the next couple of years.

And who knows? In a decade, Homer City could be populated exclusively by the Alexander's and their dogs.

_______________________

Burke, Va.: Hi Eli,

So what conclusion(s) did you draw on why this family competes? Seems to me that they young lady has a rich daddy who can afford to provide almost unlimited resources for her to pursue her passion. Is she spoiled?

Eli Saslow: Yes, Amanda is a bit spoiled, as she admitted to me more than a few times. But I think she's competing here because dog shows give her a chance to feed an ego -- to feed an identity. She competes, largely, because she's good at it, and she's KNOWN now for being good at it.

I think this phenomenon is a little similar to something I see a lot when I write about high school sports. Almost all pretty good high school athletes want to play their sport in college, even if it means going to small, far away schools with small teams. But the kids want to keep playing because their ego is so used to being fed by success in that sport.

It's the same thing with Amanda: Once you get known for being good at something, and you build an identity on that, what happens when you stop?

_______________________

NW D.C.: Does Amanda have relationships with anyone outside of the coonhound/dog show world? Is it healthy to spend so much time dedicated to one thing?

Eli Saslow: This is a really good question, and I'm not sure I have a concrete answer for it.

No, Amanda doesn't seem to spend much -- if any -- time with folks outside of the dog show community. She lives with Curt, who is big into the dogs. She works with dogs at a grooming shop. She spends her weekends traveling to dog shows. She talks to her family about dogs most of the time.

On the surface, that doesn't strike me as healthy, really. I think a healthy life strikes a little bit more of a balance than that, and I think Amanda would agree that her lifestyle is as imbalanced as any.

What do other people think? Healthy or not?

_______________________

W.F. Whence, Quillsville, Mass.: Dearest Saslow -- another fine piece, young man. I now submit a query: I, too, own a particular hound dog, though I fear its proportions may not best be suited for tracking the elusive 'coon. Still, I'd like to give it a shot, and perhaps the best way to do this is by beginning to feed my ol' dachshund some performance-enhancing food you mentioned. What might the Alexander clan recommend? Did you catch a glimpse of what these folks feed their galloping, shimmering stallions of the chase?

Eli Saslow: At the risk of evening the coonhound playing field...the Alexander's feed their dogs exclusively Purina dog food, performance brand. They are, in fact, sponsored by Purina. Instead of paying like $50 for the company's 50-pound food bags, the Alexander's pay about $30.

So, if you're looking slam a flag at the top of the dog world, start with Purina Performance. Then, after that, built a grooming shop, a swimming pool, a four-acre dog run. Buy a few trucks and a few campers, travel around the country each weekend, devote your life to you're dogs and prepare to spend $10,000 a year on vet bills.

But yeah, Purina Performance is a good start.

_______________________

Gaithersburg, Md.: My major hope is that not too many people decide to get a coonhound after reading this article -- we have ONE, and he's more than enough.

Seriously, this is a VERY high-maintenance breed, not for a faint-hearted owner. Much better as a country dog than a city dog.

Eli Saslow: Yes, that's a good point -- and another reason why a coonhound probably wouldn't have worked all that well in my 800-sq. foot apartment.

In order to be healthy, these dogs need to run a lot. Actually, Amanda and Co. told me that there is a pretty big debate in the coonhound world about whether these dogs should be kept as pets at all. Some old time coonhound owners believe the dogs should be kept outside and never petted in order to maintain the aggression necessary for a raccoon hunt.

That said, the coonhounds I spent time with -- which includes, at this point, just about half of the coonhounds in the United States -- were cute, friendly and great around children.

So, for those of you that own coonhounds, do they make for good pets?

_______________________

Arlington, Va.: Hi Eli,

I just love these articles. In regards to the Alexanders, how does Bob afford the massive upkeep that the family provides the dogs? $400,000 sunk with zero return? Is this article really profiling the typical dog show competitor, or is it more about a wealthy father providing his introverted daughter with a way to build self-esteem?

Eli Saslow: Thanks for the kind words. I'm thrilled you like the series.

I definitely don't think this is a profile of a typical dog show competitor. It is, absolutely, an extreme case. But then again, a lot of people in a lot of sports buy success for the fortification of their egos. I think the competition in most sports is tainted by money, and who has or is willing to spend the most. The Alexanders have extra money, thanks to Bob's business success, and they're willing to spend all of it, basically, on these dogs.

And also, from what I saw at the dog show I went to in Waynesburg, a lot of dog people spend a lot of money doing this. I probably saw 40 brand new Winebagos in Waynesburg, and those can be like $100,000 each. It's an expensive hobby, with no real financial return.

_______________________

RE: Quillsville, Mass.: Quillsville may find his or her dachshund more suited to badger than racoon.

Eli Saslow: A nice comeback.

_______________________

Freising, Germany: I've only read Part III of your series, "Why We Compete", but I didn't see an overriding theory on why competition is so important to human beings. But perhaps there was a hint, when you wrote, "Once too shy to speak in front of her high school class, she now regularly sauntered into a dog show ring as 1,000 people watched. Because of her champion dogs, she had become a self-assured competitor and an assertive business owner."

While success engenders confidence, which is helpful in all aspects of life, a competitive nature is often a two sided sword, don't you think? What do you think of the old saying, "It's not important if you win or lose, it's only important if you play the game"? Is this saying for children or is there really something to be gained in everyday life by competing (but not winning) in sports?

Eli Saslow: I think your question is exactly the type we hoped this series would encourage. I think there's a lot of merit in competing and losing. Most of the high school coaches I talk to believe that their players learn much more after a loss than a win.

Competiting, in itself, is the important part. I think every competitor learns something every time he or she competes. The win or the loss is really pretty secondary, in my opinion. You're better for the experience either way.

_______________________

Philly: While I am happy to read that the family is not breeding and selling their dogs, I am curious as to what would happen to them should the family encounter a downturn in their finances?

Eli Saslow: I think the Alexanders would rather go bankrupt, sell their house and even starve themselves before they let a financial downturn affect their dogs or their treatment of them. If there's one thing I left Homer City absolutely confident about, it's that the Alexanders love these dogs with everything. They treat the animals like royalty. They hug them. They kiss them. The dogs run into the woods, through muddy creeks and ticks and dead animals, and then the Alexanders hug them and pet them without thinking about it twice. I'm pretty confident that, no matter what happens in Homer City, the Alexanders are going to make sure the dogs always continue to come first.

_______________________

Alexandria, Va.: Any update on the golf story you did? Was the tourney played? How did the subject of the story do?

Eli Saslow: Thanks for remembering. Kevin Streelman didn't win the $2 million, unfortunately. He finished fourth out of the 12 golfers who made it to the finals. But Kevin said he had a great time in Vegas for the finals, and his fiancee and his family watched him play again. He continued to get along well with his financial backers, and he left Nevada having won $50,000 (half of which he kept; half of which went to the backers). So overall, it was still a great tournament for Kevin. Unless he qualifies for the PGA or Nationwide Tour first, he will probably compete again in the Ultimate Game next year.

_______________________

Arlington, Va.: This was my favorite stories of the series so far, and I like all of them. They look long, but they don't read long. They're all great stories.

Did you think the dogs were well behaved when you were around them? In the video, it kind of looks like they run around out of control. Are these really well behaved champions, or are they just dogs running wild?

Eli Saslow: Thanks so much.

They behave, I guess, like dogs. Yes, they run wild. Yes, they jump all over the place. Yes, they bark and whine and make a ton of noise, even when it's annoying and disruptive.

But they're totally lovable, well-behaved dogs. They're not menacing or mean. For the most part, coonhounds are kind of gangly. They have these long legs, and they look a little awkward when they run. I love dogs, and I grew up with two beagles who look -- and sound -- a little like coonhounds. So I was bound to like Amanda's hounds. But I liked them even more than I thought I would.

_______________________

New Jersey: I wonder if the answer to your question may NOT be a universal - that is, competition and winning matters a GREAT deal more to some people than to others. I -- and many people I know -- have rather faint competitive urges. I have hobbies and interests, and put lots of time and effort into them, but it's clear to me that the urge to win would actually impair my enjoyment of life. There'll always be somebody better than me, and I'm okay with that. Too many interesting things to learn and do to spend time "winning."

Do you feel that the level of desire to win depicted in your series is not universal? I would guess about half the people have it, and half don't.

Eli Saslow: Yes, I think that's a fair estimate. Although I would propose a slightly different measuring scale. I think ALL people have it, but just to varying degrees. Maybe it's like a sliding scale. Where as the Alexander's are a 95 percent on the competitive scale, you could be like a 20. Everybody has at least a little bit of competitiveness in them though, right?

_______________________

Chantilly, Va.: Hi Eli, great story today.

We are also hound people, proudly owned by two PBGVs. We are members of the national club, but we do not show our dogs; for that reason we get to hear some great gossip from the show people since we aren't a threat.

In my experience, there are few if any PBGV people like this young lady. The ones who travel from show to show are generally older couples. There are younger people who are really into the shows and other activities but nothing like this. And many of the really top PBGVs -- like Fairchild, who almost (and should have!) won Westminster this year -- are campaigned by professional handlers. So this was quite an eye-opener.

Eli Saslow: Thanks for the perspective. It was fun to learn about the showing community, but it's definitely not an easy thing to pick up quickly. Dog shows have almost an entirely different language, and I'm still far from fluent.

_______________________

Center of the Universe, D.C.: What is this belief that people compete? Not everyone competes. Why, I am the most non-competitive person in the whole world.

Eli Saslow: OK, it looks like maybe we've found our first 0 on the new competitiveness scale. But I find it hard to believe. You've got to be at least a 1 or a 2, right? Do you really not care about competing in anything, ever, at all?

_______________________

Jensen Beach, Fla.: I've competed and excelled in sports my whole life because I am quite athletic and still consider myself to be so. I am in my early 20s now and taking a break from sports I wondered why did I compete anyway? Was it just to show how good I could make myself get? I never really thought about it, I just did it. I was curious then if you could shed light why do people taking something that is suppose to be fun and essentially meaningless and insignificant in terms of solving one's or another person's problems -- and take it so serious when the person pushes himself to superhuman standards, perfection, pain, obsession, and sacrifice? For the person I can't imagine he derives the same enjoyment as the person who does the activity in a light hearted manner instead of under intense pressure. I still have this belief inside that if I really wanted to put in the effort I could turn professional in a sport. But why? Honestly, what would my intense effort do to help other people? I am having a hard time seeing this any other way besides as a purely selfish pursuit that turns what was once fun into something very serious.

Eli Saslow: Great input. But even if you don't want to compete anymore in sports, are there other places where you do continue to compete? I think the idea of not competing in anything at all is a little idealistic. There most be some areas of your life where you maintain at least some competitive drive...right?

_______________________

Cleveland Park, D.C.: The theme for this installment of the series could be fame rather than ego. In the world of AKC and coonhounds, they are stars and it seems like the Alexanders feed off of that.

Examples: the Britney and K-Fed quote and the Amanda quote "I walk into some shows and it's like, 'Wow, that's Amanda Alexander. My daughter want's to be like you some day.' I have almost, like, admirers. People know me. They follow all my dogs. It makes you feel famous."

Eli Saslow: Yes, totally right. I had a conversation like this with my fiancee -- I got engaged since the last compete story ran -- and she said the same thing. Fame would have worked for this one. But really, aren't fame and ego pretty much the same thing?

_______________________

Maryland: So how long do you think Amanda can keep doing this? Is she going to be traveling each weekend to dogshows when she's 58? At some point, she's got to give it up, right?

Eli Saslow: I would have to think she would give up at some point. But Preston, for his video interview, asked Amanda a question like this when we were in her grooming shop, and I distincly remember her answer. I'm paraphrasing here, and this is not a direct quote, but she said something like: "Of course I'll keep doing it. This is who I am."

She seems to believe she will continue to do this until she's 58 or 68 or whatever. She's so tied to these dogs -- and to the high of competition -- that she can't really imagine herself without it at this point. I think the same sort of psychological dependency is what makes it so difficult for pro athletes to retire. When you've based your self image on something for so long, how do you let it go? That's a really tough transition to make.

_______________________

A Few Qs: Eli,

So what do they do with the vacated houses they buy? And do you have an idea on how much they spend a year total for this pursuit? Actually, $10K per year vet expenses doesn't sound that unreasonable for 70 dogs.

Eli Saslow: They've filled a lot of the vacated houses with family memebrs. Both of Bob's older son's live nearby now, and Amanda lives right next door, in a house bought from a neighbor.

And I think the Alexander's spend more than $10,000 a year in vet appointments. They have a vet they like nearby, and they talk about him like a family friend. I'm not sure quite how much they spend per year, but I'm guessing it's closer to six figures. The Alexanders spare no expense. One of their dogs suffered paralysis in his jaw, and vets said that they should put the dog down. But the Alexanders went to two other states seeking a second opinion, and the dog eventually ended up recovering after extensive treatment with a vet in Columbus. A great, heartwarming story. But it couldn't have been cheap.

_______________________

Arlington, Va.: This is a perfect example of the problem with sports. These people are wasting all this time and money trying to win dog shows, when they could be giving it away to charity or spending money on something that really matters. I just don't understand why people like this invest all their life and their time and their money on something NOBODY cares about. If they really need that big of an ego boost, why not just give money to a charity and then brag about it?

Eli Saslow: That's a strong opinion. I'd say most people, including myself, fall more in the middle ground, between you and the Alexanders. There's nothing wrong with spending some time and money competing. But maybe there's something a little off about spending THIS much time and effort competing. The Alexanders are an extreme, and they recognize that.

_______________________

Leesburg, Va.: Eli: Have you already decided what the next 5 parts of the series will be about? I know you probably can't disclose the topics in this forum, but I'm curious whether you already know in your own head what they will be?

Eli Saslow: Yes, I pretty much know what they're going to be. I sat down with a handful of editors in February and we brainstormed most of the ideas for this series, then. A few of them have changed, and maybe a few more will change, but we basically have an outline for the topics. Actually, for the next story, I'm going to American Samoa in a couple of weeks for a story on football. So, at least for the next part, we're coming a little bit closer to the mainstream.

But anyway, the series will continue to run at a clip of about one story per month until the end of the year.

_______________________

Freising, Germany: My personal opinion is that competition in life is intertwined with competition in sports.

I've often read about CEOs who play a mean game of tennis or squash, and take no prisoners in business or sports. But I've also heard of talented teenage athletes, who, after a lackluster or non-existent career, lose interest in sports and competitivness.

Eli Saslow: Yes, I agree. I think these sort of competitive experiences shape people for the long run.

_______________________

Southern Md.: I started going to dog shows to purchase a puppy from a reputable breeder. I found the perfect breeder with a perfect puppy for my family and neighbors.

Since he was "show" quality, I started in the AKC show circuit. It is a fun place filled with people with different agendas like anything else. Most of the people are dedicated to the improved health and study of diseases of dogs, placing their puppies in "forever" homes, and supporting breed specific rescue leagues.

All in all, while it is a business with professional handlers, it is a whole lot of fun with tails wagging.

Eli Saslow: Thanks for the inside scoop. The AKC seems pretty competitive, but I hope it goes well for you. Good luck!

_______________________

Reston, Va.: How do you decide which story to associate with a specific theme? Some may be easy (for example, "money" is obviously not the motivation for the extreme marathon on the dog show). But couldn't "ego" apply equally well to golfers and marathoners?

Eli Saslow: Great question. It's not easy applying a theme to each story. Really, all of the themes -- ego, identity, money, opportunity, etc. -- have a little piece in each of the stories. We've tried to pick out stories that best illustrate the themes here, but in no way are the boundaries clean cut. The motivations mix together into a complex brew.

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: Since the Alexanders keep every dog they ever buy and never sell dogs, do you think that their number of dogs is just giong to continue to grow? How many dogs do they have space for, anyway?

Eli Saslow: If they run out of space, they'll build more space. And if they run out of space again, they'll probably turn their own house into another kennel.

I think they will continue to accumulate more and more dogs, yes. They buy dogs like crazy, and they really never get rid of dogs. Even if a dog is too skittish for the show ring, the Alexanders can bring themselves to part with it. To them, that would be like selling away an imperfect younger brother. It's unthinkable.

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: Where does this family get the money to fund a hobby this expensive?

Eli Saslow: Bob's businesses have done really well. He owns a trucking company and a waste management company. He also runs a manpower business, which supplies workers to a lot of companies in Indiana, PA. Here, I'll let Bob explain it best, in a quote that I never got to use for the story:

"I think I've been fortunate in everything I've done," Bob told me. "I've gotten lucky in business, and everything has gone right. But I really believe that we're here for these dogs. I really believe that's what this is all about for us."

_______________________

Eli Saslow: Thanks again to everybody who contributed to the great batch of questions. I'm looking forward to another Compete chat in a month or so. E-mail me -- saslowe@washpost.com -- if you have any other questions or comments. Otherwise, enjoy July 4th, and enjoy your dogs.

_______________________

Editor's Note: washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions. washingtonpost.com is not responsible for any content posted by third parties.