Sugar Jam – Scottsdale, Arizona
I often describe my youth in rural, agrarian Peñasco as “bumpkinly naïveté.” I may have been book smart (and insolent) enough to intimidate some of my teachers, but insofar as experiential smarts, I was one pretty sheltered guy. The very first black people I ever saw up close were Drew and Shane Roebuck, gazelle-quick running backs for Menaul High School. I wanted to kill them…not because they were black, but because I couldn’t catch them. You see, I had a reputation as a fierce tackler. It didn’t matter the race, ethnicity, religious affiliation or favorite breakfast cereal, I wanted to tackle everyone in a uniform that didn’t have Peñasco’s blue and gold. In basic military training for the Air…
