Hangge And Dageenakis Families Honored by Niwot Youth Sports  July 2011

BY BRUCE WARREN 
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Hangge Fields at Monarch Park was unveiled as the new name of the Niwot Youth Sports ballfields in Niwot off Highway 52 near Shepherd Valley Waldorf School at a dedication ceremony June 5.  The fields were named in honor of Gregg Hangge and his family, including wife Karen, sons Joe, Jon and Jake, and daughter Jill Hasson.

At the same ceremony, the primary softball field at the complex was named “Dageenakis Field” in honor of John “Tony” Dageenakis and his family, including wife Elayne and sons Tony, Jeff and Craig.

The dedications honored two families who have volunteered countless hours to make sure that the Niwot-Gunbarrel area had quality sports programs and facilities for area youth.

Hangge Fields at Monarch Park

Gregg Hangge began his participation in Niwot Youth Sports, then known as Gunbarrel Lefthand Valley Recreation Association, as a volunteer when his son Joe jointed the K-2 basketball clinic in 1989.  Basketball Director Dennis Roth quickly recruited the elder Hangge to become the girls program coordinator when his daughter Jill began playing, and Hangge took over as Basketball Director from Roth in 1993, a position he held for many years.  Hangge was honored by the Colorado Association of Community Educators in 1994 for coordinating a program which had grown to 500 youth.

But basketball was not Hangge’s only volunteer effort. He became Fields Director for the baseball program in 1992 and spent countless hours keeping Johnson Fields, a temporary site at 83rd and Neva Road, playable.  The goat-head sandburs were so thick at Johnson Fields that players couldn’t pick up a batted ball without finding one or more.  Hangge recalled that coach Mark Ponsor built a carpeted roller to pick up the sandburs so the games could be played. 
When the Johnson Fields were lost to development, Hangge coordinated the construction of three new baseball fields, Hagen Field, Ritz Field and Columbine Field at the Warren Baseball Complex on Nimbus Road. Hangge worked with Left Hand Water District to get irrigation water to the fields, and when the Colorado Rockies offered to fund the development of Ritz Field, Hangge took the opportunity to use the Rockies’ equipment to install an irrigation system on Hagen Field.

He later led the effort to bring Columbine Field up to the same level as Ritz and Hagen Fields. 
Hangge also coordinated an effort to build a second ballfield at Niwot Elementary School, which is now used for soccer.  He spent a great deal of time improving Left Hand Valley Grange Field with dugouts, sod and sprinklers, and coordinated extensive work to improve the fields at Monarch Park.

NYS President Mark Lamach recalled that Hangge would often schedule a crew of volunteers to put up fences and lay sod, but Hangge always arrived two hours early and had the jobs half done when the workers arrived. Hangge’s wife Karen always made sure the volunteers were fed and watered, and served as the courier whenever more supplies or tools were needed.

The care and maintenance of the ballfields became a Hangge family tradition.   Joe, Jon and Jake have been mowing and dragging the fields to keep them in shape for the players and coaches for the past 20 years, with Jake, the youngest, still on the mower.  At times, Hangge’s daughter Jill has also been seen riding a mower at the ballfields.

Gregg and Karen Hangge have also been mainstays of every Spaghetti Dinner fundraiser ever put on by NYS.

In addition to running programs and building and maintaining fields, Hangge coached baseball and basketball and served on the board of directors for NYS for many years.  Former NYS President Biff Warren recalled Hangge’s work ethic, his integrity and his commitment to make sure that every child had an opportunity to participate. 
Dageenakis Field

John Dageenakis was one of the three incorporators of Gunbarrel Lefthand Valley Boys Baseball, Inc., now known as Niwot Youth Sports, in March of 1972.
Dageenakis, along with Dennis Roth and Jima Lea Folker, served as the initial board of directors for the organization.  The program grew out of a loosely organized effort led by several IBM employees and a Niwot men’s club to create a youth baseball program.

Dageenakis served as president for several years, and once had to step back into the role after his successor dropped out.  “We had a heck of a time getting it started,” Dageenakis recalled.

His three children, Tony Dageenakis, Jeff Dageenakis and Craig Dageenakis, all participated in the youth sports programs when they were growing up, with his wife Elayne Dageenakis offering her support as well. All were in attendance for the ceremony.

The Dageenakis family has long operated J & S Automotive and the ShortStop station in Gunbarrel.  While John and his wife are now retired and living in Johnstown, their sons continue to operate the businesses and live in the area. John stays busy with volunteer efforts in Northern Colorado.

John and Elayne’s oldest son, Tony Dageenakis, has served as the NYS Softball Director for the past several years as his children have gone through the program, and continues in that role today.  NYS President Mark Lamach thanked the Dageenakis family for helping start the NYS program which has become a model for other communities.   
Dedication

The current NYS Board of Directors organized the dedication ceremony, which was once postponed by rain.   Current NYS Vice-President Tom Moore and Executive Director Tim Rudden, along with current Fields Director Chris Heinritz and President Mark Lamach, arranged for a large crowd of current and former NYS coaches, participants and board members to attend.  Jay Anderson of Niwot, who coached with Hangge, created a new stone sign at the entrance to Hangge Fields at Monarch Park, which was unveiled at the ceremony.

Hangge thanked the organization and his family for their support.  “The fields look great,” he said. Former NYS President Biff Warren recognized other families who had contributed to the NYS program. New signs were placed on the backstops of Comer Field and Canar Field. Karen Canar Simpson’s was on hand, representing the Canar Family. Rick Kurcab, who has been responsible for most of the irrigation systems on NYS fields, represented the Kurcab family, which donated a flagpole in honor of Rick’s father, Eddie Kurcab.

Warren also noted that NYS had received substantial anonymous donations which funded the construction of Columbine Field and improvements to all of the NYS ballfields. Current and past board members, coaches, players and supporters in attendance included Mike Anderson, Richard Anderson, Sue Anderson, Craig Dageenakis, Elayne Dageenakis, Jeff Dageenakis, John Dageenakis, Tony Dageenakis, Andrew Fogoros, Mike Hart, Jean Hart, Bonnie Hawley, Tom Hawley, Steve Jones, Dan Knollenberg, Patty Kramer, Tom Kramer,  Mark Lamach, Rhonda Lamach, Vicki Maurer, Marge Mercurio, Laura Moore, Tom Moore, Spencer Moore, Luis Montealegre, Laura Morreale, Pete Morreale, Dick Piland, Tim Rudden, Dale Saraceni, Gina Saraceni, Jan Sdao, Tony Sdao, Christine Stubbs, Rob Stubbs, Bob Topping, Cindy Zeile and Ken Zeile.