Commissioners Seek To Ban April Fools Pranks
By Donna Curry
In a stealthy flurry of legal
mumbo-jumbo, the Boulder County Commissioners have launched a proposal that
would ban any April Fools jokes targeted at the “general Boulder County
public,” including residents, visitors and employees within county limits. “If
there was a way, we’d ban all statewide pranks, but we don’t have that
authority,” Commissioner Will Tour said. “We had to settle for county-wide
bans, but that should put a stop to them.”
When pressed, Tour said that
“them” referred to a certain monthly newspaper that had been a thorn in the
commission’s side since it began concocting stories, but that recent years had
seen an increase in the plausibility of the stories, and/or the gullibility of
the public.
“We’re getting tired of
fielding the phone calls,” Tour said. “April rolls around, and we’re inundated with
calls about things that we’re more clueless about than usual.”
Tour noted that 2007 was
perhaps the worst year, “with complaints about rotaries pouring in.” At first,
the commissioners thought people were objecting to fraternal organizations,
which they didn’t understand.
Commissioner Cindy Dominicks said, “We’ve never had issues with the Moose
Lodge, the Elks, or heck, even the Masons. So we didn’t understand why the
Rotary Club was such an issue.”
Commissioner Ben Perlmen added that someone in the office suggested that
callers were talking about old-fashioned rotary phones, “We thought that was
strange.” Perman said, “since
we’re usually not available by phone.”
Later, someone pointed out
that an April Fool’s article about traffic rotaries
had been published in “that pesky little paper,” and Tour started planning the
demise of the tomfoolery.
“The year before we fielded
calls about gates in Niwot,” Dominicks said. “What’s
wrong with gates? People with fences around their yards usually put in a gate or
two. What are they supposed to do, pole vault into their yards?” Again, an
April Fool’s article was the culprit.
“The parking meters in
downtown really got my goat,” Perlman said. “and the
meter maid wasn’t even cute. What does that say for county hiring practices? I
think she had hairy legs, too.”
While Tour admitted that some
stories didn’t create chaos for the commissioners, he said that he, personally,
was sometimes besieged by an angry public. “Some prairie dog roast had PETA
people calling my home at all odd hours,” he said. “And my daughter is still
whining that I didn’t get her tickets to the Stones concert in Niwot.”
Perlman explained that the
law would not cover family or individual pranks, so you can still tell your
friends that their shoelaces are untied.
“If a business has a
tradition of pulling April Fool’s jokes on its
employees, we won’t stop them unless the prank somehow affects the public at
large,” Tour added.
Other jokes would likely be
ignored as well, Tour admitted. “We’re after one particular entity,” he said
with a grin. “And the law is crafted to catch them. If we reel in a couple
other smart-alecks, it’s a bonus.”
Legal eagle Warren Peace,
representing the newspaper in question, cackled with glee when asked how the
paper would respond. “They can’t stop us,” he said, rubbing his hands together
like a pitcher greasing up a baseball with an illegal substance.
He explained, “Our masthead
clearly says that we serve Vicinity, which encompasses areas clearly outside
Boulder County. Since the county can’t regulate what goes on outside Boulder
County, much as they’d like to, they can’t touch us there. Vicinity saved the
Courier.”
County Approves Golf-Cemetery
Development
By Warren Piece
The Boulder County Land Use
Department gave preliminary approval to a mixed-up-use development proposed for
the former open space near Jay Road and 63rd Street. The property, which has long been infested
with prairie dogs, will soon be “home” to some of Boulder County’s most avid
golfers, both living and departed.
The 80-acre parcel will be
developed into an 18-hole championship golf course, to be known as “Eternal
Greens,” together with an exclusive cemetery catering to golfing
aficionados.
“We thought it was a natural
fit,” developer Joe Bob Nicholas said.
“A golf course needs yardage markers, and there is a shortage of land
for cemeteries. Besides, the prairie dog
holes have already softened up the turf, making grave-digging a little easier,
and we’ll be able to save half of the water a normal golf course and cemetery
would use,”
Nicholas said.
Monuments on the fairways
will be limited to grade-level stones, with yardage to the the
greens included below the decedent’s vital statistics. “We think there will be a real market for anyone
who hits a hole-in-one,” Nicholas said.
“We plan to give them a shot at having their remains interred at the
spot of the shot.”
Larger above-ground monuments
will be allowed near the greens and in the rough. Ground rules for the course will include
provisions for treating monuments as a natural hazard. “I have a few friends who would rather be
buried in the rough,” area golfer Hal Irving said. “After all, they’ve spent most of their lives
there.”
Graveside services will be
restricted to 14 minutes so as not to unduly interrupt play. “This course will
give new meaning to a ‘great lie,’” Nicholas said. Women are especially
enthused about the proposed course. “I can’t think of a more beautiful setting,
and I know my husband will visit often,” Anna Cornucopia said.
The clubhouse will include a
chapel, which can be converted for use as overflow seating for the
restaurant.
Obama Delegate Secures
By Mandy Walking
A local delegate for the Barack Obama presidential campaign
has secured a commitment from the presidential candidate to visit Niwot while
he’s in Colorado for the Democratic National Convention.
“I am so excited. I can
hardly believe it,” said Cami Payne, a Niwot
resident, a first time convention delegate, known now to her friends as Obama Girl. She said town officials have agreed to allow
the event at Whistle Stop Park, although Cottonwood Square is also a
possibility due to security concerns.
“The Secret Service has
expressed some concerns about the proximity of the railroad tracks to the
park,” said Payne. “They said they were sending a team of security experts to
investigate the potential dangers for attacks from passing FasTracks
trains.”
Payne confessed she was
half-joking when she proposed the event and she didn’t realize she would be
expected to also organize it. “But that’s OK,” she said. “I come from a large
family and it’s usually me who arranges the reunions. There are some real
characters in my family and I can’t imagine anyone on Barack’s
campaign would be more difficult to deal with than them.”
The event will be a family
style potluck picnic and Payne is aiming to create an atmosphere similar to the
famed evening event at Nostalgia Days. While she’s confident she can rent the
grills, she’s a little concerned because it is a popular time of year for large
outside events. “If worse comes to worse, I know the people of Niwot will rally
‘round and we’ll all just wheel our grills down to the park.”
Since it is an evening event,
a number of Obama’s campaign staff, including Obama himself, will likely stay overnight in Niwot and
avoid the expected pre-convention frenzy of downtown Denver. The Niwot Inn is
already fully booked for that period, so Payne has been approaching Niwot
residents.
“They have been extremely
gracious,” she said. “I’ve had lots of people offer to open their homes but I
may need quite a lot. Barack is quite insistent he
wants his team to stay in a small community so they get a better understanding
of the voter base and our concerns.”
Town officials are planning
to ask neighboring residents to open up their bathrooms for public use for the
event since the county has previously expressed concerned about the lack of
public restrooms at the Rhythm on the Rails events.
The newly established local
improvement district advisory board has recommended that the county
commissioners provide funds from sales tax revenue to provide toilet paper,
soap and hand towels to homeowners who do make their bathrooms available. Payne
also committed that those homeowners will have the opportunity to have their
photo taken with Obama in their home.
The question of entertainment
has been discussed with some seeking a return engagement of the Stones. Payne
said she is very conscious of the neighbors’ concerns about noise level and she
has been following the letters to the editor in the Courier. “There are lots of
musicians who have come out in support of Barack,
including Will Smith, Babyface, Macy Gray, Stevie
Wonder, Ne-Yo, Usher, Wilco’s
Jeff Tweedy, Bright Eyes’ Conor Oberst
and Arcade Fire’s Win Butler,” said Payne. “If one of those bands turned up to
play, I think it would be a truly memorable event for Niwot. Personally, I’m
keeping my fingers crossed for the Grateful Dead.”
Boulder County Cracking Down
On “Air” Pollution
Air Quotes To
Go The Way Of Tubberware Parties And McMansions
By Nellie Nibnose
In a further attempt to clean
up the air and fill in holes in county regulation codes, Boulder County has
begun looking into legislation to thwart the excessive use of air quotes.
As defined by Wikipedia: “Air
quotes (also called airsotts) refer to using one’s
fingers to make virtual quotation marks in the air when speaking. This is
typically done with both hands held shoulder-width apart and at the eye level
of the speaker, with the index and middle fingers on each hand forming a V sign
and then flexing at the beginning and end of the phrase being ‘quoted.’”
One county staffer, who spoke
only on the condition of complete anonymity, said, “I find the whole air quote
gesture extremely offensive and a waste of personal energy and space. Most
people don’t know where quotes should be used in the written word, let alone
when speaking. If not used correctly, the ‘quoter’
who uses such a gesture may be open for a libel suit if he/she got the quote
wrong, especially if the person or entity being ‘allegedly’ quoted is within
hearing range.”
This glaring “hole” in the
soon to be drafted personal space and gesture code was deemed necessary because
no such laws exist. “It’s a logical extension of the whole Tubberware
party thing,” the staffer continued.
Due to a complaint from an
annoyed neighbor in Nederland, the county found it necessary to draft a law
regulating the number of parties where “invitees” pay for entertainment. In an
unforeseen consequence, this legislation, known as the “Tubberware
effect,” put the kibosh on the World Championship Pinochle Tournament which was
supposed to be held in Jamestown this spring or whenever the snow was
“sufficiently melted.”
Pinochle Grand Master “Double
Deck” Carmichael said the championship has been rescheduled and will be held in
Fredrick, Colo. For Weld County officials, neither limiting money-generating
venues nor size matters.
Still, Boulder County isn’t
“apologizing” for anything. The staffer said, “We want to help organize and
control things, while being only minimally invasive, except where size matters,
such as the total carbon footprint of your life.”
Early drafts of the proposed
regulation call for a maximum of 23 “air quotes” per topic. Speakers who wanted
to go “above and beyond” the maximum permitted would be allowed to purchase
Transferable Quotation Rights” (TQR’s) from less demonstrative speakers. The
county would serve as the broker for the TQR’s, which would generate funds from
commissions to pay more county staff to develop more regulations. “We think
it’s a ‘win, win, win’ situation,” the staffer said.
As for what’s next on the
“hit” list, garage door standardization in style and color for unincorporated
Boulder County is rumored to have floated to the top. Hopefully this will be an
“open and shut” case.
Home Events Amended Into Land
Use Code
By Kathy Raczkowski
“It’s finally over,” said
Greg Ching. “The music is coming back to the house.”
After a year and a half of
battling the Boulder County Land Use Department over the allegedly illegal
commercial use of his foothills home to host a series of house concerts, Ching achieved a measure of victory on March 13.
At approximately 6:30 p.m.
that Thursday evening. the Boulder Board of County
Commissioners voted 2-1 to amend the Land Use Code to permit house concerts and
other commercial gatherings on private property within certain parameters.
An audible sigh of both
relief and frustration filled the hearing room as Commissioner Ben Pearlman
pronounced the amendment into law.
During the hearing, 15
citizens spoke their minds on the issue of whether or not home events, such as
house concerts, should be regulated at all, and, if so, how. Each of them spoke
favorably of Ching’s efforts to bring quality, live
music to his mountain neighbors, even the few who had come to fight for strong
ordinances against live music concerts on rural land.
“We’re hearing that most
cases are reasonable,” said Dave Wartburg, who lives on N. 63rd St. near IBM.
“In our case, it’s not.”
Wartburg said that he and his
neighbors have endured massive, festival-type concerts for years on the
property next door. He showed slides of the dozens and dozens of cars and buses
parked on the property adjacent to his during such events.
Wartburg spoke of the
excessive noise of the crowd and the amplified music that went on for hours,
until 11 p.m. He said in years past, the festivities often lasted until 5 a.m.
He was hoping the
commissioners would ban such events, or at least strongly restrict them.
The new amendment gives the
sheriff a stronger tool to use when acting on a complaint against these
neighbors, but violators will still only be assessed a small fine.
As for events like the Aspen
Meadows House Concert Series that Ching hosts, which
started the entire argument and precipitated the amendment regulating and
permitting
them, it seems they were never a real problem to begin
with. Even the commissioners voiced their overwhelming support of them.
“We’re convinced beyond a
shadow of a doubt of the value of House Concerts,” said Pearlman. “But the
world’s changing and I don’t think the current Land Use Code properly addresses
it.”
As for Ching’s
opinion of the amendment set before the council, he said, “I think it’s
unnecessary, unenforceable and unconstitutional. Someone will challenge the
ruling and take Boulder County to court.”
Many others echoed his
sentiments.
Paul Rennix
called it “a waste of time, waste of money, and overall, an embarrassment for
Boulder County.”
“I wonder if Boulder County
needs a time out?” said Ed
Byrne,
urging the board to “simply announce your belief that it’s already covered” and
dismiss the amendment.
Commissioner Will Toor agreed with them, but he was outvoted, and the measure
was passed with just a few revisions to the proposed draft:
Home Events, where there is
an exchange of money for entertainment or product sales, will now be permitted
under the LUC if: the gatherings consist of 26-99 people on the host’s private
property; they occur between 9 a.m. and 11 p.m. and for no more than six
consecutive hours; they afford sufficient legal parking for all attendees; they
comply with the Boulder County noise ordinance, and they occur no more than 12 times
per year at any single residence.
Pearlman suggested that
people get a neighbor to host a concert if they want to book more than 12 in a
year. He then made an offer: “If you can’t find a neighbor, you can use my
house every once in a while.”
Photo by Kathy Raczkowski
Boulder County Commissioner
Will Toor apologized to Greg Ching for the board having passed an amendment regulating house concerts, but Ching was just excited that the battle was finally over and
he could resume his house concert series legally.
By Liz Emmett-Mattox
Those who know Theo Dierks won’t be surprised to learn that at age eight, she
was leaving cookies and lemonade in her family’s mailbox for the mailman.
Following the example set by
her parents, who are “huge volunteers,” Dierks said
she always has her feelers out for someone who needs help. She’s involved in
many projects at the same time, primarily focused on her neighborhood, Gunbarrel Estates, and the schools her sons, Chris and
Taylor, attend.
Dierks’ husband, Jeff, was living in Gunbarrel
Estates when the two first met. When they wanted a bigger home for their two
sons, they moved all
the way across the street. She said they didn’t want to leave because it’s “a
grand neighborhood. It’s a really close knit group of people who care. There’s
such a feeling of community here.”
According to Scott Marion,
president of the Gunbarrel Estates HOA, Dierks is part of what makes the neighborhood so great.
“She’s been involved in every major neighborhood event. She’s just endless in
what he does to build community.”
Welcoming new families to the
neighborhood as an official greeter is one of Dierks’
long-standing roles. She recently started editing the neighborhood newsletter
again, a job she had for seven years before passing it on for a bit.
“What I liked about doing the
newsletter was that I really knew everyone and everything that was going on,” Dierks said. She and neighbor Ann Whitehill
organize the “Trash to Treasure” event for residents. Every other year, they
rent a dumpster and invite residents to clean out their closets and garages.
Anything that can be reused or recycled is
pulled out and sent to the appropriate place, and the rest
goes into the dumpsters.
One of her favorite things to
do is to show her appreciation of others by surprising them. “I like to send
flowers when someone’s not expecting them instead of when you’re supposed to.”
This past holiday season, Dierks organized “angel baskets” which were filled with
holiday treats and delivered to residents who were newly widowed or divorced,
or for whatever reason didn’t have much family around. “I really wanted to
foster a sense of outreach, having people keep their eyes out for each other.”
At Niwot Elementary, Dierks “signed up for every committee: hospitality,
yearbook, talent show, homeroom mom. I just love elementary school.”
Ginger Cooley, editor of the
Niwot Elementary school yearbook said “Theo is just a great person to work
with. She makes things happen and makes them big.”
When the yearbook committee
decided on “Team Spirit” as this year’s theme, Dierks
suggested getting cheerleaders from Niwot High to come to the elementary
school, and made paw prints into a yellow brick road in the entry way. Cooley
said, “She made it into such an amazing day for the kids.”
Dierks said she enjoys the creative projects most of all. At
Sunset Middle School there aren’t as many opportunities to volunteer in the
classroom, so Dierks has taken on decorating the
board in the entryway. For spring she is thinking of creating “crazy colorful
plants” to grab the attention of the middle schoolers.
When she’s not helping out in
her neighborhood or at school, Dierks runs Boulder
Bumper Crop, a successful eBay business selling women’s clothing. She said she
enjoys being able to run a business and still be active in her community. “I’m
really lucky to have the luxury of volunteering. It’s really a privilege to
volunteer.”
Commissioners Move Ahead To
Limit
By Mandy Walker
In a two-hour-long study
session on March 10, the Board of County Commissioners made a number of key
decisions giving Land Use staff a clear path forward on revisions to the
proposed regulations to limit building size.
On the key issue of what that
size threshold should be, the commissioners concurred on between 3,000 and
4,000 square feet and asked Land Use staff to conduct an analysis. The
threshold would exclude all basement footage that was subterranean. It would
also exclude 500 square feet of garage space, equivalent to a two-car garage,
and 500 square feet of unconditioned storage space.
Noting that the commissioners
had recently seen some structures with covered porches of up to 3,000 square
feet, Commissioner Ben Pearlman said it was important to recognize that covered
porches do have a cumulative impact on neighbors. He proposed a compromise that
would count only 50 percent of the square footage of a covered porch in the
overall square footage.
The commissioners concluded
there should be one countywide size threshold and that the site plan review
process, which looks at neighborhood compatibility, would address differences
in character between the plains and the mountains.
The regulations do not cap
building size but rather will require owners wishing to build residences over
the threshold to purchase development credits. Those credits will be
available through a county-run clearinghouse and will come from
property owners who have chosen to restrict the size of their homes or to leave
land undeveloped. The commissioners requested the staff develop a graduated
scale with increasing development credit requirements for increasing square
footage. The commissioners suggested that credits should be available to
homeowners who were willing to restrict their home size to 2,000 square feet or
less with increasing credits available for smaller homes.
Land Use staff is working on
the details of how the clearinghouse will operate and Michelle Krezek, with the Land Use department said it was critical
the clearinghouse “was up and running the day these regulations go into
effect.”
“The most important thing is
that this be a very easy process,” said Pearlman. “The private market should be
allowed to run its course and the county should be a backstop.”
The site plan review process
currently looks at neighborhood compatibility, but one of the criticisms is
that it doesn’t have a clear definition of what a neighborhood is. The
commissioners proposed that a neighborhood should be defined as properties
within a 1,500 foot radius, subdivision or town site and that it should exclude
any incorporated area. Proposed properties within 125 percent of the median
size of neighborhood properties would be presumed to be compatible.
The commissioners decided not
to designate certain communities as Special Character Areas. That proposal had
met with vehement opposition most notably from residents in Allenspark
who had dominated the recent planning commission hearings with their
objections. However, two communities, Eldora and Eldorado Springs have welcomed
the neighborhood plan concept as a way to address variance issues such as
setbacks and lot lines, and the commissioners agreed that the county should
continue to support these efforts and view these communities as pilot areas.
Commissioner Will Toor said the Peak-to-Peak highway should be designated a
scenic corridor with specific regulations so that people in that area involved
in the site plan review process will know there will be heightened attention
paid to visibility concerns.
The regulations would apply
to all new residential construction as well additions, with an exemption for
reconstruction where the original house was destroyed through no fault of the
owner.
The next public hearing is
scheduled for 5 p.m. on April 18.
Local Dancers Reach For The Stars
By Liz Emmett-Mattox
Niwot High students Alexandra
Martino and Jordan Randleman were at the studio again. They had been there
every day during the week, and again on a chilly Sunday afternoon, rehearsing
for a very busy weekend.
There was an Extravaganza
fundraiser concert to prepare for, then a dance competition in Longmont. In a
few more weeks there would be a dance convention, and then another competition.
It sounded like a lot of
work, but for these two young ladies and the rest of the Starbound
Dance Company, there was no place they would rather be.
Randleman, a sophomore at
Niwot High, has been dancing since she was three years old, and said that
dancing was her passion. She loves being part of Starbound
because it allows her to “take dance to the next level.”
Martino was in her first year
with the company, having only danced for about four years. “I started taking it
a lot more seriously last year, and auditioned for Starbound
in the summer,” she said. Martino attends dance classs
eight to 10 hours each week, plus weekend rehearsals.
Starbound is the competition company of Dance Dimensions, a
dance studio in Longmont. Dance Dimensions offers a full range of dance
classes, including ballet, tap and hip-hop.
The Starbound
company is open by audition, and requires the most
serious commitment of the dancers. They must not only come to a number of
regular classes, but also commit to weekend rehearsals, performances,
competitions and conventions.
Director Louise Leise said that Starbound gives
the dancers “the opportunity to pursue excellence in performance, technique and
discipline. It’s a safe place for them to be up to a point, but we really
prepare them for the future and the effort it takes to get there.”
Students past and present
have achieved an impressive record in the dance world. One of the current Starbound dancers, Angela Bergamo, was part of the cast of
High School Musical 2. Others have gone on to professional careers, including
recent graduate Cara Cooper who dances with the English National Ballet.
Martino said that joining the
company taught her to organize her time, and “if you really want something,
practice and you’ll get it.” One of her accomplishments this year was
practicing every day until she had the flexibility needed for “middle splits.”
Randleman learned that “If
you work hard and keep your mind on your goals, you’ll go far.”
For more information, call
303-772-3750 or see www.dancedimensions.net.
One Moment Please, I Can’t
Find My …
By Mary Wolbach
Lopert
Editor’s Note: All the events
depicted in this column really happened. The names have been changed to protect
the forgetful.
Announcer: And now here’s our
host. Ilosta Mymind.
Ilosta: Thank you, audience, and welcome to our show, “One
Moment Please, I Can’t Find My É,” the only show on basic cable, expanded
cable, dish, satellite or broadband dedicated to suffers of CRS - Can’t
Remember Stuff.
Thunderous
applause.
For first time viewers, my show
gives fantastic tips on how to find misplaced items. This week we’re working
our way up from the small “stuff” like keys, gloves and grocery lists to
glasses, remotes, purses, wallets, power tools and laptops to today’s topic,
cars.
Audience gasps loudly.
Yes viewers, people park
their cars and then forget where they left them. This shocking revelation
happens all the time and you can’t rely on technology to help you.
I received this email from a
Frances B. She writes:
“Ilosta,
love your show and your blog. I read you were doing shows on lost cars. We were
on vacation in Hawaii and rented a car.
After shopping at a large
mall, we came out to discover we had no idea where we parked the car or the
car’s make or color. AND the electronic key fob was broken. We ended up walking
back to the hotel, and then taking a taxi to the mall an hour after it closed.
“There was only one car in
the parking lot and it was ours. Oh, the car was a beige
Hyundai.” ĐFrances B.
Frances,
great patience and creativity. But
what happens when you don’t have the time to wait it out? I’d like to introduce
Sadie B. and Nancy M. who have both lost their cars in very public places.
Polite
applause.
Sadie, your bio states that
you lost your SUV in Vegas and it wasn’t from playing craps.
Sadie: Yes Ilosta, we did lose it in Vegas and I blame the gambling
industry. It’s all just so confusing. That’s what happens when you try to see
Cirque de Soleil, Celine Dion and Wayne Newton in one day.
We came out of the casino and
were so disorientated. None of the buildings were in the right place. I
couldn’t prove it because our GPS was in the car. Really, you can hardly
navigate a grocery store without one of those thingies.
I kept telling Sam, (Oh can I
use his real name?) that nothing looked right Đ the garage we were in was
too big, and the casino we saw on CSI should have been on the left. He wouldn’t
listen. (Sob.) He just kept saying we were on the wrong floor.
Finally, I’d had enough. I
told him I was going back into OUR casino because I thought we had walked out
the wrong door. I was right. (SOB.) It’s caused a permanent rift between us.
Ilosta: What’s this rift?
Sadie B.: My husband was so
upset that technology couldn’t help him, he’s lost all desire for new
electronic gadgets, which has caused me extreme stress, because I don’t
have anything to buy him for his birthday, our anniversary
or Valentine’s Day. He’s even lost his will to use the DVR.
Ilosta: Sadie, I’m here to help. You and your husband will
receive, free of charge, comprehensive electronic counseling, covering
everything from handheld devices to programming all the add-ons to your brand
new whole-house computer.
Wild
applause. Sadie exits still
sobbing.
Now audience, I want to do a
follow-up with Nancy M. This is a case we’ve followed all week. Nancy, you’re
on live. How’s it going?
Live remote shot of Nancy in
a parking lot.
Nancy: Not well Ilosta. I still can’t find the right brick wall.
Ilosta: Please update the audience.
Nancy: Well, I met a friend
downtown at the museum, but I had so much on my mind that the only thing I
remember about where I parked was that it’s in front of a brick wall.
Ilosta: How long have you been looking for your car?
Nancy: It’s the start of day
three. All these brick walls look alike.
Ilosta: That’s what happens in urban renewal areas. These
little suburbanites don’t realize that each brick wall has its own
characteristics Đ graffiti, ivy or new faux used bricks.
Nancy: But I’ve called in the
cavalry Đ my babysitting co-op partners will fan out and help scour the
area. After all, it’s a light blue minivan with a car seat and a booster seat.
How many of those could there
be?
Ilosta: Keep us updated, Nancy.
That’s all the time we have
today. Don’t forget to tune in tomorrow for the big kahuna
of “I Can’t Find MyÉ” Đ how to locate your house
in a new suburban subdivision when the developer has used the same street name
but with court, street, avenue, circle, road, trail and way.
And if you can’t watch the
show, be sure to use that DVR, provided you can find the remote.
St. Vrain
Valley School District
By Mandy Walker
With the annual negotiations
between the St. Vrain Valley School District and the
St. Vrain Valley Education Association (the teachers’
union) underway, teacher salaries are once again a hot topic.
“This is not about giving
more money,” said Don Haddad, deputy superintendent for the district and former
Niwot High principal. “This is about quality instruction in the classroom. It’s
about the ability to recruit and retain your best teachers.”
“The teachers are anxious
about negotiations,” said Jerri Modrall, president of
the education association. “They are wanting fair and
equitable compensation like other districts.”
The gap is bigger with the
more qualified teachers. A teacher with a master’s degree just starting with
St. Vrain would start at $33,868 and after ten years
with the district would be making $47,723. That teacher with 10 years in BVSD
would be making almost 15 percent more at $54,700. In the Adams district, a
teacher with a master’s could expect to start with the district at a salary of
$50,500.
“Teachers absolutely have a
right to make a quality living,” said Haddad. With an already tight budget
Haddad said any salary increases would most likely impact the classrooms.
With teacher pay accounting
for a large portion of the district’s operating budget, Haddad said, “The only
place you can generate a large amount of money is to reduce the number of
teachers and that means an increase in class size.”
“There’s a strong possibility
class size will go up this year,” said Haddad. He explained that if the
district decided to pursue a mill levy override on November’s ballot, and if
that initiative were successful, the district would not receive any increased
funding until early in 2009. Such a mill levy override would, however, prevent
staffing reductions in the following year.
“With class sizes increasing,
it means less personal time with each student,” said Modrall.
She said that’s a concern for all teachers. “You just can’t give the personal
attention everyone deserves,” said Modrall. “The way
you want to teach, as a teacher, is compromised.”
Haddad said cutting
instructional programs, such as advanced placement classes, was another
possibility. “Sometimes electives get hit pretty hard,” he said. Adding a
transportation fee for students who use the district buses is another
possibility.
The district is set to open
three new elementary schools this coming school year and one possibility would
be to postpone these openings. Haddad said this was unlikely since he felt the
district would lose so many students to the BVSD and to other schools that the
district would lose more money in per-pupil funding than it would save from not
operating those schools.
He said a delay in opening
the new schools would mean finding other ways to address overcrowding at the
existing neighboring schools. That might mean buying portable classrooms.
“That’s not quality schools.” Haddad added that such a delay would also anger community
members who had voted to pass the bond issue to build those schools and who had
been waiting since 2002.
Haddad hoped the community
will support a mill levy override. “We are being as honest and upfront with our
community as we can be when we say we need more resources,” he said. “We can
look all day long for band-aids but at the end of the day do we, as a
community, value quality education?”
By Bruce Warren
If you have news of local
athletes, please contact sports@lhvc.com or call 303-746-2900.
BASKETBALL
Silver Creek’s girls got a
rematch with Broomfield in the finals of the girls Class 4A state tournament,
but couldn’t win their fourth contest of the season. The Raptors capped an
exceptional season, and exceptional careers for the several seniors on the
team, with a second place finish at state in Class 4A. Silver Creek handed state champ Broomfield
its only loss of the season in their second meeting, by three points, and the
only Raptor losses all season came at the hands of the Eagles.
In the state championship
game, disastrous second quarter shooting doomed the Raptors, as they made only
one of 14 shots from the field. Even though Broomfield made only two of 11
shots, the Eagles held a 9-point halftime lead.
The Raptors kept the margin the same in the third quarter, but were
outscored in the final stanza to lose, 50-34.
Jessie Jones had 17 points to lead the Raptor scoring. Meghan Heimstra was
named to the All-Tournament team. Heimstra was also selected to play in The Show, an All-Star
girls basketball game at the Pepsi Center, but is
unable to attend.
In the first round, Silver
Creek easily beat Conifer, 62-34, but didn’t play particularly well doing so,
missing some 25 layups in the course of the game. Silver Creek beat Pueblo
West, 59-46, in the Sweet Sixteen, led by Janelle Kramer with 13 points. Erin Gunther added 12 points, while Danielle Figliola
had 10. In the quarterfinals, Silver
Creek beat Moffat County, 61-49, with Heimstra
leading the scoring with 27 points.
Kramer, Figliola and Jones each added nine
more as the Raptors advanced to the Final Four.
The Raptors advanced to the title game by beating Pueblo East, 57-45,
led by Heimstra’s 16 points and 10 rebounds. Silver
Creek was down 27-19 at halftime, but went on a 13-0 run in the second half to
take the lead. Lauren Wolfinger came off the bench to add 16 points, eight
rebounds and three steals.
Audrey George (Niwot) had
nine points and six rebounds for Fort Lewis College in a 66-58 loss to
University of Nebraska-Kearney in the NCAA Division II North Central
Regional. Fort Lewis was seeded fourth
in the tournament, finishing the season ranked 11th in the nation with a 26-4
record. George, a 6’0” sophomore forward, led the team with 14 rebounds in an
overtime 70-69 loss to CSU-Pueblo in the semi-finals of the Rocky Mountain
Athletic Conference tournament. George started all 30 games for Fort Lewis,
averaging 8.8 points per game on the season. She was second on the team in
shooting percentage at 55%, including 47% from the three-point line. She led
the team in defensive rebounds with 152, and was second in rebounding average
at 7.1 per game. She also led the team
with 28 blocked shots.
Niwot’s boys made it to the state playoffs as a No. 9 seed in
Class 4A and traveled to Glenwood Springs for a first-round game. The Cougars came away with a 64-63 win,
thanks to solid defense, led by senior Bryan Black, which kept Glenwood Springs
from getting a good shot in the last 10 seconds. Jeff Roueche
snatched the last rebound after a desperation shot from the corner. Roueche led Niwot with 17 points, while Cody Lahman added 12 on four 3-point shots. Niwot was overmatched against defending state
champs Abraham Lincoln in the next game.
The Cougars stayed close for the first quarter, trailing only 22-16, but
a 24-4 deficit in the second quarter decided the contest, with Lincoln winning
88-48. Senior Luke Lahman
was the only Cougar in double figures with 12 points. Niwot ended the season at 10-15, while Lincoln went on to win another state 4A
championship.
As a team, the Niwot boys
shot 46.7% from 2-point range, 41.7% from 3-point range, and 62.4% from the
free-throw line on the season. The Cougars averaged 58.8 points per game while
allowing 65.6 points per game. Roueche led the team in scoring with 355 points, averaging
14.2 per game while shooting 61.8% from the field. Ryan Strufing
(54.5%) and Cody Lahman (54%) were next from 2-point
range. Roueche also led the team in rebounds with
179, averaging 7.2 per game. Luke Lahman was second
in scoring with 276 points, averaging 11 points per game. Bryan Black was next,
averaging 7.2 points per game. Black led
the team in free-throw percentage, shooting 73.1%, followed by Veric Nichols at 70.8%. Andrew Guido led in 3-point
percentage, shooting 8-18 for 44.4%.
Conner Kloepfer was second in rebounds with
113, averaging 4.7 per game. Luke Lahman led in
assists with 84, followed by Black with 51.
Luke Lahman and Roueche
each received Honorable Mention All-Conference honors based on a vote of the
coaches. For the full team statistics,
visit the Courier website at www.lhvc.com
Silver Creek’s boys also made
it to the playoffs as a No. 7 seed, winning a first-round game over Mountain
Range, 47-42. Phil Millspaugh
led the scoring with 15 points, while Carl Enright
added 13 for the Raptors. In the next
game against Ralston Valley, the Raptors fell behind early and could not
recover, losing 74-32. Alex Ryan ended his career with a team-high 14 points,
while Millspaugh added 10. Ralston Valley lost in the semi-finals to
eventual state champion Abraham Lincoln, 48-42.
Niwot’s girls ended their season in the first round of the
playoffs, falling to Berthoud, 44-35.
The Cougars were seeded No. 10 in the playoffs, and held a 2-point lead
entering the fourth quarter. Niwot
finally gave up the lead with just over six minutes remaining. Niwot was outscored 17-6 in the final period,
ending the season with a record of 8-16.
Emily Landblom led the scoring with 14 points,
while Marissa Gradoz added eight.
The Holy Family girls
basketball team beat Faith Chrisian 38-33 to win the
Class 3A state championship, the first time Holy Family has been in a
championship game. Junior Dori Gills, a lifelong resident of Gunbarrel,
had nine points and the only 3-point field goal for the victors. She was selected to the All-Tournament team
as well as All-Conference. Gills was
also on the Holy Family volleyball team
that finished in the top four in Class
3A in state. She qualified for state in
track last year for Holy Family, and hopes to return this season.
EQUESTRIAN
Niwot High grad Stephanie
Ramsey, a junior at the University of Colorado, rides for the CU Equestrian
team. Ramsey rides both English and
Western styles, and has qualified for Zone 7 Regionals
in the Intermediate Western Horsemanship Division. CU finished sixth in the Western Standings
for the regular season, which ended March 1st for teams from the seven states
in Zone 7. Ramsey was one of 13 Buffs to travel to West Texas A&M Feb. 23-24 for the Intercollegiate Horse Show
Association show, where the Buffs captured the Reserve High Point team award.
Ramsey was one of three Buffs selected by the coach as point riders.
BASEBALL
Niwot resident Chris Harris
(Holy Family) pitched five innings of one-run relief for Briarcliffe
to pick up the team’s first win of the season, 14-8, over the University of
Sioux Falls. Harris struck out five and walked one while allowing four hits.
Harris opened the season with 1 1/3 hitless innings of relief in a 6-4 loss to
Oklahoma Baptist.
Niwot resident Joe Roth (Holy
Family) had two hits, two runs and an RBI for Emory University in a 10-1 win
over Rhodes College. Emory University is
ranked fifth in the nation in Division III in the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper
poll. Roth, a senior second baseman and preseason All-American, had a monster
day in a 10-7 loss to Brandeis University, with four hits including a homerun
and a double, scoring two runs and driving in three. Earlier in the day, Roth
had two hits, including a double, in a 10-0 win over Case Western Reserve.
Michael Perry (Niwot) had a
homerun and two RBI’s for Friends University in the first home game of the
season, a 12-1 win over Central Christian College. Perry, a catcher/DH, had a perfect day at the
plate with three hits, including a double, in three trips, scoring three times
in an 11-6 win over Southern Nazarene.
He had another three-hit game in a 3-2 loss to Kansas Wesleyan
University. Perry had a homerun and a
double in a 10-9 win over St. Gregory’s in the first game of a doubleheader,
scoring twice and knocking in three runs.
He followed with another homerun, two runs scored and two RBI’s in the
nightcap, a 12-10 victory.
Jamie Hollowell
(Niwot) had three hits for Haverford College in an 11-0 win over Southern
Vermont in the first game of a doubleheader.
Hollowell also scored three runs and drove in
two more with a double and two singles.
In the nightcap, Hollowell added two more hits
and scored a run. He has started games at shortstop, third base and designated
hitter for Haverford this season.
Centerfielder Sean Ratliff
(Niwot) had two hits and an RBI for Stanford in a 4-3 win over Nevada early in
the season. He helped Stanford to a 3-game sweep over perennial powerhouse Cal-State
Fullerton, with a triple and three walks in the first game 12-5 win, scoring
three runs with an RBI. Ratliff had two hits, including his first homerun of
the season, and two RBI’s, in an 11-7 win the next day. He saw his first action on the mound in the
third game, entering in the eighth inning with the score tied, the bases loaded
and nobody out. One run scored as he
induced the first batter to hit into a double play, and he retired the next
batter, then pitched a perfect ninth as Stanford
rallied for two runs to win, 6-5. Ratliff also had two doubles in the
game. Against Texas, Ratliff had his
best offensive game of the season, hammering a double, triple and two homeruns,
good for three runs scored and five RBI’s in a 12-9 win. Ratliff was also credited with the win on the
mound, pitching 2/3 of an inning in relief, allowing one run. He is hitting
.348 on the season with three homeruns and 11 RBI’s. Stanford is ranked 17th in the nation.
Outfielder Mike Olsen (Niwot)
is hitting .435 for Puget Sound, tops on the team. In the first 19 games, Olsen has 11 homeruns,
32 RBI’s and 27 runs scored. Olsen has also drawn 16 walks, and has a slugging
percentage of 1.065. He leads the team
in all categories. Olsen had two homeruns and four RBI’s in a 5-4 loss to
Linfield. He also homered in the first of three games against Linfield, a 4-2
loss. Olsen led Puget Sound to a 9-3 win over Claremont-Mudd-Scripps
with two hits, including a homerun, and three RBI’s. He had a homer and a double in back-to-back
games against Whitman to lead Puget Sound to 8-4 and 14-1 wins. In perhaps his best game of the season, Olsen
had three hits, including a homerun and a double, three runs scored and six
RBI’s in a 20-1 win over Whitworth.
Puget Sound is 11-8 on the season, and third in the conference. Olsen earned Northwest Conference Hitter of
the Week honors Feb. 25 for his performance, which included two homers, a
double and four RBI’s. Olsen was walked
six times in the two games following the award.
Dylan Tumblin
(Niwot) is hitting .278 for the Merchant Marine Academy. Tumblin, normally a
catcher who is playing outfield this season, has
started 11 of the 15 games while driving in seven runs and scoring five times.
He had a double with a run scored and an RBI in a 15-9 loss to Moravian
College. His double against Lehman
College in a 13-1 loss was one of only three hits managed by the USMMA squad. Tumblin had a single and two RBI’s in a 5-4 win over the
Purchase Panthers. His best game came in
a 12-9 win over the Coast Guard, when he drove in two runs and scored another
on three hits.
Andrew Ryan (Silver Creek)
posted his second win of the season for Colorado School of Mines, going six
innings in a 17-11 win over Colorado Christian.
Ryan allowed seven runs on 10 hits, striking out two and walking only
one. Ryan pitched eight strong innings
against the University of Nebraska at Kearney, and left the game with a lead,
but took a no-decision in a 6-5 11-inning loss. Ryan gave up only two earned
runs on seven hits, striking out two and walking one. Ryan picked up his first
win of the season, allowing only three runs in six innings against CSU-Pueblo
in a 6-5 win.
Niwot High was ranked fourth
in the state in Class 4A heading into the season, but quickly moved to the top
spot after a 3-0 start when the top three teams all suffered losses.
Niwot traveled to Sterling
and came away with a 16-5 win, with Carpenter earning the win on the mound with
three innings of 1-run work. Parker Jones and Zach LaBorde
each worked an inning in relief. The
offense was led by Strong, Luke Lahman and Carpenter,
who each had three RBI’s on the day. Lahman hit his
second homer of the season, while senior second baseman Daniel Fish also had a
stellar day at the plate with three hits in four trips.
Niwot won its home opener,
5-0, over Thompson Valley, but the Cougars didn’t score until the fifth inning,
when they scored three times. Packard
pitched six innings of shutout ball, allowing only two hits, while Cody Lahman set down the side in order in the seventh, striking
out two. Packard also had two hits at
the plate, as did LaBorde. Cody Lahman had a
triple and scored twice, while Luke Lahman and Jones
each had a double, a run scored and an RBI.
The Cougars made quick work
of Berthoud with a 21-0 win in 4 1/2 innings. Carpenter allowed only two hits
and struck out seven for the shutout.
Packard had a homerun and triple with four RBI’s,
and Matt Perry also homered. Luke Lahman had three
hits, including a triple, and scored twice with two RBI’s. LaBorde
also had three hits, scoring twice with one RBI. Strong and Cody Lahman
each added two hits to the attack.
Niwot’s baseball field will soon have some famous dirt as the
summer program, Niwot Baseball, Inc., was able to obtain a load of infield dirt
from the Colorado Rockies through the efforts of Steve Jones and former NHS JV
coach Jack Taylor. The Rockies decided
to replace the infield dirt last year’s World Series team played on at Coors
Field and made it available to Colorado programs for the cost of trucking.
Former Niwot coach Bob Bote is now the head coach at Erie, and all of his sons are
involved with the team. Bote’s oldest son, Danny Bote,
who played on three state champions at Niwot, is an assistant coach when not
serving as a youth pastor at a north Denver church. Junior Mark Bote,
who played his freshman year at NHS, is on the team along with freshman David Bote, who is starting for the varsity. Luke Bote, who is
still in grade school, serves as bat boy.
Silver creek beat Windsor 5-3
with Tyler Gibbons going the distance on the mound. The Raptors scored all five runs in the sixth
inning, capped by a two-run double by Keenan Willmann. Jamie Friedlander had two hits for Silver
Creek.
The Raptors won two out of
three in a season-opening tournament at Delta.
Gibbons beat Paonia, 15-5, while Ethan Poulsen picked up a 6-3 win over Montezuma-Cortez. Eric Van Dyke led the offense, scoring six
runs in the tournament from the leadoff spot. Zach Bilani,
Scott Hoyt and Friedlander each had three hits for the Raptors.
David Dolifka
of Niwot pitched the first four innings and drove in the only run for Alexander
Dawson in a 9-1 loss to Colorado Academy.
SOCCER
Silver Creek is ranked second
in Class 4A with Niwot fourth in the latest Rocky Prep polls.
Niwot opened the season with
a 0-0 tie against Broomfield. Goalie
Alexis Zumwalt had seven saves in the game, as did
the Broomfield goalie.
Niwot scored four times in
the first six minutes, then cruised to an 8-0 win over
Fort Morgan. Kailey
Jones and Lindsey Ostrom led with two goals each,
with Lauren “Scooby” Phillips, Sara Monacelli, Sarah Cudney and Lauren Shaner each
adding a goal. Katy Hedlund
had four assists, while Phillips added two more. Shaner and Ostrom had one each. Zumwalt,
Phillips and Jessica Hamlin split time in goal.
The Cougars couldn’t get past
nemesis Fossil Ridge, losing a hard fought game, 1-0. Fossil Ridge ended Niwot’s
undefeated season last year in the quarterfinals of the Class 4A state
tournament last season with a 2-1 shootout win.
Niwot played Longmont to a
0-0 tie after two overtimes. Niwot had
plenty of chances to score off crosses from Phillips, but couldn’t get past
Longmont’s goalie. Jones had an
opportunity right in front of the goal, but couldn’t convert. Zumwalt had four saves in goal for the Cougars, while
Longmont saved five shots.
Silver Creek posted a 3-1 win
over Thompson Valley, with Kate Russell notching a goal and an assist. Jessica Wilson and Taylor Frankel also
scored, with Jenna Grelich, Cassie Sheffield and
Russell adding assists. Tracy Metzner had seven saves in goal.
The Raptors played Class 5A
Boulder to a 1-1 tie thanks to a last-minute goal by Jessica Wilson to force
overtime. CC Rinehart was credited with an assist on the play. Metzner had seven
saves in goal.
HOCKEY
Defenseman Michael Sdao of Niwot has three goals and six assists on the season
for the Lincoln Stars. Sdao has played in 48 of the team’s 54 games. Lincoln has clinched a playoff spot in the
United States Hockey League with a 28-20-6 record, third best in the west
division.
Forward Max Myers and
defenseman Jon Pfeiff of Niwot are part of CU’s Club
Hockey team, which finished with a 27-4-3 record and the Western Regional
Championship for Division II. Myers is
second on the team in scoring with 18 goals and 19 assists. Pfeiff has nine
assists on the season. The Buffs lost
their first game to Michigan, 7-1, but rebounded to defeat Indiana, 7-1. Colorado advanced to beat Central Connecticut
State, 4-2.
A Minor A
League Championship is now in the books for Boulder Bison Hockey players and
Niwot residents Andrew Hefter, Vincent LaValle and Evan Palmer. The trio helped lead their team to
not only to a division championship, but a Colorado Competitive Youth Hockey
League championship as well as a National No. 1 ranking to finish the season.
The team claimed victories over Hyland Hills 1 and 2 and Front Range to claim
the highly sought-after CCYHL title. The single elimination tourney was
highlighted by a final game shutout in which defensive stalwarts Palmer and LaValle locked down their opponents, limiting nearly all
scoring opportunities. Hefter, playing forward and
center throughout the championship series, proved adept at passing and puck
control for the victorious Bison. The team was part of an improbable sweep by
all four Boulder teams qualifying for the CCYHL playoffs.
Niwot High grad Justin Biehl is the Director of Goalie Development for the Aspen
Hockey Association. Biehl, who works with boys and
girls ages 9-18, is the only paid goalie director in the state. He also coaches the Aspen Girls High School
team, which recently traveled to Phoenix to play.
FOOTBALL
David Angilau
(Niwot) is competing for a spot on the defensive line for Brigham Young
University. Angilau
is a 6’1” freshman, listed at 266 pounds on the spring roster.
Junior quarterback Clint Stapp (Niwot) was a perfect 3-3 for 22 yards in a spring
scrimmage for the University of Montana.
Stapp will be joined by high school teammate
Thomas Bauer, a linebacker, next fall.
Matt McChesney
(Niwot) is back with the New York Jets as an offensive lineman after recovering
from a knee injury suffered in NFL Europe last year. McChesney, who
formerly played defensive line, is listed at 6’4”, 307 pounds on the Jets’
preseason roster.
SWIMMING
Christine Jennings (Niwot)
recorded a time of 4:42.93 in the 500 freestyle prelims at the NCAA Championships
for the University of Minnesota. Jennings finished 12th in the prelims, which
earned her first-ever All-American honor in an individual event. Jennings also
finished 12th in the finals with an almost identical time of 4:42.97. Jennings
has earned two All-America honors in prior years, both coming in the 800
freestyle relay.
Kristen Lahey
(Niwot/Fairview) earned All-American honors with an eighth-place finish at the
NCAA Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships at Ohio State University. Lahey swam the opening leg of the 400 Medley Relay for USC,
which finished fourth in the prelims with a time of 3:34.68, which was the
second-fastest time ever posted at USC. In the finals, the team posted a
slightly better time of 3:34.54, giving the group the second and third best
times in school history. Lahey was also a part of the school record relay team in
2006.
James Rigg
(Fairview) of Niwot was part of Wyoming’s 200 Freestyle Relay
team, which finished tied for fourth at the Mountain West Conference tournament.
The Cowboys matched their best finish ever taking third place overall in the
conference.
Nick Koerner
of Silver Creek finished third in the 100 Butterfly and fifth in the 200 IM at
the Patriot Invite. The Raptors’ Eric
Fischer took fourth in the 100 Backstroke, while the Silver Creek 200 Freestyle
Relay and 400 Freestyle Relay each finished third. Niwot area resident Scott Rigg
of Fairview swam a leg of the first place 200 Freestyle Relay team. Rigg also won the
200IM in a dual meet against Boulder in a time of 2:03.24, and finished second
in the 100M Butterfly.
SOFTBALL
Carly Potock (Alexander Dawson)
of Niwot is hitting .340 for Lehigh University this spring. Potock has scored
11 runs, second best on the team, while starting 12 of 19 games as a freshman
for the 17-2 Mountain Hawks. Potock led off and
played centerfield, scoring twice on one hit and a walk in a 13-7 win over
IPFW. She added a single and an RBI in a
13-7 win over Detroit while playing rightfield. Potock played first
base and had a perfect 3-3 day at the plate, scoring three runs in a 4-3 win
over Sacred Heart. Earlier she scored
the winning run in a 1-0 eight-inning win over Valparaiso, scoring on a two-out
single. Potock
received the first conference Rookie of the Week Award for her play in helping
Lehigh to a 4-0 start to the season. Potock went 5-9
during the week with a double, three runs scored and three RBI’s while starting
one game behind the plate and two at first base.
Jennessa Tesone (Niwot) had a
homerun in the first home game in 18 years for Metro State, but the Roadrunners
fell short, losing to Adams State, 6-5. Tesone,
playing third base, had two RBI’s and a run scored. Tesone
had two homeruns in the next game, a 4-3 win over Adams State. She hit her sixth homerun and added a single
with two runs scored and three RBI’s in a 10-2 win over New Mexico
Highlands. She also had two hits and two
RBI’s in a 10-8 win over CSU-Pueblo, and followed with a homer and two hits in
a 9-8 loss to the same team. Tesone homered off her former Niwot High teammate, Libby
White, in a 9-0 win over UCCS.
White is 1-2 on the season
for UCCS. She pitched five innings of scoreless relief in a controversial 6-5
loss to Mesa State. White entered the
game after Mesa State had taken a 6-0 lead, and UCCS rallied to score five
runs, and had runners on first and second when the umpires reversed their
initial ruling and called a UCCS batter out when a fan interfered with a Mesa
State player’s attempt to catch a foul ball, ending the game. A protest was
filed, but was later denied. White allowed only two hits in her five innings of
work. She picked up her first victory the following day against Mesa State with
two innings of shutout relief as UCCS rallied to overcome a 7-5 deficit to win,
11-7. White struck out four while
allowing no hits and one walk.
Shannon DePuy
(Niwot) is hitting .364 for Midland College after five games, third best on the
team. DePuy
plays leftfield for Midland.
Ashley Primm
of Niwot High has committed to play softball at Colby Community College in
Kansas. Primm
was a catcher and outfielder for the Cougars in her high school career.
TRACK
Griffin Matthew (Niwot) took
eighth in the Long Jump for Stanford with a personal best leap of 19’11” at the
MPSF Championships in Seattle, Wash. Stanford had five of the top eight
finishers in the event.
The Niwot boys finished sixth
at the Boulder Invite, while Silver Creek took fourth in the same meet. Peter Neis was the
top Niwot finisher, taking third in the 110M Hurdles. Chris Robbie of Silver Creek won the 400M in
53.2 seconds and also took first in the 800M with a time of 2:09.6. For the
Raptors, Kenny Warner finished second in the 300M Hurdles, Mitch Machmuller took second in the Long Jump, and Kevin Winn
took third in the Discus. On the girls’
side, Silver Creek took third with Niwot finishing sixth. For the Cougars, Sydney Coffey won the 200M
in a time of 28.2 and also took third in the High Jump. Miranda Lahman took second in the 100M Hurdles for Niwot, and
Leanne Stember took second in the Discus. Silver Creek’s Kelly King won the 800M in a
time of 2:25.1, and also won the 1600M with a time of 5:19.6. Erin Ehrmantraut took first in the pole vault for the Raptors
with a 10' vault, while teammate Stephanie Whitemore
took second in the event. Ehrmantraut also finished
second in the Long Jump. Breana Gunnerson
took second in the 100M and third in the 200M, while Arista Ware
took third in the Discus for the Raptors.
TENNIS
Silver Creek slipped by Holy
Family, 4-3, thanks to victories from three of its four doubles teams. Hannah Sherman won at No. 1 singles, 6-2,
6-2, while Kym Courtney and Michelle Farr (No. 2 doubles), Catherine Higley and Mackenzie White (No. 3 doubles) and Lindsey
McGrath and Kristin Simboski (No. 4 doubles) each
battled for a win to give the Raptors the match. Silver Creek dominated Centaurus,
winning 6-1, with Luisa Smoot winning at No. 3 singles, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, and
Amanda Wilson and Kelsey King winning a hard-fought battle at No. 1 doubles,
7-6 (8), 6-7(6), 7-6(7).
Niwot beat Ralston Valley
6-1, sweeping the singles matches. Allie
Hefter won at No. 1 singles, 6-0, 6-0; Claire Runge won at No. 2 singles, 6-1, 6-2; and Amanda Lee won at
No. 3 singles, 6-1, 6-2. In doubles, Molly Joyce and Maggie Pinnick won at No. 1 doubles in three sets, 7-6 (2), 2-6
and 6-1; Amanda Beekes and Caroline Runge won at No. 3 doubles, 6-4, 6-3; and Morgan Mulshine and Whitney Vazquez won a hard fought match at No.
4 doubles, 6-2, 2-6, 7-6 (7).
The Cougars also beat
Mountain View, 7-0, with the No. 2 doubles due of Taylor Oliver and Whitney
Fredericks winning, 6-4, 6-0.
Claire Runge,
who plays No. 2 singles for Niwot, could play the top spot for many area teams,
but is content to be a big part of the Cougars’ state championship hopes. Runge hopes to
continue her tennis career next year at the University of Tampa, which is a
Division II program.
LACROSSE
Robert Ogez
of Niwot High had two goals for the Alexander Dawson squad in an 8-0 victory
over Conifer. Ogez
also added an assist as Dawson improved to 2-0 on the season. Other Niwot High players on Dawson’s team
include junior Zach Meske, senior Kevin Paterra, and senior Andrew Reed. Meske is a soccer
player at Niwot, while Paterra and Reed are known for
their football exploits. Ogez had two goals in a 7-6
loss to Monarch. Meske
also had a goal for Dawson in the contest.
Boulder Bison Midget Major AA Team Goes to Nationals
By Bruce Warren
The Boulder Bison Midget Major AA Hockey Team, featuring Niwot area players Sam Zarat, Erich Seufert, Griffin Tanenbaum and Gabe Keeler, is off to the National Tournament after winning the 8-state District title March 13-16 in Oklahoma City.
The team sailed through the District competition undefeated, winning five games in four days, including a championship game win, 3-2. The team, coached by Matt Huckins, went undefeated in winning the Colorado Amateur Hockey Association Championship. Competing at the 18 & under age level, the team is ranked fourth in the nation as it heads off to Buffalo for the 12-team National Tournament April 2-6. According to local hockey fan Norm Biehl, no Boulder team has ever gone as far before. Biehl said, “This team is simply amazing. I’ve known Gabe Keeler since his father, George Keeler, moved to Niwot. These kids have come a long way.”
During the season the team traveled to Canada for a tournament, beating a previously undefeated Canadian team, 3-1, before injuries cost the team a chance at making the finals. The team plays at the Tier II level, but has played some Tier I teams locally and in tournaments.
Zarat and Seufert are seniors at Niwot High, while Tanenbaum is a freshman at the University of Colorado. Keeler lives in Niwot and Lafayette and is a senior at Monarch High School. Each of them plan to continue their hockey careers next year, with Zarat and Seufert thinking of joining Tanenbaum at CU, while Keeler is considering the University of Denver. Keeler plays defense and serves as a team captain. Tanenbaum and Seufert play on the same line at forward. Zarat is the lead goalie for the team of 20 athletes.
“They have really bonded with each other,” parent Patti Tanenbaum said. “There is great camaraderie on the team. They don’t rely on just one or two players.” She and her husband Marc plan to travel to Buffalo to support the team. Local hockey parent Dennis Hefter is president of the Boulder Valley Youth Hockey Association which sponsors the local teams.