When It Comes To Evacuation…
Preparation Is The Best Medicine
By
Noelle Abarelli The Neva Road and Olde Stage Road
wildfires collectively burned over 3,000 acres in Boulder County last month,
claimed one home and at least three substantial outbuildings, and placed more
than 10,000 homes on an evacuation alert.
One person who is no stranger to emergencies and evacuations is
former FEMA chief Michael D. Brown. Brown was actually one of thousands forced
to evacuate his home during the recent wildfires, but unlike many of us, he is
always prepared for a disaster.
Brown’s preparation plans include always having a “go bag,” packed
with medicine, cash and an extra cell phone charger, ready. According to Brown,
when a mandatory evacuation was issued for his area last month, he grabbed his
go bag, loaded his three dogs into the car and was out of his home “in 10
minutes at the most.”
According to Commander Phil West of the Boulder County Sheriff’s
Office, sometimes 10 minutes is all you are going to have to evacuate your
home. West said the most important thing you can do to prepare for wildfire
threats is to “anticipate and prepare in advance to mitigate the potential of a
wildfire taking your home.”
This means you shouldn’t store combustibles such as fuel within
your defensible space and you should keep the brush surrounding your home well
trimmed.
West agreed that having a go bag ready is a good idea, and he also
suggested that families designate a rally point in the event of an evacuation,
as many times evacuations occur when, “Mom is at work and the kids are at
school.”
Although cell phones are extremely useful in evacuation
situations, their heavy usage during these periods sometimes overloads the
network and causes calls to fail.
Boulder County Emergency Services representatives agreed with all
of the tips. However, they mentioned that it may not be necessary to leave all
the lights in your home on during an evacuation. They suggest that you leave
your porch light on as you depart to indicate that you’ve successfully
evacuated.
West said, “It’s important to recognize in the event of the
evacuation that the deputies are there to do a job and the business of
evacuating is a serious business.” It’s most important to protect your life and
the lives of your family members and pets. Evacuate with speed and don’t take
more than you need.
One such person who did the right thing during the recent
wildfires was Anna Mahorski. The wildfires came
within 20 feet of her home, and she credited the fire department for saving it.
Mahorski received
two reverse 911 calls on Wednesday, Jan. 7. The first call came at 1 p.m. and
the second at 3 p.m., around the same time she spotted flames over the ridge
behind her home. Mahorski and her husband, John, packed
up a few essentials and their pets and left. They kept an eye on their home
from Highway 36, and once they knew their house was safe, they retreated to a
friend’s home for the evening.
The following Sunday, Mahorski received a visit from a firefighter who helped to save her home. She was
surprised to learn the hoses she had left standing outside her the residence
had helped the firefighters save it. She encouraged other locals to leave hoses
out whenever they go away.
Some
great information about what to do before a wildfire is available on the FEMA
website at www.fema.gov/hazard/wildfire/wf_before.shtm..
More
information about Fire Mitigation and Preparation will be available at a
Community Meeting being planned by Boulder County Emergency Services for Feb. 7
from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Radisson Hotel & Conference Center in
Longmont. Seet www.bouldercounty.org for more information.
Plans Approved For
Gunbarrel Gateway
The
Hugh M. Woods building is finally on the way out. Boulder Hospitality, headed
by Niwot resident Bill McDermid, has won approval for
its plan to redevelop the site with a hotel on one of the four building sites,
with three sites available that could be used as restaurants, retail or office
space.
The
hotel is to be a Hampton Inn & Suites, with 100 rooms and approximately
1,000 square feet of meeting space. McDermid expects
that visitors to local businesses such as Crispin Porter + Bogusky, Covidien and IBM will make up the bulk of their
revenue.
The
drive-through pharmacy that was part of a previously submitted plan has been
replaced by a restaurant, and McDermid agreed it’s better this way. “The city didn’t want the
drive-through in there, and this way it’s much more pedestrian friendly. We
hope people from the neighborhood and surrounding businesses will be able to
walk over.”
Everyone
seems to agree that the area could use another good restaurant, and the
challenge now is to find someone to make it happen. Said McDermid, “We’ll sell them land, lease them land, sell or
lease a building. The only thing we don’t want to do is run a
restaurant.”
In
addition to the site earmarked for a restaurant, there are two other building
pads available. One is zoned for retail, and McDermid imagined this one would be suitable for a number of smaller businesses or
eateries. “There’s one site that could house maybe a coffee shop, a deli and a
FedEx store, for instance.”
The
second is zoned retail/office and is planned as a two-story office building.
None of the buildings, including the restaurant, will be built until tenants
have been identified.
As
part of the plan, Boulder Hospitality ceded some right-of-way to the City of
Boulder to make improvements to 63rd Street. The project will widen 63rd Street
to make room for bike lanes and turn lanes, and improve the railroad crossing.
McDermid said that he hopes having the “Gateway”
project finally underway will inspire further development in the area. “We have
the Gunbarrel Community Center Plan. Maybe this will get people to take that
plan off the shelf and do something with it.”
Take The Chill Off With Chili In Niwot
Liz
Emmett-Mattox Hoping to give a boost to Niwot businesses, the Niwot Business
Association cooked up a plan members hope will warm up diners as well as sales
for local businesses. Teaming up with
the firefighters of the Mountain View Fire Protection District, the NBA will
sponsor a chili dinner on Saturday, Feb. 28 from 11:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the
Left Hand Grange.
One thing that makes this chili dinner different from others is
that diners can use their tickets for a discount at participating merchants.
“It’s really a great deal for people, because they can use their ticket for
five dollars off a ten dollar purchase made that day,” said key organizer Rockin’ Robin Abb.
“In this economy, it really seemed necessary to do something to
perk up business,” Abb said. “Winter is typically our
slowest time, so we wanted to give people a good reason to come to Niwot and
eat and shop.” Noting that the community had had chili dinners in the past that
were well received, the NBA decided to revive the tradition.
Organizers have planned a full day of events to keep everyone warm
and well fed. The firefighters will have chili ready to serve starting at 11:30
a.m. Said Abb, “You know these guys will make it
HOT!”
From 4-5 p.m, there will be a chili cookoff featuring chili made by local chefs and any
citizens who wish to participate. The competition is for bragging rights only,
and the winner will be determined by a panel of celebrity judges.
In keeping with the theme, diners can keep warm dancing to the
rocking sounds of local band On Fire (with special guest Rockin’
Robin Abb) from 7-9 p.m.
Tickets are $8 for adults, and $5 for
children under 12, and can be purchased from local merchants. Locations include Rockin’ Robin’s, First National Bank, Mountain View
Fire Dept., Wise Buys Antiques, Niwot Liquor and Bank of the West. Others may
be signing on to sell tickets as well.
Proceeds from the event will benefit the Left Hand Grange, Niwot
Elementary PTAC, and the Niwot High School Band.
Although there will be a few tickets available at the door,
advance sales are necessary to let the firefighters know how much chili to
make.
Local Musicians will perform throughout the day. Interested
musicians should call Abb at 303-652-4144.
Abb said, “We hope everyone will
come out, eat, dance, have a good time and support your local economy.”
Niwot LID Kicks Off The New Year
The
Niwot Local Improvement District Advisory Committee held its first meeting of
the year Jan. 6. Treasurer Harris Faberman reported
that a $40,000 budget is available for the 2009 calendar year, but with a
carryover of 2008 funds, the total could reach more than $70,000.
Although
no invoices or official requests for funding were presented for approval at the
meeting, many potential 2009 projects were discussed.
In
old business, it was reported that the Leinweber property located at 101 First Avenue in Niwot, which the LID had hoped to
acquire in order to create additional parking for Old Town Niwot, has been
purchased by another buyer.
This
news brought the committee’s initiative to create additional parking back to
square one. After considering Boulder County’s response to the committee’s
inquiry regarding the parking issue, the committee determined that both a
quantitative and qualitative analysis of the parking conditions in Old Town
Niwot was in order so the LID could work closer with Boulder County’s Land Use
and Transportation Departments to develop a new action plan.
Faberman agreed to look for an individual who could
conduct a parking survey for the area, during both peak and non-peak hours.
The
committee also received an update on the potential development of a park in the
area surrounding the Native American tree carvings in progress along Niwot
Road. The committee agreed that additional discussions with Cottonwood Park
West residents would have to take place before a consensus could be reached
about the future of this project.
In
new business, Andrew Freeman discussed whether the LID would be open to a
future proposal to sponsor this summer’s Boulder Triathlon Series organized by
5430 Sports.
The
series brings approximately 1500 athletes and their families to Boulder
Reservoir during three weekends during the summer months, and Freeman felt
exposure for Niwot at these events could be a great way to drive traffic to
local businesses.
There
are several sponsorship opportunities available and the committee agreed that
Freeman should further research the features, benefits and costs of these
opportunities and present a formal proposal at a future session.
The
committee also spent some time discussing the vision for Niwot and hiring a
consultant to develop a plan of action. Faberman agreed to create a Request for Proposal or a Request for Qualifications to
comply with the county bid process for a resource specializing in urban
renewal.
The
next LID Advisory Committee meeting is set for Feb. 3 at 7 p.m. at the Eagle
Place Community Center. Meetings are open to the public.
To request a form for funding
requests, contact Megan Davis at mdavis@boulder-county.org.
Completed proposals should be submitted to the chair of the NLID Advisory
Committee, Bruce Warren at bwarren@niwotlaw or P.O. Box 610, Niwot, CO 80544.
By Donna
Currie Most locals residents probably don’t remember what happened here
40 years ago, but the Old Stage Road fire on Jan. 7 fell on the on the 40th
anniversary of similar fires in 1969. High winds contributed to those fires as
well.
In the 1969 fire, one Cherryvale firefighter was killed after
being blown off the back of a fire truck. Afterward, the Niwot Volunteer Fire
Department made it a rule that nobody could ride on the back of a fire truck.
Niwot volunteers, along with most of the other local fire
departments, were out fighting fires most of the night. Red Southern, at that
time a member of the Niwot Volunteer Fire Department, spent his night at IBM,
helping to board up windows and hunting down fans and other equipment that had
blown off the roofs.
Southern said that many vehicles looked like they had been
sandblasted by the blowing sand, and damaged by flying rocks up to one inch in
diameter. There were numerous power outages, and IBM was operating on generators.
At the time Southern and his wife, Donna, lived on Franklin
Street, where Donna spent her night covering up the couple’s three small boys
with blankets and taping up windows. The wind even tumbled the swing set down
the yard during the night.
Southern said that he couldn’t recall one major fire, but there
were several small fires from downed power lines in the county. He heard more
about the fires after he got home the next day, although he could see and hear
the fire trucks from his vantage point at IBM.
Some of the dairy farms suffered damage when the wind ripped the
corrugated sheets of metal off the farm buildings. The metal sheets were flying
around in the wind, and some of the cattle were cut by those sheets and other
wind-blown debris.
Southern said, “As far as how many fire fighters were out, all of
them from NVFD, which I would guess was about 15-plus members at that time.
Just about all of them used their private vehicles to go from one fire to
another.”
Southern said that local residents Dick Hicks and Mike Holubec were also members of the Niwot Fire Department
during the fires of 1969, and may have their own stories to tell.
By Shari
Phiel Meeting for the first time in the new year, Niwot Business Association members tackled a busy
agenda at the Jan. 13 meeting. Besides covering the regular monthly agenda
items, the meeting also included the election of the 2009 officers.
NBA President Tony Santelli opened the meeting with a few brief remarks about the upcoming year and the
opportunities and challenges that lie ahead. “This is going to be an exciting
year for all of us. I think with the economy, it’s going to test us in terms of
how creative we can be to survive.”
Regardless of those difficulties, Santelli was confident both Niwot and Niwot’s businesses would not only survive, but would continue to thrive.
Outgoing Treasurer Susan Sloan followed with
a review of 2008 income and expenses for the general fund as well as the
proposed 2009 NBA budget.
The new budget includes conservative
estimates for membership dues, known grants and income from holiday events.
Expected income and expenses for 2009 are each approximately $14,000, while
income and expenses for 2008 were both just slightly more than $20,000.
Noting the difference between the two years,
Sloan said the current budget does not include funds from the Local Improvement
District, which were included in the 2008 numbers.
Using a conservative approach to budgeting for 2009, Sloan added,
“We’re not budgeting to spend money that we haven’t gotten approved for yet.”
Funds from the LID will likely be made available this year as well.
Following the treasurer’s report was Tim Wise, chair of the
Historic Projects Committee, with a review of last year’s accomplishments and
outlook for 2009.
Wise said, “We had a really good year as far
as historic projects were concerned.” The past year saw purchases of the Whistlestop Park caboose, the addition of a second dance
floor, realignment of the bandstands to face southward and several other
projects.
Wise also noted there is currently about $2,000 available for new
projects this year in the historic projects fund.
A large portion of the funds vital to the NBA’s success comes from
its membership dues. To ensure its continued success, the NBA is having a
membership drive, led by Robin Abb and Tim Wise, to
add 100 new members.
While Niwot may not have 100 brick-and-mortar type businesses, Abb said, “We certainly do if we can start identifying
home-based businesses. We hope everyone will join just because they should
support the town.”
The group is currently about one quarter of
the way toward its goal, with 24 new applications received.
Next up was the election of the 2009
officers, which resulted in few changes. Both Tony Santelli and Dawn Buckingham retained their positions as president and vice-president
respectively, while Karlynn Spreder moved from the secretary position to that of treasurer.
Previous treasurer Susan Sloan chose not to
run again. Spreder’s move to the treasurer’s position
left the secretary position open which was filled by Shari Phiel.
The new year will also bring some
organizational changes to the group. “One of the issues we faced is that we
didn’t have enough people to volunteer to fill all the workgroup chairs as well
as work in all those workgroups,” said Dawn Buckingham.
To address this, the organizational workgroup will be brought
under the executive committee. “In reality, this year that’s where most of the
functionality of that workgroup actually happened,” Buckinham added. The realignment will not result in any changes to the bylaws.
Other updates included a discussion on a proposal from
award-winning community revitalization specialist Dana Crawford – the driving
force behind the development of Larimer Square in Denver.
An NBA subcommittee is currently reviewing the proposal and should
hopefully have more information available at the next meeting. An update on the
branding project is also expected at the February meeting.
After a few more updates from the promotions workgroup, the
official meeting adjourned, giving members a chance to socialize and meet new
members. And if the long list of items on January’s agenda is any indicator of
things to come, the NBA certainly has a busy year ahead.
Anyone
interested in joining the NBA should contact either Robin Abb at 303-652-4144 or Tim Wise at 303-652-2888.
If you have news of local athletes,
please contact Sports@LHVC.comor call 303-652-2433.
EXTREME
SPORTS
Niwot
grad Jesse Hall was featured twice
in the Rocky Mountain News in
January, first for his Ski-BASE jumping exploits, and second, for his wingsuit flying abilities. The Jan. 20 edition of the News featured a full page color photo of Hall preparing to land a ski-BASE jump off
a ski ramp at the top of a ski ramp at the top of a 600-foot cliff in Echo
Canyon, Utah, in December. In ski-BASE
jumping, the skier skis off a cliff, then opens a parachute to land safely. He was part of a group that made the first
publicized urban jump, launching off the 39th floor of the Silver Legacy Resort
Casino in Reno, Nev. Hall is pictured
with a helmet-cam later in the article, which allows him to obtain some extreme
film footage. A video shot at the Royal
Gorge includes Hall’s jump, which can be viewed from the News’ website.
Not everyone is excited about ski-BASE
jumping, however. The National Park
Service has banned it and wingsuit flying on park
property. Hall was caught making an
illegal jump in Utah and the Park Service confiscated his equipment, so he is
careful not to attract more attention from the rangers, who have entered his
name in a database. Hall advocates a
permit system, which would allow for regulation of the sport.
Hall
has flown with a wingsuit in the U.S. and in Europe,
where he launched from the Eiger in Switzerland. A wingsuit is a specially designed jumpsuit, with fabric
between the arms and the body and between the legs, giving the jumper some
lift. After gliding, the jumper opens a
parachute, unzips the webbing from his arms and lands the jump. In addition to
his other exploits, Hall is also a champion freeskier.
BASKETBALL
Danny LeBeck(Niwot) is a sophomore forward for Scottsdale Community
College in Arizona. LeBeck is listed at 6’6” for the Fighting Artichokes. Scottsdale CC, which plays in Division II, is 7-9 on the season.
The
Niwot High boys outlasted Mountain View, 51-48, on the road in a game featuring
head coaches who were high school teammates at Niwot. Mountain View coach Darin Reese noted that Niwot, coached by David Ross, “made one more play than we did.” The Cougars stopped Mountain View with a
one-point lead, then successfully defended a
three-point attempt in the last minute to claim the victory. Connor Kloepfer led the Cougars with 16 points. A day later, the Cougars won over Fort
Morgan, 69-53, led by Andrew Guido with 18 points. Cody Lahman and Ryan Strufing each added 12 points, while Kloepfer had 10.
The
Cougars picked up a win over Greeley Central, 65-50, with Strufing leading the scoring with 19 points. Jeff Roueche added 12 points. Niwot hit only 11 of 22
shots from Niwot
rolled to a win over Frederick, blanking their opponents 18-0 in the first
quarter. Niwot held a 29-4 lead at the
half. Howie Rubsam led
the balanced offense with 10 points, while Connor
Martin (9), Kloepfer (9), Veric Nichols (8), Drew Janzen (7), Guido (7) and Strufing (7) each had at least
three baskets.
The
Cougars got back on the winning track after two losses to open January, beating
Roosevelt, 67-57. Strufing led the offense with 22 points, while Guido added 14.
Greeley
West pulled out a close game over Niwot, 69-62, in spite of a two-point Cougar
lead after three quarters. Guido led the
offense with 22 points, while Kloepfer added 16
before fouling out.
Niwot
had a tough time with Sterling, losing 59-45. The game was tied at 29 at the half, and Niwot was down by six heading
into the fourth quarter when the Cougars were outscored 18-7. Lahman led the
scoring with 12 points, all coming from three-point range. A 9-17 team
performance from the free-throw line didn’t help.
The
Niwot High girls rallied from a 10-point halftime deficit to beat Mountain View
in overtime, 58-54. Niwot came out and scored the first six points of the third
quarter to get back in the game. The
Cougars scored with under 10 seconds left in regulation to force the overtime. Maddie Bright led the scoring with 16 points
while Rachel Haisfield added 15 and Marissa Gradoz had 12.
The
Cougar girls also picked up a 60-30 win over Greeley Central, with Bright
leading the scoring with 15 points. Audrey Johnson added 10 points while Caroline Runge had nine and Amanda Lee had eight.
The Cougars were 25-28 from the free throw line.
Niwot
posted a 59-29 win over Frederick, outscoring the opposition in every
quarter. Runge led the offense with 19 points, while Johnson (9), Calle Hammers (9), Gradoz (8) and Bright (8)
also contributed.
Niwot
had a tough time with Roosevelt, losing 56-36. The Cougars fell behind early and could not overcome a 14-point halftime
deficit. Runge had 11 points to lead the offense.
The
Cougars won a hard-fought game over Greeley West, 61-57, despite missing Gradoz, who was out with mono, and Isabelle Mastronardi, who had an injured
ankle. Niwot had an 8-point lead at the
half, but a 16-9 deficit in the third quarter closed the gap. The Cougars went 25-32 from the foul line,
including a 4-4 performance by Lee in the last minute. Haisfield led with 13 points, and the balanced scoring included Hammers (9), Johnson (9),
Lee (8), Rachel Moorer (5) and Ashley Philipp (5).
Earlier
in the month Niwot lost 53-39 to a tough Sterling squad after matching the
Tigers point for point in the first half. A disastrous third quarter, when Niwot was outscored 17-6, led to the
loss. Hammers led the balanced scoring
with nine points, while Mastronardi had seven.
The
Silver Creek boys lost a heartbreaker to Berthoud, 59-59. T.J. Adams led the Raptors
with 17 points, while Hunter Storaci had 15 and Mitch Machmuller had 12. The Raptors turned the tables on Skyline,
beating the Falcons 69-66 in overtime. Machmuller led
the scoring with 19 points, including the game-winner with four seconds left.
Adams added 12 points, while Storaci had 11. Silver
Creek welcomed back point guard Kyle
Bullock in a 57-37 loss to Longmont. Bullock, a junior, had missed the first half of the season due to a hip
injury. Adams led the Raptors with nine
points.
The
Silver Creek girls jumped on Berthoud 55-28 after jumping out to a 12-3 first
quarter lead. Lauren Wolfinger led the offense with 20
points, while Jacy Drobny had
18. The Raptors lost a tough game to Longmont, 50-43, after being tied at 37
with five minutes to go. Wolfinger led the offense
with 17 points.
Matt Hart of Niwot had 24
points for Alexander Dawson in a 59-36 win over Evangelical Christian
Academy. Hart kept up his strong
offensive performance with 23 points in a 66-26 win over Denver Academy and had
a game-high 17 points in a 47-39 win over Arrupe Jesuit.
Megann Hudson and Alyssa
Beck of Niwot have been two of the top scorers for the Alexander Dawson
girls this season. Hudson had 10 points
and Beck had nine, but the Mustangs fell short in a 37-36 loss to Evangelical
Christian Academy. Hudson had 18 points
and 10 rebounds to lead Dawson to a 39-33 win over Nederland. Beck added nine points to the scoring effort.
Hudson and Beck had seven and six points, respectively, in a 50-31 win over Arrupe Jesuit.
BASEBALL
Patrick Perry (Niwot) signed a
contract to return to the Traverse City Beach Bums this summer. Perry was the regular catcher for the Beach
Bums last season, his first for the Independent Frontier League team. Perry began his pro career after being
drafted by the Boston Red Sox out of the University of Northern Colorado.
NIWOT
YOUTH SPORTS
Niwot
Youth Sports will hold its 2009 registration for recreational baseball and
softball on Feb. 28 at Sunset Middle School from 10 a.m. to 12 noon, and at Altona Middle School
from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Sign-ups will also
be held March 1 at Niwot High School from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and at Heatherwood Elementary School on March 2 from
5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Registration will also
be held at Dick’s Sporting Goods in Longmont on March 7 at a time to be
determined. Players ages 4 1/2 to 14 are eligible for baseball, and girls ages
4 1/2 to 18 are eligible for softball. Coaches and administrators are needed as well as sponsors for the teams.
Sponsorships are available for $350 per team. For more information, go to www.niwotyouthsports.org or call
303-652-2433.
FOOTBALL
Paul Creighton (Niwot) has joined
the University of Colorado Football staff as a graduate assistant. Creighton, who played tight end and fullback
for the Buffs, will be a defensive grad assistant for Coach Dan Hawkins. Creighton spent last year as a strength and
conditioning grad assistant for Auburn.
Paul Dixon (Niwot), a redshirt
freshman at the Colorado School of Mines, earned playing time on special teams
last season, primarily on the kickoff and kick return squads. The Orediggers went
7-2 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference and 8-4 overall.
Matt Braman (Niwot) saw his final collegiate action for Georgia Tech
in the Chick-fil A Bowl Dec. 31, which saw the Yellow
Jackets go down to LSU, 38-3. Braman, a senior linebacker, saw action on special teams
for Georgia Tech, which finished the season 9-4.
Matt McChesney (Niwot), who finished the season on injured
reserve for the Miami Dolphins, will be married Feb. 13 in New York to Michelle DiBisceglie. McChesney met his fiancé while playing for the New York
Jets earlier in his career.
HOCKEY
Michael Sdao(Niwot) has become a fan favorite in Lincoln, Nebr.,
playing for the Lincoln Stars, with his physical style of play. Sdao has developed a following in a section of the Ice Box
hockey arena which is nicknamed the “Dog Pound.” Fans in the section can be heard barking at
the “Big Dog” when Sdao lands a body check on an
opponent, or drops his gloves in an altercation. Several of his fights have made it to YouTube.com, Sdao, who serves as a captain for the Stars, has
committed to play hockey for Princeton University next fall.
TENNIS
Niwot
High tennis coach Mikka Keronen is
ranked twelfth in Colorado Men’s adult open singles by the USTA-Colorado for
the 2008 season. Keronen’s tournament play netted him 240 points. Finishing with a 9-5
record on the season. He finished second in the last tournament of the
season, losing in the finals of the Ned Cooney Memorial Meadows Club Adult Open
in September to Marko Bundalo, 6-4, 6-4.
D.J. Blough (Niwot) was ranked 41st in Colorado Men’s adult 4.0
tennis singles by the USTA-Colorado. Blough, who finished second in the Ranch Country Club
Tennis Shootout in June, finished with 220 points.
Niwot
High assistant tennis coaches Beth Cerrone and Mark
Creek were ranked third in Colorado Mixed Doubles 4.0 with a 5-2
record. Cerrone and Creek won the Ranch Country Club Tennis Shootout in June, and took second
in the Babolat Boulder Open in July. Lance Dehning, who is a former NHS tennis coach, and Kristeen Dehning, were ranked sixth in the same division. The couple beat Cerrone and Creek in the Austin Scott Memorial to take the championship, 1-6, 6-4, 6-2.
VOLLEYBALL
Colorado
High School Boys Volleyball begins the season with the Niwot Jamboree at Niwot
High Feb. 21. Boys volleyball is not a sanctioned sport in Colorado high schools, but the
organization organizes teams by high school and offers club level
competition. The state finals are held
May 16.
The
Niwot Community School Adult Co-ed Recreational Volleyball League will start
play Feb. 4, according to Sue Prahl, who has coordinated the league for many
years. The league began in the mid-1970’s shortly after the school opened, with games
played at 7 or 8 p.m. on Wednesday nights in the spring. The fall league is held on Sunday
nights. Prahl,
who can be reached at 303-652-2890, noted that there are openings for teams and
players this spring.
WRESTLING
Niwot
hosted the Boulder Valley Invitational Jan. 10, finishing ninth out of 15
squads. Junior Jacob Arellano took first place honors for the Cougars in the 215
pound division, beating Boulder’s Nick Ozanich in the finals, by a 6-5 decision. Freshman Nick
Stager finished fourth at 125, losing by forfeit in the consolation
finals. Senior Kegan Garrison won the third place match by decision, 9-6, in the
160-pound division. Junior Paco Retana also took third, winning by a 7-5 decision at
189 pounds.
Niwot
had several wrestlers place at the Poudre Invitational, led by Retana, who took third at 189 pounds, and Nick Stager, who
took third at 125 pounds. Others placing included Luke Stager, fourth at 145 pounds,
Arellano, fourth at 215 pounds, Colin
Frank, fifth at 103 pounds, and Garrison, fifth at 160 pounds.
The
Cougars lost a dual match to Fossil Ridge, 49-18 on the home mats. Picking up
victories for Niwot were Nick Stager by an 11-9 decision at 125 pounds, Hilario Ramirez at 135 pounds by a 17-14
decision, Arrellano by pin at 215 pounds, and Kevin Howes by pin at 285 pounds. Howes’ pin came with only two seconds remaining in the
match.
Niwot
won 54-28 over Mountain View in a contest that saw Mountain View forfeit five
matches, including Frank at 103 pounds, A.J.
Wagner at 119 pounds, Retana at 189 pounds,
Arellano at 215 pounds, and Howes at 285 pounds. The Cougars won four of the remaining nine
contested matches, all by pins, with Zac Heard winning
at 130 pounds, Cameron Meneses winning at 135 pounds, Luke Stager winning at
145 pounds, and Garrison winning at 160 pounds.
Garrison
is ranked 17th in the latest On-the-Mat rankings for Class 4A at 160 pounds,
while Retana is 9th at 189 pounds, and Arellano is
8th at 215 pounds.
Silver
Creek defeated Fort Morgan 48-30 in a dual match, which featured a pin by C.T. Robinson with one second left in
the 130 pound division.
SWIMMING
Christine Jennings (Niwot) took second
in the 1000 yard Freestyle for the University of Minnesota in a dual meet
against the University of Washington. Jennings finished in a time of 9:57.68. She also finished second in the
500 yard Freestyle with a time of 4:51.39, only .04 off the first-place time.
Kristin Lahey (Niwot/Fairview) won the 50 yard Freestyle for the
University of Southern California in a dual meet with Washington by two
one-hundredths of a second in a time of 23.55. Lahey also took second in the backstroke and
fourth in the butterfly. She also swam a leg of the second-place 200 yard
Medley Relay for USC. The 12th-ranked
Trojans won the dual meet, 130.5 to 129.5.
James Rigg (Fairview) of Gunbarrel took fourth place in the 200
Individual Medley for Wyoming in a dual meet against
the University of Nevada Las Vegas.
Lauren Rigg, younger sister of James Rigg,
of Gunbarrel, led Fairview’s girls to an easy victory in the Boulder County
Invitational. Rigg, a senior, won the 200 IM with a
time of 2:08.10, good for All-American consideration. She also set a meet record in winning the 100
Butterfly with a time of 56.59 seconds, which gave her All-American honors in
the event. Rigg was also part of the winning 200 Medley Relay and the 400 Freestyle Relay, both
of which achieved All-American times of 1:49.35 and 3:42.77, respectively. The 400 Freestyle relay also set a meet
record.
Niwot
finished sixth in the Boulder County Invitational. Caroline
Joyce finished third in the 100 Butterfly to pace the Cougars. Niwot’s 200 Freestyle Relay team of Kaley Wheless, Caroline Joyce, Laura Farrar and Alexa Sander finished third.
Niwot’s Lily Yie, a junior, won the 100 Breaststroke in a time of
14.92 in a dual meet against Fossil Ridge, qualifying for state for the first
time in her career. Niwot won the dual meet over 4th – ranked Fossil Ridge,
160.5-154.5. Other winners for Niwot
included Makayla Palmer in the 200 Freestyle, Sander in the 50 Freestyle with a state qualifying time of
26.51, and Molly Joyce in Diving
with a state qualifying score of 177.05. The Cougar 200 Medley Relay team of
Sander, Farrar, Caroline Joyce and Wheless also took
first place in a state qualifying time of 1:56.41, as did the 200 Freestyle
Relay team, consisting of the same swimmers, with a state qualifying time of
1:47.80. The same four swimmers finished
second in the 400 Freestyle Relay, but still qualified for state with a time of
3:52.74. Niwot’s “B” squad of Palmer, Saunders, Molly
Joyce and McCaddon took second in the 200 Freestyle
Relay and third in the 400 Freestyle Relay and still qualified for state in
both events as well.
The
Niwot girls battled to a hard-fought dual win over Mountain View, 169-144. Individual winners for the Cougars included
Molly Joyce (Diving), Farrar (200 Freestyle), Wheless (100 Freestyle), and Palmer (500 Freestyle). Niwot also won the 200 Freestyle Relay with Wheless,
Caroline Joyce, Farrar and Sander, and the 400 Freestyle Relay with the same
swimmers. Others placing for the Cougars
included Alex Martin (6th – 200
Freestyle), Morgan Vick (7th – 200
Freestyle), Melissa McCaddon (3rd – 50 Freestyle), Jamie Saunders (4th – 50 Freestyle), Taylor Vick (5th – 50 Freestyle), Megan Rudy (7th – 50 Freestyle), Patty Anderson (3rd – Diving), Cara Nozykowski (5th – Diving), Bridget Fitzgibbons (2nd
– Butterfly), Erika Holton (4th – Butterfly), Liz Milani (6th – Butterfly), Caroline
Joyce (3rd – 100 Freestyle), Carly Kempf (6th – 100 Freestyle; 4th – Breaststroke), Gwendolyn Rudy (7th 100 Freestyle), Keeley Goshia (3rd
– 500 Freestyle), Emily Guy (4th – 500 Freestyle; 3rd - Backstroke), Katie Kucera (5th – 500 Freestyle), Christin DiScipio (2nd – Backstroke), Mariah Wahl (4th –
Backstroke), Becca Milani (5th
– Backstroke), Lauren Shaner (2nd – Breaststroke), Kathleen DiScipio (5th – Breaststroke),
and Morgan Mulshine (6th – Breaststroke). The Cougars
also took second and third places in the 200 Medley Relay, as well as third in
the 200 Freestyle Relay and third in the 400 Freestyle Relay.
Niwot
took top honors at the All-City Swim Meet, with dual wins over Longmont,
Skyline and Silver Creek. Individual
winners for the Cougars included Sander (50 Freestyle and Backstroke), Molly
Joyce (Diving), Wheless (Butterfly), and Farrar
(Breaststroke).
Farrar
has now qualified for state in every swimming event.
Silver
Creek won its other two dual meets in the All-City competition, and placed
first in four events. They included Bethany Bates (200 Freestyle, 500
Freestyle) and Lindsay Banning (200
IM, 100 Freestyle). Both posted state
qualifying times, as did Kenni Sterns while taking second in the Backstroke.
Banning
took second for Silver Creek in the 100 Breaststroke and third in the 50
Freestyle at the Boulder County Invitational to pace the Raptors, who finished
eighth overall.
TRACK
Griffin Matthew (Niwot) is the only
returning Stanford track athlete to qualify for the NCAA outdoor championships
in two events. Matthew qualified in both
the long jump and the 100 Meters last season.
Photo
courtesy of Alexander Dawson School
By
Colleen Reilly Krueger Dawson sophomore paddler Tyler Hinton was a featured athlete in
the Jan. 12 edition of Sports Illustrated’sFaces in the Crowd. A varsity
letter-winner on the Dawson Canoe and Kayak Team since the eighth grade, he won
the Colorado Rivermeister award, Colorado’s most
prestigious high school paddling award, as a prep freshman.
Hinton has earned Junior Olympic medals of every color in kayak as
well as singles and doubles canoes. He is on the U.S. Jr. National Slalom Canoe
Team, and has raced in the Junior World Championships in the Czech Republic and
in Australia for the Youth Olympics.
Hinton has competed in U.S. Olympic Team Trials and in the
International Canoe Federation (ICF) World Series competition and is currently
the top U.S. Junior C-1 (single canoe).
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The number of homes that were actually evacuated was closer to 
McDermid
the charity stripe.
