All Local, All The Time
All Local, All The Time
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It's been nearly a year since the Niwot girls swim and dive hit the pool, but you wouldn't have known it from their performance against Mountain View in the 2021 season opener on Jan. 28. With impressive times from longtime veterans and some speedy newcomers, the Cougar swimmers dominated the Lions, winning 11 of the 12 events. "I couldn't be more excited," first year coach Kyle Bachrodt said afterwards. "The energy was as high as it could be and we had great swims across the board... But it...
The COVID-19 pandemic turned life upside down for most of us over the past 12 months, but it was especially hard on the local non-profit community, which saw its donations dry up as traditional fundraising events and activities were postponed or canceled. Fortunately, there's still time to help balance the scales as we count down the final hours of 2020. Among the many provisions of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES) passed back in March, was a change to an IRS rule...
Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, mental health has become a strong area of concern in high school athletics. Last week, the Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA) hosted three webinars, "Taking Care of You, when Your World has been Turned Upside Down." The webinar featured JC Pohl, a licensed therapist, author and advocate for improving school culture, and Caleb Campbell, a former NFL player and mental health speaker. Student-athletes were given self-care strategies and advice on...
Ashton Campie is passionate about the non-American version of "football," so when the 2020 high school boys soccer season was postponed until spring 2021, the otherwise idle midfielder decided to try out his kicking skills on the gridiron. In the end, both Campie and the Cougars got more than they bargained for, and now the athletic senior has a new appreciation for teamwork and dedication. "I was doing cross country, and then football started up just when cross country ended, and one of the...
In 1975, the Lutheran Medical Center Foundation was created as a way to support a nonprofit hospital in West Denver. Since then, it has been renamed the "Community First Foundation" (CFF) and has sought to create change beyond just the Denver Metro. Then, CFF became involved with ColoradoGives.org, an online tool that is a way to connect with and support nearly 3,000 nonprofits around the state. In 2010, CFF and ColoradoGives.org kicked off Colorado Gives Day, which has garnered $355 million in...
The Niwot cross country teams dominated their Colorado competition during the 2020 season, so they decided to take their act on the road. On Nov. 21, members of the varsity squad traveled to Huntsville, Alabama to compete in the 2020 RunningLane National Cross Country Championships and prove they can dominate non-Colorado competition just as easily. "We wouldn't have expected them to run as fast as they did," Niwot cross country coach Kelly Christensen said of the boys' historic performance....
Stanford University track and field has claimed another prize recruit from Niwot. Standout Taylor James has announced that she will be taking her prodigious talents to Palo Alto next fall, following the trail blazed by former Cougar standouts Elise Cranny and Mary Gillett. "In the end there were a couple of main things that swayed my decision," the talented senior said of her choice. "Obviously Stanford's athletic and academic prestige is one of the big ones. Also, Coach [J.J.] Clark seems...
Coming into the final 100 meters of the 2020 Class 4A state cross country race, Niwot junior Zane Bergen decided it was time to make his move. He was trailing leader Grahm Tuohy-Gaydos by a few steps, but he knew he had enough kick left to overtake the Green Mountain senior before the finish line. Unfortunately, the Green Mountain senior seemed to have other ideas. "I decided I'm going to go on the outside and get around him, but I guess I picked the wrong outside," Bergen said, describing the...
Niwot head cross country coach Kelly Christensen knew that the lead pack in the 2020 girls Class 4A championship race would be fast, but both he and his runners were caught off-guard by the pace freshman Bethany Michalak of Air Academy set right from the start. That led to some tense moments for Christensen as he watched from the sidelines, adding and re-adding the potential final scores. "Our strategy all season was a lot different in workouts and races because we knew, or we were putting a...
There's not much country to be found in the grassy expanses of Denver's historic Washington Park, but, according to Niwot head coach Kelly Christensen, that's what made the 2020 Class 4A Region 3 cross country championships on Oct. 8 a "perfect" tune-up race for the Cougars as they prepare to defend their state titles next weekend. "Grass is slow, which is why I'm glad we were here," he said after his teams swept both the individual and team titles at the Oct. 8th regional. "We wanted them to...
Lucca Fulkerson didn't start her decorated cross country career at Niwot, but if everything goes according to plan, the speedy senior will be capping it off with the Cougars next month as they win their third straight Class 4A state championship. So far in 2020, that plan has been hitting its benchmarks both for Fulkerson and the team, and, judging from performances in the early weeks, she may even earn some championship hardware herself. "This summer is the most we've ever run before, or at...
The Niwot varsity cross country teams looked formidable as they battled some friendly but fierce rivals at the Fairview Invitational on Sept. 12. Led by junior Zane Bergen in the boys race and freshman standout Mia Prok in the girls race, the Cougars claimed both team titles for the second consecutive weekend, and appear to be in great shape as they head into the most crucial weeks of the shortened 2020 season, according to head coach Kelly Christensen. "The kids are responding to the stress...
The Niwot boys golf team battled blistering heat and unpredictable course conditions as they made the turn to the second half of the 2020 season at the Frederick Classic on Aug. 27. After a performance that was equal parts great and terrible, Cougar head coach Ed Weaver is looking for more consistency from his young team with the Class 4A Region 3 state qualifier just three weeks away. "We could've played a lot better," he said after his team's eighth-place finish in the 16-team field at Coyote...
Fifth-year Niwot head coach Kelly Christensen is grateful that the 2020 high school cross country season is proceeding, even if in a modified form, but he was also quick to acknowledge that, like everything else that it hasn't cancelled or postponed this year, the COVID-19 pandemic has made the sport more difficult for everyone involved. "It's everything, whether it's the schedule, trying to plan Covid practices, debating whether or not we're going to cut rosters, or finding races. I would say...
Direct impacts of COVID-19 have officially reached the fall with the Colorado High School Athletics Association (CHSAA) announcing its rearranged 2020-21 athletics and activities calendar. Instead of traditional fall, winter and spring sports seasons, CHSAA will now hold A, B, C and D seasons that will extend through June. Most notably, football, volleyball and boys soccer will move their usual fall slate to the early-March Season C. Boys tennis, golf, softball and cross country are continuing...
Amid the hubbub about the return to play plans for high school sports such as football and cross country, the Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA) quietly gave boys golf the green light to start its season as scheduled during the first week of August. In an announcement dated July 25, CHSAA stated that golf is "able to be played under the current national, state, county and CHSAA health guidelines as they pertain to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic," and, as such, plans for the 2020...
Editor's Note: Covid-19 has made an impact on almost everyone in the Left Hand Valley, with the announcement of a new online learning schedule at Niwot High School. Students at Niwot are scheduled to complete all of their schoolwork online. This remote learning schedule will tentatively begin on August 18th and last until the end of September. While many are unsure of what the rest of the school year is going to look like, various students are not only worried about the quality of their...
GOLF Kelsey Webster (Fairview) of Gunbarrel was named to the Women's Golf Coaches Association All-American Scholar for the 2019-2020 season. Webster, a sophomore psychology major at the University of Colorado, posted a 77.58 stroke norm for 12 rounds. To be eligible for WGCA Golf All-American Scholar status, a golfer must have a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.50 (on a 4.0 scale) and must have played in 50 percent of the college's regularly scheduled competitive rounds during the...
It's not the school year that parents and students would like, but at least it's better than last spring. That's how several families in the Saint Vrain Valley School District feel about new plans for the upcoming school year. Basic information was released by the district last week, though there are still plenty of questions. Details may be revealed in a couple of weeks when the final plan will be released. "It's school, with only the worst parts," said Ben Goff who will be a senior at Niwot Hi...
Track standout Taylor James didn't get a chance to win any big races for Niwot in 2020, but she still claimed a big prize at season's end. On June 25, the rising senior was named the Colorado Girls Track Athlete of the Year by Gatorade, one of the most exclusive awards in high school athletics. "She's definitely special," Cougar cross country coach Kelly Christensen said of the talented runner, who was also named ColoradoClass 4A Girls Athlete of the Year in 2019. "Gatorade is a tough award, so...
With just 60 days to go before the Nikolas Blume era of Niwot football kicks off, the first-year head coach expected to be well on his way to implementing the rebuilding project he was hired to undertake back in February. Unfortunately, the coronavirus pandemic made a hash of those plans, and so it wasn't until last week that Coach Blume was able to watch his players in action for the first time. So far, he's been pleased with what he's seen, but there's no denying that the long layoff has...
For graduating senior Rachael Triplett, much of her career at Niwot High School has been marked by her involvement in clubs and participation in the International Baccalaureate Program (IB). During her time there, she was a four-year participant in the Knitting Club, played in the orchestra and ran both track and cross country. "Join everything you can, it's the best way to meet people," said Triplett. "Or, at least it was for me." It was her willingness to try new activities and classes that...
Allan J. Gjovig, 82, of Niwot, Colo., passed away in his sleep on Friday May 1, 2020, at the Peaks Care Center in Longmont. Al was born May 24, 1937 in Canby, Minn., to the late Herman and Esther (Olson) Gjovig. He attended Canby schools and was class valedictorian in 1955. His high school activities included lettering in varsity track for 3 years, and membership in the drama club, yearbook staff, and Future Teachers of America. He served in the Navy and was honorably discharged in June of...
This week we are highlighting seniors from the Niwot boys track and girls soccer teams. Boys Track Harrison Bartlett, Sprints What are your plans after graduation? My plans for after graduation are to attend the University of Montana, and join the Army ROTC program (Unsure if I am running due to not having race times from senior season to qualify me for their program). Before it was canceled, what were you looking forward to most about the 2020 season? Before the season was cancelled, I was...
As an IB student and multi-sport athlete at Niwot, senior Jack Kenkel didn't choose the path of least resistance in high school, but the Princeton University-bound runner wouldn't have had it any other way. "Neither felt too challenging because I really enjoyed the IB program, and I obviously love track," he said about his four years as a Cougar. "Honestly, balancing the two was the most challenging part. It wasn't impossible to do, it just took a little bit of discipline." It's not clear whethe...
We asked the departing seniors of the girls track team to reflect on their time at Niwot and share their post-graduation plans. Samrawit Dishon, Distance What are your plans after graduation? I plan to attend the University of New Mexico and major in Psychology. Before it was canceled, what were you looking forward to most about the 2020 season I was looking forward to doing a lot of big things with my teammates. What is your favorite memory or what do you consider a career highlight from your t...
Citing "concerns surrounding the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic," the Colorado High School Activities Association has extended the moratorium on all sports and activities until at least April 18. Additionally, all CHSAA Music Events have been cancelled for 2020, and the CHSAA Hall of Fame event, scheduled for April 14, has been cancelled. "It turned very quickly," Niwot High assistant principal and athletic director Joe Brown said of the abrupt decision to suspend the season, originally announced on...
Recently, three Niwot High students were recognized by the Rotary Club of Niwot for their outstanding achievements in and out of the classroom. The three were introduced at a recent Rotary Club breakfast by principal Eric Rauschkolb and received a plaque noting the award. They are now eligible for a scholarship from the RCN. Natalia Storz - December Natalia has excelled in the classroom, and she has also demonstrated many personality traits that have exemplified her selflessness and commitment...
The Niwot girls swim team lost nearly 20 swimmers to last year's graduation, so heading into the 2019-20 season, head coach Sarah Stamp had some holes to fill in the lineup. Much to her delight, junior Emiley Yie has been willing and able to help fill more than a few of them. So far this season, the talented swimmer has qualified to compete for Niwot in all but one individual event at the upcoming Class 4A state championships, and she is hitting her fastest times as the post-season approaches....
When Kate Johnson, author of "Tiny Goat, Big Cheese," started learning about goats and cheesemaking, she didn't realize she was ahead of the curve of a new hip trend sweeping the nation. When Gene Hayworth, owner of Niwot's Inkberry Books, started his own small-town bookstore and printing press, it was a big risk. "But if you don't try it, you'll never know what could happen," he said. Both Left Hand Valley locals are simply following their passions, and their work will be on display at an...
VOLLEYBALL Mackenzie Fidelak (Niwot) was part of Stanford's NCAA national championship team, which defeated Wisconsin Dec. 24 in the NCAA finals. Fidelak, a sophomore opposite hitter, played in six contests during the season, but did not see action in the NCAA tournament. Her most extensive action came against Arizona State in a 3-0 victory Oct. 13, where she played all three sets, recording 11 kills and only three errors. She had an attack percentage of .348 against Arizona State, and also...
It was another crowded National Letter of Intent signing ceremony at Niwot, as seven athletes made official commitments to collegiate programs on Nov. 13. Lexi Crow, Black Hills State University Lexi Crow's collegiate soccer ambitions may be taking her away from Colorado, but the picturesque campus of Black Hills State University in Spearfish, S.D. will be like home away from home, according to the Cougar midfielder. "There's going to be mountains there, and open spaces, and it's green, so it's...
Joelle McDonald wasn't expecting a life-changing experience when she joined the Niwot girls cross country team as a freshman, but after helping the Cougars win their second straight team title at the Class 4A state championships on Oct. 26, the senior paid homage to the transformative power of running. "It started as 'running is what I do for fun'," she said, recalling her four seasons with the program. "Then it became 'running is what I do,' and now it's 'running is what I am,' because it's...
The Colorado state cross country meet has produced some amazing athletic achievements over the years, but few top Niwot's in the 2019 Class 4A championships, held Oct. 26 at the Norris-Penrose Center in Colorado Springs. Led by individual winners Samrawit Dishon and Cruz Culpepper, the Cougars emerged from a highly competitive field to capture both team titles and complete the first four-title sweep for a single school since 1995 (an honor Niwot shared with Lyons on the day). Afterwards,...
Niwot senior Samrawit Dishon was holding on to a slim lead heading into the toughest stretch of the state cross country race when she got a boost from an unexpected source-her closest competitors. "It was kind of cool to have them both there like that," Dishon said of Eagle Valley sisters Joslin and Samantha Blair, who trailed the front-runner by just a few meters. "They were hyping each other up and talking to each other, and I thought, 'This is great. I know they're not talking to me, but I'm...
There were plenty of emotions to go around after the Niwot boys' inspiring win at the 2019 Class 4A state cross country championships on Oct. 26, but one in particular seemed predominant among coaches, parents, and athletes alike, according to fourth-year head coach Kelly Christensen. "A huge relief is probably the best way to describe it," he said after the Cougars beat out 19 other teams to claim the top spot at the state race for the first time in school history. "It's validation for them....
There wasn't much mystery about the team winner of the Class 4A Region 3 girls cross country race, after Niwot's top five runners crossed the finish line at Denver's City Park a good 30 seconds ahead of any other competitors. That resulted in a rare perfect score of 15 for the Cougars, which head coach Kelly Christensen feels is a good way to close out the 2019 regular season. "A perfect score is a perfect score, no matter where you get it or who you get it against or whatever the conditions,"...
Ellen Gostling is a force to be contended with. Gostling, a 2015 Niwot High School graduate, currently holds all of the state records in the junior 84kg weight class in equipped powerlifting, and since graduating college in May, she continues to make a name for herself in the sport. Starting out as a figure skater in high school and then a member of the cross country and swim teams during her senior year, Gostling understands how much hard work goes into being an athlete. So when friends...
It's been a whirlwind fall for second-year drum major Cole Toothaker and the Cougar marching band, but a scary moment over the summer almost had the talented musician and natural leader watching it all from the sidelines. "I was on a rafting trip in Idaho, and I did a backflip on the beach-I have a gymnastics background and do flips a lot," he recalled. "But I landed on an incline, and put my hands down to break my fall, and ended up breaking both of my wrists, which was a little inconvenient."...
Niwot cross country has emerged as one of the top programs in Colorado, and now it can claim its spot among the best teams in the southwestern U.S., after an impressive performance at the Nike Desert Twilight Festival in Casa Grande, Ariz. on Sept. 27. Paced by senior Samrawit Dishon, the Cougars finished first overall in the elite girls 5000M race, with 80 team points. Dishon posted a personal best time of 17 minutes 8.02 seconds to capture third place, followed by junior Taylor James...
It will be no small task for the 2019 Niwot cross country program to top the success of last season, especially with the names Layla Roebke, Ares Reading, and Maggie Smith gracing college rosters this year. But that’s the expectation of fourth-year head coach Kelly Christensen, and the results from the Cougars’ season debut at the VistaNation 2Mile Invitational lend credence to his claims. With top finishers in four of the six races at the exclusive meet, Niwot seems to have more than eno...
The track and field and cross country scene in Niwot hasn’t been the same since R.E.A.L. Training Colorado opened its doors in 2007. Led by accomplished coaches Maurice Henriques and Kelly Christensen, the facility offers top level instruction for track and field and cross country athletes. Hard work is a top priority at R.E.A.L. and the athletes take this to heart. Bringing on runners that exemplify these traits is a top priority for Henriques. The success that his runners have had is no m...
Niwot High principal Eric Rauschkolb wasn’t expecting to need a second replacement for Chase McBride, but putative hire Kevin Clark got an offer he couldn’t refuse. Earlier this month, the former Loveland High administrator announced that he will be assuming the role of full-time district athletic director for the Thompson Valley Schools, a move that allows him to stay in the town he and his family have called home for more than a decade. That left Rauschkolb with an empty spot on the 201...
There were supposed to be 13 athletes on the Niwot High stage for signing day last month, but state cross-country champion Layla Roebke was having a hard time making up her mind. With competing offers from a diverse selection of NCAA Division I and Division II programs, the senior wasn’t quite ready to sit alongside her classmates and sign away the next four years of her life. “I really, really wanted to make sure that I went to a college that I would do well at and enjoy,” she said. Last week,...
A memorable year for Niwot athletics turned into a memorable Letter of Intent signing day on May 22, as 12 athletes crowded onto the auditorium stage to make an official commitment to competing at the next level. Half of the future collegians were from the school’s track and field program, which has been among the most successful in the state over that past two seasons. Ares Reading, Furman University Senior year was a memorable one for Niwot distance runner Ares Reading. In October, he f...
The boys may have waited until the final event of the meet to claim their team title, but for the Niwot girls, the Class 4A track and field championship was theirs to lose from the start. Shortly before 9 a.m. on the opening morning of the three-day state meet at Jeffco Stadium in Lakewood, Niwot junior Samrawit Dishon crossed the finish line of the girls 3200 meter race with a season-best time of 10 minutes, 53.76 seconds to claim second place overall and score the Cougars’ first eight p...
All eyes in Jeffco Stadium were on Niwot junior Jack Kenkel as he and Durango's Aidan Fitzgerald raced neck-and-neck down the stretch in the final leg of the 4×400 meter relay, the last event of the Class 4A state track and field championships. Down by four points in the team standings, the Cougar relay team of Kenkel, Jensen Douillard, Milo Ostwald and Nolan Johan needed a fifth place or better finish to surpass Pueblo East and claim their first ever team title. The crowd held its collective br...
Ed Weaver and the Niwot girls golf team have checked off most of the items on their 2019 to-do list: Northern League champions (by 122 strokes), conference Player of the Year (Julia Solem), POY runner-up (Halie Ostrom), and conference Coach of the Year (Weaver). Now they can cross off the penultimate item: qualifying as a team for the upcoming Class 4A championships at Pelican Lakes. “I’m very proud of all the girls,” Weaver said after the Cougars took second overall at the Class 4A Regio...
This long, cold winter has many feeling cooped up. For people who exercise and train outdoors―which is a large portion of Boulder County’s population—the icy paths and sub-zero temperatures make keeping up a regular regimen challenging. But using the weather to change up movement habits and patterns could be the best thing for more productive and safe training for the rest of the year. Joe Gambles, an Australian transplant who lives in Niwot with his wife and toddler son, is a professional triat...
The Niwot track and field team lost a number of its top performers to graduation after last season, but Maurice Henriques isn’t fazed. In fact, the ninth-year head coach thinks the 2019 Cougars are poised for even more success, thanks in part to many of those departed stars. “I actually think we’re a better team this year than we were last year, as a complete team,” he said. “All of those girls are a year older, and the leadership that Mary [Gillett] and Mackenzie [Fidelak] passed down has been...
