Category: Features

Q&A: ThunderRidge girls basketball great Abby Waner reflects on her career, and what made high school sports fun

(Photo courtesy of Abby Bartolotta)

When coming up with a list of who’s who in Colorado girls high school basketball, Abby Waner (now Bartolotta) has to be on that list.

A premier player amongst a talented class of athletes, Abby helped ThunderRidge claim three straight Class 5A state championships. She has 43 individual entries in the state record book, including records for points in a game (61), state tournament points in a season (163) and career (515), and field goals attempted in a season.

She and her sister Emily both played at Duke University, where Abby once again proved herself as not just a great player on her team, but a great player in the entire nation.

She won two gold medals in international competition and even got a taste of playing in the WNBA.

Now married to former Heritage standout Jimmy Bartolotta, Abby Bartolotta is tackling life as a mother to two girls.

But there is always a part of her that will be connected to basketball. She took time to chat about what high school basketball meant to her and how it things have changed since she dominated the floor at ThunderRidge.

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Question: When you think back to your high school basketball days, what’s the first thing that comes to mind?

(Barry Gutierrez/Denver Public Library, Rocky Mountain News Photo Collection)

Abby: My teammates. Without fail. I was pretty fortunate in that I had my sister paving the way, so it kind of starts with her. It’s an answer you get a lot and there’s a reason for that. Some of my closest friends and still some of my closest friends today are two of my teammates, Megan McCahill, I actually just went to her drive by baby shower last week, and Emily Fox is expecting her baby girl in October so I dropped off a stroller at her house the other day.

So it’s just fun because that’s what started these lifelong friendships and that’s just, that’s something I’ll never forget about that period of time.

Q: It seems like now girls basketball in Colorado has kind of become a little bit of a hotbed when it comes to national recruiting. We have so many girls going to Stanford and so many other D-I players, what was that whole recruiting scene like when you were in high school, especially when it came to a university like Duke coming after you?

Abby: It’s funny you say that because last weekend we were at my parents’ for just a family dinner and my dad was talking about how when we were my daughter’s age was when he started taking us to games at Highlands Ranch High School. That’s pretty wild to think about. We started talking about some of the players that we actually remember watching and we’d just sit in the stands and he would tell us to pick out a player that we wanted to be like and just watch them the whole game.

We started doing that from a young age and the next thing you know, I’m playing college basketball and high school basketball against Ann Strother and Ambrosia Anderson and Elizabeth Sherwood, Susan Walters. You can go back a little bit further to some of the older Heritage players that went to UConn and Tennessee.

I think what happened is it just became an expectation. When you play against those type of players every single day, your team is going to get elevated and your expectations are going to get elevated. The best thing that could have happened could have happened to all of us was that we started playing together because you practice far more than you playing games.

At ThunderRidge every single day, I was playing against Emily Fox who went on to be one of the best players in Minnesota history. That for sure made me a better player.

And then what happens is it’s just product of the community and college coaches came to know that there was a community here that does it right. These players feed off of each other and they’re going to have similar qualities and similar goals. It was something that I don’t think we ever necessarily took it for granted, but I don’t think we realized at the time how unusual it was.

I think back to like my club team and every single player got a Division I scholarship at one point, which is wild. It just doesn’t happen. It definitely was that atmosphere of competition that we had playing against each other every day and the scholarships, the notoriety, it really was all just a byproduct. First and foremost, we’re all competitors and that’s what made us all raise the level of our game.

Q: How much of an adjustment was it when you got to Duke?

Abby: It was a big adjustment. You go out in high school thinking you’re a good defender because you can get 10 steals a game by playing pretty poor defense. You get to college and you actually learn what good defense means and how discipline is part of it and what staying in a stance actually means. You’re not going to just out-athletic anybody. Defense was definitely the biggest adjustment.

To be honest, I grew up in a culture where we were in the gym all the time. If you weren’t in the gym, somebody else was and they were getting better than you. My sister and I really brought that mentality to Duke and because of that, I think it helps that adjustment.

The amount of basketball, the amount of working out, that didn’t change for us. It was more how we did it, the mechanisms, the strength and conditioning, that was probably one of the bigger adjustments. We were fortunate in that we came from an environment and a culture that really prepared us. We had coaches that knew what they were doing and knew what was coming our way.

Q: Is there a comparison in the amount of pressure that you felt then to the amount of pressure that some of the kids might be feeling now? I feel like before they step on a middle school gym, there’s a recruiting profile on some website of every potential, big-time basketball player.

Abby: I am so grateful that we weren’t a part of this era with the access that coaches have to players. I’ve been out of it for long enough that I don’t know what all the rules are now surrounding recruiting, but it goes two ways.

I was really lucky in that college coaches were coming to us. We really didn’t have to solicit that because they found their way to our gym. I realize that’s the exception and that most players end up reaching out to coaches and recruiters themselves and that’s how they get that. That’s how they get their name out.

Understand that my experience was different than the norm. So in terms of the pressure, I think that is a negative byproduct that comes from the access of the internet and social media. But if you can use it for the positive and turn around and say now these kids have access to college coaches that they didn’t have before. I talked to a girl the other day and she said that she’s just been direct messaging every college coach the link to her Hudl video. That’s amazing.

Before it was such a process to track down the college coaches’ contact information so you can email and get them to reply to you. Now there’s this immediate response, which I think if channeled properly it can be used for good. It’s probably more important now than ever that parents are highly involved, that they can help their kids still just be kids while using that to their advantage, to get, the attention that they merit.

Q: If you think back to all the levels of basketball you played, what was the most fun?

(Barry Gutierrez/Denver Public Library, Rocky Mountain News Photo Collection)

Abby: That’s such a hard question. I’m not saying this just because it’s a CHSAA interview, but it was high school. I think that was when it was the most raw. College was a job. I was there on a scholarship and I was getting essentially a free education to play basketball. So I took that seriously. And I wanted to win, so I’m not saying that it was just a job in college.

Something that was always a driving factor for me in high school, college and otherwise was this insatiable desire to win. That was there in high school. It was there in college, but in high school, we were kids. We were sheltered from some of the pressure you talked about in your last question. We were just really, really good basketball players and that was fun.

Playing for Team USA were just some incredible experiences. I also met some of my lifelong friends through USA. What I wish looking back on that was that I had a better grasp of getting to travel the world in that way and see different cultures and see basketball through different lenses.

At age 16 and 17, we were just there to hoop and we were happy when we found a TGIFriday’s in Moscow, instead of really thinking about the cultural experience as the most important part of it.

It’s hard to pinpoint, but if I had to go back in time, I think I would probably get back to my days as a Grizzly.

Q: What would you tell someone maybe like a Jana Van Gytenbeek and a Fran Belibi who are at Stanford or a Lauren Betts who ESPN just labeled as a top recruit in the nation? What would you tell those girls about a college experience and life post-college that you didn’t know about 10 years ago?

Abby: College is a full experience and as a women’s basketball player at some of these elite institutions, they’re going to have avenues that your everyday kid doesn’t get, and I’m not just talking about basketball.

One of my regrets and this might seem small, but I wish I had tried to be a writer for the Duke Chronicle. I never did those extracurricular things. Well, I did, but not to the extent that I think I probably could have because I was so head down in basketball. It’s easy to say that now that I’m not in it, but they should take advantage of the full college experience by way of education and programs, the adults that are going to be there supporting them.

My sister did a great job of that at Duke. She was part of the CAPE program, which is the collegiate athlete pre-med experience. And that was a big part of her becoming a doctor. She did that while playing basketball. If I had a regret, it would be that I wish I had stretched myself a little bit more to partake in some programs and activities that Duke had to offer.

I don’t want to be cliche, but there’s a reason people say that it goes fast. Be there for every summer school, be there for every voluntary workout, take advantage of having the gym to yourself because before you know it, the four years are going to be up and it’s true, it goes quickly.

Q: How much is basketball still a part of your life today?

Abby: So my mom sends me a picture. She was watching my daughter, Ella, the other day, and Ella’s two and a half. I think we have a plastic hoop out back, but outside of that we really haven’t done much by way of basketball with her, nor do we expect to. But the other day my mom was watching her and sent me a picture of her sitting in her stroller, watching what I think it was a high school team practicing outside. She was just rapt with attention and that meant so much to me to see these high school aged girls are setting an example for my daughter. It was a pretty out of body out of body moment for me.

A lot of what’s important now for me is coming through the lens that I have two daughters two years apart, just like me and my sister. I hope that they can have similar experiences. I don’t care if it’s through sports or through music or through theater, but being able to find the same source of competition and friendship and confidence that I got from basketball. That’s probably what will make me check in more than anything.

I was watching last year, the Final Four and watching Sabrina Ionescu from Oregon and that girl is a competitor. I wish I was able to watch every single one of her games. So I texted my college coach Coach (Gail) Goestenkors and said “I love watching her play.” And she said, “She reminds me of you.” It was such a compliment. And I felt kind of silly cause it was a girl that’s, I don’t know, 15 years younger than me. It was just fun to feel re-connected in a way and see a similar type competitor. She’s far more talented than I ever was. I’m not saying there was a comparison there, but I really enjoyed following her career.

My husband played at Heritage and he’s just as appreciative as I am of the opportunities that CHSAA gave us. We are really looking forward to being in the stands for state championships moving forward and supporting our local high schools like ThunderRidge and Mountain Vista. I think we’re both really looking forward to that next part of our life where we can just be fans and cheer on the next generation.

June 30, 2020
Grace Weigand brings toughness and grit to multiple Regis Jesuit teams

(Paul Soriano)

Grace Weigand sat at the end of the Regis Jesuit girls basketball bench with her knee encased in a bag of ice. Anyone who saw the way she crumbled to the floor just a few minutes earlier could tell something wasn’t right.

It wasn’t long after that the extent of the damage was realized. She was going to need surgery. She needed to rehab. Any thoughts of playing lacrosse, her sport of choice and the sport that is getting her a scholarship the University of Notre Dame, went up in smoke.

She knew one thing, though. The faster she got her knee repaired meant she could start physical therapy sooner. And she has every intention of returning to the lacrosse field stronger than she was.

“I had surgery 10 days after I got hurt,” Weigand said. “I got hurt on March 6 and I had surgery on March 16, right before everything got shut down from coronavirus. That was a huge blessing to get it done before everything was shut down. I was also an essential patient for physical therapy and I was lucky to be able to go.”

The timetable of her recovery is unclear, but she’s shown that she has the work ethic to pull anything off. Since she got to high school, Weigand has been a three-sport athlete at Regis Jesuit. In the fall and spring she’s on the grass playing field hockey and lacrosse and in the winter she helps the girls basketball team as one of the better defenders on the roster.

She refuses to ease into each sport at the start of each season. The turnaround is quick and the transition from sport to sport isn’t easy for anyone to handle.

“Gracie makes that transition,” Raiders girls basketball coach Carl Mattei said. “She plays field hockey right up into finals and then overlaps into a winter sport. She doesn’t skip a beat and she doesn’t take a single day off.”

Mattei knows that she’s one of the premiere girls lacrosse players not just in the state of Colorado, but in the entire nation.

(Ray Chen/ArrayPhoto.com)

In her sophomore campaign, she was second on the team in overall points and goals scored. The only person to edge her in those categories was her older sister, Sidney. When Notre Dame came calling, Grace was quick to jump on the offer. When her injury happened during basketball season there was a brief moment of disbelief that playing something other than her primary sport dealt her such a tough break.

“I’m not even doing what I’m going to be doing in the future and this happens,” Weigand said. “There was a bit of ‘Why me?’ But after the surgery, it’s now full speed ahead and not looking back. There are a lot of things out of my control and I just need to focus on what I can do.”

What she can do is take on her latest opponent: rehab. That’s a game that she knows she can win and those around her know she can win. The biggest tool an athlete can have in a battle against rehabbing an injury is toughness is there may not be an athlete more suited for that battle than Weigand.

“She already well beyond where any normal person would be in their recovery,” Mattei said. “That’s the difference. She can mentally push herself to where she knows she can beat it.”

Weigand has no plans to slow down. It’s too early to determine if she can get back on the field for the field hockey season and she admits that her basketball future is unclear. That can be a tough pill to take for someone who started playing sports for all the right reasons.

“I played field hockey my freshman year to make friends,” she said. “Going into freshman year I didn’t know as many people so field hockey was all about making friends.”

As she’s grown into a lacrosse standout, she never gave up on field hockey and she never gave up on basketball. Time will tell if she’ll be back on the floor next winter, but Mattei insists there is a spot for her in the program regardless of the role she decides take.

She’s the kind of athlete that can make a team better without even stepping on the playing field because she understands that to achieve the desired result, the effort must be there every step of the way.

“That’s what makes her so special,” Mattei said. “She doesn’t stop. She doesn’t take a break.”

(Tim Bourke/TimBourke.com)

June 24, 2020
Eaglecrest’s Emma Bryant has her sights set on a second girls golf championship

(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

COLORADO SPRINGS — The good news for Eaglecrest senior-to-be Emma Bryant is that she’s never lost a Class 5A girls golf state tournament that didn’t play out to a full two rounds.

Her freshman year, she shot an impressive 2-under-par 70 at the Boulder Country Club to claim gold in her first try at a state tournament. It was a feeling she was hoping to capture at least one time in her high school career.

But fate has not been on her side in that time. The 2019 state tournament was cut short to one day due to weather and she finished tied for 15th, eight strokes behind champion Lauren Lehigh of Loveland. The 2020 season was called off due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Rather than dwell on what could have been in those two years, Bryant continues to work on her game and put herself in a position where she must compete against the best players in the state.

Last week she finished third at the Colorado Jr. PGA Championship, the first major of the Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado’s summer tour season.

The summer is a long way from over and Bryant knows that the time she has is vital in order to represent Eaglecrest with another championship win.

“I have one year left of high school,” Bryant said. “I just have to go full speed ahead. This summer is really important. I’ve already committed to the University of Denver and now it’s about getting ready for college and using this time refine my skills and perfecting the small things.”

Those small things were crucial when it came to winning her freshman year. She sank five bridies on the front nine of that final round which helped her shoot up the leaderboard.

When she sank a birdie putt on 18, she officially made the 5A individual golf titles a family affair as her older brother Davis had won the boys title that fall.

Davis’ title was the only one of his career and he’s now established himself as a vital member of Colorado State’s men’s golf team.

Emma is hoping to do the same for DU, but among the many reasons that she wants to claim another state title is to have a bit of family bragging rights.

“Of course I want to beat him,” she said with a laugh. “I mean, I already beat him in way if we look at when I won and when he won, but it would be great to say I won twice. He only has one so I’d be in the record books there.”

It was recently announced that the 2021 girls state golf tournaments would be moved into June. Although associate commissioner Tom Robinson cited many reasons for the change, pushing them out of questionable times in terms of weather was certainly an added benefit.

“It kind of sucks that I’ve only played in one (full) state tournament,” Bryant said. “I am hoping my senior year I can come out on top and say that I’m undefeated in (two round) tournaments.”

(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

June 22, 2020
Northfield boys golf’s Hunter Swanson getting used to big tournament atmosphere

(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

COLORADO SPRINGS — Hunter Swanson’s approach shot on the seventh hole of the Country Club of Colorado was everything that a player wants.

The flight looked good, the distance felt good and when the smacked the green just a few inches from the pin it hopped just once then stayed put. The spin was enough to make sure the ball didn’t release to the back side of the green but not enough to pull it right off the putting surface.

It was the kind of shot that Swanson hit several times last fall that helped Swanson finish for a tie in second place at the Class 4A boys golf state tournament at The Bridges in Montrose.

“There was no beating Micah (Stangebye) that tournament,” Swanson said. “I was playing for second.”

That’s where he finished and he’s aiming to better that result the next chance he gets. Heading into just his junior year, he’ll have plenty of chances to play high-level golf under the Northfield banner.

He was certainly moving that direction at the Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado’s first major of its summer tour season, the PGA Championship at the Country Club of Colorado. He made his kick-in birdie on seven and then made another on No. 9 to make the turn at 2-under for the third and final round.

Prospect Ridge graduate Walker Franklin’s lead was too much to overcome, however, and Swanson finished tied for sixth along with Arapahoe’s Will Kates, the defending 5A champion. Playing alongside Kates and Holy Family grad Jacob Mason is the kind of competition that Swanson knows will help him when he gets another crack at state.

“When I’m playing with skilled people in my groups like today, it makes you play a lot better and it makes you more motivated,” Swanson said. “You don’t mess as much. When they’re throwing darts at the green, it’s not an option to miss.”

Swanson couldn’t help but take the opportunity to pick Kates’ mind a bit about winning a state title. It’s on a list of several goals that Swanson hopes to accomplish in the next two years.

“I talked with Will a bit about his state championship,” Swanson said. “He really liked it and he said it was a fun experience. I can definitely learn from that going into state next year.”

Until that opportunity comes around, he’s going to play as much golf as he can. Before playing this week at CCC — where even the best putters in the state can lose a sense of sanity on the greens — he won a tour event the week before at King’s Deer just east of Monument.

He held off Discovery Canyon’s Kaden Ford by a stroke. Swanson and Ford were the two players to tie for second at state last year.

If the result at King’s Deer is any indication, the battle between Ford and Swanson throughout the year should be one of the better matchups throughout the state regardless of sport.

(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

June 18, 2020
Cherry Creek’s Julian Hammond III was born to be a standout athlete

(Theodore A. Stark/www.tstark.com)

Basketball is in Julian Hammond III’s DNA. Probably more literally than anyone would care to think. The Cherry Creek standout comes from a basketball family.

His parents, Julian II and Ruby, each played at Loyola Marymount. Hammond’s grandfather, the original Julian, averaged over 10 points per game for the ABA’s Denver Rockets (now the Denver Nuggets of the NBA).

As just a junior in high school the latest version of a basketball playing Julian Hammond averaged nearly 22 points and seven rebounds per game.

And that was after he spent time winning a state title with the other love of his life, Cherry Creek football.

The third Hammond is the walking definition of a do-it-all athlete. Last fall he took the snaps as QB1 of the Bruins and helped them to their first Class 5A state football championship since 2014. Then he traded his shoulder pads for sneakers and got Cherry Creek a No. 4 seed for the state basketball tournament.

He was a first-team all-state selection for the 5A football and boys basketball games, the only player to receive such honors last year.

“Growing up, I always played those two sports,” Hammond said. “I used to play baseball too, but it was those two that always stood out to me.”

Make no mistake, if Hammond decided that he wanted to spend his springs on the baseball diamond, Cherry Creek’s traditionally strong baseball program would get a boost.

“I hear he can touch low-90’s on the mound,” boys basketball coach Kent Dertinger said.

He’s fine doing what he does for the football and basketball teams. Dertinger acknowledges that Hammond spends time in the fall getting up shots to stay in basketball form.

It’s not always easy to keep a consistent throwing routine if forced indoors through the Colorado winter, so it’s the spring when Hammond decides it’s time to get the majority of his offseason football work in.

The Bruins have benefitted from his balance and it’s something that helps him thrive as a top-level athlete.

“I make sure I stay in the gym throughout the football season,” Hammond said. “It might be after practice or late at night but when basketball season comes around, I have to feel ready.”

His play on the gridiron doesn’t seem to be affected. He threw for 2,354 yards and 28 touchdowns last year. Cherry Creek was the last football team standing and that feeling is one that he would love to experience on the hardwood as well.

“There’s no better feeling that winning a state championship,” Hammond said.

When he’s on the field or the court for his team, it’s feels like the odds become more in Cherry Creek’s flavor. If Dertinger has learned one thing in his time coaching Hammond, it’s that he’s a player who thrives on being in the spotlight. He points to a basketball game last winter when the Bruins trailed Eaglecrest by nine with less than two minutes left and Hammond scored the nine points needed to tie game.

“(Football coach) Dave Logan once told me that Julian just has a slow heartbeat,” Dertinger said. “In tough situations he has this ability to stay calm.”

It’s an ability that Hammond will put on display for his senior season as he aims to add more wins and potentially more championships to the Bruins’ illustrious athletic history.

(Marcus Gipson/Jmariahimages.com)

June 15, 2020
Q&A: Pueblo Central and Pueblo Centennial on a hectic Bell Game week

(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

The rivalry between Pueblo Central and Pueblo Centennial might as well mark the beginning of high school athletics in Colorado.

The two teams first squared off in 1892, nearly 20 years before the formation of what is now the Colorado High School Activities Association. It is often regarded as the oldest high school rivalry in the western United States.

Central won the first matchup. NFL Hall of Famer Earl “Dutch” Clark helped the Wildcats claim the win in his final two seasons at Central (1924-25).

In 1950, a new wrinkle was added to the annual game as the victory bell was introduced and the winner has been taking it home ever since.

Fast forward to present day and the Bell Game is still a must-see event in the realm of Colorado High School football. Over 15,000 people pack Dutch Clark Stadium and clear battle lines are drawn. Fans are either going red or going blue.

With the craziness that surrounds the game, Central athletic director Mike Kovac and coach Kris Cotterman joined Centennial athletic director John Ward and coach Jeff Wilkerson to chat about the intensity of Bell Game week and just how important it is to each school.

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How is the Monday of Bell Game week different than a typical week in your building?

Kovac: There’s more hype and anticipation of the game because there’s so much tradition in it. With the tradition and everything leading up to the game that week, there’s just a lot of anticipation not only from the students and the staff, but the community as well.

Ward: We have so many things happening. Number one, we have the community coming into the school to buy tickets. We have our boosters, our other clubs, all selling merchandise and goes really big that week. It looks like a little mini Walmart in front of our athletic office. We have like eight tables of stuff; the official bell game t-shirt and all the other Centennial gear. It feels like Black Friday. Everybody has to get all their stuff and it’s the biggest sale day of the year because everyone’s in there trying to get tickets. I can tell you that there have been times where the game sold out by around lunch time the next day. I know there have been times where they may be sold out late on the first day.

(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

How about the players? Do they come into practice any differently than they would on a regular week?

Cotterman: I think they’re more excited. As we’ve gotten better, practices really haven’t changed that much but definitely I think there’s more enthusiasm. From a standpoint of do that practice harder? Probably not. We’ve gotten to the point where they’re practicing pretty hard anyway. But there’s definitely excitement and through the week there’s always something going on at the school. So there’s a lot of excitement for sure.

Wilkerson: They’re really locked in and focused. They, they tend to forget about the last week a little bit quicker than normal weeks. Our student body does a great job of celebrating that game, but as far as their mood they’re absolutely locked in and focused.

From an administrative standpoint, what’s the biggest challenge you face that week?

Kovac: The scheduling of the week, because there are so many different things going on. And then you get wrapped in with our regular school day and other sports going on, we’re just trying to make sure that we’re doing things right and making it accessible to as many kids as possible during the week.

Ward: It’s always really great at the beginning of that week. Everybody’s excited in a good mood and so on. So we typically have hardly any issues with (student behavior). It’s all about trying to meet everybody’s needs because everybody has something that they’re trying to get or want or how can I help them get their table? How can I help someone who wants you to donate tickets for a gift basket? Everybody’s got something that I need to help them with. So I guess my biggest challenge is just finding the time to give everybody adequate time and, and listen and be able to help them out as best as I possibly can.

How much of a difference do you see in the seniors playing in their last one to the freshmen playing in their first?

Wilkerson: I think it depends on if you won it or lost it for the seniors. If you get that taste of winning the bell you want to keep winning it and winning it and winning it. You want to do it in front of the 15,000 people. I think the younger kids are taking in the whole aspect of it, the whole atmosphere of it, as they’re coming through at that age, but once they get to be a senior they want to win it as many times as possible and especially their last year.

Cotterman: It’s a big difference. We always suit up our entire team, freshmen through seniors, for the Bell Game, just to get them used to it. I can always tell around the freshmen when they see everyone in the crowd and their eyes are as big as can be. By the time they’re seniors, especially this senior class since it will be my fourth year, a lot of these kids will be in their third year starting in it. They’re determined to win it.

What’s happening in your building that week that’s different from anything else going on in Colorado high school football?

Ward: The biggest thing is the huge focus on the game itself and everything that goes into making it successful. For example, we have a 10- or 12-page script that goes through all the times of which team is going to come out of the tunnel and which team is going to have warm ups at this time. It’s so choreographed. I can only imagine what it’s like when you’re doing a Big 10 or an SEC football game. There is all this stuff going on and that you have to prepare for. The preparation level has to be by far probably something that the average high school and or AD doesn’t experience. People say that there’s probably more going on with this game than even the state playoffs.

Kovac: It has to be the traditions and the community support and just how much the community is so involved whether it’s attendance at the assembly or something after school, the Bell Bash as we call it, that is usually the night before the game. If there is a big event here at the school, the community is welcome to attend. There’s a lot of energy and it’s crazy and fun.

(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

How much does emotion come into play for the players during this game?

Cotterman: Just from the crowd alone and the noise it makes, it definitely provides a lot of ups and downs and that’s not lost on us. How big this rivalry is and how big it is for our community and how much fun it is. We definitely feel the emotions before the game and even after the game win or lose.

Wilkerson: We tend to say let it build. That’s our motto. We start out calm and cool. I wouldn’t say we’re necessarily having a good time on Monday, but we’re more relaxed. And then as the week builds, our intensity builds a lot more as we go. And then Friday you just let it loose.

When you get to gameday is there a sense that all the work and intensity of the week pays off?

Kovac: For me personally, I don’t think I get to experience it like the crowd does because there’s so much stuff going on and a lot of it is so scripted in terms of how that game is going to be run and all of the pomp and circumstance surrounding it. So if it’s the coin toss and we’ve invited alumni back to be part of that, having little things like having them down on the field, ready to do their thing. I don’t get to enjoy like the crowd that everybody else does because you know, whether it’s me or (John), we are in the midst of just trying to make sure that it’s going off, so it’s smooth and everybody can enjoy what it’s all about.

Ward: I really start to feel a great sense of relief. I usually get to the stadium about 4:30, about two and a half hours before kickoff. At that point everything’s done and you can really kind of take it in and visit with people. I would say really it kind of it’s all in place by then. There’s a thing or two going on or a question about when are we going to announce the 50/50 raffle. But other than that, I think right when I get to the stadium at 4:30, I know everything is done.

Neither of you guys have experienced it both ways, but what do you think is better, winning to take possession of the Bell or successfully defending it?

Wilkerson: That’s kind of tough for me because next year will be the first year that I have to went back. It swings our school atmosphere for sure, whether you have the bell or not.

Cotterman: And I’ve never defended it. Winning it was pretty special. I do have a unique experience just from the fact that when I took over the team there we were 0-10, and if you look at the point differential from before, they’ve been three pretty good games. We’ve been lucky enough to win one, but I do look forward to defending it.

Where does the Bell Game stand with other notable rivalries in Colorado?

Cotterman: It’s the biggest rivalry In the state of Colorado, no question. It’s probably the best venue in the state of Colorado to play at. The fans pack it out and the community supports it. It’s funny, last year I had to go get some license plates and I walked in the courthouse and it’s stacked with signs for Central and Centennial. That whole week the community gets around it. I don’t think there’s anywhere close to a bigger rivalry than Centennial and Central.

Wilkerson: It doesn’t. I don’t see 15,000 people going to other stadiums on a given night like they do to watch these two teams play. And there’s such a rich history behind it with all the bad blood and good blood and all that kind of stuff. I don’t see anything like it anywhere else.

(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

June 9, 2020
Kate and Anna Griffin, twins and multi-sport athletes, went beyond athletics to enrich their high school experience

(Photo courtesy of Lisa Voight)

One look at an activity log for either Kate or Anna Griffin and one thing is clear and obvious: Neither one seems to crave downtime.

The (non-identical) twins are constantly busy whether it’s on the athletic fields, in the classroom or volunteering for their community. They do it all and they do it all very well.

And they mostly do it at different schools. Anna spent her high school days at Coronado where she played volleyball and tennis. She qualified for the Class 4A state tennis tournament three times and helped the Cougars reach the 4A volleyball semifinals this previous fall.

Like her sister, Kate is a multi-sport athlete, only she competes at the Colorado Springs School after figuring out that she preferred a small-school environment. Kate runs cross country, plays basketball and in the spring plays both tennis and golf. As the Kodiaks don’t have a golf team, Kate played for Coronado.

She took 12th at the 2019 2A girls state cross country meet before placing third at the 3A girls tennis tournament and turning around less than two weeks later to take sixth at state golf.

(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

“She excels at every sport but she has more accolades in golf, tennis and cross country over her career,” CSS girls basketball coach and athletic director Vicki Vaughn said. “She was all-state in all three of those sports, but basketball always resonated with her because of the team aspect.”

That right there is the true spirit of both Griffin sisters. They prioritize others over self and that’s especially true outside of athletics.

They’re both members of the National Honor Society and spent countless hours volunteering for their schools and communities.

“It’s definitely something I thought about right when I joined CSS,” Kate said. “At a private school, academics always come first. Community service is a requirement but it’s very important to me. It wasn’t all that challenging to figure out I needed to balance athletics as well as being involved in the community and the school.”

It runs in the family.

Anna takes the same approach at Coronado. She likes taking a leadership mentality to the volleyball and tennis courts and uses that same approach to better the world around her. It’s a heavy burden for a high school student to take on, but as she’s progressed in athletics and activities, it’s clear that it’s part of who she is, not what she does.

(Photo courtesy of Lisa Voight)

“Going into high school through sports, that’s something I wanted to do by being a team captain or even just as a freshman on the JV team,” Anna said. “That translated through my service. Being a part of NHS or NCL — which is the National Charity League — we did a lot of community service.”

A lot of that community service was was done through the John Zay Guest House which she quickly proclaimed to be her favorite charity.

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of how busy both sisters are is how they can balance every task on their plate and do it at a high level.

“It takes somebody very driven and motivated to maintain that balance and focus on important things like that,” former Coronado volleyball coach Crissy Leonhardt said. “She has it. She’s that kid. She’s a go-getter. When she puts her mind to something she’ll get it done and she will do it right.”

The one thing she had yet to do, and was on the verge of this spring, was sharing the playing field with her sister. Kate originally devoted most of her time to golf and for their senior year, she wanted Anna to join the team with her.

“She was pretty convincing,” Anna said. “I had talked to the golf coach a little bit about it and she was edging me to do it and I was pretty close. There’s a very good chance I would’ve been on the golf team.”

Which would’ve meant splitting time between golf and tennis. But not to worry because Kate had that blueprint all worked out.

Kate’s only intention was to add to it and had planned on playing soccer for Colorado Springs School as well as tennis while also competing for Coronado’s golf team.

“It’s kind of just become muscle memory,” Kate said of keeping her activities and school work all in line.

Although they didn’t get to share time on the golf course together, they have four years of shared experiences ahead of them. Both girls will attend Colorado State and study bio sciences.

And it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them find their way to some sort of athletic competition whether it’s intramurals, club or even somehow varsity.

If they’ve shown anything these last four years, it’s that they can find time to carve out for any activity they want.

June 5, 2020
Q&A: Alamosa’s Lavier sisters see big benefits in participating in multiple sports

(Photo courtesy of Erik Melgoza/Alamosa Athletics)

Lilly and Emily Lavier have spent a lot of time competing together. As kids, they battled each other and as they got into high school it was battling side by side.

Lilly always thought herself a runner first but also loved to play basketball. Emily thought differently. Basketball was her main sport and running turned out to be secondary. But it was important that each one was doing both. They’ve shared several athletic moments together, among those is winning two 4×400 relay championships at the state track meet and sharing the basketball court together when Emily set the state’s single-game 3-point record.

While Emily will return to Alamosa as a senior next year, Lilly has graduated and will run at Oklahoma State University. Being a multi-sport athlete played a big role in that and it’s a lesson that has trickled down to Emily and even beyond.

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(Photo courtesy of Lilly Lavier)

Question: How have you gotten to the point in your life where playing multiple sports became essential to you?

Lilly: I always thought it was essential. I think for me running is more my thing and so it was always really nice for me to have a break from that. That break for me was basketball and so it was always nice to be able to still be getting fit in a different way and move some different muscles and I really think it helps the body overall.

And I think it helps with injury prevention. You’re getting to use different parts of your body for different things and I really think it helps to be taking a break from doing one repetitive motion and running to be able to do some different ones in basketball. I think it’s helped a lot.

Q: It’s not exactly like you’re taking a break because you’re still playing basketball at such a high level. How important is it to you when you’re not focusing on running and you’re focusing on basketball to make sure that you’re competing at the absolute highest level you can?

Lilly: It’s very important to me and I do kind of see it as a break for myself just in the sense that it’s a whole other world. Even if it’s mentally being able to take a break and move to something so different. It’s something that I really enjoyed over the past few years.

Q: Both sports have their own set of skills, but how much do you find yourself focusing on each skill set?

Lilly: I’ve graduated now and so now I haven’t been doing any work with basketball. I’ll probably be done with that because I’m mostly just going to be running from here on out. However, in high school there were lots of times where Emily and I would both go to the gym or go to our backyard on the weekend and we’d just shoot and kind of work on the things we needed to work on. We definitely took it seriously in the offseason and would do our part to try to get better.

But for myself, from here on out, it’s not really as essential as it was in high school just because I’m moving onto the next chapter, which for me is running. But it was always important to get in that work during the offseason for us.

Q: How much did it appeal to Oklahoma State that you were a multi-sport athlete?

Lilly: That was one of the things that my coach directed at me that he really liked. And that was one thing I really appreciated from him was that one of the first things he said on my home visit was how much he appreciated and knew how much it helps that I was a multi-sport athlete.

That’s something he really liked and he thinks that’s something that made me special and unique and that’s something I really appreciated and liked that he saw.

That absolutely was very important to me and it drove me to kind of help him make the decision I made.

Q: As a big sister, was it a big deal for you to make sure Emily was involved in multiple sports?

Lilly: Absolutely. I actually have another sister younger than Emily. She’s going to be a sophomore. For both of them it was very important to make sure that you’re staying fit year-round. An easy way to do that is just be keeping yourself in sports in every season and just keeping busy.

It was easier for me to get Emily to do some other sports like cross country in the fall than it was our other sister. That’s one thing that both of us kind of worked on with her, but it was essential to have her doing multiple sports and just staying fit.

It kind of gets you ready to transition from one season to the other.

Q: Emily, did you feel like playing multiple sports was something you had to do watching Lilly both do it and excel in it?

Emily: Oh yeah, 100 percent. I just remember when we were little and like growing up, I’d be like here in the house and Lilly would be outside and she’d like pull me outside and we go, all of our siblings, we go outside and we’d be active whether it’s like playing soccer, playing basketball, just like finding something to do. And then once she got to middle school and I saw her doing multiple sports and excelling, it definitely like inspired me to want to do that too.

Q: How much has that pushed you to try and be the best you can be at everything, whether it’s running or basketball?

Emily: A lot. Growing up, I’d always hear, “You’re Lilly’s sister.” She’s an all-star runner. I want people to know my name too and that just like pushed me to work hard and try to be the best that I can be and also excel at what I do just like she did.

Q: What are the benefits that you’re finding in being a multi-sport athlete?

Emily: I think a lot of it is like how she said like transitioning from one sport to the other. A big reason that I do cross country is to get me in shape for basketball, which is kind of my main sport.

If it wasn’t for her, I definitely wouldn’t have gotten into cross country. But I’m glad I did because that transition from running all fall in cross country to running in basketball, it definitely keeps me in shape and it helps me out a lot with that. And then basketball keeps me in shape for track the next season.

So it’s definitely beneficial, playing all these sports.

Q: How much fun is it to be able to share the basketball court with your sister and then also be able to stand on a championship podium with her at track?

Emily: It’s so much fun. That was probably one of my favorite memories, honestly from high school is getting to do it not once, but twice. I definitely think it’s something special that not a lot of people can say they got to do.

It’s also special because I’m the one handing off the baton to her going into the final lap — the anchor leg. So I think for me that was always something that stood out. Those 4×400 championships; I just thought that was super special.

Q: How many assists did Lilly give to you on the night that you said the 3-point record?

Emily: She actually had 11 of 12 assists, almost all of them.

(Photo courtesy of Erik Melgoza/Alamosa Athletics)

Q: Wow, how much fun was that? Your name’s in that record book, but you and your teammates know that your sister had a big hand in helping you there.

Lilly: It’s actually kind of a funny story. We were actually scrolling through the CHSAA page on Instagram the night before that game. And I said, “Oh look, these girls had a new 3-point record,” and it was 11, I told her “Oh, you can definitely do that.” I thought she could get 12 or 13.

So the night before I told her she should try it, really just kind of making fun of her to get her to take a shot at it and then sure enough, it happened. I would look at her and just kept throwing her the ball and they just kept going in.

Emily: So, it was kind of a funny story just for the two of us to know that it was possible. A lot of people like to say that we planned that out, but I don’t think we really did. We just knew it was in the realm of possibilities.

And then she kept making fun of me during the game: “You’re at six, you’re at seven now.”

Lilly: It was just a joke because the night before we were joking about it and we share a room. Before we went to bed, before the game, I was just poking fun at her. And sure enough, she went out and was having a heck of a game and I was just keeping track.

At halftime, I told her, “You’re halfway there, you might as well just go for it.” So it’s just kind of a fun backstory for both of us to know that and then to know that it happened.

Q: How much of an example do you think underclassmen, need to see in watching you girls be multi-sport athletes and see the benefits pay off, whether it’s a scholarship to Oklahoma State or a state record for 3-pointers?

Lilly: I think it’s very important and I feel like both of us have taken a good deal of responsibility for setting an example for people below us. Speaking for myself, I knew that was always a goal. I wanted to leave a good impression on the high school and for the younger girls to kind of see that you don’t have to be going to this big school in Denver to do some pretty amazing and special things.

And I think Emily’s done a really good job at following that and kind of getting that same attitude because I wanted to make Alamosa a place where people felt proud to be going to school. I want people people to look at it and say, “Oh my gosh, there’s Alamosa, they have this (certain) reputation.”

We have a lot of good girls coming up and who are already at the high school who very capable of doing things like that. Having us to show people that it’s okay to be able to have big goals and go for it and set records and do things like that and to kind of even inspire people to do that, is very important. I think we’ve both done a good job at showing people that.

Emily: It’s important to me to have a good relationship with like the underclassmen and just like make sure that you’re talking to them. Whether it’s in practice or on game day or at meets or whatever it is, including them in everything and just like being a role model for them to look up to.

It inspires me to want to do my best so that maybe I can be someone to them that they look up to so they can also do great things.

May 26, 2020
Q&A: Limon’s Kory Tacha on the challenges and benefits of playing multiple sports

(Courtesy of Limon HS)

Kory Tacha has had an outstanding high school athletic career. His junior year alone would make for a notable career for any athlete throughout the state.

He helped Limon claim the Class 1A football title before helping the Badgers made a deep playoff run in the 2A state basketball tournament.

He was named the 1A football Player of the Year and made second-team All-State in basketball, making him one of the premiere student-athletes regardless of classification. But there are challenges that come with reaching such heights in multiple sports.

Tacha is more than willing to acknowledge those challenges and tackle them on a daily basis. He spent some time chatting with CHSAANow.com on what it means to him to be a multi-sport athlete and why it will make him successful down the road.

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Question: Coming from a smaller school, what’s the biggest appeal for you in being a multi-sport athlete?

Tacha: You don’t really have that many kids. We have about a hundred kids in our high school, so for all our sports programs to be sports programs they need everyone to go out for every sport. That was the main appeal growing up. As soon as I started playing everything, I fell in love with all the sports and it’s just become kind of my lifestyle.

Q: How do you make sure that you’re applying enough time and effort to each sport to play at such a high level in each one?

Tacha: For me, summers are crucial. That’s the only offseason that I really get. So I hit pretty much everything. I do my football workouts in the morning, I do my basketball workouts in the evening, depending on when coach opens the gym. Summers are really where I hit it hard.

But other than that, I try to maintain throughout the school year. Keep lifting and just preparing my body for all the rest of the year.

Q: Everyone always talks about how college coaches like to look for multi-sport athletes, but is there an element that it’s just fun?

Tacha: Of course. Playing everything’s always fun. Sports are great. I couldn’t see myself playing and it not being fun. I probably wouldn’t do it.

Q: With the transition specifically from football and basketball, how tough is it to go from one realm where you’re getting hit and your body’s taking a little bit of a punishment and you don’t really get time off before you go into another physical sport, how have you responded to that over the years?

Tacha: It’s gotten a little easier. It’s still extremely difficult. This year we played football on a Saturday (for the 1A state championship) and we had a scrimmage for basketball the next Tuesday. It was a quick turnaround, but basketball is definitely easier on your body, but harder in the sense you need to be in a different kind of shape. It’s always hard to adjust but it gets easier through the years.

Q: Is it a situation where you have to wait until you’re in basketball season to adjust or is there something you do towards the end of football season where maybe you’re trying to balance things out without sacrificing what you need to do for football?

Tacha: I usually wait until it’s in basketball season. When it’s football season, that’s my main priority and that’s my main focus. And then when it’s basketball season, of course that’s my main priority. It usually takes a couple of games to get into the basketball shape and I have to try not to foul out in those early basketball games.

Q: When you look at athletes, whether it’s, whether it’s at Limon or Kit Carson, maybe a rival school, and you see someone sticking to just one sport, what turns you off about that kind of specialization?

Tacha: Specialization to me … I would get to burned out of that one sport. Practicing for instance, basketball all year round, I don’t know if I could handle that. I would get too burned out. My body would be in a different kind of shape I guess, but that’d be okay if I was just a basketball player.

I think playing all the sports helps me feel well-rounded and gives me more athletic capabilities. My biggest thing would be getting burned out in that one sport.

Q: What don’t people know about being a multi-sport athlete that you think they should know or that you think they’d be surprised to know?

Tacha: I’m always busy. I never really get an offseason. My offseason is spent training for the school year. We just stay really busy.

Q: Do you think doing everything you can to keep up with multiple sports and then also when you add in schoolwork, and I’m sure you have responsibilities or things that you do outside of all that, is going to help you down the road whether it’s transitioning to college or adult life?

Tacha: For sure. The biggest thing I’ve learned with being a multi-sport athlete is I’m learning to manage my time. I leave in the morning at 6 o’clock and then go to school and then practice and I don’t get home until like 7:30 or 8. Then I still have to fit in time for homework and then eating dinner with my family.

Managing time is crucial being a multi-sport athlete and I think I’ve learned to do that very well.

Q: What’s your favorite part about being a multi-sport athlete?

Tacha: I like being busy. I like having different friends from different sport. It’s just good all around.

May 25, 2020
Q&A: Chaparral athletic director Rob Johnson on the importance of school spirit

(Kevin Keyser/KeyserImages.com)

Chaparral never has a problem showing up to support its athletic teams. The student section tends to be loud, giving the Wolverines a distinct home-field advantage.

And sometimes it even travels on the road.

Athletic director Rob Johnson speaks with pride when he talks about the support his students offer to each other in various athletic contests. In a chat with CHSAANow.com, Johnson talked about what makes Chaparral special, the importance of general school spirit and how essential it has become with everything happening in the world today.

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(PaulDiSalvoPhotography.com)

Question: As an athletic director, what is the biggest embodiment of school spirit in your eyes?

Johnson: Participation I think is number one. It’s getting kids involved in not only athletics but just involved in the school and whatever opportunities there are for kids get involved, whether it be a Red-Blue Crew, which is basically a group that kind of heads up our spirit and getting involved in those kinds of things.

So getting involved is number one because you need numbers. Spirit comes with numbers and that says to me as an athletic director, I think that’s one of my top priorities is to create a good energy, promote it and get kids involved in any way we can to can to have good school spirit.

Q: I’ve been to some of your away games, like an away volleyball game at Lewis-Palmer and I’m always kind of stunned with the turnout of your students for an away game that’s not Legend or somewhere that’s right next door. Why is your school a school that’s able to travel so well?

Johnson: I think a lot of is that it’s a culture and specifically you talk about volleyball, having that culture. And then part of that goes back to T.R. Ellis, our original volleyball coach, who created this super fans group who’s also part of the Red-Blue Crew. That started with volleyball and they kind of just transferred throughout the whole school year.

Volleyball itself has a culture of creating that. It’s in the fall so it’s during football and it’s a really good time to create that early energy for the kids to travel. And part of the rules was if you’re going to be officially be a super fan and get a super fan t-shirt, then if there were some rules that you had to go to certain away games and be involved in all these different things. So there were some expectations with it, which is good.

I think you needed to kind of give them that little push and then the goal is to get that energy to go to every sport throughout the year, which it doesn’t always happen. There are times where you know not every team that’s playing is going to have an away crowd. Some of it is just the culture of the specific program too. That’s, that’s where the coach has got to come in and create that culture.

(Kevin Keyser/KeyserImages.com)

Q: What makes your group of student fans so unique from others that we see throughout the state?

Johnson: It’s our kids. There’s a pipeline of these kids that have come through with younger siblings and they see that energy. They see those volleyball games. And then you have middle school kids sitting in the bleachers of a basketball game and football games, they’re seeing how it happens. That goes back to our culture and then really honestly the best years we ever had with spirit is junior and seniors who just literally take it over and it’s never an adult pushing it.

It’s eventually the kids who really care about the school, care about their culture and and just want to have fun and they engage other people. Those are the kids that in groups that really take our school to another level in terms of school spirit engagement. It comes down to our kids for sure.

Q: If there are no adults involved, how are you making sure that they maintain that high level of spirit while also maintaining the core of sportsmanship and values that come with educational athletics?

Johnson: That’s a good point. We have a great administrative staff. Our student government representative was a huge part of the Red-Blue Crew. There’s definitely an adult presence for sure with all of us adults being on the same page and connecting and communicating well, but just being present, being with the kids and when they see our admin team and on the road they realize that we’re in this with them.

We’re in this together. So it’s a team effort for sure. Just presence. You have to have a good presence.

(Kevin Keyser/KeyserImages.com)

Q: How vital do you think school spirit is in a time like what we’re living in right now?

Johnson: That’s a good question. I think it’s going to even improve it. I think kids are realizing how much they missed the school. They miss their friends and being around that energy you talk about. So, I think it’s going to improve and it is vital. I think kids need it right now more than anything. And by the time fall hits and I hope to gosh we’re playing games, I think for every school it’s going to be real exciting for all of us.

Q: Do you see any incoming juniors or seniors right now trying to take that on and maintain that Chaparral camaraderie, even though the kids can’t quite be around each other or be around their coaches or be around their teachers?

Johnson: Yeah, there’s definitely a group of them. I don’t know if I have that list of names yet. We’re always looking at who’s going to be next year. You can kind of tell by the way they manage the crowds and how many games they go to. That student government and that Red-Blue Crew, those two different groups are always setting the stage for that. And that’s already starting for sure.

There’s always a small group of probably five or six kids that just kind of take it over here. So yeah, I can picture them right now and we’ll see. Again, that’s one of those things we try to lay back and not force it because then all of a sudden it feels forced. We want the kids that if that’s their passion and they want to run with it, we’ll support them. That’s where their buy-in comes from.

Q: What is your vision of the first Chaparral sporting event look like after all this?

Johnson: Whatever one it is, I envision it with adults as well, but a really big turnout which will have really good positive energy. I don’t think it will be anything of an “Us versus You” situation. It’s just that we’re all — both schools — are in this together. Let’s have a blast and just make some noise.

(Kevin Keyser/KeyserImages.com)

May 20, 2020