After reviewing the #BackMySchool submissions from the 2018 fall sports season, the CHSAA office has announced Eaglecrest, Longmont and Loveland as the finalists.
Those three teams will now head to a final vote to determine the champion later this month.
Each of the three were selected not only for the quality of their submissions, but their consistent participation in the #BackMySchool contest across multiple events throughout the full.
Below are some of the submissions from each school:
AURORA â CHSAA’s sportsmanship contest which seeks to encourage positive school spirit across the state is back for another season.
This season, the contest has been rebranded as #BackMySchool, a change from last season’s #BackMyTeam. The reason for this is because we want the contest to encompass all things about a school, including activities, and not just limit it to sports.
The winning school will receive recognition from CHSAA, and an award for its athletic department. There will be one winner for the school year, honored at the conclusion of the fall season.
Rules for the contest are available on this page, but entries can be submitted from official school/administrator accounts using the hashtag #BackMySchool on Twitter or Instagram. Please tag @CHSAA in your submissions so we are sure to see them.
All entries should show students positively supporting their team, or other acts of good sportsmanship.
Three finalists will be selected during the fall season, and the winner will be selected from those finalists following a week-long vote in November.
Eaglecrest is the defending champion of the contest.
FORT COLLINS â More than 400 students are in attendance at the annual CHSAA Student Leadership Camp this week, which seeks to equip them with leadership skills they can take back to their schools.
This year’s camp, held on campus at Colorado State University, is the 54th in the history of the Association, and it officially marks the start of the 2018-19 school year for CHSAA activities.
The camp seeks to give its attendees skills they can use throughout the school year, and touches on topics like diversity, self-evaluation, team-building, technology and how to build leadership programs. The campers also share ideas and best practices on things like school dances, pep rallies, school spirit, and more.
On Tuesday, the CHSAA administrative staff visited the camp and met the the 18 student representatives who have been elected by their peers to provide leadership across the state. These representatives will serve on a variety of CHSAA committees, and volunteer at state championship events, among other duties.
CHSAA assistant commissioner Ernie Derrera is the campâs coordinator and director, and Rashaan Davis, the advisor at Eaglecrest High School, is the curriculum director.
This year’s Fall Conference for student leadership will be held at Arvada West High School from Oct. 12-13.
AURORA â The members of the 2017 CHSAA Hall of Fame were inducted during a ceremony on Wednesday night at the Radisson Hotel Denver Southeast.
Tricia Bader-Binford (Roaring Fork), Jenny Coalson (Ellicott) Joe Silva (Fruita Monument), Bobbi Brown-Vandenberg (Boulder), Don Kimble (Limon), Ken Shaw (Regis Jesuit), Kent Smith (Boulder/Highlands Ranch/Ponderosa), Brian Richmond (Fort Collins) and L. D. Elarton (Lamar) were all inducted on Wednesday.
The nine new members are the 29th in the history of the CHSAA Hall of Fame, which was started in 1989.
Bader-Binford spoke for the class at the conclusion of the ceremony, saying, “This is an honor that we share with our communities. It is clear that we achieved because people believed in us. People believed in us, they supported us, they provided us the chance to be great.”
“The opportunities CHSAA has provided has changed each of us for the better,” Bader-Binford added.
Tricia Bader Binford (Roaring Fork HS): A three-sport athlete â basketball, volleyball and track â Bader was a five-time state track champion, three-time all-state basketball player and led the Rams to the 1989, 1990 and 1991 state basketball titles. She was a three-time all-state player and the player of the year as a senior.
She won the 1991 Rocky Mountain Newsâ Steinmark Award and RHS has named its âThree-Sport Athlete Awardâ after her.
A former WNBA and Australian professional player, Bader is the head coach at Montana State where she was the Big Sky Conference Coach of the Year in 2015-16.
As great as she was on the court, she was equally great off it, maintaining great character, and inspiring many young women in rural communities to become involved in sports.
A girlsâ coach for 32 years in Colorado and Wisconsin, Brown was the architect of one of the strongest girlsâ basketball programs in Colorado.
Her BHS teams were 182-28, winning the 1984, 1986, 1989 (undefeated), 1990 and 1991 state titles. Her 1985 and 1992 teams finished second. She also took a leave of absence in the middle of her Boulder tenure to finish her graduate studies.
A former CU basketball player, was also an assistant varsity football coach in 1990, coaching wide receivers and defensive backs. She coached at Fairview and Boulder from 1981 until 1992.
She was Coach of the Year by The Denver Post, Rocky Mountain News and Boulder Daily Camera five times.
She is currently the Viterbo University (La Crosse, WI) womenâs basketball coach.
Jenny Coalson (Ellicott HS): Coalson was a three-sport athlete at Ellicott, leading her team to two state basketball championships and winning four state individual track titles, while placing 10 more times.
She won the triple jump as a freshman, the 200 meters and shot put as a junior, along with winning the long jump as a senior. The 2A Basketball Player of the Year twice in basketball, Coalson was all-state in basketball (twice) and volleyball (once).
She was selected to the CCGS and CHSCA All-State Teams in both sports as a senior. In addition, she is a Little Britches world champion rodeo performer.
She won the 1995 Rocky Mountain Newsâ Steinmark Award She went on to play and excel in basketball at Kansas State.
Eldon “L.D.” Elarton (Lamar Schools): One of the stateâs most respected administrators, Elartonâs career as a student participant, teacher, coach and administrator was steeped in Lamar.
A native of the community, he played baseball, basketball and football, was student body president and an all-state participant for LHS. After college, he returned home to teach and coach, starting in 1968 and moved up the ranks, serving as teacher, assistant principal, principal, finance director and superintendent.
As a coach, Elarton earned Baseball Coach of the Year honors in the Will Rogers League at Widefield High School. Once returning to Lamar, he initiated the Academic Letter Award, host numerous CHSAA Music and Speech events, while the schoolâs baseball, wrestling and girlsâ basketball teams won 10 state titles among them. He was active on the state and national scene through CASE and NASSP.
Don Kimble (Limon HS): A music teacher who established one of the finest music programs, the late Don Kimble taught music for the Badgers for 29 years after one year at Flagler.
His bands received 26 first division ratings in state large group festivals, both in performance and sight-reading. The marching band also won state recognition in 1977 for its field performances.
Kimble directed four different bands at Limon, the fourth-grade band, fifth-grade beginning band, the Cadet Band (6, 7 & 8 graders) and the Senior High School Band. He taught Music Appreciation and took his pep bands to many out-of-town athletic contests. He was also assigned three choirs to conduct.
Kimble was a master at balancing the demands for his students between athletics and his music programs.
Brian Richmond (Fort Collins): One of the stateâs top gymnastics coaches and judge, Richmond coached high school for 17 years, but has been a high school judge since 1971.
He coached gymnastics at four high schools â Jefferson, Poudre, Fort Collins and Thompson Valley â with the PHS team winning the 1984 title and runners up in 1985.
A former CSU gymnast and coach, Richmond became one of the top judges in the state, as well as one the national and international scene. He judged 20 CHSAA boysâ state meets and has been a mainstay with the girlsâ state meet, having worked 35 of those. He has judged on the national and international stage.
He was inducted in the National Gymnastics Judges Association Hall of Fame in 2011.
Ken Shaw (Merino, Yuma, Sterling, Rocky Mountain, Smoky Hill, Regis Jesuit HS): One of the stateâs legendary athletes who become one of Coloradoâs top prep basketball coaches, Shaw guided his Merino team to a pair of state tiles, while going undefeated.
He was a prolific high school athlete at Merino, and held the career scoring record when his career was over. That mark has since been broken, but Shaw’s name still dots the basketball record book as a player. Additionally, Shaw was a standout football player, and has his name in that sport’s record book.
As a coach, his teams have won more than 710 games and he guided Regis to three straight 5A championships. His teams also won titles two other times, at Yuma and Sterling.
His teams have a record 29 the state tournament appearances.
Joe Silva (Fruita Monument HS): A Bronze Star Recipient in Vietnam, Silva was a three-time state wrestling champion for Fruita Monument and compiled a 58-0-2 mark in his career.
In 12 state matches, opponents scored just 6 points on him. He also participated in football and baseball.
He is a former District 51 Teacher of the Year and taught 29 years at Fruita Middle School. During that time, he, along with 2016 inductee Ray Coca and others broadcast the Western Slope State Championship matches on radio and television.
From 1963-65, Fruita enjoyed much success in wrestling, baseball and football. The constant on these teams was Silva. The school won two wrestling team titles and the football team was state runner up twice and baseball once over the period.
Kent Smith (Boulder, Ponderosa, Aurora Central, Highlands Ranch, La Veta, Alamosa): Having just retired after 53 years of coaching, Smith is one of the stateâs top coaches, regardless of sport. And, he is noted for his integrity and ability to build better people through activities.
He has been the head boysâ basketball coach at Boulder and Ponderosa, the head cross country coach at Ponderosa and Highlands Ranch, as well as the head boysâ soccer coach at Aurora Central. Additionally, he served as head girlsâ basketball coach at La Veta and Alamosa.
His teams have won state titles in basketball (twice at Boulder) and cross country (six times at Highlands Ranch). He runs a dog and horse rescue ranch near Walsenburg.
The state speech and debate tournament will be hosted by Rocky Mountain this year.
The CHSAA office made that announcement on Thursday. The 2018 tournament will be held March 16-17 at the campus of the school.
All students who qualify for the state speech tournament will have participated and placed in one of the six regional tournaments throughout the state.
More information about the state speech tournament:
Hosts: Gina DiFelice, head speech and debate coach, RMHS; RMHS administrative staff
Chair: Sarah French-Hahn, Greeley Central High School
Co-Chair: Sally Graham, Castle View High School
Time: TBA
Further information will be available as the state speech tournament approaches.
The school won the final vote — held simultaneously on Twitter and on CHSAANow.com — by a narrow margin over Rocky Mountain. Loveland finished third.
Eaglecrest will be honored at halftime of the Class 5A championship game this Saturday.
The Raptors had a strong turnout on both avenues of voting. The are the first-ever #BackMyTeam champion, a competition which seeks to promote positive sportsmanship and school spirit around the state.
The first winter sports #BackMyTeam period begins on Dec. 1 and runs for the rest of the the month. The second period is all of January, with the third period encompassing all of February.
To enter, schools, teams or administrators only need to use the #BackMyTeam hashtag on Twitter or Instagram with images or videos showing their positive school spirit.
