Achieving 'the lightbulb moment' with every student - #lakewoodnews

Years ago, Jefferson County librarian Alison McCombe remembers a young boy -- who was about 9 at the time -- coming into the Golden Library for tutoring."He was so embarrassed that his grandmother would bring him to the library for help," McCombe said.The boy would walk in reluctantly, with his head hung low, she said. But he showed up every week. And by the end of the school year, he walked into the library with his head held high, happy and ready to study."He gained confidence," McCombe said.Whether a student is struggling in a certain subject, wants to boost a learned skill, further explore a concept taught in the classroom or is simply looking for a study-buddy, tutors can provide that extra academic support.Students shouldn't feel they simply can't understand something, said Cindy Pearson, founder of Golden Tutoring & Enrichment. If they are having trouble with something, "we feel that it's our job to explain it in a way that it clicks for them. We call it the lightbulb moment."Tutoring is about supporting the student so he or she can be more successful in the classroom, said Tiffany Lehman, a tutor with Golden Tutoring & Enrichment who specializes in literacy.For years, parents and students had a hard time finding an avenue to pursue that additional support, Pearson said.But now, "between more after school support, free library tutoring and our local tutors, students and parents have many more options than they did five years ago," she said.Pearson, who taught middle school math and science for about 16 years, founded Golden Tutoring & Enrichment to help fill what she called "a void" in academic support in the Golden community.In 2000, members of the Colorado School of Mines' chapter of the Phi Gamma Delta reached out to the Golden Library to inquire about a way to fulfill the fraternity's community service requirement. Rather than having them shelve books, McCombe suggested tutoring. And in October of that year, in partnership with the fraternity, Homework Help was implemented at the Golden Library.Phi Gamma Delta brothers Jasper Dunn and Kyle Voris enjoy tutoring at the library because it provides a way for the fraternity to give back to the Golden community while meeting new people, they said."It's fun to help students learn things that I enjoyed when I was their age," said Voris, a sophomore working toward a computer science degree at Mines.Dunn, a junior studying chemical engineering, agreed."I like to hope that I give them a new outlook," he said.Sixteen-year-old Angela Maj comes to the Golden Library for help in math, a subject she doesn't mind anymore, she said, because mastering concepts motivates her to do well. And, Maj added, "it's always good to know more than one way to solve something."Maj always has a good tutoring experience at the library, she said. Because they are also students, the Mines students understand what high schoolers have to go through in terms of academics, she said."Teachers do the best they can with what they have," Lehman said. But "there's no possible way for a teacher to always meet every kid's need. The scope of the job is too big."Lehman taught in a classroom for 24 years before becoming a tutor. The beauty of tutoring, she said, is being able to pick up where the teacher left off -- in a one-on-one session.As a parent, "there's only so many ways you can think of to make studying creative and fun," said Holly Levchik, a mother of two elementary-aged boys who have sessions with Lehman."Tiffany makes it fun," Levchik said. "She always has something new and fresh."Sometimes Pearson will get a request for a tutor to help with organizational and study skills -- a key to helping a student reach his or her highest potential, Pearson said.McCombe recalls a middle school student about 10 years ago, who would come into the library for tutoring, but not because he needed help with the concepts, she said."He knew how to do his math and science homework -- he got good grades on all of it -- but he would fail every test," she said.So the Mines students worked with him on test-taking strategies and ways he could calm his pre-exam anxiety.Both of Barbara Goldman's daughters have always been good at math, she said. But Goldman, who has a computer science degree, worries about young female students losing interest in math and science. And when she noticed her oldest daughter, now a freshman in high school, losing interest in the subject in the sixth grade, she decided to contact Pearson to help re-spark her desire to want to learn math."With tutoring, she got her love of math back," Goldman said, "which is worth its weight in gold."

from Lakewood Sentinel - Latest Stories http://lakewoodsentinel.com/stories/Achieving-the-lightbulb-moment-with-every-student,238301

Trump comes to Jeffco - #lakewoodnews

An estimated 5,000 people crowded the Jefferson County Fairgrounds Oct. 29 to hear Donald Trump at a campaign stop announced just two days earlier.

"In 10 days we are going to win the state of Colorado," Trump said near the start of his 52-minute speech in the swing county, which is about evenly divided among Republican, Democrats and unafilliated voters.

The tone and topics of his speech followed familiar Trump-Pence themes, with a few small nods to Colorado-specific topics. Trump repeated his pledge to "repeal and replace Obamacare," saying that Coloradoans in particular were about to receive bad news about health insurance premiums rising as a result of the program.

Also adding some local flavor to the rally were introduction speeches by Colorado politicians, including Colorado State Sen. Laura Woods, a Republican who is up for reelection in Senate District 19, representing Arvada and Westminster.

Nine minutes into his talk, Trump brought up his presidential opponent, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and the latest revelation that the FBI still might investigate her use of a private email server during her time in that position.

Trump paused on several occasions to crowd chants of "Lock her up! Lock her up!" He also earned big cheers from the crowd when criticizing Clinton's support of bringing more Syrian refugees to the United States.

"The Hillary refugee plan would leave us with generations and generations of radicals and terrorists," Trump said.

Republican state Sen. Tim Neville, who represents District 16, the area around the Jeffco Fairgrounds and to the west, said Trump's words on anti-corruption stuck with him.

"You need to clean up government, or no one will trust government," Neville said.

Another repeated theme of Trump's speech was criticism of the media.

"Boy, are they going to die when we win this," Trump said of the media, saying he wouldn't bother taking their calls once he wins.

Trump also said the murder rate in the United States is "the highest it has been in 45 years." But although annual FBI crime statistics show the recent increase in murder rates in urban areas are the largest seen in 45 years, it is also true the national murder rate remains at historically low levels.

One more recurring theme of Trump's speech was about the movement behind the campaign.

"She (Clinton) is a candidate of yesterday," Trump said near the end of his talk. "We, all of us, are a movement of tomorrow."

Ana Maria Chiafalo, of Highlands Ranch, and her husband count themselves a part of that movement. A first-generation immigrant, she attended the rally with a sign that read "Latina for Trump."

"We know the platform he's standing on and we're 100 percent behind it," she said.

When asked about why her candidate seems to be polling so poorly with other Latinos, Chiafalo said much of that perception is due to Hispanic media, which she calls biased.

"If you talk to other legal Hispanics, they feel the same as I do," Chiafalo said. "It's not about immigrants, it's about legal immigrants."

When asked after the rally why some prominent GOP politicians had chosen to distance themselves from Trump, Neville, who is not up for reelection this year, said he thought they were just focused on their own elections instead.

"He has a strong agenda and a strong platform that I think all Republicans can support," Neville said, though he conceded that personality may be an issue.

A group of about half a dozen Trump protesters with signs gathered near the back of the rally crowd. Among them was Deanna from Lakewood, who came with her adult daughter. Deanna said she was not comfortable giving out her full last name in earshot of several hostile Trump supporters who were ringing the group.

"We just wanted to observe, see what he wanted to say, see what other people wanted to say," Deanna said.

Earlier in the rally, Deanna said she had several "civil and adult" discussions with Trump supporters, talking about positions, and seeing if they could find common ground. As the rally-goers dispersed, however, the group found itself surrounded by less congenial Trump supporters.

"We've had three individuals calmly escorted away from our vicinity by police," Deanna said, gesturing to the ring of law enforcement officers who had quietly taken up positions between the two groups.

Jeffco Sheriff's Department spokesman Mark Techmeyer said 12 law enforcement agencies helped with security and traffic during the campaign stop, including Lakewood, Golden and Westminster police departments, in partnership with the U.S. Secret Service and the TSA.

Techmeyer said no arrests were reported at the rally.Donald Trump chose Jefferson County, a swing county in a swing state, as the site of one of his political rallies on Saturday, Oct. 29.

The event, announced just two days ahead of time, drew an estimated 5,000 people, according to the Jeff co Sheriff's Department.

"In 10 days we are going to win the state of Colorado," Trump said near the start of his 52-minute speech.

The tone and topics of his speech were familiar to anyone familiar with the Trump-Pence campaign, with a few small nods to Colorado-specific topics. Trump repeated his pledge to "repeal and replace Obamacare" saying that Coloradoans in particular were about to receive bad news about health insurance premiums rising as a result of the program. He did not give any source or specifics for that claim.

Also adding some local flavor to the rally were introduction speeches by Colorado politicians, including Colorado State Senator Laura Woods, who is up for reelection in Senate District 19, representing Arvada and Westminster.

Nine minutes into his talk, Trump brought up his presidential opponent, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and the latest revelation that the FBI still might investigate her use of a private email server during her time in that position.

Trump paused on several occasions to crowd chants of "Lock her up! Lock her up!" He also earned big cheers from the crowd when criticizing Clinton's support of bringing more Syrian refugees to the United States.

"The Hillary refugee plan would leave us with generations and generations of radicals and terrorists," Trump said.

Colorado state senator Tim Neville, (R --; SD-16) who represents the area around the Jeffco Fairgrounds, and to the west, said Trump's words on anti-corruption stuck with him.

"You need to clean up government, or no one will trust government," Neville said.

Another repeated theme of Trump's speech was criticism of the media.

"Boy are they going to die when we win this," Trump said of the media, saying he wouldn't bother taking their calls once he won.

Trump played loose with the facts on occasion. He claimed the murder rate in the United States is "the highest it has been in 45 years." While annual FBI crime statistics show that the recent increase in murder rates in urban areas are the largest seen in 45 years, it is also true that the national murder rate is still at historically low levels.

One more recurring theme of Trump's speech was about the movement behind the campaign.

"She (Clinton) is a candidate of yesterday. We, all of us, are a movement of tomorrow," Trump said near the end of his talk.

Ana Maria Chiafalo, of Highlands Ranch, and her husband count themselves a part of that movement. A first generation immigrant, she attended the rally with a sign that read "Latina for Trump."

"We know the platform he's standing on and we're 100 percent behind it," she said.

When asked about why her candidate seems to be polling so poorly with other Latinos, Chiafalo said much of that perception is due to Hispanic media, which she calls biased.

"If you talk to other legal Hispanics, they feel the same as I do. It's not about immigrants, it's about legal immigrants," Chiafalo said.

When asked after the rally why some prominent GOP politicians had chosen to distance themselves from Trump, Neville, who is not up for reelection this year, said he thought they were just focused on their own elections instead.

"He has a strong agenda and a strong platform that I think all Republicans can support," Neville said, though he conceded that maybe personality was an issue.

Trump protesters were few and far between at the rally, a group of about half a dozen with a couple signs gathered near the back of the rally crowds. Among the protesters was Deanna L, from Lakewood, who came with her adult daughter. Deanna said she was not comfortable giving out her full last name in earshot of several hostile Trump supporters who were ringing the group.

"We just wanted to observe, see what he wanted to say, see what other people wanted to say," Deanna said.

Earlier in the rally, Deanna said she had several "civil and adult" discussions with Trump supporters, talking about positions, and seeing if they could find common ground. As the rally-goers dispersed however, the group found itself surrounded by less congenial Trump supporters.

"We've had three individuals calmly escorted away from our vicinity by police," Deanna said, gesturing to the ring of law enforcement officers who had quietly taken up positions between the two groups.

Jeffco Sheriff's Department spokesman Mark Techmeyer said a total of 12 different law enforcement agencies helped with security and traffic during the campaign stop, including Lakewood, Golden and Westminster police department, in partnership with the U.S. Secret Service and the TSA.

Techmeyer said that there were no arrests reported at the rally.

from Lakewood Sentinel - Latest Stories http://lakewoodsentinel.com/stories/Trump-comes-to-Jeffco,238299

The knee to know - #lakewoodnews

Ponderosa junior Maddie Gabel has a vivid memory of last season's state playoff soccer game in which she tore the anterior cruciate ligament in her rightknee."I slid and blocked a shot, and once I made contact(with the ground),that's when I heard it pop," she said of the sound coming from her knee. "It took 10 months total for a full recovery."Gabel was far from alone in her plight on the sidelines.Numerous studies have concluded that girls and women are more susceptible to ACL injuries than boys and men, with most reports stating female athletes are four to eight times more likely to tear the knee ligament."There are more ACL injuries in women ... Younger women are more at risk, usually the adolescents, teenagers and up to the early 20s, in general," said Dr. Michele Wolcott, an associate professor in the University of Colorado Department of Orthopedics.In the Douglas County School District over the past five years, 42 ACL injuries in girls have been reported. Katherine West, head trainer for Jefferson County Public Schools, said there were 69 knee injuries among girls in Jeffco in the past six years, and 27 were ACL injuries.Why does it happen?Sports like soccer, basketball and volleyball that require one-step deceleration, changing direction and jumping put the most strain on athletes' ACLs, those of girls and women in particular, experts say.But why are female athletes more susceptible to the injury?"Obviously, there is a difference between females and males," said Dr. Mitchell Seemann, team physician for Regis University and D'Evelyn High School. "There have been a couple conferences over the past few years that have come together to try to figure out why (there are more ACL injuries among women). The most common reason for it is what we call neuromuscular factors."One factor includes less hamstring strength in female athletes than in their male counterparts, according to certified chiropractic sports physician Dr. Steven Horwitz, writing on the website MomsTeam, a resource for parents of athletes. Stronger hamstrings can help protect against ACL injuries, he said.Other factors, experts say, include ligaments that tend to have more give, a smaller ACL and tendency toward poor, flat-footed landings after jumping, which puts the knee in a positon to buckle and stress the ACL."We can address some factors," Wolcott said. "We can't change their skeleton or size, so we work on (what) we can, which is how you jump, land and control your landings."There are all sorts of jumps, landing drills, running around cones and doing some agility (drills), doing the cutting and pivoting things when you are not in a game situation so you are controlled and focused on doing it correctly."Trying to prevent injuriesSeemann and West attempted to establish a Jeffco districtwide ACL-injury prevention plan called the Cincinnati Sportsmetrics Program a few years ago."We did have to abandon it, and we learned something," Seemann said. "One, coaches don't want to take 15 or 20 minutes out of their practice to do this kind of stuff. The other factor is girls this age tend not to think this is going to happen to them."The major thing is it had to be done in a setting where you have perhaps one trainer and 30 kids on a soccer team. The key to the training is you have to make sure they are doing the training properly."Some area coaches are trying to take proactive measures.Horizon's softball team lost starting pitcher Kayla Kascak, who said she was hurt during a routine outfield drill in late August.Hawks softball coach Gary Mares is aware of the importance of hamstring training. He has his players do a variety of exercises to strengthen hamstrings and other lower-body muscles."It is very important to train both the front quads and back hamstrings while training the leg muscles," he said.Castle View's new girls soccer coach, Nichol Rodriguez, played college soccer for Notre Dame and the Puerto Rican national team and seven years in the Women's Premier Soccer League."We will be implementing ACL prevention once a week during the season at the end of practices," Rodriguez said of what's ahead this spring. "Also, all of the lifting that is done in the offseason seeks to strengthen all of the muscles and ligaments around the knee for a preventive measure."Former University of Utah and National Basketball Association standout Keith Van Horn is executive director of the Premier Basketball Club, which has locations in Evergreen, Parker and Grand Junction.He said the club puts a strong focus on ACL-prevention techniques."The teams that I coach at the beginning of every practice, with the girls, we implement a few warmup drills that incorporate the proper landing technique, knee positioning, hip strengthening and a number of different things in areas that tend to cause ACL injuries. We started working with an agility group that comes in and works with all of our kids."Arapahoe girls basketball coach Jerry Knafelc has had one athlete, a junior varsity player, go down with an ACL injury in the past six seasons. He said training in the summer, fall and during the season has helped mitigate the ACL injuries.Knafelc said the workouts include movement training, bleacher jumps, lifts with an emphasis on getting the glutes to activate, making sure the knees don't come in when jumping or landing, and having girls look in the mirror to make sure their posture is correct."We put a lot of time into it," he said. "That's the only way it can happen ... You have to have somebody with them to make sure they are doing it correctly."No such thing as prevention?Gabel, the Ponderosa soccer player, said she's not sure how much the drills and exercises help to prevent injuries like the one she sustained."Before I got hurt, I had done those exercises and after I got hurt, I have done a lot of them," Gabel said. "As a preventive measure, I don't really think it helps, but it's always good to strengthen your muscles and try to do anything you can."What it comes down to, if it's going to tear, it's going to tear."

from Lakewood Sentinel - Latest Stories http://lakewoodsentinel.com/stories/The-knee-to-know,238282

Woman dies in Friday accident

from Valley Courier - News http://www.alamosanews.com/V2_news_articles.php

Lake Alamosa history, mystery unveiled

from Valley Courier - News http://www.alamosanews.com/V2_news_articles.php

Cook or be cooked for? - #lakewoodnews

Whether it's a slice of juicy white meat or a slab of greasy dark meat, the staple of a Thanksgiving meal is the turkey.

How a turkey is prepped and cooked differs from household to household. Some swear by an old family recipe. Some look to food magazines for inspiration. And some prefer to let other people do the cooking.

Whatever it may be, there are plenty of options for Turkey Day in metro Denver.

Attend a class

Uncorked Kitchen --; an interactive dining experience in Centennial --; has upcoming classes for those that need some inspiration or help in the kitchen.

Owners Eric and Katie Robbins opened the kitchen, at 171 S. Chester St., just over a year ago. The kitchen hosts a variety of events, including cooking lessons, private parties and date nights.

On Nov. 16, Uncorked presents a Taste of Uncorked - Thanksgiving Day Sides class. The hands-on lesson will leave participants with two classic dishes made from scratch, including a fresh green bean casserole and roasted sweet potatoes with a twist. And on Nov. 23, the kitchen is hosting a Take & Eat Pies class.

"You leave with your sides and pies for Thanksgiving so all you have to do is cook your turkey," Katie Robbins said.

Although the classes don't focus on prepping a turkey, chefs can answer any questions a turkey-cooker may have, Robbins said.

One of those chefs is her husband, Eric. He recommends two types of turkey-prep methods. The first is spatchcocking --; when the bird is flattened into one layer by removing the backbone --; which a butcher can do. In turn, the meat is moist and the skin is crunchier.

The reason Eric likes it is because he can get butter and herbs beneath the skin.

"And everything cooks at the same time," he said.

The second style Eric prefers is a roulade turkey. The bird is butterflied, filled with ingredients such as aromatics and greens, rolled up and roasted. For the inside, Eric likes to use a bitter green, such as kale, and sweet potatoes or cranberries.

"If you want a little crunch," he said, "you can put in some nuts, like pecans."

The final product is a slice of meat with a kick of flavor in the center.

Use your resources

One step into a supermarket and you'll find everything you need, from the recipe to the ingredients.

Several food-focused magazines, such as Saveur, Food & Wine and the Food Network, are sold in chain grocery stores. Some publications, like Bon Appetit Magazine, list ingredients and step-by-step directions. The easy-to-follow lingo makes cooking for a crowd a little less daunting.

And if you're in a time crunch, some supermarkets will prepare the entire Thanksgiving meal.

Whole Foods Market has a selection of Thanksgiving menus online, including the Classic Thanksgiving Dinner Menu, the Unexpected Thanksgiving Menu, the Vegan Thanksgiving Menu and more. All menu items include ingredients, directions, number of servings and nutritional information.

All you have to do is fill out a form online or in-store and voila --; your Thanksgiving meal is taken care of.

Make a reservation

If you want to skip the dirty dishes, several restaurants in metro Denver offer Thanksgiving Day specials.

Kachina Southwestern Grill, 10600 Westminster Blvd. in Westminster, is hosting an all-you-can-eat meal starting at 11 a.m. on Nov. 24. Recommendations are strongly recommended, said Andrea Keller, morning supervisor.

"People come back every year for the food," Keller said.

The cost is $45 per adult and $15 per child.

The restaurant serves a traditional turkey dinner with a southwestern flare. On the dessert menu is churros and spicy chocolate ice cream. Customers like the idea of unlimited food and being waited on, Keller said.

"And it's the atmosphere in the restaurant," she said. "It's just comforting."

Another option is Zink Kitchen + Bar. The Greenwood Village restaurant, at 7801 E Orchard Road, offers a Thanksgiving buffet from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Nov. 24. Reservations are required. The cost is $37.95 for adults, $16.95 for ages 7-15 and free for ages 6 and under.

Zink will have a hot, cold and sweet bar equipped with traditional Thanksgiving plates, such as slow-roasted turkey breast with thyme country gravy, loaded mashed potatoes and house-made pumpkin pie.

The buffet is an experience, the restaurant's host, Ricky Pheng, said. The chefs are approachable, the service is quick and the food is comforting.

"We will make you feel like you're not just here to eat," Pheng said. "You're here to be a part of the celebration of Thanksgiving."

from Lakewood Sentinel - Latest Stories http://lakewoodsentinel.com/stories/Cook-or-be-cooked-for,238268

Running a solo endeavor for some - #lakewoodnews

Ponderosa's Cameron Nuzman didn't have any teammates in the race, but he wasn't alone while running the course at Norris Penrose Events Center in Colorado Springs during the state cross country championships.

Nuzman warmed up by himself, not with six or seven teammates like many fellow competitors. He was the only Ponderosa runner who qualified for the Oct. 29 state meet.

But many members of the Mustangs' team were on hand to support Nuzman.

"It helps to have the team there, even if they were not running," he said.

Nuzman, a senior, finished 43rd in the boys 4A race with a time of 17:12.5.

Green Mountain freshman Kasey Klocek, who was the only Rams' qualifier in the girls 4A race, was fourth in the individual standings with a 19:12.6 clocking.

"It wasn't bad being the only runner," she said. "I had the team cheering me on."

An ice day

I have always admired runners, but sometimes it doesn't look fun at the end of cross country races.

It was a warm day with the temperature reaching near 75 degrees at the state cross country championships and there were plenty of runners ushered into the medical tent for aid.

It looked way too busy to me, but apparently it was not unusual, according to a medical technician who said it was pretty typical with dehydration, exhaustion and swelled knees and ankles after falls.

It was estimated that at the start of the day there were at least 30, 20-pound bags of ice on hand to help runners recover.

Jeffco softball honors

Jefferson County announced its all-league softball selections, and the top individual honors were shared by four schools.

Arvada West's Brenna Millikan was tabbed as the Class 5A Coach of the Year and pitcher Gianna Browly of Ralston Valley was selected as the Most Valuable Player.

In the Class 4A Jeffco, Valor Christian junior pitcher Ali Kilponen was named the Player of the Year and Dan Porreco of D'Evelyn was the Coach of the Year.

CHSAA Hall of Fame inductees

Mary Shea, a standout athlete at Thornton, and Ron Vlasin, who coached basketball at Arapahoe and Littleton, are two of the eight people being inducted in the Colorado High School Activities Association's 2016 Hall of Fame class.

The 2016 class will be inducted during ceremonies Jan. 25, 2017 at the Radisson Hotel-Denver Southeast, I-225 and Parker Road.

Shea played volleyball, basketball and tennis at Thornton and helped the Trojans win the 1980 state basketball title as a senior. She played college basketball at Wyoming and coached the Thornton volleyball team in 1997 and 1998.

Vlasin compiled a 546-165 record in 32 years as a basketball coach. He coached at Merino, Littleton and Arapahoe. In six seasons at Arapahoe, the Warriors compiled a 96-23 record, and his Littleton basketball teams were 125-64 in nine seasons. He also coached baseball at Arapahoe for six seasons.

New ThunderRidge boys lacrosse coach

Colton Mattei has been named the new boys lacrosse coach at ThunderRidge.

Mattei, son of Regis Jesuit girls basketball coach Carl Mattei, coached the past two seasons at Machebeuf where he compiled a 6-23-0 record for a program that had won a combined five games in the previous three seasons.

He inherits a ThunderRidge program that has gone 21-39-0 in the past four years.

A play to remember

Several people have commented that the final play of the Oct. 28 football game between Cherry Creek and Prairie View was one to remember.

Prairie View senior Patrick McKinney, who is wheel chair bound with cerebral palsy, was given a hand-off and wheeled into the end zone while being cheered on by Thunderhawk and Bruins players.

Colorado Springs during the state cross country championships.

Nuzman warmed up by himself, not with six or seven teammates like many fellow competitors. He was the only Ponderosa runner who qualified for the Oct. 29 state meet.

But many members of the Mustangs' team were on hand to support Nuzman.

"It helps to have the team there, even if they were not running," he said.

Nuzman, a senior, finished 43rd in the boys 4A race with a time of 17:12.5.

Green Mountain freshman Kasey Klocek, who was the only Rams' qualifier in the girls 4A race, was fourth in the individual standings with a 19:12.6 clocking.

"It wasn't bad being the only runner," she said. "I had the team cheering me on."

An ice day

I have always admired runners, but sometimes it doesn't look fun at the end of cross country races.

It was a warm day with the temperature reaching near 75 degrees at the state cross country championships and there were plenty of runners ushered into the medical tent for aid.

It looked way too busy to me, but apparently it was not unusual, according to a medical technician who said it was pretty typical with dehydration, exhaustion and swelled knees and ankles after falls.

It was estimated that at the start of the day there were at least 30, 20-pound bags of ice on hand to help runners recover.

Jeffco softball honors

Jefferson County announced its all-league softball selections, and the top individual honors were shared by four schools.

Arvada West's Brenna Millikan was tabbed as the Class 5A Coach of the Year and pitcher Gianna Browly of Ralston Valley was selected as the Most Valuable Player.

In the Class 4A Jeffco, Valor Christian junior pitcher Ali Kilponen was named the Player of the Year and Dan Porreco of D'Evelyn was the Coach of the Year.

CHSAA Hall of Fame inductees

Mary Shea, a standout athlete at Thornton, and Ron Vlasin, who coached basketball at Arapahoe and Littleton, are two of the eight people being inducted in the Colorado High School Activities Association's 2016 Hall of Fame class.

The 2016 class will be inducted during ceremonies Jan. 25, 2017 at the Radisson Hotel-Denver Southeast, I-225 and Parker Road.

Shea played volleyball, basketball and tennis at Thornton and helped the Trojans win the 1980 state basketball title as a senior. She played college basketball at Wyoming and coached the Thornton volleyball team in 1997 and 1998.

Vlasin compiled a 546-165 record in 32 years as a basketball coach. He coached at Merino, Littleton and Arapahoe. In six seasons at Arapahoe, the Warriors compiled a 96-23 record, and his Littleton basketball teams were 125-64 in nine seasons. He also coached baseball at Arapahoe for six seasons.

New ThunderRidge boys lacrosse coach

Colton Mattei has been named the new boys lacrosse coach at ThunderRidge.

Mattei, son of Regis Jesuit girls basketball coach Carl Mattei, coached the past two seasons at Machebeuf where he compiled a 6-23-0 record for a program that had won a combined five games in the previous three seasons.

He inherits a ThunderRidge program that has gone 21-39-0 in the past four years.

A play to remember

Several people have commented that the final play of the Oct. 28 football game between Cherry Creek and Prairie View was one to remember.

Prairie View senior Patrick McKinney, who is wheel chair bound with cerebral palsy, was given a hand-off and wheeled into the end zone while being cheered on by Thunderhawk and Bruins players.

from Lakewood Sentinel - Latest Stories http://lakewoodsentinel.com/stories/Running-a-solo-endeavor-for-some,238254