Four Corners Sports September 2015

3Four Corners SPORTSSEPTEMBER 2015

content| 4 | HARDROCK HUNDRED

5:30 a.m.— runners gather at the

starting line for the 22nd annual

Hardrock Hundred Endurance Run as the

rising sun burns off a heavy fog that has

settled over the town of Silverton. Several

competitors stare intently at the Ram’s

head painted Hardrock, a rock that

marks the completion of the 100.5 mile

race as though doing so will lead them

back home as does the North Star lead a

wayward mariner.

| 8 | CONNIE MACK

Every year in early August Farmington

becomes THE baseball town, the home of

the Connie Mack World Series and a com-

munity that becomes obsessed with its

signature event. 2015 was no exception to

the rule.

| 18 | YAFL takes the field

The Four Corners Young American Foot-

ball league is in full swing, as young ath-

letes, coaches and referees learn football

basics for the season.

| 26 | 10 Questionswith Alysha Shipley

| 12 | Ricketts ParkOriginalJim Clay, at 91 years old, still comes

to every Connie Mack game and is

extremely involved in the baseball

community.

| 24 | San Juan RiverThe San Juan River is world-renowned

and considered one of the best fly-fishing

spots in the nation.

| 14 | Getting theirskate on

They go by Homicidoll Honey, Shi Rydz

and Blonde Fatality. They’ve had the piss

knocked out of them, launched a snot

rocket out of their nose, put their helmets

on backwards, endured wardrobe

malfunctions and have had skates almost

up their rearends.

| 32 | Bloomfield familyaquatic centerIt was triple-digit numbers recently, when

Diego Burnham, Jude Santos and Aaliya

Greeslin found what was likely the coolest

spot in Bloomfield – the Bloomfield Family

Aquatic Center.

| 28 | Editorial Columnistby Rick Hoerner

| 22 | The First Teeby Tom Yost

| 30 | NASCAR Nellie

Don Vaughan

PuBlISHER

Cindy Cowan Thiele

EDITOR

Rick Hoerner

Tom Yost

Dorothy Nobis

CONTRIBuTING WRITERS

Josh Bishop

Curtis Ray Benally

CONTRIBuTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Suzanne Thurman

DESIGNER

Clint Alexander

SAlES STAFF

lacey Waite

ADMINISTRATION

For advertising information

Call 505.516.1230

www.fourcornerssports.com

Four Corners Sports magazine is published once amonth by Majestic Media. Material herein may not bereprinted without expressed written consent of the pub-lisher. Opinions expressed by the contributing writersare not necessarily those of the publisher, editor or FourCorners Sports magazine. Every effort has been madeto ensure the accuracy of this publication. However thepublisher cannot assume responsibility for errors orommissions. © 2015 Four Corners Sports magazine.

Majestic Media

100 W. Apache Street

Farmington, NM 87401

505.516.1230

www.majesticmediausa.com

STORY IDEAS and PHOTOS

covercredit

Please send to

[email protected]

Curtis Ray Benally

4 Four Corners SpoRtS SEPTEMBER 2015

SilveRton, Colo.

5:30 a.m.— runners gather at the starting

line for the 22nd annual Hardrock Hundred

endurance Run as the rising sun burns off a

heavy fog that has settled over the town of

Silverton. Several competitors stare intently at

the Ram’s head painted Hardrock, a rock that

marks the completion of the 100.5 mile race as

though doing so will lead them back home as

does the north Star lead a wayward mariner.

Multiple-time finishers chat among themselves

about how snowy the course will be as several

runners crowd around for a photo with Kilian

Jornet, (team Salomon and 2014 course

record holder with a 22:41:43 finish) arguably

the most recognized and successful name in

ultra-running.

the Hardrock Hundred boasts some of the

most difficult terrain in the nation, attracting

elite national and international runners to cast

their lot among the 1,200 applicants for a

chance to be one of the 152 participants each

year. this year the favored contenders are

Kilian Jornet Burgada of Spain, Adam Campbell

of Alberta and Mike Foote of Montana for the

men’s race and Anna Frost of new Zealand and

Hardrock Hundred Racers break records in dynamic endurance run

Story and Photos Ben Brashear

5Four Corners SPOrTSSEPTEMBER 2015

Darcy Piceu of Colorado for the women’s race.

It is already assumed that Jornet will take the

win for the men’s race. The real race this year

will be between first-time Hardrocker Frost

and multiple-time finisher Piceu.

The race traverses the rugged San Juan

Mountains and maintains an average elevation

of 11,000 feet above sea level, testing a

runner’s true mettle with a cumulative eleva-

tion gain of 33,992 feet. The course begins and

ends in Silverton taking runners over several

13,000-foot passes, 14,000-foot Handies Peak,

and then winds its way through the towns of

Ouray and Telluride, all with a 48-hour cut-off

time. It takes most runners, on average, a gru-

eling 41 hours to complete the race. That

means most participants will see the sunrise

and set twice; now, that’s mental tenacity.

Despite the difficulty of the course, Killian

Jonet commented in his finish-line interview,

after setting the course record in 2014, that

running the Hardrock fulfilled a childhood

dream of his, yet it was not simply competing

that made it so. It was the sense of community,

the energy of the mountains and the amazing

The Hardrock Hundred boasts

some of the most difficult terrain

in the nation

people involved with the race that makes the Hardrock so unique.

6 a.m.—

the entire group of runners sways in unison with anticipation of the

race’s start. At race director Dale Garland’s countdown the entire mass

suddenly yields into a sprint that mirrors marathon pace in spite of the

incredible distance that lay ahead. It takes but a moment for the runners

to disappear around the block heading toward 12,592-foot Stony pass. It

is for a moment silent and then at once the crowd of spectators seems

to exhale in wild speculation as to how Jornet will set a new course

record, whether the rain and snow will alter the outcome drastically, and

who will win the brawl between piceu and Frost.

Jornet took an early lead by Engineer pass, and with it he took the

time to chat among the aid station crew, acting as though he were on an

afternoon jog even with Mike Foote close on his heels. Chris price, Adam

Campbell, Anna Frost and Darcy piceu rounded out the remaining top

spots.

It was then, around midnight, as the leaders were making their way

over oscar’s pass from telluride, that the snowfields began to take a toll.

According to Foote, navigating the snowfield through heavy fog and rain

was nearly impossible. the top ten were delayed for nearly an hour as

they post-holed through snow that was chest deep in spots. Frost, nearly

defeated by the task and losing her lead to piceu, begged pacer Eric Sk-

aggs of Durango to allow her to lie down and sleep. Skaggs replied that it

would mean hypothermia, "that would kill you," he said to Frost.

piceu gained an 18-minute lead over Frost by Chapman aid station. By

6 Four Corners SportS SEPTEMBER 2015

��

��

��

��

��

Located at 111 N. BehrendFarmington, NM 87401

505-325-9600#OneCall Connects

7Four Corners SPortSSEPTEMBER 2015

��-.��%) 0��,(%)#.*)�01��

��

��

�,%''"��/�,!-��0��"�!� $"�� &-�0��/(+",��"+'� "(").-��%,"� $�%)-��(*,"�

��

��

��

5:28 a.m. Jornet crossed the finish line in first place overall, setting a new

counter-clockwise record with a time of 23:28:10. It would be over two hours

before second place Foote crossed the line, followed by Campbell. As the sunrise

warmed Frost, so did her pace as she gained on Piceu and went on to finish first

for the women, setting a new course record with a time of 28:22, followed by

Piceu with a time of 28:57. According to Campbell it was the most dynamic racing

at Hardrock he has ever seen.

9Four Corners SPoRTSSEPTEMBER 2015

Every year in early August Farmington becomes THE baseball town,

the home of the Connie Mack World Series and a community, with its

signature event. 2015 was no exception to the rule. Connie Mack Week,

which recently has had the luxury of exceptional baseball weather,

gave Farmington residents a quick reminder that the

tournament is also the best time to fertilize the lawn and

was the factor in the most bizarre ending, one would

believe, in recent Connie Mack Tournament history.

The tournament had some obvious changes for

Connie Mack fans. The tournament extended

from 10 teams to 12 and for the first time since

2010 a team besides the Strikezone Cardinals entered

the bracket as the host team. This year’s entry, the Four

Corners Club Sox, rode in on a strong city tournament run,

including knocking off the Cardinals, then took down the 14ers in

the City Tournament final.

For the Club Sox that’s where the peak of their Connie Mack season

ended. After a nearly three-week layoff, the Club Sox couldn’t get there

bats started for the Series, falling in two games without scoring a run.

The season ended for the host squad during a rain-shortened five inning

matchup with the Louisiana Elite. After the traditional opening

ceremonies the host team faced a tough opening round

opponent in Prairie Gravel from Chicago who finished run-

ner-ups this year in the bizarre ending of the Series, 15-0.

The 51st championship bracket set up with the

usual suspects arriving in their summer

vacation homes in Farmington including the

East Cobb Yankees, the Dallas Mustangs, the D-Bat Elite,

the Texas Frozen Ropes, the Southern California Renegades

and of course the Midland Redskins. While the 50th Anniver-

sary ceremony introduced the opening class of the Connie Mack

Hall of Fame, this year’s fanfare was replaced by a much more somber

event as Farmington took time to remember longtime Midland manager

and Connie Mack Hall of Famer Joe Hayden, who we lost this past winter.

CONNIE MACK WORLD SERIES 2015

More steam, unique championship game highlight tourney

Story by Rick Hoerner | Photos by Curtis Ray Benally

10 Four Corners SPORTS SEPTEMBER 2015

��$ ��'$��'��$"#�$&)��%'��&)��!%'$�!��" #�!)��%&�$!� �$��'�&'$��!%'$�!��$ ��'$��'��!%'$�!��" #�!)��%&��%��"�!�%�� " #�!)�#$"(��$%�"��$ ��'$��'��!�!��$(��%��

�� $�"!' ��&#!$�(%$�� (��)��!�"��'��%#

��$�"!' ��(��&#!$�(%$��*� �� "�$!��&&�&!��'��%#

The early rounds yielded the results that most teams expected with

the traditional powerhouses moving on – the lone exception being the

Prairie Gravel team from Chicago. Days one through six were

predominately close ball games as teams fought to survive through the

elimination rounds.

The Frozen Ropes and Puerto Rico joined the host team in losing

their first two and heading home. The Bayside Yankees, Service League

of New York and the Dallas Mustangs followed right behind leaving the

final six in the new 12-team format with Midland and the Renegades

advancing undefeated.

Prairie Gravel eliminated D-Bat Elite while East Cobb took out

Louisiana Elite and Midland moved the Renegades to the one lost side

of the final four only leaving Midland as the lone undefeated team in

the tournament.

But it was not meant to be this time for the perennial favorites as

they lost in back-to-back nights against the Prairie Gravel squad. In the

GAME SCORES SIDEBARGame #1 - East Cobb 4 Ropes 17u 2

Game #2 - DBat Elite 7 Bayside Yankees 5

Game #3 - Prairie Gravel 15 4C Clubsox 0

Game #4 - So Cal Renegades 9 Louisiana Elite 2

Game #5 - Midland 3 Youth Service League 2

Game #6 - Dallas Mustangs 2 Puerto Rico 1

Game #7 - Bayside Yankees 5 Ropes 17 1

Game #8 - Youth Service League 9 Puerto Rico 1

Game #9 - Louisiana Elite 5 4C Ckubsox 1

Game #10 - Midland Redskins 8 Dallas Mustangs 4

Game #11 - So Cal Renegades 7 Prairie Gravel 1

Game #12 - DBaT Elite 3 East Cobb 1

Game #13 - Louisiana Elite 2 Bayside Yankees 1

Game #14 - Prairie Gravel 4 Youth Service League 1

Game #15 - East Cobb 7 Dallas Mustangs 1

Game #16 - So Cal Renegades 3 DBat Elite 1

Game #17 - Prairie Gravel 14 DBaT Elite 1

Game #18 - East Cobb 14 Louisiana Elite 5

Game #19 - Midland 4 So Cal Renegades 1

Game #20 - East Cobb 12 So Cal Renegades 6

Game #21 - Prairie Gravel 7 Midland 1

Game #22 - Prairie gravel 13 Midland 7

Game #23 - East Cobb 7 Prairie Gravel 5

11Four Corners SPoRTSSEPTEMBER 2015

�� !� ��"��

�� #��"""��

�"�� #��!��#��"��

�� #��"� ��$ � ��#��

��#��"�

��

��!��

��!��

other semi final matchup East Cobb eliminated

Southern California leaving three teams ready

for Friday night's finals with East Cobb winning

the coin flip for the bye into the finals. Prairie

Gravel knocked off Midland again in a rain

delayed early game leaving a late night for the

finals. And here is where the mayhem began.

Unbeknownst to the crowd sitting through

extensive rain delays, the East Cobb Yankees

had a travel problem. Their flight for Albu-

querque left early Saturday morning and they

had to be on the road by 1:30 meaning that

finishing the game was very unlikely. The

managers made an agreement that any inning

beginning after 1 a.m. would be the last. If they

were in the 4th inning or less, each team

would claim a co-championship. If after the 5th

inning, the team leading would be declared the

champion.

East Cobb jumped out to a quick 7-2 lead

and by the time it became apparent that the

game would likely not reach the targeted 5th

inning in time, East Cobb took the gamble that

Prairie Gravel couldn’t score enough to catch

them in a couple of at bats.

The Yankees began swinging away intention-

ally to forfeit their outs and move the game to

the fifth. The obvious move of the Yankees to

get the game to the fifth, left players, coaches

and fans in the dark as to what was going on

and they did not take well to the play for a

championship.

When the dust settled the Yankees claimed

the 2015 title. For the Yankees it was their 6th

Connie Mack World Series and put them back

on their (once San Francisco Giants every

year) roll when they won titles in 1999, 2001,

2003 and 2005 to go with their 2008 title.

So another year of Farmington’s signature

event comes to an end with all the fanfare,

great baseball, and Ricketts Park ground crew

miracles.

But this year may have left a bitter pill to

swallow watching one team manipulate itself

out of sharing a title while the other, that could

have easily done the same by trying not to get

outs defensively or making numerous pitching

changes, worked to get back in the game and

have a chance.

Changes have been swift at Ricketts over the

past years and after the 51st series, more are

sure to come.

12 Four Corners SPoRTS SEPTEMBER 2015

Jim Clay, at 91 years old, still comes to every Connie Mack game and

is extremely involved in the baseball community. This year he was asked

to throw out the first pitch at one of the Connie Mack games in

recognition of his involvement in building the original Ricketts Park.

Clay supplied the welders from his company and, along with Doc

Jones and El Paso Natural Gas, built the bleachers at Ricketts Park.

“His employees welded the oil stem pipe that made up the bleachers

at Ricketts for free,” explained Connie Mack World Series Vice Chairman,

Carol May. “In 2001 they were torn down and replaced with a

professional aluminum stadium system.”

Clay came to Farmington from Breckenridge, Texas, where his

grandfather and father had formed his love for baseball.

“The oilfield is what brought me to Farmington,” said Clay. “And I have

been involved with Connie Mack since I have been here.”

“Jimmy was instrumental in making Ricketts Park what it was back

then,” said May. “And under the bleachers in the Hall of Fame area at

Ricketts is one of the original bridges from pole to pole that was built by

Jimmy’s welders.”

And even though the “modernized” Ricketts Park looks nothing

like the original, without guys like Jim Clay, Ricketts Park and the

Connie Mack World Series might not be located in Farmington, New

Mexico.

Story by Tom Yost

RICKETTS PARK ORIGINALJim Clay throws out the first pitch at CMWS game


They go by Homicidoll Honey, Shi Rydz and

Blonde Fatality. They’ve had the piss knocked

out of them, launched a snot rocket out of their

nose, put their helmets on backwards,

endured wardrobe malfunctions and have had

skates almost up their rearends.

They’re nurses, machine operators,

supervisors, baristas, mothers, wives, sisters

and daughters. They’re spunky, adventurous,

athletic and strong. They are the Animas Roller

Girls, or ARG, Farmington’s very own roller

derby team.

The Animas Roller Girls were victorious

over the SLV Scarlett Rollers on July 11 in

Monte Vista, Colo. Alysha Shipley and Mary

Jones are the co-captains of the Animas Roller

Girls and both love the sport.

“Roller derby is for everybody,” Shipley said.

“I wish our team had more skaters and more

community support and interest. I think if you

have ever wanted to try it (roller derby), you

probably should. Even if you don’t want to

compete, you can be a referee or even help do

things, like keep score or time penalties.

Skates are not a requirement to be part of the

derby community.”

“When I joined roller derby, I was a shell of

my former self,” Shipley added. “This sport,

and the people I’ve met, has given me so much.

I finally feel like a ‘whole’ person again. I have

confidence, motivation and can do things I

never thought I would be able to do. This sport

and my team mean the world to me.”

Shipley is a volunteer supervisor for the San

Juan County Court Appointed Special Advocate

Volunteer Program, which is a program of

Childhaven. “I’ve always been interested in the

sport,” she said. “I lived in Flagstaff (Ariz.) for

two years and always wanted to join the team

there, but never had time. When I moved back

to Farmington in 2013, I saw the sport had

re-emerged in our community and I just went

for it.”

Gettin’their

skate onAnimas Roller Girls want to introduce community to modern roller derby

Story by Dorothy Nobis | Photos by Josh Bishop


Mary Jones was in the oil and gas industry

for 16 years and is hoping to be accepted into

nursing school to start her second career. “I

was never good at sports when I was a kid,”

Jones said. “I heard about roller derby

through a friend. I thought to myself, ‘Hey, I’m

good at roller skating – why not?’”

“I think the most exciting aspect (of the

sport) is being able to transform into my

pseudo character,” Jones added. “When I’m

not on skates, I’m ‘Mary.’ On skates, I’m

Vishous.”

“Homicidoll Honey (Sommer Gurule) and a

couple of other women started this team four

and a half years ago,” Jones said. “We have

put our blood, sweat and tears into this

amazing team of ladies. Roller derby is one of

the things I have where I can be myself. I love

being a leader and teacher of roller derby.”

“I remember how frustrated I was when I

first started roller derby and I can see fresh

meat (newcomers) going through the same

struggles,” Jones continued. “Seeing them

frustrated allows me to tell them my story

and inspire them so they can regain faith in

themselves that they can do it.”

Sommer Gurule – aka Homicidoll

Honey—is a stay-at-home wife and mother. “I

chose Homicidoll Honey as my alter ego

because being a stay-at-home mother and

wife, I have a soft, nurturing side,” Gurule

said. “However, I feel like I have this strong,

powerful – and sometimes crazy – side that

gets to come out while I’m on the track.”

“The most exciting aspect of roller derby

for me is that it is a full contact sport,”

Gurule added. “The best part is that it appeals

to players from all walks of life, profession,

size and age.”

“I couldn’t be happier that I took the leap

and joined (the Animas Roller Girls) four and

a half years ago,” she said. “These people are

like my extended family. I would like to tell

anyone who has thought about joining to go

ahead and take the leap. It will be an activity

that you will definitely enjoy.”

Pin-U-Up #88, known also known as Jen-

nifer Lucero, is 31, the mother of four and a

cosmetology student. “My family thinks (roller

derby) is great for me, but some friends think

I’m crazy,” Lucero said. “But it is cool when

your grandma tells you about the dates she

went on, going to watch Roller Derby.”

Being part of the team takes more than

just the desire to skate, Lucero explained. “It

takes having compassion and wanting your

sisters to be the best,” she said. “We are a

family – a team. We strive to build each other

up, to encourage each other to try that move,

and we love our team.”

Chantel Willems is a nurse at Blue Cross

Blue Shield of New Mexico. Chantel doesn’t yet

have an official derby name because she is

still “fresh meat,” a status she will have until

she passes the next skills test, scheduled for

Sept. 24. “But I have already chosen ‘Blood

Bath and Beyond,’” she said.

Willems had toyed with the idea of joining

the Animas Roller Girls team, but thought she

was too much of a “sissy” to be part of it.

When a truck with Derby Girl stickers on its

window passed her on her way to a party,

Willems decided to do it.

“It was a sign,” Willems said. “I owed it to

myself to at least check it (the team) out. I

went to my first practice the next day and

haven’t looked back.”

“There is a rush, excitement and confi-

dence that comes from such an experience,”

Willems added. “Every day I am able to do

something new or something better. My

physical abilities are shooting through the

roof, my mental confidence is sky high and

every day I see improvement in my ability to

help my team.”

Karen DiGiacomo manages a four-genera-

tion household and admits to being an “odd

ball.” She loves the culture of the sport and

the sisterhood it provides. When asked who

the “tough girl” is on the team, DiGiacomo

said there isn’t one.

“They are all tough girls,” she said. “They

spend their days and lives taking care of their

ANIMAS ROLLERGIRLS ROSTER

Jennifer Lucero, 31, “Pin-U-Up #88”

Taylor Jones, 19, “Devilz Rejekt”

Crystal Roberts, 31, “Dixlexya”

Erin Lash, 29, “Blonde Fatality”

Charlene Rvso, 48, “Shi Rydz”

Karen DiGiacomo, 49, “LBCAKE”

Sommer Gurule, 32, “Homicidoll Honey”

Mary Jones, 35, “Vishous”

Alysha Shipley, 27, no name selected yet

Chantel Willems, 31, “Blood, Bath and Beyond”

families. Every moment is about being there

and nurturing someone else. When they lace

up (their skates), it’s about taking care of

themselves and being vulnerable to the

sport – physically and mentally – and that

takes courage.”

Charlene rvso is a machine operator

and a production assistant. She’s also the

mother of four and has two grandchildren.

rvso said people think she’s crazy to be

involved in roller derby.

“Some people my age (48) say the

‘attire’ is what would hold them back from

playing the sport. But others, especially my

mom, say I am an example of ‘doing anything

possible.’ It just means my bones and body

will be stronger.”

As far as the “attire,” rvso said she is

also a seamstress assistant and adds trims

and detail to the clothes she wears.

DiGiacomo admits a love of fishnets and a

good pair of Army boots; Chantel Willems

can’t resist unicorn tights; and Mary Jones

uses face paint .

Erin Lash, a keyholder at Applebee’s and mother of two, enjoys

the relationship the team shares. “We all have our strengths and,

when we put them together, we are unstoppable. Each person has

weaknesses and some of us use our weaknesses as our strengths,”

she said. “When we are together, that is our family. Derby brings a

totally random bunch of girls together and lets us get things out of

our system. All we need is a few good hits and we’re feeling great!”

“We all throw in our two cents (on issues) and if we need to work

on something, we point it out and give each other ideas on how to

improve our skills,” she added.

Crystal roberts, a mother and a barista, looked to roller derby to

expand her horizons. “It was something out of the norm and I needed

to get out of my shell,” she said. “the sport keeps growing and

changing and you can be any shape and size (to participate).”

“I would really like our community to get more involved with us

and come watch our games,” robert said.

taylor Jones’ stepmother, Mary Jones, encouraged her to join the

team. “I played on a junior team in Fort Collins (Colo.) and I’ve been on

this team since I moved here in September,” she said. “I love, love, love

hitting girls and breaking through the pack when I’m jamming.”

the Animas roller Girls practice from 5:30 to 8 p.m. every Monday

and thursday at Skate Away USA, 2101 Bloomfield Highway. the

practices are open to the public and, for those who want to

experience the sport first hand, loaner gear is available.

the ArG will participate in its fifth annual mix-up scrimmage,

“Slam for Cans,” in November. Derby players from throughout the

area, are asked to bring canned food

donations, which are donated to the ECHo

Food Bank, Alysha Shipley said.

ArG coaches are Karen

DiGiacomo, taffeta troutner, Sommer

Gurule and Mary Jones, who founded the

group more than four years ago.

“people should come out and

support Animas roller Girls to learn more

about modern derby,” Shipley said. “We

want people to see our team and

understand that roller derby is growing

and is actually very different from what

we’ve seen in the past. It’s a sport with

players who put their hearts and souls

into a sport they love.”

“We want to share that love and

passion with our wonderful community.

It’s a fast paced, fun sport to learn, play

and watch,” she added. “You’ll learn

something new while having a great time.”

For more information about

Animas roller Girls, visit

www.animasrollergirls.com or attend a practice.

16 Four Corners SportS SEPTEMBER 2015


The Four Corners Young American Football

League is in full swing, as young athletes,

coaches and referees learn football basics for

the season.

There are 58 teams and 1,500 boys and girls

ages 7 to 13, who participate on football teams

and cheerleading squads in the local branch of

the Young American Football League, or YAFL,

which began as a non-profit in the Four

Corners more than 35 years ago. Since that

time, it has been one of the largest groups of

youth football players in the region with teams

competing throughout San Juan County and

Southwestern Colorado.

Children can start in YAFL in the Mighty Mite

division beginning in second grade, and the play-

ers continue moving up the ranks to the varsity

teams, which begin in seventh grade, according

to Coach Russ Benson, a coordinator for YAFL.

Benson began coaching for YAFL some 18

years ago. He also coaches the Mesa View

Middle School Football team and works as the

C-Team coach at Piedra Vista High School.

“I love football. I love it with a passion,”

Benson said. YAFL has helped him to learn new

techniques and pass those onto his referees

and players.

“We are a teaching league. We teach

coaches. We teach referees and we teach

players,” he said. “Boys like football and we’re

here to teach them the basics.”

Yafltakes the fieldMore than 1,500 kids and 58 teams suit up for the new season

Story and photos by Debra Mayeux

19Four Corners SporTSSEPTEMBER 2015

The boys begin their season with

conditioning camps. They learn a variety of

exercises to increase their endurance and

prepare them for safe contact on the

football field. “We do six hours or three

days of conditioning before putting on

pads,” Benson explained, and the players

possess all different levels of skills and

abilities. “We have kids that have never

played football before or who have played

with my team since the second grade.”

Some of the children decide to stick with

football, while other use YAFL to rule out

football as a sport of choice.

Macen Alley, 11, of Mosaic Academy in

Aztec, has been playing with YAFL for eight

years. “It teaches me how to be a man. You

have to earn respect from your teammates

and coaches,” he said. “It’s an all-around

good time.”

Alley’s father, Tim Alley is the assistant

coach of Benson’s Ducks team. He became

involved in YAFL, when Macen wanted to

join up. He later began coaching with

Benson.

“I love all of the kids. It’s great to see

them happy and successful,” Alley said.

“I don’t have just one kid on the team,

they’re all my kids.”

20 Four Corners SPorTS SEPTEMBER 2015

Alley added that the boys learn to work with

each other and offer support to those players

with less athletic abilities. “You’ve got to have

good teamwork. It’s not an individual sport,” he

said.

It was the team aspect that led 13-year-old

Adrian Archibeque to join YAFL for the first time

this year, as an eighth-grade student at Mesa View

Middle School. He saw his cousins playing and

decided it might be a new sport for him. This

wrestler and baseball player said he was looking

for a change and a challenge.

“In football you take harder hits,” Archibeque

said, adding that he likes that “it’s a little

rougher.”

The practices tire him out more than wrestling

and baseball, he said. “YAFL keeps me outside of

the house.”

Providing boys with an outdoor activity is one of

the main goals of YAFL and the youths on Benson’s

team are all about getting out and playing hard.

Jalen Junes, a 13-year-old seventh-grader from

Heights Middle School has been active in YAFL for

five years and wouldn’t have it any other way.

21Four Corners SportSSEPTEMBER 2015

�&,.(!*#�1��/0��///�.,$!#/+,'-�"+)

�� 1��1��1�� 1��1��

�!,)&*%.+*�1��!&*��.�

��

“It’s fun. It’s a good activity,” Junes

said. “Instead of playing video games,

you get out and play sports.”

You also make friends, build

relationships and learn the latest in

football techniques, such as Heads

Up Football, which is promoted by

the NFL, Benson said. “It’s a new way

to tackle. We’re teaching – keep your

head up and out of the way; tackle

with your shoulder, not your head.”

YAFL, according to Benson, is

doing what it can to keep kids safe

while providing them an outlet to

have fun and get some exercise while

they’re at it. He loves the game and

YAFL.

“I haven’t coached a child of my

own in years, but through coaching

the Ducks, I have 20 sons,” Benson

said.

For more information about YAFL

log onto www.fourcornersyafl.com.


The world of junior golf in San Juan County

not only continues to get bigger, but the quality

keeps improving on a weekly basis; and partic-

ipants from The First Tee are starting to make

a big impact not only on their community, but

also on the competitive front in golf as well.

PGA JUNIoR LEAGUE

The Four Corners area pod for the PGA

Junior League completed its regular season on

Aug. 1. With eight teams competing locally and

in southwestern Colorado, the league

increased its participation by 60 percent in

only the second year of play. Three teams each

formed at Riverview Golf Course in Kirtland

and at Civitan Golf Course in Farmington.

Additional squads came from the Aztec munici-

pal Golf Course at Hidden Valley and from Con-

quistador Golf Course in Cortez, Colo. Teams

played against each other in a two-person

scramble match play format and got to travel

across the region to play various golf courses.

The PGA Junior League is a wonderful

opportunity to take youth participants ages 6

through 13 from the world of recreational

(fun) golf to the competitive side of golf. The

only difference is that the atmosphere is still

fun and laid back, while the players love the

competitive aspect. Players participating in the

PGA Junior League are starting to make their

mark on the world of competitive golf.

DIEHL TWINS ComPETE IN LAS VEGAS

Trey and Tyler Diehl from Farmington

recently returned home from a week-long trip

to play a prestigious golf tournament in Las

Vegas, Nev., at the Tournament Players Club of

Las Vegas (TPC Las Vegas). The International

Junior Golf Association World Stars of Junior

Golf touts itself as the premier junior golf

tournament in the world. The tournament is

nationally ranked by National Junior Golf

Scoreboard, Golfweek, Scratch Player World

Ranking, Royal & Ancient, and is recognized by

the American Junior Golf Association with

performance stars.

Trey Diehl finished 21st in the 13-14 age

group with scores of 75-77-80, while his

brother Tyler finished 29th with scores of

77-84-83. Brett Sodetz of Las Vegas was the

winner of the 13-14 age division with rounds of

69-63-69. The tournament was played from a

distance of 6,300 yards at the TPC of Las Vegas.

It was quite an accomplishment for the

Diehl brothers to get into the event and is a

glimpse into the bright futures for the soon-to-

be Piedra Vista High School freshmen.

DRIVE, CHIP and PUTT DomINANCE

The 2015 Drive, Chip and Putt Qualifier just

took place at the University of New mexico

South Course in Albuquerque. Hundreds of

youth ages 7 through 15 participated in the

skills contest to try to qualify for the Drive,

Chip and Putt National Championship held in

the spring of 2016 at Augusta National Golf

TomYOSTThe First Tee

JUNIOR GOLF:Bigger and better each year in San Juan County

23Four Corners SpoRTSSEPTEMBER 2015

Course the Sunday before The Masters.

Each player gets three golf shots in the disci-

plines of driving, chipping and putting and is given

points based on the quality of the shot. In putting

and chipping, 25 points are given to shots that are

holed and other points are awarded based on

proximity to the hole. In driving, the players must

hit drives that come to rest inside a 40-yard-wide

grid and are given points based on total distance

the golf ball traveled.

With boys and girls competing separately in

their own age divisions, participants from Farm-

ington won four out of the eight divisions and now

get to travel to the sub-regional in Denver, Colo., in

August.

Twelve participants made the trip from the

northwest corner of the state to compete, with

four of the 12 winning their respective age group

and two more designated as alternates in case

one of the qualifiers cannot make it.

The winners and alternates are as follows:

Girls 12-13 Winner: Shandiin Harper

Boys 10-11 Winner: Sebastian Massey

Boys 12-13 Winner: Quinn Yost

Boys 12-13 Alternate: Eli House

Boys 14-15 Winner: Tyler Diehl

Boys 14-15 Alternate: River Smalley

24 Four Corners SPoRtS SEPTEMBER 2015

San Juan RiveR invitational

Fly FiShing touRnament the San Juan River is world-renowned and

considered one of the best fly-fishing spots in

the nation. the river’s reputation and the pop-

ularity of the sport have led to local fly fishing

tournaments, but few combine the competitive

aspect with a large charitable component as

does the San Juan River invitational Fly Fish-

ing tournament that took place July 23

through 25.

this event is put on every year by the texas

hole Charities, a new mexico nonprofit corpo-

ration that makes charitable donations as a

way to benefit the Wounded Warrior Project, a

nationwide program offering support to in-

jured service members. this year’s event

raised more than $57,000, which will be do-

nated to the Wounded Warrior Project and the

Cancer Foundation of new mexico, out of

Santa Fe.

“the event went pretty well,” said Jeff hol-

comb, one of the organizers for the event. “We

changed some of the formatting around this

year and had a great time. a team out of Den-

ver finished first guided by Jeremy nolan, and

a team out of texas finished second guided by

Jeff massey.”

holcomb said the money was raised this

year during the thursday night benefit before

the weekend tournament began. each of the

11 teams competing this year was able to bid

and buy professional fishing guides as a di-

verting way to raise money for the cause.

more importantly, though, a great time was

had by all of the participants in the 2015

event.

“Chris taylor at Fisheads does such a

SAN JUAN RIVER Fishing tournaments raise money for great causes

25 Four Corners SpoRTS SEPTEMBER 2015

marvelous job of putting this event on,” said

Holcomb. “The food was phenomenal, cama-

raderie was good, and we chuckled for three

days.”

San Juan RiveR Bi-Fly TouRnamenT

The 21st annual San Juan River Bi-Fly Tour-

nament will be on aug. 21 and 22 on the San

Juan River. all proceeds of this event will ben-

efit the Four Corners Home for Children at

navajo ministries.

last year there were more than 50 anglers

who competed and over 25 fishing guides who

helped lead the way, raising more than

$60,000 for the event.

“We will have anywhere from 60 to 64 an-

glers and 30 guides,” said Bob Fitz. “The rea-

son the tournament is called the bi-fly is that

you give your guide two flies of your choice in

the morning and any fish that are caught with

those flies earn premium points on the fish

you catch.”

The entire fly fishing community gets be-

hind this event from the guides to the fly

shops along with volunteers and many local

businesses like Citizen’s Bank, San Juan Ro-

tary, San Juan Regional medical Center and

outback Steakhouse that have supported the

cause for years.

“We provide breakfast and lunch each day,

with an evening meal on the first night with an

awards banquet on Saturday night at the Civic

Center catered by outback Steakhouse.”

The 2014 team of Bo Herrera and Herman

martinez, guided by Brad eaves and Jerry

Richards, won tye San Juan River Bi-Fly Tour-

nament. The real winners, though, are the

youth who benefit from the Four Corners

Home for Children.

“if we net over $70,000 this tournament we

will have reached the $1 million dollar mark in

our 21 years,” explained Fitz.

Cost per participant is $500. For more in-

formation on how you can get involved, please

contact Bob Fitz at 505.402.6995.

What is the biggest misconception about roller derby?1

What kind of special equipment is necessary?4

Do you need special insurance to participate?5

The biggest misconception about roller derby today is being

compared to roller derby from the ’70s. We play under the

Women’s Flat Track Derby Association, or WFTDA; WFTDA’s

rule book is 79 pages. No longer are the days of close lines

and purposeful flying elbows. Today’s roller derby is a real

competitive athletic sport.

As with any contact sport, protective equipment is neces-

sary – knee pads, wrist guards, elbow pads, helmet, mouth

guard, and skates. Some players choose to wear shin guards

and face shields (as are worn in hockey) on their helmets.

Yes. In order to play in bouts, separate insurance is neces-

sary. This insurance is available through USArS (USA roller

Sports) or WFTDA and is only about $65 for the year.

I would say most common injuries might be ankle sprains or

ankle injuries in general.

We play under WFTDA – Women’s Flat Track Derby Associ-

ation – rules. This video explains it very well, at least the ba-

sics. https://youtu.be/fbMFy2r-Mb0

The rules of roller derby are complex and multi-faceted,

just as with many other sports.

http://www.wftda.com/rules

The following is from

http://rollerderbyresource.com/info/how-to-play-roller-

derby/

roller derby is a full contact sport and an exciting game

to watch. The basic rules are fairly simple – once you pick

up the lingo!

The object of the game is to score the most points by lap-

ping opposing team members on the track. One roller derby

game is called a Bout. Each Bout consists of multiple Jams.

A Jam is a two-minute period in which teams attempt to

score points.

TEAMS

There are five players on each team:

1 Jammer – the point scorer

3 Blockers – playing defense

1 Pivot - plays defense, but is the leadership position in

the pack, calling the shots.

In order to tell the skaters apart, the jammers wear a

helmet cover with a star, and the pivot wears a striped hel-

met cover.

The pivot and the blockers make up the pack. Their job is

ALYShA

SHIPLEY

What kind of injury is most common in roller derby?2

What are the rules? 3

26 Four Corners SPOrTS SEPTEMBER 2015

to stop the opposing team’s jammer from breaking though

the pack and scoring, all the while helping their own jammer

advance.

GAME PLAY

Derby is played on an oval track with two competing

teams. The pivots and blockers from both teams skate to-

gether on the track to form a single pack. Once the last pack

member skates 30 feet from the starting line, a whistle is

blown and the jammers begin to skate.

The jammers must skate and muscle their way through

the pack and completely exit it to gain the ability to score

points. Once the jammer fights her way out of the pack, she

then races around the track in order to lap the pack. At this

point, each time the jammer passes a member of the other

team, she scores one point for her team. The jammer who

legally passes first through the pack wins the status of lead

jammer.

A jam ends when the two-minute time period is over or

the lead jammer calls off the jam.

BLOCKS and PENALTIES

Modern day roller derby isn’t a no-mercy knockdown drag

out event – there are official rules and limitations that are

enforced. For example, skaters receive penalties for all of

the following: blocking with any part of the arm below the

elbow, tripping, charging from behind, making a block above

the shoulders, or blocking when a player who is out of

bounds (i.e. off the track). This is a very abbreviated list of

fouls.


Are there professional roller derby leagues?6

What are the benefits of roller derby?7

Not sure what you mean by “professional,” but there are

teams that are nationally ranked who play under WFTDA or

USARS. Then there are smaller leagues such as ours, which

are not yet big enough to be on national rankings, but who

still consider ourselves as professional representatives of

roller derby and follow WFTDA rules.

Generally, large cities leagues such as New York

(Gotham Girls Roller Derby), Austin (Texas Roller Girls), and

Denver (Denver Roller Derby) have teams that are ranked

at the top. There are regional and national championships

held in the United States for WFTDA ranked teams. Also

there is a roller derby world cup. Gotham Girls Roller Derby

took the Hydra (Trophy that goes to No. 1 in the WFTDA

Rankings) in 2014 with a three-point margin against Rose

City Rollers from Portland. That was a close and well-played

game featuring some of the best athletes in the sport.

The benefits of roller derby include being part of team

where anybody from any walk of life or any body size can

participate. Even if you are unable to skate, you can be

part of the team. We have non-skating officials, referees,

and coaches. Roller derby is excellent exercise and many

of us consider roller derby has having saved our souls.

We have made many improvements in our personal lives

– mentally and physically –because of roller derby.

How do you select your derby names?8A derby name is chosen by the skater when she

passes her skills tests. Every derby player is different

in the choosing of their name. For instance, one of the

best skaters for Gotham goes by Bonnie Thunders

when she plays for Gotham. But on Team USA, she uses

her real name, Nicole Williams. Other players on Team

USA – like Smarty Pants –use their chosen derby name

for both their league and for Team USA. Sometimes

names are a compilation of Hollywood star names –

such as Foxy Ballboa. And sometimes it is word play,

such as Scald Eagle. On our team we have such names

as Pin-U-Up, Homicidoll Honey, and Blonde Fatality.

Names can be our favorite character in a book or

movie.

Are there roller derby teams for men?9Yes, men can play roller derby. There are strictly

male as well as coed teams. MRDA (Men’s Roller Derby

Association) governs the rules of men’s roller derby.

There are also junior leagues for players under 18

years of age.

Roller derby used to be a big thing – not so much now. Is

it a growing sport?

10

Roller derby is actually a pretty big sport, with

teams worldwide. The sport is growing continually and

is very much centered on rules, athleticism and compe-

tition. There are teams in Egypt, Africa, South America,

Europe, and New Zealand. London Roller Girls and Vic-

torian Roller Derby league are outside the USA, but

pretty big competition for high ranked teams within

the USA.

If you have a chance, visit the WFTDA television web-

site (http://wftda.tv) and watch some of the archived

bouts. You can see that roller derby is now a true com-

petitive sport, unlike how it was perceived in the ’70s.

Things have changed so much!

��

��

��...��*"&!'%�!��$+!��'%

�'%��$+!��)��'*("��

�#"$$��,)*"& �!/*"��$��!�)�(/�$$��+� �*�'��"��

��)*'&�$� �)��++�&��&+*�)"-�+��,+/��'%�� )��,)*"& �'%��$+!��"�*�� &+�&&"�$� �)�

��...��*"&�'')�"&�+��'%


Back when i first enrolled in the college of

education, back when Bush 41 was President,

there was a big movement in public education

to remove competition from the classroom and

move towards increasing an individual’s self-

esteem.

For the most part, this meant that there

would be no more timing how fast students

could do their times tables or posting the best

grades, especially when it meant humiliation

for the students who weren’t succeeding. Fun-

damentally, this makes perfect sense. Humilia-

tion has never been an effective tool, in my

experience, and while the whole concept of

“let’s tear them down then build them

back up” may have anecdotal sto-

ries of success. All in all, hu-

miliation caused more

students just to give up

than those who had the

“i’ll show you” turn-

around.

So states were spend-

ing millions of dollars re-

training teachers to be

sensitive and complimen-

tary and using programs that

don’t pass judgment on charac-

ter or moral issues. But what it re-

ally did was promote an educational

welfare state. Using warped senses of positive

reinforcement, teachers began giving out

stickers for trying or just showing up. Soon

“participation” became a category of achieve-

ment. Sports soon followed right behind.

Programs began of not keeping score at

games. Everyone gets to bat. There are no sub-

stitutes or first and second string. There is an

even plateau of all things being equal – talent

or work ethic be damned. My first experience

with the new Trophy Nation was way back in

1992 when i was persuaded to be the science

fair sponsor for Mesa Verde Elementary. At the

district fair my newbie job was to place hun-

dreds of decent sized “participation” ribbons

on every entry at the science fair. A simple

question came to mind, “Why? They brought

their board, so they know they participated.”

We simply gave award ribbons for getting

out of school, setting up a display board and

going through a judging – or not – because

some didn’t even show up for that.

Seems innocent enough. Everyone that tries

gets an award. They’ll feel better about science

fair as younger students and keep on partici-

pating throughout their public

school career. This was just

one of many attempts to

increase student self-

esteem, hoping that

increased confi-

dence and self

worth would lead

to better, more en-

gaged students.

The self-esteem

model was sup-

posed to be good for

schools. One thing for

sure, it was good for the

educational business. com-

panies began pitching positive

reinforcement programs and the

school districts began gobbling them up.

Books about positive reinforcement as a class

behavior tool became the norm. Suddenly

there were sticker charts, point programs and

marbles in jars to encourage positive behavior.

Today, that would be Pearson, making every

product a test-taking nation needs profiting on

educational stupidity.

So quickly a generation of students was re-

warded for simply doing what was expected in

school years before. They were given rewards

for doing something as noble as completing

assigned homework and, even worse, re-

warded for sitting quietly and doing nothing.

After all, for some, classroom management

meant no one was bothering you. So now doing

nothing is rewarded and just showing up is, as

well. Sports teams soon took the cue. coaches,

who were known for, let’s say, abrasive tenden-

cies were now expected to do the same.

The evidence is prevalent right here in

Farmington.

Once upon a time, the Boys & Girls club

played tournaments at the end of the basket-

ball season to claim a championship. Not now.

Once upon a time there were only nine names

in a batting lineup for youth baseball, not any

more.

Once upon a time trophies were earned, not

given. it’s no wonder that at every youth sport

there are now elite or travel teams that take

directly from a league’s pool of players. com-

petition is essential to sport – at least it was to

their parents. This causes a great divide be-

tween those who do believe in competition and

those who don’t.

As the parent of a pair of student athletes

and coach of hundreds, i have seen what this

over-indulged self-esteem model has done to

athletics. i once sat through a soccer game

where i heard the following encouragements –

hand to God. “Nice kick!” “Way to run!” Just a

reminder, they were playing soccer. Running

and kicking is a lot of the game.

The problem with the self-esteem movement

is that it just doesn’t work. False praise is

worse than no praise at all, not to mention

how dangerous false confidence is when it

comes to participating in competition. When

everybody is considered special, nobody really

is. in a recent study of ivy League college level

students, a majority of them thought of them-

selves as “special, gifted, or smarter than their

peers,” even though there was no empirical ev-

idence that this was remotely true. Athletes

are in the same class.

Nearly every athlete arrives on a high school

campus believing they are the best and bound

for glory. Everyone believes they deserve not only

to play, but to start or at least play significant

minutes. After all, that is what they have been

told all their lives. Show up and you’ll get re-

warded with playing time and praise. We paid for

you to be on a team, so you get to play. High

school has become a re-educational facility

when it comes to sports. Hard work being its

own reward, the importance of self-sacrifice for

RickHOERNEREditorial columnist

When everyone gets a trophy no one wins

PARTICIPATION NATION

29Four Corners SPOrTSSEPTEMBER 2015

the betterment of the team, earning your spot

are all foreign concepts to most entering prep

athletes. This makes the transition very difficult

for student athletes and nearly impossible for

their overbearing parents.

This entitlement carries on to the classroom

and beyond. Parents now believe that it is the

teacher’s fault if the grades are bad, not their

precious darling who, from the time of birth,

has been told that everything is great, you’re

special so it must be someone else’s fault when

you fail. Ashley Merryman has become a leader

in the movement to allow kids to fail. In her

essay, Losing is Good for You, Merryman states

that psychologists have found that while praise

makes kids feel better, they collapse at the first

sign of difficulty. In life, “You’re going to lose

more often than you win, even if you’re good at

something,” Merryman stated. “You have to get

used to that to keep going.”

In researching this article I found that there

is actually an organization called the NASE, the

National Association for Self-Esteem. That’s

right, an organization that promotes whose

sole purpose is to, “fully integrate self-esteem

into the fabric of American society so that every

individual, no matter what their age or back-

ground, experiences personal worth and happi-

ness.” Notice it doesn’t say “work toward”

personal worth, just “experience” it. Once again

given, not earned.

Apparently this organization has completely

succeeded in its mission. Consider the follow-

ing pre-school song sung to the French chil-

dren’s song Frere' Jacques:

I am special, I am special

Look at me, Look at me

If you look, you will see

Someone very special, someone very special,

It is me, it is me!!

And that is exactly what we’re doing. Social

media has not only become a place for informa-

tion – and misinformation – but a place to

show off your self-worth. Once upon a time peo-

ple took pictures of scenic views and friends to

keep as memories, and might even ask some-

one else to take a picture for them. Now the

selfie has taken over. After all, if you aren't in

the picture it never happened.

There is one bright ray of hope however.

About four years ago when the schools began

preaching that education was about customer

service I decided that just as in customer serv-

ice, the customer is always right. So, each time

a parent would ask me about changing a grade

I made a simple deal with them. If they would

bring in their child and tell them right in front

of me that the grade they are going to get was

not earned but begged for by their parents, I

would change the grade. Not one took me up on

the offer. Even the almighty self-esteem appar-

ently has its limits.

In a box about the size of a case of Bud Lite

bottles I keep some of my precious childhood

memories, my first ball glove, my Sports Illus-

trated from The Miracle on Ice and, among

other useless to the average person treasures,

my first trophy for Punt Pass & Kick when I was

10. My kids have countless trophies, medals

and ribbons, but my guess is not one of them

would make their box. It’s just too common.


NN has had out-of-body experiences be-

fore, but those were usually after a

long evening with friends and a little

too much Sweet Cherry Pie wine. NN’s

out-of-body experiences never involve

drugs or illegal moonshine on accounta NN

would never do drugs and gave up illegal

moonshine after that one time when the

people who make said illegal moonshine

caught her helping herself and NN hadda out-

run ’em, which wasn’t too hard. They had a

little Yugo sedan and NN had a VW bus that

went downhill really, really fast. NN was al-

ways selective in where she picked up her il-

legal moonshine, since she hadda make sure

her getaway included a hill where a VW bus

could run outta control, but little cars like

Yugos and Ford Pintos couldn’t make it six

feet without a tow. Just sayin’. . .

NN’s out-of-mind experience has her

pretty worried. She called her Swami, who

usually makes house calls, but NN’s Swami

Wommi was spending a few days with old

“friends” on accounta the crystal ball she

was using had been “given” to her by the

bearded lady from the carnival who ended up

not being a for reals bearded lady who could

for reals read crystal balls, but an under-

cover agent hired by the carnival to catch

crystal ball thieves, and they mistook Swami

Wommi for one of those thieves and threat-

ened to confiscate SW’s official Swami li-

cense that she paid 500 big ones for on the

Swami Wommi website. Whatever.

It all happened when Kyle Busch won the

Brickyard 500. NN has never, ever been a Kyle

Busch fan on accounta he was always arro-

gant and insufferable and took the M&M’s

sponsorship away from NN’s Sweet Baboo El-

liot Sadler years ago, and NN could no longer

support the M&M company or buy its candy.

NN is nothing if not loyal to her drivers.

But Kyle had the big wreck at Daytona and

broke his leg and his cute little wife was

pregnant and it was kinda sad. And that cute

little wife changed Kyle and he wasn’t quite

so arrogant and insufferable. Then they had

that cute little baby and Kyle was so cute

with the cute little baby and the cute little

wife, that NN started to kinda like ole Kyle.

At first, she thought it was the flu or the

12 orders of super-duper nachos she’d en-

joyed with several bottles of Sweet Cherry

Pie wine that made her not quite so hateful

about Kyle. She thought she was just too

weak to boo him and throw things at him and

use not-nice four letter words about him. But

it went on for several weeks – and NN had

given up the super duper nachos in favor of

Papa John’s Pizza on accounta NN’s ’nother

most favorite sports figure of all time, Peyton

Manning, not only is a spokeshero for PJP, he

has his very own little franchise in Colorado.

NN doesn’t usually eat pizza, but when she

does, it’s Papa John’s. NN is pretty sure Pey-

ton Manning needs the extra money from his

pizza place, but it is kind of expensive to have

a large pepperoni delivered from Denver.

Just sayin’. . .

And when Kyle was in the lead at the

Brickyard, NN actually found herself rooting

FOR Kyle Busch. That’s something she never

ever did and swore she’d never ever do.

But in an out-of-mind experience, there

was NN standing up and cheering ole Kyle

on during the last laps. (Just to clarify –

NN never EVER EVER roots for anybody ex-

cept Dale Earnhardt Junior to win any race,

because NN is always certain Junior will win,

even if he happens to be 24 laps down or in

the garage. However, at the Brickyard, Junior,

the sport’s most popular driver, didn’t have a

chance to win and finished twenty-twoth, and

NN just felt her motherly instincts kick in and

was actually rooting for Kyle.) It was scary.

NN called 5-1-1 to tell ’em she thought she

needed , medical attention, but when NN

’splained her “symptoms” the dispatcher

said she was told she couldn’t send the fire-

fighters, the police, the EMTs or the animal

control officers to help NN anymore on ac-

counta all of ’em would quit if she did.

NN has been ordered by a judge some-

where not to call 9-1-1 ever ever again unless

it’s life threatening, so she signed up for 5-1-

1 which, for a measly 600 bucks a month, will

actually take NN’s calls and, occasionally,

offer sympathy for an extra hundred.. And

while NN believes an out-of-mind experience

where she’s actually hoping Kyle Busch wins

a race is a real emergency and she needed

real, expert help, she knew better than to call

9-1-1 and the dispatcher at 5-1-1 said she

could send someone, but it would after she

had her mani/pedi. Whatever. Swami Wommi

gets to leave her “friends” this next week and

has promised to bring a crystal ball that isn’t

missing from any evidence room in this coun-

try. (NN has no control over out-of-country

evidence rooms, even though she has stayed

at one or two of ’em when the Holiday Inn

was full. Just sayin’. . .)

NN thinks Kyle will make it into the final

chase for the championship, although he

won’t win because Junior, the sport’s most

popular driver, will win. That’s just the way it

KYLE BUSCH WINS THEBRICKYARD 500

NASCAR Nellie has an out-of-mind experience

31Four Corners SPorTSSEPTEMBER 2015

��#��%%""��((!!��**!!&&%%

�� &&''��!!��##��##��!!%%��!!##��!!��##��&&++))**��&&++**��!!**��$$��!!��**!!&&%%

��!!''��##!!%%��&&%%))**((++��**!!&&%%��((** ��&&,,!!%%��####..� ++$$''))��,,..

��++##�� ((��"" &&��"" &&��&&��((�� &&//��((�!##��!#�.��-%�(��(�)!��%*��(($$!!%%��**&&%%

�� !!!! ��""��$$��!!##��--))!!��&&��((��!!%%))**&&(($$��%%��** ��

��

is and you three people who are not

Junior fans just better get over it.

So there.

NN watched today’s race at

Pocono, because she knew Junior,

the sport’s most popular driver,

would win. He didn’t win but he had

a fifth place finish, which Junior Na-

tion celebrated like it was a win.

Junior Nation is nothing if not loyal

to its general. Just so’s ya know.

NN has always wanted to go to

the Pocono race and stay at one of

those Pocono resorts where the

bathtubs are in the shape of a heart

and the rooms are pink and the

beds have little motors in ’em. And

NN hears those resorts provide lots

of pink champagne and chocolate

covered strawberries. NN was all

ready to reserve a room for a cou-

ple of weeks, using a credit card she

got in the mail. It didn’t have NN’s

name on it, but NN believes if it

comes to her address it is meant to

be hers – especially when it has a

credit limit that is more than NN

makes in three years.

When NN called, she asked if a ca-

bana boy comes with the room and

they got all offended and said they

weren’t “that kind” of resort. Not

sure what “kind” of “that” they were

referring to, but they said they were

booked for the rest of NN’s life,

which NN thought was kinda odd be-

cause they didn’t even ask how

much longer NN plans to live. What-

ever.

NN is still hoping Jeff Gordon

will win a race in his last year as a

race driver. Jeff will hang up his hel-

met, his firesuit, and his booster

chair after this year to start a new

career as an expert in “The Booth,”

where he’ll make a gazillion more

dollars and can wear a suit and tie

and not have to use the porta pot-

ties in the garage area. Good things

come to those who wait – unless

you’re waiting to use the bathroom.

Just sayin’ . . .

33Four Corners SpOrTSSEPTEMBER 2015

�� ""�� ""��%�!��%��# ��"# �

��

��!!�� !!""��!!��!!�� ## ��""��&&&&��!!�� !!""��&&��$$��!!��""��""��

��

��

Dorothy NobisStory and photos

It was triple-digit numbers recently, when

Diego Burnham, Jude Santos and Aaliya

Greeslin found what was likely the coolest spot

in Bloomfield – the Bloomfield Family Aquatic

Center.

Diego, 2, was with his mother, Carly Burn-

ham and four of his five siblings. The family,

which is from Farmington, enjoys the short

ride to Bloomfield to play in the pools. “We

haven’t been here much this summer,” Burn-

ham said, “because of the weather. But it’s a

nice day and the kid area here is big.”

Diego giggled as he slid through the

mouth of the frog slide and into the pool. He

splashed his mother, his sisters and himself as

he cooled off on a hot Monday afternoon.

Across the pool, but still in the kids pool,

were Jude Santos, 2 ½, and Aaliya Greeslin,

who is almost 2, her mother, Latasha, said.

Jude and his mother, Naomi, are from Albu-

querque.

The Santos family is from Farmington and

Jude likes the slide at the aquatic center. “He

loves it,” Naomi Santos said of the pool. “Jude

loves the slide and we love hanging out here.”

With the pool full on a late summer after-

noon, the aquatic center offers fun for kids of all

ages, said Steve Gromack the center’s director.

The center offers lap swimming, water exercise

classes, swimming lessons and open swimming.

On Fridays, kids who are home schooled get into

the pool for just $2, and Wacky Wednesdays

offer a $2 admission for everyone.

“We average between 400 to 500 people a

day during the summer,” Gromack said. “When

school’s in session, that drops to about 100

people a day.”

For eight years, Gromack has been wel-

coming people to the center. “This is a nice fa-

cility,” he said, adding that he worked for the

Durango pool for three years. “I really lucked

out with this position. The city and the commu-

nity enjoys the center and they support it.

BLOOMFIELD FAMILY AQUATIC CENTER

Facility offers fun, exercise for the whole family

34Four Corners SPorTSSEPTEMBER 2015

��

��

��

��

I have the best job in the city because people

come in every day and they’re always happy!”

With 30 people on staff during the summer

– most of them lifeguards – things run pretty

smoothly at the aquatic c3enter. “The staff has

done a really good job the last few years,” Gro-

mack said of his employees. “They’re all

teenagers and they’re all really good workers.

Most of them live in Bloomfield, and these are

good jobs for kids.”

Some of the “kids” who take advantage of

the pool are of senior citizen age. San Juan Col-

lege’s Encore program brings seniors to the

pool every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, Gro-

mack said, and Aztec brings seniors over on a

regular basis as well. Seniors can enjoy the pool

beginning at 1 p.m. on Mondays and Wednes-

days for just $2, and the center offers aquacise

for seniors as well.

In addition to the outside pool, the center

has a 25-yard lap pool, an indoor pool, an 18-foot

climbing wall and a rope swing – all of which are

hugely popular with the younger crowd. The cen-

ter’s support group, Friends of the Pool, are hop-

ing to raise $25,000 for a water slide, which

should be another big attraction, Gromack said.

For Bloomfield Mayor Scott Eckstein, the

Bloomfield Family Aquatic Center is another of

the quality of life features the city provides to its

residents and guests. “It brings people in from

all over the area and neighboring cities,” Eck-

stein said. “The center not only gives them a

chance to enjoy what we have to offer, but it pro-

vides them with the opportunity to see all we

have going on in the city. Hopefully, they’ll shop

or dine while they’re here, also.”

Getting people out of the house and into an

activity that is healthy and fun is another advan-

tage of the center. “We’ve worked hard to make

Bloomfield a family friendly community and we

encourage families to spend time together. The

aquatic center is the perfect place to do that.”

A recent addition to the center is a 5,000-

square-foot party area, which includes a 400-

square-foot shelter. People may reserve the area

for just $100 for two hours, which includes tick-

ets for 10 people to swim in the pool. Food and

drinks are allowed in the party area, which

makes it a perfect place for families and friends

to get together.

With school beginning soon, the center will

be less crowded with kids and Gromack encour-

ages adults to take advantage of all the center

has to offer. “We’d really like to get our adult visi-

tor numbers up,” he said, adding that the pool is

a perfect way to exercise, enjoy friends, and stay

healthy.

The center is open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Monday through Friday and from noon to 5 p.m.

on Saturday. The pool may be rented on Fridays

and Saturdays after it closes to the public.

For more information on the Bloomfield

Family Aquatic Center, call 505.632.0313.

Date post:	23-Jul-2016
Category:	Documents
Upload:	majestic-media
View:	232 times
Download:	2 times

Four Corners Sports September 2015

Documents