Disc golf course at Fruita Riverside Park finally open

It’s time to let it fly. The 18-hole disc golf course at Fruita Riverside Park is open. The course at Snooks Bottom has all 18 holes available and ready for play. “It’s really a good course,” John Bird, the co-owner of Birdie Disc Golf said. “There are some challenging holes and I think it can be a lot of fun for everyone.” Bird designed the course with Grand Junction resident Bill Alderman, but struggled to get it finished with high water levels on ...

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Pre-camps prep teams for FB camp

Some of the most important work on a football field is done when you’re not wearing pads or helmets. This week, the four District 51 high school football teams ran their own voluntary workouts before Monday’s official start of practice. Palisade worked out every morning this week to get ready for the season. “This is a preparatory stage,” coach John Arledge said. “We are trying to finalize some positions, and while it’s early, nothing is totally set, ...

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GJ Parks and Recreation department all about fun

The Grand Junction Parks and Recreation department tries to offer something for everyone, even if that someone is a clown. One of the more unique programs this fall is clowning, with Lorie Gregor teaching people how to become a clown. “She’s a certified clowning expert and she’s been through the school and is certified to be able to teach other people how to be clowns,” said Recreation Superintendent Traci Wieland. “There will be a kids class, teen class and ...

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Grand Valley golfers first fall athletes to begin practice

With tee shots ripping down the first fairway at Lincoln Park Golf Course on Monday, the Colorado high school season began. Central and Grand Junction both had their first day of golf tryouts at Lincoln Park, preparing for the first local tournament, Aug. 15 at Bookcliff Country Club. That first tournament will be a big one, because it’s the home course of this year’s Class 5A state tournament Oct. 3-4. “It’s a great venue because we have some local kids that have ...

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New York City’s Lance Leener enjoys Rocky Mountain Bike Tour

Living on New York City’s Upper West Side allows 51-year-old Lance Leener a chance to experience a lot of different things. But in a city of skyscrapers, Leener occasionally needs to view a different type of scenery, and found that Sunday along Colorado’s Western Slope. Leener was one of 200 cyclists participating in the six-day Colorado Rocky Mountain Bike Tour, which started Sunday in Grand Junction and took the 62-mile journey to Hotchkiss. “This was ...

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Mesa County Junior FB Association teams get some tips from Mavericks

After much discussion, two Grand Valley football programs finally got together on the field. Saturday’s Mavericks Kickoff Classic brought together the Mesa County Junior Football Association and the Mesa State College football team at the Mavericks’ practice facility. The football camp run by Mesa State featured all 37 of the MCJFA’s teams — grades 2-6 in the morning and seventh and eighth grade in the afternoon. “We’ve been trying to get it going with ...

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Building Bulldogs: Cameron Campbell’s no-hitter caps solid season for Palisade

Palisade High School baseball player Cameron Campbell already knew the unwritten rules of a no-hitter. There’s the obvious — not talking about the no-no in progress — but Campbell learned the hard way about switching gloves during the middle of a no-hitter. On July 27 at the American Legion B state tournament in Sterling, Campbell was pitching his first game for the Bulldogs’ varsity. The 15-year-old had a no-hitter against Steamboat Springs entering the fifth ...

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Outdoor ice rink looking for backers: Open date is Nov. 1

An outdoor ice rink in Grand Junction is moving closer to reality. But first, Ice Skating Inc. needs a little help. The group is attempting to raise $225,000 to fund the facility that plans to have outdoor ice for hockey in early November. “If we can raise that amount we’d have everything covered,” Ice Skating Inc. Director of Operations Curt Maki said. “Not having (that amount) isn’t going to stop us from going forward, but we have to raise some money to ...

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Ryan Hayden takes over as Central boys basketball coach

Only two months after hiring Kurt Schneider as its boys basketball coach, Central High School was faced with replacing him. Athletic Director Randy Powell said Schneider told him Wednesday night that could not fulfill his commitment. Powell didn’t have to look far to find a coach, however. Ryan Hayden, who was a finalist for the position, was announced Friday as the Warriors’ new head coach. Hayden, 29, has been an assistant at Palisade, where he attended high school, and ...

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Henrikson’s long jump record lasts 43 years at Central High School

When Alec Rupe jumped 22 feet,  10 inches in the long jump at the Class 5A state track meet last spring, it surpassed a 43-year-old Central High School record. Although it was a surprise that a boy with only two weeks’ experience in the sport broke the record, the fact it fell didn’t surprise the man whose name is now No. 2 on the honor roll at the school. Ken “Fuzzy” Henrikson jumped 22 feet, 2 inches in 1968. It was the longest-standing individual track and ...

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Scholl enjoys running Monument Dowhnill 5K with family at his side

Tyler Scholl doesn’t spend his summer like most 10 year olds. Scholl, of Kremmling, not only ran in Saturday’s Monument Downhill 5K, but finished second in a course record for his age group of 15 minutes, 45 seconds. “Every weekend in the summer my family likes going places and trying new races,” Scholl said. “We decided to come here because it’s a fast 5K and after this we’re going to drive (Colorado) National Monument.” Scholl ran his ...

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Bull riding a rush for Collbran 13-year-old

What it takes to be successful in a sport comes naturally to some athletes. Arles Hernandez of Collbran found out he’s a natural at bull riding. The 13-year-old finished 12th in the National Junior High Finals Rodeo in Gallup, N.M., in late June. “Just making it down was great,” Hernandez said. “I thought I’d do better, but was still happy.” Hernandez finished with 63 points in the junior bull riding division, which drew 28 bull riders from around the ...

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Rupe turns two-week track trial at Central into D-I scholarship

Alec Rupe is taking another leap in his unlikely story. With only two weeks’ experience in running high school track, Rupe recently signed a national letter of intent with the University of Northern Colorado track team. Rupe will be a long jumper and run the 60- and 100-meter dashes. “It’s exciting,” Rupe said. “It’s all still a little crazy.” Rupe was a four-year baseball player at Central and was talked into coming out for the track team the ...

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Grand Mesa Major girls ready for Southwestern Regional

The Grand Mesa Little League Major girls can finally breathe. Grand Mesa begins play in the Southwestern Regional tournament Friday night against the winner of today’s game between the New Mexico and Texas East representatives in Waco, Texas. “We didn’t think about getting to Texas until we got out of state,” Grand Mesa coach Kevin Rubalcaba said. “Now that we’re here, we can see what happens.” Grand Mesa’s road to this point hasn’t ...

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Orchard Mesa 9-10 girls win state championship

The Orchard Mesa 9-10 girls softball team’s balanced attack has led to success. Monday at Monument Little League, Orchard Mesa defeated Shaw Heights 14-1 in four innings to win the 9-10 girls Little League state championship. “All the girls came along and did a great job,” Orchard Mesa coach Rick Shepherd said. “Hopefully we have them coming back next year to go for a state title in Majors.” Starting pitcher Hannah Hutto, Hailey Schaneman and Katelynn ...

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Ice rink to give Grand Valley hockey players practice spot

The Grand Valley Youth Hockey Association had to do something. After spending a year on the road without home ice because of the closure of Glacier Ice Arena, local hockey players will at least have a practice rink this winter. Ice Skating Inc., and Grand Valley Youth Hockey have acquired a portable refrigeration system that will be installed at the old Hockey Stop facility at Third Street and North Avenue. “We didn’t know what’s going on with (Glacier),” said ...

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Swimmers using Western Slope long course meet to prep for state

It’s all about being fast at this point of the club swimming season. With the long course state championships in Denver one week away, this weekend’s Western Slope League long course championships allows swimmers to jockey for position. “This weekend I’m trying to take time off,” Maverick Aquatics swimmer Taylor Kidd said Saturday. “Next week is fast and really competitive.” Kidd, 14, has been to a state championship meet 12 times during her six ...

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Swinn plans to make new swim program competitive

Jacob Swinn knows where he wants to take the new Maverick Aquatics program. The 29-year-old Swinn is the head swim coach for Maverick Aquatics, and the new director of aquatics at El Pomar Natatorium at Mesa State College. Swinn is hosting his first meet with this weekend’s Western Slope Long Course Championships at El Pomar. “We are in transition from what used to be the Grand Junction Dolphins into Maverick Aquatics,” Swinn said. “Right now, we are just holding ...

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Orchard Mesa 9-10 girls open state tourney with big victory

The state tournament in Little League is the great unknown. Friday at Monument Little League, the Orchard Mesa 9-10 girls didn’t have a clue about its opponent Academy Little League from Colorado Springs. The unfamiliarity didn’t affect Orchard Mesa in a 29-5 win. “We don’t know about the teams coming over, so we practiced for everything,” Orchard Mesa coach Rick Shepherd said. “We practiced for slow pitching, fast pitching, and the girls were ...

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Cage Wars IX plans to honor fallen Carrasco

Cage Wars IX is honoring a fallen fighter. Saturday at Two Rivers Convention Center, a memorial 10-count of the bell will ring before the card begins at 7 p.m. for local mixed martial arts fighter Jorge Carrasco, Jr. Carrasco was killed Saturday night in a shooting at Taco Bell on North Avenue. The 10-count is a common way to pay homage to a fighter who died. “It symbolizes the respect we had for Jorge,” Alex Trottier of Bush Cree Promotions said. “It’s a moment ...

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Bull riders fire up crowd at fair

The Thursday night bull riding at the Mesa County Fair is a fan favorite. “The (Bull Riding) and the Demolition Derby are two of our more popular events,” Donna Page of the Mesa County Fair said. PHOTO GALLERY This year’s bull riding event was part of the Championship Bull Riding Horizon Series. The organization—  based out of Fort Worth, Texas — has the Cinch Tour for the top 35 riders in its series, and hosts the Horizon bull rides for the ...

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Together again, Arja, Skinner advance to semis at Taco Bell

Nicky Arja and Stephanie Skinner have played a lot of tennis matches together. Tuesday at the Taco Bell Western Slope Open, Arja and Skinner added one more win to their doubles resumé. “We have a lot of chemistry and can just pick up right where we left off,” Skinner said. “That helps because we haven’t played together since the end of the (high school) season.” Skinner and Arja, both entering their senior year at Grand Junction High School, played No. ...

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Kids making a racket at Taco Bell Western Slope Open

The first day of the Taco Bell Western Slope Open showcased a tennis tournament that’s still growing. Monday at the Elliott Tennis Center at Mesa State College and Canyon View Park, more than 120 junior players, ages 18 and younger, opened the week-long tournament. The junior finals are Thursday. “I would say we have a good 20 to 30 percent increase in numbers since last year,” said Ron Elliott, one of the tournament co-directors. “There are some kids that will ...

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Nine-run first lifts Palisade to easy win in Junior boys

The Palisade Junior boys Little League team is an opportunistic offensive group. Tuesday in the first round of the District 1 tournament, Palisade scored nine runs in the first inning on its way to a 22-6 victory over Orchard Mesa. “We had to stay aggressive,” Palisade coach Dan Bollinger said. “We hit the ball well and were aggressive at the plate and on the base paths.” Palisade advanced to face Grand Mesa today at 5:30 p.m. Palisade’s offensive onslaught ...

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Steves’ Orchard Mesa team not resting on past success

Orchard Mesa Little League Major boys coach Pete Steves is getting to teach the valuable lesson of not looking too far into the future. Last year, Steves’ Major boys team won the District 1 tournament and the state tournament to advance to the Southwestern Regional in Waco, Texas. Once there, Orchard Mesa made its way out of pool play and into the semifinals, something no other team from Colorado had ever done. Orchard Mesa lost 10-0 in its semifinal game against Pearland White ...

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Little League tournaments begin Tuesday

Traditions around the Fourth of July include hot dog-eating contests, fireworks and Little League baseball. This year’s District 1 Little League baseball tournaments begin Tuesday and run through July 16 with seven tournaments, including six in the Grand Valley. The 9-10-year-old A tournament is in Cortez and features Fruita, Orchard Mesa, Monument and host Cortez. The tournament beings Friday Also starting Tuesday are the Junior boys and Senior girls tournaments, both at Fruita ...

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Addition of new course in Fruita shows popularity of disc golf in Grand Valley

The future of disc golf in the Grand Valley is bright. A new 18-hole course at the Fruita Riverside Park, along with the Palisade Riverbend Park course, will host the Colorado Disc Golf State Championships in October. The new course in Fruita, which begins at the Snooks Bottom open space, is the second disc golf course in Fruita — joining the course at Little Salt Wash Park. In the Grand Valley, there are also disc golf courses at West Lake Park, Matchett Park and Palisade Riverbend ...

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Young Gene Taylor’s baseball team showing improvement

Improvement is the name of the game. With players from three of the four District 51 high schools, as well as players from Montrose, the Gene Taylor’s American Legion baseball team (10-9), finally will play a home game. The team plays a doubleheader against Pomona starting at 10 a.m. today at Canyon View Park. “We’ve progressed pretty well, a lot better than we have in the past,” Taylor’s head coach Dave Jahnke said. “The guys are really starting to ...

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Mesa Mibsters all finish in top 10 in national tournament

The Mesa County Marbles team is a national contender. Last week, at the 88th annual National Marbles Tournament in Wildwood, N.J., the Mesa Mibsters had four shooters finish in the top 10. Grand Junction’s Katie Carozza, 11, finished as the girls runner-up in the tournament, which has shooters ranging from ages 7 to 14. This was Carozza’s second year at the tournament — she finished outside the final eight last year. Carozza, who will be attending East Middle School ...

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Anne Hughes enjoys full helping of tennis at McDonald’s Junior

Anne Hughes knew she was in for a full day of tennis. Sunday at the final day of the McDonald’s Junior Tennis Tournament, Hughes won the 16-and-under singles final 6-3, 3-6, 6-0, but lost the 18-and-under singles final to Meredith Soychak 6-2, 7-5. “I knew it would be a tough day,” Hughes said. “But I always grow a ton in tournaments, so I was hoping to play a bunch of matches.” Hughes defeated Bronte Hayward in the 16 singles final earlier on Sunday before ...

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Mike Mendelson makes move to PGA pro for city of Grand Junction

Mike Mendelson has come full circle at Lincoln Park Golf Course. Mendelson took over as the head PGA professional for the city of Grand Junction on May 20, overseeing the two municipal-run golf courses, Lincoln Park and Tiara Rado. “When I started playing golf, I was playing at the city golf courses,” Mendelson said. “I played a lot at Lincoln Park and when I played high school golf, we practiced at these places. “It was nice to get back to my roots where I ...

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Fleming tasting success at McDonald’s tourney

Sarah Fleming is thriving in her first tournament. The 11-year-old is in the finals of the junior mixed singles division of the McDonald’s Junior Tennis Tournament. Saturday at Mesa State College, Fleming defeated Tayvia Voytilla 6-3, 6-0 in the semifinals. “I was nervous at first because this is my first tournament and I didn’t know how well I was going to do,” Fleming said. “I was afraid I was going to mess up.” Fleming is in the six-person junior ...

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Nordstrom enjoys tough competition at 18 singles

The goal of the McDonald’s Junior Tennis tournament is to have players challenging themselves. Friday at the Elliott Tennis Center at Mesa State College, many players challenged themselves by moving up into older age brackets, with others entering their first tournament. Last year’s 16-and-under singles champion, Jesi Nordstrom, moved up into the boys 18 singles division. Nordstrom, 16, could have played in the 16-year-old division, but chose to try his luck in the 18 ...

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Marques Harris Celebrity Golf Scramble prize is trip to Super Bowl in Indianapolis

The Marques Harris Celebrity Golf Scramble has upped the ante. The July 8 golf tournament at the Golf Club at Redlands Mesa has a grand prize of four tickets to the Super Bowl in Indianapolis on Feb. 5, 2012, Harris said Thursday. This is the first golf tournament hosted by the former Grand Junction High School athlete, who spent time in his five-year NFL career with the San Diego Chargers and San Francisco 49ers. The scramble costs $150 per person and includes green fees, range balls, ...

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Robles brings knowledge, passion to Mesa State wrestling camp

Anthony Robles is on his way to a successful career as a motivational speaker, but that doesn’t mean his days of being on the wrestling mat are completely over. Thursday at the Mesa State College Wrestling Camp, Robles spent time working with young wrestlers before serving as the keynote speaker Thursday evening at a wrestling fundraising dinner at the college. “(Wrestling) is what I love doing, and it’s my passion first and foremost,” Robles said. ...

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McDonald’s Junior Tennis Tournament to reward players’ hard work

There are a couple of adjustments to this weekend’s McDonald’s Junior Tennis Tournament. First, it isn’t a new tournament, but a new name. This tournament has been known as the Elam Junior Tennis Tournament, but like the Elam Classic men’s professional tennis tournament, lost its sponsor when Elam Construction was sold. Second, the tournament is usually played in mid-July to serve as a warm-up for the Taco Bell Western Slope Open. “I usually have it in July, ...

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Amy Kame finds San Diego to be the right fit for her game

Amy Kame knew she was made to perform on the big stage. The 2010 Central High School graduate recently completed her freshman year at the University of San Diego, where she averaged nearly 13 minutes per game for the Toreros women’s basketball team. Kame’s best game was at Gonzaga University, where she scored a team-high 12 points in front of 6,000 people. “The environment that we played in was so different than anything I’d ever experienced,” Kame said. ...

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Breaking free: Brabec moves up to championship freestyle at Big Sky Open

Randy Brabec won’t be defending his title. This weekend at the Big Sky Open archery tournament at the DoubleTree Hotel, Brabec is shooting in the men’s championship freestyle division. Brabec had won the previous five titles in the freestyle limited division. The difference is in the release. Freestyle allows for a release aid or trigger and freestyle limited is a finger release. “I’ve done just about everything with fingers,” Brabec, 46, said. “I ...

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Grand Junction Dolphins swim club to merge with Maverick Aquatics on July 1

An era is coming to an end. Friday at the El Pomar Natatorium at Mesa State College was the first day of the 57th annual Grand Junction Dolphins Invitational Swim Meet. After 57 years, this is the final meet for the Dolphins. The Dolphins are merging with a new Mesa State team called Maverick Aquatics, and as of July 1, the Dolphins will be extinct. “It’s sad that a lot of the Dolphins tradition is coming to an end,” Dolphins swimmer Tyler Fair, 16, said. “But ...

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Eagle Valley Track Club gets kids up and moving

The Eagle Valley Track Club gives participants an opportunity to run. Thursday at the Lincoln Park Track Meet at Stocker Stadium, the blue-uniformed track club from Eagle had 25 participants at the Grand Junction Parks and Recreation-sponsored meet. “This is the fun part — when they get to go and compete,” Eagle Valley Track Club coach Myriah Blair said. “They love getting to go somewhere different and race.” Blair started the first-year club after assisting ...

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Open gyms give Central coach Schneider a chance to meet his new players

Transition is never easy. The Central High School boys basketball program is going through a change with Kurt Schneider taking over for Phil Cain as head coach. This week, Schneider is getting his first exposure to his new team, running open gyms at Central. “I just want to get some participation and let them know I’m here,” Schneider said. “It’s been nice to have the kids here getting involved and it’s good to get started.” The Warriors went ...

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Kickstart it: Plenty of room to ride

When the dust settles and the smokes clears, it’s easy to see there is plenty for the gearheads in western Colorado. Whether it’s on two wheels or four wheels, there are options for riding. There is plenty of room to ride in the area of 29 Road and the desert, just north of Interstate 70, the Bangs Canyon Recreation Area south of Grand Junction, Rabbit Valley in McInnis Canyons National Recreation Area west of Mack, on Grand Mesa and the Uncompahgre Plateau. Use these contacts ...

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Ride a wave, hit the rapids

One of the Grand Valley’s best natural resources is the Colorado River. The mighty river offers plenty of recreation opportunities ranging from relaxing tubing trips to whitewater rafting. In fact, Grand Junction is named for the confluence of the Colorado and Gunnison rivers. Access to the Gunnison River includes Whitewater, Bridgeport and Escalante Canyon. The Colorado River has put-ins at the Corn Lake, Connected Lakes and Fruita sections of James M. Robb — Colorado River ...

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Rodeo way is often the only way in the valley

The root of the rodeo is cowboys and cowgirls taking skills and practices from the ranch and bringing them to the competitive arena. Some of the current rodeo events include tie-down roping, team roping, steer wrestling, saddle bronc riding, bareback bronc riding, bull riding and barrel racing. The Grand Valley has its fair share rodeos for the competitor or spectator, including the Fruita RimRock Rodeo every Tuesday night beginning in early June. The Mesa County Fairground will host two ...

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It’s a growing paradise in the valley

The Grand Valley has everything it takes to successfully grow crops, but peaches and grapes especially thrive here and make the area a favorite with those who know their fruit and wine. The Orchard Mesa and Palisade areas are full of local farmers producing fruits and vegetables and tours can be found at eight orchards and farms and six vineyards and wineries in and around Palisade in addition to the Palisade Brewery and Peach Street Distillers. The Palisade area also hosts 75 percent of ...

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Palisade softball loses coach

Palisade High School softball coach Tony Kirby is stepping down after one year as the head coach. Kirby works for United Parcel Service, and changes to his work schedule and hours will prevent him from coaching this fall. He was a part of the Bulldogs’ program for four seasons as an assistant before taking over as head coach last season. Palisade Athletic Director Mike Krueger said the school hopes to have a new coach hired this week.  ...

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Great distraction: Koch uses Highline Hustle as escape from real world

Winning races isn’t anything new to Kevin Koch. But at Saturday’s Highline Hustle Triathlon at Highline Lake State Park in Loma, Koch had extra motivation. Koch’s 68-year-old father Keith was diagnosed with brain cancer this past week. “It was emotionally hard to get on the start line,” Koch said. “There really isn’t anything we can do with my dad until Monday so it was good to get out and do something that was distracting from the real ...

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Highline Hustle poised for sunny competition

The good news is the weather is supposed to be sunny and clear on Saturday. That means the Highline Hustle Triathlon at Highline Lake State Park won’t have a repeat of the cold and rain-soaked 2010 event. “The warmer the weather, the warmer the water will be,” Grand Junction Parks and Recreation Supervisor Emily Wright said. “The water is still cold so hopefully with the warm weather, the water will be warmer as well.” The Grand Junction Parks and Recreation ...

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Team Roping event to highlight Western Colorado Championships

Team Roping is a great example of teamwork in sports. The “header” and “heeler” will be front and center at this weekend’s Western Colorado Championships at the Mesa County Fairgrounds beginning at 9 a.m. today. The event begins with the open division, which is the top competitors. There will be around 35 teams competing in the open division. “It’s awesome to watch,” Julie Bryant, of the United States Team Roping Championships said. ...

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SPT 1b adios pressbox 6-7-1

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