Kids’ Recital Is Thursday In Gypsum

To be deliberate for Athlete Commission funding, a contestant contingency be a minimum of 15 years of age; experience in general contest outward of North America; be a proprietor of the Vail Valley for a minimum of 3 years and request as an individual, rsther than than a team. Funds will be distributed in December.

Conceived by local proprietor Pepi Gramshammer in 1997 and upheld by the Vail Valley Foundation, Vail Resorts, the locale of Vail and the Beaver Creek Resort Co., the Vail Valley Athlete Commission is dedicated to providing financial encouragement for people competing in an general arena.

Since its inception, the Vail Valley Athlete Commission has moreover supposing appropriation to countless local athletes, inclusive Lindsey Vonn, Josiah Middaugh, Toby Dawson, Chad Fleischer, Sarah Schleper, Stacia Hookum, Chris Doyle and Mike Kloser.

In add-on to Schleper, final winter’s 11 recipients enclosed snowboarder Dylan Bidez, freestyle skier Heidi Kloser, U.S. Disabled Team skier Ralph Green and Nordic skier Sylvan Ellefson.

Winter Athlete Commission applications might be downloaded from the substructure website at www.vvf.org by clicking on the “About the Foundation” link, going to the “What’s In Print” symbol and clicking on “Forms Applications.” Forms might moreover be picked up at the Vail Valley Foundation offices in Avon. All forms should be submitted to the Foundation at P.O. Box 309, Vail, CO 81658, to the consideration of Jennifer Mason, executive of operations. For extra information, call the substructure at 970-777-2015.

Tough Mudder 2011 – Beaver Creek Colorado

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Summit Foundation Offers Unique Season Pass Product

Priced at a minimum grant of $4,000, the Patron Pass is the cornerstone of the fundraising efforts is to Summit Foundation. Last ski season, the pass module warranted more than $750,000 in appropriation is to foundation. It enabled 80 grants to be done to nonprofit organizations via Summit County and adjacent communities and more than 100 scholarships to be awarded to students embarking post-secondary education. Proceeds from the pass module represented more than half of the $1.4 million awarded by the Summit Foundation in the past year.

The pass provides negotiable skiing privileges, supposing nominal to the substructure from Arapahoe Basin Ski Area, Beaver Creek Resort, Breckenridge Ski Resort, Copper Mountain Resort, Keystone Resort and Vail Mountain.

Summit Foundation executive of growth Kasey Geoghegan mentioned rounded off 25 of the existing medallions aren’t nonetheless reserved. There’s no time confine to buy one, but “to obtain the most appropriate benefits, the progressing folks commit, the sooner the medallions can obtain to them so they may be used when Arapahoe Basin opens,” she said.

Patron Passes have sole out by this time in the past couple of years, Geoghegan said. Her theory is many of the four-year, $15,000 grant commitments were up for renewal, and a few didn’t replenish at the same level.

The passes are favourite by businesses since they’re entirely transferable. They may be used by employees, business partners and clients. Individuals can share the passes with family and friends. Neighbors, business associates, and part-time residents can organisation together to buy a Patron Pass, and many can settle a remuneration outline with the Summit Foundation.

Beyond the negotiable and infinite skiing privileges, Patron Passes advance with extra benefits, kindness of businesses via the community. The benefits operation from golf at Breckenridge Golf Club, Copper Creek and Keystone Ranch to Nordic skiing at Breckenridge, Frisco and Gold Run Nordic centers. They moreover add sell and distraction discounts. Additional benefits advance by partnerships with a few of the nonprofit organizations that take encouragement from the Summit Foundation.

Options include:

> The Four Mountain Bonus Patron Pass – Provides one period of negotiable skiing at Arapahoe Basin, Breckenridge, Copper Mountain, and Keystone, together with 4 days at Steamboat and Winter Park Resorts. Priced at $4,000.

> The Six Mountain Bonus Patron Pass – Provides one period of negotiable skiing at the on top of ski areas, together with Vail and Beaver Creek. Priced at $5,000.

> The Premier Patron Pass – Best worth is to benefits provided. It includes the benefits of the Six Mountain Bonus Patron Pass module for 4 years. Priced at $15,000 over 4 years.

The Premier choice puts $1,000 of the $15,000 undertaking in to the capacity fund. An annual donation of $3,500 is dedicated effectively toward nonprofit grants.

For more data about the Summit Foundation and the Patron Pass Program, revisit www.summitfoundation.org or call Kasey Geoghegan at (970) 453-5970.

Hike, Wine And Dine Is Sunday In Beaver Creek

The travel will take place on Beaver Creek Mountain and underline food from the Osprey, Park Hyatt Beaver Creek Resort Spa, Dusty Boot, Rimini, Grouse Mountain Grill, Beaver Creek Chophouse and Splendido at assorted stations along the trail. The taxation deductible registration cost is $100 per person by Friday and $125 the day of the event. Participants will obtain food, booze and a memorial gift. Children beneath 12 are giveaway and young kids ages 12-18 are $50. All deduction go to Jack’s Place and Shaw Regional Cancer Center.

“Since gap in Mar 2007, Jack’s Place has supposing more than 4,000 nights of breathing space for patients of the Shaw Regional Cancer Center and their caregivers,” mentioned Brandon Mays, executive of Jack’s Place. “There is no financial responsibility for patients staying at Jack’s Place; you rest on donations and the Hike, Wine Dine eventuality to help cancel out the working costs.”

The registration starts at 9:30 a.m. Coffee, mimosas and light breakfast will be served at the bottom of Beaver Creek’s Centennial Lift and the travel starts at 10 a.m. Pre-register by mission 970-477-5177 or vvmcdevelopment@vvmc.com .

Beaver Creek Resort Hosts New Luxe Fest

“Luxury is the essence of design, exclusivity and culture, and the Beaver Creek Luxe Fest will be a commemoration of these attributes,” mentioned Tim Baker, senior manager director of Beaver Creek Resort Company. “We are really vehement to increase this unique festival to our annual choice and offer a preview of things to advance this fall. Beaver Creek is the best surroundings to horde a high-end oppulance automobile event, the 2012 Concours d’Elegance, together with a festival celebrating all things luxury. It is our brand guarantee after all.”

The resort’s newest festival has interesting events at Beaver Creek written to allure to a accumulation of guests. This year the eventuality kicks off with a tiny outlandish automobile uncover in expectation of next year’s Concours d’Elegance, that will be a pull for oppulance automobile enthusiasts from around the country.

In add-on to the 2012 Concours d’Elegance, new cars and dealers will be on palm next year to uncover the ultimate in oppulance automobiles. Also look is to home tours to go on together with conform shows, art shows and in progress demonstrations. Most events will be giveaway and open to the public. Luxe Fest in the drop of 2012 will include not usually the prominence eventuality Concours d’Elegance, but moreover will showcase an cultured manifestation of the best of the best in autos, homes, conform and more.

“Luxe Fest 2012 is primed to be an eventuality different any other in our area. The thorough festival next year will ring not usually autos and homes but a accumulation of high finish oppulance things inclusive fashion, jewelry, art and cuisine,” Baker said.

For those meddlesome in showing a automobile on , Sept. 24, there is a $20 access price per vehicle, that will be donated to Young Life, a certain improvement teenager program, located in the Vail Valley. One automobile owners will be awarded with the People’s Choice endowment this year. To record a automobile or pick up more about the event, call 970-845-5873 or email ccoughran@vailresorts.com .

Vail Daily Letters To The Editor

Sept. 11, 2001 constituted a wicked awakening from the post-Cold War delusions of a “New World Order” to the reality of a “New World Disorder” and a worldwide overload of Islamic terrorism.

The 9/11 reality has unprotected Islamic terrorism as a clear, present and deadly risk to the giveaway world, irrespective of the Arab-Israeli conflict, Israel’s existence, U.S. pressure on Israel, U.S. inexhaustible unfamiliar assist to Muslim countries, and U.S. army encouragement of Muslim national aspirations in Afghanistan and right away via the Middle East.

It is critical to note that strict Islamic regimes, ponder Western-style religious, political, informative and mercantile liberties as fatal threats. Islamic terrorists ponder Western democracies heathen societies and geo-political obstacles to be subjugated via terrorism and “holy wars” (Jihad), as has been the use of Islam –- opposed “infidels” and “apostates” — given the seventh century.

9/11 demonstrated that indecisiveness emboldens terrorists. The militant events that took place before 9/11 had the incorrect reply from America. In the Muslim world “Might creates right!” Thus, the April 1993 endeavor on the life of President Bush evoked a reserved response: the launch of a journey barb to Baghdad. The kill in cold blood of 24 U.S. soldiers,in Saudi Arabia in November 1995 and in June 1996 did not trigger any army response. Two-hundred-fifty-seven people were murdered in Aug 1998 by Islamic terrorists who blew up the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. The U.S. retaliated by rising journey bombs on considerate targets in Sudan and Afghanistan.Seventeen American sailors aboard the USS Cole were murdered in Aden in October 2001. The U.S. responded by murdering a of the terrorists. The meek U.S. reply to the cmethodical escalation of Islamic terrorism validated an Islamic notice of a U.S. retreating in to weakness, dramatically energizing terrorists all the way to 9/11.

9/11 highlighted the disadvantage of the United States to terrorism. It shifted the U.S. from plea to pre-emption mode. For instance, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, that have been supplemented by the office of Islamic terrorists in their protected havens in Pakistan, Yemen, the Philippines and Algeria.

But at the same time, the anti-U.S. and the pro-Islamic follow record of the U.N. and the brute inlet of many of its members obviate an efficient universal fight on terrorism. Therefore, counter-terrorism has been cramped to an upgraded team-work between the U..S and a couple of of its giveaway world allies, such as Israel, Britain, Canada, Australia and France.

In order to prevent other 9/11, The Obama administration department has introduced it own invalid draw close to counter-terrorism. According to President Obama, Islam promotes harmony and not terrorism, and there is no universal Islamic terrorism. He legitimized the Muslim Brotherhood, the coach of Hamas, during his May 2009 debate in Cairo and not long ago by wanting to add Hamas in harmony bargaining with Israel.

The executive of national intelligence, James Clapper, settled that “the Muslim Brotherhood is mostly secular, eschewing violence.” Obama’s confidant on counter-terrorism, John Brennan, insisted that “there is no jihadist terrorism, because jihad is a routine that purifies the soul.” Attorney General Eric Holder and his emissary James Cole contended that the U.S. ought to search for a crook probity draw close rsther than than launch fight on terrorism. And, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano avoids the word “terror,” preferring the tenure “man-caused disaster,” thus heightening the box of ambiguity.

However, you know that play on words and oversimplification concede functional ambiguity, whilst clearness is necessary to achieving functional clarity, a stipulation to avoiding a repeat of 9/11.

The White House National Strategy for Counter-terrorism released in June never refers to extreme Islam. Instead it says repetitively that strategies are indispensable to combat al-Qaida’s ideology. It does explain that beliefs as violent. However, more importantly, it does not explain its theological foundations or offer recommendation on how it may be combated on eremite grounds.

Since 9/11 there have been hundreds of imams preaching, “whoever donates for a mujahid so that he may hurl stones, is as if he as well is fighting the Holy War and will be rewarded similar to him, even if he stays home” — Fawaz Damra.

In 2009, a would-be home grown terrorist, Daniel Patrick Boyd, told supporters they “needed to fight to be great Muslims.” He echoed the fact garbage bin Laden offering in a fatwa, declaring, “An particular task for every Muslim who can do it, in any nation in that it is probable to do it.” Bin Laden all the time invoked passages from the Koran to urge on Muslims to fight the disbelievers. Sure you killed Bin Laden this year, but his summary to Muslims has been going on for 10 years and he has incited hundreds of Muslims to deed against the infidel.

Until the summary of extreme Islam is confronted and undermined, the militant hazard continues to slink over America. To win this struggle, it is key to comprehend that you are not only fighting an organization, but you are up against a broader beliefs … a politicized theology. The hostility of the Obama administration department to pick out our challenger as violent, Islamist extremists creates it harder to muster effectively to fight this fight of ideas.

We disgrace the mental recall of the victims of 9/11 by not learning from that wicked eventuality to be able to prevent similar tragedies in the future.

Mikki Futernick

Seeing Red

An engaging eventuality happened about a year ago in Eagle. The locale manager and the Board of Trustees began the search for a new locale planner. They interviewed 50 or so people and finished up with a local, Tom Boni. Usually a great thing. In this box a really engaging choice, as the house knew they were going to have Eagle River Station back on the list a at a few point, and Trinity Red Development had been a of Mr. Boni’s clients. He represented ERS in in isolation and at Town Board meetings.

Now, this is not an complaint of Tom Boni, for I privately are unaware anything of his skill or credibility. It does, however, strike of cronyism and reprobate actions to be working on an focus for growth by a former, really new worker of Red’s.

The locale planner is the person who should be deliberating the problems in an unprejudiced way, in open and presenting ideas to gain the Town. He should be examining the situation from the outside, not as an insider heading everybody thru the process.

The staff, Planning and Zoning Commission and Town Board are going by a hurry-up consent routine for ERS so they can obtain the next opinion over with before a change in the voard’s pro-vote cosmetics might change.

They are skimming over particular things in the outline that will figure the project and the locale forever. They say, “We’ve listened all that before.” But the house never addressed all the issues, nor did they answer the 17 questions-conditions the one-time Planning and Zoning Commission gave them, along with their recommendation for denial.

ERS is an focus the house granted once and will positively authorize once again notwithstanding losing the referendum with the opinion of the residents of Eagle. The adults of Eagle, either they voted for or against the Eagle RIver Station project, ought to be outraged. We need truthfulness in supervision everywhere and primarily at this local turn where every action affects our every day lives.

Please obtain the facts, look at ERS 2 (available at the locale formulation department) and obtain involved. This is not the same plan. It is 3 or 4 large boxes as nonetheless unidentified, and lots of residential let units. It is city stretch at its finest.

Suzie Shepard

Protect glow district

Since 2008, property values have declined in many tools of Eagle County. But the must be safeguard our businesses and residences has not!

In fact, with aging infrastructure, the hazard of a major reforest fire, incidents on I-70 and enlarge in visitors, there has been an enlarge in demand for crisis response.

This shrinking in property values has affected all of our local grassroots governments, inclusive Eagle River Fire Protection District. These special districts run roughly solely on income from taxes formed on a mil levy on your business or residence. Eagle River Fire will see a income shrinking of roughly 25 percent unless electorate authorize a November Ballot Issue 5A.

The consequences of not fleeting this situation would obligate the shrinking of staff and closure of a few of our stations.

Eagle River Fire Protection District encompasses an area from Tennessee Pass to Wolcott and includes the towns of Red Cliff, Minturn, Avon, unincorporated areas of EagleVail, Bachelor Gulch, Edwards, Red Sky, Arrowhead, Cordillera and Wolcott. This area moreover includes over 12 schools, a sanatorium annex, Beaver Creek resort and over a billion dollars worth of businesses and homes.

The house of directors for Eagle River Fire has expected this income shrinking and has marked down expenditure by a few staff reductions and bill tightening. We have completed what you can without compromising the service turn and reply times inside of our community! We need your help to sustain this turn of service!

Issue 5A is requesting a replacement of this mislaid revenue. Over the next 8 years (through 2019), it would lower any year as property values rise. It would nightfall at the finish of 2019. It’s that simple! It’s that straight-forward!

Please encouragement Eagle River Fire Protection District and the insurance it provides for our community! Vote “Yes” on 5A when you obtain your mail-in ballot!

Clark Shivley house member, Eagle River Fire Protection District

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In add-on to the valley’s horde of signature events – inclusive the Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival, the Vail Lacrosse Shootout and Avon’s Salute to the USA – new events, quite cycling, brought even more people to the valley.

Thousands of viewers were in the hollow for final week’s USA Pro Cycling Challenge events in Vail and Avon, and thousands more participants came in June, when the annual Ride the Rockies cycling debate done its initial overnight end in the hollow in more than a decade.

Those events may be hard to match. Ride the Rockies spreads its overnight stops around the plateau and frequency earnings to the same places in uninterrupted years. The USA Pro Cycling Tour will probably have a few communities opposed for events next year, so it’s undetermined either the Vail Valley will turn a tie on that tour.

But other large events sojourn in the mix. Beaver Creek Resort Co. is working to bring the Xterra Tough Mudder eventuality back, and that brought 10,000 participants to the valley.

But one thing that’s established about summer events is that if one eventuality leaves, other seems to take its place.

“We used to have the Thunderbird Artists and the Healthy Home Tour – right away you have Dock Dogs and the Xterra events,” Avon events coordinator Danita Chirichillo. “It seems flattering cyclical.”

While Avon is getting ready is to annual IronKids Triathlon, Chirichillo mentioned she’s moreover only starting work on a new 2012 event, but wasn’t ready to speak about the specifics.

And bringing new events is a year ‘round job, with proposals going out months, or more, before the events obviously uncover up.

Vail Valley Partnership Executive Director Chris Romer wrote in an email that the Vail Local Marketing District is recruiting a Memorial Day exploit race, and the Partnership is entangled with recruiting the Ranger Relay, a running event, an exploit race called the Primal Challenge and a cheerleading event.

Romer wrote that the Partnership is moreover perplexing to home a lapse revisit from Ride the Rockies, together with other pledge bicycle event.

“It’s critical to go on to excellent melody our efforts connected to events, and have a great blend of participatory, music, enlightenment and residents events,” Romer wrote.

The work is worthwhile, since those events can pay large dividends, for both communites’ bottom lines and in more unsubstantial ways.

“I regard you obtain back more than you put in,” Chirichillo said. “That may be bearing – national and general consideration is only hard to measure.”

While TV coverage may be hard to quantify, locale of Vail Economic Development Kelli McDonald measures as sufficient as she can.

“We’ve done studies at 12 not similar events this summer, and every one is saying increased assemblage over final year,” McDonald said.

But, McDonald said, Vail’s efforts go over events, from new hill features to the hum combined by Solaris, the Four Seasons Resort and other new properties in town.

But the events give people something to do when they advance to the valley, both winter and summer.

The Vail Valley Foundation is well well known for sponsoring all from Hot Summer Nights concerts to the American Ski Classic and the World Alpine Ski Championships. The Foundation was moreover deeply entangled in the Pro Cycling Challenge.

“We’ve had a active couple of years,” Foundation clamp boss of communications John Dakin said. And the Foundation staff is going to obtain gradually more active as the 2015 World Alpine Ski Championships pull closer.

Dakin mentioned the Foundation can pierce quickly, and would ponder at least assisting put together other event, if the right one came along.

Meanwhile, the looking for events – and profitable customers – continues, often at the back the scenes.

McDonald mentioned Vail has been actively pitching the valley’s summer events to Mexico, one of the resort’s many critical winter markets. And, whilst it’s hard to discuss it what might advance next summer, McDonald mentioned there’s a hulk commemoration looming: Dec. 15, 2012 is Vail Mountain’s 50th anniversary.

Business Editor Scott N. Miller may be reached at 970-748-2930 or smiller@vaildaily.com .

Johnson Promoted At Beaver Creek

“I’m on cloud nine that Greg will be expanding his care purpose in his new location as executive of hill operations at Beaver Creek,” mentioned Doug Lovell, arch working officer of Beaver Creek Resort. “His endless expertise of all aspects of hill operations, his undertaking to guest service, and his endless experience with ski racing around the creation make him the preferred person to lead our hill operations group streamer in to the 2015 World Championships and beyond.”

Johnson will reinstate Jimmy Roberts, who in November voiced he would be stepping down from day-to-day resort operations administration this summer to concentration his time on the 2015 World Alpine Ski Championships together with a number of special firm projects. No foreigner to Beaver Creek hill operations, Johnson was promoted in 2009 where he took on a larger purpose in handling snowmaking, grooming, turf parks and all hill building and continuance projects in add-on to his purpose as arch of march is to annual Birds of Prey World Cup. Johnson moreover has consulted with or served in positions for universal events inclusive an appointment as the Men’s Alpine Skiing FIS Technical Delegate is to 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver. He was allocated as the chairperson of the Race Committee is to 2015 World Championships that will be hold in Beaver Creek and Vail.

Johnson began his vocation at Beaver Creek in 1995 portion as the manager of racing, special events and ski examine and he moreover was accountable for venue administration and flourishing race subdepartment revenue. Prior to that time, he served as executive of events, actions and racing at Copper Mountain. Johnson brings a amalgamated 29 years value of hill operations and eventuality experience to his new position. He binds a bachelor’s grade in business administration from the University of Colorado.

Valley In Brief: Avon Now Seeking Resident Comments On Proposed Tax

The discussion is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Avon electorate are speedy to attend the open conference and criticism on these proposals. After reception explanation and having discussion, an bidding ancillary the list subject will be deliberate by the council.

During its June 28 meeting, the legislature motionless to put onward two well-defined list questions, a for movement and a for special events, is to November election.

Avon’s Sustainable Transit Project list subject offers electorate the chance to opinion on a 0.4 percent sales taxation enlarge joined with a 1 percent camp taxation enlarge to sustainably account transit-related expenses. If transfered by voters, the movement taxation will give for service via Avon and link up with Beaver Creek Resort. It would give for increased train magnitude inside of the locale core, revive dusk train service, spread routes to add the Village at Avon (Buffalo Ridge and Walmart) and settle an dusk grill convey during ski season.

Additionally, the special events list subject offers electorate the chance to account special events and selling by a 0.33 percent camp taxation increase. This project, if transfered by voters, will produce supports that may be used to capture large, turn-key events, such as general bike tours, triathlons or concerts, that normally gain the camp and guest-oriented community.

For more information, contact Jaime Walker, residents relations, at 970-748-4087 or jwalker@avon.org .

‘A Giant Phenomenon’

Thousands of participants and spectators were at Beaver Creek on Saturday for the event that supports the Wounded Warrior Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to honoring and empowering wounded American soldiers. Beaver Creek Resort Co. Executive Director Tim Baker said there were more than 6,500 participants Saturday, with 1,750 registered spectators and thousands more spectating throughout the course.

The cause is what compelled so many of Saturday’s Tough Mudder participants to put themselves through 10 miles of obstacles designed by the British Special Forces. It’s a cause that hits home – a cause that makes electric shock seem like no big deal.

Derek Rogers, a colonel with the Kansas Air National Guard, traveled to Beaver Creek from Lawrence, Kan., to compete with 12 of his fellow guardsmen. He gets choked up when he talks about why the team is competing.

“We’ve lost a few Kansas guards,” Rogers said.

Rogers stumbled upon Tough Mudder when the Kansas Air National Guard decided it wanted to raise money for the Wounded Warrior Project. When he saw that Tough Mudder was a way to do just that, he said he couldn’t pass it up.

But as the event neared, Rogers began asking himself if he was really up for it.

He finished Saturday with a smile on his face, and he wasn’t even covered in too much mud compared to other finishers.

“The biggest challenge was swimming under the barrels in the cold water,” Rogers said. “You’re just weak. You’re thinking, ‘OK, backstroke, don’t drown.’”

Team work

Tough Mudder might feel like a race or competition, but the point of the event is team work and camaraderie. It’s a personal challenge to overcome, not a race against a clock or other participants.

Aubree Dietrich, 18, of Fort Collins, felt that camaraderie as she raced through the 10-mile course at Beaver Creek that also covers more than 4,000 vertical feet in elevation changes. Dietrich was supposed to have a friend do the event with her, but her friend couldn’t make it.

So she did it by herself, and found our quickly that she was not really alone.

“Everybody was so awesome,” Dietrich said.

The energy among the participants is also what helped Dietrich push on, even after she nearly went into shock when her body touched the ice cold water in the Underwater Tunnels obstacle. She had to sit outside of the lake with a blanket to warm up for about five minutes before she could attempt the swim again.

“I ended up doing it anyway,” Dietrich said.

The cold water is also what competitor Ryan Sutter, a Vail firefighter and competitive athlete, found to be the most challenging. Sutter said the water felt like it was about 33 degrees.

“Your muscles just freeze up in there,” Sutter said.

Sutter said Tough Mudder might be the most fun he’s ever had in a race. Just the atmosphere at the event was enough to have a good time, he said.

“I had never even heard of it and then you come up here and it’s some sort of giant phenomenon,” Sutter said. “There’s a million people that do (Tough Mudder events) apparently. I can see why – it really is fun.”

People like Kiel Pickett, 19, who goes to the University of Wyoming in Laramie, added to that light-hearted, fun atmosphere. He showed up for the event wearing nothing more than a fluorescent green thong.

“I have no self shame,” Pickett said.

His costume, inspired by Party Boy from the TV series and movie “Jackass,” left little to the imagination.

“I’m doing this for a good cause, that’s why I’m doing it,” he said. “I just want to have a great time.”

Another team from Wyoming, Team Scott Miller, was in it for the cause, too. Scott Miller was a good friend who died while serving in Iraq. Teammate Candace Brown’s brother is also currently serving in Afghanistan, and teammate Bill Lovelace is a U.S. Marine.

Their strategy for the day was nothing more than team work.

And that was the point, event announcer Brian Goldrich told each wave of 500 competitors at the start of the course.

“The point is you came as a team, so you want to finish as a team, if you can, as a team,” Goldrich said.

Community Editor Lauren Glendenning can be reached at 970-748-2983 or lglendenning@vaildaily.com .