Brittany Hochevar and Catie Mintz traded the mountains for the sand.
It was a small price for the elite beach volleyball players who grew up in Colorado but now live in California. They are back in familiar territory this weekend as the AVP Crocs Tour plays at Folsom Field for the Boulder Slam tournament.
“It’s wonderful to be back,” said Hochevar, who was raised in Fowler. “I am breathing thinner air and cleaner air.”
Mintz says the California life is a far cry from growing up in Aspen.
“There’s a lot of people (in L.A.). There’s a lot of traffic (in L.A.). And there aren’t a lot of mountains,” Mintz said. “I really miss the mountains.”
The tour returns to Boulder after a year’s absence.
The name Hochevar goes a long way in the Colorado sports world.
Her brother Luke is a pitcher for the Kansas City Royals. Her father played for the Nuggets and now coaches baseball at Fowler High. Her youngest brother, Dylan, led Wray to the Class 2A baseball championship in 2007 and redshirted at the University of Tennessee last season after elbow surgery. Her mother played basketball at Southern Colorado, now CSU-Pueblo.
Brittany Hochevar, 27, is in her second full season on the tour, was an alternate for the 2004 Olympic team and played professionally in Puerto Rico.
For this weekend, she and partner Jennifer Fopma are ranked 16th.
Hochevar suffered a near-career-ending back injury two years ago. A bulging disc and fragment in her lower back caused paralysis in her left leg and caused her to lose 20 pounds.
Determined not to let it end her volleyball career, Hochevar fought back.
“I attacked it, doing Pilates and physical therapy. You name it, I tried it,” Hochevar said. “In the end it took a lot of prayer. I am back. I am 100 percent.”
The 31-year-old Mintz says her age may be catching up with her game. She and partner Leilani Kamahoahoa are ranked 26th.
“It definitely feels like I am getting older,” she said. “Not moving as quickly as I expected; warm-up takes a lot longer.”
AVP Crocs Boulder Slam
At Folsom Field this weekend:
Today
10:30 a.m.-8 p.m.: Matches
After 8 p.m.: Fireworks (no ticket required after 7 p.m.)
Saturday
8 a.m.-4 p.m.: Session 1, including men’s finals
5-8 p.m.: Session 2
Sunday
12:30 p.m.-4 p.m.: Matches, including women’s finals
TV: Saturday, 1 p.m.; Sunday, 2:30 p.m., KUSA-9
Ticket info:
AROUND TOWN
Putting the right spin on it.
A legend in the foosball world, Mike Bowers in 1986 became the first player inducted into the Table Soccer Hall of Fame. He’s like the Doyle Brunson of foosball, the sport’s first world champion, an icon of the “golden age.”
Bowers will be among the field vying for part of the $20,000 purse at the Colorado State Table Soccer Championships this weekend at the Crowne Plaza Denver International Airport hotel.
But he will have worthy competition, including Colorado native Todd Loffredo, who has more world titles (nine) than any other player.
The Colorado tournament will be played in anticipation of the $100,000 World Championship Series, to be hosted by the U.S. Table Soccer Federation in Las Vegas in September.
STAY ON THE COUCH
Good ol’ boys getting serious.
There are nine weeks of races remaining until NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Chase begins. And while the best drivers — including series leader Kyle Busch — are solidifying their spots among the top eight, the fight for the final four playoff spots are becoming more and more murky.
There’s a traffic jam between No. 9 Tony Stewart (2,042 points) and No. 16 Brian Vickers (1,903). That’s a difference of 139 points. And fewer than 100 points separate No. 9 and No. 14 (Martin Truex Jr.).
More will be at stake this weekend at Daytona International Speedway in Florida than the name of the race implies. The Coke Zero 400 races Saturday on TNT at 4:30 p.m.
SEE IT IN PERSON
Explosive action guaranteed.
Denver Outlaws attackman Matt Brown has been cleared to play in tonight’s fireworks game between the Western Conference-leading Outlaws (5-2) and the San Francisco Dragons (1-5) at 7 p.m. at Invesco Field at Mile High.
Brown suffered a concussion when he was hit with an illegal cross-check to the head by the Chicago Machine’s Jeff Bigas in a Denver victory June 21. Brown was unable to play Sunday when Denver lost at Chicago, 16-13.
“I feel much better,” Brown said. “I’m back to my normal self.”
Theresa Smith, special to The Denver Post
WHAT WE’D LIKE TO SEE
Proof it’s a young person’s game.
As the Major League Baseball season nears its midpoint with the annual All-Star Game, some youth leagues are hitting their peaks.
Two national-level tournaments will be in full force this weekend around town, including the Colorado Fireworks girls softball tournament in Broomfield and Aurora and the American Amateur Youth Baseball Alliance Junior World Series of boys baseball in Arvada.
The Colorado Fireworks tournament, now in its 35th year, has long been a collection of the best teams in the western United States. With a national field of teams — in four age divisions, from 12 to 18 — Fireworks stands as a competitive tournament in itself. But for the 16- and 18-year-olds, it’s also a chance to gain the attention of college recruiters.
The AAYBA Junior World Series is one of three of its kind in the country and one of several national youth league tournaments. The AAYBA tournament will take its place among other leagues, such as Roberto Clemente, Pee Wee Reese, Dixie, Pony and, of course, Little League Baseball. The youth leagues reach far. Broomfield, Aurora and Arvada this weekend have the games to prove it.
