AURORA — It’s here and has nothing to do with the Democratic National Convention or Brett Favre.
Colorado’s 88th high school sports season will begin preseason practice today for boys golfers, who will tee it up a week earlier than eight other fall sports.
Summer in the Rocky Mountains may not be over, but it is for thousands of prep student-athletes set for the first of three seasons during the 2008-09 school year.
No matter if a stop at a filling station costs a nickel or a $50 bill, Colorado kids are the same when it’s time to play.
“The students in 1921 had the same feelings of anticipation, perhaps even trepidation, of starting something new that the students have today,” Colorado High School Activities Association commissioner Bill Reader said. “It’s a great time in a student’s life.”
And a time to pay attention. Colorado’s first events in high school sports are confusing. Cross country, football, field hockey, gymnastics, boys soccer, softball, boys tennis and volleyball programs won’t open practice until next Monday. However, the golfers will start regular-season matches Thursday and be joined Aug. 14 by tennis and Aug. 15 by softball, two weeks before debuts for five other sports (Aug. 28).
Add the annual asterisk to football, which will offer the aptly named Zero Week (Aug. 22-23) round for the few schools that somehow failed to land the proper number of opponents (seven to 10) later in the regular season.
Whatever happened to finishing a school year in June, then starting another after Labor Day? Fall sports will be capped Nov. 29 by upper-classification football championships, to be followed by winter’s five sports (to be completed by March 14) and spring’s seven (May 16).
Neil H. Devlin: 303-954-1714 or ndevlin@denverpost.com
BEAUTIFUL BANDIMERE
Local drag strip partners with U.S. Department of Energy.
Kudos to John Bandimere Jr. and his family, owners of Bandimere Speedway. The facility announced last week it has become the test venue for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory, which has an office in nearby Golden.
Make no mistake, Bandimere Speedway is a gas-guzzling facility that is all about high-octane, low-mileage vehicles. But it’s nice to see Colorado’s historic racing venue help promote alternative fuel in a time of record oil prices.
Bandimere and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory also announced an educational partnership to teach Colorado high school students about advanced technology vehicles.
Check out Bandimere’s website (www.bandimere.com) for more information and schedule of these events.
TV GAME OF THE WEEK
Opening ceremony a sure winner.
Last week, a Korean television station taped a minute or so of the Beijing Games’ opening ceremony rehearsals, infuriating organizers who made everybody participating in the show sign a confidentiality agreement.
But let’s face it, nothing is going to ruin the excitement of watching the real thing Friday on NBC.
ROCK THE HOUSE
Rockies begin 10-game homestand.
Not so surprisingly, the Rockies did nothing to help themselves before last week’s trading deadline, then fell to eight games behind the National League West-leading Diamondbacks.
But as we learned a year ago, nothing’s over until we face the Red Sox.
The Rox, whose playoff dreams still exist despite being 11 games under .500 and now are seven games back, would love to ignite some October hope at home, beginning tonight against the lowly Washington Nationals.
The four-game series against the worst team in baseball concludes Thursday, before the Padres and Diamondbacks come to Coors Field for three-game sets.
Let’s put on the rally caps, or put them away for the season and bid the boys of summer farewell.
GRIDIRON ON GRID
College football gets going.
Division I-A pigskin practice begins this week at Colorado, Colorado State and Air Force, with each beginning full-pad drills Saturday. There is optimism within each program.
In Greeley, meanwhile, the Division I-AA Northern Colorado Bears — who open Sept. 6 at Purdue — begin practice Friday.
OUTLAWS IN BEANTOWN
Lacrosse guys go to Harvard.
The Denver Outlaws (8-3) of Major League Lacrosse conclude the regular season Saturday against Boston (6-4) at Harvard Stadium.
For the Western Division- leading Outlaws, the game could be an on-site warm-up for MLL’s Championship Weekend. The semifinals and championship games are pegged for Aug. 23 and 24, respectively, at Harvard.
Mike Chambers
