Behind the lockouts and drug tests, the “taking of talents” to high-paying teams, the TV contracts and advertising endorsements, the forced player trades and screaming-ego coaches, there’s still a game going on.
Every time a sports fan cried “I’ll never care again” during the Carmelo Anthony brouhaha, there were a hundred other athletes busting their backsides running to exhaustion and carrying themselves past the point of being beat.
It will be those athletes competing at the 10th edition of the Rocky Mountain State Games starting today in and around Colorado Springs. The annual celebration of sport will attract thousands of amateur athletes from the region in more than 30 sports.
The games go this weekend and next. Some of the highlights:
• Longmont’s James Davis, an assistant track coach at Boulder High School, will be one to watch in the sprints. The former University of Colorado All-America sprinter has medals from the world championships and the Pan American Games on his resume.
He’s also a former state games winner. He’ll try to pace the field in the 100-, 200- and 400-meter sprints.
• Rampart High School senior-to-be Ryan Cook in May won the Class 5A state prep high jump title with a leap of 6-feet-8. But because he’s a competitor for the sake of it, he kept jumping, eventually clearing 6-10.
The 7-foot mark will be waiting for Cook in Colorado Springs.
• Denver’s Sumina Shrestha burst onto the badminton scene in 2005 at the Asian Satellite Badminton Championship in Katmandu. She went on to win Nepal’s national championship.
Now 26, Shrestha should be a favorite among the women’s divisions at Cheyenne Mountain High School.
• Colorado Springs’ Michelle Blessing, the former U.S. Olympic triathlon coach, will be among the triathlon racers — many who know one another from racing side-by-side all season — at Memorial Park.
But as any casual triathlete around these parts knows, the competition is almost always fierce.
The Games
The 10th edition of the Rocky Mountain State Games:
Where: Olympic Training Center, Memorial Park, Cheyenne Mountain HS and Colorado College, Colorado Springs; Air Force Academy; and Fort Carson.
When: Today through Sunday and July 29-31.
Disciplines: Athletes will compete in more than 30 sports.
Ceremony: “American Idol” winner Taylor Hicks will perform July 29 at World Arena at 7 p.m. Ceremonies include a parade of athletes.
WHAT WE’D LIKE TO SEE
Only race in town.
Professional auto racing in Colorado can sometimes mean slim pickin’s. There’s no Sprint Cup, and now there’s no IndyCar, Nationwide or even Trucks anymore.
So when it comes to major-league racing, this weekend is it — the NHRA Mile High Nationals at Bandimere Speedway. The NHRA races put fans in the pit area for up-close looks at the cars, crew members and drivers. The pits become wall-to-wall people at times.
And the racing is raw. Who’s going to get to the finish line first? The answer is not necessarily whoever has the fastest car, because driving ability and strategy play big parts. Elapsed times and MPH numbers are added features. But it’s who wins the race — that’s all that matters.
Obbie Harvey, The Denver Post; Post file
STAY ON THE COUCH
One weight, one belt.
Boxing’s junior welterweight division will unify belts Saturday when heavily favored Amir Khan (25-1, 17 knockouts) goes against Zab Judah (41-6, 28 KOs) in Las Vegas.
The fight, airing on HBO at 8 p.m., should begin to sort the division, and it likely will impact Denver’s Mike Alvarado, a contender who also fights at 140.
Khan will defend his WBA belt for the fifth time. Judah, a five-time world champ, will defend his IBF title. A Khan victory would establish him as the clear top dog in the class. A Judah win would likely draw a rematch.
The rest of the division must stand in line, including Alvarado, who next fights July 30 in Denver.
GET OFF THE COUCH
Top-drawer fun.
Find a great chance to raise your Underwearness tonight in Denver when the Drop Your Drawers and Run Wild 5K streaks through City Park and the Denver Zoo.
The race raises money to help get clean, new underwear to organizations helping families and children in need.
The 5K, now in its second year, will be a casual romp around the park, with after-hours admission to the zoo for postrace parties.
Everything starts at 6:30 p.m.
Check for more information.
