Telluride High School Sports Update

Telluride High School Sports Update

Taken From a Letter From Mike Hughes, Athletic Director of the Telluride High School-

The big week that was upon us last week has come and gone and the weather made it interesting for everyone throughout Colorado.  I can't remember a particular event with the stature of the State Cross Country Championships ever being postponed in my time as an AD in Colorado.  The heavy snow caused some delays in the game schedule as well, but in the end, it has or all will work out and our kids again are passing the tests that they need to pass to show that the education they are getting from athletics is building a strong set of core principles they can rely on in every facet of their life.  Not that we haven't endured our share of setbacks and roadblocks, but with continued caring, education and leadership by our coaching staff, we will continue to impart the real value of athletics: having fun, building great relationships, enjoying competition, a healthy respect for yourself, your teammates and your opponents, striving valiantly to succeed, and learning that class and grace have nothing to do with the team ahead on the scoreboard. 

Weekly Highlights:

Like I stated above, our young and anxious cross country squads will both have to wait an additional week to complete a stellar all-around season.  The poor weather conditions in Ft. Collins caused the course, covered with 18"-20" of snow, to be deemed unfit for competition. The nice weekend weather and a steady dose of good weather this week will allow for the course to be ready to host the quality meet it should be.  I applaud CHSAA for making the decision they did and for allowing our schools to change hotel accommodations and travel plans with time to spare.  This Saturday, our young squads will be toeing the line in Ft. Collins looking to finish off a banner year.  Good luck to Coach Hampton and the Miner Cross Country kids. 

Coach Kusuno took the THS boys' soccer team to Aspen last Friday evening for their state playoff clash with Basalt High School.  The game was originally scheduled for Wednesday of last week, but the large snow fall and tough travel conditions pushed the game north of Basalt to the very wintery setting in Aspen. The turf field was a plus and the plows allowed for the field to be in really great shape for the match.  The #6 ranked Basalt Longhorns lived up to their billing as one of the states elite.  Although our boys suffered what looks like a lopsided 8-1 loss, the qualities that are important were on display from start to finish.  The boys played incredibly hard, kept their composure when the score seemed to be out of the reach of winning, and really made me proud as they congratulated Basalt on a great game and good luck in their upcoming matches. The kids knew they played hard and that they played a superior team, but had nothing to hang their heads about with their effort.  No score board can take that away.  Coach Kusuno and Coach James are to be commended for the efforts and class the team displayed.  That is what it is all about. 

The HS Girls' Volleyball team finished their season on Saturday after 12 exhaustive games in three matches in the District Tournament.  The young Miners fought Dolores to a 4 game match to open the tournament.  After suffering a tough loss, the girls had to rally and compete against SJBL regular season Champions from Mancos.  The Bluejays had a little more experience and the home cooking didn't hurt as our Miners succumbed in three games.  This is where the real learning comes in.  At this point, the chances of our team continuing on and competing at the Regional Championships had been dashed, but our young squad found the mental and physical fortitude to answer the bell and finish off the tournament with a thrilling five game victory against Ignacio.  The ability to handle the losses, get back out there and compete to win, show me a great deal about the character of these young ladies and the leadership that Coach DePagter showed.  I am extremely proud of their efforts and look forward to the years to come with the young squad.

The HS Competitive Cheer squad is now less than three weeks away from our first competition of the season, the Western Regional Championships in Grand Junction on Saturday, November 21.  There is much yet to be done to polish the routine and focus on all aspects of the routine, but the amount of time the girls with Coach Digiglio and Coach Brachle have put in will pay off handsomely in the near future. 

The MS Girls' basketball team entered their first games this weekend with a triangular in Ouray.  The girls had what Coach McCloud deemed "a great learning experience" in tough losses to Norwood and Ouray.  The girls will again be in action this weekend with all the knowledge and experience gained from their first games.  The girls will play here on Saturday, as we play host to Ignacio and Ridgway starting at 9:00 on Saturday morning.  Coach McCloud and Coach Ludwig will get the girls going and they will show the benefits of playing two of the league's best teams early in the season.   

Right around the corner is High School Basketball.  The girls and boys can both officially start practice on Thursday, November 12.  I'm sure Coach Ludwig and Coach McCloud as well as Coach Hart and I will be chomping at the bit to start the season next week.  I can only speak for myself when I say:  let's start now!!!!!!!

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