by Laura Lieff | Mar 18, 2024 | Main Articles
by Laura Lieff
Home Team Support: Infinity Park has become a destination that people of all ages look forward to visiting as they enjoy cheering on their home team.
Since opening its gates in 2007, Infinity Park has welcomed tens of thousands of visitors. The first and only municipally-owned rugby-specific stadium in the United States, Infinity Park spans 16 acres (including an eight-acre green open space), features a state-of-the-art gym, a full-sized outdoor training pitch, and a stadium with a seating capacity of 4,000. It is also home to a recreation center and an event center, as well as the American Raptors rugby team.
Located in the heart of Glendale, Infinity Park was built on a bold vision to center the future of the city around the growing sport of rugby. Featuring a multi-purpose indoor/outdoor sports complex, Infinity Park has earned the designation of RugbyTown USA. Along with serving as the American Raptors’ headquarters, Infinity Park has hosted several different international men’s and women’s rugby matches including the 2008 North America 4, the 2009 and 2010 Churchill Cups, the 2009 Americas Rugby Championship, the 2019 Pacific Nations Cup, and all three 2023 Rugby World Cup Qualifiers for the United States men’s national rugby team. The venue was also the United States stop on the 2018- 2019 World Rugby Women’s Sevens Series and is home to the annual RugbyTown 7s tournament.
Local Destination
Beyond rugby, Infinity Park has become a destination that people of all ages look forward to visiting. “We see families, groups of friends, rugby fans, and community members who want to spend time outside and cheer on their home team on a beautiful weekend afternoon,” says Glendale City Manager Chuck Line. “Watching Infinity Park become the heart of our city has been very rewarding.”
Another aspect that sets Infinity Park apart is the local feel it brings to hosted events and provides for the community. Because of the park’s expansive space and Glendale’s welcoming mindset, local recreational leagues, youth leagues, and residents always have a place to practice and compete, gather and interact, or simply hang out.
Local Destination: With a seating capacity of 4,000, Infinity Park continues to draw large crowds for all types of events.
“Infinity Park serves as an entertainment anchor for Glendale and offers the community and beyond the opportunity to enjoy sporting events, movies, and music,” says Director of Infinity Park Operations, Kieran Nelson. “Also, since its inception, the park has garnered a reputation among the international rugby community as a world-class venue, and we could not be prouder to have earned that distinction.”
In addition to the family-friendly environment and welcoming staff, spending time at Infinity Park is affordable as adult tickets for rugby games are $10 and admission for kids 12 and under is free. This spring, Glendale residents are looking forward to watching their home team return from South America to play in the professional SRA league.
Upcoming games will feature the following theme days:
April 7
For Military Appreciation Day, Glendale will show gratitude to our armed forces by offering camo koozies at the gate and opportunities to engage with various on-site military branches. Additionally, fans can nominate a hero to be honored during the match, making it a day to celebrate and recognize our military heroes.
April 14
In recognition of Mental Health Awareness Day, Infinity Park is partnering with Howzit — a mental health awareness brand founded by former rugby players — by offering a gate giveaway of stress balls. Engage with representatives from All Health Network, the Glendale Police Department, and Canine Partners of the Rockies, as Glendale promotes mental well-being and support within the community.
April 21
Social Spot: Spending a spring afternoon outside socializing with friends has become part of the park’s legacy.
Celebrate Colorado Day at Infinity Park with exciting promotions including a complimentary American Raptors Colorado keychain, opportunities to interact with mascots from local college and sports teams, and delicious Colorado-themed food from our on-site food trucks, among other festivities.
April 28
For Autism Awareness Day, Firefly Autism will provide valuable resources and information at Infinity Park. Receive a complimentary fidget spinner at the gate, and meet the adorable service dogs in training from Canine Partners of the Rockies. There will also be a quiet room for those needing a sensory break. Additionally, thanks to KultureCity, sensory bags will be available at all Infinity Park events, ensuring inclusivity and support for individuals with sensory sensitivities.
More events happening this summer include:
May 11: 2024 High School Boys and Girls Rugby Championships
June 10: Movie Night — Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem
June 24: Movie Night — The Marvels
July 2: Glendale Fireworks
July 8: Movie Night — Trolls Band Together
July 22: Movie Night — Barbie
August 23-25: RugbyTown 7s
For more information, or to view the Raptors’ schedule and ticket information, visit www.americanraptors.com/schedule-and-tickets.
by Laura Lieff | Feb 19, 2024 | Glendale City News
by Laura Lieff
Returning for a second year as part of the Super Rugby Americas (SRA) league, the American Raptors team faces fierce competition. In addition to the Glendale team, the SRA league is comprised of six other franchises — defending champions Peñarol Rugby (Uruguay), Cobras Brasil XV, Selknam (Chile), Yacare XV (Paraguay), and two teams from Argentina, Dogos XV and Pampas. All the clubs will be traveling to and from South America and the United States, with several ga
Full Force: Feofaaki Pulu carries the ball in an American Raptors match against Yacare XV at Infinity Park. (Photo by Seth McConnell)
mes slated to be played at Infinity Park throughout the 2024 season.
“With the goal of providing a pathway to international rugby for high caliber players, and creating a fanbase that brings new players to rugby, SRA continues to provide a unique competition over twelve rounds, with teams playing matches at home and on the road,” says Frankie Deges, Media & Communication Manager for Super Rugby Americas. “Additionally, with the inclusion of the American Raptors in 2023, SRA represents the coming of age of the Superliga Americana de Rugby that was first played between 2020 and 2022.”
Launched two weeks before the world went into lockdown due to COVID-19, Superliga Americana de Rugby successfully returned in 2021 and 2022. Many have recognized this tournament as the catalyst for Chile’s first-ever qualification for Rugby World Cup, and Uruguay beating the USA Eagles to take the first spot in the Americas Qualifying system.
Strong Team
Comprised of 35 players, the American Raptors staff is excited for the year ahead and is thrilled to have a talented pool of returning and new players.
“The American Raptors’ mission to develop the best young American talent is hitting full stride going into their second season of competing in SRA,” says Patrick Guthrie, Chief Operating Officer of the American Raptors. “Marking a strategic blend of experience and fresh young talent
Tough Tackle: Watson Filikitonga gets tackled during a match against Selknam last spring. (Photo by Seth McConnell)
, the Raptors have expanded their lineup by adding 19 promising new players while retaining the skills of 16 seasoned athletes.”
Key players include Mikey Grandy, who is returning for his fourth season, and Diego Fortuny returning for his second year, as well as newcomers Ignacio Mieres and Facundo Ignacio Pomponio. The club began its 2024 season with a three-match road trip to Argentina and Uruguay before returning to Infinity Park for six straight home games. They will finish the season back on the road traveling to Brazil, Paraguay, and Chile.
Raptors games can be streamed on ESPN+ but the best way to enjoy rugby is attending games at Infinity Park. Since its inception in 2007, Infinity Park remains the first and only municipally-owned rugby-specific stadium in the United States. Known as RugbyTown USA, Glendale continues to welcome rugby teams from around the world to play at the 4,000-seat facility.
In addition to serving as the American Raptors headquarters, Infinity Park has hosted several international men’s and women’s rugby matches over the years including the 2019 Pacific Nations Cup and all three 2023 Rugby World Cup Qualifiers for the United States men’s national rugby team. The venue also served as the United States stop on the 2018- 2019 World Rugby Women’s Sevens Series and is home to the annual RugbyTown 7s tournament, which takes place annually during the third weekend of August.
For more information about the schedule, and to buy tickets, visit americanaptors.com/schedule-and-tickets.
Home Game Themes
3/17: Raptors Green Out (St. Patrick’s Day) | Giveaway: Green Raptors t-shirt | Wear green to celebrate the Raptors’ first home game.
3/24: Western Day | Giveaway: Raptors Bandanas | Wear your best cowboy/cowgirl attire to Infinity Park.
4/7: Military Appreciation Day | Giveaway: Camo Koozies | Honoring those who served and active military members throughout the game.
4/14: Mental Health Awareness Day | Giveaway: Stress Balls | Raising awareness and promoting positive mental health.
4/21: Colorado Day | Giveaway: Raptors Keychains | Celebrate everything Colorado with local mascots, local colleges, and Colorado food staples.
4/28: Autism Awareness Day | Giveaway: Fidget Spinners | Raising awareness about Autism at the Raptors last home game of the season.
by Laura Lieff | Feb 22, 2023 | Editorials
by Laura Lieff
All In The Family: Dave and David Wroblewski are the first father/son officers to be part of the Glendale police force.
For the first time in its 63-year history, the Glendale Police Department has a father and son on the force. With the recent hiring of David Wroblewski, the son of Glendale police officer Dave Wroblewski, Glendale welcomes a new family member. While Dave has been with the department since October 2011, his son David was hired in January after graduating from the Arapahoe Community College Police Academy.
According to Glendale PD Captain Jamie Dillon, “David interviewed with several departments and we’re happy he chose Glendale. Over the years, a few officers have married dispatchers, but back in the 1980s and 1990s one was required to leave because family members were not allowed to work together.”
Although family members are not permitted to supervise other family members directly or indirectly, Dillon says that kids raised in police families usually have a better understanding of what the career entails. He adds, “They understand up front that their parents will be working shifts in all sorts of weather and will regularly miss holidays because they are working.”
Dave, who has been in law enforcement for over 30 years and was a Marine before that, has seen a lot of changes over the last three decades. “I decided to be a police officer because I wanted the chance to make a difference,” he explains. “I chose Glendale because it is a smaller jurisdiction which has allowed me to get to know the people I am serving on a personal level. In fact, there have been many occasions where people have requested certain officers because of the relationships the smallness of the city allows us to build.”
Father And Son
When asked about his son David following in his footsteps, Dave says he is thrilled. “I am excited and proud about what my son has chosen to do and uphold,” he says. “The most rewarding part of this job is knowing that you truly make a difference every day and the toughest part is the current anti-police outlook by the media and in general.”
Adds Dillon, “Because David is joining the police force at a time when officers are under a great deal of pressure and scrutiny, it says something that Dave would encourage his son to follow in his footsteps and also to come to Glendale.”
After finishing his first week on the job for the Glendale PD, David believes he made the right decision to work for a smaller force with “a welcoming atmosphere.” He says that he’s both excited and anxious.
“Being officially sworn in is the start of a rewarding career and I am looking forward to what the FTO [Field Training Officers] program has to teach me, although I am nervous because of the unknown,” David says. “It’s not only a high honor to be given the opportunity to serve as a law enforcement officer, but to carry on the tradition of policing in the family makes it even better.”
by Laura Lieff | Jan 19, 2023 | Main Articles
by Laura Lieff
Phoenix Airport: Rows of unclaimed baggage went on for miles due to thousands of cancelled Southwest flights. Photo by Storm Gloor
There is a new way of traveling and it doesn’t include checking your bags at the airport. During the week of Christmas, thousands of flights were cancelled across the country, but the largest meltdown happened in Southwest terminals in cities like Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, and Chicago, causing travelers to miss family dinners, ski trips, and time with friends. Additionally, those weary travelers had no idea where their luggage was or if they would ever see it again.
Media outlets all over the United States showed photos of seas of baggage accompanied by headlines such as “Horror stories, misery at LAX and Burbank airport as Southwest meltdown strands thousands” (Los Angeles Times), “1,000 Southwest flyers slept overnight at Denver airport amid ‘nightmare’ flight cancellations” (USA Today), “Unclaimed luggage piles up at airports following Southwest cancellations” (NPR), and “Long lines, unclaimed baggage, and frustration” (The Denver Post), among many others.
According to The New York Times, “more than 2,500 flights, or 62 percent of [Southwest’s] planned flights” were cancelled on December 28, and that continued for the next several days. In addition, “some passengers, unable to rebook Southwest flights, rented cars, or spent hundreds of dollars to buy tickets on other airlines.”
Hunting For Lost Luggage
Longtime Vail Valley residents and seasoned travelers Chelsea and Matt Rummenie dealt with four flight cancellations over the course of a few days. They drove to Denver International Airport from Vail on December 23 and spent hours on an airplane that never took off. They booked a hotel near the airport only to be told upon arrival that there were no rooms available. Hundreds of dollars and many days of frustration later, the couple never got out of Colorado. They missed spending the holidays with their families — a trip that had been planned for months — and they didn’t see their bags until 2023.
“We’re still trying to get our money back for all the cancelled flights, Ubers that we took to and from hotels that didn’t have space for us, and time spent driving up and down I-70 to locate and retrieve our belongings,” says Chelsea.
On January 2, Chelsea and Matt drove back to DIA to locate their belongings. After rummaging through mountains of bags, they finally found their luggage, which thankfully still had the thousands of dollars in gear, clothes, and Christmas gifts inside. “We couldn’t believe what we were seeing,” Chelsea explains. “Thousands of bags piled up and very few employees available to help. It’s a bigger issue than just delayed and cancelled flights.”
Ten Days: It took ten days for Vail residents Matt and Chelsea Rummenie to locate and retrieve their bags from a flight that never left Colorado. Photo by Chelsea Rummenie
Something’s Gotta Give
Following the nightmare that was the luggage crisis of the 2022 holiday season, more and more people around the country are choosing alternative methods of getting their bags to and from their desired locations. Carly Fields, a Los Angeles resident who flies at least once a month for work, says she refuses to check a bag because she fears that it will get lost. Instead, she makes sure everything she needs fits in her FAA-approved carry-on.
“I’ve had too many issues with cancelled flights and lost luggage so now I only carry-on my bag,” says Fields. “It doesn’t matter how long I’m out of town — I would rather pack fewer clothing choices or find a place to wash my clothes than risk being without my belongings.”
For those who travel with gear, and therefore don’t have the carry-on option, shipping luggage and equipment is becoming a popular alternative. Greenwich, Connecticut, resident Stephanie Spooner travels to Colorado with her family every year and has learned that, with two kids and a ton of stuff, shipping their ski equipment and clothing gives her peace of mind.
“Flying across the country is already stressful, so the last thing we need is dealing with lost luggage,” Spooner explains. “Also, if our skis and equipment get lost, our ski trip is ruined.”
Spooner uses TripHero — a locally owned and operated company out of Edwards, Colorado, that ships luggage and sports gear — because it saves her time, money,
and aggravation. Other options are Paradise Baggage out of Englewood, Colorado, which is family owned and operated, as well as ShipGo, which is headquartered in West Palm
DIA In Disarray: A sea of luggage remained in January 2023 as weary travelers searched for their lost belongings from delayed or cancelled holiday flights. Photo by Chelsea Rummenie
Beach, Florida.
More Choices And Flexibility
Although flights can always get cancelled and bags can get lost any time of year, traveling during peak times — such as the December holidays, President’s Day weekend, and March spring break — is when shipping luggage has become more of a necessity. In 2023, many have said that shipping luggage and equipment is going to be their new method of travel as it alleviates frustration, saves time that would be spent standing around at baggage claim, and allows for more autonomy if flights are cancelled.
TripHero COO Patrick Mcilvain adds that their goal is for “people to start their vacation the moment they leave their home and experience traveling in a way that is hassle-free.” He continues, “By shipping bags rather than lugging them around airports, travelers have more flexibility and peace of mind that their luggage will be waiting for them at their hotels, vacation rentals, or homes rather than the other way around.”
For more information visit www.gotriphero.com, www.paradisebaggage.com, or www.shipgo.com.
by Laura Lieff | Jan 21, 2022 | Glendale City News
by Laura Lieff
The Glendale Police Department started 2022 off with high honors. At the January 4 Glendale City Council meeting, officers from multiple divisions — including dispatchers, patrol officers, detectives, victims advocates, evidence technicians, and records technicians — were awarded a Unit Citation for their outstanding performance in two complex cases from 2017 and 2019.
“Everyone worked extremely hard on these complicated cases and that thoroughness resulted in identifying suspects and getting confessions,” says Chief William Haskins.
High Honors: The Glendale PD command staff earned the coveted Trilogy Award for completing all three FBI Law Enforcement Executive Development Association courses.
In October 2017, the manager was shot at Shotgun Willie’s when a small group was denied entry. As soon as the Glendale PD dispatchers received the call, they began collecting information which allowed officers to get to the club quickly and restore order in a chaotic situation. Haskins says the officers collected statements from people who were on scene and then detectives began digging through the information.
“Unfortunately, situations happen when there just isn’t enough information to show prosecutors,” Haskins explains. “But in this case, everyone continued pursuing every lead available until they were finally able to identify the suspect who was already in custody in federal prison on unrelated charges. Our detectives got a confession, and the suspect took a plea bargain for 18 years.”
Diligence And Hard Work
In November 2019, the Glendale PD received several calls at 3 a.m. about shots fired in the area. Officers arrived on scene and found a car, riddled with bullet holes, that had driven off the side of the road. The driver had also been shot to death. Although Haskins describes the amount of evidence as minuscule, Glendale detectives eventually figured out that the shooting was part of a much larger series of incidents involving the MS-13 crime gang operating in Colorado.
“We worked with other jurisdictions, the violent crimes task force, and ATF because the criminal subculture around MS-13 is that they don’t talk,” says Haskins. “By coordinating with these other agencies — and through good old-fashioned policework — they were able to identify the suspects and bring forth charges.”
As a result of the Glendale PD’s hard work and persistence, the District Attorney’s office felt they had enough evidence to prosecute. Although the MS-13 case is still ongoing, and hasn’t gone to trial yet, the Glendale team was able to put the pieces of the large, complex puzzle together and identify suspects.
FBI Training
In addition to the effort put into the 2017 and 2019 cases, the Glendale PD’s Command Staff — including Chief Haskins, one captain, and two lieutenants — took time to sharpen and update their skills by completing FBI Law Enforcement Executive Development Association (LEEDA) courses. According to the website, the FBI LEEDA provides executive law enforcement continuing education for police leaders across the United States.
LEEDA’s core training curriculum is comprised of three classes: Supervisor Institute, Command Institute, and Executive Institute. The Supervisor Institute covers personality diagnostics, leadership case studies, mentoring, performance and risk management, and credibility. The Command Institute discusses discipline and liability, dealing with problem employees, and leading change within an organization. The Executive Institute teaches trends in law enforcement, implications of the 21st Century Policing Report, bias and diversity, employee wellness, and transformational leadership.
According to Haskins, successfully completing just one of the three FBI LEEDA courses is a huge accomplishment for an individual. Completing all three — also known as the Trilogy Award — is extremely impressive. When an entire command staff takes law enforcement education even further by achieving all three, that is another level of excellence.
“When I took over as chief, I wanted Glendale to be the best police force in the nation, and that includes ongoing training at various levels,” Haskins explains. “This is a huge achievement for our department because it enables everyone to use the same tools to move the agency forward.”
Adds Mayor Mike Dunafon, “It’s an honor to work alongside the men and women of the Glendale Police Department. They work tirelessly to keep the citizens and businesses of Glendale safe and truly embody the spirit of the motto ‘to protect and serve.’”
