by Mark Smiley | Oct 23, 2017 | Glendale City News
by John Arthur
Writer for and on behalf of the City of Glendale
GLENDALE, CO – OCTOBER 7: Glendale Merlins Men vs New York Old Blue at Infinity Park on October 7, 2017 in Glendale, Colorado. (Photo by Seth McConnell)
Sponsor partnerships are an important and mutually beneficial aspect of regional sports teams, organizations, and venues. Glendale’s Infinity Park, the first rugby-specific venue in the nation, offers a unique and vibrant platform from which sponsors can create their own brand awareness, engage in community outreach, and target an enthusiastic and growing rugby fan base. Infinity Park and the Glendale Rugby Club have recently welcomed a sponsor partnership with SCL Health — a relationship that begins as Infinity Park celebrates its 10th anniversary in Glendale, and as the Raptors prepare to enter the next chapter of the organization’s rich history.
SCL Health is a faith-based, non-profit health organization headquartered in Broomfield, Colo. SCL Health traces its history – and its name – to the Sisters of Charity Leavenworth, a Catholic religious institution that follows in the tradition of 17th century French leaders, Saints Vincent de Paul and Louise de Marillac. Dedicated to improving the health of the people and communities they serve, SCL’s $2.5 billion dollar healthcare network aspires to provide comprehensive, coordinated care in Colorado and Montana. In Colorado, SCL Health operates Saint Joseph Hospital in Denver, Lutheran Medical Center in Wheat Ridge, Good Samaritan Medical Center in Lafayette, Platte Valley Medical Center in Brighton, and St. Mary’s Medical Center in Grand Junction. With 11 total hospitals, more than 115 physician clinics, and over 18,000 employees, the organization focuses on excellent patient care quality, and is especially dedicated to improving the health of the poor and vulnerable.
Tim Shonsey, the Regional Director of Marketing and Communications for SCL Health’s Front Range hospitals, says he’s had his eye on sponsorship at Infinity Park for some time: “We decided to sponsor Infinity Park because it’s a great venue to connect with the Glendale community. Having a growing sports audience that has a direct connection to one of our providers made it an easy decision.” Shonsey re-marked that sponsorship is an important part of SCL Health’s general community outreach as well, noting that the organization also supports Colorado Public Radio and partners with other media outlets to provide health information to the communities it serves. “The most important part of any partnership opportunity is our ability to promote health and wellness to people who may one day become our patients,” said Shonsey.
Uniquely, SCL Health’s partnership with Infinity Park extends beyond the recent sponsorship. Dr. Michael DaRosa, a Sports Medicine Physician at SCL Health Medical Group – Denver Sports Medicine, is also the team physician for the Glendale Raptors and Merlins. Specializing in musculoskeletal injuries, pain treatment, and a sports-related concussion specialist, DaRosa has been treating Glendale’s rugby players since 2016: “I love caring for these extremely tough, strong, and skilled athletes on the sidelines and in my office. My goal for all my patients is get them back in action as safely and quickly as possible. It is an absolute pleasure caring for these hardworking athletes at beautiful Infinity Park.” Asked about why SCL Health would endeavor to become a sponsor partner of Infinity Park, DaRosa remarked that the organization appreciates seeing active, motivated individuals — exact
ly the kind of patrons that Infinity Park and the Glendale Rugby Clubs attract. Just as Coloradans are passionate about rugby, SCL Health is passionate about caring for the communities it serves.
Since its founding in 2007, Infinity Park has become a hub not just for entertainment, community, and, of course, rugby, but has also served as a nexus of Colorado’s healthy, active character. Celebrating 10 years of impassioned growth, and standing on the brink of a new chapter of explosive rugby expansion, Glendale is also proud to be embarking on a new sponsor partnership with SCL Health. No doubt the new sponsor is also looking forward to a fruitful relationship — alongside Glendale’s loyal fan base, the Raptors’ role as a founding team in the forthcoming Major League Rugby organization means that SCL is poised to see a significant return on investment.
by Mark Smiley | Oct 23, 2017 | Travel
60,000 Attend The 36th Annual Event
by Jeff Stiglic and Mark Smiley
The 36th Annual Great American Beer Festival (GABF) was held October 5-7, 2017, at the Colorado Convention Center. Over 800 breweries poured 3,900 beers over the three-day fest hosted by the Brewers Association. Attendees surpassed 60,000 making it the largest attended GABF ever. It has come a long way since 1982 when it was held at the Harvest House Hotel in Boulder. There were 24 breweries, 47 beers and 800 attendees back then.
The state of Colorado won 38 medals as Glendale’s very own Bull & Bush Brewery took home a bronze medal for their Wood- and Barrel-Aged Beer called Woody Pils. Colorado tied their total from last year with an impressive lineup of entries. As an attendee who lives in Denver, it is nice to support the home team but it is also an opportunity to taste beers that are otherwise unavailable in this state. And, it is a chance to sample beers that are just starting distribution in Colorado such as Surly Brewing Company from Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Two Roads Brewing Company from Stratford, Connecticut.
“Having just launched our beers in the Colorado market, it was a great opportunity to gain brand recognition locally,” said Lizzy Shpitalnik, Colorado Sales Manager for Two Roads Brewing Company. “We also had Two Roads staff at the booth pouring our ten offerings at all times, so we were able to connect with festival goers on a deeper level.”
Two Roads was also invited to an event called What the Funk hosted by Crooked Stave Artisans. This event was one of many held outside the confines of the Colorado Convention Center. On Wednesday, October 4, 2017, The Studios at Overland Crossing played host to this year’s event. Attendees were treated to rare beers and adventurous concoctions that served as a great lead in to this year’s GABF.
The crew of Brewski-Reviewski not 
only attended the three day GABF but also covered many of these events in and around town to see how they enhanced the week dedicated to beer.
Thursday, October 5, opening night of GABF, the crew started the first hour at the festival getting a feel for the layout of the hall so they would be able to easily navigate it on Saturday, October 7, after the awards ceremony. After that, it was off to Epic Brewing for the 5th annual 50 Firkin Fiasco.
The event was set up throughout the brewery with 50 specialty beers they brewed and collaborated with other breweries. Epic did not disappoint on this, with beers scattered everywhere to taste, and live music to set the mood. From standard beers like IPAs and stouts to beers brewed with sage and even one with Swedish Fish, this is a recommended event for next year.
Bierstadt Lagerhaus was the venue for the Beer Hall Brawl with Melvin Brewing from Wyoming. This event could be characterized by one word: crazy. The crew from these two places combined the in-house beer from Bierstadt with Melvin, having Hacksaw Jim Duggan wrestling with the team from Rocky Mountain Pro Wrestlers. The crowd enjoyed the theatrics of the wrestlers with some great German style beers.
Friday morning had two interesting events to choose from. Samuel Adams hosted its annual Brewers Brunch at Marlowe’s off 16th Street Mall. And, Oskar Blues promoted a Friends and Family Backstage Pass and Tour with a bus from Denver to the brewery in Longmont.
The Brewers Brunch organized and hosted by Samuel Adams is a
Sam Adams GABF brunch Friday, Oct. 6, 2017, in Denver. (Photo by Jack Dempsey for Boston Beer Company)
time-honored tradition and a chance for beer enthusiasts to engage in conversations about all things craft beer. Jim Koch, founder of Samuel Adams kicked off the event welcoming the capacity crowd to Denver. Koch started Samuel Adams in his kitchen in 1984 when imported and domestic beers were the only options for beer lovers.
A panel moderated by Bob Pease, President and CEO of the Brewers Association, included Koch and other craft brewers who shared their stories on what makes their breweries successful and the challenges they face.
Samuel Adams capped off the event by introducing its newest beer that will hit the market early next year called Sam ’76. It’s a beer that takes two active fermentations and blends them together with Cascade, Citra, Mosaic, Simcoe and Galaxy hops. It imparts a tropical citrus aroma that gives way to a bright, juicy citrus hop flavor but without the hop bitterness.
Turning to the Oskar Blues event, media and guests were greeted at the Longmont brewery with a pint of Fresh Hop Pale Ale. There were six groups each with 15-18 guests to walk through the brewery with head brewer Tim Matthews.
Part of the tour focused on the actual science that goes into the brewing process. The tour was followed up with a lunch provided by CHUBurger by Oskar Blues while Matthews described what goes into four of their beers: Mamm’s Little Pils, Pinner, Dales Pale Ale, and IPA. All in all, a tour at Oskar Blues is a good experience. They conduct tours every day of the week. Visit www. oskarblues.com for more information.
On Friday afternoon, Avery hosted a guided tasting with brewer Andy Parker at Hayter’s & Co. in LODO. Parker described each of the beers on sample at the ro
oftop event while guests sampled them all. It allowed for plenty of time to try many of the beers offered by Avery and make it to the GABF on time.
The Awards Ceremony is the key event for brewers and a big part of why they participate in the festival. It is a chance for smaller breweries to win a medal and be recognized for the hard work they put into their beers. The medal winners were announced on Saturday morning, October 7.
Launch Pad Brewery in Aurora is a small brewery that took home a silver medal for session beers with a beer called Peacekeeper. “It’s a bigger feeling than I thought it would be, and it’s great to be recognized by your peers for your hard work,” said David Levesque, owner of Launch Pad Brewery.
The 37th Annual GABF will once again be held at the Colorado Convention Center but earlier in 2018. It will be held from September 20-22, 2018. Visit www.great americanbeerfestival.com for more details.
To listen to interviews with brewers, visit www.brewski-reviewski.podbean.com.
by Mark Smiley | Oct 23, 2017 | Editorials
Beth McCann
The strange short career of Beth McCann as District Attorney of Denver gets darker virtually every day. As reported in our August editorial McCann had gone on the Craig Silverman Show on 710 KNUS to explain why she had not charged illegal alien Ricardo Lopez-Vera in the jailhouse death of William Anderson. She claimed that her chief deputy (apparently Ryan Brackley) had determined that the death was a matter of self-defense in a one punch landed fight after which Anderson had then fallen down and hit his head.
She declared the whole matter had taken no more than 12 seconds and a deputy sheriff had rushed up and saw Anderson in a wobbly state and falling down. She declared that there was only one witness to the actual fight who said it was a mutual combat scenario with Anderson throwing the first punch which missed and when Anderson was drawing back to throw another punch Lopez-Vera hit him causing Anderson to fall and hit his head on a step.
Without even waiting for a formal coroner’s autopsy report she declared Lopez-Vera innocent due to self-defense. Two days later she had him released on a de minimis $1,000 bail. He was then purportedly given a lift by the deputies to a hospital after which he disappeared.
The problem for McCann was that sheriff’s deputies who saw the mangled and battered body of Anderson knew that it could not have been caused by a one-punch fight and leaked that McCann was lying.
Federal ICE agents were also outraged that McCann refused to honor federal retainer requests and accused her of harboring and hiding a criminal illegal alien. McCann is a strong advocate for sanctuary city policies but even she does not go so far as publicly declaring that murder is allowable in Denver by persons illegally in the country.
It turns out McCann knew exactly where Lopez-Vera was after he was released from police custody since she had him on a monitored ankle bracelet. As far as the assertion the death was due to “self-defense” C.R.S. 18-1-704 explicitly states a claim of self-defense is not valid in the case of mutually agreed combat and, furthermore, there is no such thing as legal mutually agreed upon combat inside of a city jail.
Cyril Wecht
The Denver coroner has now issued the autopsy and it is clear that the so-called one punch fight was an utter fabrication. World famous forensic pathologist Cyril Wecht, who has performed 20,000 autopsies and supervised or reviewed 40,000 more, went on the Craig Silverman Show and declared that the multitude of head injuries, including the injuries to both sides of the neck, and injuries to the lower back could never have happened from a one punch fight where the victim fell down and hit his head. Apparently, it is far more likely that after punching Anderson, Lopez-Vera grabbed him by the neck and smashed his head into the concrete and then kicked the dying or dead Anderson.
The one witness to the fight appears to have been a gang member lookout for Lopez-Vera. What about the Deputy Sheriff statement that he was there in under 12 seconds and watched the wobbly Anderson falling over and hitting his head? In fact, we only have McCann’s claim to the same as the Sheriff’s Office is refusing to release to the press the Sheriff’s Report on the incident claiming the matter is confidential, since it is still under investigation. But, of course, the DA is not investigating the Anderson killing any more as she has publicly declared the same to be a matter of “self defense.”
As for DA McCann, she has gone into hiding, refusing to comment on the matter, having been caught red-handed lying about the facts of the case by Cyril Wecht.
Sheriff deputies and ICE agents want a grand jury empaneled by the U.S. Attorney’s office with McCann and her chief deputy Brackley indicted for conducting a fraudulent investigation and harboring an illegal alien in violation of federal law. Unfortunately for law enforcement, the Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Colorado is Bob Troyer. He was an attorney in the Brownstein, Hyatt, Farber and Schreck law firm which means he is highly politically connected with the legal cesspool in Denver run by the Brownstein law firm that protects persons like DA McCann.
Some in law enforcement hope that a regular U.S. Attorney for Colorado will soon be appointed who is not part of and controlled by the Brownstein firm but they realize that the firm has its tentacles virtually everywhere as stated by journalist David Sirota. [Glendale Cherry Creek Chronicle, Editorial, October 2017, page 3.] Additionally they have apparently sworn that they will not stop in their pursuit of bringing DA Beth McCann to the bar of justice.
— Editorial Board
by Mark Smiley | Sep 25, 2017 | Glendale City News
by John Arthur
Writer for and on behalf of the City of Glendale
Glendale’s Infinity Park, home to the city’s Raptors and Merlins rugby teams, has a longstanding history of positively engaging local communities. In the late-August days leading to Infinity Park’s annual RugbyTown Sevens tournament, that tradition of outreach was further strengthened. With organizational help from Infinity Park hosts, Armed Forces teams participating in the tournament paid visits to Children’s Hospital Colorado, putting smiles on faces young and old, and demonstrating the alignment of outreach and inclusion indicative of rugby’s values and those of military service.
Founded in 1908, Children’s Hospital Colorado has been providing outstanding pediatric care for over a century. The private, not-for-profit provider is affiliated with the University of Colorado School of Medicine, and is ranked as a best national children’s hospital by U.S. News & World Report. With both national and international Armed Forces teams visiting in the week leading up to the RugbyTown Sevens tournament, patients and their families experienced firsthand the compassion and character definitive of rugby athletes.
Dacoda Worth, a rookie playing for the Army Rugby 7s team, reflected on his first appearance at the tournament, and in participating in community outreach: “Through rugby, and the military in general, the best feeling is giving back. That’s what we’re doing every day through our service, and giving back here, visiting these kids, as a rugby player and a serviceman is really rewarding.”
RugbyTown Sevens, an annual Glendale tournament attracting teams from across the globe and producing competition at the highest level, served as backdrop for the visits to Children’s Hospital. Representatives from the U.S. Marines, Army, Navy, and Coast Guard teams, as well as from the British Royal Air Force participated in the visits.
Rob Bell, making his second appearance at
the RugbyTown tournament with the Royal Air Force team, quipped that the hospital visit was an important aspect of the experience, and that there was more to the tournament, and rugby, than just the competition: “If you look at rugby in America, it’s grown and grown. With the military teams all coming to the hospital and interacting with the kids, it sends a really positive message. We’re here to engage with the local community — not just to play. It’s very important.” Bell went on to note the similarities between the values inherent in rugby as a sport and those of military service: “Rugby aligns with military values: respect, integrity, service, friendship, ethics, and camaraderie. There’s a massive crossover with the values of rugby. Outreach like this helps us demonstrate that to the public in a way that’s meaningful.”
Rugby’s character-driven ethos, explained by Bell, assures there is more to the sport than competition. But in addition to the military team visits, the weekend did see a great deal of high-level Sevens play. Newcomers to the tournament, Fiji SAVU Water, also known as the Viti Barbarians, walked away overall tournament champions, winners of the RT7s Cup, and with the $10,000 tournament purse that title guaranteed. Members of the visiting Fijian team had previously participated on the gold-medal-winning Fiji national team at the Rio Olympics in 2016.
Another fan favorite, the U.S. Army team won the military championship in decisive form, earning that distinction for the fifth year running. Competing for the first time under the new Merlins moniker, the hometown team struggled. Moving forward from the tournament, team focus shifted to the then upcoming 15s season, which kicked off the first weekend of September. Notably, the home opener underscored celebrations of Infinity Park’s 10th anniversary as a Glendale focal point.
The excitement of world-class competition didn’t take away from the importance of the team visits to Children’s Hospital, however. Eric Geckas, playing for the U.S. Coast Guard team in his fourth appearance at the tournament, likened the feelings of military service and community outreach to rugby play: “Coast Guard boat crews and flight crews operate in a lot of the same ways the rugby team does on the field. We joined out of pride. To serve. Combining those feelings with sport, and then with our ability to improve the lives of people in a difficult situation — that’s what it’s all about.” Sentiments like Geckas’ were shared by all of the participating team members and coaches.
Head coach of the All-Navy 7s team, Koma Gandy Fischbein described the hospital visit as an emissary of the sport: “We recognize and embrace that we are both ambassadors of the U.S. Navy and the sport of rugby. We welcomed the opportuni
ty to inspire, and be inspired by, these brave children and their families. Outreach is an essential part of being a whole athlete; within the rugby community and especially the Armed Forces, giving back and making an impact is part of who we are. It’s a part of why we serve and why we play this sport.” As the compassion and character embodied by both rugby players and military service members was shown in August, it seems likely the sport has at least a few new young fans.
by Mark Smiley | Sep 25, 2017 | General Featured
by Julie Hayden
The little boy was just seven years old when he was brought to the Tennyson Center in Denver. It’s a refuge of last resort for children who have been abused, neglected or traumatized. Tennyson Center CEO Ned Breslin says this boy had been removed from the place he and his heroin-addicted mother had been staying. “His mother was bringing men to the apartment who paid her for sex and she then spent the money on heroin, not her son,” Breslin says. The boy was scared, significantly underweight and malnourished. Fortunately, teachers noticed he had “disappeared” from school and contacted authorities that stepped in. Breslin says the tragedy is, this boy’s story is becoming far too common in Colorado.
Like the rest of the nation, heroin and opioid abuse is skyrocketing in Colorado. Colorado Health Department statistics show 2016 saw a record number of opioid overdose deaths in Colorado — 912 people. That far surpasses the 600 people who died in traffic accidents.
There’s been a lot of talk and task forces focused on adults and the opioid crisis. But Breslin says children are the unseen and forgotten casualties of the opioid crisis. “The kids fall through the cracks.”
The Tennyson Center, founded in 1904, has a mission of empowering children who have experienced abuse, neglect and trauma to bravely and safely change their life’s story. It helps 200-300 local children and families each month. Breslin says, “We’re seeing a real disintegration of families. We’re seeing a real pressure from the opioid and drug epidemic that is ravishing our country and our state.”
The statistics are both staggering and heartbreaking. Breslin notes, “There’s been an 81% increase in the number of kids taken out of their homes over the last two years in Denver alone. And there’s been a 70% increase in abuse and neglect investigations in Denver.” Much of that is fueled by the opioid crisis. Breslin says, “The whole child welfare system is buckling under the pressure.”
Programs like the Tennyson Center are struggling to handle what he calls “the flood” of kids coming into the system. “We are seeing at Tennyson kids being taken from their homes who have been pimped out to pay for their parents’ drug habits. We are seeing kids who are 20-30 pounds underweight because their parents choose drugs over feeding their children. It’s a
real problem.”
Tennyson Center, like other similar organizations, is at capacity and searching for ways to fill the growing need. Breslin describes their developing “No Kid Waits” program. “When you have a family and children in crisis it just doesn’t work when you have to tell them you’ll put them on a week-long waiting list. The crisis just gets worse. We have to find ways to get immediate help to these kids.”
The need for help is obvious but how to help is not so clear. Breslin explains it’s difficult enough to work with the kids who have been abused and/or neglected by an opioid addicted parent. But he says you also have to deal with the separation issue. “Mom is going through detox, the legal situation, but at the same time the kids miss her and want to reunite. The path to get kids stabilized and then back with their families is not very clear or easy to navigate.”
“If we can sit back as a society and say what should we really invest in — kids who are in this situation, how can we invest so there are better outcomes. We don’t need more money, we need to move in different ways,” Breslin asserts.
“We just have to realize all the stuff you’re seeing on the surface of the drug abuse and parents in crisis is true and we have to do something about it because we can’t forget the kids.”
by Mark Smiley | Sep 25, 2017 | Travel
One Of The Great Public Venues In The Cherry Creek Valley Is CommonGround Golf Course
by Mark Smiley
Now that summer is in the rear-view mirror, it is time to winterize the lawn mower, make sure the snow blower starts, and put away the golf clubs. Not so fast on the golf clubs. Autumn is a great time of year to golf. The courses are less crowded, the green fees are less expensive, and the fall colors in Colorado are spectacular.
The Colorado Golf Association (CGA) has many courses in its directory that feature fall golf. The CGA’s purpose is to represent, promote, and serve the best interests of golf in the state of Colorado, and has been throughout its history. The organization is the official representative of the United States Golf Association (USGA) for the state of Colorado.
The Colorado Golf Association (CGA) was established in August 1915. The CGA’s first official function was to formally take over the administration of the state’s amateur match play championship, which started in 1901. This tournament is still conducted by the Colorado Golf Association, making it the oldest golf tournament in the state of Colorado.
Today, over 43,000 men and 17,000 women are members of the CGA and the Colorado Women’s Golf Association (CWGA). Those that have a handicap are eligible to be members of the CGA or CWGA and those that do not can set one up at a course that is owned by the CGA, CommonGround.
CommonGround, located in Aurora and in proximity to Glendale, is an affordable championship course that opened in 2009 
and was designed by world renowned golf course architect Tom Doak. Doak has four courses ranked among the top 100 in the world according to the “Top 100 Courses in the World” list compiled by Golf Magazine. Ballyneal Golf Course in Holyoke, Colorado, is one of those four courses.
Members of the CGA get 25 percent off their green fees at CommonGround and becoming a member is $55 annually. In addition to its 18-hole course, CommonGround also features a 9-hole Par 3 course. This is designed for juniors or seniors who want to get a fast game in and practice. CommonGround allows anyone 18 years of age or younger to golf the 9-hole Par 3 course at no cost. Adults are $10.
CommonGround is not only a championship course at an affordable rate but will serve as the stroke play co-host course for the 2019 Mid-Amateur.
Golfing in the fall is often overlooked but the 
fact of the matter is that fall has the least precipitation of the non-winter months, has cooler temperatures, and is the most scenic time of the year. “Fall is the most beautiful time of the year in Colorado,” said Aaron Kellough, Director of Communications for the CGA. “If you want to get up in the mountains in late September or early October when the aspens start changing, it’s unbelievable.”
Some of the more technical reasons why golf in the fall works well is the ground is harder and drives go further. It gives golfers better chances to score. Courses are also less crowded which can make for a more enjoyable experience.
“This fall is an opportunity to play three courses that you won’t play again in the same way,” said Ryan Smith, Director of Development for the CGA. “Now is the time to go see City Park before the new design and for those who love the history and the past, get over to Fitzsimons and get over to Park Hill because the future is changing for them.”
Fall is also the time of year that smaller charities will host golf tournaments due to the prices being lower. It’s a good time to work on one’s game and have fun without a lot of the pressure that exists in the summer. Members of the CGA can post scores even if they retreat for the warmer temperatures of Arizona or Florida in the fall and winter.
To learn more about the Colorado Golf Association or to join, visit www.colora dogolf.org. A list of all 240 Colorado courses to play in the fall can be found on the website.
