Hello Bluejay Nation!

I apologize for this week’s newsletter being a day late. I had a weekend full of travel getting the opportunity to watch a couple of our teams in Colorado Springs. I then came back to a full day of league meetings and setting up the logistics for playoffs for our volleyball and football teams. This is such an exciting time for Mancos Athletics as we are coming into the end of our Fall Season. It started with our Mountain Bikers finishing strong, then right on the heels of that our Cross Country team had a great showing at their State Championships, and now we head into the postseason with both our Volleyball and Football teams. Our teams are representing Mancos well.

This past weekend Staci and I made the trip to the Penrose Events Center in Colorado Springs for the Cross Country State Championships. This location just happens to be where Staci and I met at a rodeo 30 years ago. I have experienced the excitement of competition in this arena before and it was equally matched with excitement and intensity on Saturday. Our girls led by Coach Archer have been working all year for this opportunity and the hard work, sacrifices, and miles of roads ran were not wasted. Our girls ran a great race and ended up 10th as a team, even beating a couple teams who had placed higher at regionals the week before. I am so glad that I was able to attend this event. The excitement was everywhere with the runners pushing themselves as hard as they could and with fans and coaches running from one spot to the next along the course to encourage their athletes. There were cowbells ringing and cheering going on everywhere and it all came to a high at the finish line where the runners entered the arena to the stands being full for the exciting finishes. One of the greatest parts of this experience for me aside from watching our girls was the huddle that came together prior to the 2A girls race. In a great showing of sportsmanship and respect all of the 2A runners came together, arms around each other, in a huddle at the starting line. I am not sure what was said but it was powerful to watch as girls who would moments later be running against each other came together as one group with the same goal, “To Finish Strong”. I think we often look at others as those we are competing “against” . I think a better way of looking at others is as those we are competing “with’. I can’t wait till next year where I hope to be back in Colorado Springs again watching our Mancos Athletes competing with the best from all over our state.

GO JAYS!

-Travis

Results from October 24th to October 29th

10/24

Knowledge Bowl at Mancos

High School A team - 2nd Place

High School B team - 6th Place

Middle School - 5th Place

10/25

Middle School Basketball vs Dove Creek C and B teams

C Team - Loss

B Team - Win

10/29

Middle School Basketball at Telluride

C team - Loss

B team - Loss

A team - Win

High School Volleyball at St. Mary’s tournament in Colorado Springs

Vs Highland - Win 2-0

Vs Peyton - Win 2-0

Vs St. Mary’s - Loss 2-0

Vs Thomas MacLaren Win 2-0

High School Girls Cross Country at State Championships in Colorado Springs

Teagan - 17th - 21:01

Adaline - 47th - 22:40

Madilynn - 66th - 23:46

Sarah - 94th - 25:33

Chloe - 96th - 25:39

Mandi - 109th - 26:34

The Girls team finished 10th overall for 2A.

Congratulations on a great season to all of our Cross Country runners and Coach Archer!