The University and Roosevelt high school poms teams won state titles earlier this month at the Colorado High School Activities Association spirit championships at the Denver Coliseum. University’s title in Class 2A/3A was its sixth poms title and seventh overall spirit championship. Roosevelt won its fourth consecutive title in Class 4A. University scored 84.4 points to win its championship Dec. 14, edging Aspen by three-tenths of a point. Roosevelt scored 91.775 points to 90.5 for second-place Holy Family. Roosevelt coach Brittany Coleman and University coach Gina Shepard were both named coach of the year in the dance category at their schools’ respective classes. Windsor coach Samantha Murray was named the Class 4A coach of the year in cheer. The all-state cheer team for 2024 was comprised of performers from game day cheer, all-girl cheer and co-ed cheer teams. The all-state dance team was made up of students from game day dance, poms, hip hop and jazz, according to CHSAA. The all-state dance team is one full team. The all-state cheer teams are divided by classifications. Roosevelt seniors Audrey Vulk and Elianna Lasley were selected to the dance all-state first team in the pom discipline. Windsor junior Emily Irwin was also chosen in pom. Greeley West’s Camden Cooney and Weld Central’s Alexandra Spindola were selected to the honorable mention team in the game day dance discipline. Windsor’s Gisele Gates was an honorable mention in pom. In the cheer category, the local all-state selections were Roosevelt’s Mekenzi Koch was first team in the Class 4A co-ed discipline; Windsor’s Kylie Lichtenberg and Madison Mummery were first team in Class 4A cheer; Northridge’s Katelyn Culwell was an honorable mention in 4A cheer; Severance’s Chloe Polito was an honorable mention in 4A cheer; and Roosevelt’s Gabrielle Smith was honorable mention in co-ed 4A. In Class 3A cheer, Highland’s Aaralyn Abell was first team in cheer and Eaton’s Kaci Paulus was first team in game day 2A/3A. Platte Valley’s Vanetta Haley was an honorable mention in game day 2A/3A; Fort Lupton’s Kennedi Hermance was an honorable mention in 3A cheer; Eaton’s Edita Palafox was an honorable mention in game day 2A/3A; University’s Tesla Pofahl was an honorable mention in 3A cheer; Highland’s Hanna Rodriguez was an honorable mention in 3A cheer; Resurrection Christian’s Jocelyn Sandoval was an honorable mention in 3A cheer; and Valley’s Shayla Yanea was an honorable mention in game day 2A/3A.TAMPA — Somewhere, in the backs of our closets and bottoms of our drawers, are precious memories. That’s where you will likely find neglected Lightning jerseys adorned with a familiar No. 91. Some may have a large C on the chest. Almost all will have the iconic STAMKOS stretched across the back. Like relics of days gone by, our Steven Stamkos attire is probably tucked away in some safe, comfortable spot we rarely think about anymore. Much like our recollections of the man himself. It’s been nearly six months since Stamkos rejected a pay cut in Tampa Bay and signed a 4-year, $32 million contract in Nashville. At the time, it seemed devastating. The Lightning were losing a team captain, a future Hall of Famer, a bay area icon. And yet, 32 games later, the transaction is barely mourned and hardly mentioned. Except for those who wish to gloat. Maybe I’m reading too much into this, but there have been some emails and social media posts that seem to take glee in the situation. The Lightning are playing better than in the recent past, and the Predators have one of the worst records in the NHL. Being giddy over the Lightning’s transformation is permissible. So is relief, joy and anticipation for what’s next. Being smug is not. Yes, it’s true that Julien BriseBois made the correct call. The difficult, heart-wrenching call. The Lightning general manager recognized the team was trending in the wrong direction and, instead of cursory changes, he began remaking the roster by acquiring Jake Guentzel, Ryan McDonagh and J.J. Moser while trading Mikhail Sergachev and allowing Stamkos to walk out the door. The difference has been remarkable. The Lightning went from a team that was minus-18 in 5-on-5 play last season to one that is plus-24 with 50 games remaining in 2024-25. The power play is slightly off last season’s pace but still among the best in the NHL. And that, absolutely, should be celebrated. But not at Stammer’s expense. He’s on pace to score 23 goals, which would be his lowest output in a full season since he was an 18-year-old rookie. His plus-minus rating, which was a career-worst last season, is looking just as bad this year. Seven weeks away from his 35th birthday, it’s worth wondering what his role should be on a nightly basis. The past two seasons, opponents have a plus-24 goal differential in even-strength situations with Stamkos on the ice. The previous two seasons, the goal differential was plus-34 in Stamkos’ favor. Maybe that’s indicative of the personnel around him. Or maybe it’s a sign that he doesn’t have the same 200-foot game. At the very least, those numbers go a long way toward explaining why BriseBois did not offer Stamkos a bigger contract. And, considering all he had given the organization for 16 years, it’s understandable that Stamkos viewed that as a slight. Which is how we’ve ended up here: With the Lightning showing signs of resurgence, and Stamkos already the subject of trade rumors in Nashville. Predators general manager Barry Trotz has already dealt Alexandre Carrier, Scott Wedgewood and Philip Tomasino in separate deals in the past month, but he told The Athletic earlier this week that there was “no chance” he was trading Stamkos. Whether Stamkos is on the move or not before the March 7 trade deadline remains to be seen, but there should be one inescapable truth for anyone who watched him play in Tampa Bay for the better part of a generation: He deserves better. He deserves a team with postseason hopes. He deserves a community that appreciates him. He deserves the love and appreciation that Lightning fans showered him with for so many years. Is there any chance that Stamkos could return to Tampa Bay if the struggles continue in Nashville? Perhaps, down the road. You need to remember the reason BriseBois did not offer him a big contract in the off eason is because Stamkos’ value no longer aligned with Tampa Bay’s salary cap. With that in mind, the Lightning are not going to take on an $8 million a year deal unless Nashville assumes half of the cap hit. But the idea of bringing Stamkos back in a Dave Andreychuk-type role for the final seasons of his career could be intriguing in a couple of years. In the meantime, enjoy and appreciate what the Lightning are doing in their first Stamkos-less season since 2007-08. And don’t forget to occasionally check out, and cheer, for an old friend in Nashville.
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NEW YORK (AP) — Top-ranked chess player Magnus Carlsen is headed back to the World Blitz Championship on Monday after its governing body agreed to loosen a dress code that got him fined and denied a late-round game in another tournament for refusing to change out of jeans . Lamenting the contretemps, International Chess Federation President Arkady Dvorkovich said in a statement Sunday that he'd let World Blitz Championship tournament officials consider allowing “appropriate jeans” with a jacket, and other “elegant minor deviations” from the dress code. He said Carlsen's stand — which culminated in his quitting the tournament Friday — highlighted a need for more discussion “to ensure that our rules and their application reflect the evolving nature of chess as a global and accessible sport.” Carlsen, meanwhile, said in a video posted Sunday on social media that he would play — and wear jeans — in the World Blitz Championship when it begins Monday. “I think the situation was badly mishandled on their side,” the 34-year-old Norwegian grandmaster said. But he added that he loves playing blitz — a fast-paced form of chess — and wanted fans to be able to watch, and that he was encouraged by his discussions with the federation after Friday's showdown. “I think we sort of all want the same thing,” he suggested in the video on his Take Take Take chess app’s YouTube channel. “We want the players to be comfortable, sure, but also relatively presentable.” The events began when Carlsen wore jeans and a sportcoat Friday to the Rapid World Championship, which is separate from but held in conjunction with the blitz event. The chess federation said Friday that longstanding rules prohibit jeans at those tournaments, and players are lodged nearby to make sartorial switch-ups easy if needed. An official fined Carlsen $200 and asked him to change pants, but he refused and wasn't paired for a ninth-round game, the federation said at the time. The organization noted that another grandmaster, Ian Nepomniachtchi, was fined earlier in the day for wearing sports shoes, changed and continued to play. Carlsen has said that he offered to wear something else the next day, but officials were unyielding. He said “it became a bit of a matter of principle,” so he quit the rapid and blitz championships. In the video posted Sunday, he questioned whether he had indeed broken a rule and said changing clothes would have needlessly interrupted his concentration between games. He called the punishment “unbelievably harsh.” “Of course, I could have changed. Obviously, I didn’t want to,” he said, and “I stand by that.”Live Blog: Soo Greyhounds at Owen Sound Attack
Build Asia 2024 fosters global deals and innovation in construction sector A female participant speaking at Build Asia exhibition. — Build Asia website/File KARACHI: The 18th edition of Build Asia 2024 saw significant business activity, with over 100 deals finalised between foreign and local companies. These agreements covered heavy machinery, innovative building technologies, climate-friendly developments, and more. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1700472799616-0'); }); According to the organisers, exhibitors from 10 countries, including China, Russia and Iran, participated in the event, which attracted around 28,000 visitors from the real estate sector and 42 related industries. These sectors included aluminium, brick, cement, glass, marble, paint, steel, tiles and transportation. The three-day exhibition also featured the PropTech Convention, where stakeholders from the property and construction sectors conducted seminars and panel discussions addressing core and emerging issues in the industry. Vice President of Ecommerce Gateway Pakistan Farhan Anis highlighted Build Asia 2024’s role in revitalising the country’s construction sector. He emphasised the active participation of key stakeholders and policymakers in driving the sector’s growth. He noted that Pakistan’s housing deficit, exceeding 10 million units, could be addressed through innovative strategies and greater involvement of financial institutions. Emerging concepts in interior design and innovative electrical solutions introduced by foreign exhibitors also have the potential to influence commercial and residential trends domestically. The construction sector remains pivotal to Pakistan’s economic development, contributing over 2.5 per cent to the GDP and employing more than 7.0 per cent of the workforce. The event provided a critical platform for sustaining growth in the sector, fostering collaboration, and facilitating knowledge exchange. It also served as a dynamic networking hub, enabling professionals, investors and policymakers to connect, share ideas and forge strategic partnerships, Anis added.Do tree-shaped Reese’s actually taste better than a regular peanut butter cup?