FLC claims cyclocross crown

Fort Lewis College has continued its national domination in the sport of cyclocross. Last Saturday, the school’s cycling team won its third-straight U.S. National Cyclocross Championship in Providence, R.I.

“The Fort Lewis College Cycling Team did an amazing job of stepping up against some very stiff competition and sloppy course and weather conditions,” said Skyhawk Coach Dave Hagen. “Most of our racers don’t get a chance to compete at big cyclocross events, and I am impressed that the majority finished in the top 20.”

Led by Matt Shriver, who finished second out of 66 starters in the collegiate men’s race, and Tina Dominic, who finished third out of 33 starters in the collegiate women’s race, the Skyhawks outdistanced second-place Lees-McRae College (N.C.) and third-place University of New Hampshire.

Long popular in Europe, cyclocross is gaining popularity in North America. The discipline is a hybrid of road and off-road cycling with racers competing on a tightly woven course for a timed period, ranging from 30 to 60 minutes. Designed with hurdles and steep slopes, racers must dismount their bikes and run for short sections. Because of the late season, races are also known for foul weather with mud, snow and ice hindering riders.

The Skyhawks were supposed to race on Friday, but blizzard-like conditions forced the postponement of the collegiate races until Saturday. Hagen said snow, rain and a windstorm that blew 3 inches of snow sideways attributed to the rescheduling of Friday’s events. “The weather was unlike anything we had to race in this fall,” he said. “It snowed most of the day Friday. When it seemed as though it was letting up the wind started blowing at 40 mph, and it really started snowing. The organizers postponed the collegiate men’s race until Saturday.”

The storm’s aftermath also presented problems for all of the racers. “The conditions Saturday were horrid with 2-inch deep ice ruts hidden by two inches of watery mud,” Hagen added. “You can imagine how difficult it would be to ride a bike through it.”

In addition to competing in the collegiate men’s race, Troy Wells, a Fort Lewis student, won the U23 men’s national championship. His older brother, Fort Lewis alumnus and U.S. Olympic mountain biker Todd Wells, won the elite men’s race.

The Fort Lewis cycling team has won 11 national championships in its 12-year existence – six in mountain biking, three in cyclocross and two in road racing.

Poaching crackdown in works

As deer and elk move into their winter range, they have been more visible, more accessible and more vulnerable to illegal poaching. Throughout the state, Colorado Division of Wildlife officers are receiving numerous poaching reports and looking to the public for assistance.

Recently, a large buck was killed in Durango’s Greenmount Cemetery. The poachers took only the head, leading officers to believe it was a large, antlered animal. Northeast of Grand Junction, poachers killed a pronghorn only for its head. While poaching occurs throughout the year, the DOW said the problem increases during the late fall and early winter, especially for deer.

“This is a critical time for deer, and they don’t have their guard up,” said Patt Dorsey, DOW area wildlife manager in the Durango area. “Unfortunately, there are some people who take advantage of the situation. Poachers steal from the public, and we really need help from the public to catch poachers.”

The DOW urges the public to report any suspicious activities that could be related to poaching. Indications of possible poaching activity include: 

-Cars driving slowly in rural areas, especially early morning, late afternoon or after dark

-One or more cars parked near an area where deer are known to gather

-People shining spotlights or flashlights or projecting their headlights into pastures and along roads

-Cars that suddenly speed up when approached by vehicles traveling at normal speeds.

People should also be suspicious if they find headless carcasses or hear shots from firearms, particularly now that the regular hunting seasons are over. The public is urged to report any unusual activity to the Operation Game Thief Hotline at (877) 265-6648 or to any local law enforcement agency.

Local schools make academic strides

Local schools are continuing to make strides toward improving academic performance. According to the recently released State Accountability Report, 10 of 11 Durango School District 9-R schools maintained or improved their academic performance ratings in the last year. Miller Middle School took a big leap and earned its first “excellent” rating on the fifth-annual report released Dec. 6.

Riverview maintained its “excellent” rating for the third year in a row, while Florida Mesa, Needham, Park and Sunnyside elementary schools maintained their “high” ratings from the previous year. Fort Lewis Mesa Elementary maintained its “average” rating in 2005, but the report noted that student academic growth improved over the previous year.

In addition to the strong performance ratings by district elementary schools, Riverview Elementary was named a John Irwin School of Excellence for the third year in a row and fell within the top 8 percent of all public schools in Colorado.

Along with Miller Middle School’s first “excellent,” Escalante Middle School maintained its “high” performance rating in 2005, while Excel Charter School’s middle school program improved from “low” to “average.” Excel’s high school program maintained its “high” rating on the 2005 report. And DHS retained its “high” rating for the fifth year running.

– compiled by Will Sands