Ear to the ground:

“Would you rather ride in the Pope Mobile or drive the Zamboni?”
– Deep philosophical conversation regarding the head of the Catholic Church’s trip to the U.S.

Going for the gold

From the highly anticipated El Niño to the celebration of Purg’s 50th anniversary, the Purgatory Ski Team (PST) is revving up for an epic season.  The team, under new guidance by Stacy Falk, a former ski racer herself who was hired as the alpine program director in August, has been busy recruiting members and hiring new coaches.

But for some PST athletes, the season has already begun. Those who qualified for the Rocky Mountain Division Team last season, Isabelle Washburn, Wiley Corra and Nicholas Unkovskoy, will be representing Durango this weekend at the Olympic Training Center (OTC) in Colorado Springs. The skiers will participate in a dryland camp hosted by the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) for ages 12-15. The camp will focus on basic strength and conditioning as well as sport psychology, goal setting and sports nutrition.

In addition, two more “wildcards” from the team,  Abbey Shepard and Harry Lesage, were also selected to visit the training center and meet some of the athletes training there.

“This is great way to get the kids excited for the upcoming season,” says Falk. Upon return to Durango, the athletes will report back to the team about what they learned and experienced.

The Purgatory Ski Team is a nonprofit organization and partners with the Durango Winter Sports Foundation, promoting “Local kids doing great things.” For more information visit www.purgatory skiteam.org

Got drugs?

Despite lurid scenes from some 1980s drug movies, we all know flushing drugs, even prescription ones, down the toilet or the drain is not good for waterways.

Luckily, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, Durango Fire and the Durango Police Department, we now have a safe way of disposing of those old bottles of questionable vintage and content.

This Sat., from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., a Drug Take Back program for expired and unused drugs will be held in the lobby of the Durango Police Department, 990 E. 2nd Ave. 

In addition to polluting out drinking sources, unused or expired prescription meds pose a risk of accidental poisoning, overdose and abuse.