Monthly Archives: October 2023

Jude Has a Playoff Game, Anna Gets a Concussion

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Jude (No. 12) in action for the South Varsity team

It was quite an eventful Wednesday night here in the Renton household. Jude had his first playoff game ever for South Varsity team. They came in ranked #31 in the state which means they had to play the #2 ranked team: Ralston Valley who were undefeated.

The boys played the game of their life and it was 1-1 after regulation time. Jude came on in the second half and played really well. But the referee made a dubious call in overtime awarding a penalty to Ralston Valley and the game was over. Still, South gave one of the best teams in the state a run for their money and with a little luck would have beaten them.

Meanwhile Anna was at her high school cheer practice that same night. When one of the stunts went wrong one of the other girls fell on Anna’s head and gave Anna a concussion. Marcy was called and it was decided they should go to the ER to get Anna checked out. She was diagnosed with a concussion but nothing worse than that. But Anna was told she had to take two weeks completely off. No sports, no driving, no lifting anything. This would be a forced break.

With her care package from Baba and Grandpa

This weekend we had our first snow of the season. About 8″ fell at our place so all outdoor activities were canceled, including Jude’s refereeing and his Real soccer tryouts. “Stupid snow”, said Jude.

 

Fall Sports Are Winding Down

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This was the last week of the regular season for Varsity soccer and the South team ended on a high note with two victories. They won 4-0 on Tuesday night and then a hard-fought 1-0 victory against George Washington on Thursday night. Those two victories ensure they will make the playoffs but playing a high seed team in the first round this coming week.

Cheering at the Varsity football game (Anna is the base on the right)

With a home varsity football game on Saturday, the cheerleaders were out in force. It was nice for the football team to win, it made cheerleading more enjoyable.
Anna has taken on a third cheerleading team for the fall when a spot opened up on a Level 3 team at Cheer Athletics. Now, Anna is on a Level 2 and a Level 3 team at CA as well as South Varsity. It is a lot but she is keeping up with her schoolwork well so we are giving it a shot.

Near the summit of Mt Galbraith looking over Golden and the Coors Brewery

Anna’s Frost Cats cheer team had a team bonding afternoon/evening at our house on Saturday so Jude and I decided to get out for a late afternoon hike. We hiked up Mt. Galbraith, about half an hour from home. It was a gorgeous evening and a fun 4.5-mile hike. There was a bit of excitement near the top where we saw a rattlesnake on the trail. We managed to avoid it and return home safely.

A rattlesnake near the summit of Mt. Galbraith

The Manitou Incline and Falcons Football

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Jude relaxing at the top of the Incline

On Friday I took half a day off work so we could all go to Manitou Springs to do the Incline. I think this is the fifth year in a row we have done this and with the kids on Fall break we headed down south. It was a beautiful crisp and clear day, perfect for the challenging climb. I climbed the 2,768 steps slightly faster than last year at 41:41 and Jude also lowered his record to 30:59. We all enjoyed a delicious lunch in the town and the kids had their traditional funnel cake afterward.

At Falcon Stadium on a chilly fall night

Anna did a cheer camp at the Air Force Academy this summer so she wanted to go back to see a football game. On Saturday afternoon we headed down to the Springs to see the Air Force Falcons defeat the Wyoming Cowboys. There was the usual flyover, with an AC-130 bomber this time, and they also had a bunch of paratroopers drop into the stadium.

One of the actual falcons the Air Force trains (the headgear is to help keep them calm)

The highlight for me at a Falcons game is watching the actual falcon fly. It came out at halftime and flew around the stadium for a couple of minutes. They are such amazing creatures – the fastest living thing on the planet, they can fly at speeds of up to 250 miles per hour. We got to meet one on our way out which was really cool.

Anna Turns 15

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Singing Happy Birthday to Anna with her cheesecake all lit up

Yesterday Anna turned 15 years old. She had a great day. It started out in the morning with presents and out for breakfast at The Cookery at Myrtle Hill (where Devils Food used to be). Then it was back home and off to church where Anna decided to volunteer on her birthday with Marcy and about 70 other people. They did gardening all morning.

Volunteering in the garden at church

While that was going on Jude and I decided to go for a short hike up in the mountains. We did Mt. Sniktau near the top of Loveland Pass. It was a gorgeous day, a little bit chilly but not a cloud in the sky. We dropped into the condo at Keystone to pick up the kids’ skis that we will be trading in before the season starts.

On the summit of Mt. Sniktau at around 13,300 feet

In the evening Anna wanted steak for dinner cooked at home. So, I went to our local butcher and cooked up some delicious filets and ribeyes on the grill. And for dessert we had cheesecake and a cherry reduction sauce. It was the best cheesecake Marcy had ever made.

Earlier this week Jude had a varsity soccer game in Aurora. It was the first time that he played all 80 minutes of the game. He played well and the team had their best outing of the season winning 2-0 against a good team. They now have a winning record, 6-5, and are in line for the postseason if they keep this up.

Jude in action for Denver South varsity against Rangeview