RIFLE FOOTBALL STAR DECIDES TO WALK ON AT CU
Boulder–Ryan Moeller wants to be a Buff. Rifle’s all state, record-breaking running back has decided to walk on at the University of Colorado rather than play at a smaller school on full scholarship. Moeller turned down full ride offers from Colorado Mesa University, Idaho State University and RMAC powerhouse CSU-Pueblo.
HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL
The Glenwood Demons host the Palisade Bulldogs tonight in the home finale. The Lady Demons tip off at 6 while the boys take on the Dogs at 7:30. Both games will be broadcast live on KMTS.
Basalt plays at Coal Ridge at 5:30 and 7 while Grand Valley welcomes Cedaredge to Parachute.
NBA/NUGGETS
The Denver Nuggets battle the Raptors in Toronto tonight at 5:30.
NHL/AVALANCHE
Denver–The Colorado Avalanche lost in overtime to the Phoenix Coyotes at the Pepsi Center, 3 to 2.
SNOWBOARD SALES DOWN
DENVER (AP) – Recent studies by industry groups show snowboarding is no longer growing the way it was for its first 30 years. Sales in 2011-12 fell between 19 percent and 31 percent, depending on the region of the country studied. Participation fell 7.5 percent countrywide. Jake Burton, the man who perfected the modern-day snowboard and brought it to the masses back in the 1980s, recently sent a letter to his employees stating his concern about the trends but downplaying the well-circulated idea that snowboarding is losing its edge. He says part of the last year’s downfall can be attributed to poor snowfall amounts in almost every part of the United States. But, he concedes, the sport also needs to recognize the trend and get more active in bringing people into snowboarding.
SCHLADMING, Austria (AP) – Lindsey Vonn may want to set an earlier date for her return from injury.
The International Ski Federation unveiled next season’s women’s World Cup schedule on Tuesday. It includes a notable change from the preliminary calendar: Races in Beaver Creek, Colorado, have been moved up from mid-December to Nov. 29-Dec. 1 – Thanksgiving weekend in the United States. The program near Vonn’s town of Vail calls for super-G, downhill and giant slalom races.
Vail-Beaver Creek also will host the 2015 world championships. After a season-ending crash last week at the world championships in Austria, Vonn told her coaches she wanted to be back for next season’s speed races in Lake Louise, Alberta, which now come the weekend after her home events in Colorado.
UNDATED (AP) – Just like last night, the only two games on the Top-25 schedule involve a pair of ranked teams. Tonight’s first tip is in Gainesville, where seventh-ranked Florida is preparing to face 25th-ranked Kentucky. Later in the evening, in East Lansing, it’ll be No. 8 Michigan State hosting fourth-ranked Michigan.
MIAMI (AP) – The Heat are home to the Trail Blazers for one of a half-dozen games on tonight’s NBA schedule. Miami has won five in a row and is an Eastern Conference-best 34-14, 2 1/2 games ahead of New York. The Oklahoma City Thunder will be taking a four-game winning streak to Salt Lake City to face the Utah Jazz. Denver plays at Toronto, Golden State will be looking to end a four-game skid when it entertains Houston, Sacramento plays at Memphis and the L.A. Lakers are home to Phoenix.
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) – After back-to-back wins against Pittsburgh over the weekend boosted them into the lead in the NHL’s Eastern Conference, the New Jersey Devils return to the ice tonight to host the Carolina Hurricanes. The Devils are two points better than the Northeast Division-leading Boston Bruins and three points better than Pittsburgh. In one of the other nine games on tonight’s schedule, the Bruins will try to improve to 9-1-1 when they host the New York Rangers.
LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) – The executive board of the International Olympic Committee has decided to drop wrestling for the 2020 Games, removing one of the oldest Olympic sports. The board, meeting in Switzerland, acted after reviewing the 26 sports on the current Olympic program. Dropping one allows the IOC add a new sport later this year.
LONDON (AP) – The World Anti-Doping Agency is urging soccer to conduct more blood-doping tests to unmask cheating players. WADA Director General David Howman warns that “team sports players can go their entire career without being tested.” Last week, Spain’s anti-doping agency announced it was looking into claims by a former president of a Spanish team that its players used performance-enhancing substances.
