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Steamboat Springs — It was just a few years ago that making it to the finals of the open division at the Powderkeg volleyball tournament was a regular occurrence for locals Paul Cook and Reed Stephenson.

"We took second a couple of years in a row in the open division," Cook said of the local doubles team.

But today the 37-year-old volleyball player has slowed down a bit and has left the open division behind for the younger players.

But his love for the game of volleyball remains strong and he isn't about to let his age stop him from being a dominating force at a tournament, which is held in his own back yard. That's why he plays with Stephenson in the dinosaur divison.

"I'm not really sure how we would do in the open division," Cook said. "It isn't that we couldn't be competitive."

Cook said priorities other than volleyball have taken hold and giving up two full days to play volleyball just isn't at the top of his list. That's why he prefers to play in the dinosaur division at the local tournament, which is held in a single day.

It also helps that the team of Cook and Stephenson has been dominating since the dinosaur division was added two year's ago at Steamboat's annual volleyball tournament. They have also showed very well at the Motherlode tournament in Aspen where they finished second in the Master's division, which is limited to players 37 years of age and older.

"The (dinosaur) division is just a lot more relaxed than the open divisions at the Powderkeg. These guys still go out there to win, but nobody is going to yell or scream over a call," Cook said.

He said the dinosaur division (and the master's division that preceeded it) here in Steamboat has become a sort of reunion for many former pros and a chance for some of the older players in the game to get out and play in the sand without having to face a pair of twenty somethings on the other side.

All the teams playing in Friday's event must have a combined age of at least 70. Cook said some teams will mix young and old, but the best combination is a pair of players in their mid 30s.

"If you have an old and a young guy you know who is going to be getting the serve all day," Cook said.

Last year 16 teams played in the dinosaur division. Cook said he has no idea how many teams are expected to show up to play in this year's event. In fact, the Cook-Stephenson team still hasn't officially registered.

"We will probably wait until the day of the event," Cook said. "It's really laid back."

The dinosaur division will open the Steamboat Powderkeg tournament Friday. The other divisions will play Saturday and Sunday at Howelsen Hill and the sand courts at Ski Town Park.

For the past three years the tournament has been organized by The Island out of Denver. The Island is a volleyball club that features six indoor sand courts and two outdoor, plus a restaurant and bar. The Island also runs the largest outdoor grass league in Denver during the summer.

The Island's spokesperson Anita Esser said that the Powderkeg is one of a select few that the club organizes out-of-town. This weekend's tournament is expected to draw 175 teams, mostly from Colorado. There will be a few from other states as well.

"This is a popular one," Esser said. "We get a lot of top players and the competition is always good."

Matches will begin at 9 a.m.on Friday with the top divisions play ing on the sand courts of Howelsen Beach. Esser said the winners will continue to play at Howelsen, but the losers of those matches will head to the other sand courts at Ski Town Park.

Competition will begin at 9 a.m. on both Saturday and Sunday. Divisions other than the men's open will spread out on the grass of the softball fields that surround the base of Howelsen Hill.

Paige Harrington and Neil Rooney won the men's open at last year's Powderkeg. A pair of California girls, Gayle Stammer and Michelle Buckner took top honors in the women's open division.

To reach John F. Russell call 871-4209

or e-mail jrussell@steamboatpilot.com