Back to profile

John F. Russell

Stories by John F.

Steamboat skiers shine at cross-country event

Emily Hannah highlighted the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club’s results Wednesday at the Olympic venue in Soldier Hollow, Utah, with a fourth-place finish in the mass start cross-country race at the Junior National Championships.

John F. Russell: Strike 1 for Pete Weber

Tennis had John McEnroe throwing fits, basketball had Bobby Knight throwing chairs and bowling has Pete Weber throwing strikes.

John F. Russell: A lifetime on the slopes

For a few dedicated skiers in Steamboat Springs, the NASTAR race course is as much a part of winter as snow. Jerry Taylor was one of those skiers.

Race For Jerry on NASTAR course Saturday

He lost his battle with cancer in December, but on Saturday his friends, family and the people he raced with can take a run in Jerry Taylor’s memory on the NASTAR course at Steamboat Ski Area.

John F. Russell: Mayer doesn't forget Olympic glory

Ten years ago on the slopes of a resort in the mountains east of Park City, Utah, a young freestyle skier named Travis Mayer stepped into the starting gate at the Olympics and captured the spirit of Steamboat Springs.

Steamboat’s Whitecotton bowls 821 series Monday

Steamboat Springs bowler Dewey Whitecotton understands what it takes to roll a perfect game, but he also understands that there are other milestones when it comes to the sport of bowling.

John F. Russell: Racing into the future

It’s no big secret that the Soda Pop Slalom is one of the coolest races of the season in Steamboat Springs. It mixes two of our town’s favorite things — cute kids and snow. How could you go wrong ?

Demong ends World Cup podium drought

The U.S. Nordic combined skier placed third in Val di Fiemme, Italy, on Sunday. It was the highlight of an all-around good day for the Americans, including three Steamboat Springs skiers.

John F. Russell: Doing it his way

Getting to the Olympics is a tough road, but it’s even harder for athletes like Justin Reiter who are competing at the World Cup level without the help of the U.S. Ski Team.

Tease photo

Steamboat snowboarders get top results at event

Locals show well at Holeshot NorAm at Copper

It was a good weekend for several of the more than a dozen Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club athletes who traveled to Copper Mountain for the Holeshot NorAm Tour. Belle Brockhoff took first place in the women’s division of Saturday’s event.

John F. Russell: Creating art with spokes

Kent Eriksen started Moots Cycles in a time when mountain biking was just starting its journey, and today, he continues to set a standard that is appreciated by anyone who has ever pedaled a bike up a steep incline or ripped down a dusty country road during a Rocky Mountain summer.

Winter Sports Club's Billy Winters finishes in 2nd at Copper Mountain

Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club snowboard cross rider Billy Winters picked up two second-place finishes during the weekend at a USA Snowboard Association regional event in Copper Mountain.

Steamboat’s Wilson, Gold to compete in Austria on Thursday

Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club members Lesley Wilson and Arielle Gold are set to compete Thursday at the 2012 Youth Olympic Games in Innsbruck, Austria.

Saturday's Steamboat hockey game gets time change

The game with visiting Battle Mountain now is at 6:30 p.m. Saturday.

Tease photo

Steamboat's Reiter races back to World Cup finals

Italian rider Roland Fischnaller may have won the Alpine snowboarding race, but that didn’t stop Justin Reiter from celebrating his first appearance in World Cup finals in more than two years in Austria.

John F. Russell: In a place frozen in time

Here in the middle of the Steamboat II neighborhood, you will find children playing a game without a score, and on weekends, the sounds of laughter and joyful shrieks can be heard echoing through the streets.

Tease photo

Community rallies to help Crawford family

Asking for help just isn’t their nature. Maybe that’s why Kim and Gary Crawford have struggled with Kim’s health problems for more than two years on their own.

John F. Russell: Producing top skiers keeps club busy

The only people working harder than Santa’s elves last week may have been the staff, coaches and volunteers of the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club.

Tease photo

Freestyle events kick off at Steamboat Ski Area

Panther, Cox win on opening day of Freestyle Selections in Steamboat

Utah skier Jay Panther and Australian Britteny Cox topped the field on the opening day of the 2011 U.S. Freestyle Selections at Steamboat Ski Area on Monday. Events will continue Wednesday and Thursday.

John F. Russell: Coke or Pepsi?

Truth is, there isn’t really a right answer. But the question that should be on everyone’s mind is who is more popular, Hall of Famer John Elway or newcomer Tim Tebow?

John F. Russell: Hanging on to the past

I came across an old pair of softball cleats the other day while cleaning out my garage. Just the sight of the well-worn shoes brought back memories of the days when I used to play in Steamboat Springs’ adult recreational league.

Howelsen Hill to host Race to the Cup snowboarding events

Jon Casson, of the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club, is hoping for great snow and a good vibe as his program prepares to host a pair of NorAm Race to the Cup events at Howelsen Hill.

Tease photo

Steamboat hockey bounces back against Summit

The Steamboat Springs High School hockey team skated away with a thrilling 3-2 win against Summit on Monday night.

John F. Russell: Back in the game

Justin Reiter was back on his board and back on the slopes of Howelsen Hill last week carving turns and ripping through the gates just like old times. Eighteen months earlier, he had walked away from the world of competitive Alpine snowboarding hoping to move on with his life.

John F. Russell: The end of a rivalry

It doesn’t matter how many times the Cornhuskers trampled poor Ralphie in the past; a single victory against Nebraska is something Buffs fans can hold onto and revive in almost any conversation for years down the road.

John F. Russell: Let's leave a lasting impression

Mike Bieron is living proof that anybody, even a self-described career ski bum, can make a difference.

New look, same top finishes for Steamboat snowboarders

Riders outclass competition in Copper Mountain's Race to the Cup

The face of Alpine snowboarding took on a new look at a Race to the Cup event in Copper Mountain this week, but the good news is that riders with ties to Steamboat Springs continue to capture top spots.

Tease photo

John F. Russell: A career worth discussing

His decision to leave coaching might have been the last thing Bob Harris wanted to talk about when his phone rang Thursday morning.

Tease photo

Hayden volleyball beats West Grand in playoff match

The Tigers were expected to win their first-round district playoff game against West Grand. But the while Hayden dominated most of the match en route to a 3-1 victory, it was more difficult for Tigers coach Holli Palmer than you might expect.

John F. Russell: Doing his part for Wildlife

He’s part educator, part ambassador, and the gun on his belt reminds us that he’s also part law enforcement officer. Last Sunday, I spent the day touring Steve Znamenacek’s office, which stretches north of Hayden across California Park in Colorado.

Tease photo

Hayden rallies to beat Meeker, keeps postseason hopes alive

After giving up 27 first-half points, the Hayden Tigers needed a second-half rally to defeat the Meeker Cowboys, 39-27, and keep the team’s hopes of a postseason berth alive for at least one more week.

John F. Russell: 1 small swing, 1 big court

A tennis court is just 36 feet wide and 78 feet long, but that small patch of court must have seemed much bigger for the players on it this weekend in Pueblo.

John F. Russell: Phone etiquette

After more than four frustrating hours at the Pelican Lakes Golf Club in Windsor, answering my phone call probably was the last thing Steamboat Springs High School golfer Erik Sobeck wanted to do.

Tease photo

Steamboat volleyball rallies to beat Delta, again

The Delta Panthers started strong Friday night but could not stop a Sailors rally that gave Steamboat Springs its second come-from-behind win against the Panthers this season.

Tease photo

Steamboat's Sobeck fades on final day at state golf

Golfer hopes experience will fuel another trip to state

You could hear the disappointment in Erik Sobeck’s voice Tuesday afternoon as he talked about the second round of the 2011 Class 4A Boys Golf Championships.

Demong sprints to win at U.S. Nordic Combined Championships

Steamboat Springs native Bryan Fletcher started to fade with one lap to go in the U.S. Nordic Combined Championships cross-country portion, and Billy Demong took advantage to win his eighth national title.

Tease photo

Steamboat's Sobeck finishes strong at state golf

After shooting a 42 on his first nine, Steamboat sophmore Erik Sobeck found his swing down the stretch. He recorded a birdie and and made par on six other holes to score a 37 on his final nine. He finished with a 79 and is tied with four other golfers in 38th place.

Tease photo

Steamboat's Sobeck to be school's lone golfer at state

If Erik Sobeck was nervous about his first trip to the state high school golf tournament, it didn’t show Thursday afternoon as the top prep golfer seemed to keep his trip in perspective.

Tease photo

John F. Russell: Goals key to success

For most athletes, the goal of competing is to win. But when Dr. Geoffrey Gill, a 1993 graduate of Steamboat Springs High School, stepped to the starting line of the Subaru Ironman Canada in Penticton, British Columbia, in August, he wasn’t thinking about winning the race; the 36-year-old simply wanted to finish it.

Tease photo

Steamboat women’s tennis team travels to compete in Idaho

Group invited to play in USTA Intermountain Senior League Sectional Championships

The Steamboat Springs Tennis Center’s 3.5 Senior Red Team has been busy on the court preparing to make the most of an invitation to the USTA Intermountain Senior League Sectional Championships.

John F. Russell: If there's a golf course in heaven

If there is a golf course in heaven, I would be willing to bet that you would find Bill Nickey walking it.

Steamboat golf team finishes 2nd in Aspen

Steamboat Springs High School golf coach Steve Dodson was hoping that a trip to Aspen on Monday would help the team carry some momentum into the final stretch of the season. The Sailors were led by freshman Brandon Martin who shot a 75 to lead the team to a second place finish in Aspen.

John F. Russell: Reminding us what's important

For most of us, the world changed on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, and it will never be the same. After the attacks, sports took a backseat to reality, and people cared more about what was happening at Ground Zero than they did about what was happening at the 50-yard line.

Tease photo

Drawings at Steamboat restaurant leave lasting impression after 9/11

In the days following Sept. 11, 2001, most of America grieved with tears and silent tributes. But inside Johnny B. Good’s Diner, children used crayons and imagination to record the impact of those days and how the unthinkable events of that September morning had touched their lives, shaped their heroes and changed their worlds forever.

Tease photo

Steamboat soccer opens season with win

After falling behind Summit, 2-0, in the first half, the Sailors needed a second-half rally to escape with a 3-2 victory and a few smiles. Tuesday’s win was the first game of the season for the Sailors, who will head to Glenwood Springs on Thursday.

John F. Russell: Keeping in touch from afar

In a world filled with fast cars, high-speed Internet and self-checkout lines, the winds of change seem to blow faster than a hurricane. Keeping in touch with the important things in life is more difficult than watching the Rockies play baseball.

Tease photo

PBR Rocky Mountain Bull Bash returns to Steamboat on Sunday

Former professional bull rider Judd Mortensen has brought Professional Bull Riders events to Steamboat for the past six years and will return Sunday when the Rocky Mountain Bull Bash takes center stage at Brent Romick Rodeo Arena.

Tease photo

Steamboat Springs cross-country opens season

Friday's meet in Delta marks the start of what Steamboat Springs High School senior Asher Rohde hopes will be a season to remember for the cross-country team.

John F. Russell: Now that’s amazing

There are only a few things that truly amaze me when it comes to sports.Then last week I reported on a handful of Steamboat Springs athletes who left me in awe. Michael Hlavacek, Allen Belshaw and John Williams ran in the Leadville 100 Trail Run, and I’m still blown away.

Steamboat runners shine in Leadville

Since the race’s inception in 1983, the Leadville Trail 100 Run has become a benchmark among ultra endurance athletes with Hope Pass serving as the measuring stick.