Best Youth Basketball Organization 2005 | Gold Crown Foundation | Best of Denver® | Best Restaurants, Bars, Clubs, Music and Stores in Denver | Westword
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Best Youth Basketball Organization

Gold Crown Foundation

Not long ago, ex-Nugget-turned-sportscaster Bill Hanzlik was even more excited than normal on TV: He announced that there were some 300 Gold Crown coaches at the Pepsi Center for a game with the Portland Trailblazers. The fact that there are 300 basketball coaches anywhere in this once-hoops-starved state is testimony to the boost that Gold Crown -- under CEO Hanzlik -- has given to the sport. In particular, the foundation has offered much needed support to middle-school teams left high and dry by shortsighted school districts. And unlike some lesser organizations, Gold Crown (which also backs other youth sports) always seems to get its enterprises right. This one's a slam dunk.

Best Game Lock-In

Maximumgamer

Every other Friday, game fanatics seeking an unbridled go at Warcraft or Counter-Strike sign up to be locked in this facility from 11 p.m. until 7 a.m. the next morning. Unless the computer combatants are over eighteen years old, they must stay inside the site, working away at one of the thirty PCs linked into a gaming server. Drinks are available, but many parents supply goodie bags, complete with an ocean of bottled water. It may not be everyone's cup of Red Bull, but for some, this is what pulling an all-nighter is all about.

Best Game Lock-In

Maximumgamer

Every other Friday, game fanatics seeking an unbridled go at Warcraft or Counter-Strike sign up to be locked in this facility from 11 p.m. until 7 a.m. the next morning. Unless the computer combatants are over eighteen years old, they must stay inside the site, working away at one of the thirty PCs linked into a gaming server. Drinks are available, but many parents supply goodie bags, complete with an ocean of bottled water. It may not be everyone's cup of Red Bull, but for some, this is what pulling an all-nighter is all about.

Best Place to Work on Hitting a Curveball

Mark Johnson's Triple Crown Sports Center

Most pitching machines are pretty easy to figure out: They throw fastballs, fastballs and more fastballs. At the Triple Crown Sports Center, however, the gadgets are considerably more sophisticated, tossing curveballs and sliders as well. The joint as a whole is just as notable, with a throwing tunnel, an AstroTurf field, rental cages, a pro shop and more scattered across a 22,000-square-foot space. Individual instruction is available, too, sometimes delivered by fledgling pro players, who use the facility to stay in shape during the off-season. Smacking a curve tossed by a mechanical contraption may not be the same as taking Randy Johnson over the wall, but compared to most pitching machines, the ones at Triple Crown are nasty.

Best Place to Work on Hitting a Curveball

Mark Johnson's Triple Crown Sports Center

Most pitching machines are pretty easy to figure out: They throw fastballs, fastballs and more fastballs. At the Triple Crown Sports Center, however, the gadgets are considerably more sophisticated, tossing curveballs and sliders as well. The joint as a whole is just as notable, with a throwing tunnel, an AstroTurf field, rental cages, a pro shop and more scattered across a 22,000-square-foot space. Individual instruction is available, too, sometimes delivered by fledgling pro players, who use the facility to stay in shape during the off-season. Smacking a curve tossed by a mechanical contraption may not be the same as taking Randy Johnson over the wall, but compared to most pitching machines, the ones at Triple Crown are nasty.

Best Sporting Use of a Pumpkin

Jack-O-Launch
Delaney Farm

While pumpkins take their share of abuse around Halloween, no one seems too upset when these squash go sailing through the blue sky. Denver Urban Gardens' Aurora-based Delaney Farm hosts the annual Jack-O-Launch, in which participants compete to see how far they can fling the fall fruit via ingenious catapults. Paging Billy Corgan...

Best Sporting Use of a Pumpkin

Jack-O-Launch
Delaney Farm

While pumpkins take their share of abuse around Halloween, no one seems too upset when these squash go sailing through the blue sky. Denver Urban Gardens' Aurora-based Delaney Farm hosts the annual Jack-O-Launch, in which participants compete to see how far they can fling the fall fruit via ingenious catapults. Paging Billy Corgan...

Best Place to Get Zonked by a Volleyball

The MotherLode Volleyball Classic

This volleypalooza has been going for more than three decades in Aspen. With some 700 teams competing on eighty courts over Labor Day weekend, it sports the title of the nation's largest volleyball party. Players range in ability from international competitor to laid-back park-grass warrior. Spectators can watch for free, but look out for those the 110 mph shots: If you get beaned, you'll be seeing stars -- and not the normal kind for Glitter Gulch.

Best Place to Get Zonked by a Volleyball

The MotherLode Volleyball Classic

This volleypalooza has been going for more than three decades in Aspen. With some 700 teams competing on eighty courts over Labor Day weekend, it sports the title of the nation's largest volleyball party. Players range in ability from international competitor to laid-back park-grass warrior. Spectators can watch for free, but look out for those the 110 mph shots: If you get beaned, you'll be seeing stars -- and not the normal kind for Glitter Gulch.

Best Women's Triathlon Club

Team CWW

Team CWW may not boast the most race winners or state records, but if you're a woman looking to enter the sweaty world of triathlons -- yet are too intimidated by the prospect of swimming, biking and running farther than you've driven your car in the past month -- CWW is a fine place to begin. Founded by Celeste Callahan (who did her first triathlon on a dare more than twenty years ago, at the age of 42) and two friends, CWW is a non-profit corporation dedicated to helping non-athletic women prepare for the Denver Danskin, Tri for the Cure and Boulder Peak triathlons. "If you can swim across a pool with a gun to your head, ride your bike to the end of your driveway and run if someone's chasing you, you can do a triathlon," promises Callahan. Training begins with a "get your face wet" pool session in January, progresses to a teeny, tiny triathlon in May, and builds to standard, race-length distances by summer. The cost is $175 for a year of training and support.

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