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Motocross stars Jett Lawrence, Haiden Deegan win at 20th running of Thunder Valley National

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Motocross stars Jett Lawrence, Haiden Deegan win at 20th running of Thunder Valley National


LAKEWOOD — A pair of the sport’s preeminent stars lived up to their billing on Saturday at the 20th rendition of the Pro Motocross Championship’s Thunder Valley National.

Jett Lawrence won the 450 class by edging his brother, Hunter Lawrence. Hunter won the first moto while Jett took second, then the Australians flipped finishes in the second moto to give Jett the overall win.

And in the 250 class, rising star Haiden Deegan continued his early-season domination by claiming his third overall win in as many races. The 18-year-old phenom finished first in the opening moto and then second in the second moto to land atop the podium.

For Jett Lawrence, the defending 450 class series champion who won all 22 races in 2023, the victory at Thunder Valley was a bounce-back showing after crashing last week at Hangtown. That crash snapped his 24-race win streak and forced Jett to ride injured on Saturday as he was still dealing with a cut on his leg and a sore shoulder.

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“Going into the second moto, my legs were shot, so I had no legs at the start,” Jett Lawrence said. “I dug deep, and just told myself in my head, ‘Stay there, stay there.’ I was able to capitalize on a mistake by Hunter in one of the turns (late in the race).”

Professional motocross racers Jett Lawrence, left, and his brother, Hunter Lawrence check their starting gates before Moto #1, 450 class of the AMA Pro Motocross Thunder Valley National at Thunder Valley Park in Morrison, Colorado Saturday, June 08, 2024. Hunter Lawrence won Moto #1, Jett took Moto #2 and the Thunder Valley National overall. (Photo by Andy Cross/The Denver Post)

Justin Cooper earned the holeshot in both 450 motos and led for much of those races before fading, finishing third in both and third overall.

In Deegan’s overall win in the 250 class, he passed Frenchman Tom Vialle with a lap to go in the first moto, then held on. In the second moto, Deegan took second to Chance Hymas while Vialle was fourth.

Deegan remains atop the 250 championship standings with a 23-point lead over Hymas, while Hunter Lawrence is first in the 450 championship standings. The older Lawrence brother (who won the 250 class circuit title last year) has 129 points, with Chase Sexton second at 123 points and Jett Lawrence third at 113 points.

The Pro Motocross Championship’s fourth 2024 stop is next Saturday at High Point Raceway in Mount Morris, Penn.

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Local racer’s higher calling. While no Colorado rider qualified for the 250 or 450 motos, Elizabeth resident Brett Stralo was one local who competed in the 250 consolation race.

Stralo placed 18th, but for the U.S. Army veteran, his motivation for being at the track was about more than results.

The 36-year-old races for the Veteran Motocross Foundation, an organization that uses motocross to empower veterans. Stralo — whose service included two combat tours in Afghanistan as a helicopter mechanic — also started Warrior MX, which pays for veterans to come out and be part of his team on race day as a “mental health solution for combat vets.”

“My goal at this age is to make the fast 40, and to make the main (race),” Stralo said. “But every time I show up here and am able to get those (veterans) those wristbands and give them this experience, and introduce them to this community, it’s a win.”

Stralo says “throttle therapy” helped him re-adjust to civilian life, and that his ultimate goal is to help prevent veteran suicides. Saturday marked his sixth time competing as a pro at the Thunder Valley National.

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“When I got on a dirt bike, I found myself realizing that everything kind of disappeared,” Stralo said. “I started releasing endorphins, started be able to smile again, started feeling good. I started sleeping again.

“… There’s no noise other than the motor so you’re able to focus on what’s right in front of you. That’s all that matters in those moments. It’s like white noise, everything dissipates and you get a great mental clarity. This sport has been incredibly therapeutic for everything I had been through in nine years of military service, and I wanted to do something with it for other veterans.”

Colorado’s most notable pro racer, Eli Tomac, did not compete Saturday due to a thumb injury. The Cortez native won the 450 class circuit championship 2017-19 and 2022, and also won the circuit’s 250 class title in 2013.

Haiden Deegan (38) pumps his fist as he crosses the finish line during the second 250 Moto at AMA Pro Motocross Thunder Valley National at Thunder Valley Park in Lakewood, Colorado on June 8, 2024. Deegan finished second in the second Moto and first overall on the day. (Photo by Zachary Spindler-Krage/The Denver Post)
Haiden Deegan (38) pumps his fist as he crosses the finish line during the second 250 Moto at AMA Pro Motocross Thunder Valley National at Thunder Valley Park in Lakewood, Colorado on June 8, 2024. Deegan finished second in the second Moto and first overall on the day. (Photo by Zachary Spindler-Krage/The Denver Post)

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Denver, CO

Denver Nuggets Reportedly Sign New Player

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Denver Nuggets Reportedly Sign New Player


In between the NBA Draft and the start of free agency there is a period of time when teams agree to deals with un-drafted free agents. While these deals can be signed at any time, it is most common to see them agreed upon soon after the draft, as teams bring in players they want to get a look at.

This can be done via Exhibit-10 deals, which bring in a player for training camp to potentially compete for a roster spot. In a report on Friday from Shams Charania of The Athletic, it was announced that the Denver Nuggets had signed Grand Canyon University’s Gabe McGlothan to an Exhibit-10 contract.

In five collegiate seasons, McGlothan averaged 12.8 PPG and 7.3 RPG. Showing an improved three-point shot in his final season at Grand Canyon, McGlothan made 39.8% of his threes on 3.6 attempts per game. While it is very unlikely McGlothan makes Denver’s roster, this should be a great opportunity for him to be around NBA champions while training with one of the league’s elite franchises.

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It is not entirely impossible for Exhibit-10 deals to lead to two-way contracts or even standard deals in some cases, but the Nuggets are not a team that projects to be filling out their roster with many unproven rookies. That said, McGlothan will get to work with Nikola Jokic and other Nuggets veterans in camp, which is a great opportunity.

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Video of Colorado Springs police shooting shows suspect hitting woman with gun

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Video of Colorado Springs police shooting shows suspect hitting woman with gun


The man shot by Colorado Springs police officers while fleeing on foot earlier this month struck a woman across the face with a gun in the city’s downtown area before pointing it at another man, security footage released Thursday shows.

Around 12:48 a.m. on Sunday, June 9, three officers with the Colorado Springs Police Department’s Downtown Area Response Team were patrolling on foot along South Nevada Avenue when they heard a disturbance up the street, according to a video briefing released Thursday by the department.

As one officer — identified by the Colorado Springs Police Department as Benjamin Hengel — moved toward the disturbance, he saw a woman fall to the ground and drew his stun gun, police department spokesperson Joe Frabbiele said in the video.

Another man chasing the suspect suddenly stopped and put his hands up, Frabbiele said. When Hengel went to move around the man, Hengel saw the suspect pointing a gun in his direction and drew his department-issued handgun.

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Security footage from a nearby building before the shooting shows the suspect — 21-year-old Al’Morion Germany — backing away from a woman while the two have what appears to be a verbal disagreement.

In the video, Germany points what appears to be a gun at the woman before striking her across the face with it, knocking her to the ground.

Germany turns to run and is quickly followed by three Colorado Springs police officers, including Hengel, security footage shows.

Footage from Hengel’s body camera shows officers yelling at Germany to drop the gun, following him down South Nevada Street and continuing the chase around the corner onto Pikes Peak Avenue when Germany ignored police commands to stop.

Frabbiele said Germany was running toward a parking lot the officers knew usually had a lot of foot traffic at that time of night.

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When Hengel turned the corner, he fired three shots at Germany, striking the man twice, body camera footage shows. The man continued to run after being shot and was taken into custody in the 100 block of East Pikes Peak Avenue.

Officers provided medical aid until paramedics arrived and Germany was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, Frabbiele said.

Frabbiele said a loaded 10 mm Glock handgun was found near where Germany was shot, but did not confirm the gun belonged to Germany. The 21-year-old was arrested on suspicion of first-degree assault.

The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office and 4th Judicial District Attorney’s Office are investigating the shooting and will determine if Hengel’s use of force was justified.

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Denver, CO

Long Live the King – The Denver Nuggets and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope come to a crossroads – DNVR Sports

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Long Live the King – The Denver Nuggets and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope come to a crossroads – DNVR Sports


“The King is dead. Long live the King!”
– first proclaimed in 1422, as Britain’s Charles VII succeeded Charles VI

I remember the moment the Denver Broncos won their first Super Bowl. Colorado’s first major championship had barely preceded the Broncos big win, but to have the state’s sport darlings finally atop the heap and igniting their fanbase was a moment frozen in time in the memory of this Broncos fan.

At least I thought it would be frozen.

It was a scant two days after the Super Bowl victory that the local sports voices started questioning the Broncos chances for the following year, and weeks before the team started all of its offseason planning. A few months later, draftees and all rookies are starting to prep for the season, and training camp is right behind. The moment that was supposed to be frozen in my memory was a great one, but it had melted away into the next year with the speed of a snowman in St. Augustine. Wham-bam-thank-you-Shanahan, and all of a sudden we were right back to what have you done for me lately?

It was eye opening, to say the least. In retrospect, I’m not sure why I expected they would cease all NFL operations the moment the right team had finally won it all, but hey… no one said reality was my strong suit. Through my protestations, the league decided to keep making money.

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Never was the speed and brevity of a Championship offseason more painful for one Colorado sports fan than the 114 days that went between the Denver Nuggets winning it all a year and a couple weeks ago and their early October Training Camp. A heady summer flew by, and just three and a half months later. my team that finally had their ring had to go back and try to do it all over again. It hardly seemed like enough time to savor it, especially missing faces that had been so crucial just a few months prior.

But yet another season rolls along, and for this brief moment in Nuggets history, it’s unsure that all five pieces of the Nuggets Championship starting five will be back next year. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has declined the player option year of his deal, and will deservedly take his two championship rings out to what sounds to be a hot market for his services. If that number climbs to a level too high for Denver to feel good about matching and still being able to compete with… well…

Nuggets GM Calvin Booth was actually pretty direct and clear on the subject, both praising KCP and lamenting the possibility, but also praising and setting forth the metrics behind last year’s sixth man Christian Braun. While all of what’s still to come here is out in the ether, Nuggets Nation is alight with opinions ranging from “all is lost” to “we’ll be fine”. But the memory of a KCP who said he wanted to be a “Nugget forever” in a postgame interview after one the last home games of last season would feel like a pretty sudden and huge vacuum in Nuggets space should he suddenly just be gone. One more piece of a memory that feels like it was just a few hundred days ago… right?

Avs fans feel that championship phantom limb, just one more year removed. Hell, even a Boston sports fan has to occasionally feel the pain of going without a championship… right? Yesterday was your ring, today is your parade, and tomorrow is right back to what have you done for me lately?

Knowing the wheel is spinning right back around, maybe you even take the moments to savor the journey when you got close, or even when you got a little bit further than the time before. One of these years, even the Rockies will hang a banner up at Coors Field, and a few months down the road, the Yankees and Dodgers will just be favorites all over again. If you’ve got a moment to savor in the mix, do it while you’ve got it. Whether KCP is back this next year or not, that clock is ticking, right alongside all the rest. The shooting guard is dead. Long live the shooting guard.

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