Sports
Surfing in Colorado? More and more are catching a wave
Eric Thomas spent the 1980s and ’90s surfing waves off Florida, California and Hawaii, with other stops around the Bahamas and tropics in what became a professional career on the oceans.
Then he looked to a land-locked state.
“I wanted something totally different,” Thomas said.
He was done with waiting for waves that would sometimes form and sometimes not after hours of longing. He was done with the “localism,” as he called it — tribes that would claim waves when they did form, sometimes enforcing by fists. “West Coast cool” could often feel anything but.
In his search, Thomas found himself in rivers carving Colorado’s mountains. He found himself carving as well, his board cutting across whitewater that was more frequented by kayakers and rafters than people like him standing upright with no paddle.
But over the past decade, Thomas has seen many more like him.
“My motto is ‘surf where you find it,’” he said, “and I have a feeling these things are gonna be blowing up.”
By “these things,” he means waves specifically built for river surfers, whose ranks have been rising with those rolling, glassy waters around the state.
Take it from Mike Harvey, one of the pioneering builders of these waves: “I’ve been involved with whitewater sports for over 30 years now, and I’ve never seen anything that’s as hot as river surfing is right now.”
It’s obvious from his view of Scout Wave, his creation along the Arkansas River flowing through downtown Salida. Nearby is Badfish Surf Shop, which Harvey started out of a garage in 2009, right around the time an earlier version of the wave was taking shape. Harvey opened Badfish with a friend, Zack Hughes, a former ocean surfer who designed a shorter board ideal for rivers.
Flash forward to today, following a revamp that has enthusiasts calling Scout Wave the finest river surfing wave in North America.
“It’s absolutely blown up,” Harvey said. “We have people coming from all over to surf in Salida. We just rented some boards to these Brazilian guys that came this week.”
Scout Wave has attracted pros like Thomas and newcomers like Gunnar Tande. Over the summer he regularly traveled to Salida from his home in Golden, where a couple of years ago he noticed people surfing Bingo Wave along Clear Creek Whitewater Park.
In Salida, “it can be a little intimidating, because everyone’s watching,” Tande said. “But everyone is so kind, and they’re helpful. They hold your board while you’re getting on. They’ll give you some pointers. They cheer you on. It’s different than the West Coast surf community.”
As Thomas is pleased to say, while also saying a truth that widens the eyes of his coastal friends: “I surf more inland than I ever did on the ocean.”
Waves may or may not form on the ocean, and when they do, the ride lasts a matter of seconds. That’s an epic thrill, of course, rooted in legend. But Thomas is satisfied by much longer rides on waves reliably forming on rivers where they’ve been specially engineered. From his home in Fruita — the western Colorado desert, of all places — Thomas takes his pick from not-far whitewater parks in Glenwood Springs and Montrose.
And yes, he ventures to Salida. Though, he worries about crowds there, the campers claiming first dibs and lines extending.
A new wave in southern Colorado promises to spread people out.
“I almost like Pueblo better than Salida,” Thomas said.
The debut summer of Waterworks Park was a hit, Bob Walker is happy to report. The Pueblo resident of 60-plus years owns The Edge, the shop selling and renting gear for winter and summer sports.
“If you were to say there was gonna be a surf shop in Pueblo that thrived five years ago, I would’ve laughed at you,” Walker said.
Indeed, a new line of business has boomed with the new surf wave. It’s the first of its kind in Pueblo, a “high-performance” kind designed by Harvey’s team at Recreation Engineering and Planning (REP). But the Waterworks Park wave is not the first wave around town that has drawn surfers, however once smaller in numbers.
About 15 years ago, Walker recalls counting on two hands the surfers who came to a competition he organized around a wave elsewhere along the Arkansas River around town, around features installed for a previous whitewater park. Walker had tested the wave on a boogie board, inspiring others to follow.
Harvey took notice back then. That previous whitewater park in Pueblo was also REP’s doing — among others that helped birth an industry. Harvey knows Colorado as boasting more whitewater parks than any other state, starting with the nation’s first in the late 1970s: Denver’s Confluence Park.
Tubing and kayaking was always the idea. As for surfing, Harvey said, “I’d definitely never seen it on a feature I had built on a river” until that scene in Pueblo. “That got my wheels turning.”
The result was a rolling set of submerged, sloping concrete that formed Scout Wave back in Salida. Construction was similar for the latest and greatest at Waterworks Park, also carefully accounting for high and low flows.
“I’ve probably sold more surfboards in the last year than I had in the last 15,” Walker said at his shop.
Translation: “Build it and they will come,” said Ben Nielsen.
So he’s seen at Sheridan’s River Run Park since 2017, since the start of the surf wave he envisioned there.
The vision went back to 2009, when the young surfer and engineer out of California found himself in the offices of McLaughlin Whitewater Design. This was the firm of Rick McLaughlin, who had overseen Confluence Park in the ’70s and would become known as a “whitewater godfather” along with Gary Lacy of REP.
McLaughlin had developed a technology called WaveShaper “primarily for kayaks,” Nielsen said. “With my passion for surfing, I was like, Hey, this WaveShaper is a really amazing technology for creating the types of surf waves that people want, which is big, tall, fast and shaped in a way that you can ride short boards and you can carve and do different maneuvers.”
This, Nielsen thought, could be proven as part of a restoration project in the works for a stretch of the South Platte River. Along with Sheridan and other local governments, River Run Park heavily involved the Army Corps of Engineers.
“Really, nothing like this had ever been done before in an Army Corps of Engineers project,” Nielsen recalled. “You can imagine they were like, ‘What? You want to put surfing in a river?’ It took years of convincing them that this was gonna work.”
The WaveShaper’s steel, hydraulic flaps would be installed to slightly carve the river bottom, manipulating flows in favor of surfers. The flaps would adjust according to a small control center operated by data-equipped volunteer “shapers,” who would turn knobs accounting for flows and safety.
Thomas volunteered to serve as “a crash test dummy” during construction, he said. He’s seen River Run Park become “a game changer” — driving Front Range populations to the sport he sees becoming less niche.
Thomas oversees a Facebook page, Colorado River Surfers, that has grown to more than 5,600 members. He started it, he said, “to build a community and keep people safe.”
It’s a cause shared by Tande, the Golden man who has become an advocate in his early years of surfing. He’s an advocate for the sport impacting people like him: “I play in a lot of different ways, from mountain biking to snowboarding, and surfing has been one of the funnest things I’ve ever learned to do,” he said.
And he’s an advocate for the sport impacting communities. Tande points to Pueblo, where he overnighted with his family this summer to extend their surfing at Waterworks Park.
“I’m down there any given day talking to people,” Walker said at his local shop. “It’s people saying they came down from Boulder or Fort Collins, and they say, ‘We never got off the highway in Pueblo before.’”
More will pull off, just as more whitewater park managers are calling about wave upgrades or additions, Harvey said. He said he’s recently been in touch with managers in Buena Vista, Eagle and Durango, towns with well- established outdoor recreation economies.
“But I really think these things can serve as anchors for new economic development, in places needing to discover a new path toward economic viability,” Harvey said.
And for individuals looking for a new path, just as an ocean surfer was years ago. Yes, Thomas is surfing more than ever in land-locked Colorado, this unlikely place that was just the place for a record pursuit once.
“I surfed a wave for six hours straight,” he said. “That was the most zen thing ever.”
LEXINGTON, KY. – The Wofford volleyball team was defeated by the No. 1 seeded Kentucky Wildcats 3-0 on Thursday night inside of Historic Memorial Coliseum in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Terriers close the season 17-14 with a 10-6 record in conference action. Kentucky will take on UCLA tomorrow night.
“Our mindset was to come out and leave it out there,” said head coach Lynze Roos. “I feel like we competed in some really good points. They got some separation and that was tough, but I’m really proud of the way that these women competed in the season that we had.”
Wofford totaled 27 kills on 26 assists throughout the match. On defense, the team posted 54 digs and four blocks. The Wildcats finished the match with 45 kills on 44 assists. Kentucky also posted 56 digs and four blocks.
Leading Wofford was Bradley Brown who had 10 kills on a .259 hitting percentage. Brown also led the team with three blocks. Following behind was Chloe Smith with six kills. Maddy Frazier dished out a team-high 13 assists, while Taylor Pecht had 10. Laney Klika recorded a team-high 13 digs, along with 10 from Caroline Przystup. Annemarie Rakoski and Natalie Arnold tallied one block apiece.
“We talk a lot about playing relentless defense and going for every single ball. We knew that tonight was going to be a tough task, but you never really know unless you go for it,” said Laney Klika.
“We talked a lot before the game about playing how we play and not letting their offense or defense change the way that we like to play,” added Annemarie Rakoski.
“It was amazing just to be able to have some family and friends that I don’t get to see very much anymore come watch me play. It was super cool to just have that support,” said Chloe Smith.
Kentucky grabbed the first two points of set one, but Wofford responded with a solo block by Annemarie Rakoski. Another solo block from Bradley Brown kept the Kentucky lead within one point. With the Wildcats leading 13-8, Kentucky would add four unanswered points to bring the Wofford deficit to nine points. The Terriers could not overcome the Kentucky lead, losing set one 25-11.
The teams were back-and-forth to start set two, as the Terriers would take an early 5-4 lead. Wofford took its biggest advantage – a 15-13 lead – after a pair of Kentucky attacking errors. The Wildcats fought back to take a 20-19 lead, and the team scored the final five points of the stanza to take set two 25-19. Bradley Brown totaled eight kills and one block in the second set alone.
Wofford jumped out to a 2-0 lead to start the third set of the match by way of a Bradley Brown kill. Kentucky responded with a 7-1 run, however, to regain the lead. The Wildcats would eventually take a 13-4 advantage. Wofford cut the deficit to six points a few rallies later, but the team would lose set three and ultimately the match.
Wofford concludes the season 17-14 with a 10-6 mark in Southern Conference play. The team entered the conference tournament as the No. 3 seed and defeated both No. 6 Samford and No. 2 Furman to reach the championship match. The Terriers took down No. 1 ETSU to win their third-straight conference championship and earn another bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Junior Seren Rodgers secured a third place finish in the pentathlon, totaling 3,771 points. With the result, the Taunton, England, native now sits sixth all-time in program history in the women’s indoor pentathlon.
Overall, Rodgers recorded three podium finishes during the competition, including a pair of runner up results in the long jump, where she recorded a jump of 10.32 meters, and the 800m, crossing the line in 2:19.62. Rodgers also claimed third place in the 60m hurdles after clocking a time of 8.86 seconds.
Meanwhile, freshman Julia Aere also competed in the pentathlon, securing eighth place with 3,462 points in her collegiate debut. The Delray Beach, Fla., native placed inside the top-10 in all five events, highlighted by a third place finish in the shot put after recording a distance of 11.13 meters, as well as a fifth place result in the 800m after recording a time of 2:27.34.
Notable Finishes
Pentathlon
2025-26 Indoor Track and Field Top-10 Marks in School History
From the Staff
“I’m really pleased with how the competition progressed today. Julia and Seren competed well and this meet was a great measure of how hard we have worked throughout the fall semester. It gave us a chance to get out, perform at a high level and still recognize that we left some points on the table, which is exciting. We are in a great place heading into the holiday break and this will keep us motivated and hungry. These two ladies set the tone early for the team and we are eager for the rest of the team to compete this weekend.” – Assistant Coach Ryan Grinnell
Up Next
The Demon Deacons return to action on Saturday with a pair of meets. One group of Wake Forest athletes will travel to Boston to compete in the 5K race at the Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener. Meanwhile, several Deacs will compete at the Visit Winston-Salem College Kick-off at the JDL Fast Track.
After the Lopes dominant WAC indoor run of 14 conference titles between the men’s and women’s teams, GCU will compete in its first season as a Mountain West member.
“This schedule and competition should prepare both our men’s and women’s teams to make a lot of noise at our inaugural Mountain West Conference Indoor Championships, as well as send a lot of our athletes to the NCAA Indoor Championships,” GCU head coach Tom Flood said.Grand Canyon’s indoor schedule will feature meets in trips to Flagstaff, Arizona; Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Reno, Nevada.
“Again, we are really excited about our indoor schedule,” Flood said. “We will again be competing at some of the finest indoor facilities in the country and against some of the best track and field programs in the country.”
The 2025-26 season begins Thursday as the Lopes travel to Reno, Nevada, before taking a break until the new year. From there, they will travel to Flagstaff and Albuquerque before heading back to Reno for the Mountain West Indoor Championships.
GCU aims to represent at the NCAA Indoor Championships, which will be held March 13-14 in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
For the full indoor schedule, click here.
A new era in Hope College track and field begins today with the first indoor meet of the 2026 season.
Beginning at noon, the Flying Dutch and Flying Dutchmen are competing at the Grand Valley State University Holiday Open under the leadership of first-year head coach Jordan Bartolazzi, the 11th women’s head coach in program history and the 13th men’s coach.
Bartolazzi, who built his alma mater, Elmhurst University (Illinois), into a College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin power before coming to Hope, is thrilled with the progress both teams made during preseason workouts.
“There was a lot of good stuff going on here to build on,” Bartolazzi said. “Our focus, with every practice, has been preparing to compete, whether we’re an All-American or trying to crack the conference lineup. We have a lot of student-athletes working really hard. We’ve been having a ball. There has been really good energy. I think it’s been a good start for us.”
The Flying Dutch, who finished third in the MIAA Women’s Indoor Track and Field Preseason Coaches Poll, feature a roster of 73, with 17 seniors, 17 juniors, 14 sophomores and 25 freshmen.
The Flying Dutchmen, who also tookl thjird in the MIAA Men’s Indoor Track and Field Preseason Coaches Poll, have a roster of 64, with 18 seniors, nine juniors, 17 sophomores and 20 freshmen.
Coaching Staff
Head coach: Jordan Bartolazzi, first season
Distance coach: Mark Northuis
Distance assistant coaches: Dan Campbell, Mike Northuis
Throws coach: Paul Markel
Jumps coach: Addy Gerig
Pole vault coaches: Jon Lunderberg, Ben Turner
Women’s Roster
Senior Sara Schermerhorn (Traverse City, Michigan / Traverse City West) is Hope’s top returner after claiming All-America honors in four events for the second consecutive season in 2025: indoor and outdoor 200 meters and indoor and outdoor 400 meters.
The exercise science major swept MIAA Most Valuable Indoor and Outdoor Track Athlete honors as a junior and earned MIAA Most Valuable Indoor Track Athlete accolades in back-to-back seasons. She became the first sprinter in league history to win titles in the 60, 200 and 400 at the same meet.
Schermerhorn set MIAA records in the indoor 200 and 400 meters last season. She also ran on the MIAA champion 4×400 relay, which returns two other sprinters: senior Frances Cozzens (Lyman, New Hampshire / Saint Johnsbury Academy) and sophomore Sofia Fisher (Lombard, Illinois / Montini Catholic).
Hope returns three runners from the MIAA champion distance medley relay: senior Molly Durow (Glenview, Illinois / Glenbrook South), junior Amanda Markham (Hoffman Estates, Illinois / William Fremd) and sophomore Lily Sackrider (St. Johns, Michigan / St. Johns).
Durow is coming off an All-America cross country campaign this fall. The special education major finished 32nd at the Division III national championships and was runner-up at the Great Lakes Regional and MIAA Championships.
“We have great leadership,” Bartolazzi said. “Not only do we have some great upperclassmen, but we have some really wonderful seniors who have made an effort to welcome our freshmen and newcomers to the program. It’s a gift to have great senior leadership in year one.”
Men’s Roster
Hope returns senior sprinter Liam Danitz, the 2025 First Team All-MIAA honoree and MIAA Most Valuable Men’s Indoor Track Athlete.
Danitz (West Branch, Michigan / Ogemaw Heights) set an MIAA record in the 200-meter dash (21.59), earned First Team All-America honors with a fifth-place national finish in the 200 (21.93), and took second in the 60-meter dash (6.83) for All-MIAA Second Team honors.
The exercise science major also contributed to an All-MIAA Second Team 4×400 relay alongside returning junior Dylan Terpstra (Hudsonville, Michigan / Hudsonville).
Senior Erickson Kunzler (Marne, Michigan / Grand Rapids Catholic Central) returns as the MIAA 800-meter champion after posting a winning time of 1:56.09.
Senior Carston Cole (Holland, Michigan / West Ottawa) and junior Carter Dean (Traverse City, Michigan / Traverse City West) also return from last year’s All-MIAA First Team distance medley relay.
Cole recorded Hope’s top cross country finish at nationals this fall. The Flying Dutchmen placed 23rd in the nation as a team and made history with their first Great Lakes Regional title since 1980 and first MIAA crown since 1986.
Sophomore Logan Begeman (Portage, Michigan / Portage Central) ran away with the Great Lakes Regional and MIAA individual championships.
“They’re hungry,” Bartolazzi said of the Flying Dutchmen. “Having that breakthrough season in cross country is such a gift. They felt like they were close and believed they could compete at the conference and national levels. They showed they could. That carries over to the track season.”
Schedule
The Flying Dutch and Flying Dutchmen are scheduled to compete in 10 indoor meets and eight outdoor meets.
The MIAA Indoor Championships are Saturday, Feb. 28, at Trine University.
The NCAA Indoor Championships are Friday-Saturday, March 13-14, in Birmingham, Alabama.
Hope will host the MIAA Outdoor Championships on Friday-Saturday, April 30-May 1, at Brewer Track.
The NCAA Outdoor Championships are Thursday-Saturday, May 21-23, in La Crosse, Wisconsin.
“One thing I wanted to do this year was get our student-athletes on banked tracks a little more,” Bartolazzi said. “Nationals will be on a banked track, so I want them to know what that feels like. It’s a great thing in West Michigan — you don’t have to go far to race against really good people.”
Blue-Gold Invite
Loftus Sports Center – South Bend, Indiana
Friday, December 5, 2025
Live Results
McFerrin-12 Degree Invite
Fasken Indoor Track – College Station, Texas
Saturday, December 6, 2025
Live Results | Watch
Sharon Colyear Danville Season Opener
BU Track & Tennis Center – Boston, Massachusetts
Saturday, December 6, 2025
Live Results | Watch
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
SMU Mobile App Apple | Google Play
DALLAS, Texas (SMU) — The Mustangs will open up their 2025-2026 track and field season across three different meets this weekend. The distance ponies will split between Notre Dame’s Blue-Gold Invite and Boston University’s Sharon Colyear Danville Season Opener. The rest of the team will travel to Texas A&M’s McFerrin-12 Degree Invite.
This meet will serve as a soft opener for the Mustangs with the remainder of the season beginning in mid-January. The distance athletes are coming off a successful cross country season, which concluded with an appearance at the national championship for Rose Mburu, but this will be the first competition for the sprints, jumps, and multis after fall training.
The action will begin on Friday at Notre Dame and continue at the other two meets on Saturday.
The meet is scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. and will include a combination of field and sprint events.
Admission is free to fans. Live results from the OU Winter Field Fest can be found via TimingInc.
The Sooners are coming off their first season in the SEC, where they claimed seven individual conference titles.
OU Winter Field Fest Schedule of Events
Triple Jump (M) – 1:30 p.m.
Weight Throw (M) – 1:30 p.m.
High Jump (W) – 2:30 p.m.
Triple Jump (W) – 3 p.m.
Pole Vault (W) – 3 p.m.
Weight Throw (W) – 3 p.m.
60M Hurdles Prelims (W) – 3 p.m.
60M Hurdles Prelims (M) – 3:15 p.m.
60M Dash Prelims (W) – 3:30 p.m.
60M Dash Prelims (M) – 3:45 p.m.
Long Jump (M) – 4:30 p.m.
Shot Put (M) – 4:30 p.m.
60M Hurdles Finals (W) – 4:30 p.m.
60M Hurdles Finals (M) – 4:40 p.m.
60M Dash Finals (W) – 4:50 p.m.
60M Dash Finals (M) – 5 p.m.
Pole Vault (M) – 5:30 p.m.
Long Jump (W) – 6 p.m.
High Jump (M) – 6 p.m.
Shot Put (W) – 6 p.m.
For more information on Oklahoma Track & Field, follow the Sooners on Twitter and Instagram (@OU_Track) and like Oklahoma Sooners Track & Field and Cross Country on Facebook.
Hunter Yurachek dishes on ‘new financial commitments’ for Arkansas football
Volleyball Closes Season Against No. 1 Kentucky in NCAA Tournament
Gaming Computers Market Growth Trajectory Strengthens with
New Arkansas coach Ryan Silverfield says it won’t take long to rebuild the program
Demon Deacons Open Season at Liberty Kickoff
Metaverse in Gaming Market to Surge at 27.62% CAGR, Anticipated
Mitch Barnhart emphatically affirms Kentucky football’s NIL status – Kentucky Kernel
Lopes unveil 2025-26 indoor slate
Men’s and Women’s Track and Field 2026 Season Preview
Mustangs Open Track and Field Season This Weekend
A Look Inside IU’s New Sports Memorabilia Exhibit – WFHB
How Youth Sports Became a Magnet for Private Equity
Abu Dhabi Gaming Announced as Co-Host of Global Games Show 2025
Vanderbilt QB Diego Pavia pleads to Trump for College Football Playoff executive order
Sooners Set to Host OU Winter Field Fest Season Opener
First Tee Winter Registration is open
Fargo girl, 13, dies after collapsing during school basketball game – Grand Forks Herald
Volleyball Recaps – November 18
CPG Brands Like Allegra Are Betting on F1 for the First Time
F1 Las Vegas: Verstappen win, Norris and Piastri DQ tighten 2025 title fight
Two Pro Volleyball Leagues Serve Up Plans for Minnesota Teams
Utah State Announces 2025-26 Indoor Track & Field Schedule
Sycamores unveil 2026 track and field schedule
Texas volleyball vs Kentucky game score: Live SEC tournament updates
Bowl Projections: ESPN predicts 12-team College Football Playoff bracket, full bowl slate after Week 14
Redemption Means First Pro Stock World Championship for Dallas Glenn
Pohlman admits ‘there might be some spats’ as he pushes to get Kyle Busch winning again
Indiana’s rapid ascent and its impact across college football
Troy Football Need to Know; Gameday at The Vet — Georgia State Game
How this startup (and a KC sports icon) turned young players into card-carrying legends overnight
Why a rising mid-major power with an NCAA Tournament team opted out of revenue-sharing — and advertised it
NBA Legend Michael Jordan to Join NBC Sports as Special Contributor
Falcons mailbag
Portal Update – Basketball and Gymnastics Take Hits
has always dreamed in Mercurial. Now his initials are on the boots.
The new Kyl…
-
Rec Sports2 weeks agoFirst Tee Winter Registration is open
-
Rec Sports1 week agoFargo girl, 13, dies after collapsing during school basketball game – Grand Forks Herald
-
Sports2 weeks agoVolleyball Recaps – November 18
-
Motorsports1 week agoCPG Brands Like Allegra Are Betting on F1 for the First Time
-
Motorsports2 weeks agoF1 Las Vegas: Verstappen win, Norris and Piastri DQ tighten 2025 title fight
-
Sports1 week agoTwo Pro Volleyball Leagues Serve Up Plans for Minnesota Teams
-
Sports1 week agoUtah State Announces 2025-26 Indoor Track & Field Schedule
-
Sports1 week agoTexas volleyball vs Kentucky game score: Live SEC tournament updates
-
Sports1 week agoSycamores unveil 2026 track and field schedule
-
NIL4 days agoBowl Projections: ESPN predicts 12-team College Football Playoff bracket, full bowl slate after Week 14