Merry Mascot

Last year Marina and I had a Christmas photo taken at the Broncos Training Facility with the Lombardi trophies. This year they offered the same opportunity or a photo with Miles the mascot and cheerleaders. Since the Broncos have not won another trophy since then, we chose Miles and the cheerleaders.

I asked Marina if she wanted to dress up for Christmas or in Broncos gear. She immediately responded, “Broncos!” So we put together an outfit of an orange Broncos shirt, a blue skirt and white leggings. I found a blue and white Santa hat to finish the outfit.

I picked Marina up after school and we drove to training facility We arrived right on time. After changing out clothes, we went to the practice field for the photo. Miles wasn’t there yet, so we waited in a short line. In front of us was a super fan who showed us photos of herself with many Bronco players.

While we waited, two Broncos cheerleaders socialized with everyone. They even gave Marina a signed picture. After a little while, Miles made his entrance wearing a Santa suit. He high fived and hugged the kids in line. Then he and the cheerleaders got in position for the photo.

We had a short wait before our photo. Marina sat in front of a sleigh where the cheerleaders were seated. I stood next to Miles. After our photos were taken, we headed out.

One Hundred Years of Hockey

The NHL is celebrating its centennial and as part of the festivities a traveling exhibit arrived at the Pepsi Center this weekend. It sounded interesting, so I picked up Marina after school and we decided to check it out.

We arrived at the Pepsi Center and walked over to the tented area where everything was set up. Right away we met some of the Avalanche Ice Dancers. Marina happily posed for photos with them and got their autographs.

I really wanted to see the Stanley Cup, which was on display. The line was pretty short, so we didn’t have long to wait. Marina looked at the engraving from the Avalanche 2001 win before we had our pictures taken with it.

We went through the small museum they had in a trailer next. We got to see the evolution of hockey equipment like jerseys, sticks and ice skates. There was also an interactive screen which allowed us to look closely at the Stanley Cup. Marina also posed for a photo in front of a mock Avalanche locker. They actually were able to put her name above her! Finally, she signed a large plaque which will be given to the team after the exhibition is over.

I knew Marina would want to try the virtual reality Zamboni game, so we went there and waited in line. As it turned out, the man in front of us was the Avalanche TV announcer Mike Haynes. He was very nice and we talked to him and his son while we waited. As expected, Marina enjoyed the game!

Marina also played a game using a hockey stick to hit balls into a goal. Next we checked out the radio station booths which were set up there. Marina got some goodies, including a foam hockey puck and a soda cozy. She won a Taylor Swift calendar and even got to meet one of the DJs she listens to. She also got her hair sprayed red with lots of glitter.

We didn’t want to wait in the huge line to meet the players that were there and Marina didn’t want to try the ice skating, so we decided to go home. The trip home took a while but we both agreed it was a fun time.

Super Christmas Picture

This afternoon we had an appointment at the Broncos Training Facility to have our picture taken with the Broncos three Lombardi trophies. Marina and I couldn’t agree on what we should wear. She wanted to wear Broncos gear and I wanted us to dress up for the holidays. We finally compromised and wore sweaters and dark pants.

We hadn’t ever been to the practice facility before. We checked in quickly and went down several levels to the field. It was huge. We got in a very short line for our pictures. When it was our turn, Miles the mascot had just walked in. The photographer called him over and her joined us in our photo. Since there was no one behind us, we got a chance to take a good look at the trophies. We also heard from a staff member that a teen club is in the works. We were both excited about that!

On the way out we took a few more photos with Miles and Marina talked to two cheerleaders who were there. They had their Super Bowl rings on, so we took a good look at those as well. Marina also got a cookie as we left. It was a fun adventure.

Broncos Summer Kickoff

Today was the Broncos Bunch Summer Kickoff. Since this will be Marina’s last year in the club, we were both looking forward to going. We arrived a few hours after the event started and that turned out to be a good thing. It didn’t seem very crowded. We learned that the beginning had been swamped.
We saw that Lombardi trophies were on display.

Marina was anxious to go outside where she ran drills with a couple of players. Then she played on the inflatable activities. Fortunately there were no lines for the activities, so we got through them quickly.

After she tried out everything outside, we went inside. She met a couple of cheerleaders and played some games. We waited in a short line to meet Miles. We’ve never gone through the autograph line for the players because it’s always so long. But since it was very short, we went ahead. Marina seemed to enjoy chatting with them.

It hadn’t taken long for us to try out nearly everything. Since it was a hit day, we decided to leave. It was a lot of fun.

Kicking off Summer

Today was the Broncos Bunch annual Summer Kick Off. Marina always looks forward to this event. She wore her Bronco jersey and a hat from Super Bowl XXI.

When we arrived we headed immediately for the field activities. She started by running a football drill with Bronco player Charles Mitchell. She fell down during that one and wasn't happy about it. So we moved on to the inflatables which she always likes. The lines weren't long there, so she played for a while.The large slide was wet to make it more slippery, but Marina didn't like that it soaked her shorts.

When she was tired, we moved inside where we saw the Broncos and the visitors locker rooms. We also took a look at the two Lombardi trophies on display. After that we headed back outside. Marina ran more drills, including one with offensive lineman Ryan Miller.

We went back inside and met cheerleaders, alumni players and Miles, the mascot. We also took some pictures in the media room. We went back outside where she ran a drill with Bronco Stephen Johnson, who seemed to have as much fun posing for pictures as he did running the drills.

Marina spent the rest of the time playing on the inflatables. The slide was no longer wet, so the kids slid very slowly down it. That was funny to watch.

After the event was over, we drove around the stadium to a spot I had read about. After they tore down the old stadium, they marked in the new parking lot where home plate was. We found the spot and took a little batting practice before going to our home.

Sports Saturday

This morning, the Broncos Bunch had their annual Summer Kickoff. We'd had such a great time last year that both Marina and I were looking forward to going again. We got a Bronco jersey that fit her American Girl dolls, so McKenna went with us today.

We arrived early, so there was a line outside the stadium to get in. Once the event started, most of the people went to the inside, so we decided to check out the outside activities. The inflatables from last year were all there. Marina literally ran from one to the next. She was excited to meet two cheerleaders who were there. She ran a few of the football drills, but she was much more interested in the inflatable equipment.

I finally talked her into going inside. We looked at the Lombardi trophies again. She met two more cheerleaders and two retired Bronco players. She really wanted to go into the face painting line which was really long and very slow. But she was insistent, so we spent the rest of our time there waiting in line for that. She got a blue and white mermaid on her arm.

We had a quick lunch and then headed for our next stop, the Rockies and Dodgers game. McKenna exchanged her Bronco jersey for Rockies pinstripes. Today was Photo Day. We weren't sure what that meant. It turned out that fans were allowed to line the warning track around the field and the players walked around and let the fans take pictures with them. It was crowded, but were were able to get a few.

First off, we met Walt Weiss, the Rockies' manager. Marina chatted with him about McKenna for a bit before we got a picture. We also photographed third baseman Nolan Arenado and pitcher Wilton Lopez. We were nearby the Rockies star, Carlos Gonzales. There was quite a crush of people, but we managed to get a picture just before Photo Day ended.

Marina hadn't enjoyed Photo Day much, so I bribed her with cotton candy. She was happy with that arrangement. We had a while to wait for the game to start, but Marina did pretty well during that time.

Once the game started, Marina paid more attention to the multimedia presentations and the crowd than the actual game. Part way through, we left our seats to have her picture taken with Dinger, the mascot. We also picked up a snack on our way back to our seats.

By the seventh inning, Marina was tired. The game was tied and I convinced her to stay. She wasn't happy when it went into extra innings although she did create her own rally cap. I had decided if it went past the tenth inning we'd leave. However, the Rockies pulled out a win with two outs at the bottom of the tenth inning. She was cheering loudly and high fiving people near us.

After the exciting finish, we were ready to head home. We covered enough sports for one day!