NORTON

grateful we are for all that they do? e answer of course to each one of these questions is, before someone else does.

A spouse who feels unloved will eventually turn to someone else for love. A customer who isn’t feeling the love from a company will bring their business elsewhere. A child who isn’t receiving love, recognition or time from us will be left to their own to decide where they can feel like they are wanted or where they belong. Even our closest friends will start to drift away if they feel ignored or feel like it is a one-sided friendship. And we know how hard it is to nd great people to join our team, and how hard it is to retain top talent, we know that people usually don’t leave the company, they leave their leader or manager. Money isn’t the reason they leave either, it’s usually because they feel under appreci-

About Letters To The Editor

Colorado Community Media welcomes letters to the editor. Please note the following rules: partner’s injuries, Farmer dragged Snook to safety and transported him to the hospital. ated.

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With the suspect still loose, assisting o cers helped bring Snook into a patrol car and Farmer drove him to Swedish Medical Center.

According to police accounts of the shooting, hospital sta later said Snook would have likely died, had Farmer not made the decision to get him medical attention so quickly.

O cers later arrested the suspect, Rigoberto Valles-Dominguez, whose trial is set to begin in July, according to the department.

“Because of Corporal Farmer’s actions, O cer Snook is still here with us today,” Enley said at the city council meeting.

I have asked the same question to many groups over the years when I was conducting sales training or leadership training, so I have heard many of the responses that may have been running through your mind as you considered your response, every day, three times a day, all the time, every time you part company and every time you see each other again, morning noon and night, and many others. And these are all great answers, and when we can internalize the thought around, “Before someone else does,” we will more than likely increase our frequency for showing love and appreciation for those that matter most to us.

Are you making sure that the people around you are feeling loved and appreciated? Or was this a good reminder that even if we think we are saying it enough, we might be able to show it and say it a little bit more often? I would love to hear your story at gotonorton@gmail.com and when we can let others know how much we love them before anyone

Stephens said the department submitted Farmer’s nomination for the Medal of Valor to the Department of Justice about a year ago. He said he was incredibly proud last week when they found out Farmer had been selected.

“We couldn’t be more proud, you know, of Je and of David Snook in the tragic incident that they went through and the courage and the bravery that they both demonstrated,” he said. “Especially Je , being able to go in there and make … the sacri ce he made to pull David out of that line of re and ultimately save his life, and we’re tremendously proud of that action.”

Mayor Kyle Schlachter proclaimed May 14 through 20, 2023 in the City of Littleton “National Police Week,” honoring all police o cers in the city.

“Both David Snook and Je Farmer’s actions on that night really, truly demonstrate the courage and dedication that our o cers have for our community and for each other,” Stephens said. “ ey’re very indicative of the actions that police, and sheri ’s o cers take, and deputies take, nearly every day in our country. And it’s nice that we could have an o cer recognized on a national level for the courage that he demonstrated.” consultant, trainer, encourager and motivator of individuals and businesses, working with organizations and associations across multiple industries.

Farmer declined to comment on this story to avoid jeopardizing the related case because it is still pending trial.

Virginia Nelle Fleenor

October 28, 1923 - March 16, 2023

Virginia Nelle Fleenor, 99, left for Heaven on March 16, 2023, at Meadowood Nursing Home, with her daughter, Donna Bowen by her side. She was born October 28, 1923, in Grand Junction, Colorado. She was the daughter of Joel Charles and Lulu (Eddy) Blair.

Virginia graduated from Grand Junction High School, Class of 1941. She moved to Denver, Colorado, and married James Francis Light in 1944, and had three children, Donna (Light) Bowen, Stephen Lowell Light, and James McAvoy (Mac) Light.

Cotten (deceased) and family, Deb Cotten and family, Doug Cotten and family, Dusty Cotten and family. Paul’s children, Joan Faccinello, Pat Deneke (deceased), Jim Fleenor, and Paulette Turner; many nieces, nephews, great grandchildren, and great great grandchildren which one would imagine having lived for 99 years.

Virginia was an amazing woman who dedicated her life to her family and to helping others. She single-handedly raised three children without depending on others.

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After divorce, Virginia and children moved to Littleton, Colorado, where she worked at Wolhurst Country Club as a waitress and later as a bartender. She then moved to Castle Rock and then to Littleton, Colorado, where she worked as a pharmacist assistant until retirement.

In 1975, Virginia married Paul Fleenor. ey were married until his death in 1990. In addition to her parents, she was predeceased by her brothers, Charles, and Joel Jr. Surviving in addition to her children, Donna Bowen, Stephen Light and wife Nancy, Mac Light and wife Margaret, grandchildren; Monte Light and wife, Drew ose who want to remember Virginia in a special way may make gifts in her memory to the Valley View Christian Church.

She was passionate and generous and very active in her church, Valley View Christian Church. She loved music and played by ear. She could play almost any song that was requested. She also sang and danced and played kazoo with the ladies’ band that she formed called the MusiGals.

A Celebration of Life will be held 1:30 p.m. Saturday, June 24th at Valley View Christian Church, 11004 Wild eld Ln. Littleton, Colorado 80125.

THOLKES Arnold John Tholkes Jr.

Arnold John olkes Jr, 81, fondly known as AJ passed ursday April 6, 2023 in Littleton Colorado.

Celebration of Life Service: 11:30 a.m. Friday May 26, 2023. ree Trees Chapel, Littleton

BY RYLEE DUNN RDUNN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Spring is in full swing, bringing many folks around Colorado out of the doldrums of winter with the promise of outdoor recreation.

For folks who aren’t fans of “traditional sports” — think baseball, basketball, football, soccer — there are plenty of unique, exciting alternatives throughout the Centennial State. From roller skating to parkour, there is no shortage of variety in Colorado’s recreation options.

Roller skating, roller hockey and roller derby

Roller sports are alive and well in Colorado. Folks have quite a few options for activities revolving around wheeled feet; from roller skating to roller hockey to roller derby, there is no shortage of options.

Roller skating lovers have a plethora of skate parks in the metro area and can get all of their gear — and some lessons — from the newlyopened Denver Skates Shop in Arvada. e store provides ttings and skating lessons for folks ranging from novices to experienced park skaters.

Brina Wyss, a sales associate and coach at Denver Skates Shop, said that roller sports experienced a surge in popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic that’s since died down, but has nonetheless roughly doubled the community’s size.

“I think there was a big surge in interest in wheels and skating during the pandemic, but it was a trend” Wyss said. “I people had a lot of spare time and were looking for something active to do. e community has de nitely grown at least twice as much during the pandemic.”

Wyss participates in roller derby, which is played at the professional and recreational level in Colorado. Wyss said the competitive nature and team atmosphere of roller derby came to be a replacement for volleyball, which she played competitively growing up.

“A lot of people do (skating) for joy and exercise,” Wyss said. “I do it as a way to escape, and it’s also a great way of community meeting.”

Denver Roller Derby operates a large number of recreational and traveling teams and has opportunities for new players.

Folks looking for a non-contact alternative to ice hockey might nd roller hockey appealing — Skate City operates rinks in Arvada, Westminster and Littleton that o er roller skating and hockey, while Rocky Mountain Roller Hockey operates youth and adult leagues out of the Foothills Fieldhouse in Lakewood, and the Parker Fieldhouse also hosts youth and adult roller hockey.

Ultimate frisbee/disc golf

Frisbee sports have come into favor in Colorado recently — a semiprofessional ultimate frisbee team kicked o their inaugural season in Golden this month — with two main ways to play.

Ultimate frisbee resembles American football in that teams must complete passes in an end zone to score points. As the name suggests, disc golf resembles “traditional” golf, but is played with a disk instead of a ball. e Denver Summer Ultimate League is the oldest ultimate frisbee competition in the state, and just nished registration for its 2023 season.

Disc golf fans may nd more frequent playing options. In Arvada, the Johnny Roberts Disc Golf

Course and Birds Nest Disc Golf Course both operate at city parks.

Colorado Christian University operates a disc golf course in Lakewood, and Foothills Parks and Recreation operates the Fehringer Ranch Disc Golf Course in Morrison. For those looking for a more secluded experience, the Wondervu Disc Golf Course in Golden is considered to be one of the most scenic — and challenging — courses around.

Parkour

According to gym owner Lorin Ball, the de nition of parkour is simple: “Using environment to get from point A to point B in the most e cient way possible.”

Ball is the owner of Flow Vault, a parkour and ninja warrior — yes, American Ninja Warrior — training gym in ornton. Flow Vault opened in 2008 and o ers classes to people ages 5 and up. His gym has even graduated some ninja warriors to the popular NBC show.

“It’s a full curriculum, similar to that of gymnastics, where you have di erent levels of progressions,” Ball said. “We’re training people to be more intentional with their movement and apply that to other sports or physical activities that they do.”

Other parkour gyms in the area include APEX Denver, Path Movement in Littleton and Ninja Intensity in Parker.

Aerial Adventures

Finally, Colorado has no shortage of arial adventure options. Ropes courses and adventure parks are plentiful in the Centennial State and are often and family-friendly way to recreate uniquely.

e Colorado Adventure Center is based in Idaho Springs, e EDGE Ziplines and Adventures is in Castle Rock, and the Treehouse Adventure Park is based in Bailey.