Search South Aurora August 2021

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AURORA NO. 163

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AUGUST 2021

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No one remembers you for standing in the crowd.

But they do remember you for standing out from it.

71% of readers confirm purchasing products or services seen in Search South Aurora

Join our community and let Search South Aurora connect you with our 50,000 monthly readers. bret@tuellers.com • 303-805-9455

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R3 Electronics, formally known as Experimax The best electronics store in the area has changed its name, but the best parts are all still there. Family owned and operated, R3 Electronics remains your one-stop source for all things electronic. The Rippy family has kept the great staff, headed by store manager Cameron Schrader.

And they continue to offer the widest range of electronic service in the area: • Service of all makes and models (Apple, Samsung, Lenovo, HP, Dell) • Retro Gaming (Nintendo, Sony, X-Box, Atari, Sega) • Data Recovery of all devices • Recycle Services • Screen Repair and Tune-ups • Program for seniors and school kids who can’t afford devices or repairs • Concierge Service • Buy, Sell, or Trade • Micro soldering

Monday-Friday 9:00 am - 6:00 pm Saturday 10:00 am - 5:00 pm Closed Sunday

www.justrrr.com cschrader@justrrr.com erippy@justrrr.com 17914 Cottonwood Drive, Parker

720-524-8878 AUGUST 2021 3

CONTENT ISSUE NO. 163 | AUGUST 2021

FEATURE BUILDING A DYNASTY

10

The power couple that has won more state championships than most schools.

Meet the Ottmanns.

8 BACK TO SCHOOL A look inside the numbers of Douglas County School District, as we return to "normal" school this month.

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On The Cover - PHOTO COURTESY OF DEB TIERNAN PHOTOGRAPHY

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Search South Aurora ©2021 is published

by Tueller Publishing, LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction in any form without prior written permission is strictly prohibited. Search South Aurora is mailed monthly to households and businesses in the greater South Aurora area free of charge. Mail inquiries to Search South Aurora 13009 S. Parker Road #120, Parker, CO 80134, or call 303-805-9455.

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71% of readers confirm purchasing products or services seen in Search South Aurora Join our community and let Search connect you with our 40,000 monthly readers. bret@tuellers.com | 303-805-9455 AUGUST 2021 5

E D I TO R ' S TA K E COVID has been rough on everybody. So many changes to the way we live our lives, it's been quite the disruption. I find myself wondering how many of the changes are here to stay even long after the pandemic is over.

If your children will be participating in e-learning this Fall or simply need a device to get homework done and funds are tight, please stop on by and let our team work one-on-one with you to get you something that can be used.

Although there have been instances of our lives being turned upside down, there has been good to come from this past 18 months. One of those great transformations has been the way we treat each other. I love to see stories of the selfless and amazing people in our community who rally around those in need and come to their aid. One such example is Eileen, Cam, and the staff at R3 Electronics.

This program thrives off of donations with our Master Techs sprucing up these machines to accomplish the goals of education. We gladly accept any machines you may not be using. It does not need to be working; we review all machines we take in.

If possible, we repair the unit, wipe/replace the hard drive and reinstall with Windows 10. Your old unit may assist someone else in need. We welcome donations of these devices so we can continue this amazing program to support our local families! All units that are not useable are recycled responsibly by an R3 Certified recycler.

While taking care of our community is nothing new for this team (they have been doing it for years), we asked Cam to shine some light on one of their great programs that is helping hundreds right now.

"For the last three years our friendly staff has been quietly donating laptops and computers to students and senior citizens in need. If you, or someone you know, needs help with a repair or a computer who could benefit from this service, please send them on over. While supplies are sometimes limited, we will always do our best to accommodate those in need.

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Donations are always welcome. If you have a device to donate to those in need, please stop on by and drop them off at any time. Together we will get through these times, and this is our way to offer a little love and support to those who need it most.

We look forward to seeing you!

We are all in this together - the R3 Electronics Team."

AUGUST 2021 7

BY T HE NUMBE R S 91.2%

89 Schools

Graduation Rate 48 Elementary 9 Middle 9 High Schools 5 Alternative 18 Charter

3rd Largest School District in Colorado 56th Largest in the U.S. District spans 850+ square miles

8,300 Employees Largest Employer in Douglas County

$783,000,000+ 2020-2021 Budgeted Revenue

START DATE

$116,000,000+

Aug 9, 2021

Class of 2021 Earned Scholarships

Founded in 1958

Today 2021

1,137 Students 12 Schools

63,000 Students 89 Schools

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For more information visit dcsdk12.org

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BUILDING A DYNASTY

dy•nas•ty /'dīnǝstē/ A team that dominates their sport or field for multiple seasons or years.

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Just over three decades ago, a young man walked into Ponderosa High School to take over the struggling wrestling program. Coming from a successful program in El Paso, Texas, Tim Ottmann was eager to apply his coaching philosophy and build a contender at his new school. It would be one of the best decisions of his life.

As Tim started to make strides with the wresting program, he caught the eye of the administration, who suggested he get his masters degree and apply for the position of Athletic Director. He did both and became the Athletic Director in 1993. Still coaching wrestling as well, Tim's teams were improving as his methods were beginning to take root.

Things were going well.

Meanwhile ...

A new teacher at a local dance studio, Starstruck Academy of Dance, was approached by a few of her students - Kellie McKey, Holly Graham, and Crystal Paul. They wanted their energetic teacher to start a dance team for them at their high school which, to that point, didn't have one. Their teacher, Angela, loved the idea. She got together a business proposal and presented it to Athletic Director, Tim Ottmann. Tim was impressed with her background and professionalism.

Angela won Tim over and was hired in 1994. Tim calls it the "best hire he ever made."

As the new dance team (called Poms) sarted to take shape, Tim continued to see success in his wrestling program. They took second place in state in 1995 and 1996, establishing themselves as a program on the rise.

Just five years after taking the reins of the struggling program, Ponderosa wrestling was now talked about in wrestling circles.

The next year, 1997, would prove to be a great year.

With Tim's team vying for a state title, Angela had also seen success quickly with what she calls her "Bad News Bears" dance team. From not even having a dance program three years earlier, Angela had now taken her team to the cusp of a state title. Ponderosa Poms celebrated a second place finish in state that year, while the wrestling team took home their first state championship.

The two teams on meteoric rises began to get close, as did their coaches. Tim and Angela had begun dating and in 1997, the two coaches were married.

It was a very good year.

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Over the next 20 years, the Ottmann duo would bring home an amazing 19 state titles - Angela winning 11 with her Poms teams and Tim winning 8 for the wrestling program, including an unimaginable feat of winning 8 years in a row (6 while Tim was head coach).

The two coaches built legacies that continue today with powerhouse programs still contending every year for state titles.

In their respective sports, they defined a dynasty.

That type of success is not typical for a school to accomplish in even a single sport, much less two. And even more rare is to have that kind of success all within one household.

Let's put it into perspective.

There are 641 high schools in Colorado, made up of 551 public schools and 90 private schools. Of those 641 schools, 74 have won 19 or more state titles in ALL sports. Meaning, there are 567 schools that have won fewer state championships than Tim and Angela Ottmann.

Let that soak in.

You run out of adjectivies to describe what the Ottmanns have accompished. It's hard to oversell the success they have engendered, and yet it's so easy to miss how great their legacies have truly been. For all of their triumph, Tim and Angela remain steadfast in their insistance it was not easy. It took unbelievable sacrifice, heartache, and continued growth along the way. Continuing to have success year after year was a monumental task that required determined effort and created unbearable pressure.

Tim and Angela believe that pressure is a privilige.

So what was the secret to their success? How did they become those leaders that allowed others great triumphs? If it were that easy to understand, everyone could do it! But we did garner a few keys in talking with Tim and Angela about how their dynasty was built.

Tim often says that success leaves clues. Throughout their coaching stints they would frequently study other successful coaches and programs (including each others') to pick out the elements that made that success possible. Early in his wrestling career, Tim's team was soundly defeated by a superior team. Within the hour after losing that match, Tim was on the phone to the opposing coach asking for advice and counsel.

Both Tim and Angela have taken their teams around the country in search of the best competition, always eager to find those clues from successful teams.

Angela comes from a marketing background. She 12 SEARCHSOUTHAURORA

worked for Apple before following her dream of dance and used that experience to create a "buzz" around the Poms program. She established her program as more than just a team, but a village. Involving parents, sponsors, and the community made everyone involved feel as though they had a part in the success of the program. It was their team.

They seek out input and advice from each other and often implemented ideas from the other's program. They look outside of their own sports to find the ways other coaches are being successful, using their philosophies and ideas to create their own. Angela says she often reads books from great basketball coaches, she relates to their strategies and mindsets.

Both Tim and Angela are very detailed oriented. They belive in hard work and preach being the hardest working teams in the state. They are humble and give credit to assistant coaches, parents, and of course their athletes, many of whom still stay in contact. The former athletes credit their coaches with teaching them life lessons, inspiring them to greatness, and being lifelong friends.

In the end, both believe that coaching is coaching.

Although wrestling and dance seem to be at oposite ends of the scope of sport, both Tim and Angela insist it is not that different to coach either. They have shared ideas, warned about pitfalls, and relied on each other throughout each others' tenure.

Both are now retired from coaching. Tim continues to serve as principle at Ponderosa High School, and Angela can be found frequently walking the halls helping the Poms team with their routines. They are ingrained in the Mustang community.

One day, they will no longer be involved in the day to day aspects of the school. But their legacy will forever be part of the fiber of each success in the school.

Dynasty, defined.

AUGUST 2021 13

The Ottmann Family Tim and Angela Casey, Jake & Anna, Karli

STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS 1997 - Wrestling 1998 - Wrestling 1999 - Poms 2001 - Poms 2003 - Wrestling 2004 - Wrestling 2005 - Wrestling & Poms 2006 - Wrestling & Poms 2007 - Wrestling 2008 - Wrestling & Poms 2009 - Poms 2014 - Poms 2015 - Poms 2016 - Poms 2017 - Poms

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Tim being inducted into the CHSCA Hall of Fame 2016.

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