Pueblo has been a haven for Colorado high school sports championships over the years.
Start with the baseball title games played in many classifications at the Runyon Sports Complex.
Participate in the Grade 2A and 1A boys and girls basketball championships, a staple at Massari Arena on Colorado State University’s Pueblo campus and at the Southwest Motors Events Center for years.
Then there are the state tennis championships that have been held on the City Park Courts for decades.
And last December, all seven classifications showed their wares in national soccer titles at the Neta & Eddie DeRose ThunderBowl on the CSU Pueblo campus. This is done by several classifications this spring and next fall.
Now, in March, state wrestling is coming to Steel City for the first time. And it’s well deserved for pueblo.
If I’ve learned one thing in my more than three decades in this city: locals love their sport. Pueblo has a reputation as a baseball town, but it’s much more than that.
High school events, even in the regular season, have always found great support here. Whether it’s soccer, basketball, baseball, soccer, or tennis, Pueblo sports fans come out to watch.
Wrestling is at the top. And I am fully confident that Pueblo will once again prove to be a friendly host with the state tournament in the backyard.
To say we were blessed in Pueblo is an understatement. Not only does the Colorado High School Activities Association trust Pueblo, but participants say they leave the title events with a warm, positive feeling.
Pueblo is like going to your grandmother’s house. The door is always open and the hospitality is second to none. It’s like walking through the door and getting cookies and milk.
Nobody goes unnoticed. We’re rolling out the red carpet.
This is how pueblo rolls.
Organizing major events, from the professionals to the preparations, is a matter of course for the city.
We had the Babe Ruth World Series here. The Denver Nuggets played a preseason game here. Members of the Denver Broncos were playing in a fundraising basketball game. The Colorado Springs Sky Sox even performed in Pueblo, and the women’s Olympic volleyball team played here.
Damn it, even Babe Ruth was here. Sports stars have performed in Pueblo – from Tommy Lasorda to Brooks Robinson to Tom Seaver to Troy Tulowitzki.
And each time they were treated with the utmost hospitality.
Next month’s state wrestling tournament won’t be any different, and you know Pueblo can’t wait.
Jeff Letofsky, interim sports editor for the chief, can be reached by email at [email protected] or on Twitter @jeffletofsky
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