{"id":70759,"date":"2017-04-21T19:15:08","date_gmt":"2017-04-22T01:15:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/broncos-tour-turns-cortez-park-orange-and-blue\/"},"modified":"2017-04-22T01:15:08","modified_gmt":"2017-04-22T01:15:08","slug":"broncos-tour-turns-cortez-park-orange-and-blue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/broncos-tour-turns-cortez-park-orange-and-blue\/","title":{"rendered":"Broncos tour turns Cortez park orange and blue"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video wp-block-embed-youtube naviga-video-embed\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/sAYR6jJis9I\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Linebacker Corey Nelson and safety Will Parks signed autographs and took photos with fans. Cheerleaders Sydney and Jozie joined the players along with mascot Miles. Cortez was the first stop on the Broncos\u2019 11-town Salute to Fans tour, which lasts through June 3.<\/p>\n<p>The main event at the park followed a training camp at Panther Stadium for more than 100 Montezuma and Dolores youths and their families, organized by Onward! A Legacy Foundation and sponsored by El Pomar Foundation. It was closed to the public, but many relatives and friends came to cheer on their children as they practiced throwing, passing, tackling and other skills with the pros.<\/p>\n<p>Cortez Mayor Pro Tem Ty Keel introduced the players at the park\u2019s amphitheater.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCortez is a great place to live, work and visit,\u201d Keel said. \u201cWe\u2019re really excited that everyone\u2019s down here for this celebration.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Nelson and Parks presented Keel with a flag that said, \u201cCortez is Broncos Country\u201d and thanked the crowd for attending.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOn behalf of the Broncos organization, we want to say thank you guys for coming out, and thanks for being Denver Broncos fans,\u201d he said. \u201cWe love you guys, please continue to support us. Thank you, and go Broncos!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Theo Gregory, of El Pomar Foundation, which helped to sponsor the event, thanked Broncos staff and Cortez residents like Nicci Crowley and Brooks for helping to organize the day\u2019s events. He also named Mitchell Toms the town\u2019s Community Champion, an award that El Pomar planned to hand out at every stop on the Broncos tour.<\/p>\n<p>Many people arrived hours early to get at the front of the line. Children played football in the park while they waited, and adults tried to get photos with the Broncos RV.<\/p>\n<p>Cortez events coordinator Jonathon Brooks estimated that 1,500 to 2,000 people attended. Because the players were on a strict schedule, Brooks said, time ran out for about 300 people waiting in line for autographs at 6 p.m., the event\u2019s planned end time.<\/p>\n<p>Kelly Brinkhoff, who lives in the Cortez area, said he used to live in Denver and missed going to Broncos games.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI haven\u2019t gone in a couple years, but when I lived up there, I used to go to about one a year,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>His son, Chase, dressed in a Demaryius Thomas jersey, but he said his girlfriend had stayed home.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe\u2019s a Cowboys fan,\u201d Brinkhoff said.<\/p>\n<p>Fans drove from Durango and Farmington or farther. Lavena Tom and Sophie Coberly said they drove from Farmington in the morning to claim their spot at the front of the line at 12:30 p.m., four hours before the scheduled start.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe go to these things every year that they have them,\u201d Coberly said. \u201cWe\u2019re dedicated fans.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Cortez police officers performed crowd control, but officer Boyd Neagle said it was a fun assignment.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019d like to see more events like this,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Journal reporters found time with the players and cheerleaders during an impromptu question and answer session in the Broncos RV before the park event started. Players and cheerleaders talked about the \u201chard work and sacrifice\u201d of performing at the professional level, the benefits of education and the excitement of winning Super Bowl 50 in 2016.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was not easy. We work hard on and off the field,\u201d Nelson, a fourth-year linebacker, said. \u201cIt takes proper dieting, and staying as healthy as possible, because we know when we go out on the field it is going to be full-throttle, and we have to give everything we have.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Cheerleaders Sydney and Jozie echoed the importance of a work ethic.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is physically demanding. We are out there dancing for 4 to 5 hours during the game and are constantly moving,\u201d Sydney said. \u201cIt takes a lot of practice and a lot of stamina and working together to help each other.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Nelson and second-year safety Parks emphasized the importance of education for young people.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt opened up so many doors for me,\u201d said Nelson, who has a bachelor\u2019s in communications from the University of Oklahoma. \u201cI had good grades, so I was able to pick what college I wanted to go to. \u2026 When you take your education serious, the connections you make are phenomenal. Knowledge is power.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Parks, who played football at the University of Arizona, is pursuing a degree in behavioral sciences. He urged students to stay with education even when it becomes difficult.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYour education is a big part of who you will become,\u201d he said. \u201cIf you don\u2019t like math, stay with it because one day you might want to be a scientist, and you will need to know math.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The players\u2019 and cheerleaders\u2019 eyes lit up when they talked about Super Bowl 50, in which the Denver Broncos beat the Carolina Panthers 24-10.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was beautiful, a top moment,\u201d said Nelson, who had multiple tackles in the defense-dominated victory. \u201cThe media day, meeting Snoop Dogg and other celebrities was a big moment, and of course the after-party!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jozie, who performed cheers at the Super Bowl, recalled fond memories of the fans.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe caravan before the game, we rode around with fans, and everywhere we saw orange we all cheered. Even at orange construction cones, we\u2019d all scream \u2018Go Broncos!\u2019\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>The players and cheerleaders were impressed with the people and the food they encountered during their first visit to Cortez.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve been screaming praises about this Denny\u2019s,\u201d said Parks. \u201cIt\u2019s the best one I\u2019ve ever been to, I ate my whole plate!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Main Street Brewery also got good reviews.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGreat Italian sodas and burgers,\u201d the cheerleaders said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEveryone treated us real well, and you can tell everyone knows each other, and it\u2019s like one big happy family,\u201d Parks said. \u201cThe food was great, the people here are great.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Salute to Fans tour also includes Del Norte, Trinidad, Fort Morgan, Woodland Park, Aurora, Gunnison, Canon City, Steamboat Springs, Aspen and Fort Collins.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s the fifth straight year the Broncos have toured the state in the offseason. Last year\u2019s tour made five stops, including Durango and Montrose.<\/p>\n<p><em class=\"mwc_shirttail\">Journal reporters Jacob Klopfenstein and Ian MacLaren contributed to this story.<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"naviga-scoreboard\">\n<h4 class=\"scoreboard-title\">Salute to Fans<\/h4>\n<p>This is fifth straight year the Broncos have toured the state in the offseason. Last year\u2019s tour made five stops, including Durango and Montrose.<br>\n                The schedule<br>\n                April 21: Cortez<br>\n                April 22: Del Norte<br>\n                April 23: Trinidad<br>\n                May 5: Fort Morgan<br>\n                May 6: Woodland Park<br>\n                May 7: Aurora<br>\n                May 12: Gunnison<br>\n                May 13: Canon City<br>\n                May 19: Steamboat Springs<br>\n                May 20: Aspen<br>\n                June 3: Fort Collins<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Linebacker Corey Nelson and safety Will Parks signed autographs and took photos with fans. Cheerleaders Sydney and Jozie joined the players along with mascot Miles. Cortez was the first stop on the Broncos\u2019 11-town Salute to Fans tour, which lasts through June 3. The main event at the park followed a training camp at Panther [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":70760,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[21,1545,13,60,445,316],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-70759","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-cortez","tag-denver-broncos","tag-frontpage-lead","tag-montezuma-county","tag-newsletter-lead","tag-video"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70759","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=70759"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70759\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/70760"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=70759"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=70759"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=70759"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=70759"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}