Winners Utah November 2018

WINNERSUTA H.COM | NOV EMBER / DECEMBER 2018 | VOL. 2 N0. 5

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WINNERS THE LOCAL SCOREBOARD

The Icemen Cometh

Utahns Trevor Lewis & Daniel Brickley on playing for the NHL p. 25

TWIST AND

SHOUT

Coaches’ strategies for conditioning Utah college gymnasts p. 8

November I December 2018 WINNERS UTAH |

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contents

8

Chalk Talk

Twist and shout: Coaches’ conditioning strategies ready gymnasts for success JOHN COON

12

Game Time

Hoop it up: A 2018-19 Beehive basketball preview MIKEY SALTAS AND JOHN COON

15

X-Factor

Making the case for Utah’s 2008 national championship JOSEPH SILVERZWEIG

20

Tailgating

Show your colors: Utah vs BYU tailgate showdown ELENI SALTAS

25

The Icemen Cometh

Utahns Trevor Lewis & Daniel Brickley shoot for a Cup Day with the LA Kings GEOFF GRIFFIN

28

Hot Shots

30

A Measure of Quality

Standout Utah high school athletes ALEX MARKHAM

The Bounce Back: Ute Lo Falemaka knows adversity has made him stronger ANDREW FRONCE

32

Overtime

Icy hot: The Kearns Oval’s “fastest ice on earth” keeps the Olympic flame alive TOM WHARTON

35 2 | Winners WINNERS Utah UTAH • November November I December I December 2018 2018

Time Out Photo

BYU Gymnastics Hannah Miller PHOTO BY AISLYNN EDWARDS

HEIDEN ORTHOPEDICS

Gold Medal Orthopedic Care Cyclists repaired here 435-615-8822

• Team physician for BMC cycling • Tour de France rider with 7-Eleven cycling team • 5-time olympic gold medalists

ELBOW

FOOT & ANKLE

HAND & WRIST

HIP

KNEE

SHOULDER

SPINE

November I December 2018 WINNERS UTAH |

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WINNERSUTAH.COM | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018 | VOL. 2 N0.5

WINNERS

CONTRIBUTORS

THE LOCAL SCOREBOARD

STAFF Publisher Editorial Co-Editors Managing Editor Copy Editors Editorial Intern Contributors

Photographers Production Art Director Graphic Artists Business/Office Accounting Manager Office Administrators Technical Director Marketing Director of Events of Marketing Circulation Circulation Manager Sales Magazine Advertising Director Newsprint Advertising Director Digital Operations Manager Senior Account Executives Retail Account Executives

John Saltas Alex Markham, Mikey Saltas Jerre Wroble Sarah Arnoff, Ray Howze Caitlin Hawker John Coon, Andrew Fronce, Geoff Griffin, Eleni Saltas, Joseph Silverzweig, Tom Wharton Aislynn Edwards, Nate Edwards, Steve Lloyd, Jeff Moeller, Brennan Smith, Tabitha Sumsion Chelsea Neider Sofia Cifuentes, Sean Hair Paula Saltas David Adamson, Anna Kaser Bryan Mannos

A senior writer for the UteNation.com—a part of the Rivals network—ANDREW FRONCE also shares his sports knowledge and insights on the Ute Nation Podcast, found on 1280 the Zone.

Samantha Smith Eric Granato Jennifer Van Grevenhof Pete Saltas Anna Papadakis Doug Kruithof, Kathy Mueller Alex Markham, Mieka Sawatzki, Jeremiah Smith

COVER PHOTO: MAKENNA MERRELL-GILES, UNIVERSITY OF UTAH GYMNASTICS COURTESY OF UNIVERSITY OF UTAH Distribution is complimentary throughout the Wasatch Front. Additional copies are available for $4.95 at the Winners offices located at Copperfield Media, 248 S. Main, Salt Lake City, UT 84101 • 801-575-7003 • Winnersutah.com Email editor at msaltas@winnersutah.com Advertising contact: sales@winnersutah.com COPPERFIELD PUBLISHING COPYRIGHT 2018. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

4 | Winners WINNERS Utah UTAH • November November I December I December 2018 2018

A trusted journalist, JOHN COON has written for a variety of sports publications locally and nationally, including Associated Press, Sports Xchange, Deseret News, The Salt Lake Tribune and Athlon Sports. Follow him on Twitter: @johncoonsports

ELENI SALTAS’ enthusiasm for fitness led her to pursue a degree in Exercise & Sports Science from the University of Utah. A trainer at Salt Lake City’s Age Performance Gym, Saltas helps clients regain strength and flexibility. When not training, she writes about life, food and fitness at EleniSaltas.com

Journalist, outdoor enthusiast and author of Brooklyn Bat Boy, GEOFF GRIFFIN and his wife, Kathleen, host the Travel Brigade Radio Show and Podcast. Find them at TravelBrigade.com

November I December 2018 WINNERS UTAH |

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OUR FIRST YEAR

Utah Olympic Oval in Kearns 6 | WINNERS UTAH November I December 2018

BYU Cougars are once again headed for a thrilling showdown at season’s end, so Eleni Saltas created recipes for Ute fans, Cougars fans, and those with a house divided.

From there, we continue with the theme of reflection. Tom Wharton revisits one of the crown jewels of the 2002 Winter Olympics, the Utah Olympic Oval. The Olympic flame still burns in the form of a new generation of athletes that now use the oval as a training ground. Called “the world’s fastest ice,” the oval is a favored location for a variety of ice sports and is a place where world-class competitors and those who are just starting out have access to the same facilities.

As the leaves change colors and the ground begins to freeze, we also look ahead to some exciting action. We preview Division I basketball, get an inside look at the grind of women’s gymnastics, and meet two talented locals who are looking to bring the NHL’s famed Stanley Cup on a

Utah victory lap.

When Winners Utah was first launched, we acknowledged the Beehive State may not yet boast a wide variety of professional sports franchises, but our sports offerings are rich and worthy of the rollercoaster of emotions we experience at each match.

As we move forward, let’s also take time to look back, just as the Utes’ team captain, Lo Falemaka, has done along his challenging, yet promising, journey.

We hope you enjoy this latest issue from Winners Utah. While you thumb through our pages, we’ll be on the lookout for the next great story highlighting the best in local sports that’s sure to give fans cherished, lasting memories.

—Alex Markham Co-editor Alex Markham is a publisher at Rivals. com and can also be found on a 1280 The Zone podcast.

STEVE LLOYD

W

e’re now at the threshold of winter and have so much to reflect upon.

Winners Utah just hit a one-year mark, and in that time, we’ve covered some memorable stories and welcomed outstanding contributors to our staff.

Speaking of reflecting—looking back is a recurring theme in this month’s Winners Utah—by now, most are aware that the 2008 undefeated University of Utah football team was belatedly recognized as one of two 2008 National Champions.

Although the Utes will never have the outright claim (as the recognition is more of an afterthought), Joseph Silverzweig takes a look at the numbers to imagine if the Sugar Bowl Champions could have knocked off Urban Meyer and his Florida Gators, that year’s BCS Champions.

While we’re on the topic of football, we’ll be looking at three of Utah’s Division I teams in this issue. The Utah Utes and

November I December 2018 WINNERS UTAH |

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CHALK TALK

AISLYNN EDWARDS

BYU's Brittni Hawes catches some big air

8 | WINNERS UTAH November I December 2018

Twist & Shout

Coaches’ conditioning tactics ready gymnasts

BYU assistant coach Brogan Evanson strategizes with the team

TABITHA SUMSION

B

uilding a stronger body is every athlete’s goal. For gymnasts especially, it’s crucial to endure the rigors of the sport. Twisting, flipping and bending to execute a routine at near perfection can take a toll over the course of the season. It isn’t just an unexpected fall that can lead to a torn ligament or injured joint. Wear and tear can also pile up through everything from stress fractures to strains.

Injuries aren’t completely preventable in gymnastics. Still, the college gymnastics programs in Utah are applying advanced training in everything from nutrition to sports medicine to make it easier to keep their athletes feeling healthy and able to compete.

“Most of a gymnast’s injuries come through repetition,” BYU gymnastics coach Guard Young says, noting that they do see numerous stress fractures. “You do have the acute injury where they had a bad fall and got hurt.” Training lends itself to safety, he says.

Preparing a gymnast to safely twist, bend and otherwise contort their body starts with structuring conditioning and training programs to shape their bodies to handle those movements.

At the University of Utah, for example, body weight conditioning and shaping exercises are staples of preparation for the upcoming season. Gymnasts focus on rope climbing, pull-ups, short sprints and other exercises that enhance short-term endurance and strength in areas where the body feels the most stress during a routine.

Training is done as a slow burn to get a gymnast ready for the season. The Red Rocks coaching staff breaks things down into three-week segments, starting with conditioning. From there, they move on to

U of U co-head coach Megan Marsden: Conditioning is a staple

UNIVERSITY OF UTAH

BY JOHN COON

skill development and movement for each event. Finally, the gymnasts progress from half-routines to three-quarter routines and then full routines to help their bodies adapt to the workload.

Utah gymnastics co-head coach Megan Marsden says that more and more, her program has athletes work on movements that mimic gymnastic moves. The exercises take one part of a skill and then create a movement in the shape of that position, she says, which is then done over and over. “Sometimes, in a timed situation, you do as many as you can in 20 seconds—and other times, in sets and reps,” she says.

Nutrition and hydration are critical factors in reducing the risk of injury and keeping a gymnast in optimal health. Both Utah and BYU have a full-time nutritionist on their respective gymnastics staffs to educate athletes to make better choices on what they eat and drink. A typical diet includes lean meats, fruits, vegetables and complex carbohydrates. It makes a huge difference in how they feel before, during and after a practice or meet.

“It plays a huge role,” Utah senior MaKenna Merrell-Giles says. “If you’re eating the right things, it makes you feel good and makes you perform a lot better than if you are eating things that don’t fuel your body properly.”

When gymnasts do suffer injuries, the rehabilitation and recovery process is smoother now than it was a generation ago. New forms of imaging and better hands-on diagnostics November I December 2018 WINNERS UTAH |

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CHALK TALK

UNIVERSITY OF UTAH

U of U's MaKenna Merrell-Giles split leaps above the balance beam

mean an injury can get identified early and a treatment plan can be tailored to meet an athlete’s needs.

Utah and BYU both employ a full-time trainer, nutritionist, sports psychologist and strength and conditioning coach who work together to map out comprehensive rehab plans with injured gymnasts to help heal body and mind after an injury. It helps the gymnasts feel like they are in good hands.

Utah athletic trainer Katie Lorens says that the team constantly works to keep the whole body strong, even if they have to sit out because of an injury. “They’re not going to hurt something else because they’re weak from taking that time off,” she says.

Athletic training has also taken a turn toward preventive care.

Trainers are devoted to identifying problem areas before an injury 10 | WINNERS UTAH November I December 2018

occurs and working with gymnasts to correct those problems before an overuse injury occurs. They create preventative programs for individual gymnasts to address everything from muscle imbalance to improper posture.

Preventive care extends to equipment used in training and competing. BYU recently rebuilt the vault runways that gymnasts use in performing on that apparatus after noticing an increased number of individual gymnasts suffering from shin splints.

BYU assistant gymnastics coach Brogan Evanson credits his expirienced sports medicine staff for the well-being of his team.

“They’ve worked with athletes for a long time. They know what to look for. They know the warning signs and they guide the athletes through that process.”

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November I December 2018 WINNERS UTAH |

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GAME TIME

HOOP IT UP

A 2018-19 Beehive basketball preview

BY JOHN COON & MIKEY SALTAS

A 'Rosey' Outlook for BYU Cougars

BYU's Yoeli Childs dunks against Portland 12 | WINNERS UTAH November I December 2018

A year ago, the Cougars had a successful 24-11 campaign in the West Coast Conference, finishing third behind Gonzaga and St. Mary’s in the regular season standings. In the WCC Tournament, they stunned No. 20 St. Mary’s to earn a trip to the championship game, where they fell short to No. 6 Gonzaga 74-54, thus ending their NCAA March Madness hopes.

This year, there’s a lot of hype surrounding head coach Dave Rose’s program.

After contemplating an early exit to the NBA Draft, forward sensation Yoeli Childs is back for his junior year. In 2017-18, Childs averaged 17.8 points, 8.6 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per contest.

The Cougars are also welcoming a couple four-star recruits back from LDS missions. Gavin Baxter is a 6-foot-9 forward and the former 63rd overall ranked prospect in the class of 2016. Also returning is 6-foot-6 wing Connor Harding from Pocatello, Idaho. These additions, along with veterans TJ Haws and Nick Emery, make the 2018-19 BYU basketball squad a legitimate NCAA Tournament contender.

NATE EDWARDS

BY MIKEY SALTAS

T

he Zions Bank Beehive Classic is back for its second year. The double-header event takes place on Saturday, Dec. 8, at the Vivint Smart Home Arena. The annual four-team tournament features the collegiate basketball programs of Brigham Young University, University of Utah, Utah State University and Weber State University. The Cougars take on the Utes at noon followed by the Aggies against the Wildcats at 2:30 p.m. Before they square off and begin their respective seasons, find out more about the state’s top teams in our Beehive basketball preview.

Utah Utes Stay the Course

Sedrick Barefield, the Utes' highest returning scorer

UNIVERSITY OF UTAH

BY MIKEY SALTAS

After the departure of current Los Angeles Laker Kyle Kuzma, the Runnin’ Utes weren’t expected to replicate much of their success in the 2017-18 season. Yet they still finished fourth in the Pac-12 and were the runner-ups to Penn State in the NIT Tournament, falling 82-66 in Madison Square Garden.

Larry Krystkowiak, Utah’s head coach, is losing three of his top four scorers from a year ago—Justin Bibbins, David Collette and Tyler Rawson have all graduated. The highest returning scorer is Sedrick Barefield, who averaged 12 points per game. With so many departures, Krystkowiak will heavily rely on the eight new scholarship athletes donning Utah jerseys. Four-star wings Timmy Allen and Both Gach were the No. 1 and 2 rated high school prospects in Arizona. Threestar prospects Naseem Gaskin, Riley Battin, Lahat Thioune come into the program as true freshmen, while 7-footers Brandon Morley and Novak Topalovic are transfers from Salt Lake Community College and Idaho State, respectively.

Charles Jones Jr. is another transfer from the College of Southern Idaho and one of the more intriguing newcomers of the bunch. The 6-foot2 point guard was named the Junior College National Player of the Year after averaging nearly 25 points per contest. Another four-star recruit, redshirt freshman Vante Hendrix, will play in his first game as a Runnin’ Ute. November I December 2018 WINNERS UTAH |

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GAME TIME

Utah State's leading DERIK scrorer, SamSTEVENSON Merrill BYU football star from the

’90s who went on to play for Miami Dolphins

Utah State Aggies Rebuilding A new era begins in Logan. Craig Smith takes over as head coach after guiding South Dakota to a 79-55 record over four seasons. Smith led the Coyotes to a Summit League regular season title and NIT appearance two years ago. Now his task is to elevate the once-proud Aggies program that hasn’t recorded a 20-win season since joining the Mountain West Conference.

Utah State is in a rebuilding mode after an offseason exodus of players, led by Marquette transfer Koby McEwen. Sam Merrill, the team’s leading scorer a year ago, returns to lead the offense. The junior guard averaged 16.3 points and 3.1 assists and shot 46.4 percent from 3-point range last season.

The Aggies signed a pair of point guards, Tauriawn Knight and Steven Ashworth, who should help fill the void left by McEwen. Portugal native Neemias Queta could be an impact player in the post as a freshman. Juniors John Knight III, Ke’Sean Davis and Roche Grootfaam are in the mix to contribute right away. With only two seniors on the roster, inexperience might make it difficult for Utah State to improve on last year’s 17-17 record and eighth place MWC finish.

14 | WINNERS UTAH November I December 2018

USU ATHLETICS

BY JOHN COON

Weber State Wildcats on a Roll

Jerrick Harding, powerhouse WSU guard

The Wildcats are coming off of their third straight 20-win campaign, finishing in a tie for third in the Big Sky Conference.

Weber State lost in the Big Sky Tournament quarterfinals to Northern Colorado and finished with a 20-11 record to cap off Randy Rahe’s 12th season in Ogden.

Weber State is one of the favorites to claim a Big Sky title in 2018-19. Three of the team’s top four scorers return from last season—led by Jerrick Harding, who averaged 22 points per game on 53 percent shooting from the field. Zach Braxton and Brekkott Chapman make the Wildcats tough to handle down low.

Joining the aforementioned trio is Cody John. The junior guard returns to the backcourt after sitting out the 2017-18 season with a back injury. John averaged 7.7 points and 2.2 assists per game as a starter two years ago. Weber State’s fiveman signing class—Israel Barnes, Tim Fuller, Spencer Johnson, Donatas Kupsas and Caleb Nero—shore up the bench depth for the Wildcats. Look for another 20-win season and possibly a conference title from this latest Weber State squad.

November I December 2018 WINNERS UTAH |

WEBER STATE ATHLETICS

BY JOHN COON

15

X FACTOR

UNIVERSITY OF UTAH

Blast From the Past: Utah vs. BYU Nov. 22, 2008

Making the case for Utah’s 2008 national championship

BY JOSEPH SILVERZWEIG | PHOTOS BY UNIVERSITY OF UTAH

J

ust before football season began, the NCAA released a revised list of teams holding a national championship. It didn’t raise many eyebrows at first, but before long, observant University of Utah football fans noticed a new addition under the University of Florida’s championship: “^Utah.”

Utah went undefeated in the 2008-09 season, concluding their historic run at busting the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) with a shocking 31-17 victory over Nick Saban’s Crimson Tide at the start of Alabama’s dynastic run, a story still being told and shaping up to be the greatest coaching tenure in college football.

There were many at the time who said Utah deserved

consideration for the title, and it was easy to see why. Alabama was widely regarded as the best team in the nation, their absence from the much-maligned BCS national title game notwithstanding.

The Utes’ win was remarkably dominant. They burst out to a 21-0 lead en route to outgaining the Tide by 141 yards and exhibiting a stifling defense that forced

16 | WINNERS UTAH November I December 2018

four turnovers, held Alabama to a meager 3.3 yards per play with eight sacks of beleaguered quarterback John Parker Wilson.

The game was a behindthe-woodshed beat-down that convinced 16 pollsters to vote the Utes No. 1 in the country, a status the team reached in a number of other places, including the mathematical rankings of respected analysts Jeff Anderson and Chris Hester.

In 2018, the NCAA determined that Anderson/Hester’s rankings were a “major selector,” and so, the belief of Ute fans that the Sugar Bowl Champion Utes were the best in the country that season was officially validated, a “^” by their name to indicate the split.

Were Anderson and Hester on to something? Did the Utes field a better team than national champion Florida? Did they put together a better resume?

Are they national champions in more ways than as a footnote?

There are many ways to judge a team beyond wins and losses.

Many rely upon measurements like total yards, points allowed and other “simple” stats. Utah ranked 15th in scoring that season, and 12th in points allowed—behind Florida’s fourth place showing in both stats. Other advanced metrics that factor in strength of schedule tell a similar story— Utah ranks about 10th in many of these measures while Florida tends to rank in the Top 3.

UNIVERSITY OF UTAH

Previously a Ute defensive lineman, Paul Kruger is now a free agent who's played for the Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns and New Orleans Saints.

November I December 2018 WINNERS UTAH |

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UNIVERSITY OF UTAH

Number-crunching doesn’t help the Utes out, but their strength of schedule certainly passes the eye test. Their schedule includes wins over TCU, which finished the season 11-2 and ranked 7th in the AP poll; Oregon State, which wound up 9-4 and ranked 18th; and BYU, which finished 10-3 and 25th.

They capped that off with their monster win over Alabama—a win by a wider margin than Florida’s 11-point SEC championship victory. Many of Florida’s “marquee” wins wouldn’t hold up.

The Gators notched a 30-point win over then-fourth ranked LSU, but the Tigers would finish the season 8-5 and unranked.

Their 50-point shellacking of South Carolina lost its shine, too, as the Gamecocks collapsed to a 7-6, unranked season.

Wins over Georgia and Florida State stayed true, however, with the Bulldogs 18 | WINNERS UTAH November I December 2018

finishing 10-3 and ranked 13th and the Seminoles 9-4 and 21st. Not as impressive as beating TCU, Oregon State and BYU, but with a win over Oklahoma to win the title, the accolades are similar.

The similarities do not end there.

Both teams had exceptional quarterbacks.

Florida’s Tim Tebow was fresh off a Heisman campaign, while Utah’s Brian Johnson stole the show every time he took the stage.

Both teams were loaded with NFL talent. All told, 19 Gators on that squad were drafted, while 11 Utes became part of the league. Each had a great coach: Urban Meyer continues to give teams fits as the head coach of Ohio State, and Kyle Whittingham is widely regarded as one of the finest minds in the sport.

There’s one key difference between the two teams, one vital distinction that ought to define a champion: Florida lost.

Brian Johnson hoisting the Sugar Bowl trophy

UNIVERSITY OF UTAH

Then-Utah quarterback Brian Johnson is now coaching at the University of Florida.

X FACTOR

Former Ute running back Matt Asiata will soon play with the AAF Salt Lake Stallions. He previously signed as a free agent with the Minnesota Vikings.

UNIVERSITY OF UTAH

It was an iconic moment for Tim Tebow—he took responsibility and swore to play harder than anyone and push the team to victory. Brian Johnson never gave such a speech—he never had to.

The Utes overcame late deficits, costly mistakes and slow starts and found a way to win every time.

No other team in the country can claim an undefeated season, but Utah can.

A betting man would have to go with Florida if there ever were a matchup between the Gators and Utes. Advanced metrics tend to be pretty good predictors of results, and they would have favored Florida by a touchdown or so had the two teams met.

Of course, those same metrics were dead wrong when it came to Utah’s chances against Alabama, and Utah played with new and cunning strategies that permanently transformed the way college coaches run their offense and defense, strategies Meyer would likely have been as unprepared for as Saban was.

Whatever the result of a title matchup between Utah and Florida, it would have been one for the ages. We’ll never get to see these teams play, and a split national title a decade later is a poor substitute for such a contest.

Florida’s claim to the crown might be a bit stronger, and they might have been favored by a few points if the game had occurred.

But Utah’s 2008 team never finished a game without rattling the walls of their locker room with a victorious “Utah Man” chant among players, and you’d be fair to think, had they faced off on the gridiron, that they would have sung it one more time.

November I December 2018 WINNERS UTAH |

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TAILGATING

Show Your Colors

A cup of apple-cinnamon sangria will have you singing “No rival band of college fans dare meet us in the Muss”

Utah vs. BYU tailgate showdown

BY ELENI SALTAS

I

Prior to the showdown, each team will have played 11 other games. No matter how their seasons go, it’s winner-take-all in the final game of the season, at least as far as pride goes.

Since their first meeting in 1896, the Utes and Cougars have played against each other 98 times, with the Utes racking up the most total wins, including the last seven match ups. Who will take home the victory this year?

Whether you’re rooting for blue or red, or even if you have no stake in the game at all, these fun food and drink ideas will be a win for all.

20 | WINNERS UTAH November I December 2018

ELENI SALTAS

t’s the grudge match collegefootball fans wait all year for: the BYU vs. University of Utah game. Called a “holy war” by some, the game is scheduled Nov. 24 at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City.

It pits the state’s two largest universities—one a public state institution, the other is privately owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints—against each other.

If you’re cheering for the BYU Cougars, you’ll be adorned in blue and white, while Utah Ute fans wear red and white.

For the Utah Fans

Apple-Cinnamon Sangria Punch For a football game set deep into fall, this apple cinnamon sangria recipe is the perfect refreshment. Simply chop fresh fruit into bitesize chunks, add your favorite wine and allow some chill time before topping with ginger ale. It’s a flavorful beverage to sip on during the game.

INGREDIENTS 2 apples, chopped into bite sized cubes (use red or yellow, or one of each) 1 orange, thinly sliced

4 teaspoons sugar 2 cinnamon sticks 1 bottle red wine (such as pinot noir or cabernet sauvignon) 2 cups ginger ale DIRECTIONS 1. Pour the apples, oranges, sugar and cinnamon sticks into a large pitcher.

2. Pour in the bottle of red wine. Stir to combine.

3. Cover and place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. It will taste better the longer it sits.

For the BYU Fan Blue punch

This non-alcoholic blue punch might scream “summer,” but it makes a vibrant refreshment BYU fans can enjoy during the November matchup. All it requires is combining Hawaiian Punch, some soda and piña colada mix. To add even more blue, top with frozen blueberries.

INGREDIENTS 1 gallon blue Hawaiian Punch 12 ounces non-alcoholic piña colada mix 2 liters Sprite or lemon-lime soda ½ cup frozen blueberries, for garnish (optional) DIRECTIONS 1. Combine the Hawaiian Punch, and Sprite and mix well. Stir in the piña colada mix.

2. Drop in frozen blueberries or garnish, if desired. Serve immediately and enjoy!

(Continued on p. 23

ELENI SALTAS

Sip this Blue Punch and join in a rousing chorus of “Loyal, strong and true, wear the white and blue” November I December 2018 WINNERS UTAH |

21

Photo © 2011, Dave Sansom

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TAILGATING (Continued from p. 21)

For the Undecided

White chocolate popcorn with red and blue M&M’s

Everyone needs handheld munchies while watching the game. This white chocolate popcorn recipe combines salty and sweet for a tasty treat. To make this a snack the undecided can enjoy, adorn the popcorn with both red and blue M&M’s as a homage to the Utes and Cougars.

White chocolate popcorn with red & blue M&M's: “We'll fight for dear old crimson, for a Utah fan am I”

INGREDIENTS 2 bags of plain popcorn 24 ounces white chocolate chips 1 cup M&M’s (pick out the red & blue ones)

ELENI SALTAS

DIRECTIONS 1. Pop the popcorn and pour into a bowl.

2. Melt the chocolate in the microwave or in a pan over low heat.

3. Pour melted chocolate over popcorn and toss to evenly coat.

4. Gently mix in the M&M’s.

5. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes before serving.

6. Transfer to mini bowls or bags and enjoy!

For a Divided House

Gooey blue cookies: “We'll raise our colors high in the blue and cheer our Cougars of BYU”

Gooey blue (and red-velvet) cookies

These cookies are made with cake mix, butter and cream cheese for a gooey texture, and finished with white chocolate chips. Make one batch with the blue-velvet cake mix, and another with red-velvet cake mix. Have your guests eat the color for the team that they support.

ELENI SALTAS

INGREDIENTS 1 box blue velvet cake mix ½ cup white chocolate chips 2 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla ¼ cup butter, softened 1 8-ounce cream cheese bar, softened DIRECTIONS 1. In a large mixing bowl, beat together butter and cream cheese until combined. Beat in the eggs and vanilla until fluffy. Mix in cake mix until well combined and stir in the chocolate chips.

2. Cover and chill for 30 minutes.

3. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Scoop dough into round balls (about 2 ounces) and place onto the baking sheet.

4. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

5. Remove from oven, allow to cool for a couple of minutes. Enjoy!

November I December 2018 WINNERS UTAH |

23

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PROFILE

Daniel Brickley

Icemen Cometh Two Utahns shoot for a Cup Day with the LA Kings

BY GEOFF GRIFFIN

T

here are exactly two Utah natives in the NHL. They both happen to play for the Los Angeles Kings. It wasn’t happenstance that they both came to town for a Sept. 24 preseason game at Vivint Smart Home Arena to highlight the continued growth of hockey in the Beehive State.

After Utahn Trevor Lewis helped the Kings win the Stanley Cup in 2012 and 2014, the LA team decided to further mine the Wasatch Front, signing 23-year-old defenseman Daniel Brickley.

The Kings held a news conference on March 30 at Vivint Arena

—Daniel Brickley

JEFF MOELLER

Utah was not a hockey hotbed when I was growing up, but now it’s definitely an up-and-coming sport.

in which they signed Brickley and also announced a three-year agreement to hold a Salt Lake Shootout pre-season game every year through 2020.

“I think it shows that hockey has taken a major step forward in Utah,” Lewis, a 31-year-old forward, said before the Sept. 24 game. “There are larger numbers of kids playing the game and it will be cool to see all the people in the stands when we play there.”

“Utah was not a hockey hotbed when I was growing up,” Brickley echoes, “but now it’s definitely an up-and-coming sport.”

That’s a huge change from when the two Kings were hitting the ice as kids. Both remember being able to log tons of ice time because not many other people were demanding it.

In fact, there was such a need for players that Lewis remembers, “When I was 8 or 9 years old, I was playing on my dad’s Wednesday night men’s team because they needed players to fill out the shifts.”

Similarly, Brickley remembers as a kid, “Growing up, I was able to get all kinds of ice time. My dad would take my sister and I to the Cottonwood Heights rink and it would be just the three of us for one or two hours.”

The situation in the early 2000s forced a teenaged Lewis to play for teams outside the state in order to find top-notch competition.

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PROFILE (Continued from p. 25)

Trevor Lewis tries for his third Stanley Cup

JEFF MOELLER

However, he feels that would no longer be necessary in today’s hockey world.

“I think hockey took a huge step forward in Utah when we hosted the 2002 Olympics,” he says. “After that was when hockey really started to grow in Utah.”

Brickley’s career trajectory is proof of how things have changed. He was able to have his entire high school career take place in-state at Skyline High School, where his team won back-to-back state championships. He eventually wound up playing college hockey at Minnesota State before signing as a free agent with the Kings last spring.

“I think I was able to show that, these days, you don’t have to take the normal path to get to the NHL,” he says.

The fathers of both players were close friends—Lewis has known Brickley since he was born—but with an eight-year age gap, they had never played together on the same team before this year.

Nevertheless, Lewis had already taken notice of Brickley’s potential on the ice.

“When I was playing in other places, I would come back home in the summer and I needed a group of guys to skate with,” Lewis remembers. “I’d rent ice time, and [Brickley] helped get guys together so we could run drills. He was always a big kid who could move really well.”

When King’s executives approached Lewis to ask if he knew Brickley, he gave the younger Utahn a positive recommendation.

When it comes to the 2018-19 season, Brickley acknowledges that, as a rookie, his “No. 1 goal is to make the team.”

Lewis, meanwhile, will try to win his third Stanley Cup. If he does, it might mean another great “Cup Day” along the Wasatch Front.

There’s an NHL tradition where each player on the Stanley Cup winning team gets possession of the iconic trophy for a day. In 2012, Lewis, who grew up going to University of Utah football games with his family, shared the cup with fellow Ute fans during half-time of a homecoming game. In 2014, he took the cup up to the State Capitol and held an open house for fans. “It was cool to see all the people who came,” he remembers.

Whether or not the Stanley Cup comes back to Salt Lake City in 2019, Lewis is happy to have the Kings be the team for Utah players, noting, “It’s pretty cool two guys from Utah play on the same NHL team.”

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HOT Shots�

High school student athletes on the rise

Mason Falslev

JAMES MONROE

KEVIN HANSEN

JENNY NIELSON

BY ALEX MARKHAM

As one of the fastest growing states in the West, the number of Utah high school students continues to grow on a yearly basis.

With that, comes more talent, and kids are put in better positions to help showcase their athletic prowess. Winners Utah provides a monthly snapshot of the state’s dominant high school players, recognizing those who’ve made a name for themselves on the court, field, slopes, track, diamond and more. If you know of a talented student athlete who should be recognized in this feature, write to Mikey Saltas at msaltas@winnersutah.com.

Caroline Dallin Stringfellow Hall

Sky View High School Smithfield Football/Basketball

Syracuse High School Syracuse Soccer

A two-sport star with scholarship offers in football and basketball, Falslev recently committed to the University of Utah for basketball. He’s often the best athlete on the team in both sports, even as a junior.

On the basketball court, he’s a physical 6-foot-3 point guard with a high IQ and a deadly shot. As a sophomore, Falslev averaged 20.5 points, five rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. While he wants to play basketball in college because it’s his favorite sport, his development in football will be one to watch, as numerous offers are sure to flood in over the next year.

After scoring 29 goals as a freshman and assisting 32 more, the uber-talented soccer player committed to BYU prior to her sophomore season. With three years left, Stringfellow is a serious threat to break UHSAA records. Already the premier player for Syracuse early in her high school career, the local soccer scene could be looking at a talent of her generation.

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Fremont High School Plain City Basketball Athletic guards that can accurately shoot, dribble-drive to the basket and post up defenders are rare among high school ranks. Fremont’s junior guard Dallin Hall is a complete player, going on to record 16.9 points, 4.9 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game in 2018. Being a versatile athlete on offense and defense, he’s a coach’s dream player and nightmare for opponents.

Currently, Hall has an offer to play at Utah Valley University.

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A MEASURE OF QUALITY

The Bounce Back

The U’s Lo Falemaka knows that adversity has made him stronger

BY ANDREW FRONCE

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Ute senior captain Lo Falemaka: Needed a “first one on the field, last one to leave” mentality

UNIVERSITY OF UTAH

O

ffensive lineman Lo Falemaka is an imposing, “first guy off the bus” figure.

Standing at 6-foot-5, 295 pounds, the University of Utah’s starting center and team captain definitely has the intimidation factor down. But aside from being an outstanding football player, Falemaka is also one of the most likeable and friendly players on the team, always greeting those he talks to with a big smile and an easy-going demeanor.

A senior captain with NFL aspirations, it’s hard to imagine that five years ago, Falemaka was a skinny Cottonwood High School graduate from West Valley City.

He had zero scholarship offers and no plans to attend college.

However, Utah’s coaching staff has an eye for under-recruited talent, and they extended an invitation to Falemaka to join the team as a grayshirt player— meaning he would pay his own way for his first semester, before being placed on scholarship.

“Coming out of high school, I wasn’t really expecting to come to college at all,” Falemaka says.

“I was just planning on working, until I got that call from Utah saying that they were interested,

UNIVERSITY OF UTAH

Despite challenges, Lo Falemaka works hard and dreams big

and I was on board right away.” He worked at Sportsman’s Warehouse to save up money, and halfway through his grayshirt year, he became a scholarship-supported redshirt after gaining nearly 70 pounds much faster than coaches anticipated. “It was unheard of, and everyone thought I was a receiver or a tight end when I got in,” he says.

“I definitely had to take bigger steps than other people, because I was so underweight. I had to eat more, lift more, and I put everything in the strength and conditioning coaches’ hands. I spent a lot of time in the weight room, pumping iron like crazy, and had that ‘first one on the field, last one to leave’ mentality.”

Falemaka overcame his early obstacles, packing on weight and proving that he could play football at a high level. But another challenge soon arose in 2015.

Late on a Saturday night in September, tragedy struck when Falemaka and his teammate, Marcel Brooks-Brown, found themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time when they were shot by an unidentified assailant at a house party near campus. Fortunately, their injuries weren’t life-threatening. Brooks-Brown spent a day in the hospital, while Falemaka

needed two weeks in the hospital to recover from the bullet puncturing his stomach.

It wasn’t the first time he was the victim of an assault. In a 2010 high school football game against Skyline, Falemaka was attacked by four men at halftime when he left the locker room in search for a bathroom, leaving him with facial damage and a torn ACL. Despite being physically healthy, the psychological effect of having gone through something so traumatic easily could have derailed anyone’s athletic dreams. Fortunately for Falemaka, his toughness, along with a great support system, helped him overcome the effects of the assaults and get back on the field.

“It was definitely another obstacle in my life that was tough to come back from, but my teammates and my family made it a lot easier for me to come back,” he says.

“My mom said something really great that I still hold on to today, and that was, ‘don’t worry about the past, because it’s completely irrelevant compared to today and to the future.’ So, when I’m thinking about getting shot and getting down about it, I know it won’t do any good for me, especially now and for my future, so

I learned how to forget about it as a whole.

It’s not a problem if I need to talk about it, I’m completely open about it, but it’s something that’s not going to bother me and probably never will.”

After battles with adversity, Falemaka now has his sights set on the NFL. However, he knows that road will be yet another challenge, and even those who succeed need to have plans for after football.

“I definitely want to shoot for the NFL, 100 percent,” Falemaka says. “But if that doesn’t work, it’s like my mom always told me, I have to have a Plan B for everything.”

A sociology major, Falemaka wants to become a high school counselor in his hometown once his playing days are behind him. “Kids brought up in that area don’t really have their priorities straight, and I feel like, having grown up in that area, I have some knowledge to pass down to the younger kids.”

When it comes to football, as Falemaka goes, so goes Utah’s offense. His success on the field will help the team to succeed in their goals of getting to a bowl game and winning a Pac-12 division title. But no matter the final record, Falemaka has already overcome the odds.

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OVERTIME

STEVE LLOYD

'Blade running' on Kearns Oval's fast ice

Going the Rounds

The Kearns oval’s “fastest ice on earth” keeps the Olympic flame alive

M

ost of the time, elite athletes train far away from average folks who use sports to have fun and stay in shape.

Things are different at the Utah Olympic Oval, a vibrant remnant of Salt Lake City’s 2002 Winter Olympics. On a typical day, a visitor might see elite speed skaters from China training on the large oval while a mom jogs around the indoor track.

This is a place that hosts World Cup events and cosmic curling. It’s where U.S. speed skaters train next to kids learning to figure skate or play hockey.

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“This is a mixed-use building,” says Brennan Smith, who works in marketing and public relations for the oval.

That mixture shows in the new addition to the Olympic oval scheduled to open in November. It will house the national offices of U.S. Speed Skating, a public University of Utah Health Clinic specializing in athletics, and a fitness area for elite athletes and visitors to the sprawling Oquirrh Park Fitness Center connected to the oval.

The U.S. Speed Skating Hall of Fame will be in the new building, containing

Speedskater William Gebauer

BRENNAN SMITH

BY TOM WHARTON

memorabilia from the 2002 Olympics and other events.

While facilities in some former Olympic host cities close and deteriorate, the oval continues to upgrade what it bills as “the fastest ice on earth.” In addition to the new building, Smith says the oval recently invested in new cooling systems that will make the ice even faster.

“We don’t just sit on 2002,” he says. “We are doing a lot of investment to make this facility useful for another generation.” The facility hosts a World Cup short-track speed skating event Nov. 9-11 as well as a long-track World Cup from March 8-10. Smith says these events draw top teams from all over the world and can host thousands of fans. There’s also a national curling event scheduled for the ice in May. Derek Parra, a gold medalist for the United States in the 2002 Winter Olympics, and director of speed skating at the oval says that while the Kearns facility does not have some of the fancy bells and whistles found at European venues where speed skating is more popular, it’s top-notch because the combination of altitude and fast ice produces some record times. Smith says the availability of the ice with the addition of training facilities in the new building has helped produce some locally grown Olympians.

But perhaps just as important as a training center and competition venue for world class skaters (the only other facility of its kind in the United States is located in Milwaukee), is what the venue brings to the community at large. A typical Saturday, for example, might see a youth hockey game in the south rink and a figure-skating class in the north rink. Kids might be celebrating a birthday with a skating party, as public skaters glide around the huge oval where earlier in the day Olympic-caliber athletes trained.

And runners looking to get out of the summer heat or winter cold might be jogging around the indoor track that surrounds the skating oval.

Weekends also see Cosmic Curling and Cosmic Skating where the lights are dimmed, and black lights and a huge disco ball turn the ice rinks into something different.

Want to learn how to curl, figure skate or play hockey? There are classes.

Adult recreational hockey occurs often

UTAH OLYMPIC LEGACY FOUNDATION

STEVE LLOYD

Go figure: Kearns Oval offers training for the next generation of Olympic contenders

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BRENNAN SMITH

OVERTIME

into the night. Just like the nearby indoor and outdoor pools, gyms and workout areas at the Oquirrh Park Fitness Center, there are open times for public skating on the rinks.

Most days, there is public skating from 7 to 9 p.m., with skate rentals available. On many Saturdays, open skating occurs from 1 to 7 p.m. The facility can sometimes be closed on Sundays, though public skating on Sunday is scheduled to begin again in October.

Admission prices for public skating are $6 for adults and $4 for children.

Skates can be rented for $3. The cost to use the indoor track is $4 daily.

The legacy of the Utah Olympic Oval, which is part of a nonprofit group that operates the Olympic Park in Park City and the Soldier Hollow crosscountry ski and biathlon facility in the Heber Valley, remains strong.

There are often 25 to 40 short- and long-track Olympians training at the Kearns oval, often at the same time members of the public are enjoying the facility.

Such interaction between athletes and beginners doesn’t happen often, but it makes the Kearns oval legacy one the whole community can enjoy.

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World-class fans cheer on the action

TIM AKERS

The sport of curling is harder than it looks

HANNAH MILLER BYU GYMNASTICS PHOTO BY AISLYNN EDWARDS

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