Springs weightlifters productive at worlds

Four Colorado Springs residents posted top-20 finishes today at the World Weightlifting Championships in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Casey Burgener, a silver medalist at the Pan American Games, lifted 881.8 pounds for 11th place in the men’s 231.4-plus-pound division. He had a top snatch of 401.2 pounds and a clean and jerk of 480.6 pounds.

Also competing at 231.4-plus pounds, Zach Schluender had an 815.6-pound lift for 19th place. He set personal records with a snatch of 374.7 pounds and a clean and jerk of 440.9 pounds.

Two-time Olympian Cheryl Haworth overcame a nagging back injury to finish 12th in the women’s 165.3-plus-pound division. She lifted 551.1 pounds, with a snatch of 242.5 pounds and a clean and jerk of 308.6 pounds.

Pan American Games silver medalist Emmy Vargas took 16th place at 165.3-plus pounds after lifting 520.2 pounds. She had a snatch of 220.4 pounds and a clean and jerk of 299.8 pounds.

The women’s national team qualified all four spots for the 2008 Beijing Games and the men’s national team qualified three Olympic spots. The U.S. Olympic team trials will be held May 16-17 in Atlanta.

Springs modern pentathletes alive at junior worlds

Two Colorado Springs residents will compete Thursday in the finals of the Modern Pentathlon Junior World Championships in Caldas da Rainha, Portugal.

Margaux Isaksen scored 4,224 points today to win her girls group semifinal. She was most efficient in the swim and the shooting competition.

On the boys side, Sam Sacksen totaled 4,228 points to finish 12th in his group semifinal. Like Isaksen, Sacksen totaled the most points in the swim and the shoot.

Springs trio heads to cycling nationals

Three Colorado Springs riders will compete Oct. 3-6 at the USA Cycling Elite Track National Championships in Carson, Calif.

Michael Blatchford won a gold medal in the men’s sprint at the Pan American Road and Track Championships in May in Venezuela. He has been named to the USA Cycling track talent pool, meaning he’s a candidate to compete in high-level international competitions, such as the Olympics.

Michael Creed is coming off an 11th-place finish in a Pennsylvania stage race. His last win in a USA Cycling event came at the 2004 Cascade Cycling Classic in Oregon.

Olympian Giddeon Massie won the men’s sprint and the 250-meter time trial at the 2006 national championships. He’s a two-time world championships team member and a two-time Pan American champion in the keirin.

OTC rifle shooters ready for last World Cup

Two Olympic Training Center residents are headed to the Rifle/Pistol World Cup Final, which is Oct. 6-7 in Bangkok, Thailand.

Matt Emmons, a gold medalist at the 2004 Athens Games, will compete in 50m rifle 3-position, 50m rifle prone and 10m air rifle. He’s third in the World Cup standings in 50m rifle 3-position and 50m rifle prone and seventh in 10m air rifle.

Jamie Beyerle, a gold medalist at the Pan American Games, will compete in 10m air rifle. She’s fifth in the World Cup standings in 10m air rifle and 12th in 50m rifle 3-position.

Vairo to speak at Hockey Hall of Fame dinner

Colorado Springs resident Lou Vairo will be the featured speaker Oct. 12 at the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame induction dinner in Grand Forks, N.D.

Vairo, the director of special projects for Colorado Springs-based USA Hockey, was coach of the 1984 U.S. Olympic hockey team and an assistant to the late Herb Brooks on the team that won a silver medal at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games.

He spent five years as coach of the U.S. men’s national team and four years as coach of the U.S. men’s junior national team. He also was an assistant with the New Jersey Devils for two seasons.

USADA gets new general counsel

William Bock III has been named general counsel for the Colorado Springs-based U.S. Anti-Doping Agency.

Bock will work under Travis Tygart, who replaced Terry Madden this month as chief executive officer. He has served as an outside counsel to USADA the past seven years and has represented the agency in prosecutions of athletes accused of doping.

“Performance-enhancing drugs strip athletic competition of the thrill of victory and add shame and serious potential health risks to the sting of defeat,” said Bock, a partner at an Indianapolis law firm. “I look forward to this new opportunity to support USADA’s mission of protecting clean athletes and promoting pure competition.”