Steamboat Neighbors - Best Version Media

01/22/2025

I hope you have had a fabulous start to the new year and that the winter season is cranking right along for you.

Our February issue features a family full of energy, smiles, and s***k. This incredible story will warm your heart as you learn about Jessica and Michael Hofshulte and their three beautiful adopted kids.

Before we get to their article, we will introduce you to Maui Artisan Sourdough. Mark Willard, the owner of this new and delicious local business, will share the story of how his love for sourdough was kicked off, how they launched their bakery in Maui, and eventually how they made their way to Steamboat with Maui Artisan Sourdough in tow.

Next, Coleman Boren, owner of Boren to Paint, shares a profile of their love for Steamboat and giving back to our community. Then, kicking off sports, Steamboat Locals Media and McCreight Progressive Dentistry team up to share some details on using mouthguards in winter sports and how they can protect more than your teeth. You might avoid a concussion and even perform better in your choice of winter sport.

Moving on, we share the remarkable story of Maddy Schaffrick and her return to elite halfpipe competition, training, and traveling with the US Snowboarding team after serving as the US Development Team coach. First, she had an incredible career at a very young age, then worked in program development and coaching at the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club and eventually the US Team. In an astonishing feat, she has returned to compete and has already hit the podium in this winter's early elite-level events.

To wrap up February, this month's Nonprofit Spotlight is on an incredible and vital service that supports homes and families throughout Steamboat through Better Tomorrow's programming umbrella.

We invite your input and suggestions for family features and spotlights or to submit content that our readership would love. Speaking of love, Happy Valentine's Day to all the sweethearts out there.

Have a fantastic February, Steamboat.

01/07/2025

Check out this new Scholarship award that Steamboat Mountain School is offering, featured in SKIRACING.com. Pretty awesome.

Featured Image: Kahlen White. Provided by Steamboat Mountain School. Press Release provided by Steamboat Mountain School Steamboat Springs, Colo. – Steamboat Mountain School is thrilled to announce an exciting series of merit-based scholarships for the 2025-2026 academic year, designed to

01/01/2025

2025! Can you believe it? Another year in the rearview, and so much more to do. It's like time has no regard for our wish list. That being said, what were you able to complete, rise to, accept, overcome, and conquer this past year? Be sure to give credit where credit is due, appreciate the forward progress, and reflect on your small wins, big wins, and even "next times." If there is a next time, you attempted it last time, and that's a start. So, what's next? Dream large, and charge into the new year, full Steamboat ahead.

In our January issue, we learn about the Brindles: Dan, Crystal, Wren, and Beckett. This action-oriented family with generous hearts and community love brings their own flavor of contribution and active lifestyles to our pages.

Before that, enjoy a hot and sweaty business profile on Rakta Hot Studio. Learn about their full-body/mind fitness approach and consider dropping in for a cleansing experience. Then, test your mind with the January puzzles and find a delicious squash & sausage soup recipe in the Cook's Corner. Next, Adam Wilson of Carpets Plus Flooring Designs shares some knowledge in an Expert Contributor article about his family's personal experience when it was time for new flooring.

Heading into sports, we start with a Winter Season Profile on Straightline Sports, contributed by Christine Lee. Straightline is here for all of your winter action needs. Then, Tanner Stillwell, Director of Programming for the High Altitude Basketball program, shoots around with us as he brings us up to speed on this incredible sports non-profit that keeps local participants of all ages running the courts all winter long.

In conclusion, Colleen Miller of the Family Development Center steps in with a non-profit spotlight on this incredibly impactful local charity.

Make your New Year's resolutions wisely, Steamboat, and get ready to stick to your Pow Guns. As always, we invite you to contribute to Steamboat Neighbors through your nominations for Feature Families, Non-Profit Spotlights, Sports Articles, or any other suggestions or submissions you might suggest.

Happy New Year to our Steamboat Family.

Sincerely,
Spencer Tamblyn

11/28/2024

Happy Thanksgiving,
Steamboat Neighbors!

11/22/2024

The Holiday Season is upon us, and the chilly fun and flurry of festivities are straight ahead. As the engine of the Steamboat seasonal surge sputters for Thanksgiving, we look forward to the all-cylinders hum of Christmas break. As days get shorter and the cold sets in, the time is right for reflection, regrouping, and looking ahead to the holidays and new year just around the corner.

This month, we have another fantastic lineup built around The Packard Family Feature. Brooke, Joe, Blake, and Luke, a fast-carving, action-packed Steamboat family, will share their unique and inspiring story. We had a great time with them as they hit the frigid waters of Bald Eagle Ski Lake in late October for their excellent four-rope, fall colors cover photo.

A new Steamboat Neighbors experience launches with this issue. It is a podcast-style recording session that our writer, Erin Campbell, myself, and Brooke Packard, had while creating their article. We invite you to tune in and enjoy this first installment of the Steamboat Neighbors Podcast series on the Steamboat Locals app or SteamboatLocals.com.

This issue opens with a Business Profile on Affordable Flooring Warehouse, introducing new owners Yvonne and Tony Glassman. Get to know their family and the evolution of AFW. Then, after the feature, we have a congratulatory Spotlight Profile on Colorado's Optometrist of the Year, Dr. Craig Eckroth of Eyecare Specialties.

Skating into the winter season, our sports article by Emily Lovett invites us to connect with our Nordic Community. That is followed by a delicious twist on a Christmas Duck dinner, with a submission by Lulu Cox, owner of Amuse Bouche.

December's NonProfit Spotlight is on True North, a wonderful organization recently winning this season's Impact 100 first-place award, made possible by the Yampa Valley Community Foundation. Director Hahn Erickson will walk us through their services and vital role in the lives of special needs individuals and their families in our community.

Yampa Valley Gives Day is December 10th. Giving is already live at YVGives.org. Don't miss a great opportunity to be part of this community wide NonProfit funding drive. Pick you favorite Charities and share some love.

We invite you to reach out with nominations for family/resident features, Non-profit spotlights, or sports articles.

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas, Steamboat. We love you.

11/20/2024

Here is an amazing addition to our Steamboat Neighbors community bonding effort, thanks to the incredible Steamboat Locals Media platform.

We have teamed up to offer a monthly pod cast of a conversation with the month's family feature. For the December issue, we, Erin Campbell and I sat down with Brooke Packard to dive deeper into their family's path to Steamboat. We hope you enjoy this launch to a new audio adventure for our Steamboat Neighbors.
steamboatlocals.com/steamboat_neighbors_packard/

The December 2024 issue of Steamboat Neighbors showcases the Packard Family. Beyond the Pages is our companion podcast!

11/19/2024

LiftUp of Routt County is here again to shed a ray of light on those that need a hand as we approach the holidays. Thank you LiftUp for all you do!

For those in the Yampa Valley struggling to put food on the table for Thanksgiving, LiftUp Routt County and United Way of Yampa Valley, among other local churches and organizations, provide food support. LiftUp Routt...

10/19/2024

Our November Issue is Steamboat Neighbors’ 5th Birthday. That is hard to believe. Later in the issue, we will celebrate with a look back on the 60 covers and featured residents that shaped those first five years. First though, November is for Thanksgiving, so here we go.

Thanks to Mom and Dad for letting me run off to the mountains. After high school in Denver, I was drawn to Steamboat in 1992 by Colorado Mountain College’s Marketing Management: Ski Business Program and the Winter Sports Club’s snowboard racing team. I had no idea what this town had in store for me. Or that I would still be here now.

After graduating from CMC in ’95 with my Marketing Degree (Thank you, CMC), I turned pro in halfpipe, big air, and boardercross snowboarding. With an expense account provided by Domino’s Pizza, Nitro Snowboards, Oakley, and Steamboat Resort, I traveled the world competing and coaching. Thank you to everyone involved in that adventure.

Then, in 1997, after a second significant knee injury, the SSWSC offered me the opportunity to take the lead with their soon-to-be-launched Freestyle Snowboarding Program. Just like that, I became “hey coach.” For 20 years, I coached and traveled with Steamboat athletes and the US Team. It was amazing. SSWSC, US Snowboarding, the athletes, my fellow coaches, and all of you involved in that adventure, Thank You.

2017 - Time for a change. I wanted to stay closer to home, give my body a rest, and be MORE involved in Steamboat. I found Best Version Media, a community publication opportunity. I saw the potential for a meaningful next chapter. I backflipped off my snowboard into a tremendous challenge that I never saw coming.

This time, instead of sending it in the halfpipe or taking a group of rowdy teens to Europe, the trick was thousands of phone calls and hundreds of branding campaign pitches. Through lots of comfort zone stretching, hard work, and the support and trust of our fabulous local sponsors, Steamboat Neighbors eventually launched in November 2019.

61 monthly issues later, this month we feature Ryan and Lulu Cox, Rakta Hot Studio, Spa Country, Steamboat Tennis and Pickleball Complex, Tanner Cobb and Thomas Krupp of the SSHS Sailors, Routt County Search and Rescue, and SSWSC. I am so grateful to all who make this possible. 🙏

Stay warm as winter arrives, and Happy Thanksgiving to you all.

Spencer T

10/15/2024

It's great to see our long, long, time locals being so involved in the heath of our community and the exposure that is bubbling up during Breast Cancer Awareness month.

The most rewarding and most challenging parts of their jobs as mammography technologists both happen because Kelda Combs and Kally May Belton are fifth-generation Routt County residents. The fact that the women know many other...

10/15/2024

Breast Cancer Awareness makes it's way to the rink for The Stampede Opener and Pink The Rink.

Mira Smith and Taylor Bennett embody the spirit of racecars.  The pair are always first to touch the ice at Steamboat Stampede 19U girls hockey games as they push toy cars from the rink door...

10/07/2024

In our October issue, we feature another amazingly creative crew who would love to teach you the art of glass blowing. Caitlin, Kirk, and Milo Whitten are the family behind Solar Flare. One easy way to describe who they are and what they do is HOT!

But first, we introduce you to Spine West in a business profile on this fantastic clinic in Pine Grove. With an extensive background in Physiatry's unique and often unknown field, Spine West's staff, techniques, and approach are impressive and reassuring in their expertise.

This month's Nonprofit spotlight is on the Yampa Valley Autism Program. In a submission by Development Director Kimberly Walker, she will bring us up to speed on this incredible organization's revamped vision, services, logo, and mission. Providing care, support, and guidance for our community's neurodiverse children and young adults, the impact they make in the lives of their clients leads to infinite possibilities, inspiring hope, and a brighter future.

In Steamboat Sports, we check in with Steamboat Springs High School's Head Football Coach, Scott Pryzmus, who will update us on the Sailor's squad and outlook for the season. Then, McCreight Progressive Dentistry drops some knowledge on wearing mouthguards when cycling.

CarpetsPlus Flooring Designs explains the options, pros, and cons of different types of fibers you may choose from when the "we need new carpet" bug strikes. Next, Shani Bohlin of Blue Skies Nursing shares how in-home care can be the best option for your loved ones when circumstances arise to make those decisions.

We would love to hear from you if you want to nominate a resident feature, nonprofit spotlight, or sports article. Or if you would like to learn about our many sponsorship and local marketing opportunities.

Get out there and enjoy the fall cause it's going to happen quickly.

Spencer Tamblyn
Steamboat Neighbors

09/12/2024

Check out this fur filled and fun event to support the Routt County Humane Society. I love the people and pets in costume.

The Routt County Humane Society is gearing up for The Fast & the Furriest: 5k9 Doggie Fun Run & Walk on Saturday, Sept 21. This event is back for its second year, promising fun, fitness...

09/02/2024

Absolutely Awesome!
Congrats to the Sailors for their big big win against Moffat.
WAY TO GO!

On Thursday, it was 10 years to the day since Steamboat Springs football had defeated Moffat County in the annual rivalry game, but after Friday night, it is the Sailors who held bragging rights.  Pinned...

08/29/2024

A booming thunderstorm has just settled with late afternoon, cooling a 90-degree day, bringing fresh, crisp air and the rejuvenating smell of rinsed earth. The green surrounding us shows hints of the coming changes of fall, and thoughts of snow are already on the horizon.

Our September issue shines a spotlight on the unique journey of Jessica Barker and her charming daughters, Estela and Lucinda. Their home is a vibrant center of creativity and inspiration. Discover the fascinating story of this inspiring trio and see if their creative spirit resonates with you.

Kicking the issue off, we get cleaned up and ready for your enjoyment by introducing Champagne Valley Cleaning. In their Business Profile, you will learn about the owner, Danielle, and how her kids inspire honesty, prompt communication, and quality service in this shiny local business.

Continuing, we delve into the profound impact of Steamboat Reading, a local initiative that is making a significant difference by helping children and their parents overcome reading challenges, particularly those related to dyslexia.

Next, meet our newest Expert Contributor, Russell's Auto Body. Leo Starbuck and Ron Wentzel, the new owners, provide an update on new ownership, a new name, and a vision of increasing capacity while embracing and expanding the business's loyal local base.

In sports, learn about the Steamboat Running Series and its commitment to fun and supportive events that give back to the community. Then, heading towards autumn, Straightline Sports shoots us an expert piece on their fall hunting forecast, highlighting increased opportunities for dedicated hunters.

Dancing to the finish, we check in with Steamboat Dance Theatre. With a new director, programming, and introducing a new annual event in late September, the Steamboat Dance Collective at Strings, SDT, is getting its groove on.

Would you like to contribute by nominating a feature family or resident, suggesting a nonprofit for a spotlight, or proposing a sports article? Your voice is important to us. Feel free to call, email, or text anytime to make a suggestion.

Have a Stupendous September Steamboat!

08/21/2024

Hope you had a great summer kiddo's. Back to the books, and fun with friends and teachers. Game On!

Strawberry Park Elementary School Principal Eron Haubert arrived for the first day of school Tuesday in costume, taking pride in her wardrobe choice as she welcomed students for the 2024-25 school year. “I just wanted...

08/18/2024

Residents in Steamboat Springs will wake up to a historic move Friday as crews from Fones Construction and Excavation and Patton Structural Movers transport the 135-year-old Marshall House to a new location in the downtown...

07/24/2024

Our Resident Feature in this August issue is a young couple making fashion waves with their stylish local business, The Steamboat Hatter. Learn the background and story of Kay McKenzie & Sam Daniels, who followed their hearts and passions to bring finely crafted Western heritage with a twist and a flame to the heads of Steamboat.

The issue begins with a business profile on Carpets Plus Flooring Designs. You'll learn the path of Adam and Mary Wilson, their new ownership, and the fine products and services offered at Carpets Plus, written by Erin Campbell. Our talented writer, Erin, is the cornerstone of every issue. In this issue, she opens up with a Dear Readers interlude before stepping into the world of The Steamboat Hatters.

Later, Steamboat Mountain School follows up on last summer's introduction to their No Phones policy with an update on the response and future of the successful protocol to reclaim face-to-face connections.

Then, with a flurry of NonProfit presence, we start with the dedicated work of the Colorado Crane Conservation Coalition. Learn how this fowl-friendly crew of "craniacs" protects the cranes through education, awareness, and even providing for them before they set out on their fall migration.

Opera Steamboat shares news of new leadership, goals, and plans to entice a new crowd. They will soon present their first-ever commissioned opera: Welcome to the Madness. Essentially a Perry-Mansfield origination story, this theatrical romp around campus will resonate with local history and delight.

Stepping into sports, learn about the incredible programs, community support, and good service of Skate Church. Wrapping things up with a dusty bow, the SBT GRVL crew shares adjustments and new plans to ensure a great event for riders, residents, and the community.

Please reach out with any nominations for resident features, nonprofit or sports spotlights, or community submissions. Have an Awesome August, Steamboat Neighbors. Stay cool!

07/19/2024

We are excited for Alison Zimmerman and her Flow Fest team, as they launch this new summer gathering of yoga, wellness, growth, and like minded bonding. Check it out!

Organizers of the inaugural Steamboat Flow Fest describe the event as a transformative festival bringing together yoga and movement practitioners and those seeking personal growth to a new Steamboat Springs event. “I have been chewing...