The Mile High Blaze Organization developed because our current co-owner, Sarah Boxley, and a few other ladies who had played full-tackle football during the 2012-2013 season in Colorado Springs on the Colorado Sting, decided that they didn’t want to commute any longer. When they heard that one of their Sting coaches wanted to start a team in Denver, they decided to jump onboard. They met with the coach in December of 2013 to discuss the logistics, learning that he had supposedly already registered the team as the Mile High Cowgirls and created a pink (that's right, PINK!), black, and white logo of a girl wearing a cowboy hat and bandana. The girls got a few other ladies onboard with starting a Denver team, including a few, who had also played for the Sting, and off they went...
Some of their tasks included coming up with a new team name, colors, and logo; scheduling informational meetings and drawing up agendas; creating player profile sheets, waivers, contracts, etc.; identifying team roles; recruiting players; recruiting coaches; scheduling and running tryouts; setting up a bank account and EIN; establishing team fees, etc. Once they knew that there was enough interest to pursue creating the team (as a result of the turnouts at the informational meetings), the Blaze motto became, "We can play this year and struggle every step of the way, or we can get organized this year and play next year." Well, once they saw the excitement on the girls' faces about playing TACKLE FOOTBALL, something they may have dreamed about their entire lives, they had no choice but to pursue it for that year!
The ladies kept pushing and never gave up. They had 20+ players interested in being part of the team before there was even any coaches! In fact, the first tryout was held before there were coaches! Everyone involved with the creation on the Blaze learned many lessons from their mistakes (especially when it came to league affiliation, reliable opponents, etc.) and have admitted when they were wrong. Because of this, they were able to overcome adversity, never letting potential setbacks (schedule changes, folding teams, etc.) hold them back. And they have done it with grace and dignity, taking the higher road so at the end of the day they could be proud of their choices and the way they handle business. They’ve also learned who to trust. Each year the team and organization has gotten better and stronger by making adjustments in team staff and sometimes even player positions. They recognize that there's always room for improvement and they always keep the team's best interest in mind. It's also helped to have patient, flexible, and understanding players and team staff.
It sounds cliché, but "the sky's the limit," as they say! This team has gotten bigger, better, and more experienced over the years, even if our record doesn't always reflect that (our competition has gotten stronger, for one, and the Blaze does NOT back down from a challenge!). We made the playoffs in the 2015-2016 season and won our first ever playoff game. But 2016-2017 proved to be our breakout year! We had a dominating defense that didn’t allow a single point until the 2nd round of the playoffs. We made it all the way to the semi-final game before our best season ever came to an end. We are poised to return to playoffs next year with a vengeance and the dream of not only making it to the Championship game but to win it! We're making a name for women in football, especially in Colorado! With a new head coach at the helm and many other experienced coaches, amazing General Manager (now new Co-Owner), loyal staff, and passionate players, we are hungry to learn, improve, and execute on our way to the top!
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