My Broncos Ticket Dilemma

Romey

An open letter to my Broncos-loving family and friends:

I need to level with you and vent about what is more definitely a first-world problem, but it’s a problem nonetheless.

Mile High Stadium

With last year’s football season in the rearview mirror, my focus is shifting to renewing the Broncos tickets for the next season. Once again, the invoice has caused sticker shock, as the Broncos have raised ticket prices by a double-digit percentage, and at this point, I’m at a loss as to what I should do.

In the spirit of transparency, I will be upfront about the ticket costs. Below is a breakdown of the costs since we moved down to Section 131 (but I should note that we were paying the same costs the prior year when we were in Section 234):

YearFace Value*Total Season Invoice CostAdjusted Sale Price**Y/Y % IncreaseSince 2021 % Increase
2021$104$4160$110––
2022$116$4640$13011.54%11.54%
2023$136$5440$14417.24%30.77%
2024$151$6040$16911.03%45.19%

* Years ago, the Broncos introduced dynamic pricing to mask the full-price costs they charged for preseason tickets. Now, they arbitrarily set ticket prices depending on the opponent and whether the game is in prime time. However, I’ve always maintained the same formula of dividing the invoice price by 4 (the number of seats) and 10 (the total number of games).
** My adjusted sales price has always been setting the preseason games by half, then spreading the other half between the other 8-9 games. Next year, the Broncos have 2 preseason games and 8 regular season games. The 2025 adjusted price would be $160 if the prices stay the same. I have never made a profit on any of my tickets, and in fact, I end up eating some or all costs on the preseason tickets. =

In reviewing this chart, the dilemma becomes evident: Are you willing to pay $169/ticket to sit in Sec 131 in 2024? What was once an easy answer has given me significant pause, as the Broncos are now eight years from their last winning season and set to rebuild in 2024. As much as I’m grappling with absorbing the price increase, I don’t think it’s fair to my family and friends that I assume you can do the same.

As I’ve been pondering this dilemma, I see 4 options:

  1. Maintain the same formula. Last year, tickets for 2 were $288; this year, they would now be $338. If you want to buy all 4, the price is now $676.
  2. Revert to Face-Value, variable pricing. When the schedule is released and the tickets are “printed” over the summer, prices will be assigned to the games for the year. Prime Time (if we get them) and “marquee games” (e.g. The Chiefs) will likely be more, preseason would still be 1/2 price, and the lowest you’d see a game would be $151.
  3. Pursue shifting up a section further away from the field. Ticket costs would likely decrease, but there’s no guarantee we’d get aisle seats or a section similar to 234. If you haven’t experienced those seats, the energy is very different and exciting.
  4. Do not renew the season tickets. This is an option I want to avoid, but I need to have it on the table.

Update 3/11, 5pm:

Hey, thank you for taking the time to give me feedback! I appreciate it and have taken your words to heart! I hope I’m not giving off the impression that I want to cancel my season tickets. In the spirit of due diligence, it’s on the table, but it’s really my last resort. I’m blessed enough to afford the tickets, and while the girls have reached an age where they’re enjoying the games, they only want to go to a couple each season. That leaves me hoping that other friends and family would also like to attend these games, and I want to see whether the prices are too steep for my fellow Broncos Country.

Please keep your feedback coming, and if you’d like to be on my family & friends email list for tickets, send me a DM. I’ll send out the first email towards the end of June.

Now that I’ve laid out my thoughts, I’d love to hear yours. Over the years, I’ve had these seats, you have reliably purchased tickets, and we have enjoyed many games together. I don’t take that for granted, which is why I’m anxious to hear what you think. Please feel free to comment below or email me at jeromey [at] balderrama.org.

In orange and blue,
-Jeromey

Mariana’s New Bedroom!

Romey

Last weekend, we took on the weekend project of re-imagining Mariana’s bedroom. This has been her bedroom since her birth, but before that, it was also Clara’s nursery. While upgrades have been made to her room over the years, her room has still been virtually based on the same color scheme and layout up to this point.

A baby nursery with blue walls, a pink stripe on the salls, a brown chair and a wooden crib.
Clara’s Nursery back in 2013
Mariana standing in her blue room with a pink stripe, filled with a bed, table, desk, and toys everywhere.
Mariana’s room in 2022 (it normally wasn’t this messy, but she created one of her many shops out of her room).

With Clara being busy at a dance competition all weekend, this was a great opportunity for Mariana and me to be productive in the house. Mariana picked out the colors, and we took to Pinterest to get some ideas. After exploring many options, Mariana narrowed her choice down to a grey bedroom with a light blue accent wall, rejecting complex shapes and patterns that were floated to her.

The project went into full force last Wednesday when I took all of the furniture out of her room (Maraina was with her mom for the next two nights).

Mariana's blue room with a pink stripe, mostly empty, with a white bed turned on its side.

The next night I focused on getting everything off of the walls and doing a lot of patching.

The same bedroom, but now with the walls bare and covered in white spackle.

When I got the girls back Friday morning, we picked up the paint and went to town. My mom joined us and both girls were amazing helpers, and we were reminded how satisfying painting can be.

By day’s end, the paint dried enough to set up Mariana’s bed and move some furniture back into the room. She was excited to sleep in this in-progress project.

Mariana (and George, who we’re pet-setting for Shannon) spending the first night in her newly painted room

Saturday came, and Clara spent the day at her dance competition. My mom came over, and the three of us started getting the lights, shelving, wall fixtures, and all of the furnishings into the room. We had a lot of fun playing with string lights, threading them along the ceiling down her dresser wall. We swapped the location of her bed and dresser, and I replaced her nursery dresser with an amazing wooden dresser I got in an estate auction. My mom also replaced Mariana’s desk with a new-to-her desk. I also mounted Mariana’s TV to the wall to open up her dresser space. We tried to be more selective about adding things back into the room, taking the opportunity to de-clutter as much as we can.

Here is the current result, with a few more decorations to add, along with some on-the-wall shelving that will arrive next week.

Mariana's finished bedroom, with grey walls, with a sky-blue wall on the right, her bed, brown dresser, desk, and shelving.

Mariana is excitedto offer a tour:

I’m so very grateful for all the people who helped make this happen: my mom, who helped paint and decorate; Shannon, who helped me get the dresser. Next up: Clara’s room this summer? Stay tuned!

Tubing at Beaver Meadows

Romey
Clara, Jeromey, and Mariana, dressed in winter gear in front of a sign that says "SnowTube Park".

The girls and I have been clamoring to go tubing since early December, but the mild winter and a busy schedule prevented us from going. We finally carved out time in late January to make our way up to Beaver Meadows Resort near Red Feather and had an absolute blast.

The last time I had been to Beaver Meadows was during my Campus Ministry Days at John XXIII, over 20 years ago. As I was researching tubing locations online, Beaver Meadows made the most sense when considering experience, price, and travel time. We purchased our tickets the night before and booked a 2-hour window from 12-2.

The drive up there was pretty, and with the mild winter, the roads didn’t give us any trouble. We stopped at Subway in Fort Collins and picked up lunch for afterward.

The tubing hill is very well-run. They have a pully-lift system that brings you up by your tube, and once you’re up there are multiple runs to choose from. As someone with a moderate tolerance for speed, I didn’t find the runs too scary. The girls learned the hard way that you may not want to go down head-first, but we luckily escaped injury and enjoyed our other runs.

We used the GoPro to capture some videos of our runs. Clara wore it at first and took some awesome videos:

She and Mariana also formed a train down one of the runs as well.

I also joined in on the train, but had to take the front on this run:

Finally, Mari and I took one last “race” down one of the parallel runs:

Despite having a lift take you to the top of the hill, tubing took more out of us than we expected. By the time our two-hour window was up, we were ready to be done and enjoy our lunch in the back of the truck:

We would highly recommend going to check out Beaver Meadows. They’re open on weekends through Spring Break and will scratch that itch for some winter fun.

Why aren’t Library Trustees elected?

Romey

Note: This post is a response to a question that was recently posed on a NextDoor thread: “Why don’t we vote on Library Board members?”

I am a member of the Clearview Library Board of Trustees but am speaking only for myself and not on behalf of the board. To answer your question as to why Library Trustees are appointed rather than elected: The appointment of members is specified in Colorado Library Law (C.R.S. 24-90-108). As a library district, sections (c) and (e) are applicable to Clearview. These apply to all library districts in the state of Colorado. I’d invite you to read the law at: https://www.cde.state.co.us/cdelib/librarylaw/part1#24-90-108

As specified in the Clearview Library District (CLD) bylaws, which can be read at https://clearviewlibrary.org/sites/default/files/inline-files/2023-06-29-bylaws-with-amendments_0.pdf , Trustees are appointed by a committee that consists of voting members from all of the municipal bodies that make up the CLD: Town of Windsor, Town of Severance, City of Greeley, and the Weld RE-4 School District. A current Trustee is also on the committee and facilitates the process. Once a selection is made, those names are submitted to each of the aforementioned entities to be ratified, which is discussed and voted on during their public meetings – only then are those Trustees seated to complete a 3-year term which can be re-appointed once to serve a maximum of 6 years as a voting Trustee. You can learn more by reading Article 2, Section 4 of the CLD Bylaws which goes into further detail of the oversight of the CLD Board of Trustees.

This process was recently completed for our trustee whose term was expiring at the end of the year, and at our most recent meeting we extensively discussed the process. You can view it below:

Regarding “how our dollars are spent”, I recently made a post that answered some questions about the CLD’s mill levy, finances, and budget. I’d invite you to read it. Also, the first reading of our 2024 budget was presented in our October meeting and can be viewed below:

The second reading and possible approval is on the agenda for the next regular meeting on Thursday, November 30. If you have any questions about Trustee appointment, the CLD budget, or anything else related to the library district, I’m more than happy to answer them at jeromey.balderrama@clearviewlibrary.org . I don’t respond to social media comments and encourage you to reach out to me directly and would even be happy to set up a phone or in-person discussion as well. Thanks for your interest in the Clearview Library District!

Lyin’ Eyes and how I listen to music

Romey

Have you ever stopped to think about how you listen to music? When you hear a new song, do your ears focus on the melody, the lyrics, or the rhythm?

Last month I was asked to sit in with some musicians who were putting together a performance of Eagles covers. I thought I knew the Eagles pretty well, but as I started to chart out the songs I quickly realized the number of intricacies that were critical in faithfully recreating each song. Three rehearsals later, I gathered with this group of talented musicians for a fun night of music.

https://youtu.be/j0TN4R7XvoQ

This was technically a “sing-along” event, which means the lyrics were on a screen for each song. At the end of the performance, my girlfriend, Shannon, asked me about Lyin’ Eyes. After the events that led to my divorce, how could I not find that song triggering the trauma I experienced?

The truth of the matter: despite listening to that song dozens of times, I never actually listened to the lyrics.

This spurned a fascinating conversation about how I listen to music and how my approach changes when I’m enjoying songs and when I’m playing them. In the 30+ years I’ve been a musician, my listening is grounded in the rhythm of the song, starting with the drums and bass, growing an appreciation for the foundation of the song. At that point I then shift toward the melody, and finally, the lyrics. I often don’t develop an appreciation for song lyrics until I read a printed version of them. When I think of my favorite songs, it’s more common for me to scat a drum lick rather than sing the lyrics.

When I approach playing a cover of a song, I go a step further and try to break down the song structure. When playing rock, some basic rules apply to virtually every song:

  • There are basic rock grooves that repeat throughout the song
  • Songs usually follow an A,B,A,B,C, … structure (where A is the verse part, B is the chorus, C is the bridge)
  • Rock is usually based on multiples of 4

Based on those rules, I’ll chart out my cheat sheet of songs. Depending on how well I know the tune, my notes can be pretty vague. In the case of Lyin’ Eyes, I wrote the basic grove (which is a rim-knocks rock groove), the tempo (134 bpm), and then anything else I needed to note for the song (the structure, as the verse occurs twice).

When I’m playing the song, I am listening for specific musical queues that help me move into the next phase. In this case, I’m counting the lyrics in multiples of 4 and waiting for a guitar strum during the last measure to confirm the time I need to let my cymbals ring and move into the chorus groove.

Despite playing this song lots of times over the last month and listening to it dozens of times since I was a kid, I never actually listened to the words. After finally reading them, they hit me link a ton of bricks. It serves as a reminder that music (and art) can impact us in many different ways and resonate differently throughout our lives, as we allow our own stories to influence the art.

How do you listen to music?