Rocky Mountain Vibes to leave Colorado Springs
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - An owner of The Rocky Mountain Vibes confirmed to 13 Investigates that The Vibes are no longer going to operate in Colorado Springs.
D.G. Elmore said changes in the Pioneer League, recently and over the past few years, have made it unsustainable. He noted the closing of one team in Windsor and the moving of another team in Grand Junction.
The team in Windsor, the Northern Colorado Owlz, resigned earlier this year and was replaced by the Colorado Springs Sky Sox.
Elmore said his family first moved the Triple A team from Honolulu in 1988 to Colorado Springs. He says they have had a long history in the Springs, and they are very appreciative of the community and fan support.
The Vibes will not open anywhere next year, D.G. Elmore confirmed to 13 Investigates. He said at this point, there is nothing to fill the void for baseball fans in Colorado Springs.
Elmore tells 13 Investigates that they own the stadium, but at this time have no plans for its future.
Many fans shared devastation at the announcement. One man, Ian McClintock, grew up in Colorado Springs, going to ball games.
"The Sky Sox, that was really my first big introduction into sports," shared Ian McClintock. "We would sit behind home plate, heckle everybody like it was such a good time."
That's until the Sky Sox left, and McClintock was at a loss.
"Where in the world did we do wrong? Because every game that I went to, we were selling out," recounted McClintock.
He says it was a relief to get the Rocky Mountain Vibes, noting that this town craves sports. But when McClintock saw the team was having a garage sale, he felt a sense of worry.
"Is it a rebrand, which, honestly, I think a lot of fans were hoping for. Thinking, ok, the Sky Sox are back. Here are The Vibes, let's clean them out. Let's bring the Sky Sox back because that's what everybody was used to. And now we hear that we're not even getting a baseball team to replace The Vibes, that it's disturbing. It's heartbreaking. It just brings up a lot more questions than anything else," said McClintock.
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