Colorado Springs, July 14-------Among the thousands of Colorado athletes competing in the 2010 Rocky Mountain State Games this summer, none of them knows more about the Road To Colorado Springs than Glenwood High’s talented track and field sprinter Allison Brown.

The 16-year-old Glenwood High junior won three medals (two gold, one bronze) in last summer’s State Games of America and three more medals in the 2006 Rocky Mountain State Games in Colorado Springs.

She’s entered in the 100, 200 and 400 meters in the Rocky Mountain State Games track and field events, scheduled for Lewis-Palmer High School’s venue on Saturday, July 31, after helping her Glenwood Girls 4X400-meter relay team to a Colorado state title this spring.

Last summer, on the same track at Lewis-Palmer, she won the State Games of America 200 and 400 meters in her age group and took home a silver medal in the 100 meters behind winner Mikala Gordon of Pueblo.

Back again as well is Manitou Springs discus star Whitney Frase, the 2009 Colorado 3A prep champion and 2009 State Games of America silver medalist. She now attends Northern Colorado and tossed the discus 37.98 meters (124.6 feet) for her personal best.

Pole vaulter Chandler Marshall will compete on her home track at Lewis-Palmer High after finishing fourth in the 2010 Colorado Girls 4A state championships with a vault of 10-6. Marshall cleared the same height last summer in taking home a silver medal in the State Games of America behind winner Meredith Driskell of Buda, Texas.

Brittany Schommer of Douglas (WY) High, is coming to Colorado Springs along with her brothers, Ethan (13) and Wyatt (10) for the Games. She is a sophomore track and field athlete who finished fifth in the 200 meters at the state 3A championships this spring and third in the long jump. Her brothers will compete in Wrestling at the Games.

Colorado athletes from more than 120 towns and cities will make their way to Colorado Springs to compete in 35 sports at 23 venues across the city during the Games, and with one event, cycling, taking place in Salida. Wyoming athletes have been extended invitations as well for this year’s event, since the state no longer conducts the Cowboy State Games.

Registration for athletes of all ages and skill levels is open at www.coloradospringssports.org

Singing star, television host and American Idol performer Kimberly Caldwell will headline a sensational evening of entertainment for the Opening Ceremony of the 2010 State Games of America on July 30 at the Colorado Springs World Arena at 7:00 p.m.

Her long-anticipated debut album, “Without Regret,”  is due to be released on July 27, just ahead of her Rocky Mountain State Games Opening ceremony performance. The rock/pop star will be performing with the help of AT&T, and 2,000 tickets to the event will be donated to the area’s military families by the performer and AT&T.

See more about the Opening Ceremony headliner at:  http://www.kimberlycaldwell.com/

Tickets: priced at $7.00 for adults, $5.00 for seniors and youth, available at www.ticketswest.com or by calling (719) 576-2626. Tickets will also be available at the World Arena box offices.

Also performing for the athletes and fans at the Opening ceremony will be ACRODUNK, the acrobatic, Extreme slam-dunk performance team that took its sensational showing on NBC’s America’s Got Talent  to stardom, and performances at NBA and college basketball halftime shows , thirteen appearances during the NBA All-Star Game festivities, and performances in a dozen nations.

The members of ACRODUNK jump off mini trampolines and perform acrobatic stunts before dunking the basketball. Intricate passes are also performed where the members of the squad pass the basketball off the glass, off the ground or through the air prior to the last performer dunking the basketball.

The Opening Ceremony will include the parade of athletes, videos and the Official Torch Ceremony, which concludes with the lighting of the cauldron by 2010 Olympic Bobsled Gold medalist Steve Holcomb of Colorado Springs, who piloted his “Night Train” sled to a USA triumph in Vancouver.