About Us
Our Mission
Summit Sports League (SSL) is an inclusive non-profit organization focused on building a welcoming and socially rewarding atmosphere for all, no matter orientation, gender identity, or athleticism. Our mission is to grow and empower each other through recreational sports and social opportunities, bettering the greater Denver community in which we are a part of.
Meet our board of directors
President: Dusty Jones
A Colorado native, Dusty (he/him/his) loves all things Colorado: being a type A personality, finding the best green chili and telling people he's a Colorado native. When he's not mixing cocktails or playing with his wild Corgis, you can find him on the dodgeball court, where he's been involved with multiple kickball and dodgeball leagues since 2009. "When I lit the closet on fire and kicked the doors out, my dodgeball team was a crucial set of people who accepted me for who I am." After running several small businesses, he feels right at home on the board of this exciting new 501c3.
Vice President & Dodgeball League Commissioner: Eli Rutherford
Eli (he/him/his) has lived in Colorado since 2019 and has an extensive history of participating in various sports and sports leagues across the country, as well as community empowerment and improvement initiatives. Eli currently represents Denver as a player on the USA Dodgeball team “Summit”, works as a Director of Customer Experience in big tech, and is pursuing his entrepreneurial passion of sustainable furniture refurbishing and sourcing.
Secretary: Andrew David
Andrew (he/him/his) moved to Denver in 2022 and dived right into Summit, playing both kickball and dodgeball. While he enjoys the competitive nature that comes with playing sports, he mostly enjoys the camaraderie that is fostered while playing, therefore he is committed to creating a welcoming and warm environment for all to enjoy. Outside of sports Andrew, aka Dr. Walton, is a professor at MSU Denver teaching the next generation of future teachers.
Treasurer: John Michael Watkins
John Michael Watkins (he/him/his) is a nonprofit accountant and a longtime supporter of community advocacy. Since starting his professional career with political organizing on LGBTQ campaigns, John Michael has remained dedicated to fostering inclusivity and creating welcoming spaces.
Director of Fundraising: Gaelen McCartney
Gaelen (they/them) moved to Denver in 2021 and immediately jumped into the LGBTQ+ sports scene. For work, they lead a LGBTQ+ Employee Resource Group at a nationwide children’s charity. In this role, Gaelen takes pride in creating a space that fosters inclusion and belonging for their fellow coworkers. They have been playing dodgeball and other sports for 5+ years, and look forward to continue developing community, building relationships, and having fun!
Director of Community: Arturo Lomeli
A born entertainer, Arturo Lomeli (he/him/his) has brought smiles, laughter and performances to many of us over the years. He is excited to get our members out building community when we aren't playing sports in our leagues. You can usually find Arturo with a clack fan and a mic, performing at a local karaoke pub. He enjoys all of the arts and entertainment our region has to offer and if you ask nicely, he'll probably have an extra seat around or near him.
Director of Marketing: Justin Wutzke
Justin Wutzke (he/him/his) is the Owner/Creative Director of WutzPossible—a remote creative services company. He moved to Denver at the end of 2018 and joined dodgeball back in 2021 as we were coming out of the pandemic. When Justin isn't involved in building community through Summit or his leadership roles in Junior Chamber International, he's spending time with friends and his French Bulldog, Gary, out and about in the Rockies.
Kickball League Commissioner: Erick Huerta
Erick (he/him/his) has lived in Colorado since 2016 and has been playing and a captain of a kickball team here in Denver since 2017 . Erick has taken his team to 3 national kickball tournaments and placed 3rd in one of them. He is a 2nd grade teacher and loves to teach. Being a coach/leader comes natural to him. He has a gift of sharing his laughter and joy with everyone around him. He loves his community and looks forward to making new friends.
Bouldering League Commissioner: Brian Troutner
Troutner (he/him/his) is an aerospace engineer by day, activity enthusiast by night. He began his climbing journey in 2010 and fell in love with iconic destinations such as Joshua Tree, Tuolumne Meadows (Yosemite) and Red Rocks (Vegas, not Colorado). While leading trad is his jam (pun intended), creating communities and helping others find where they belong is his passion. Off the walls, you'll find him as the owner of Mile High Shootout LLC—running nationally attended, biannual dodgeball tournaments. He's stoked to get our climbing league off the ground (lol)!
