Aurora wins another powerlifting trophy in redistricting fight

The world's powerlifting championship is coming to Aurora next year. But this once scrawny suburb has been doing plenty of powerlifting of its own this year, muscling in on the turf of its big brother, Denver. Aurora's most recent trophy? Becoming part of just one congressional district, rather than two.

For decades, sprawling Aurora has been divided between counties -- Adams and Arapahoe -- as well as congressional districts. The Colorado Supreme Court's decision yesterday to uphold the redistricting map approved by Denver District Court doesn't do anything to put Aurora in one county, but it does place the city squarely in the sixth congressional district, currently represented by Republican Mike Coffman.

That's a powerful victory for Aurora and former mayor Ed Tauer, who took a chance intervening on his city's behalf in the redistricting case.

And that's in addition to other trophies that Aurora brought home this year, including the proposed Gaylord resort/hotel complex, the GE solar plant and, finally, the VA hospital breaking ground at the booming Fitzsimons complex.

As for the official powerlifting championship, Visit Aurora announced last month that it had secured the International Powerlifting Federation's 2012 World Masters Bench Press Championship which will be held at the Red Lion Hotel this spring. The booster group, which went to the Czech Republic to woo the event, is estimated to bring $3 million in restaurant and hotel business.

But Aurora's already collected the trophy.

Read our Top 6 Names for the Gaylord hotel in Aurora here.