Gopher Coaches Caravan

May 24

I believe this is the “something-somethingth” annual Golden Gopher Coaches Caravan, junkets to geographical parts of the state where the tallest structures are grain elevators, to sell the local denizens on the joys and pride in supporting the state’s flagship university.  Kudos to the members of the University of Minnesota Alumni Association West Central Chapter (OK, UMAA) who set up and coordinated this event:  Kevin Mahoney, and the dynamic father and son team of Dave and Marty Schultz.  Marty, such as your cub reporter, had the good sense to get a geography degree from the ‘U’!

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[Prepping for the onslaught – 250 fans and guests were expected, and I believe we got there.  Thanks to the Legacy of the Lakes Museum for hosting the event.  Ski-U-Mah!]

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[The Super and I arrived a bit early to stake out a claim to an upfront table.  This one seemed fine.]

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[Entertainment was provided by past Alexandria wunderkinds, Jack Anderson (yes, son of the Regent) on sax and Adam Aastrup on guitar.]

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[Fan arrival frenzy begins . . . ]

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[Movies of epic proportion were shown here . . . ]

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[The aforementioned Kevin Mahoney (maroon Gopher shirt) offers greetings . . . ]

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[A bite to drink and heavy hors d’oeuvres (yes, I still have to look it up every time) to sip thanks to Raaper’s.]

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[Beginning to look like a full house – I  believe we set up 60 tables and 360 chairs.]

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[And here’s Marty . . . ]

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[And here’s Marty’s reaction to the bill, knowing our UMAA chapter had about $5.82 in the bank.]

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[Goldy makes his entrance – father Dave on the far right keeps an eye on him!]

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[Her Honor, Alexandria mayor Sara Carlson, welcomed the ‘U’ to Alex.  She left shortly after I advised her the Super and I would be moving into her jurisdiction at the end of next month.]

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[Goldy performed the spin-his-head trick.  He (she?) is a 3-time national champion mascot.]

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[The U’s athletic director, Mark Coyle, led off the activities . . . ]

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[Acknowledging recent Alexandria contributions to the U: Regent Tom Anderson and cross country runners, Bethany and Megan Hasz . . . ]

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[Then the gentleman at the head of our table . . . ]

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[He thinks he’ll have his most talented team this year . . . ]

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[And he recruited 3 Minnesota kids this year, hoping it would keep the locals off his back – a little tongue in cheek there.]

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[Bob Motzko was hired this year as the men’s hockey coach (from St. Cloud State) . . . ]

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[This is good as the Gopher should reclaim their spot at the top of the sport, as their geography mandates . . . ]

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[Motzko said he felt like a real celebrity for about one week – then the U hired Lindsay Whalen!]

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[Rowing coach Wendy Davis . . . ]

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[She built the program from scratch, and as I recall . . . ]

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[She would walk the campus and any co-ed she saw taller than 5’10”, she’d try to recruit her on the spot.]

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[Gopher associate head swimming coach, Terry Ganley . . . ]

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[She helped lead the Gopher women to five Big Ten titles (2008, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015). And “the swimming and diving team became the first Minnesota women’s program to capture four consecutive conference championships” (gophersports.com).

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[P. J. Fleck, football coach . . . ]

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[After watching him, you get the idea that the J. may stand for Jumping Jack Flash!]

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[The guy is enthusiastic and touting the best Gopher recruiting class since people started rating such things . . . ]

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[Mike Grimm, Gopher broadcaster, emceed the event.  Here he asked for a show of hands of anyone who wanted to meet Lindsay Whalen . . . ]

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[Actually, a photo op for his Twitter account (whatever that is?)]

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[It was bound to happen.  They were seated next to each other!  Hoosier meets Gopher. This is oft the equivalent of matter meeting anti-matter!]

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[All three photos were good of both of them.  I was incapable of making a decision on one.  So, here are all three.]

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[It was hot inside, and we were inside because of possible storms.  It just stayed hot and sunny.  But I stayed to help the crack clean-up crew round up all the tables and chairs.  A good time was had by all.]

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I heard Tonya Harding is calling herself the Charles Barkley of figure skating. I was going to sue her for defamation of character, but then I realized I have no character.  ~ Charles Barkley

Up Next:  Someplace far, far away . . .

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Alumni in Cars Getting Lunches

At the request of absolutely nobody, I have decided to blog the two years (so far) of the Boys of ’65 luncheon dates.  The idea for monthly lunches sprang from the fertile mind of Little Mayo who decided it would be neat to drive up from Burnsville to have lunch with Bradley and me, and Dr. Kiehne whenever he was in town from Texas.  The idea was also to visit a multitude of fine dining facilities within (so far) a 30-mile radius Alex.  Why?  Because we’re retired with a degree of disposable income.  And Mayo went to the trouble of creating the following Power Point reflecting activities to date.

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[The Protagonists.  A four person bromance that goes all the way back to the time we began hanging out with each other.  And as you’ll recall from those early years, such relationships seldom extended beyond four people because that would involve algorithms beyond modern computing capacities.]

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[Back in the day . . . ]

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1) Lakeside Ballroom, Glenwood

[I’m not sure of the date, but it just involved Brad and Mayo the first time out.  That may have been the day I caught my cumberbund on a low hanging branch which snapped it up around my neck, momentarily causing me to pass out, and then awaken to visions of crazed Norwegians trying to smother me in blankets of lefse.]

2) Etnier’s, Ashby]

JUNE 20, 2016

[The Boys of the Summer of ’65, with Tom’s dad, Merill. Many thanks to Helen and John for hosting a lovely afternoon on Ashby’s Pelican Lake!]

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3) Tutti Frutti, Sauk Centre

JULY 26, 2016

[Greg “Little Mayo” Johnson was coming up from Burnsville, and Bradley Arland Anderson and I were coming from Alex, so we decided to meet half way – Sauk Centre. OK, so it isn’t exactly half way but Brad and I had a 2-on-1 numbers advantage. We ate at the heretofore unknown Tutti Frutti where “Mayo” and I had the commercial (just because if you eat the whole thing you don’t have to eat again for 2 years, kinda like a snake – I couldn’t finish, but then I was looking forward to dinner) and Brad had a burger. When the ladies meet for mini-reunions in the Cities, they call themselves The Wallweeds. So, we needed a name. At first I thought our old high school nickname, The Stud Muffins, would be a good one – then someone pointed out we were actually only The Muffins. So, we opted closer to the precedent with The Tumbleweeds, reflecting our abilities to take a real tumble whenever we trip.]

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4) La Ferme, Alexandria

AUGUST 2, 2016

[The Boys of the Class of ’65 fine lunched at La Ferme today. Soliciting ideas for future such monthly events – anywhere within the 5-county area . . . and beyond?]

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5) Herby’s, Carlos

SEPTEMBER 19, 2016

[The Boys of ’65 monthly lunch took place today at Herby’s in Carlos. Mayo proclaimed the broasted chicken the best he has ever had! Mary Franson was our server.]

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6) Water’s Edge, Starbuck

OCTOBER 12, 2016

[Where were the boys this month? Buoyed by the appearance of Professor Doctor Colonel Kiehne all the way from Texas, at Water’s Edge in Starbuck! We are taking suggestions for the locale of future lunches, though it is unlikely Professor Tom will be able to make most of them.]

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[Throngs of coots appeared on the Lake Minnewaska waterscape . . . ]

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7) O-Town Tavern, Osakis

NOVEMBER 17, 2016

[The Boys of ’65 monthly luncheon date. Today, the O-Town Tavern in Osakis. Good burgers, and a 3 1/2 hour use of our table. As they say, we remembered a lot of stuff that probably never happened. Oh, and it looks like the ’21-22 Silverstreaks had a bit of trouble with our Cardinals!]

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8) Knotty Pine, Brandon

DECEMBER 12, 2016

[This month the Boys of ’65 took their repast at the Knotty Pine Grill in Brandon. And a Merry Christmas to all!] 

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[Present from Mayo to the boys . . . ]

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9) Muddy Boot, Forada

[This was another Bradley and Mayo only.  I believe the Super and I may have been cruising the South Pacific.]

10) Leaf Valley Mercantile, Leaf Valley

FEBRUARY 20, 2017

[This month the Boys of ’65 had our fine dining experience at the Mercantile in Leaf Valley. Little Mayo is holding the program from Butch Krebs’s funeral in Hutchinson. Many discussions about Brad, Greg, and Butch growing up in the same neighborhood. Oh, we shared the Merc with several members of the class of ’63 – they seemed to be quite a bit older than us! Oh (again), and thanks to Anthony Miltich for performing live music for us (OK, I made up that last part – I believe it’s called “fake news” or “alternative facts”).]

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11)  Hatchery, Lowry

APRIL 17, 2017

[The Boys of ’65 visited the Hatchery in Lowry today for our monthly confab. We were two today but hope to have Brad back next month. Can you count the bird swarm around the watertower? And would you know which restroom to use?]

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12) Sidewalks, West Union

MAY 1 2017

[Undeterred by the May Day blizzard, the Boys of ’65 met at Sidewalks in West Union for this month’s fine dining event. Brad was able to join us again – we’re hoping to keep him out of the hospital for a while. Being old is no excuse!!]

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13) Boulder Tap House, Alexandria

JUNE 19, 2017

[I have no evidence that this event ever took place.  Of course, it may have been just the two other guys.  I may have had an appointment for a dye job and permanent?]

* Lakeside Ballroom, Glenwood (See No. 1)

JUNE 19, 2017

[The Boys of ’65 had a full contingent today. Dr. Kiehne was in town from Texas for Father’s Day (his brother Jerry also came and met with the class of ’63). We dined at the ginormous Lakeside Ballroom in Glenwood and then went touristing – to the Lake Minnewaska overlook, to Minnewaska Golf Club, and to Minnewaska High School (proudly educating kids from Glenwood and Starbuck since 1991). You may rest assured that in our hours of discussions this afternoon we solved all the world’s problems.]

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14) Hatchery, Lowry

JULY 10, 2017

[The Boys of ’65 went to the Hatchery in Lowry today (yes, it’s a repeat because Brad couldn’t make it the first time). I forgot to get an outside photo (just like I forgot to get any photos at the reunion lunch, was it last week?). Our server remembered us (who knew Mayo and I would be so memorable, it was months ago?). Mayo and I had the special, burger, homemade potato salad, and beans – Brad had a burger and onion rings. Mayo pronounced his burger the best ever, I loved the potato salad. Notice Brad is looking pretty good – nice tan, lost a little weight, and is now walking 4 blocks daily (a big improvement!). We had fun with our server again – she demanded we do a little signature graffiti in the place and take a photo of their specials sign for advertising.

AND NOW FOR THE REST OF THE STORY . . .
Our server is from Alex, so we asked her which route she takes home. She said 28. She said it’s curvy but the shortest route. Not being a denizen of Pope County, I’d never heard of 28 – but what the heck, we took it. To say it was curvey would be an understatement – most Formula 1 tracks would be straighter! After dizzying our way for quite a while, we didn’t seem to be coming upon any familiar sights. Finally we saw a small sign pointing left for Alex – it was 27, another county road. Again, drive drive drive, no clue where we were. Finally Brad pulled out his phone, checked GPS, and said we were heading toward 82. I said what? I was going to drop Brad at WalMart on the way home, which would have been no problem if I had taken the 55 to 29 route right from the beginning. HItting 82 between Alex and Nelson meant we were off by, and overshot by, about 10 miles! Now we would have to go back through Alex to get to WalMart. Aha, but how ’bout if I take East Victoria Road to Hazel Hill Road, I would miss all the big city traffic. So we did . . . until we came to a Road Closed to Thru Traffic. Oy! So, I turned right and in about a mile or so discovered we were on a deadend road. Turn back, go down the No Traffic road to see what it tells us. Hit a point where we could only turn right – it was Hazel Hill! Woop-woop! But then I forgot they were building a roundabout at Hazel Hill and McKay – road closed! Only option was to turn right on Rosewood Lane, drive all the way back to 7th Street in town, and take the route we were trying to avoid in the first place. By now my back teeth are floating. Brad decided he was too tired to shop, so I dropped him at his home, and sped to my home (just in the nick of time). All-in-all, we covered the 18 miles between Lowry and Alex in about an hour.]

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15) State Street Cafe

AUGUST 17, 2017

[Yesterday the Boys of ’65 fine dined at the State Street Cafe in Garfield. But I committed a major cub reporter faux pas – my camera battery was dead! So this is a photo from the archives of a previous visit there by the Boys. I can report that Bradley has dropped 25 lbs., has walked up to a mile and a half, and plans on doing marathons before our next reunion!

p.s. I can also report that I fine dined with the HQ and 3 of her grandchildren at Bug-A-Boo the previous day though there is no photographic evidence of such.

This just in from the backup photojournalist at yesterday’s lunch. Li’l Mayo had his cell phone photos Amazon-droned to the editor-in-chief for publication. In all the hubbub, we forgot the exterior shot. Thanks to our server, who took the group photo – she thought, rightfully, that we were a bunch of loony old men.]

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16) Backroads Steakhouse, Evansville

SEPTEMBER 14, 2017

[This month the Boys of ’65 wined and dined (coked and burgered?) at the Backroads Steakhouse in Evansville. Litte Mayo got the 2/3 lb. burger, so we had to put more air in the tires to get home (OK, to be fair, he only consumed half the thing)!]

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17) Garden Bar, Alexandria

OCTOBER 17, 2017

[Little Mayo and I were a duet yesterday for our monthly fine dining and scrapbooking congregation. We stayed in town for my new/old stomping ground, the Garden Bar on 6th, nee Sixth Avenue Wine & Ale. Bradley was on injured reserve and couldn’t join us – we’re hoping he obtains medical clearance in time for next month’s shenanigans.]

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18) Corral Saloon & Eatery, Nelson

NOVEMBER 23, 2017

[The Boys of ’65 were all together again today for lunch at the Corral in Nelson, site of our 40th class reunion. We were joined by Tom’s dad, Merill, a day after his 96th birthday, and the Super. We turned Little Mayo loose early for his drive back to the Cities . . . we’re under a winter weather advisory, our 4th snow since October 25, but the first that will involve a measurable amount! Hang in there everybody, and celebrate with Josie at the winery tomorrow afternoon and with the Salty Dogs at the Garden Bar tomorrow night!]

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19) Melby Outpost, Melby

DECEMBER 17, 2017

[The usual photographer let his camera battery lapse. Little Mayo stepped in in relief with his smart phone. The Boys of ’65 attended the Melby Outpost yesterday. Mayo drove up from Burnsville despite icy conditions in the cities; the drive from Alex to Melby and back took place during a beautiful light snowfall. In light of recent goings-on, everywhere, the discussion of the day is pretty much represented in “photo 3.”
p.s. If you follow my blog, you will note that I’m still wearing the same cap and coat that I wore for the header photo of the blog – taken 16 years ago! The houses in the background have changed significantly more over that same time frame than has my attire!]

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20) Palmer House, Sauk Centre

FEBRUARY 6, 2018

[The Boys of ’65 cut up at the Palmer House in Sauk Centre yesterday. The building dates to 1902, making it slightly older than most of our classmates. Despite our best efforts, we were unable to locate any ghosts this time. I made a new friend who laughed at all my jokes. The Sinclair Lewis mural on the back wall is a relatively recent addition. It was a beautiful bright and sunshiny day, but the temperature was about 400 degrees below zero . . . ]

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21) Gingerbread House, Glenwood

MARCH 12, 2018

[Today the Boys of ’65 monthly glue sniffing involved luging down the hill (why yes, my ears did pop on the way back up) to Glenwood for fine dining at the Ginger Bread House Cafe. We left when rumors began floating that we were about to be picked up for vagrancy . . . ]

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22) Cozy Cup Cafe, Parkers Prairie

APRIL 16, 2019

[Where the excitement never ends . . . This month the Boys of ’65 piled into the Mayomobile, past a still frozen Lake Le Homme Dieu, for a gastronomic adventure to the Cozy Cup in Parkers Prairie. At no time were we escorted from the facilities in handcuffs! Next month: The Rose City Bar & Grill.]

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23) Rose City Bar & Grill, Rose City

MAY 14, 2018

[The Boys of ’65 trundled all the way to the Rose City Bar & Grill today. Not even Rand McNally was aware that it’s a half hour drive from Alex, yet still in Douglas County? We had to use my talking smart phone to find our way there! It was a lovely place, doing well since it’s opening under new ownership just this year. We enjoyed our meal and our usual repartee with our server, who labeled us the best customers ever! Little Mayo also architected (is that a verb?) this lovely power point presentation of all the eateries we have visited over the last 2 years. Professor Doctor Colonel Kiehne arrives for a few days in the June, so we should have 4 at the next get together. (The 1st photo is the throbbing main intersection in Rose City.)]

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The most remarkable thing about my mother is that for thirty years she served the family nothing but leftovers. The original meal has never been found.  ~  Calvin Trillin

UP Next:  Cripes, we’re packing to move!

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Softball and Theatre L’Homme Dieu

May 5 (Cinco de Mayo)

[PLAY BALL: Finally, weather worthy of the season.  A rare Saturday session – Eden Valley – Watkins and Jamestown, ND, came to town for a round robin.  This was not previously on the schedule.  I think the teams did some late scheduling just to get some games in – the weather being totally prohibitive until now.]

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[I guess we’re at the right place?]

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[Cardinal pitcher Ally Albers warms-up . . . ]

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[You know the old saying:  You can’t tell the players without a scorecard?  Well, that applies here.  Due to the circumstances, there was no “paperwork” for these games.  I don’t remember a lot of the players.  I’ll try my best.]

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[And so the game begins . . . ]

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[Jamie Lanoue is catching for the Cards . . . ]

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[Looks like a slider?]

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[This is 2nd baseman Allison O’Kane’s 3rd year as lead-off hitter . . . ]

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[This may be Kendra Hardy, but don’t quote me on that . . . ]

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[And this may be centerfielder Calley Richardson’s 3rd year as clean-up hitter . . . ]

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[Here I managed to capture the essence of the sport. Calley hit a towering Harmon Killebrew-esque pop up right over home plate. Planes landing at Chandler Field had to take evasive manuveurs. The catcher and ump immediately looked straight up – the ump continuing to do so for the next several minutes. The catcher, a mere wisp of a player, was very good and made the catch.]

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[The Eagle’s catcher shows her agility here . . . ]

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[Not sure who our hitter is here?]

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[I believe this is Lindsey Knoll . . . ]

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[The Cards looked really ragged from lack of play.  Bradley and I left after 5 innings as other events were calling.  We lost 8 – 2, the score when we left.]

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Bevrijdingsdag  (May 5th is also Liberation Day for The Netherlands)

[The next event was Run for the Roses, the annual fundraiser for Theatre L’Homme Dieu held in conjunction with the Kentucky Derby. The Alexandria Golf Club hosted this year.]

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[The Super pulls the VW convertible into the club on a beautiful day . . . ]

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[You’ll notice a bluish tinge to the first 10-12 pictures or so.  That’s because I had my camera on the wrong setting.  I tried to correct it in the “processing,” but this is the best I could do.  And that’s why I’m “The Cub Reporter,” not a real reporter!]

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[Hey, let’s sit outside!]

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[The Echo Press was on hand to cover such as the appropriate and matching attire of Amy and David Sunderland . . . ]

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[And the Echo photo . . . ]

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[Let’s PAR-TAY!!]

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[The Boy Tenor gives a raised-armed greeting . . . ]

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[And is then joined by his guitar player . . . ]

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[Ahhhh, hard to beat a nice day at the club . . . ]

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[Oh, there are people inside too . . . ]

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[The Derby is getting ready to start . . . ]

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[Here’s the theatre’s fearless leader, Nicole Mulder, with two close relatives . . . ]

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[The excitement rises . . . ]

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[Our music mates, Dave and Karin Berg, share a word with Nicole . . . ]

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[The name of the horse the Super and I drew in the blind draw never appeared on the screen during the race?  Uffda!!]

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[The Super won a bottle of Carlos Creek’s Reserve Marquette for either the best Run for the Roses attire, or voted most likely to have been a jockey, I forget which . . . ]

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[Dave won his bottle of Reserve Marquette for being the best golfer at our table . . . ]

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[I’m taking my bottle of wine and going home . . . ]

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[And here are this year’s program billboards . . . ]

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[And I’m taking my bottle of wine home!]

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And here is the theatre’s 2018 season.  Come join us – thanks to Nicole, it’s gonna be great!!

https://www.tlhd.org/march-2-2018-season-at-a-glance/


The length of a film should be directly related to the endurance of the human bladder.  ~
 Alfred Hitchcock

Up Next:  We’ll find out together.

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Finally Spring, Finally Track

April 20

To the best of my recollections, this was the first outdoor event of the spring season. This meet was originally scheduled to take place in Sartell.  Sartell is southeast of Alex. It still had too much snow. We hosted the three other track powers of our conference: Brainerd, Sartell, and Willmar. And it was “Weakie’s” first ever event at the new high school. He proclaimed it a beautiful day for track – sunny and in the mid-50’s. 

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[ANATOMY OF THE TRIPLE JUMP:  This is Kaye Paschka. You may recognize Kaye as the point guard for our state tournament basketball team. This was a practice jump. She went on to win the triple jump . . . and the 110-meter hurdles.]

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[As a last minute replacement site, the event was a walk-in.  And as they say, you can’t tell the players without a scorecard.  I only know some of the athletes if I recognize them from other sports.  Here is another Cardinal triple jumper.]

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[And here’s “Weakie.”  Based on daily associations at the ‘Y,’ he was particularly interested in seeing the boys 100-meter dash and the girls shot put . . . ]

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[So here we are checking out the shot put arena.]

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[Cardinal long jumpers warming up . . . ]

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[And “Weakie” found a place in the sun to watch.]

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[The timing judge in the red jacket is better known as the father of the top two 5000-meter runners in Golden Gopher history . . . ]

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[They were hand timing because frost had temporarily disabled the electronic timing system (as I understand it).]

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[And here comes the first heat of the girls 100-meter dash . . . ]

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[We had three black clad Cardinals in this heat . . . ]

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[They all appear to be doing well here . . . ]

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[And to the finish, it appears that Willmar (“W”)  won, but we may have had 2, 3, 4?]

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[And here comes heat 2, then heat 3 of the girls 100-meter.  I think there were five heats in all – and I think we had 3 runners in each of those heats.  So, I naturally thought we must be really good in relays.  In fact, we did win the 4 x 100 quite handily, and were 2nd in the 4 x 200 – and if there were ever a 15 x 100, we’d lap the field!]

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[Individually, we placed 2nd, 3rd, and 5th in the 100m; 2nd, 4th, and 5th in the 200m.  All the results are at the end of this missive.]

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[“Weakie” had a box seat at the finish line . . . ]

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[And next up was the boys 100-meter . . . ]

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[Nathan Lusty (l) and Drew Olson (r) are running for the Cards . . . ]

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[We were interested in seeing Drew because his folks work out at the ‘Y’ at the same time we do – well, they work out, we amble.]

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[Drew and Nathan would place 1st and 3rd in the finals.  In a subsequent meet, Drew would tie the Cardinal all-time record at 10.94.]

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[Discuss . . . ]

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[I do not know this competitor . . . ]

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[Looked like a good throw . . . ]

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[Mya Lesnar I know from volleyball.  As I recall she went to state in the shot last year . . ]

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[And McKenzie Duwenhoegger, from both volleyball and our center on the basketball team.  She and Mya will make a run at state in both discuss and shot put . . . ]

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[ANATOMY OF THE SHOT PUT: This is Bryce Ludwig. You may recognize Bryce as the tight end on the football team or the power forward on the basketball team. These were his last two throws in the meet – 52’+ and 53’+ – to win the event.]

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[In a subsequent meet, Bryce set a PR of 55’11”.  He’ll make state and be competitive there.]

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[A relay of unknown quantity . . . ]

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[Prepping for the long jump . . . ]

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[Back at the shot put pits.  As it went on, they could only use one of the three pits because of mud (on the right).  That delayed the girls competition . . . ]

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[The school as backdrop . . . ]

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[The girls 1,600m is underway . . . ]

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[The Cardinal in 5th place here is 8th grader Aleah Miller (as I later discovered from the results).  The 4-pack of Cardinals behind her hung together the whole race . . . ]

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[Aleah . . . ]

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[Still hanging in there at 4th . . . ]

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[And the 4-pack . . . ]

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[Aleah put on a tremendous kick on the last lap – you can see her almost tied for the lead between the guys 2 – 3 (from the left) of the 5 guys in black warm-ups . . . ]

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[Now they’re right behind red hoodie . . . ]

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[Between the 2 blue hoodies, to a very close 2nd-place finish.  As an 8th grader, her whole future, as they say, is ahead of her . . . ]

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[This is Nolan Christenson with the early lead in the 1,600m . . . ]

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[He’s a bit behind now in I believe the last lap . . . ]

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[But he had a terrific kick the final 220 meters and won handily with a PR.]

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[And this has every appearance of being the 4 x 100 . . . ]

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[And if I’m reading the result right, this is Anna Doherty on lead-off . . . ]

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[Passing to Erika Roderick . . . ]

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[And ultimately to Kaye Paschka who crossed the finish line with a substantial margin.]

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[And here we have Drew Olson anchoring the Cardinals 4 x 100 relay team . . . ]

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[There he is!  And was in 3rd place when he got the baton and really closed ground . . . ]

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[He was really pumped that he pulled it out.]

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[We hoped to also see the girl putters (last seen warming up on the infield) but it just got too late.  I had been in the great outdoors for 3 1/2 hours, and it was time to pick up the Super for an evening at the Andria for Nunsense.]

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[On the way out, I noticed this race featuring 5 Cardinals.  I don’t know what it was, but any race that includes a curve is more than I can fathom.]

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[All-in-all, it looks like we have two really competitive teams.]

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And for future reference, here are all the results – on loan from the Cardinal Connection :

GIRLS TRACK AND FIELD

Sabre Quad hosted at Alexandria – Alex Girls Track and Field Results

Team Scores: Willmar 113, Alexandria 108, Brainerd 29.5, Sartell 21.5

On Friday, April 20th the Alexandria Cards had the privilege of hosting the Sabre Quad, marking our first outdoor meet of the season! We walked away with 15 personal bests, 13 season bests, and A LOT of learning!  This is a young team still learning the techniques and strategies needed for each event, but they are equally competitive, hardworking, and coachable! We walked away with second place, behind Willmar, but we are not yet to the point where we are putting together our strongest line-ups, and we left many points out on the track.  I cannot wait to see how this team grows with each meet!

Top 5 Alexandria Athletes in each event (top 5 athletes earned points) include: 

·         100m Hurdles: Kaye Paschka (1st), Jacy Roste (4th)

·         100m Dash: Hannah Quitmeyer (2nd), Anna Doherty (3rd), Christina Drown (5th)

·         1600m: Aleah Miller (2nd)

·         400m: Addison Rodel (2nd), Erika Roderick (3rd)

·         300m Hurdles: Kaye Paschka (1st), Sierra Cory (2nd), Lexi Cole (5th)

·         800m: Bethany Miller (1st), Myah Kremer (3rd)

·         200m: Hannah Quitmeyer (2nd), Addison Rodel (4th), Christina Drown (5th).

·         High Jump: Taylor Partington (1st), Sierra Cory (3rd)

·         Pole Vault: Jacy Roste (2nd), Abby Forester (5th),  Sarah Rohr (5th)

·         Long Jump: Christina Drown (2nd), Erika Roderick (4th)

·         Triple Jump: Kaye Paschka (1st)

·         Discus: McKenzie Duwenhoegger (2nd), Mya Lesnar (3rd), Christina Palmer (4th)

·         Shot Put: McKenzie Duwenhoegger (3rd), Mya Lesnar (4th), Hailey Gill (5th)

Relays earning points include:

·         4x200m: Christina Drown, Micah Summer, Meg Schercliffe, Myah Kremer (2nd)

·         4x100m: Anna Doherty, Erika Roderick, Hannah Quitmeyer, Kaye Paschka (1st)

·         4x400m: Carly Wiirre, Aleah Miller, Caitlin Bright, Bethany Miller (2nd)

Athletes Earning Season bests include:  Aleah Miller (1600m), Addison Rodel (400m), Julia Brito (400m), Bobbi Galvin (400m), Greta Kremer (400m), Maddy Dahlseid (400m), Christina Drown (200m), Micah Summer (200m), Tausha Lange (200m), Taylor Partington (High Jump), Paige Melton (Shot Put), Meghan Moore (Shot Put), and Mallory Yanda (Shot Put).

Athletes Earning Personal Records include: Sierra Cory (100m Hurdles), Molly Panther (1600m), Lauren Russell (1600m), Stormy Hegg (1600m), Georgia Reemts (400m, 200m), Carmen Krueger (400m, 200m), Brooklyn Von Bank (400m), Kamryn Coauette (800m), Hannah Rinicker (200m), Christina Drown (Long Jump), Erika Roderick (Long Jump), Mya Lesnar (Discus), and Avery Granning (Shot Put).

BOYS TRACK AND FIELD

The Cardinal boys track and field team won their Quad against Brainerd, Sartell and Willmar on Friday night. The Cards used 30 personal bests and 7 first place finishes to edge out Brainerd; team scores were Alex 85, Brainerd 84, Willmar 69 and Sartell 33.

First places went to: Drew Olson 100m (11.33) and 200m (23.48, personal best), Nolan Christenson 1600m (4:43.3, personal best), Joshua Kietzmann triple jump (41-8.75, personal best), Bryce Ludwig shot put (53-5) and discus (166-00) and the 4x100m relay team (45.77) Nathan Lusty, Jared Schneider, Michael Empting and Drew Olson.

Second places: Dane Galloway 800m (2:15.79, personal best), Nolan Morical high Jump (5-6, personal best).

Third places: Nathan Lusty 100m (11.69), Wade Odland 400m (53.88), Preston Bowden 300H (42.83), Jackson Wichtendahl 800m (2:16.57), Keaton Gruber 3200m (9:55.61, personal best), Jamyson Wolkow shot put (46-00.5), 4×200 relay (1:36.29) Graham Peterson, Joshua Kietzmann, Nolan Morical and Wade Odland, 4×400 relay (3:46.49) Noah Struck, Keaton Gruber, Brain Denke and Jack Englund).

Fourth places: Daniel Jantzen 300H (43.65), Logan Runge 800m (2:16.75) Nathan Lusty 200m (24.03) and pole vault (10-6)

Fifth places: Preston Bowden 110H (16.44), Jared Schneider long jump (19-4) and triple jump (38-00)

Other big improvements went to: Adam Pohlen in the 110H and 300H, Brett Strandskov 100m and 200m, in the 1600m Jacob Kleven, Hayden Peterson, Brain Denke and Lance Jacobson,Christopher Krueger in the 400m, in the 800m Nathan Klimek and Peyton Fischer, in the 200m Nolan Morical, Malachi Hedstrom and Noah Huss, Nathan Schneiderhan in the pole vault, Paul Schwartz in the long jump, Gabe Moore and Alex Neale in the discus and in the shot put Gabe Moore, Preston Peterson, Brendin Houck, Parker Bomstad and Neko Glaser.

Run like hell and get the agony over with.  ~  Clarence DeMar

Up Next:  Depends on the weather (doesn’t everything?)

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