[Little did we realize when we awoke on May 14 . . .]

[That the state would be setting record high temperatures that day, a mere couple days after lake ice-out!  Alex would hit 93 degrees – many places in southern Minnesota went over 100!  Once again, it’s time to consider that move to Pickle Lake.]

[After the requisite hour and a half jaunt around the track with the Fat Boys, it was off to the golf course.  It was starting to green up nicely as we played down No. 6 . . . and Lake Darling now greeted us with blue water instead of white ice.]

[Checking on the progress of No. 7 – the sprinklers are out, with the year in and year out anomaly of drought conditions minutes after the last flake of snow melts away.]

[The Minnesota green is starting to look like Minnesota – which, after all, is the idea.]

[And they’ve moved us back to the new, but similarly placed, No. 8 tee boxes.  So, this is Minnesota as viewed from Canada, back to its tee boxes up the hill.]

[Golf round completed, I decided I had not yet been sufficiently abused by the temperature and so it was off to . . .]

[Wake up, Tom!]

[Oh yeah, the one home track meet of the season.  By stopping to chat with my fellow Education Foundation ex-board member, I missed a school record tying high jump, 5’6″, by Briquelle Bowden, putting her in the top 5 in the state.]

[The temperature was now 93 and the winds were howling.  Card tracksters of the future hugged the fence for the beginning heat of the 100-meter hurdles, which would include Becca Illies of Cardinal hockey fame.]

[And they’re off – athletes from Sartell (blue) and Willmar (red) flanked a Cardinal in black.]

[Apologies, I do not know our Cardinal.]

[As the inner lanes come into view, we spot Ms. Illies for the first time (in black, on the left).]

[Becca appears to have an early lead.]

[. . . and down the track they speed.]

[Our Cardinals are in the hunt.]

[A closer-upper.]

[. . . down to the wire.]

[It’s gonna be close!]

[Becca hit a hurdle late and finished 2nd, but with a PR.  I learned all this in a bit as I sauntered down to the stands where I joined hockey parents Illies and Herd for the rest of the festivities.]

[And now from the other end of the track I caught the next 100-meter hurdle heat with Jaylen Rodel-Olson, of Cardinal basketball fame.]

[I once noted that Jaylen, as a roundballer, had good hops.  I guess it was natural fit then that in track she would jump over things.]

[Looks like her and the Sabre.]

[Yup, a dead heat here.]

[Willmar’s making a move on the inside.]

[Looks like a battle of the Cardinals.]

[At this point Jaylen was experiencing “visibility” issues as a result of the strong tailing wind and finished 2nd (as I recall).]

[I believe this was either the 400 or 800.  The Sabre in the lead was impressive in other races as well.]

[Effort!]

[Highlighting one of our Cardinals.  This was a meet where many of our athletes competed in events other than their specialties.  Both for fun, experience, cross-training, and speed work – OK, that’s twice as many as “both.”]

[Here’s Becca on the lead-off leg of the 4 x 200.  Did I mention I used up about half my “film” just on the two heats of the 300-meter hurdles?  Well, I tend to focus on the athletes I know from other sports.  And that’s why there are no boys in this report – besides, it’s mainly about just giving the ladies their due.]

[Staggered lanes around the turn.]

[Coming down the back stretch, Becca’s closing.]

[Really stretching it out now.]

[Closing in on the relay part.]

[I think we had a little problem on the pass . . .]

[Need help re our Cardinal here?]

[Another relay race.  It seems I should know our Cardinal here, but then I didn’t know the Aral Sea had dried up either!]

[Madi Urman, senior sprinter.  This is her gig – I don’t know her from other sports, but she’s been pretty good at this for a while.]

[Some people just look their part – Madi looks like a sprinter.]

[Another relay and Ms. Illies is entering the traffic jam that is the baton pass.]

[Go, Becca!]

[And we have to admit to helping “raise” Shanee’ Herd from a pup.  Varsity hockey player for 6 years, almost as long in volleyball.  She’ll be matriculating to that little school in St. Paul . . . that one across the street from Cecil’s.  😉 ]

[Shanee’ was having knee issues but gave it a shot in a couple races.]

[Senior middle distance runner Julia Sieling.]

[. . . finishing kick.]

[Noted for making her grandparents, Carol and Dave Dittberner, internationally famous.]

[Karly Betterman, of Cardinal basketball fame, leading the pack of 3 on the right in the 300-meter hurdles.]

[Shanee’ was also in that race.]

[And around the bend they come . . .]

[Go, Karly!]

[Go, Shanee’!  But she was struggling at this point.  I left after this race because the supervisor and I had a date with Uncle Willie’s Gut Bucket Blues Band at SAWA.]

Just Strummin’ With:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hi8svtKFH2g

“Harvest Moon”:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3hkGTRfHhs

Softball soon to be published . . .