[The Saturday after Christmas brought the first sighting of the sun since . . . well, it seemed like August 1933 . . .]
[That evening featured a return engagement to Alexandria by Sami Steidl, joining Cimarron at SAWA . . .]
[Sami was our first “discovered” local wunderkind, now all grown up and living in Colorado. 🙂 ]
[In the first shot, she’s masked by the microphone . . .]
[In the second, a little camera shy . . .]
[Finally. 😉 ]
[The place was packed despite what was simultaneously taking place at the high school . . ]
A video solo by Sami:
***
Meanwhile, over at the high school, a boys’ basketball game was taking place . . . with special appearances by the Minnesota Timberwolves mascot, Crunch, and his team of acrobatic dunkers – and in honor of the 25th anniversary of the Alexandria Aces, an attempt would be made for a world record for the most number of people simultaneously spinning a basketball for one minute!
[I left Fiddlin’ Sami (to return later) to check on events at the high school. Timed it perfectly, arriving with just a couple minutes left in the basketball game.]
[The joint was packed to the rafters, Evie had joined “The Voice” for the broadcast, and the Cardinals nicely dispatched Delano.]
[Then Crunch and his dunkers took to the floor.]
[And Crunch did the opening dunk.]
[Followed by the acrobatic dunkers.]
[Larry Novotny, founder and still CEO (?) of the Alexandria Aces, standing in the green t-shirt behind “The Voice” and Evie.]
[The KXRA broadcast team captures the event for posterity.]
[The spinners, including many ex-Aces, file onto the floor for the world record attempt.}
And now, the New World Record! OK, it would have been better from the top row, but I was a late arrival (see Sami Steidl, above). Anyway, the old record was 104 (I think) – 189 spinners took the floor, 133 of them lasted the full minute.
***
The next day, Sunday the 28th, would be Tom’s last full day here – in the morning Jami would be driving him back to Indiana. The kids told the super they would like to go to The Depot that night for the rib special. And there we would pull off the surprise birthday party for grandma (whose birthday actually is on New Year’s Day).
Just when I discovered the meaning of life, they changed it. ~ George Carlin
The Journey Begins
Thanks for joining me! This is the follow-up to the original, “alexandriacardinals.wordpress.com,” which overwhelmed the system’s ability to handle it any more. Thus, this is “Part 2.” As the original was initially described:
10-26-07-4
“It all began in a 5,000 watt radio station in Fresno, California” . . . wait a minute, that was Ted Baxter on the Mary Tyler Moore Show! Let’s see . . . oh yeah, it all began in 2003 when retirees, i.e., old people, in Alexandria, Minnesota, who had no desire to become snow birds, went looking for mid-winter entertainment here in the frozen tundra of West Central Minnesota. We discovered girls’ high school hockey, fell in love immediately, and it remains our favorite spectator sport to this day. Initially, and for several years, reports on these games were e-mailed to those who were actually snowbirds but wanted to keep abreast of things “back home.” It was ultimately decided a blog would be more efficient, and it evolved into a personal diary of many things that attracts tens of readers on occasion. It remains a source of personal mental therapy and has yet to elicit any lawsuits.
~ The Editor, May 9, 2014
p.s. The photo border around the blog is the Cardinal girls’ hockey team after just beating Breck for the state championship in 2008. It’s of the all-tournament team. The visible Breck player on the left is Milica McMillen, then an 8th-grader – she is now an All-American for the Gophers. The Roseau player in the stocking cap I believe is Mary Loken, who went on to play for UND; and the Cardinal player on the right, No. 3, is Abby Williams, the player we blame most for making us girls’ hockey fans who went on to play for Bemidji State.
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Photos contained herein are available for personal use. All you have to do is double click on any of the photos and they will become full screen size. You can then save them into your personal “My Pictures” file. They make lovely parting or hostess gifts, or holiday gifts for such as Uncle Ernie who wants to see how his grand niece is doing on the hockey team. If any are sold for personal profit, however, to, for example, the Audubon Society, National Geographic, Sven’s Home Workshop Monthly, Curling By The Numbers, or the World Wrestling Federation, I only request that you make a donation to the charitable organization of your choice. You have two hours and fifteen minutes. Pencils ready? Begin!
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alexandriacardinals 
Happy Birthday Ruthie!!!!!!!! You continue to inspire with your enthusiasm and energy and, gosh darn, good looks!!! Your sistrr-in-law, Gretchen
Sorry, that would be your SISTER-IN-LAW, Gretchen
Yes, happy birthday Ruth, and some civil war reenactors are.just marching by to see Sami.