alexandriacardinals

[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

Up next:  Games, you know.

This is the family diary feature of this blog.  If that does not fit your resume, please feel free to skip this posting.  For all who remain, we shared Christmas at home this year with Jami, Danny, and grandson Tom, a junior at Purdue whom we discovered upon his arrival here has been nominated to be a Fulbright Scholar.  As has been previously noted in other venues, he gets his smarts from Grandma, his inspiration from . . . well, you know.  You will notice Christmas was so “balmy” this year we had the doors wide open to cool off the place.

If it wasn’t for television and movies, people might easily kiss with their feet.  ~ Martin Mull, on whether love is culturally conditioned

Most men do not mature, they simply grow taller.  ~  Leo Rosten

Up next:  Fiddlin’ Sami and a new world record?

A little early Christmas present, courtesy of the Cardinal girls’ basketball team!

Tuesday night, ’twas another big game against a team, the Albany Huskies, deemed to be a major challenger for the section title this year.  Though the Huskies came in rated above us in the current state rankings, our Cards blistered them with an outstanding first half on the way to . . . another statement win?

[Oh, you already know this.]

[As always, we arrived early to see how the JV was doing.  Well, the team was having a huddle.]

[We have a plethora of number 5’s – I believe this is Ellie Ronning.  And she’s playing ‘D’ with Alayna Aanerud (3).  The entire JV team are sophomores.]

[Alayna wrapped up the game with a couple of free throw attempts . . .]

[The team did quite well, thank you very much.]

[The warm-up player of the game is Brooke Heggie (45), senior center.  She had to take a break for the captains’ pre-game meeting with the refs.  How fortuitous a choice it turned out to be.  I thought Brooke played her best game ever as a Cardinal.  🙂  ]

[Local media prepares for what I believe leaves Dave with only three games left to broadcast.]

[The internationally-known Cardinal grandparents were once again at the game, appearing with the head coach in the top photo.]

[Pre-game rituals which will become the topic of discussion among future anthropologists.]

[Macy’s mom and Kendall’s mom.]

[This involved a sleight-of-hand generally associated with secret societies . . . or just having fun!]

[Basketball fans will recognize this as a jump ball, a/k/a, the opening tip.  The start of Brooke’s big night.]

[Kendall (3) at the point on ‘D.’]

[Emma Ziegler (1) was back and starting after rolling her ankle before game two.]

[Macy (11) on top, Emma passes to the corner.]

[Hustling back on defense . . .  or why we win.]

[Macy and Kendall looking to get in the passing lanes.]

[Group session.]

[Again accenting the defense.]

[Coffee break.]

[Kelby Olson-Rodel (13), sophomore, a good athlete who’s seeing more and more playing time.]

[Kelby applying in-your-face defense.]

[I shot a ball into the air, it fell to earth I know not where?]

[Cheyenne Hendrickson (55), senior, anchors the half-court defense.]

[Kendall setting the offense.]

[Kohler shouts, “Don’t you block my daughter!”  This was the key match-up all night, Kendall on the Huskies’ point guard, Sidney Schiffler (24), who is their star player.  Kendall is prone to foul trouble, but she did a great job defensively on this night.]

[Kiyana Miller (21), sophomore, leads Cheyenne and Brooke back on defense.]

[Kendall tracking Schiffler.]

[The half ends, our best of the year.  The Huskies were 14 – 14 from the free throw line in the half.  Obviously, they can shoot.  We didn’t let them shoot much from the floor.  And we must have shot over 50% per cent from the floor, with 3’s from Kendall, Macy, Brooke, and Gretchen Revering (25), senior, came in to swish a long one.  Now you can look at the video at the top for the first 5 minutes of the 2nd half – true, Kendall bricked a 3 in the video, but she also drained a howitzer from about 5-feet beyond the line.]

[Local talent scouts file their reports . . .]

[The Huskies made a run in the 2nd half, as we knew they would.  The Cards were in foul trouble and played a little softer on defense.  If you’re not in their face, they make the shots.  But the Cards closed it out as a good team should.  Protecting the ball, no turnovers when we were running out the clock, and making our free throws down the stretch (I believe we were 11 – 12 in the 2nd half).  And in the final photo, the ball simply disappears?]

Whatever women do they must do twice as well as men to be thought half as good.  Luckily, this is not difficult.  ~  Charlotte Whitton, on becoming mayor of Ottawa

Up next:  Decisions, decisions?  On Friday night we have this (Voice of Alexandria Facebook) . . .

or this . . .

Fiddlin’ Sami Steidl, our first Alexandria wunderkind, is home for the holidays and playing with Cimarron at SAWA.  Gotta find a way to do both!  🙂

Annually, the social and entertainment event of the year.  Looking back, the super and I missed an opportunity to arrive in a limo, with champagne on ice.  Oh yeah, not at the school!  But for the arthriticly and follicly challenged among us, we were celebrating not having to sit on a hard wooden bleacher or cold metal folding chair any longer – for the first time, we were in a THE-AYE-TUR!  And what a lovely touch that is.

[Oh, student musicians, where art thou?]

[And then they filed in with the precision of a Marine drill team, taking care not to trip over the upright basses.]

[And here is your Alexandria Area High School orchestra!  🙂  ]

[And here joined by your Alexandria Area High School combined choirs.]

[Together they are wonderfully directed by Brad Lambrecht, orchestra, and Steve Deitz, choir, both looking quite lovely in coat and tails.]

[The concert honored Murrae Freng, who would have absolutely loved the new auditorium.  It’s a real shame that he just missed being able to see it.]

The Program

Part of every Christmas concert since we’ve been going has been the narration by Bob Hines.  Our old friend has the perfect late-night FM deejay voice!:

[Checking now your programs, the Silhouettes (properly named here) and Les Marquise performed right in front of us.]

Christmas Carols – The Carolers:

[The Rainbow Strings on the far side of the auditorium, among beaming hundreds of parents and grandparents!]

“This Christmastide” – Combined Choirs & Orchestra:

“Do You Hear What I Hear?” – Combined Choirs & Orchestra:

The Players

[And finally, as seen by Echo Press.]

The Book of Life begins with a man and a woman in a garden.  It ends with Revelations.  ~  Oscar Wilde

Up next:  Methinks basketball.