SPORTS FEEVER by Chris Fee of KROX Radio – chrisjfee@yahoo.com
It is hard to believe we are already to Easter and no baseball, softball, or golf competition in sight. The good news is the month of May is supposed to be above-average temperatures, so when they finally get to play, hopefully, it is nice out for them and the broadcasters!!!
I am heading to Las Vegas next week for the National Association of Broadcasters convention and have some meetings, classes, and will tour the convention floor looking at new technology for radio and streaming.
My wife and I will be going and meeting up with some of her high school friends, so if you have any tips on how to win big money, let me know!!!!! I was nervous, but I haven’t gone in a while because of COVID, and it worked out because there will be no sports going on while I am gone other than indoor track and tennis.
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KROX will be carrying the Gopher Men’s Hockey team in the Frozen Four on Thursday afternoon and we will also have the second semi-final. So you can listen to the games on KROX. We will also have the championship on the radio this Saturday.
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We should find out later today what the section alignment will look like for the next two years after the Minnesota State High School League votes on the alignment. Their meeting agenda is below –
Minnesota State High School League BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING League Office
Thursday, April 6, 2023, 9:30 a.m.
AGENDA
ACTION ITEMS
A. 2023-2024 Tournament Calendar
B. 2023-2024 Meeting Dates
C. Competitive Section Placements 2023-2024 / 2024-2025
DISCUSSION ITEMS
A. Basketball Shot Clock Rule Adoption
B. Winter Activity Advisory Proposals
C. Together We Make a Difference
D. Representative Assembly
E. Membership Dues Discussion
COMMITTEE REPORTS
A. Eligibility Committee
B. Audit/Finance Committee
C. Marketing and Communications Committee D. Education and Leadership Committee
INFORMATION ITEMS
A. Board Officer Candidates for 2023-2024
B. Election of Board Officers – June Meeting
C. Board Members at Spring State Tournaments
D. Board Workshop: Wednesday, May 3, 2023, 2 p.m.
E. NFHS Summer Meeting: June 28-July 2, 2023 – Seattle, WA
NEXT MEETING: Tuesday, June 6, 2023, 9:30 a.m.
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Crookston High School graduate Mike Hastings was hired as the Wisconsin Badger Men’s Hockey Head Coach last week.
Why did Hastings take the job at Wisconsin? Pretty easy. He has done everything he could possibly do at Mankato, where he was making $375,000 per year. At Wisconsin, he will have the richest first-year contract in college men’s hockey history, with $700,000 per year!!!! Big 10 TV contract baby!!!
Hastings, 57, will earn $700,000 in his first season on a five-year,
$3.75 million contract that contains a $25,000 annual escalator. His
contract at Minnesota State had a maximum of $350,000, according to
the Mankato Free Press.
Mike will make almost double what he was making in Minnesota, and Wisconsin taxes don’t hit you as hard as Minnesota!!! Wisconsin was terrible this year, and the only way to go is up, so it is a win-win.
Assistant Coach Todd Knott turned down the head Mankato job, and I tend to believe he will follow Mike to Wisconsin. Todd is a big-time recruiter and a huge piece to Hastings success at Mankato, so the two are a dynamic duo!
Congratulations to Mike, and good luck, except for when they play the Gophers. Still better dead than red!
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What has Iowa’s Caitlyn Clark, the Iowa Hawkeyes and LSU done for women’s basketball? Got people to watch and realize how great of a product it can be!!!!
The 2023 NCAA Women’s National Championship’s 9.9 million viewers are more than:
▪️ Any Women’s College basketball game ever
▪️ Any Major League Soccer game ever
▪️ Any Stanley Cup game since 1973
▪️ The 2023 Orange Bowl
▪️ The 2023 Sugar Bowl
▪️ 2023 Thursday Night Football
▪️ The 2021 NBA Finals
▪️ The 2020 World Series
▪️ The most recent MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL All-Star games
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Springs Sports practices are underway, and we have the final two Crookston High School spring sports teams, Softball, and Boys tennis participants –
Pirate Softball – (23 out 7-12 – down 7 from last year)
Seniors (2) – Emilee Tate, Alex Luna
Juniors (2) – Reese Swanson, Kristine Bernd
Sophomores (5) – Emily Bowman, Danielle Kresl, Shayla Azure, Kambelle Freije, Hattie Weiland
Freshman (0) – None
8th Graders (9) – Madi Abrams, Brylee Darco, Madi Bruggeman, Brea Lessard, Allysen Wagner, Isabel Pahlen, Mollie Samuelson, Leah Johanneck, Jocelyn Johnson
7th Graders (5) – Leia Parkin, Rilynn Aubol, Shyuh Burnette, Kylie Delage, Hailey Fritz
Pirate Boys Tennis – (26 out 7-12, down 1 from last year)
Seniors (6) – Tatum Lubinski, Elliot Bartrum, Thor Harbott, Ethan Erdman, Nathan Kelly, Kaleb Armstrong
Juniors (2) – Isaac Thomforde, Caden Boike
Sophomores (3) – Jack Everett, Michael Deng, Tim Brule
Freshman (5) – Reggie Winjum, Sam Widseth, Ryker Arnold, Evan Pruneda
Eighth grade (7) – Colton Osborn, Ale Zammert, Ean Deleon, Grant Funk, Hudson Rick, Sawyer Anderson, Landon Meier
Seventh-grade (3) – Tucker Lubinski, Austin Stopa, Evan Wagner
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Fertile-Beltrami High School graduate Rylin Petry is golfing at Bemidji State this year and continues to play some outstanding golf. He finished runner-up in a tournament this week. Petry shot rounds of 69-67-73 for a one-under 209. He led the field in birdies with 13 and added 29 pars. Petry was the highest finisher from the NSIC in the tournament.
Rylin was also named the NSIC golfer of the week this week!
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The 2023 Ted Brill Great 8 teams have been announced. We take a look at the area Section 8A/8AA players that made the teams –
Seniors –
Bemidji – Cael Knutson, Casey Rupp, Wyatt Mattfield
Detroit Lakes – Jacob Thomas, Joshua Mack
Roseau – Tanner George, Preston Lundbohm
Red Lake Falls – Evan Girdler
18’s –
Warroad – William Hardwick, Murray Marvin-Cordes
Roseau – Gavin Jensen
East Grand Forks – Brock Schultz
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Crookston Pirate Basketball will hold a Spring Shooting Camp for Crookston Public, Private, and home-schooled students in 2nd through 6th grade. The camp will be held April 4, 5, 11, and 12.
Grades 2-4 from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m.
Grades 5-6 from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m.
Pre-registration is required. Student name, parent name, school, grade, and phone number. Send registration to darinzimmerman@isd593.org.
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The Crookston Youth Soccer Association will have spring soccer from May 4-30 on Tuesday and Thursday evenings.
The schedule for each age group is below –
Pre-K – 5:00 to 5:45 p.m.
Kindergarten – 5:00 to 5:45 p.m.
Grades 1-2 – 6:00 to 7:00 p.m.
Grades 3-4 – 5:00 to 6:00 p.m.
Grades 5-6 – 6:00 to 7:00 p.m.
The cost is $30 per participant and the CYSA intends to provide a soccer ball for each kid. Pre-registration is required. The registration form is available below, and you can return the registration form and payment at Crookston City Hall. Or mail it to –
Crookston City Hall
Attn: Andrea
124 North Broadway
Crookston MN 56716
If you have any questions call Coach Sarah Reese at 218-349-0457. There is also a need for parent coaches. No experience is necessary.
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“LACE ‘EM UP” BASKETBALL CAMP
Make plans now to attend the 28th annual “Lace ‘em Up” basketball camp to be held in Red Lake Falls high school at the Robert Matzke Gym from June 5-8, 2023.
The camp is open to any boys or girls who are currently in grades K-10. The camp is set up to run from 9:00 a.m. until 12:00 for grades 5-10 (grade they were in this past school year) each morning, and from 12:30 until 3:00 p.m. for grades K-4 (grade they were in this past school year). The cost of the camp is $70 with a maximum cost per family of $100. If you register before May 22, you will also receive a camp T-shirt. After May 22, ALL SINGLE REGISTRATION FEES WILL BE $80 AND THE MAXIMUM COST PER FAMILY WILL BE $120, DUE TO CAMP PREPARATION AND AWARD ORDERS.
Cut on the dotted line and return the following to: Steve Philion, 518 Champagne Ave., Red Lake Falls, MN 56750. (cell: 218-686-3608) (home: 218-253-2499). E-mail: sphilion@rlfedu.org
Make checks payable to: Lace ‘em Up Basketball Camp
If anyone needs help with the cost of the camp, let Mr. Philion know as we have people who have offered to cover costs for kids that need financial help.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Name____________________________________
Grade in 2022-2023________________ (GRADE JUST COMPLETED)
T-shirt sizes: Please circle one:
Youth sizes: EXTRA SMALL SMALL MEDIUM LARGE
Adult sizes: SMALL MEDIUM LARGE X-LARGE XX-LARGE
Address:________________________________________________
MALE____________ FEMALE____________
I, the parent of the above student agree to allow my child to participate in the 2023 “Lace ‘em Up” basketball camp in Red Lake Falls. I also understand that the camp director, the City of RLF, and the RLF school district are not responsible for any injuries, accidents, or COVID that my child might incur.
SIGNATURE OF PARENT OR GUARDIAN:______________________________
Emergency cell number of parent or guardian:____________________________
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JOKES
A guy falls asleep on the beach for several hours and gets a horrible sunburn all over his body.
He goes to the hospital and is promptly admitted after being diagnosed with second-degree burns on his legs.
He was starting to blister and in pain by the time the doctor arrived. To help, the doctor prescribed an IV with saline and electrolytes, a sedative, and a Viagra pill every four hours.
The attending nurse was rather surprised by the prescription and asked, “What good will Viagra do him?”
The doctor replied, “It will keep the sheets off his legs.”
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An old preacher was dying. He sent a message for his IRS agent and his lawyer, both church members, to come to his home. When they arrived, they were ushered up to his bedroom. As they entered the room, the preacher held out his hands and motioned for them to sit on each side of the bed. The preacher grasped their hands, sighed contentedly, smiled, and stared at the ceiling. For a time, no one said anything. Both the IRS agent and the attorney were touched and flattered that the old preacher would ask them to be with him during his final moment. They were also puzzled because the preacher had never given any indication that he particularly liked either one of them. Finally, the lawyer asked, “Preacher, why did you ask the two of us to come?”The old preacher mustered up some strength, then said weakly, “Jesus died between two thieves, and that’s how I want to go, too.”
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Once upon a time, there was a man who was peacefully driving down a windy road. Suddenly, a bunny skipped across the road, and the man couldn’t stop. He hit the bunny head-on. The man quickly jumped out of his car to check the scene. There, lying lifeless in the middle of the road, was the Easter Bunny. The man cried out, “Oh no! I have committed a terrible crime! I have run over the Easter Bunny!” The man started sobbing quite hard, and then he heard another car approaching. It was a woman in a red convertible. The woman stopped and asked what the problem was. The man explained, “I have done something horribly sad. I have run over the Easter Bunny. Now there will be no one to deliver eggs on Easter, and it’s all my fault.” The woman ran back to her car. A moment later, she came back carrying a spray bottle. She ran over to the motionless bunny and sprayed it. The bunny immediately sprang up, ran into the woods, stopped, and waved back at the man and woman. Then it ran another 10 feet, stopped, and waved. It then ran another 10 feet, stopped, and waved again. It did this over and over and over again until the man and the woman could no longer see the bunny. Once out of sight, the man exclaimed, “What is that stuff in that bottle?” The woman replied, “It’s hairspray. It revitalizes hare and adds permanent wave.”
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How are former Crookston Pirates athletes doing in college or elsewhere?
****LET ME KNOW OF OTHERS TO ADD TO THE LIST. Email me at chrisjfee@yahoo.com
Breanna Kressin is a Freshman on the Hockey Cheer Team for THE University of Minnesota Golden Gopher Hockey team.
Emma Osborn is a freshman playing basketball at Northland Technical and Community College in Thief River Falls.
Jacey Larson is a freshman playing hockey at Dakota College at Bottineau.
Olivia Huck is a freshman playing soccer at Minnesota State Moorhead.
Aleah Bienek is a freshman playing hockey at Trine University in Indiana.
Elise Tangquist is the Assistant Girl’s Volleyball and Assistant Girl’s Golf Coach this year at Heritage Christian Academy in Maple Grove.
Kaleb Thingelstad is a sophomore playing golf at Dakota Wesleyan.
Joslynn Leach is a sophomore playing golf at Concordia College in Moorhead. The Cobbers wrapped up the Fall season.
Brady Butt is a Junior playing football at the University of Jamestown.
Ty Hamre is playing football at Bemidji State University.
Paul Bittner is playing professional hockey in Norway.
Kate MacGregor is senior swimming at Minnesota State Moorhead.
Aleece Durbin is a Junior on the University of North Dakota Women’s Track and Field team.
Nick Garmen is a junior playing tennis at the University of Minnesota Morris.
Elizabeth Erdman is a coach for the Moorhead Red Dragon swim team.
Crookston School District Coaches –
Ben Parkin is the head Pirate Baseball Coach.
Emily Meyer is the Pirate head girls’ hockey coach and softball assistant coach.
Lacia Hanson is the Junior High softball coach.
Jeremy Lubinski is a Pirate 8th Grade Football coach.
Amy Boll is the head Pirate Girls Track head coach
Sarah Reese is the Pirate Head Girls’ Soccer coach
Cody Brekken is the Crookston Community Pool Supervisor
Marley Melbye is the Head Girls’ Swimming coach
Brock Hanson is a Pirate Baseball volunteer assistant coach.
Ben Halos is a Pirate Baseball assistant coach.
Alex LaFrance is a Pirate Baseball volunteer assistant coach.
Jeff Perreault is the Pirate Girls Golf head coach
Wes Hanson is the Pirate Wrestling Head Coach and assistant boys golf coach
Kevin Weber is a Pirate Boys Basketball volunteer assistant coach
Connor Morgan is the Pirate Boys Hockey assistant coach
Sam Melbye is the Pirate Boys J.V. Hockey coach
Chris Dufault is a youth wrestling Coach
Colton Weiland is an assistant wrestling coach
Non-Crookston High School coaching/Admin/etc –
Tim Desrosier is an Assistant Coach for Warren-Alvarado-Oslo Pony Boys Basketball
Pat Wolfe is the head wrestling coach for Fosston/Bagley.
Austin Sommerfeld is an Assistant Athletic Director for Strategic Communication at the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth.
Collin Reynolds is the head baseball coach for the University of Colorado Buffalo Club Baseball team.
Trent Stahlecker is a School Security Specialist & he works for the Brevard Public Schools, Florida.
Cody Weiland is an assistant wrestling coach at Proctor/Hermantown.
Josh Edlund is the head football coach and phy ed teacher at Flandreau, South Dakota.
Allison Lindsey Axness is Assistant Varsity Volleyball Coach at Champlin Park
Jeff Olson is the Head Wrestling Coach and Head Baseball coach at Delano.
Jake Olson is an Assistant Football Coach and Head Boys’ Tennis coach at Delano.
Katy Westrom is the Head Girl’s Tennis Coach and Head Boys’ Tennis coach at Monticello High School.
Matt Harris is an Assistant Principal/Athletic Director at Saguaro High School in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Marty Bratrud is the Superintendent and High School Principal at Westhope High School.
Gordie Haug is an assistant football coach at the University of Wyoming.
Mike Hastings is the Minnesota State Mankato Men’s head Hockey coach.
Mike Biermaier is the Athletic Director at Grand Forks Schools.
Stephanie (Lindsay) Perreault works with the North Dakota State stats crew for Bison football, volleyball, and basketball in the winter. Stephanie’s husband, Ryan, is the assistant director for Bison media relations.
Jason Bushie is the hockey athletic trainer at Colorado College.
Chris Myrold is the Director and Fitness at Mission Ranch and Fitness in Camel, California.
Kyle Buchmeier is a Tennis Pro at the Reed-Sweatt Family Tennis Center in Minneapolis
Ben Andringa is serving our country in the Army and is now a Ranger.
Jarrett Butenhoff is serving our country with the U.S. Navy.
Joshua Butenhoff is serving our country on a Submarine with the Pacific Fleet with the US Navy.
Peter Cournia is a 2002 Crookston High School Graduate and a grad of West Point and currently serving in the U.S. Army.
Erik Ellingson is serving our country with the U.S. Air Force at Minot.
Philip Kujawa, class of 2004, from Crookston High School. He is an Army recruiter in Rochester.
Rob Sobolik is the General Manager of the Fargodome
That’s it for this week. Thanks for the comments, and if you have anything to add or share, please e-mail chrisjfee@yahoo.com or call. Thanks for reading and listening to KROX RADIO and kroxam.com.
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