Welcome to the final Sports Feever column of 2020. Thank god! 2021 cannot come fast enough!
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2020 has been the worst. As I write this portion of the fever column (on my 44th birthday – December 29) it was supposed to be an enjoyable day. But, we found out late Tuesday that Matt Bishop had passed away after a lengthy battle with two cases of cancer and the aftermath of the treatment.
Where do I start? It has been a tough year at KROX. We lost a long-time employee and morning announcer Mark Anderson earlier this year. We also lost long-time news director Mary Ann Simmons who retired several years ago. And now we have lost Matt, an employee that would still be working at KROX if it wasn’t for his second bout with cancer. Three people with a first name that starts with M. Crazy.
I can remember the day Matt came into my office to tell me he had something show up on his regularly scheduled scans. They weren’t sure what it was at the time and he had to do some testing. He came back with bad news and we tried to figure out how we could work out his trips to the cities for care and what could be done locally so he could keep working at KROX with limited interruption. Unfortunately, after some of his care/chemo and everything else, it took a toll on his body. Matt had to move back home to be closer to his doctors that he was familiar with and so his parents/family could help him. For the first year he was in the cities we continued to pay him so he would have one less thing to worry about while he was going through his second battle with cancer.
When he came to the realization he wasn’t going to be able to come back to work, it was one of the worst conversations I have had.
Matt was a fighter, he was caring, genuine, thoughtful, hard-working, attentive, he was steadfast in his faith which is the most amazing part of knowing him. I get people asking how Matt could be so positive all the time. I tell people I don’t know, but that is the way he is. It is 100 percent real!!
I would like to thank all the Crookston High School, University of Minnesota Crookston, and area coaches. They all welcomed Matt with open arms. He was always amazed on how all the coaches were so nice. He had some special bonds with several of the coaches.
Keep Matt’s wife Katie, and Matt’s family in your thoughts and prayers! They need it right now. They will be having a celebration of Matt’s life in the spring and I will pass it along to you when we get the information.
We were lucky to know Matt and to be a small part of his life!
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Now it is time for the 2020 A to Z New Years list. I have used a few suggestions that I received over the past week. It is a tough list to make and we miss several people that should. We try to highlight people that have had important impacts on KROX, Crookston, and area athletics. Here is this years list –
A – Advertisers – The lifeblood of all media. We thank all the advertisers on KROX Radio and KROXAM.com. Without them, we wouldn’t be able to do what we do. We thank all the advertisers and the best way for you to thank them is to patronize their businesses, or tell them thank you for sponsoring KROX programming!
B – Blue Line Club, the Crookston Blue Line Club – The Crookston Blue Line Club brings more people to town than any other entity from the fall to the spring and even the summertime. Not only are they great for bringing people to town for tournaments and games, but they give kids an opportunity to play the game of hockey and try to work with any kid/family that is interested.
C – Crookston Pirate Booster Club and Crookston Fine Arts Booster Club – The two clubs raise money each year to give to the Crookston Pirate athletic teams and the Crookston School District music, arts, and drama departments. The financial impact is well over $40,000 each year and that helps every activity in the Crookston School District, thanks to the many people that donate to one or both of the clubs.
Crookston Baseball Association – There hasn’t been an organization that has done more for their sport than the Crookston Baseball Association over the last five to 10 years. They have helped with facilities at the UMC Baseball field and added scholarships. They have made upgrades to Jim Karn Baseball Field, the highland complex and at some point in the hopefully near future would like to do a grandstand at Jim Karn Field and there has been talk of possibly turfing the field (at least infield). So when you are out a Crookston establishments, make sure you play some pulltabs or electronic pulltabs because the proceeds go to the Baseball Assocation.
D – Doctors – Dr. Steve and Lucas Biermaier from Biermaier Chiropractic; and Dr. Collin Fennel, Dr. Erik Kanten and a few others from RiverView Health volunteer their time and services at Crookston Pirate sporting events. How many high school football teams have an orthopedic surgeon and two chiropractors at home football games? You see Dr. Erik Kanten and Steve Biermaier on the boys and girls hockey benches is reassuring to parents. The doctors listed give their time, services, and overwhelming piece of mind to the kids, parents, and coaches.
E – Every athlete/Entertainment. We enjoy watching all the youth, high school and college athletes we cover every year. It brings us back to our playing days, but it entertains us and the best part of covering sports…..you never know what to expect. We appreciate the effort, blood, sweat, and even tears that are shed by the student-athletes. So we would like to wish all athletes the best of luck in every game/event the rest of the season and enjoy every minute of it because it doesn’t last long.
F – Frank Fee – He still helps KROX once and a while. He is a member of the Minnesota Broadcasting Hall of Fame and was the one to start KROXAM.com and created the monster it has become. He covered high school sports for over 40 years and served on the Region 8A committee as a school board member, he was a long-time Section 8A Boys Hockey statistician when hockey had one class and has broadcast thousands and thousands of high school sporting events and hundreds and hundreds of state tournament games. He taught me the importance of hard work and doing things the right way.
G – Greg Garmen – He is the Crookston High School activities director and boys basketball coach. 2020 was one of the most challenging and unpredictable years we have ever had and Greg has done a great job of making sure the teams were able to play, have officials, and figure out how to keep everybody safe. Crookston is lucky to have such an organized A.D. and he keeps everything going at CHS.
H – Hockey – Club Hockey – The University of Minnesota Crookston will have the first Club Hockey game in a few years on Saturday, January 9 when they travel to take on the Jamestown Jimmies. They only have 16 on the roster with three of them from Crookston in the first year (COVID year) so hopefully, they will be able to double the roster next year.
I – Ice rinks – We have seen more and more backyard ice rinks created this winter so kids could skate this winter. It was neat to see so many people trying something new.
J – John Schumacher – The big Shoo. John was a longtime Park Rapids coach, Activity Director, and an all-around fantastic guy. He lost his battle with cancer this fall and it was devistating news. There wasn’t a more genuine guy in high school sports in Northwest Minnesota. The best part of broadcasting games in Park Rapids was seeing John. He cares about everyone that he knows and nobody cares more about the kids than he does. I was honored to know John and call him a friend.
K – KROX Staff – The KROX staff keeps things moving. It is a typical small business where we all do more than one job, partially because of the website. I have the best staff working at KROX. I am lucky to have dependable, hard-working employees that truly care about KROX, our listeners and doing the best we can do each day. I thank them and without them, we have nothing.
L – Listeners and Website visitors – Without the listeners and website visitors, we wouldn’t be able to continue to do what we do. Your continued support of all of KROX’s coverage is appreciated and we’re looking forward to providing another full year of Crookston and Northwest Minnesota sports coverage in 2020.
M – Minnesota Golden Gopher Hockey – They are 8-0 to start the season and ranked #1 in the polls. They have had a great start against decent teams and it seems Coach Bob Motzko has the program ready to compete at the level us Gopher fans expect and it will be fun to see what happens the rest of the season.
N – NSIC – The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. They are taking every precaution they can to make sure they can have a basketball season this winter and most importantly, they are keeping the student-athletes as safe as possible. I think they have handled the situation the best way they possibly could.
O – Officials – No matter how good, or bad, they might be, they are an important part of high school, college, and pro athletics. Without them, we have call your own….which we all know would get ugly. We thank them for their commitment to athletics and the willingness to take the yelling and screaming of fans and coaches to make sure we can watch our favorite sports!. Thank all officials for their hard work and dedication to keeping sports going!
P – Positive Coaches – Coaches have had a tougher job than ever before. They have tried to come up with practice plans that keep kids socially distanced (as much as possible) but getting the full workout they normally would get.
Q – Quotes –
“If you can’t outplay them, outwork them.” – Ben Hogan
“I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” – Michael Jordan
“Do you know what my favorite part of the game is? The opportunity to play.” – Mike Singletary
“Nobody who ever gave his best regretted it.” – George Halas
“Without self-discipline, success is impossible, period.” – Lou Holtz
“Winning is not a sometime thing, it is an all the time thing. You don’t do things right once in a while. You do them right all the time. ” – Vince Lombardi
“It’s not the will to win that matters — everyone has that. It’s the will to prepare to win that matters.” – Paul “Bear” Bryant
“A trophy carries dust. Memories last forever.” – Mary Lou Retton
“I never worry about the problem. I worry about the solution.” – Shaquille O’Neal
“He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.” – Muhammad Ali
R – Radio – Radio is one technology that keeps evolving and continues to have more and more listeners each year. Unlike, newspapers and cable TV, radio has been able to keep up with the ever-changing world of technology. A Neilson report said radio listenership is at an all-time high and the future is bright. We like to think that KROX does radio the right way and we strive to be local and take pride in our local and regional sports coverage and now with online streaming and smart speakers like Alexa, you can listen to KROX anywhere in the world with the internet.
S – Steve Gust – The UMC Baseball coach has done more with less than any Division II baseball coach in the nation. He is a tireless recruiter, finds kids that love the game as much as he does. The baseball program has been the most competitive program at UMC since he has taken over the helm. He has built the program starting with two scholarships and now they have around 7 to 8 scholarships and expect that to show up on the field over the next couple of years. The future continues to be bright for UMC baseball.
T – Tiffany Fee – My wife, the better half. She is like a fine wine. She keeps getting better with age. She really is the best!! Tiff has done a great job raising our kids and making meals, keeping the house clean, and everything else she does all while working 40 to 60 hours a week. She is so busy, I can’t get a haircut! She is basically the opposite of me……she is nice, friendly, everybody likes her. Most importantly, she puts up with me!! She is the best wife a guy could ask for and I thank her for everything.
Teachers – Yes distance learning has sucked and teachers would whole-heartedly agree. But what they have done to try to make sure our kids are getting the best education possible is fantastic. The past nine months haven’t been fun for everyone, but we can’t wait until the teachers get the COVID-19 vaccine so they can teach with peace of mind at school and at home.
U –
V – Vaccine – Many frontline healthcare workers have received the vaccine and more and more will receive it over the next three to five months. Hopefully, that helps us get back to normal and we will be able to enjoy sports like we normally do once again!
W – Wes Hanson – The Crookston Pirate Wrestling Coach. He is one of the best coaches around, but also one of the best science teachers around, one of the best musky fisherman around….oh and he is a pretty great guy too. Crookston is lucky to have somebody like Wes in the district because his love for wrestling and science really comes out in how he teaches both of them. The Pirate wrestling team is expected to have one of the best years this season and should have close to a full line up. It will be an exciting season and will they be able to knock off a BGMR or Frazee? We will see!
X – X-Factor –Normally we list a player or two on each Pirate and Golden Eagle team that will make the difference in the team’s success. This year it is the same for every team – Staying COVID-19 free.
Y – Youth Basketball Association – The Crookston Youth Basketball Association does a great job of providing kids a chance to play and learn the game of basketball at a low cost.
Z – Darin Zimmerman – Coach Z will have a firm strong-hold on this spot for years to come. Not just because of the Z in his name, but what he has done with the girls basketball program. I know Darin would be the first to admit that he has some pretty good athletes to work with, he has molded the program into a defensive juggernaut and one o the top programs in the state. They will stay towards the top of the section for many years to come.
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The Minnesota Department of Health announced today (December 28) that they will allow high school and youth games to start on January 14. The Minnesota State High School League has also stated sporting events can start on January 14.
Guidance on spectators, and several other requirements are still be solidified, but facemask guidelines have been revealed.
Athletes will be required to wear facemasks except while wrestling, swimming, a gymnastics routine, and some instances cheerleading.
Some of the facemask guidance is below –
Face coverings must be worn by all persons at all times, including practices and, when allowed, games with only the following exceptions.
During wrestling contact, a cloth face covering could become a choking or visual hazard and is discouraged. For gymnastics and cheerleading, if there are concerns about safety in regards to choking or the face covering getting caught on objects, athletes may temporarily remove the face covering during activities such as tumbling/stunting/flying or on certain apparatuses. However, athletes must wear face coverings for all other practices and routines.
Individuals who swim/dive/participate in water sports should not wear a cloth face covering while they are in the water.
▪ Types of face coverings can include a cloth mask, a neck gaiter, a scarf, a bandanna, or a religious face covering. CDC recommends using two layers of fabric when making a cloth face covering. Face coverings that are made of thinner single-layer fabric such as certain types of masks, scarves, neck gaiters, or bandannas may not be as effective for blocking droplets that come out when speaking, coughing, or sneezing and should not be used unless there are no alternatives.
▪ A face covering must cover the nose and mouth completely. The covering should not be overly tight or restrictive and should feel comfortable to wear.
▪ Any masks that incorporate a valve that is designed to facilitate easy exhaling, mesh masks, or masks with openings, holes, visible gaps in the design or material, or vents are not sufficient face coverings because they allow droplets to be released from the mask.
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NSIC Member Institution Winter Sport Attendance Policies
| Augustana | No spectators weekend of Jan 1-3. Will re-evalute. |
| Bemidji State | No spectators will be permitted. |
| Concordia St. Paul | No spectators weekends of Jan 1-3 or Jan 8-10. |
| Mary | Family Attendance Only |
| UMC | No spectators will be permitted. |
| Duluth | No spectators will be permitted. |
| Mankato | No spectators will be permitted. |
| Moorhead | No spectators will be permitted. |
| Minot State | Following ND & Minot area guidelines. |
| Northern State | 25% Capacity |
| Sioux Falls | 20% Capacity |
| Southwest | No spectators through at least the MN Executive Order |
| St. Cloud State | No spectators will be permitted. |
| Upper Iowa | For Jan 1-3 & 8-10 weekends, participant/team/department tickets only. No visiting team spectators. |
| Wayne State | For Jan 1-3 & 8-10 weekends, immediate family of host student-athletes only (max of 4). |
| Winona State | No spectators will be permitted. |
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The Thief River Falls Norskies will not be able to play hockey this winter. With infections of the Covid-19 virus hitting a peak in the United States in late December, it appears that we are several months away from being able to cross the US/Canadian border in either direction. This takes away any chance at a meaningful participation in SIJHL league play this winter.
The Norskies would like to thank our fans, our sponsors, our players, our billet families, the City of Thief River Falls, Venueworks and our volunteers for their patience and continued support. We are looking forward to an exciting and successful season next year.
The Norskies appreciates the SIJHL for sticking with us and looking for any opportunity to get the Norskies into action this year. We wish our Canadian SIJHL teams the best of luck in the remainder of this season.
“We did everything in our power to find a way to play hockey at the high level the SIJHL provides. We have run out of solutions and regretfully cancel our 2020-2021 season with an eye to a very exciting and successful season starting in 2021.” Said team Governor David Beito.
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The Minnesota Hockey Board of Directors, which hosted a special board meeting earlier this month and has approved the extension of its season by delaying the 2021 State Tournaments and instituted multiple rule changes related to the COVID-19 pandemic for the 2020-2021 season.
Season Extension: The 2021 State Tournaments have been moved to March 26-28, 2021. The Drive to State, presented by Chevy, will begin with District Tournaments, which must now be completed by March 14, followed by Region Tournaments on March 19-21 and will conclude with the State Tournaments. These changes will effectively extend the Minnesota Hockey regular season by three weeks for the 2020-2021 season, which officially ends for all Minnesota Hockey team on the final day of the State Tournaments.
Roster Deadlines: The Board of Directors also extended two important roster deadlines to provide flexibility to teams who have not completed tryouts yet. The roster deadline for teams eligible for the 2021 State Tournaments has been extended to January 31. Team rosters must still be approved prior to their first league or tournament game. In addition, the deadline for players in Junior Gold & 16U classifications to play in five games has been extended to February 28. These changes are in effect for the 2020-2021 season only.
COVID-19 Rules: In an effort to increase accountability, the Board of Directors voted to make several COVID-19 guidelines into rules and instituted more strict measures on locker room use in cooperation with the Minnesota Ice Arena Manager’s Association. Below is a summary of the new rules:
-Locker rooms are closed for Phase 4
-No bags, with the exception of goalies, allowed in facilities for Phase 4
No spectators in arenas for Phase 4 with two exceptions. One parent will be allowed at the
-Mite/8U levels and below, and a max of two people may be allowed to live stream games.
All players and officials must come fully dressed, except helmets, skates and gloves. Goalies must come half dressed.
-No one may enter the arena until 10 minutes before the scheduled ice time, and everyone must exit within 10 minutes of the end of the ice time.
-No ice resurfacing during games will be permitted for the remainder of the regular season.
-No dryland activities will be permitted inside arenas.
-The COVID-19 related rule changes listed above have been implemented for the 2020-2021 season only. Minnesota Hockey will release updated return to play guidelines, including more insight on a phased return, in the coming weeks.
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The Duke Bluedevil Women’s Basketball team has decided to cancel the rest of their season after some positive COVID-19 tests. The Blue Devils were off to a 3-1 start but had not played since a 73-49 loss to Louisville on Dec. 9 as the team dealt with COVID-19 issues.
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The Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Council of Chancellors has voted to resume winter sports competition for the 2020-21 season in February contingent upon the securing of ongoing COVID-19 testing.
The plan requires all WIAC institutions to secure testing for student-athletes, support staff and game officials in order to provide safe competition environments during the COVID-19 pandemic. This strategy may need to be adjusted due to the ever-changing conditions of the pandemic.
The resumption of play includes the sports of men’s and women’s basketball, women’s gymnastics, men’s and women’s ice hockey, men’s and women’s indoor track & field, men’s and women’s swimming & diving, and wrestling.
“WIAC leadership, athletic directors, coaches and Chancellors throughout the conference are committed to safety and the preservation of student-athletes’ experiences. We have more work to do. However, I appreciate the collaborative spirit and the determination we share as we move toward the launch of a winter sports season,” UW Oshkosh Chancellor and Council of Chancellors President Andy Leavitt said.
The conference-only schedules will begin the week of Feb. 1, 2021 and be released at a later date. All contests will be conducted in accordance with NCAA Division III regulations, as well as institutional, state and local health and safety guidelines.
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JOKES
The salesman at the furniture store told me, “This sofa will seat 5 people without any problems.”
I said, “Where the hell am I going to find 5 people without any problems?”
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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
Aleece Durbin, is a Junior on the University of North Dakota Women’s Track and Field team.
Brady Butt is a freshman playing football at the University of Jamestown.
Paul Bittner is playing for the Cleveland Monsters, the AHL affiliate of the Columbus Bluejacket.
Brady Heppner, is playing hockey for the Roanoke Raildogs in the SPHL.
Brita Fagerlund, is a Senior on the University of Jamestown Jimmy Women’s Track team.
Ben Trostad, is a Junior member of the University of Minnesota Crookston golf team.
Rachel Hefta, a Sophmore, is playing volleyball at Hastings College in Nebraska.
Cade Salentine is a redshirt-Sophomore playing football at the University of North Dakota.
Nick Garmen, is a sophomore playing tennis at the University of Minnesota Morris.
Caden Osborn, is a freshman playing basketball at the University of Minnesota Morris.
Thea Oman, a sophomore, is swimming at St. Ben’s.
Crookston School District Coaches –
Emily Meyer is a girls hockey and softball assistant coach.
Carrie Clauson is a Junior High girls tennis coach.
Jeremy Lubinski is a Pirate 8th Grade Football coach.
Amy Boll is the head Pirate Girls Track head coach and assistant volleyball coach
Sarah Reese is the Pirate Head Girls Soccer coach
Cody Brekken is the Head Pirate Girls and Boys Tennis coach and Crookston Community Pool Supervisor
Marley Melbye is the Head Girls Swimming coach
Mitch Bakken is the head Pirate Baseball coach.
Brock Hanson is the 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 –
Cody Weiland is an assistant wrestling coach at Proctor/Hermantown
Kaylee Desrosier is a softball coach for Fargo Davies Middle School.
Justin Johnson is an assistant softball coach at the University of Minnesota Crookston.
Josh Edlund is an assistant football coach and phy ed teacher at Flandreau, South Dakota.
Allison Lindsey Axness is Assistant Varsity Volleyball Coach in Champlin Park
Jeff Olson is Head Wrestling coach and Head Baseball coach at Delano.
Jake Olson is an Assistant Football Coach and Head Boys Tennis coach at Delano.
Carmen (Kreibich) Johnson, is Head Volleyball coach at Little Falls High School.
Katy Westrom, is Head Girls Tennis Coach and Head Boys Tennis coach at Monticello High School.
Matt Harris, is a Director of Athletics at the British International School of Houston.
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 Thief River Falls High School
Stephanie (Lindsay) Perreault works with the North Dakota State stats crew for Bison football and volleyball and basketball in the winter. Stephanie’s husband, Ryan, is the assistant director for the Bison media relations
Jason Bushie is the hockey athletic trainer at Colorado College
Chris Myrold is a Tennis Pro on Nevis Island in the West Indies
Kyle Buchmeier is a Tennis Pro at the Reed-Sweatt Family Tennis Center in Minneapolis
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 also a grad of West Point and is currently is 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.
Scott Riopelle is head of Crookston Parks and Recreation
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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