SPORTS FEEVER by Chris Fee of KROX Radio – chrisjfee@yahoo.com
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USA Hockey announced the Boys and Girls Hockey players of the year on Monday and both of them are from Warroad.
Jason Shaugabay was named the USA Today Boys Hockey player of the year. Rylee Bartz was named the Girls Player of the Year.
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The Minnesota State High School League fall sports season is only a few weeks away. We have the practice start dates and season information below.
The first day of practice for Girls Tennis, Boys and Girls Soccer, Cross Country, Football, Volleyball, and Girls Swimming is Monday, August 14.
Girls Tennis-The season is 11 weeks long with a maximum of 16 contests. The first competition date is August 17, and the state tournament is October 24-27.
Boys and Girls Soccer-The season is 12 weeks long with a maximum of 16 games. The first competition date is August 24, with the state quarterfinals October 24-26, and the semi-finals and championship October 30-November 4.
Cross Country-The season is 12 weeks with a maximum of 10 contests. The first competition can be held on August 24, with the State Cross Country meet on November 4.
Football-15 weeks with a maximum of nine games. August 31 is the first competition date. State quarterfinals are November 9-11. The semi-finals are November 16-18 at U.S. Bank Stadium. Championships are November 24-25 at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Volleyball-The season is 11 weeks with a maximum of 17 dates. The first competition date is August 24 with the state tournament held November 8-11 at Excel Energy Center.
Girls Swimming-The season is 14 weeks with a maximum of 16 dates, with the first competition date of August 24. The state meet is November 16-18 at the U of M Aquatic Center.
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Executive Director’s Report
Executive Director Erich Martens:
- Shared a review of the NFHS Summer Meeting held in Seattle. Minnesotans Dave Stead and Bill Webb were inducted in the NFHS Hall of Fame during the event. Moorhead’s Rebecca Meyer-Larson was honored with a national citation award for her work in the Fine Arts.
- With the retirements of Region Secretaries Pete Cheeley (Region 5A) and Mike Kolness (Region 8A), two successors will assume those roles. John Vraa, the former activities director at New London-Spicer High School will be the Region Secretary in Region 5A and Todd Selk, the superintendent at Fosston, will be the Region 8A Region Secretary.
- Attended the MASSP Conference on June 13-14. The Principals Advisory Committee met in conjunction with the conference and the League had the opportunity to address MASSP colleagues during two breakout sessions.
- The LEAD Network will return via Zoom approximately once per month with the first virtual gathering of the school year on Aug. 7 at 10:45 a.m.
- The Sections 4 and 5 meeting is in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, from Tuesday, Aug. 29- Friday, Sept. 1. This is a meeting of executive directors of those state associations along with NFHS Executive Staff.
- Fall Area Meetings are scheduled for the second, third and fourth full weeks of September. Meeting locations: Ottertail, Thief River Falls, Chisholm, Rochester, Mankato, Marshall, St. Cloud, Eagan and Brooklyn Park. Board members are encouraged to attend an Area Meeting.
- Two members of League Staff recently visited New Ulm to consider its interest in hosting one or two classes of the League’s Baseball State Tournament.
- League Staff looks to work with the MSHSL Foundation to further share the information of Anyone Can Save a Life and to consider engaging in the grant process for member schools to add an AED in either an uncovered indoor facility or consider a Save Station for an outdoor location.
Executive Committee Report
Board President Jim Smokrovich reported:
- The committee reviewed the State Tournament Dates for the 2023-2024 school year. Following a Representative Assembly bylaw amendment approval for Adapted Athletics, the Board of Directors approved a revision to the State Tournament Dates for the 2023-2024 school year.
- The Board of Directors approved an Executive Committee recommendation to create a sub-committee of the Board of Directors, numbering 6-10 individuals, to work with League Staff on exploring a seeding process for bracketed team state tournaments.
- The Board also approved a one-time resolution to define the three-year average of total disbursements for fiscal year 2023, through the use of FY2018, FY2019 and FY 2022. This included a similar definition for fiscal year 2024. Due to the COVID pandemic, FY 2020 and FY 2021 are not representative of typical fiscal years.
- The committee discussed implementing Land Acknowledgements within Minnesota State High School League meetings and events.
- Shared discussion feedback on geographical representation of state entrants as potentially being a part of belief statements.
- The Board of Directors approved the Executive Committee’s report as presented.
Action Items
9A: Resolution in Appreciation and Recognition for Service and Dedication
The Board of Directors approved a Resolution in Appreciation and Recognition for Service and Dedication to the Board of Directors in honor of Suzy Guthmueller, Matthew Heier, Amanda Kaus, Astein Osei, John Ostrowski, Troy Stein and John Vraa.
9D: District Football Policy
The Board of Directors approved the District Football Policy, which includes updating reference language of 9-Man to 9-Player and the number and naming of districts and sub-districts.
9I: 2023-2024 Budget Approval
The Board of Directors approved the budget for the 2023-2024 school year.
9J: Membership Dues
As part of an Action Item that approved the 2023-2024 financial budget, the Board of Directors approved a credit to the member schools of $2.35 million in annual dues over the next two school years in alignment with the Sustainable Financial Model. Just more than $1.4 million will be credited to member schools for the 2023-2024 school year followed by $925,000 in credits for the 2024-2025 school year.
In developing the model, the League committed to reimburse its member schools when finances were available to be credited.
Discussion Items
10A: Spring Activity Advisory Proposals
Softball-This proposal would add a third day to the Softball State Tournament. Day 3 would feature the championship games in each of the 4 classes.
Speech-This proposal stresses that visual aid source material must be documented in the submitted script but does not need to be cited orally and/or visually during the presentation. Another proposal is to use results from head-to-head matchups as tiebreaking criteria.
Track and Field-This proposal adds a 400-meter event in the Wheelchair Division.
10B: Boys Volleyball Season for 2024-2025
League Staff is working with the Boys Volleyball Task Force to identify a season of competition beginning in 2024-2025. Surveys to member schools and officials are forthcoming. A recommendation for a season of competition is expected at the Board of Directors meeting on Thursday, Oct. 5. Boys Volleyball will be played in the Spring of 2024 under Emerging Status operated by the Minnesota Boys Volleyball Association.
10C: State Tournament Seeding
During the Executive Committee report, the Board of Directors approved the creation of a sub-committee consisting of 6-10 individuals to work with League Staff in exploring a seeding process for bracketed team state tournaments.
10D: Football State Tournament, Semifinal Seeding
League Staff shared information on a coaches association recommendation to seed the football semifinals Nos. 1-4 in all football classes except Class AAAAAA.
Committee Reports
The League’s Hall of Fame Class of 2024 will be inducted on Sunday, April 14, 2024, at a site to be determined.
League Staff shared website analytics on digital souvenir programs and website page views. Page views during the 2022-2023 school year increased by 51 percent for digital souvenir programs.
Informational
In-person Board Meeting Schedule 2023-2024
Thursday, October 5, 2023
Thursday, November 30, 2023
Thursday, February 1, 2024
Thursday, April 4, 2024
Tuesday, June 4, 2024
All meetings begin at 9:30 a.m., unless otherwise posted
Next Meeting: Thursday, October 5, 2023
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The Crookston High School weight room will be open these days and times through the summer months.
Monday-Friday
9th-12th grade
6:30am-8:00am (Group 1)
8:00am-9:30am (Group 2)
Monday-Thursday
10:00 am-11:00 am 6th-8th grade (this group should come a maximum of 3 days, if you attend on Tuesday, do not attend on Wednesday and vice versa)
Summer is a great time to work on becoming a stronger and more confident athlete/person!
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JOKES
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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 Head Girls Golf Coach at Horace High School in Fargo, ND..
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 Womens Track and Field team.
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.
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
Marley Melbye is the Head Girls Swimming coach and assistant girls golf 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) Horgen is the 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 Wisconsin Badgers 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.
