Welcome to another Sports Feever Column. This week will be a heavy dose of UMC Football. I will open it with one note. The University of Minnesota and the University of Minnesota Crookston have never funded athletics the right way from the beginning. So when the NCC folded and Mankato, St. Cloud State, Augustana, and Duluth came to the conference the Golden Eagles went from being behind to not even on the radar. It was never handled right as far as funding, the right number of coaches and staff, scholarships, and facilities. They started with a junior college-type mentality in a Division II conference and they still haven’t recovered 20 years later. One would have thought the Main U (as I call the mothership) in Minneapolis would have made sure it was handled better…….anyway, on to the column.
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The University of Minnesota Crookston announced they were cutting football on Tuesday afternoon. We have the full story with former player comments and more below. But first I have had a lot of people ask my thoughts. I can safely say there probably hasn’t been anybody besides Mark Dufner that has been at more UMC football games than me since they became a member of the NSIC in 1999. So I have been very close to the program, close to many of the players in the past and still keep in touch with many of them. I have been to all 16 football stadiums, have seen all the facilities, etc.
Here is what I think – It was a decision that had to be made. I appreciate the honesty from UMC and Chancellor Mary Holz-Claus when she said we don’t have the financial capability to fund the program, upgrade the facilities, fully staff the program (only eight coaches), and fully fund scholarships (they were at 24 and the NSIC max is 36, as of two years ago) to be competitive in the NSIC. Another thing that will have to be looked at is the lack of quality/student recruiting majors. UMC has so many niche majors that they don’t bring a lot of students to campus. They need to look at a FULL education degree, maybe nursing, rural medicine, trade degrees, and any other emerging majors. Until that happens you are still going to have problems.
POSITIVES –
-The football players and coaches have handled it with class and that is impressive.
-They announced the cut now so the football players could transfer at the end of the semester. Some of the top players for UMC should get gobbled up pretty quick by other conference schools.
-The NSIC is allowing transfers to other schools in the conference and the players won’t have to sit out.
-St. Cloud State also cut football, so most of the media outside of NW Minnesota was talking about that.
FINANCIAL/FUNDRAISING
The easy rebuttal would be it is the fault of the fundraisers that they couldn’t fully fund it. While that may be partially true, it isn’t that easy. UMC isn’t a normal University with 100-plus years of alumni with close ties to the campus. It was a junior college for a large portion of its history and most of those alumni went on to other colleges and universities to finish their four-year degree and they consider the degree they got their four-year degree as their “home.” So it isn’t as easy as it may seem.
The other problem is, Crookston doesn’t have any huge companies in town that are the cash cow. We don’t have a Sanford, we don’t have a Schwans, a Marvin Windows, etc. We have a lot of great businesses in town, but they don’t have millions of dollars to donate because most of them are locally owned and not a HUGE worldwide corporation. We have farming as the main source of income for most businesses in the Red River Valley and now is not the time to be asking farmers for money. We have a RiverView building project going on and it seems like UMC has a fundraising project going on all the time now and you can only go to the well so many times before it dries up. Many were burned by the turf fundraising campaign that never happened.
COMPETITIVENESS-
I don’t think I need to elaborate on this. The football team only has two wins in the last five years.
ENROLLMENT/COST OF LOSING STUDENTS –
When asked what the cost savings would be by cutting football, the Chancellor didn’t have that number available, which was a little concerning. When they cut hockey they had the (I believe) $90,000 savings tag with it. So not having the football cost was a little alarming when making a decision like this. A ballpark figure should have been at the tip of the tongue.
I know this, the football team always had between 80 to 100 kids on campus at the start of the year. Let’s split the difference with 90 students – minus 24 scholarships for a total of 66 paying students. That is $1,320,000 of tuition, room, and board the campus could possibly lose (at $20,000 a person, which is probably high). But, I would confidently say it has to be around One Million dollars.
The Cost of running the program –
The cost of the scholarships would be around $600,000. The coaches salaries have to be in the ballpark of $250,000 to $300,000. I have no idea what travel would be, but feeding 60 kids and hotel on 5 to 6 trips a year has to be spendy. Add equipment, pads, extra training staff, etc. So with rough numbers, it looks like it costs at least 1 million dollars to run the program.
It also looks like most of the football players are looking to transfer. I have counted well over 40 and I think it is close to 50 kids have put their name out as opening their recruiting and looking to play elsewhere. So the school might actually save $600,000 in scholarship money sooner than anticipated if they all leave. It just goes to show, the kids didn’t pick UMC for academics, they picked UMC (or UMC coaches picked them) to play football and school was a bonus.
MONEY GOING TO OTHER TEAMS-
I hope is true, but I have a feeling ALL the money isn’t going to the other teams. In the press release and in the meeting with the media, they said they are going to put the money from the football program to other programs. They will add staff (assuming coaches), scholarships and whatever else. I hope they will give ALL the money saved to the other teams. The biggest benefactor will be baseball and softball, possibly golf and women’s tennis (Yes Virginia, UMC has a women’s tennis team). Volleyball and Men’s and Women’s Basketball are near fully funded as far as scholarships go and the only team that is competitive this year is the Men’s Basketball program. So adding more scholarships obviously doesn’t equate to winning. With that said, imagine what Steve Gust could do with a full complement of scholarships. He should be getting four or five more!!!!
If UMC does transfer the money to the rest of the sports, will the coaches be held accountable? Will the teams be expected to be competitive. I would CERTAINLY think so!
WHY NOT DROP TO DIVISION III
Each UMC Chancellor, over the three or four in the position, have looked at dropping down to Division III. When they contacted the MIAC (Concordia, Hamline, St. Thomas, St. John’s, etc.) they had zero interest of allowing UMC in. ZERO, NADA, ZILCH!
The rumor is when they contacted the UMAC, they didn’t want UMC because it would be too much travel without a natural travel partner. Those are some of the reasons.
Why not drop to NAIA…..because the NAIA is basically the Wild West. They don’t have as many rules and the rules they have are rarely enforced. NAIA has been bleeding a slow death in the upper midwest and the travel would be significant.
There is a lot more we could discuss, but that is as far as we will go today.
The people I feel bad for are the players and coaches. They came to school to play for the perennial bottom feeder and gave it a shot. The ones that impress me (or question their sanity) are the ones that came without a scholarship. I feel for them, but judging by social media accounts, over 40 of them are already opening looking for a new team and have posted highlight videos and everything else. They can transfer to another NSIC school without penalty and I wish all of them well.
I feel bad for Mark Dufner. He has made it through five or six coaching changes and the new staff always elected to keep him on. He had the best group of young men I have seen on the sidelines in all my years covering the team this year. He is a class act, a great guy and I consider him a friend. He will land on his feet (I suggested to him there is a math job open at Crookston High School and it would be fun to see him and Scott Butt working together again!!!).
I feel bad for KROX’s own Leo Blavin, who took the job solely to do UMC Football games. The allure of doing Division II college football was something he wanted to do. So now I might lose an employee quicker than I had hoped.
Speaking of Leo, here is his response to the news –
The reason I was interested in my current position at KROX back when I applied in the summer of 2017 was that it offered the opportunity to serve as the play-by-play voice for an NCAA Division II football team. I had never heard of Crookston or KROX. The only reason I wanted the job that I still occupy two and a half years later was that my only professional goal in life was, and still is, to serve as the radio play-by-play voice for a college football team. I never cared that the team didn’t win, or the games weren’t competitive. In my opinion, college football is the greatest sport on earth, and the chance to get paid to be a small part of it is my professional pinnacle. Before I get into what I think should be said about the elimination of the UMC football program, I want to thank the people that made my job as enjoyable as it was for the past three falls.
I want to thank Coach Mark Dufner and his entire coaching staff for how they treated me. The last thing a coach wants to do after losing a game is talk on the radio, but every week Mark came up to the broadcast booth after road games and answered my questions. Mark has dedicated his life to Minnesota Crookston football for nearly 20 years, and his commitment to his players, coaches, and the University deserves recognition beyond my little column. To Coach Miller, Coach Hottle, Coach McNeil, Coach Johnson, Coach Hepp, Coach Bakken, Coach Day, and Coach Rodriguez, thank you for allowing me to cover the program you spent more time than imaginable trying to build into a competitor.
To the players that put their physical well-being on the line every Saturday in the fall, knowing that the final score wouldn’t reflect their effort, dedication, or perseverance, I thank you. These players knew the reputation of Minnesota Crookston football when they arrived and worked as hard as they could to change the program’s trajectory despite the odds being stacked against them.
Despite broadcasting just one win over the past three seasons, my love for college football hasn’t changed at all. I still haven’t begun to process the concept that next fall, I may not be broadcasting college football. However, I’m getting off infinitely easier than any of the players or coaches now scrambling for new schools that can utilize their talents.
Here are my thoughts on what’s transpired over the past 48 hours.
On Tuesday, December 10, 2019, the University of Minnesota Crookston eliminated its football program. For anyone familiar with this program’s long history of losing on the field, this isn’t surprising and perhaps seen as long overdue. They’re missing the point.
What will likely get overlooked in all of this is the fact that many of these football players were first-generation college students. A lot of them were able to graduate with a University of Minnesota Crookston degree because of this football program and the scholarships it provided. The closure of this program ensures that the diversity of the campus and the city of Crookston will diminish significantly in the coming years. With an already declining on-campus enrollment, I’m skeptical that the diversity of the students who attend UMC via a computer mouse and keyboard will enhance the experience for the students attending UMC’s actual campus. While online students are a fantastic source of revenue for the University system and benefit the long-term financial viability of the University of Minnesota. These online students in no way fulfill the University of Minnesota Crookston’s mission as a land-grant University and do nothing to benefit the greater Crookston community or the community on the school’s physical campus.
None of these players’ first choice was Minnesota Crookston. These men that I got to know off the field didn’t come here thinking it was their path to the NFL or NSIC championships. For most, it was either the only Division II school that offered them an opportunity to play scholarship college football or the school that offered them the most money. It’s worth noting that multiple kids on the team contacted UMC’s coaches, seeking a chance to continue playing football rather than the other way around.
The simple truth is Minnesota Crookston’s football team lost games due to being severely underfunded and having the worst facilities in the country. Every time the Golden Eagles took the field, or when at home the mud pit, they were essentially playing on a 300-yard field while each opponent started in the red zone. The players worked as hard as any other team, but hard work doesn’t make up for 12 fewer scholarships, not enough assistant coaches, and no full-time strength and conditioning coach.
The victims of this systematic failure are apparent. There are students on the University of Minnesota Crookston campus right now that don’t know where they will be going to school next semester, let alone if they will be playing football ever again. The entire coaching staff will soon be unemployed. Based on their salaries, most of these coaches will need jobs right away once their contracts expire this summer and there are no guarantees that they will have the opportunity to coach next fall.
Minnesota Crookston’s athletic department certainly needed to change some things. My hope is that this is a painful, but necessary step to allow the remaining teams to start competing at an acceptable level that will encourage community engagement both financially and emotionally. Hopefully, this is a painful decision that yields a promising future, but it’s fair to be skeptical. I just hope internal expectations will now match the funding each program is receiving.
The rest of the information below is from our story, the NSIC Official release and the UMC official release. If you have any thoughts on the program getting cut, email me at chrisjfee@yahoo.com and I will post them next week!
KROX’S NEWS STORY-
The University of Minnesota Crookston announced this afternoon that they will cut the Golden Eagle Football program. Since joining the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) in 1999, UMC Football had 31 wins and 194 losses. In the last six seasons, UMC was 2-64.
The decision comes after the Northern Sun Conference presidents voted to establish a minimum number of sports to be a member of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC), but they no longer will make football mandatory. With the vote, it looks like UMC and St. Cloud State will be the first two NSIC schools to drop football, with one or more possibly following suit.
KROX met with the University of Minnesota Crookston Chancellor Mary Holz-Clause, Vice-Chancellor John Hoffman, and Athletic Director Stephanie Helgeson before the official announcement was made. Chancellor Holz-Clause said the decision wasn’t a sign that UMC is in financial trouble, it was the fact they didn’t think they were ever going to be able to compete with similar resources, facilities, coaching staff’s and everything else to run a successful football program.
They didn’t have an exact estimate of how much the program cost the University as it fluctuates. There are currently 69 players on the Golden Eagle Football roster, eight coaches and 24 scholarships.
The football players scholarships will continue to be honored until they graduate or leave UMC. Head Coach Mark Dufner, who also teaches math classes on campus, will stay on staff and continue teaching and will also do some academic advising.
The seven assistant coach contracts will not be renewed.
Chancellor Holz-Clause said they will reinvest money from the football program into more staffing, and scholarships for the other sports programs. When asked if other programs should be concerned about being cut she said since they won’t offer football anymore they will have to offer at least 11 sports.
The Chancellor added that the coaches and players received the news and were saddened, but showed great character and it shows what kind of people they are.
I reached out to Head Coach Mark Dufner and he responded to the email –
Chris;
Thank you for all of your support over the years: I truly appreciate it.
In regards to dropping the program, I have no comment.
Best wishes,
Mark
OFFICIAL NSIC RELEASE
With the recent news regarding the elimination of sport program offerings at St. Cloud State University (SCSU) and the University of Minnesota Crookston (UMC), the NSIC is providing an update on how the changes impact the operations of the conference.
The 2019-24 NSIC Strategic Plan instituted the goal of addressing issues regarding conference membership, potential growth, and future stability. Following review and discussion, the NSIC Board of Directors instituted policy change that creates institutional autonomy on their sports offerings by adjusting the requirements of the conference membership to the only mandate a certain number of conference-sponsored sports rather than requiring specific athletic programs.
The goal of the NSIC is to provide a smooth transition as both SCSU and UMC remain vital members of our conference. For the student-athletes at SCSU and UMC whose programs (football) have been eliminated with an immediate effective date, we will be waiving the conference’s interconference transfer restrictions.
The development of a 2020 NSIC Football schedule with 14 sponsoring institutions is under development.
UMC OFFICIAL RELEASE
CROOKSTON, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Crookston today announced it will discontinue its football program. The recently completed 2019 season is the last as a varsity sport.
“As an institution, the decision to discontinue any program is extremely difficult,” says Mary Holz-Clause, chancellor at UMN Crookston. “Ensuring a balanced, financially stable profile across our athletics department demands careful analysis, planning, and thoughtful consideration, all of which played a role in making this challenging decision and will continue to play a role in how we approach this work every day. Going forward, we will invest more in other programs to support the diverse demands and interests of our students, taking into account facility needs, departmental balance, budget, and competitive opportunities.
“We deeply value the hard work of our student-athletes, coaches, athletic administration and everyone associated with this program. They dedicated themselves to representing our campus community in a positive way and I want to thank them for that,” noted the Chancellor.
The University will honor scholarships for any student-athlete who wishes to continue academically at UM-Crookston. “Assistance will be provided to students as they navigate their future collegiate career. Staff members from athletic compliance, financial aid, student life, and Center for Student Success are available to assist football student-athletes through this transition,” says John Hoffman, vice chancellor for academic and student affairs.
The program has historically faced serious challenges from lack of available funding, challenges that have grown in recent years. Without substantial and ongoing financial investment in facilities, student-athlete development, scholarships, and staffing, the football program cannot be maintained, let alone improve competitively.
Lacking the ability to make these investments, either now or in the future, Crookston will reallocate football-related expenditures into other areas of its athletics department to enhance and strengthen its other 12 NCAA Division II athletic programs, 11 of which compete in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (NSIC). These resources will provide more flexibility in roster sizes, scholarship offerings and staffing across all Golden Eagle programs, while also creating new opportunities to invest in maintaining and improving athletic facilities.
“Discontinuing the football program was not an option we wanted to pursue, but as we worked through the process, it became evident that it was the right decision for the long-term health of our athletics department,” said Stephanie Helgeson, director of athletics. “This will move Golden Eagle Athletics into its strongest possible future, one in which we can better support all of our athletics programs and provide an outstanding collegiate experience to each of our student-athletes.”
COMMENTS FROM FORMER PLAYERS –
Chris –
I was very surprised and saddened by the news that UMC will be discontinuing its football program. It’s hard to put into words all the things that run through my mind when processing that announcement. Being 20 years removed from playing there, it obviously does not have the emotional impact for me that it does I’m sure for all the young men and coaches that are currently part of the football program at UMC. Football at UMC was such a big part of my college experience. Especially at a Division II level, the education is the most important thing (there are not many that go on to another level after college), but as an athlete, it’s sometimes hard to not let that sport become a part of your identity with all the time you put into the sport, and when you and your team are having success it sure starts to feel like football is the reason I came to UMC. People around campus and around town come to know you as Carl Aho, wide receiver, #3. I still have and still wear my UMC traveling sweatpants and sweatshirt that we would wear on road trips! With football being the ultimate team game it’s also so easy to forge those relationships with your teammates that are going to last a lifetime. There are many of us from those teams in the mid-to-late nineties that still are in contact with each other and get together either with just the guys or with our families. It’s pretty easy to start getting to know people at a new school when you’re thrown into a dorm with 70-100 other guys and are spending 10+ hours a day working together as a team for a couple of weeks in the summer, and then all the additional 2 and 1/2 – 3-hour practices and games, the long bus rides, etc. during the season. So I definitely am saddened that there will no longer be a large group of young men there at UMC getting that experience. I can see the reasoning however, in how the university officials came to make that decision. When you look at the amount of money that should be invested in the facilities and such to upgrade things so they’re on par with much of the rest of the NSIC, it would be a very substantial investment. And when the football team has not been having very much success for the better part of two decades, it would make one look long and hard at whether or not that type of investment should be made. One could argue that being behind much of the rest of the conference facility wise is part of the problem why they’re not attracting athletes to help make them more competitive, so that probably needs to be taken into account as far as damaging recruiting, etc. That was not such a big issue back in the nineties when we were transitioning into the NSIC and there was not nearly as large as a gap with the facilities at the various schools. I hope they are able to utilize what would have been the football budget and invest that into their other sports then and continue to build those up. And who knows, maybe at some point in the future it again becomes viable to have a football program again. If I ever strike it rich with one of the lotteries or such, we’ll fund some first-class facilities there and build up a great program. So far that hasn’t happened, but one can dream! I’ll miss keeping up with the UMC football program via the KROX website but will still continue to enjoy reading about all things Crookston on there so thanks for all the good work with that.
— Carl Aho
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Chris,
Overall, it is a sad thing for me to see. The football program at UMC had a strong hand in making me the person I am today. I was a part of the “Eagles Nest Gang” as a kid and then played football at UMC from ’07-’10. I loved playing for the coaching staff up there under the head coach Shannon Stassen. Mark Dufner was the Defensive Coordinator at UMC during my time there and the only remaining coach I had that is still at UMC. I played for him on the defensive side of the ball my 4 years there. His leadership was prominent for me at that time of my life and that influence is greatly appreciated to this day. I wish him well after the university’s decision and hope he is proud of his work in the development of student-athletes. Thank you Coach Duf.
I do understand the Chancellor’s and Athletic Director’s decision to move forward without a football program after the NSIC has not made it a mandatory sport for conference participation. Over the last 15ish years, it had been increasingly more and more difficult to get a football player to stay and play for the program through graduation. For example, I graduated with 1 other person my senior year that played all 4 years of football with me. I don’t recall the size of my freshman class but probably somewhere between 20-35 students so 2 of those 20-35 students were on the roster my senior year. That’s crazy to me and that alone makes it impossible to maintain a competitive program. Those student-athletes leave for a number of different reasons and it seemed impossible to break the vicious cycle of losing that huge chunk of the football team every year. I was a student at UMC when the university decided to go forward without a hockey program and saw the effects on many of my friends who played for the team. We have to remember this has lasting effects for those student-athletes so I really feel for the current football student-athletes and coaching staff and hope they can find stability quickly.
With all that said, It remains to be unseen what that cultural impact will be for the campus as a whole. The football team brings student-athletes from all over the country, created some great leaders throughout the years, and is a large part of the on-campus life. The football team alone can be about 10% of the on-campus population. I loved my time at UMC and continue to hope for the best for the athletic department and the university.
Cody Brekken
That is it for now on the UMC Football program. Look for a little more if more former players send us their comments.
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Minnesota State High School League Board of Directors Meeting Synopsis
Thursday, Dec. 5, 2019
- The meeting was called to order by Board President Bonnie Spohn Schmaltz
- Reflection provided by board member Dustin Bosshart
- The agenda was approved as presented.
- Minutes from the Oct. 3, 2019 board meeting were approved.
- The board meeting was closed at 9:46 a.m., to review non-public educational data.
- The board reconvened at 11:01 a.m.
- Hopkins High School activities director Dan Johnson and Lakeville North High School activities director Mike Zweber addressed the board in regards to the proposed requirement of a 32-team metro football district.
Lobbyist Report
- League Lobbyist Roger Aronson shared that Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz attended the Prep Bowl at U.S. Bank Stadium.
- The Legislature will be sharing the November Budget Forecast.
- The Legislative Session begins Feb. 11, 2020. Hearing sessions will last approximately seven weeks.
Legal Counsel Report
- League Legal Counsel Kevin Beck reported that there are no new legal issues. He reported that one lawsuit is pending and a complaint filed with the Minnesota Department of Human Rights remain.
Executive Director’s Report
- Executive Director Erich Martens shared a copy of High School Today magazine that included three Minnesota-related articles.
- Announced the Inside Out Initiative steering committee met in partnership with the Minnesota Vikings and is planning their kickoff event for school leadership teams.
- Shared that the Principals Advisory Committee met on Nov. 12 and the Region Secretaries met on Nov. 19.
- A Co-op Ad Hoc Committee has been formed that includes representation from the board of directors, four Class A representatives and four Class AA representatives.
- Announced that the MSHSL Foundation awarded $720,000 in funds to member schools that applied for reimbursement.
- Announced that the League will participate in the MSBA Conference in January. The League will have a booth in the exhibition hall and will host two informational sessions.
- Recognized League staff for the planning and production of the Hall of Fame induction program.
- The Executive Director yielded the floor to league staff members to share reflections and messages of thanks for the contributions and support during the successful fall state tournament events.
Executive Committee Report
- Approved the agreement with Gravity Works, a Michigan-based website developer to build a new MSHSL website.
- The Executive Committee is seeking Listening Session topics for the MnIAAA Conference in the spring.
- The Executive Committee report was approved as presented.
- Board President Bonnie Spohn Schmaltz called for a workshop session on Monday, Feb. 3, at 2:00 PM. The motion was approved.
Action Items
- 9A, Debate Rules and Policies
The board approved 17 changes in the Debate rules and policies that were previously approved by the Minnesota Debate Teachers Association and the MSHSL Debate Advisory committee.
- 9B, Wheelchair Division Rules and Policies
The board approved several wheelchair track and field changes, including heats, field event rules, and scoring.
- 9C, State Tournament Fees/Tickets
The board approved ticketing and registration fees for the following activities:
Boys Tennis — Ticketing will be implemented for the 2020 State Tournament with daily admission prices of $12 for adults and $8 for students. This will be implemented in Girls Tennis in the fall of 2020.
Clay Target — Registration fees to be implemented for the 2020 State Tournament with each qualifying individual registering for $35.
Robotics — Registration fees will be implemented for the 2020-2022 State Tournaments of the following amounts per team: 2020 — $500, 2021 — $750 2022 — $1,000
Speech — Registration fees will be implemented for the 2020 state tournament with a $20 per entry fee.
Discussion Items
- 10A, Fall Activity Advisory Proposals
Football: Metro Football District — 32 Teams
Associate Director and Football Tournament Director Bob Madison provided an update on a recommendation from the Football Advisory Committee to create a Metro Football District that would be composed of 32 teams.
Girls Tennis: Adding a third class
Associate Director and Tennis Tournament Director Craig shared information on a recommendation by the Tennis Advisory Committee to add a third competitive class to girls tennis.
- 10B, Golf Rules and Policies
League staff shared recommendations from the Golf Advisory Committee that would include an update on electronic usage policies, distance-measuring devices, code of conduct, the one-ball rule, carts and pace of play.
- 10C, Music Rules and Policies
League staff shared a recommendation from the Music Advisory Committee that would provide updates to the Music Rules and Policies. Two passages to highlight are allowing ninth-graders to participate in Large Group events, and the formalizing of current awards procedures implemented across regions.
Committee Reports
Eligibility Committee
- The minutes of the Eligibility Committee were approved as presented.
Audit/Finance Committee
- Approved the September 2019 financial statement.
- Approved the October 2019 financial statement.
- Approved the annual request from Section 4A for $40,000 to support operating costs.
Marketing and Communications Committee
- League staff reported 240,000 social media views during the Prep Bowl via social media.
- League staff thanked all communities that participated in “Sack Hunger” reported the first three place winners in this service project: 1. Owatonna. 2. Blooming Prairie. 3. Dassel-Cokato.
- League staff shared a review of the All-Tournament team awards and MVT awards.
- League staff will review the media credentials process.
- League staff shared a review of independent photographers contracted to cover state tournament events.
- League staff shared that an agreement in principle has been reached with Carlson Print Company on the production of state tournament souvenir programs.
Education and Leadership Committee
- League staff shared an update on the use of Arbiter, in both scheduling and the payment of state tournament officials.
- League staff shared an update on coaches’ education and training modules.
- An InsideOut initiative training session is scheduled for Feb. 10-11.
Informational
- The next board meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2020.
- The League Office will be closed from Dec. 23, 2019, through Jan. 1, 2020.
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It is that time of year again. The Crookston Hockey Alumni Scrimmages will be held on Saturday, December 21 at the Crookston Sports Center.
Alumni from Crookston High School, Crookston Central High School, Cathedral/Mount St. Benedict are invited to play. The information is below-
Saturday, December 21, 2019
GAME 1……….2:30-3:45………..……2009-2019 ODD vs EVEN
GAME 2……..4:00-5:15…………2008 & OLDER ODD vs EVEN
GAME 3……….5:30-6:45………PIRATE GIRLS vs GIRLS ALUMNI
GAME 4……..7:00-8:15……….PIRATE BOYS vs PIRATE ALUMNI
COST: $10.00
SOCIAL AT THE EAGLES CLUB 9:00PM-1:00AM
DANCE TO THE JOHNNY HOLM BAND
MAKE CHECKS TO “PIRATE HOCKEY”
MAIL TO: STEVE BIERMAIER
PO BOX 496
CROOKSTON, MN. 56716
OR REGISTER ONLINE by emailing steve.biermaierchiro@midconetwork.com
PROCEEDS GO TOWARD THE CHS PIRATE HOCKEY PROGRAM
WAIVER: I understand that the Crookston Public Schools, its directors and the city of Crookston will not be held responsible for any
injuries or loss of personal property with the above athlete is involved in the alumni scrimmages. I authorize the directors to secure
any emergency treatments deemed necessary.
Signature: ___________________________________________________
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The University of Minnesota Crookston volleyball program will hold three dates of Winter Volleyball Camps at Lysaker Gymnasium Sunday, January 19; Sunday, February 2; and Sunday, February 23. The camp offerings are for both boys and girls under the age of 12.
The cost for the camps is $40 for one camp, $75 for two camps and $110 for all camps. The camps provide the opportunity to learn under Minnesota Crookston Head Coach Sarah Rauen and Assistant Coach Anna Morgan, along with the Golden Eagle volleyball players who compete in the top NCAA Division II conference in the nation. All skill levels are welcome. The camps commence with check-in at 12:30 p.m. and run from 1 to 3:30 p.m.
If you are interested you can register online at https://volleyball.umcsportscamps.com/winter-camps.cfm. For more information, you can contact Coach Morgan at 218-281-8410 or at amorgan@crk.umn.edu.
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The University of Minnesota Crookston volleyball program will hold the Third Annual Minnesota Crookston Challenge, which consists of four JO volleyball tournaments at the UMC Sports Center.
Ages – Date
12s – March 28
16s – March 29
14s – April 4
18s – April 5
To register, visit https://www.ncrusav.org/ncr-tournaments-2020. For further questions please contact UMC volleyball assistant coach Anna Morgan at amorgan@crk.umn.edu or at 218-281-8410.
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JOKES
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The brand new edition of “You know you’re a redneck when….”
- You take your dog for a walk and you both use the same tree.
- You can entertain yourself for more than 15 minutes with a fly swatter.
- Your boat has not left the driveway in 15 years.
- You burn your yard rather than mow it.
- You think “The Nutcracker” is something you do off the high dive.
- The Salvation Army declines your furniture.
- You offer to give someone the shirt off your back and they don’t want it.
- You have the local taxidermist on speed dial.
- You come back from the dump with more than you took.
- You keep a can of Raid on the kitchen table.
- Your wife can climb a tree faster than your cat
- Your grandmother has “ammo” on her Christmas list.
- You keep flea and tick soap in the shower.
- You’ve been involved in a custody fight over a hunting dog.
- You go to the stock car races and don’t need a program.
- You know how many bales of hay your car will hold.
- You have a rag for a gas cap.
- Your house doesn’t have curtains, but your truck does.
- You wonder how service stations keep their rest-rooms so clean.
- You can spit without opening your mouth.
- You consider your license plate personalized because your father made it.
- Your lifetime goal is to own a fireworks stand.
- You have a complete set of salad bowls and they all say “Cool Whip” on the side.
- The biggest city you’ve ever been to is Wal-Mart.
- Your working TV sits on top of your non-working TV.
- You’ve used your ironing board as a buffet table.
- A tornado hits your neighborhood and does $100,000 worth of improvements.
- You’ve used a toilet brush to scratch your back.
- You missed your 5th-grade graduation because you were on jury duty.
- You think fast food is hitting a deer at 65
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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
Paul Bittner is playing for the Cleveland Monsters, the AHL affiliate of the Columbus Bluejacket. Paul didn’t score, but had one shot on goal and two penalty minutes in a 6-2 victory over Belleville on Friday. On Saturday, Paul didn’t score while getting three shots on goal in a 6-1 loss to Belleville. On Tuesday, Paul didn’t play in a 3-2 OT shootout loss to Laval. Cleveland will host Wilkes-Barre Scranton on Friday and Saturday.
Thea Oman, a freshman, is swimming at St. Ben’s. St. Ben’s is off until January 17 when they travel to Gustavus.
Brady Heppner, is a Senior, playing hockey at St. Johns University in Collegeville. Brady had one goal and one assists while getting seven shots on goal in a 3-3 tie with Hamline on Tuesday. St. John’s will host Concordia (Wisconsin) on Sunday before they have a break until January 4 when they travel to Boston, Massachusetts to play Hobart.
Nick Garmen, is a freshman playing basketball and tennis at the University of Minnesota Morris. Nick didn’t play in a 76-71 loss to Northland (Wisconsin) on Saturday. Morris was playing at Crown Wednesday night, hosting North Central on Saturday and will be off until January 4 when they travel to Presentation.
Aleece Durbin, is a Sophomore on the University of North Dakota Women’s Track and Field team.
Brita Fagerlund, is a Junior on the University of Jamestown Jimmy Women’s Track team.
Ben Trostad is a sophomore member of the University of Minnesota Crookston golf team. The Golden Eagles will be off until the spring.
Isaac Westlake, is a Senior on the Winona State Warrior Men’s Golf team. Winona State will be off until the spring.
Elise Tangquist, is a Junior golfer for the University of Northwestern in St. Paul. Northwestern will be off until the spring.
Mason LaPlante, a freshman, is playing soccer at the University of Jamestown.
Rachel Hefta, a freshman, is playing volleyball at Hastings College in Nebraska.
Cade Salentine is a redshirt Freshman playing football at the University of North Dakota.
Crookston School District Coaches –
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 an Assistant Wrestling Coach
Nate Merten is an Assistant Wrestling Coach
Non-Crookston High School coaching –
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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