Merry Christmas! As I finish the column it is Christmas evening and I am lucky to be able to spend the holiday with my family. Like every year, it went by too quick. But we will have two busy days and another holiday before we get ready for the toughest stretch of the sports season – January. It is hard to believe we are a little over a month away from the first girls hockey playoff game before the madness begins!!
I hope you had a Merry Christmas and had a chance to enjoy time with loved ones and were spoiled by Santa again this year. All of us at KROX would like to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
In this week’s column, we have the Annual A through Z list and jokes. Thanks for reading and thanks for making 2019 a great year and we look forward to an even better 2020.
— — —
Now it is time for the 2019 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.
Barnesville Trojan Football – The Barnesville Trojan football program is one of the top programs in the state. They reload every year with more athletes that have spent time in their weight room. The players hard work pays off with a trip to the state championship game two years ago and the state semi-finals this year. Coach Bryan Strand and his staff do a great job and they are a program to copy.
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.
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.
Dufner, Mark Dufner – Mark has been with the UMC Football program for 19 or 20 years and nobody in college sports has been through more than he has as far as facing obstacles. He is a great guy and one of the classiest guys you will come across. After losses, he would always talk with us at KROX even though he didn’t want to after several of the games. As head coach, he expected his players to be respectful, classy, and simply put – good people. The sidelines this fall were the best I had ever seen. I think I join most people in wishing Mark and his wife the best of luck and hope he sticks around Crookston.
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 out whenever he is needed. He did a boys hockey game over Thanksgiving weekend. 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. On the basketball side of things – He is doing a great job with a team that only plays seven players on most nights. Almost every coach I interview for our pre-game shows says the Pirate Boys Basketball team is well-coached and has respect from his peers. Crookston has been competitive in every game except for the Perham game this year and they should have a .500 record going into 2020. As an athletic director, he is one of the most organized people you will come across. He is already working on next year’s winter sports schedules and is always working to make sure Pirate activities have everything they need and they are prepared well before the season starts.
H – Harrison Cleary – The University of Minnesota Crookston Men’s Basketball senior from Oak Creek, Wisconsin has surpassed 2,400 career points in his college career. He is closing in on becoming the leading scorer in Minnesota college basketball history across all levels. He is also on pace to break the Northern Sun Conference scoring record. He will leave UMC as the greatest offensive player in program, NSIC, and Minnesota college basketball history.
Hockey – Club Hockey – The University of Minnesota Crookston announced that they will add club hockey next year. It was welcome news and it will be exciting to have hockey back on campus next year.
I – Iowa Hawkeyes – We had this one from a KROX and Iowa Hawkeye fan, Jeff Butler. It was the place that Crookston’s own, Kamille (Wahlin) Meyer played basketball, the football team started the wave to the Children’s Hospital and they beat our Gopher Football team this year.
J – Jim Weizeirl – He is the Region 8A Secretary and in charge of everything that happens with everything in Section 8A athletics, music, and other activities at tournament time. First and foremost, he is a great guy and genuinely cares about the kids, fans, coaches and everybody involved in high school athletics. He was an official for many years and slid into the Region Secretary role several years ago. Under his leadership, the region is on of the best run organization in all the Minnesota State High School regions. He handles the tough decisions as fair and honest as possible and always keeps the media informed of any changes or possible changes coming up at tournament time.
John Schumacher – The big Shoo. John is a longtime Park Rapids coach, Activity Director, and an all-around fantastic guy. He has had to battle cancer and has been nothing but himself as he has battled the dreaded C word. There isn’t a more genuine guy in high school sports in Northwest Minnesota. The best part of broadcasting games in Park Rapids is seeing John. He cares about everyone that he knows and nobody cares more about the kids than he does. I am 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.
Leo Blavin – KROX is lucky to have a kid like Leo working for us. He is a very good play-by-play announcer that works hard on his prep work for every game he does. He has fit in well at KROX with a great work ethic and he is determined to be the best broadcaster he can be. He is willing to do pretty much anything needed to make KROX better. As a Michigan alumn, the one thing he will never do is cheer for Ohio State or Michigan State. We are lucky to have him at KROX.
M – Mayville girls hockey players – The Crookston Pirate Girls Hockey program has a co-op with Mayville. Nora Peterson, Grace Koshney, Breck Fugleberg, Taylor Garrett, Raina Satrom, Brynley Coleman, and Saylar Garrett. Six of the girls are playing varsity and making a huge impact and a big part of the success this season. Peterson leads the team in scoring and Koshney is the goaltender. It has been a great co-op that has benefitted the program and one of the reasons they had a team a couple of years ago.
Minnesota Twins – The Twins gave us a summer of Bombas and excitement with an American League Central championship. They haven’t done much in the offseason as far as signing any big-name pitchers, so we will see what happens this year. I am guessing it should be another exciting summer of Twins baseball and we are looking forward to carrying the first exhibition games in the later winter/early spring.
N – Neil Steffes – The cagey veteran coach has one of the top teams in Section 8A year after year. He is one of the best coaches in the state and I can say with certainty that he is a future hall of famer. This year is a perfect example of how good of a coach he is. He doesn’t have any superstars, but his teams play great together and are always unselfish and buy into doing what is best to win games. He is an outstanding coach, he is well respected throughout the state and especially in northwest Minnesota. He is also a great guy and has always surrounded himself with great assistants and this year is no different. Fertile-Beltrami Falcon Boys Basketball is a perfect 8-0 and sixth in the state in QRF. They were the Northland Holiday Tournament champions with wins over Kittson County Central, Red Lake, and Cass Lake.
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 – PJ Fleck – He has built the Gopher Football program into a competitive program and excitement and interest in Gopher football has never been higher. Row the Boat, Ski-U-Mah, and Go Gophers hasn’t been said more around the state than the past year. He might not be for everybody, but he appeals to kids and their families and that is all that matters. Gopher Football is back on the map and most of their players will be back next year, which means it should be another exciting year in 2020.
Q – Sports Quotes –
“I don’t count my situps. I only start counting once it starts hurting. ” –Muhammad Ali
“I’ve failed over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” – Michael Jordan
“There may be people that have more talent than you, but there’s no excuse for anyone to work harder than you do.” – Derek Jeter
“To uncover your true potential you must first find your own limits and then you have to have the courage to blow past them.” – Picabo Street
“Good is not good when better is expected.” – Vin Scully
“Never give up! Failure and rejection are only the first step to succeeding.” – Jim Valvano
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 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. He has a roster of over 40 players and they have been the most competitive program at UMC since he has taken over the helm. He has done all of this with around two scholarships. His program will receive the benefit of football being cut with more scholarships, staff and possible upgrades to the facility. The future is bright for UMC Baseball.
Steve Philion – Another veteran basketball coach that does things the right way and not only is a great coach, but he is an even better person. Steve has been coaching for many years. He is now coaching the Red Lake County Rebels and has them as a contender for the Section 8A title this year. He always coaches/teaches the game to be played the right way and with class and respect. Any young man that has Steve as a coach is a better young man because of it. Not only can Steve coach, but he is an official for volleyball, football, baseball, and softball too. Steve also volunteers a lot of time in and around the Red Lake Falls community, making him an easy choice for the list this year.
T – Tiffany Fee – My wife, the better half. She is basically a single parent for nine months of the year and 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.
Tim Bergland – The Thief River Falls Prowler Boys Hockey coach is one of the best. His teams are always fundamentally sound and play outstanding defense. In games that they might be “underdogs,” they still find ways to win or give the team a fight for their life. His teams play hockey the right way and he finds ways to reload after big graduation losses every year. He is one of the best.
U – UMC Football – The University of Minnesota Crookston Football team met the UMC Trojan wrestling, and UMC Golden Eagle Hockey team’s company earlier this month with the announcement it was going to be cut. UMC football was very competitive in the 90’s and even made the NAIA National tournament in the late 90’s under the direction of Scott Oliver. The teams they had were fun to watch and some great football. After UMC made the move to NCAA Division II they competed for the first couple of years, and when the NCC folded and St. Cloud State, Minnesota State Mankato, Augustana, and Duluth joined the conference it was all downhill from there. Wins and losses aside, UMC Football will be missed and that means a new “homecoming” tradition will have to begin.
V – Minnesota Vikings – They are the team that we know will let us down every year. They play well enough to get us excited, but they never find a way to win a big game. We love to cheer for them and the beauty of sports is we think each year will be THE YEAR. The loss to the Packers won’t deter our HOPE of a playoff run and maybe this year is the year????
W – Winjum’s – The Chris and Leah Winjum family could arguably be named the new first family of Crookston Pirate athletics. They Winjum’s have four kids. Walker is a senior and plays football, basketball, and baseball and is a solid player that plays all three sports the right way. He plays hard and is a great kid. Hayden is a sophomore and is a member of the Pirate girls tennis, basketball and track teams. She is one of the best all-around athletes in the school and is another great kid! Halle is an eighth-grader that plays on the girls tennis, basketball and track teams. She is a special athlete and has played varsity for two years already in all three sports. Halle plays the games the right way and is a great kid. Reggie is a sixth-grader that plays football, basketball, baseball, and tennis. He is one of the top athletes in his grade and is a great kid too. Chris is a co-coach for the Crookston sixth-grade boys basketball team and is an employee at UMC. Leah is a coach for several basketball teams over the years and helps out with the sixth graders. She also works with younger tennis players with a skills and drills type of thing during the summer. She works at Trinity Lutheran Church as a youth pastor and her positive energy is unmatched in town.
Wes Colburn – He is the president of the Crookston Blue Line Club. As president of the club, he works hard to fill numerous tournaments throughout the year, personally calling and inviting associations. He was also responsible for working with city officials to negotiate a fair and sustainable ice bill that will benefit both the City and the Blue Line Club in the long run. He has led the BLC board in implementing numerous policies and procedures to keep the program moving forward in recruiting and retaining players. He also does a lot to retain the best coaches, setting up monthly round-table meetings to support and learn from each other. Wes has also been the Crookston youth hockey scheduler since 2017. He puts together game schedules so that the players and their families can have a fun and competitive season. This year he’s brought in teams that don’t normally come our way for overnight stays and created such a good reputation for Crookston hockey that now teams from the cities are contacting him wanting to come and play here.
On top of all his time dedicated to the blue line club and scheduling, he’s also coached at the PeeWee level for the last year and coached a team of kids from Crookston in spring and fall AAA hockey tournaments.
Warroad Hockey – The Warroad Warrior Boys and Girls Hockey teams are both the top teams in the section again this year. Both teams have several players that will be playing Division 1 hockey in the future. They have great players, great coaching and a culture and expectation of excellence. People love to hate on them because they are so successful, but they are fun to watch when they aren’t playing against your favorite team.
X – X-Factor –
We have listed the X Factors for each team (in our eyes).
Boys Basketball – Brady Butt and Jacob Hesby
Girls Basketball – Halle Winjum
Boys Hockey – The second line
Girls Hockey – Aleah Bienek and Cassie Solheim
Wrestling – Anybody that can fill 106.
UMC Basketball – The starting four outside of Harrison Cleary. Abby Guidinger for the women.
Y – Youth Basketball Association – Crookston – 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.
— — —
The Crookston Knights of Columbus Free Throw Contest for boys and girls ages 9-14 will be Sunday, January 12 at the Crookston High School. Registration is from noon to 1:00 p.m. with shooting starting at 1:00 p.m. Entrants may compete in only one local competition. If you have any questions, call John at 218-289-2540.
— — —
The annual Red Lake Falls Knights of Columbus Free Throw Contest will be held at the Red Lake Falls High School Gym on Sunday, January 26, 2020. This is for any boys or girls ages 9-14, with separate categories for girls and boys and separate categories for each age group from age 9 to age 14. The winners will receive a trophy, 2nd and 3rd place a medal. Winners will advance to District Competition. Practice time will be from 12:30-1:00 on the 26 with the competition beginning at 1:00. Entry forms can be picked up at the office at the Plummer Elementary, RLCC High School in Oklee, Hughes Elementary in RLF, Lafayette High School in RLF, or from Steve Philion (call -218-253-2499)
— — —
JOKES
A man on his Harley was riding along a California beach when suddenly the sky clouded above his head and, in a booming voice, God said
‘Because you have tried to be faithful to me in all ways, I will grant you one wish. The biker pulled over and said, ‘Build a bridge to Hawaii I can ride over anytime I want.’
God replied, ‘Your request is materialistic, think of the enormous challenges for that kind of undertaking. Look at the supports required reaching the bottom of the Pacific and the concrete, asphalt, and steel it would take! I can do it, but it is hard for me to justify your desire for worldly things. Take a little more time and think of something that could possibly help mankind.’
The biker thought about it for a long time. Finally, he said, ‘God, I wish that I, and all men, could understand women. I want to know how she feels inside, what she’s thinking when she gives me the silent treatment, why she cries, what she means when she says nothing’s wrong, why she snaps and complains when I try to help, and how I can make a woman truly happy.’
After a heavy sigh, God replied, “You want two lanes, or four, on that bridge?”
— — —
The Pfizer Corporation announced today that Viagra will soon be available in liquid form and this new product will be marketed by Pepsi Cola as a power beverage suitable for use as a mixer.
It will now be possible for a man to literally pour himself a stiff one.
Obviously we can no longer call this a soft drink, and it gives new meaning to the names of cocktails, highballs and just a good old-fashioned stiff drink.
Pepsi will market the new concoction by the name: MOUNT & DO.
— — —
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 in a 4-0 loss to Milwaukee on Friday while having three shots on goal. Paul didn’t score in a 1-0 loss to Rockford while getting four shots on goal. Cleveland will host Charlotte on Saturday and Monday and they will travel to Toronto on Tuesday.
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. St. John’s is off 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. Morris 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
