Welcome to one of the worst spring sports seasons we have seen in many years. You have to feel sorry for the kids trying to compete and wonder what kind of effect the lousy spring will have on numbers for spring sports next year.
It is hard to believe playoff time is only a couple of weeks away for some of the sports and three weeks away for the rest.
We have had a lot of feedback and comments over the last couple of columns and I love to hear the feedback and questions. I try to pass along information of interest to people across the area and the world. We have had views in over 30 countries over the past two weeks. Congratulations to the graduating University of Minnesota Crookston and other college graduates. Have fun in the real world!!! If you thought college was tough…..life is a roller coaster, but remember it is what you make of it.
In this weeks column I will take an in-depth look at the cost of high school athletics at Crookston High School, what sports could possibly be on the chopping block if they decide to make cuts and a lot of information on everything sports in NW Minnesota.
Thanks for reading!
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The Crookston High School has recently made some cuts and the topic of cutting sports has popped up to the forefront in the past year. Most people close to Pirate athletics have been making the suggestion to cut sports for close to a decade and the past couple of years, the drums have been beating a little louder.
Some info for you –
In 1995 I graduated with 166 people in my class and we were about an average size class. We also didn’t have boys soccer, girls soccer and girls hockey, but we had cross country and boys swimming. We had a state champion baseball team, two state individual champion tracksters, a second-place state trackster, a boys tennis team that finished second in the state, our winter sports teams were average, our football team was 6-2 in the regular season with the only losses to eventual state champ Detroit Lakes and Wayzata (lost by a touchdown). All the teams were competitive in the classes we were in.
In 2019, my son Blake is graduating with 71 students!!!! They now have boys and girls soccer, and girls hockey. Besides girls track, there really isn’t a program that has great numbers! Most people know that Crookston’s demographic has changed drastically over the past 20 years and Highland School has over 50% free and reduced meals. Like many small towns, Crookston has people leaving town and going to bigger, better cities with good paying jobs which the metro area can offer. Farm family size has decreased dramatically over the past 20 years too.
With that information – It sounds like there is some serious discussion going on about cuts and several coaches have been talking about it too. In this column, I will give you the cost of each sport and at the end, I will list the sports that will likely be looked at as a possible cut. (again it is all possibilities so don’t call the school saying don’t cut checkers because Chris Fee said it could be cut.)
COST OF EACH SPORT TO THE SCHOOL DISTRICT in 2018–
The cost includes coaches salary, equipment, event workers, and transportation.
SPORT | 2018 Cost |
Football | $40,470 (Doesn’t include $5,000 field rental) |
Boys Basketball | $33,348 |
Girls Basketball | $28,768 |
Volleyball | $24,796 |
Boys Hockey | $24,506 (doesn’t include $112,584 ice rental) |
Girls Hockey | $23,332 (doesn’t include $112,584 ice rental) |
Wrestling | $17,636 |
Girls Tennis | $16,320 |
Boys Track | $15,630 (I hope the school isn’t paying UMC to use a track they won’t fix) |
Girls Track | $14,820 (I hope the school isn’t paying UMC to use a track they won’t fix) |
Softball | $14,825 |
Baseball | $14,426 |
Girls Soccer | $14,040 |
Boys Golf | $13,983 |
Boys Soccer | $13,981 |
Boys Tennis | $13,550 |
Girls Golf | $11,866 |
Dance Line | $10,310 |
Girls Swimming | $10,155 |
You might be surprised that the costs are as low as they are. Athletic offerings only make up about 3 to 4% of the Crookston School District budget and I would say that is a fantastic return on investment.
The top seven sports (football, basketball, hockey, wrestling, and volleyball) are the most expensive, but also the most popular of the sports and they won’t get cut unless they cut themselves (with lack of numbers). If you cut any of the sports, you will have people leave the district! The rest of the sports, people leaving would be minimal if at all.
How would a person figure the top candidates for cutting, if the school district decides to cut some sports?
I would look at participation, competitiveness, and if they need to find coaches. Here is a breakdown of the sports I think could possibly be on the chopping block.
- Swimming only had 7 girls out last year. The cost per student is the highest and the school is handing over the pool ownership to the city. If they were going to cut swimming, one would think this would be the time. I have heard rumors of a parent meeting earlier this year with school administration to discuss the future of the program. According to one parent, “We need to get more swimmers in order to have a program.” The school has tried to get a coop with Thief River Falls and they said no. They have tried with Fosston/Bagley, but so far that hasn’t come to fruition yet.
- Boys Soccer – The boy’s soccer program doesn’t have a coach on staff. Both coaches are done and the numbers have been okay, but they don’t have enough for a full J.V. and varsity. There hasn’t been much success over the years and there isn’t much of a youth program either. After East Grand Forks, the closest game is Bemidji, after that it is Fergus Falls!
- Girls Soccer – The girls soccer team has had trouble fielding full J.V. and varsity teams and have been forced to play seventh and eighth graders on varsity. They only have one coach currently on staff after a retirement. The girls program has only won a couple games per year (sometimes less) over the past handful of years and there isn’t much of a youth program. After East Grand Forks, the closest game is Bemidji, after that it is Fergus Falls!
- Boys Tennis – They have a huge class of seniors this year and the numbers aren’t strong throughout the program. They only have 14 kids returning (7-11) next year. It is possible they don’t have enough to field a full varsity team unless they get an influx of talent. One problem here is the Highland School gym classes don’t have a tennis session. We used to when I went through…. That should NEVER happen. Gym in the elementary schools should have a unit on EVERY sport the high school offers. The biggest question – Are you going to cut your most successful program in the history of Pirate athletics? With the numbers, they might not have a choice!!
- Dance Line – They only have around 10 girls out for the team 7-12. Lack of numbers has been a problem for the program for years.
- Boys and Girls Golf – The golf team numbers haven’t been great over the past couple of years (terrible weather hasn’t helped). The boys only have nine kids out 9-12 and that obviously is a problem. The girls have 19 girls out 7-12 and only lose one to graduation after this year and will be one of the top teams in the section next year without Detroit Lakes in the section.
- Baseball – If we were having discussions four or five years ago about cuts, baseball would have on the front burner. Now baseball numbers are strong and even though they don’t have a senior on the team this year, the numbers 7-11 are solid and the youth program has good numbers. The only acceptable argument on cutting baseball in Crookston would be the fact that they can play legion in the summer.
- Softball – The Pirate softball numbers are okay. They have a lot of girls out in 7-11 and there is interest in the youth level too. The problem is the competitive part. Crookston softball hasn’t won a playoff game in over a decade and they have only won eight games in the last four years. The numbers are decent, but the team hasn’t been above .500 in over a decade.
- Girls Tennis – The numbers for girls tennis is good. They are the second most successful program at CHS. They have some very good teams coming up over the next four or five years and will likely be one of the section favorites for many of those years.
- Boys and Girls track – Crookston boys track numbers are the lowest they have ever been. The Girls track numbers are strong in 7-8 and after that they drop off significantly and that has been the case for years for various reasons. The biggest issue with Pirate track…..they can’t host a track meet because UMC won’t fix the track. The Crookston School District residents voted down a referendum for a football field/track complex. Track went from being a sport that would likely never be in the discussion to now being in the discussion as being a possible cut.
Now you throw title 9 into the mix. Title 9 makes sure that schools are giving the same opportunities for boys and girls. According to title 9 you have to offer the same amount of sports, or close to it depending on the ratio of male to female students. Nowhere does it say you have to offer the same amount of sports, just the same opportunities.
I think you could see three fall sports, one winter sport and a spring sport or two cut. The school board said if they make any cuts, it wouldn’t be because of money. It would be to “right-size” the sports offered in Crookston.
The school administration and school board could decide to keep all the sports, but I know this much….they aren’t going to add any sports, not unless you know where freezes over (to put it bluntly).
Let me know what you think – email me at chrisjfee@yahoo.com.
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Congratulations to University of Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagle Baseball team and Coach Steve Gust on making the NSIC Baseball tournament for the third time in four years. UMC is fighting for the fifth, sixth or seventh seed depending on what happens in the final series of the regular season this week. UMC plays Minot State and it will be a big series for both teams going into the playoffs. The three games should be competitive.
According to the UMC Sports Information Department –
If UMC Baseball wins their final three games, and Wayne State loses their final three games, the Golden Eagles move to No. 5 seed. If Golden Eagles lose final three, and Northern State wins final three, it is No. 7. Otherwise, we are the No. 6 seed in NSIC Tourney.
As you can tell, there is a lot to play for this weekend for the Golden Eagles. But the important thing is that the Golden Eagles continue to play well as they prepare for the postseason. UMC could play Augustana, Mankato, St. Cloud State or Minot State depending on what happens this weekend. The great news – UMC has beat Augustana, Mankato and St. Cloud State this year. They play Minot State this weekend. This UMC team will likely have the most confidence going into the first round of the playoffs, no matter who they play this year. In the previous two years, they were happy to be there and knew it was going to be very difficult to knock off one of the top teams. This year the guys KNOW they can beat the top teams and have. We will have all the UMC Baseball playoff games on KROX and look at UMC baseball a little more next week.
SCHOOL (top 8) | CONF | OVERALL |
---|---|---|
Augustana | 26-6 | 33-14 |
Minnesota State | 26-7 | 36-10 |
St. Cloud State | 24-7 | 36-9 |
Minot State | 24-8 | 32-14 |
Wayne State | 22-11 | 31-15 |
Minnesota Crookston | 18-12 | 26-19 |
Winona State | 15-14 | 23-19 |
Northern State | 17-16 | 22-22 |
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What is going on at the University of North Dakota Athletic Department? The Volleyball coach left to take a job at a Division 3 school in Texas and now the Men’s Basketball coach is leaving to take an assistant coaching job!
Leo Blavin and I were talking about the news Wednesday afternoon and both of us thought UND should offer the job to former NDSU coach Saul Philips. I have no idea if he would be willing to come back to a low-level D-1 school, but it would be awesome if they were able to pull it off. Whoever the new coach will be, hopefully, they will look at playing the UMC Golden Eagle Men’s Basketball team, because Coach Jones never wanted to play UMC.
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The Crookston Pirate Boys Tennis team will travel to the talent-packed Pine City Art Nelson tennis tournament on Saturday. They are going to have an outstanding field this year. They start at 8:00 a.m. this year because it is Pine Cities Prom. The eight teams competing are listed below –
Mounds Park Academy (ranked #2 in the state)
Thief River Falls (ranked #5 in the state)
Hibbing (ranked #6 in the state)
Pine City (ranked #8 in the state)
St. Peter
Crookston
Delano
Litchfield
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The Crookston Pirate Boys Tennis team will be competing in another competitive tournament today (Thursday). The Northwest Quad will be held in East Grand Forks with the Green Wave, Thief River Falls, Bemidji and Crookston competing.
*Play will start at 11:00 am
*Matches will be 2 out of 3 sets with a standard tie-break for the third
*Medals will be given for first place finishers and a team trophy will be awarded
Court assignments for each division:
Riverside 1st Singles and 1st Doubles
University 2nd Singles and 2nd Doubles
Register (Century Elem) 3rd & 4th Singles and 3rd Doubles
EGF High School 4th Doubles and 5th Singles
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Minnesota Hockey announced on Wednesday the selectees and alternates for the 2019 CCM High Performance 14 and 15 Summer Camps. The week-long camps for the top boys and girls hockey players in Minnesota will be held during June at St. Cloud State University in St. Cloud. The camp is led by current and former coaches from the Division I, Division III and high school levels. Current college players at Division I and III levels serve as counselors.
They don’t have the hometowns listed by the names of the players, but I saw Crookston’s Jack Doda made the 15 Summer Camp. Not a big surprise since he played varsity as an eighth-grader this year. Congratulations to Jack and one named we spotted was Beau Motzko (a goalie). In case you are wondering, Motzko is the son of Golden Gopher Men’s Hockey coach Bob Motzko, which would explain why he was watching the tryouts.
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The Minnesota team for the HP 17’s National Camp team has been selected and there are some players from the area on the team. The National Camp dates are June 25 – July 1 in Amherst, New York.
Making the team are the following area players –
Landon Parker (East Grand Forks)
Grant Slukynsky (Warroad)
Evan Bushy (Thief River Falls)
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The Minnesota team for the HP 16’s National Camp team has been selected and there are some players from the area on the team. The National Camp dates are July 7-13 in Amherst, New York.
Area kids making the team are –
Max Strand (Roseau)
Thor Byfuglien (Roseau)
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Pirate Hoops Summer Skills and Drills 2019
For Crookston Pirate Basketball players (girls and boys) grades 2-12 (next year’s grade)
Where: CHS gym
When: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday
Time: Next year’s 7th-12th graders at 7:30-9:00 am
Next year’s 2nd – 6th graders at 9:00-10:00 a.m.
CLICK HERE FOR THE JUNE 7th grade through 12th-grade CALENDAR
CLICK HERE FOR THE JUNE – 2nd grade through 6th-grade CALENDAR
Cost: 7th-12th graders is $40
2nd – 6th graders is $25
Attend all or as many as you are able to. (Make checks to Pirate Basketball)
Send to:
Pirate Hoops
Crookston High School Attn: Greg Garmen
402 Fisher Ave.
Crookston, MN 56716
Keep top portion
Name________________________________________________________
Phone________________________________________________________
School attended(circle): CHS HES Cathedral Our Saviors Home School
I understand that Crookston High School and the Summer Basketball Academy staff will not be held responsible for injuries of loss of personal property while the above athlete is attending the academy. I authorize the directors to secure any emergency treatment deemed necessary. The staff will not be held responsible for payment for this emergency treatment. Any hospital or doctor fees that are a result of injury will be the responsibility of the parent or guardian. I also acknowledge that the above athlete is physically ready for the activity of the basketball academy.
Signature of parent/guardian_________________________________________
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The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference had a pretty good NFL and post-NFL draft this year.
The top NSIC player picked was Trey Pipkins of the University of Sioux Falls in the third round by the San Diego Chargers. Pipkins is a 6’6 309-pound offensive lineman.
NSIC players receiving an invite to rookie minicamps –
Jonas Schenderlein of Concordia-St. Paul (Vikings)
Landon Jones of Bemidji State (Vikings)
Gunner Olszewski of Bemidji State (New England Patriots)
John Vogeler of Bemidji State (Vikings)
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Detroit Lakes Boys Hockey will have a new coach when Ben Noah takes over next year. Noah is a Detroit Lakes native and played for Detroit Lakes in high school. Noah played three seasons in the NAHL for the Bismarck Bobcats from 2003-2006 and played for St. John’s University and he was an assistant coach at Concordia College this past winter.
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Ross Lefebvre, St. Cloud State wrestler and graduate (son of Minnesota Wrestling Hall of Famer Dan Lefebvre), has accepted the head wrestling coach job at Frazee replacing Clay Nagel.
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Roseau’s Emma Waling has signed to play basketball at Northland (NCTC) next season.
Roseau’s Josh Olson has signed to play golf at the University of Minnesota Crookston next year.
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Justin Dykhoff of Wadena-Deer Creek has three no-hitters this season. According to the MSHSL record books, the most no-hitters for a career is 5. Two players have 4. Dykhoff has three in the first weeks of the season.
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The NDSU Bison Men’s Golf team finished fourth place in the Summit League Men’s Golf tournament this week and they did it with some pretty good performances from local kids.
Andrew Israelson (Staples-Motley) was one of four players to tie for first at the 2019 Summit League Men’s Golf Championship. Israelson shot a 72 in the second round and a 74 in the third round, finishing with a 219. Israelson had a pair of birdies in the second round and one in the third round. The third round was moved up to Monday, as the forecast in Newton called for rain on Tuesday.
Nate Deziel (East Grand Forks) made big moves to start the day, as he fired a career-low 67 with six birdies in the second round. He moved into first place after the second round. Deziel shot a 79 in the third round, finishing in a tie for sixth with a 221 overall. Deziel’s 67 is tied for the lowest score by a Bison this year.
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The Janesville Jets, proud members of the North American Hockey League (NAHL), have signed forward Coby Stauss to a tender contract, securing his NAHL rights for the 2019-20 season.
A tender is a contract a team offers a prospect to reserve his rights for the upcoming NAHL season. When a player signs a tender, his rights belong to that team within the NAHL, and he may not be recruited or drafted by any other member club. Each team is granted 10 tenders, which became active on November 1, and which they can either use on a prospect or trade to another NAHL club.
Stauss (6-4/212) is a forward from East Grand Forks. The power forward, who recently turned 19 years old, played his first season of junior hockey in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL), a Junior ‘A’ league in Canada. Stauss skated in 54 games for the Winnipeg Blues, scoring eight goals and 13 assists. Three of his 21 points came on the power play.
Before joining the Blues, Stauss wrapped up an impressive high school career at East Grand Forks High, where he finished his senior season leading the Green Wave in goals (17) and points (34).
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The University of Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagle Athletic Department recently honored the top athletes and student-Athletes.
UMC baseball player Reed Hjelle (Sr., East Grand Forks, Minn.) of baseball was selected as Male Outstanding Athlete of the Year, while Isieoma Odor (Sr., Bloomington, Minn.) of women’s basketball was named Female Outstanding Athlete of the Year. Both student-athletes were recognized for their outstanding athletic accomplishments.
The Golden Eagles also recognized their Male and Female Scholar-Athletes of the Year. Chase Knickerbocker (Sr., Annandale, Minn.) of men’s basketball was named as Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year, while Caitlin Michaelis (Sr., Marshfield, Wis.) of women’s basketball was honored as the Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Knickerbocker and Michaelis were selected for their outstanding work in the classroom, as ambassadors of their respective sports, and as leaders.
The four student-athletes were selected from a pool of nominees put forth and voted on by the Minnesota Crookston head coaches.
In addition, the Golden Eagles honored their eight NSIC Myles Brand All-Academic with Distinction honorees: Knickerbocker, Michaelis, Ryan Ratcliff (Sr., Bloomer, Wis., exercise science and wellness), Nelson Uzonwa (Sr., Lagos, Nigeria, criminal justice), Jordan Deadwyler (Sr., Jacksonville, Fla., communication), Mikayla Jones (Sr., Huxley, Iowa, sports and rec management/marketing), Maggie Morales (Sr, Tucson, Ariz., exercise science and wellness), and Callie Schapekahm (Sr., Eagan, Minn., health management).
Darin Viken (Sr., Fosston, Minn.) of the men’s basketball team was presented with the Justin Knebel Memorial Award. The recipient of the award is somebody that exemplifies the things Justin did, being the ultimate team player who works hard on the court and in the classroom and excels both athletically and academically. Viken served as captain for the team as a junior and senior and has been outstanding teammate on and off the court. He helped the team to their first-ever NSIC/Sanford Health quarterfinals appearance in Sioux Falls, S.D., after an upset of 2016 NCAA Division II National Champion Augustana University. Viken also excels in the classroom where he has a 3.41 GPA in biology/health sciences.
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The NCAA has announced the field of 80 teams and 32 student-athletes competing as individuals that have been selected to participate in the regional competition of the 2019 NCAA Division II Men’s Golf Championships. Regional play will be conducted May 9-11. Winona State earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Central/Midwest Regional via its NSIC Men’s Golf Tournament Championship.
At a minimum, the top three teams and the top two student-athletes not with a team from each regional will advance to the finals May 20-24 at The Resort at Glade Springs in Daniels, West Virginia. The remaining eight-team berths will be allocated based on the regions represented in the prior year’s head-to-head medal play portion of the championships, with the maximum number of teams from a given region capped at seven. The finals will be hosted by the Mountain East Conference.
Tournaments will be conducted at four regional sites with regional pairings as follows:
CENTRAL/MIDWEST REGIONAL
Hot Springs Country Club, Hot Springs, Arkansas; Henderson State University, host.
Central Region:
- Henderson State
- Arkansas Tech [Great American Conference]
- Southern Arkansas
- Lindenwood (Missouri) [Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association]
- Washburn
- Southeastern Oklahoma State
- Central Missouri
- Southwestern Oklahoma State
- Northeastern State
- Winona State [Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference]
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The Christian Laettner Basketball Academy will be conducting a youth basketball clinic in Pillager June 24-26 at Pillager High School.
4th-8th grade 9 am – noon (co-ed)
9th-12th grade 1 pm – 4 pm (co-ed)
Cost is $125, including a water bottle
Register Online at www.theclba.com
Christian Laettner is a retired NBA 13-year veteran whose hall-of-fame career for the Duke Blue Devils is widely regarded as one of the greatest in National Collegiate Athletic Association history. Coach Laettner will provide a fun, learning environment for the committed basketball player looking to improve their game, with a focus on skill development, striving to help players improve their ball handling, and passing, while increasing their understanding of offensive and defensive concepts. There will be great attention to detail on the core fundamentals of the game. Players, nowadays, love to dribble, dribble, dribble the ball. With that in mind, the teaching point this academy will stress the most is “catch the ball, save your dribble-and look to pass first!”. This concept is often overlooked in today’s game with the younger players – so the coaches will stress how ball movement is a key ingredient to a players game and offensive efficiency!
For the Camp form and for more information, CLICK HERE.
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The University of Minnesota Crookston men’s basketball program will again offer camp options this summer. The Golden Eagles will host a Junior Eagle Day Camp from June 10-13 from 9 a.m.-12 p.m., and an Offensive Skills Day Camp from June 17-20 from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. The camps will be held at the University of Minnesota Crookston Wellness Center this year due to the remodeling of Lysaker Gymnasium, which will include new bleachers and a refurbished floor. This will be the sixth annual camp.
The Junior Eagle Day Camp will be for boys and girls grades 1-6 with each camper receiving a t-shirt and a camp ball. On the last day, all campers will receive a pizza party. The Offensive Skills Day Camp for boys and girls for grades 5-12. Each camper will receive a t-shirt and a camp ball. On the last day, all campers for the Offensive Skills Camp will also receive a pizza party.
The camp will develop campers skills through drill work, contests, and games. They will receive instruction and interaction with coaching staff and players.
The cost is $60 per camper. If you have any questions contact Assistant Coach Bryan Beamish at 218-281-8431 or bbeamish@crk.umn.edu. You can fill out the attached registration form (click here for the form) and send form and payment to:
UMC Basketball
142 Sports Center
2900 University Ave.
Crookston, MN 56716
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“LACE ‘EM UP” BASKETBALL CAMP
Make plans now to attend the 26th annual “Lace ‘em Up” basketball camp to be held in Red Lake Falls high school at the Robert Matzke Gym from June 3-7, 2019.
The camp is open to any boys or girls who are currently in grades K-11. The camp is set up to run from 8:00 a.m. until 11:30 for grades 6-11 each morning, and from 12:00 noon until 3:30 p.m. for grades K-6. The cost of the camp is $60 with a maximum cost per family of $100. If you register before May 25, you will also receive a camp T-shirt. After May 25, ALL SINGLE REGISTRATION FEES WILL BE $70 AND THE MAXIMUM COST PER FAMILY WILL BE $120, DUE TO CAMP PREPARATION AND AWARD ORDERS.
NOTE: by request, sixth graders may come in the morning, afternoon, or both for one price.
Cut on the dotted line and return the following to: Steve Philion, 518 Champagne Ave., Red Lake Falls, MN 56750. (218-253-2499). E-mail: sphilion@rlfedu.org
Make checks payable to: Steve Philion
———————————————————————————
Name____________________________________
Grade in 2018-2019________________(grade just completed)
I was a 6th grader this year and would like to come:
(circle one) MORNING AFTERNOON BOTH
T-shirt sizes: Please circle one:
Youth sizes: EXTRA SMALL SMALL MEDIUM LARGE
Adult sizes: SMALL MEDIUM LARGE X-LARGE XX-LARGE
Address:____________________________________________
MALE____________ FEMALE____________
I, the parent of the above student agree to allow my child to participate in the 2019 “Lace ‘em Up basketball camp in Red Lake Falls. I also understand that the camp director, the City of RLF, and the RLF school district are not responsible for any injuries or accidents that my child might occur.
SIGNATURE OF PARENT OR GUARDIAN:_____________________________
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JOKES
A professor travels to Africa to live with a primitive tribe and spends years with them, teaching them all about the wonders of science and mathematics. He makes friends with the tribe’s chief and his wife, and they all live happily for some time.
One day the chief’s wife gives birth to a white child. The word spreads and the entire tribe is in shock.
The chief pulls the professor aside and says, “Look, you are the only white man we’ve ever seen around here, and my wife gave birth to a white child. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out what happened!”
The professor replied, “No, chief, you’re mistaken. What we have here is a natural occurrence; what we in the civilized world call an albino! Look at that field over there.
All the sheep are white except for one black one. Nature does this on occasion.”
The chief was silent for a moment, then said, “Tell you what.
You don’t say anything more about that black sheep, and I won’t say anything more about the white kid.”
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 played in a 3-0 victory over Syracuse and had one shot in goal to help the Monsters win the best of five series. Cleveland is playing Toronto in the second round of the playoffs. Game one was Wednesday night.
Aaron Hollcraft, is a Senior playing baseball for the UMC Golden Eagles. Aaron pitched one-third of an inning and gave up one hit in a 7-6 victory over Bemidji State last weekend. UMC will host Minot State University for a three-game series this weekend to wrap up the regular season. UMC will either be the fifth, sixth or seventh seed in the NSIC tournament starting May 8 in St. Cloud.
Aleece Durbin, is a freshman on the University of North Dakota Women’s Track and Field team. Aleece finished second in the 100 hurdles with a time of 15.54 and she finished 8th place in the 200 meters with a time of 26.72 at the Ron Masanz Classic meet in Moorhead on Saturday. The Summit League championships will be held May 8-10.
Brita Fagerlund, is a Sophomore on the University of Jamestown Jimmy Women’s Track team. Brita finished 21st place in the hammer throw with a throw of 123-05 at the Ron Masanz Classic meet in Moorhead. The Jimmies travel to the GPAC Outdoor Championships in Yankton, South Dakota this weekend.
Ben Trostad, a Freshman playing golf at the University of Minnesota Crookston.
Ethan Magsam, a Freshman playing golf at the University of Minnesota Crookston.
Isaac Westlake, a Junior playing golf for the Winona State Warriors. Winona State will play in the NCAA Regional tournament May 9-11.
Elise Tangquist, is a Sophomore golfer for the University of Northwestern in St. Paul. Northwestern is scheduled to wrap up the season at the Crown College invite on April 29 in Waconia.
Brady Heppner, is a Junior, playing hockey at St. Johns University in Collegeville.
Bailey Folkers, is a freshman on the University of Wisconsin-Superior women’s basketball team.
Cade Salentine, is a redshirt Freshman playing football at the University of North Dakota.
Kate MacGregor, a Freshman swimming at Minnesota State Moorhead.
Ally Tiedemann, a Freshman playing tennis at the University of Minnesota Duluth.
Ben Trostad, a Freshman playing golf at the University of Minnesota Crookston.
Ethan Magsam, a Freshman playing golf at the University of Minnesota Crookston.
Crookston School District Coaches –
Brody Davidson is an Assistant Pirate Football coach.
Tyler Brekken is a Pirate C team football coach and junior high Pirate Softball 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 Assistant Pirate Girls Tennis coach, Pirate 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
Wade Hanson is the 8th grade boys basketball coach
Travis Ross is the 7th grade boys basketball 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
Tori Demarais is the Pirate Girls Hockey assistant coach.
Non-Crookston High School coaching –
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 Central is stationed at Hohnfels in Germany for the next 2 or 3 years.
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