A letter from the Blanchards

This came today from Judy Blanchard:

December, 2007
Hi All,
After not sending Christmas cards for the past few years (shame on us), we hope to get this one off before the New Year.

At last, in 2007, we got a return on our investment and have one kid out of college. Elizabeth, 22, graduated from Clemson University in May with a degree in business administration. That means we’ve joined the “boomerang” phenomenon as Elizabeth is living at home, exploring her options and working full-time at Saks Fifth Avenue.

Mark, 20, is a junior at the College of Charleston in South Carolina majoring in communications and classics. He added classics after a month-long study in Greece this past summer.

Alan is still with Farm Credit System Insurance Corporation. I’m happily retired and volunteering with the county’s Master Gardener program and with an English as a Second Language program held at our church.

Alan and I both got a full dose of growing older this summer when we had back surgeries to correct painful pinched nerves. In June, I had a lumbar fusion to correct arthritic vertebrae. The surgery left me with seven screws in my lower back and a four-month recovery. It was worth it. I am pain free and still able to touch my toes. In September, Alan had a herniated disc repaired. He now takes long walks twice a day, putting us laggards all to shame. He should be cleared to play tennis in January. We’ve both healed just in time to enjoy our season tickets to the George Mason University basketball games.

Our families are doing fine. Alan’s mother is staying with his sister here in the D.C. area through Christmas, so we’ll have a nice month with her. We go to visit my family in Minneapolis on Dec. 27, and my Mom will join us in the Cities. I now have three grand nieces and two grand nephews, ages 12 to 18 months. Wow! How did that happen?

Alan and I can be reached on our e-mails and would love to hear from you:
Aglenn100@cox.net and Judyblanchard@cox.net.

Happy Holidays (and please keep us on your Christmas mailing list),

Alan, Judy, Kids and Cats

Joy and Wonder from Harland & Carolyn

Here's a card from Harland and Carolyn Hoffland with some excerpts from their Christmas letter:

As we approach this holiday season, we are overwhelmed with joy and wonder. 2007 has been a challenging year for our family, as we count our blessings at being able to handle the adversity we have all been handed. We continue to be strong and enduring. Harland mentions retirement, but knows that is down the road.

Missy and family are fine. Missy had a spinal fusion in September and is now doing better. Carolyn spend eight days with her during her recuperation. Missy was faced with another crisis just weeks ago when she suddenly became diabetic. She is Type I. We wonder why her? However, with her faith and family support, she and her family has once again persevered. Dennis keeps busy just keeping up with job and family. Josh is now 13 and into the "girl" stage, but continues to get mostly A's in school. Taylor, our 11-year-old mechanic, still loves Legos and helping with house projects.

Missy, Josh and Taylor came to our home in New Mexico in August. Papa took his three grandsons for a round of golf on his 61st birthday. Harland said it was the best birthday ever, a joy to have family together. (Dennis was unable to come.) Har even did a cannon ball off our diving board.

Sara, Nolan and Alix have recently moved into a house. Nolan, 10, continues to struggle with his eye disease and may need surgery in January. He loves playing baseball and basketball. Alix, 7, loves school and being a cheerleader. Mondays Carolyn pick the kids up after school and they have their private time, such a joy. When it comes to their homework, Carolyn wonders how she made it through the fifth grade.

Sara recently started a job as an audiologist. The joy in their family this year were the fund raisers sponsored by friends like Sara and Jim Sevey (Hars high school friend), the Beetle baseball team in Alexandria, and Nolan's own baseball baseball team that had a car wash. All the funds went to the Uvetitis Foundation in Nolan's name to help find a cause and cure for Nolan's eye disease.

Added to the joy of this year, Carolyn's Mom came to New Mexico for a two week visit. We hope Santa brings us a trip to California. Yes, we have been good!

Love - Carolyn, Harland and Chance (our foster puppy -- Alix and Nolan's dog)

Karl Tegland's mother dies Dec. 24

1965 JHS Classmate Karl Tegland writes:

My mother, Rhoda Tegland, passed away on December 24, 2007 after a short illness. Although she and my father moved from Alexandria in 1967, some of our classmates may remember her. She was her cheerful and witty self, right up unil the end.

The obituary below will appear in newspapers in Billings, Montana, and Cody, Wyoming.

Rhoda Tegland

Rhoda Tegland, 90, passed away on December 24, 2007. She died peacefully in her sleep at Aspen Meadows Nursing Home in Billings, Montana.

Mrs. Tegland was born in 1917 in Park River, North Dakota. She was a graduate of the Walsh County Agricultural School in Park River and attended Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota. She graduated from Miss Woods Kindergarten School in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1937 and later received a B.A. degree from Whittier College in California. She taught in the public schools in Redlands, California, and later in Windom, Minnesota, where she met her future husband, Lewis Tegland.
Mrs. Tegland married Lewis Tegland in 1944. At the conclusion of World War II they moved to Alexandria, Minnesota, where they owned and operated a successful gas and appliance company, and later a sporting goods store. They raised a son, Karl, and a daughter, Karen.

The Teglands moved to Cody, Wyoming in 1967. In retirement, the Teglands continued to maintain a residence in Cody, but spent several winters in Rockport, Texas, and summers near Crandall, Wyoming. Upon her husband’s death in 1999, Mrs. Tegland moved to Billings, Montana.

Mrs. Tegland was active in the family’s businesses as well as many volunteer organizations. Her family and friends remember her as a cheerful, witty, and generous person. She always had a kind word for others and was especially fond of children. She was a natural-born teacher and could keep children entertained for hours, while at the same time teaching them important lessons in life. In her final days, she found great joy and comfort visiting with her great-grandchild, Cinch Cogdill.

Mrs. Tegland will always been remembered, in particular, for her years of tireless devotion and assistance to her husband during his final illness.

Mrs. Tegland is survived by a sister, Virginia Omdahl of Riverside, California; daughter Karen Mills of Billings, Montana; son Karl Tegland of Everett, Washington; grandchildren Buck Bradford of Dillon, Montana, Malinda Cogdill of Whitehall, Montana, and Thomas and Robert Tegland of Everett, Washington; and great-grandson Cinch Cogdill, of Whitehall, Montana.

The family plans a graveside service at Riverside Cemetery in Cody, Wyoming, where Mrs. Tegland will rest alongside her husband.

The Green Granny retires today!

Today is Bonita Olson Gilbertson's last day as the spokesperson for Pope and Douglas Counties Recycling Programs. For years she has traveled to every school, church group, Kiwanis Club, county fair, preaching the gospel of recycling. She was green long before any of us got on the bandwagon. As any resident of the counties will tell you, she was darn good at her job and everyone knows her by name. A big hats off and thank you to this great representative of the Class of 65! Enjoy your retirement with Dave and congratulations!

(And thanks to the birdie who tipped the trailboss)

Merry Christmas, JHS Boomers

Correction

The cub writes:
I wish to exonerate, and apologize to, Sue Justice for attributing the 11 scouts at the Breck game comment to her. But I could swear I heard 11 from someone - it may have been the Zamboni driver. I wish to acknowledge Marnee' and John Herd, parents of Shanee (and two boys who play for . . . Breck!), for forwarding the Breck School website, which did specifically note that coaches from THREE colleges were at the game. And in the grander scheme of things, isn't THREE "something like 11 college scouts?"

Twas the night before Christmas

Will Skadsberg reads to the grandchildren while grandma looks on. Priscilla (in Will's lap) is 2; Wiley, 7; Nicky, 5; Taylor, 3; and Tatum, 1. "Merry Christmas to you and your family," says Kathy.

Road warriors watch Roadblock shutout Breck

Despite tough sledding, trip to The Cities pays off

By Tom Obert

Cub Reporter

In a rematch of last years state championship consolation game, won by Breck 5-4 in overtime, the Alex Cardinals girls hockey team, ranked No. 5 in the state, defeated Breck, ranked No. 3 in the state, 2 - 0, at the Breck School Anderson Ice Arena in Golden Valley. As the score would indicate, it was another terrific game by Card goal tender, Danielle Justice.

Despite having a significant edge in shots, Breck was unable to get one by "Roadblock." The Cardinals scored in the first period on a shot taken from the point by 7th-grade defenseman, Shanee Herd, that was tipped out front and into the net by Kat DelZoppo. Michelle Anez capped the scoring in the second period. The Cards protected Danielle's shut out by holding off a final Breck surge when they pulled their goalie late in the game. Danielle's mom, Sue, said they were something like 11 college scouts at the game checking out multiple players from both teams. It was a terrific game from a fan's standpoint.

Just because it was a road trip, and because it was in winter, we, of course, encountered inclement weather on our trip down to the Cities this morning. By the time we hit St. Cloud, there were multiple cars in the ditch and several accidents. We just made it to Golden Valley Country Club in time for lunch with the Kathy Skadsberg, and her grandson, Willy, and our kids and grandson arriving from Indiana. Alex Diehard Fans, Carol and Dave Dittberner also showed - after going to a Mahtomedi game last night to see their grandson, and then were going to the Gopher basketball game tonight where the Alexandria Aces were performing - now that's being sports fans!

(The Alexandria visitors enjoyed a lunch at the Golden Valley Country Club hosted by Kathy Sherry Skadsberg. Hope you recognize the silhouette. That's the hostess. Despite Lorlee Bartos' declaration that the Cub should be declared photographer-in-chief, there's still this issue of back lighting yet to be mastered. Oh well, the shot is actually kind of artsy. TB)

Sandi's grandson recovers from autism

Author Jenny McCarthy with Steven, age 8, Jacob, age 5

Hi Stan,
My grandson, Steven, was diagnosed with autism at age 3. He just turned 8, and has recovered. He no longer meets the criteria for autism, per extensive testing and evaluation by child psychologists. He has had two of these evaluations, the first prior to kindergarten, and entrance to the public school system. He is now in 2nd grade and reading at the 4th grade level. He loves the"Captain Underpants" series. He loves the computer and play station, loves to write stories and draw the captions. He's very active and has lots of friends. He’s a different boy!
Everyone’s case is different but my daughter believes Steven's was vaccine related, as he was developing normally and had started talking around one year of age. Around the time of his 15-18 mo. checkups and getting several vaccines and a flu shot, he regressed. By age 3, he was not speaking at all, and acted like he was deaf and zoned out.
My daughter was concerned but was reassured by the pediatrician who felt he was a late bloomer. But by age two, we were all getting concerned. He was sent to speech therapy, and that did nothing for him. Neither the pediatrician nor speech therapist picked up on the diagnosis at the time. As a pediatric nurse, I had seen only one autistic child, who was profoundly affected, and not like Steven, so I too had missed it.
As he was approaching 3, we needed answers. By then we'd been researching the internet, and were all supsecting autism.
At the time of diagnosis, the developmental pediatrician told them that there was no hope, as he was beyond the age of "early intervention" and not to bother with all the alternative treatments, as it was a waste of time and money. (figures, coming from an M.D.) Luckily, they chose not to believe him. By coincidence, there was an autism conference going on that weekend at ASU, and there they learned about the condition and the various treatments and found a support group with other parents.
They left no stone unturned. The first thing they tried was the gluten free/casein free diet, and he responded within 3 weeks, and began talking again. He was coming out of that brain fog from the gluten and dairy foods. He was then more receptive to the therapies (ABA, speech, PT, OT) and we saw rapid progress every week He had an ABA tutor 16 hours a week (until he started kindergarten), and also went to a preschool for kids in the autism spectrum. He is on various supplements, and has had chelation therapy. And of course, no more vaccines. All of these things have helped, but we doubt he would have made much progress without the gluten free/casein free diet.
Many classmates may be aware of Jenny McCarthy’s book about her son Evan’s recovery from autism. His was a similar story to Steven's, as the diet helped him. Jenny has appeared on Larry King, Oprah, Ellen, and in People magazine discussing her book, and has become a crusader for autism. She is now working on another book, about other children who have recovered, and was asking other parents for their children’s stories.
My daughter found out about this through one of their support groups and responded. She was first contacted by Jenny’s publicist, and had a phone interview and filled out questionnaires. Then they got the call that Jenny wanted to interview them in person. She and her crew (publicist, and boyfriend Jim Carrey’s driver and bodyguard!) flew into Scottsdale Dec.18th, rented a car, and met the kids at a restaurant for lunch, and then spent a few hours with them at their home, hearing their story, meeting Steven, and viewing home videos of Steven’s progress, as well as one they had done for the Phoenix PBS station.
Jenny said she had gotten over 2000 responses, and is still screening, but assured them that Steven’s story will be in her book.

She asked the kids if they were willing to do the talk show circuit when that book is published. Maybe I will get to be in the audience if he’s on Oprah! Jenny is also interested in returning in May, as there is another conference at ASU, and she would like to be a speaker. I plan on going to that if she comes.
I am enclosing some pictures from her visit earlier this week. She is with Steven, age 8, Jacob, age 5, both hamming it up. Then she is posing with my daughter Krista, and son-in-law Steve.
Merry Christmas to everyone!!
Sandi Bonesteel

Fergus falls 5-2; cub kvetches anyway

By Tom Obert, Cub Reporter

The Alexandria Girls Hockey team beat Fergus Falls 5-2 last night. It was parents night at the RCC - that, combined with a new player introduction ceremony, seemed to put the team slightly off kilter all night.

Issues

The cheerleaders appeared in their new uniforms. These debuted at the last boys' hockey game. This was the subject of some concern for the Diehard fans because:

We also noticed at the girl-boy hockey doubleheader on Tuesday that: 1) the boys game had the band (the girls did not), 2) the boys game had "mood" lighting for their introductions (the girls did not), 3) the boys game had strobe lights and spot lights for their introductions (the girls did not), and 4) the boys game had that ear drum busting, annoying music for their introductions (the girls did not). This was all obviously a violation of Title IX, or so thought the Diehards. And maybe so thought someone else - for tonight the girls had all the fancy lighting for their pre-game introductions, but it is obviously a work in progress, for the choreography got all messed up. Even the girls laughed about it.

Anyway, as previously noted, the girls weren't on their game tonight except for a couple of flashes when they scored their 2nd & 3rd goals, and then again when they scored their 4th & 5th. Nikki Ecklund and Abby Williams had two goals each, and Michelle Anez scored the 5th. Unfortunately, Fergus scored their 2nd goal with less than 7 seconds left in the game - the first time this year, in 13 games, that Roadblock Justice has allowed more than one goal.

Breck is next, the 3rd-ranked team in the state - we plan on attending, but the trip to the Cities on Saturday is now bucking a winter storm warning. Figures.

(Cub. Take your meds. Is your gout acting up? Shingles again? TB)

Encouragement for the cub

Lorlee Bartos writes from Dallas:
I think Tom deserves a promotion to Cub Reporter and Photographer.
I was talking to my mom the other night and she was telling me what a beautiful sight it had been that day -- and I could respond that I had already seen it via Tom's photos.
And she said "Isn't that wonderful"
And it truly is.
Lorlee

An old goalie remembers Jon Susag

Rick Beresford writes:
The JHS - '65 site acknowledged the passing in October of Jon Susag (' 62), who was the brother of Dick and Dave Susag.
This triggered a lot of memories for me, memories of playing with Jon and the high school hockey team from 1960 to 1963.
In 1960, I was in 7th grade and had just moved from Winnipeg where I had grown up playing hockey, and now practically lived at the rink behind Central.

North, south
One day the goalie of the Alex team, Gordy Ziegelmann (' 64), took a puck in the mouth and split his lip wide open. Arne Benson (' 63) caught me in the warming house and said, "You're from Canada….put the pads on". Drafted at age 12!
That first couple days scrimmaging with the team was amazing. But by far the most amazing was watching Jon Susag shoot the puck. He would cross the blueline with the puck, then somehow shift his feet so he was skating sideways with his heels pointing together as he wound up for a slapshot.
It was the oddest thing I had ever seen, one toe pointing north, the other south, until I heard the thunder of the puck hitting the boards behind the goal. A bullet could not travel as fast as a Susag slapshot! I ended up playing hockey for a lot of years, but Jon is the only guy I ever saw whose powerful shot actually broke the boards behind the net!

Intimidation
Oh, that's another unusual thing about Jon's style….he kept his eyes on the puck and rarely looked at where he was shooting. Consequently, he missed the goal a fair amount of the time. But as it turned out, that didn't really matter. His shot was the intimidation factor!
We played in Fergus one very cold day and between periods, we climbed onto our school bus while the Fergus team used their warming house. I had a friend from Fergus who told me right before the 2nd period that their goalie was scared of Jon's shot, so their plan was to stick close to him so he wouldn't have the time to set up that odd stance. In that sense, Jon was like the cross-eyed discus thrower….he always had the crowd's attention!
Jon, we'll miss you, but your memory is much alive.
Those were great years!
More on hockey later.
Rick Beresford

Steel blades sharp

8-1; 9-1-2; 3-0; 5-1-1
No, that is not the combination to our safe deposit box. Those are, respectively, the score of last night's girls hockey game against the St. Cloud Icebreakers; Alex's girls hockey season record; the score after the first period of last night's boys hockey game against St. Cloud Apollo; Alex's boys hockey season record. In other words, our kids with the steel blades on their feet are doing pretty darn good!

The girls game was one of perfect symmetry - 4 players got 2 goals each: Ally Nielsen, Kat DelZoppo, Michelle Anez, and Ashley Holmes. The game produced an interesting glitch at the start - the game began with Alex buzzing around the St. Cloud goal for a while; but when the Icebreakers finally did break out their zone, their first shot of the game - WENT IN. Well, the fans were just flabbergasted - we've never seen that happen to "Roadblock" Justice before!

To Danielle's credit, she slammed the door the rest of the way and continued her record of not allowing more than one goal in any game this year. While we always expect, and always get, a great game from our first line of Abby Williams, Kat DelZoppo, and Michelle Anez; last night we thought the second line of Nikki Ecklund, Stacey Paulzine, and Ally Nielsen had a terrific game as well. The Icebreakers did have an outstanding player who will be playing Division 1 hockey somewhere next year - her name is Anne Schleper, and though she plays defense, she is her team's leading scorer. She was fun to watch but scared us to death every time she had the puck on her stick.

The girls have a home game on Thursday against Fergus - and then begin a long road trip that will not end for almost a month. So, that will give us a chance to see some more boys games. They are off to a terrific start under new coach, Scott Woods. But last night, after the Diehards had already sat through the entire girls game, and then the 1st period of the boys game, we decided it was time to head home for our nightly bowl of gruel. We assume the boys went on to win the game as they seemed the superior team. Oh, and one of the goals was scored by Abby Williams' sophomore brother, Thomas - so for the night at least, little brother had bragging rights.

No, that is not the combination to our safe deposit box. Those are, respectively, the score of last night's girls hockey game against the St. Cloud Icebreakers; Alex's girls hockey season record; the score after the first period of last night's boys hockey game against St. Cloud Apollo; Alex's boys hockey season record. In other words, our kids with the steel blades on their feet are doing pretty darn good!

By Tom Obert, Cub Reporter

Christmas 1964 -- Our JHS Carolers

Caroling, caroling, on we go,

Christmas Bells are ringing.

Caroling, caroling, through the snow,

Christmas Bells are ringing.

Betty Larson, Carol Engstrom, Judy Anderson, Sara Smith, Bonnie Bauer, Kathy Schultz, Jeanne Pearson, Karen Schjei; back, Paul Strandberg, Steve Froemming, Randy Gaugert, Bruce Phelps, Stan Rolfsrud, Dave Overly, Robert Johnson, Bruce Carlson.

Noonan's

Photo by Tom Obert

Dave & Bonita Gilbertson's annual letter

For Dave and I, 2007 was a good year. No major ups or downs, but you know, that’s not always a bad thing.

We rented a condo in Sea Grove Beach Florida for two weeks last February. It’s a beautiful, laid back area with white sand beaches and turquoise/blue water. We had a great time. There’s a small group of people from Alex who have been going down there for several years so we had people to hang out with and show us the ropes. We learned how to play Mexican Train Dominos (FUN!), some new dice games, went to the dog races (Here comes the bunny and there went my money. L) and it all wouldn’t be complete of course without the retirees friend, Bingo. We had a great time, especially thanks to the Zastrows and Meyers. This January we will be heading down there for a couple of months. We can’t wait!

We moved out to the cabin on Lake Miltona the end of May. The weather was hot and dry which we like. The pontoon and paddle boat got a good workout. The Blocks stayed with us the first weekend in July. One night we were on the lake watching the sunset when a strange light in the east caught my eye. The moon was rising. It was huge and deep orange. It was a fantastic sight with the sun setting in the west and the moon rising in the east at the same time. From now on I intend to pay attention to moonrise times so we can enjoy it again.

Playboy Woods
Dave put the cart before the horse…literally. He’s owned a golf cart for about 4 years. He used it as a means of transportation at the races and for bumming around. The end of August Watson and Block talked him into trying golf. He’s hooked! I nicknamed him “Playboy Woods”. He really enjoys playing, or to quote him “hacking around”. Now he wants me to start. I think I’ll give it a try! FORE!

Short timer
I’m retiring this year. My last working day is December 27th. It will be kind of strange as I’ve worked at some job or another since I was 10 years old. We want to go south for the winter and do other things that aren’t possible with me still working. Something that Dave showed me was to take out a yardstick and measure in inches the average age that most people die ( 76.4 in the U.S.) then take YOUR age in inches and mark that down. Scary when you see how much of your life is gone and how little is left! As of this morning, I only have three working Mondays left. That’s a good feeling.

My major accomplishment in 2007 was kicking the smoking habit. I quit January 2nd (I didn’t want to be a cliché and quit on the 1s J). It wasn’t easy but I’m very glad I did it. Five friends and relatives of mine also quit. Good for us!!!

Have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. We wish you and yours good health, wealth and happiness in 2008!

Regards, Bonita and Dave Gilbertson

Flocked

Photo by Tom Obert

Caroling, Caroling, Now We Go

By Tom Obert

The Jefferson High School Carolers performed at the winery last night, under appropriately Christmassy conditions. Of course they were terrific. We started the evening there with new Diehard Fans, Julie & Mike Shaghnessy and Diane & Dean Hergert, who left early to catch the Don Shelby Christmas show at the AAAA.

Later, high school classmate, Lynne Spellman Lommen, and her husband Paul, sat at an adjoining table. Lynne said she was not a member of the carolers in our day (she was in the Sextet), but her sister Jackie was. Paul, who is a '57 alum, said the carolers didn't exist in his day. So, applying some elementary logic, I would assume the carolers came into existence some time between 1957 and 1965. The Lommens, who at one time lived in Key West for 5 years, are now owners of and residents in a 10-acre (I believe) wilderness area by Carlos State Park, where they enjoy the solitude and the 4-season climate of Minnesota.

(The Carolers were started by Murrae Freng in 1963. They toured all the downtown commercial spots -- Osterbergs, Travelers, and were well-received by service clubs and local television programmers. The girls wore matching, handmade Victorian-looking dresses made of corduroy, the men had top hats, red vests and cutaways. Never did they appear in a liquor establishment of any kind. Included in the dozen singers in 1965 was Paul Strandberg, noted tenor. -- TB)

Tom Obert's Annual Letter

In Memoriam: Ruthie’s older brother, Don, died on September 4, Tom’s birthday, after a long bout with cancer. We also lost our long-time D.C. friend, Jim Brown, to cancer on March 18. Alexandria family friends and members of the Greatest Generation who died this year - Paul Dahlstrom, Virginia and Wally Bloom, Birdyne Nelson, Jane DiNino and John McCabe. Larry Tilleskjor, from our own generation, and Dallas Sams, our state senator, also died this year. This is also our first Christmas in 19 years without Woody, who died on March 23 – the thought of which brought Ruthie’s tree decorating to a tear-filled halt when she realized her boy wasn’t there to “help” her with that task, for he truly loved Christmas. We miss them all.

To read this Christmas letter, press “1” for English (unless, of course, you find that to be exceedingly cumbersome).

JAN 6 – Ruthie and I took a one-day winter vacation in Bemidji*, about as snow birdie as it gets, eh? Jami and Danny were in town to check on their estate north of Itasca State Park. The U.S. Congress sprang into action to protect us all from the scourge of illegal immigration by proposing to make English the “official” language of the United States. The long-term ramifications of such have yet to determined (except for, of course, in this newsletter).

FEB 21-23 – The Alex girls hockey team participated in its 4th straight state tournament. The team finished with a 25–4 record and had four players named to the all-state team. Under the country’s new English-only policy, entrepreneur will be changed to . . . wait a sec, according to the President, the French do not have a word for entrepreneur, so it must be English as is.

MAR 7 – As everyone knows, the Kensington Runestone proved conclusively that the Vikings were in Minnesota 130 years before Christopher Columbus, that Johnny-Come-Lately, boogie boarded into the Caribbean. Recently discovered evidence in the neighboring village of Villard indicated the Vikings also missed the NFL playoffs that year.

MAR 8 – We Diehard Fans treated our girls hockey team to dinner at the Pizza Ranch, in recognition of the pride they continue to bring to our community, which otherwise has to rely on the likes of the Gophers, Vikings, and Timberwolves. Hockey is deemed to be a Canadian word and is thus re-christened in English to lacrosse on ice. But lacrosse . . . never mind.

MAR 23 – On the same day we said our last good-bye to Woody, our local newspaper, the Echo Press, ran a story titled “Little darlings have die-hard fans,” about we fans of the girls hockey team. The team subsequently gave the Diehard Fans team photos in frames labeled Little Darlings.

MAR 28 – APR 5 – Our annual trip to the Final Four, this year to Atlanta. We don’t remember who played but do remember paying $20 for bottled water at an otherwise terrific restaurant. The bottled water did not have an English name. We visited with Ruthie’s brother Don in Kentucky.

APR 18 & 24 – Ice out and 1st round of golf, respectively. Under the “English as official language” policy, Los Angeles will be renamed The City of Angels, of course; and Minnesota (a Dakota Indian word, after all) will be renamed ToHeckWithOil,We’veGotWater!

MAY 13 – Ruthie’s son, Rob, did his best impression of Evel Knievel on Mother’s Day by crashing his motorcycle at the Motocross Nationals Qualifier in Athens, Ohio, suffering a shoulder separation, a fractured femur, and teeth through his chin. Fortunately, he recovered in time to . . [See SEP 4]

MAY 25–30 – Tom Kiehne’s visit coincided with Awake the Lakes. That was a long time ago, but we assume we had a lot of fun together. A local man, out demonstrating with a “Freedom is Not Free” placard, was arrested for not paying his taxes.

MAY 30 - Grandson (GS) Tom, Jami & Danny made the Indianapolis Star and local TV forcing the Noblesville (Indiana) Council to make safety changes after Tom was hit by truck in September ‘06.

JUN 1-4 – Tom and brother Cam went back to D.C. for niece Jessica’s wedding. It was a lovely affair at Chris and Janet’s place overlooking the Potomac River. It was also the first time in 17 years, we believe, that the four children of John and Natalia were all together in one place. The bride and groom, Colin Kelly, ultimately ended up moving to – of all places – Minnesota.

JUN 8 – A trip to Mounds View for niece Katy’s high school graduation party. Congratulations again to Katy, but it was yet another reminder that we are getting older. The country’s English-speaking only lobby moved to have kielbasa renamed big weenie.

JUN 23 – Trip to New Ulm, St. Peter, and on to S. Minneapolis for college buddy Steve Hansen’s 60th*. Under the ever-increasing non-English purge, the country regressed yet again to freedom fries, freedom roast coffee, freedom kiss, and, of course, the ever-popular Freedom Lick, Indiana, hometown of the ever-popular Larry Bird.

JUN 30 – JUL 8 – Jami, Danny, GS Tom visited; GS Tom stayed on for a month*. We participated in the annual 4th of July boat parade on Lake Carlos – and won first place with Ruthie and GS Tom’s “Peace is Patriotic” motif. President Bush came under increasing scrutiny due to his inability to speak English, in direct conflict with the country’s English-speaking only policy.

JUL 20-24 – GS Tom’s other grandparents, Fran and Ed, came to take him home. It was so hot even Fran took a dip in beautiful Lake Darling off our boat, the Moby Obie.

AUG 4-11 – We went to Camp Brosius for the first time since moving to Vacationland USA. It is an alumni camp for Indiana University (IU) in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, and a long-time destination for the IU alums in the Callecod (Ruthie’s) family. We renewed old acquaintances – and made some new ones.

AUG 12-17 – Tom Kiehne and his older brother Jerry paid a visit to the old hometown. We golfed despite an aging Tom’s ailing back. In the absence of an appropriate English language substitute, habeas corpus was simply suspended.

AUG 26 – Class of ’65 golf outing at the Alexandria Golf Club. Otherwise known as the Sevey Open, it has become so popular it will be televised on ESPN next year. No bologna, it could be “Oscar Mayer has a way with b–a-l-o-n-e-y!”

SEP – On the 4th Tom turned 60 – the whimpering finally abated by the end of the month. He can no longer put on his dainties standing in the middle of a room – he tends to tip over in the absence of support. He can no longer change his location within the house without first making a pit stop. We learned at the birthday bash on the 8th* that 3 guests also shared the 4th as their birthdays: Shelly Karnis, Marlene Collins, and Larry McCoy. Ruth’s son Rob made his first visit here, took his first Moby Obie cruise*, and WOWED all the ladies at the birthday party.

OCT 12-23 – Ruthie and Rita took a train trip to Vancouver to visit our niece and nephew. They proclaimed things in Canada to be really “spendy,” eh! Everybody we know in Alexandria had knee replacement surgery.

NOV 21–26 – Road trip to Indiana for Thanksgiving with Ruthie’s family and a belated 90th birthday celebration for her Mom, Janella. We almost didn’t make it coming and going because of inclement weather - meaning it’s likely all of our future trips will be taken sitting on the couch watching HDTV!

DEC 24 – What the holiday season means to us: It means going out at 5:00 in the morning so two 60+-year olds can hand shovel a 150-foot long driveway before the bridge ladies arrive at 9:00, it means going into the house when we’re done, having our glasses steam up and trip over the boots we wore to shovel the day before, it means going to the emergency room to have our dislocated elbows, from the fall, put back into place so we can still dress ourselves for the hockey game that night.

DEC 25 – Christopher Hitchens, in a partial review of The Passion of the Christ, noted it starred a “talentless lead actor who was apparently born in Iceland or MINNESOTA [emphasis mine].” To all my fellow talentless Minnesotans, under the auspices of our English-only policy . . .

FELIZ NAVIDAD, Y’ALL!!

- Ruth and Tom Obert

(If one is so inclined, it is quite easy to follow the goings on here in Vacationland USA at our high school class blogsite – www.65roundup.blogspot.com - where, at least to date, the editor has kindly indulged Tom’s musings as the Cub Reporter.)

p.s. Extended coverage this year is due entirely to Ruthie-the-geek’s ability to now include photos in this missive – including Tom’s disappearance into the snow bank after the first big snow fall this year.

Updraft

The vents connected to our basement wood and coal-fired furnace were ordinary wall-mount side registers. Except one.
Back in the 50s, our house got very cold overnight as the fire was "banked" then allowed to slowly die. Every morning, an early-riser would go down into the basement and "shake the furnace" with an iron lever, dropping clinkers into the ash pit before kindling the dying embers with new fuel. This distant sound, transmitted through cold, sheet-metal vents, comforted sleepy-heads snuggled two floors above.
But the greatest comfort on a chilly morning came after the fire had caught and you could stand on the living room floor grate and let the new heat waves billow all around you in a glorious updraft. The iron grate got so toasty you couldn't stand on it too long in bare or stocking feet.

Early this dark, chilly morning, as I stood in the front window and watched snow drifts reflect the twinkle of the Anderson's Christmas lighting, our thermostat quietly completed its overnight set-back program and cycled up drafts of heat. I detected this because I happened to be standing on a floor register.As the welcome heat engulfed me, so did the nostalgia. Yes, the warmth felt good, but absolutely nothing like it once did.
Trailboss

Cards win significant, score uncertain

By Tom Obert
Cub Reporter
After many and varied reports, we believe we have the correct score from the girls hockey game at Little Falls last night. Patty Wicken was on the radio this morning asking the listeners to phone in the score if they know: the first call was from the father of junior forward Megan Trenne, he said the score was 11 - 2; the second call was from Vivian Annen, who was at the game with the Paulzine family, she said the score was 15 - 2. Then in this morning's Cardinal Connection, the score was posted as 13 - 2. So, the Cards won by a significant amount, regardless of which score is right!

The boys hockey team also won at home last night, 5 - 1, over Sauk Rapids/Rice, raising their record to 3-1-1.

Earlier, that evening
As I write this, I am waiting for a report from our stringer in Little Falls. For the first time ever, the Diehard Fans split up to cover multiple events on the same night. Bob Annen and I covered the home girls basketball game; Vivian Annen hitched a ride with hockey mom, Deb Paulzine (mother of sophomore forward Stacey), to Little Falls for the girls hockey game. Ruthie stayed home to watch "Boston Legal."

Anyway, back to the basketball game. I noticed just retired football coach, Denny Kalpin, and just retired Echo sports editor, Larry Halvorson, sitting a couple of rows behind us, so I crashed their conversation to congratulate both on their retirements. They thanked me and sent me on my way. I returned to my seat for the free throw shooting contest disguised as a game. Sitting with school board member, Jim Hafdal, we got our biggest enjoyment out of watching Bud and Trish Bruzek, sitting on the other side of the gym, cheering on their sophomore starting point guard Gracie. As we will learn later, Gracie was subsequently named player of the game.

Anyway, back to the basketball game. Oh, I received an e-mail this week from Sue Justice, mother of senior goaltender, Danielle, a/k/a "Roadblock." On behalf of herself, and fellow hockey mom, Kristi Nelson (mother of Abby), they requested membership in the Super Fan (a/k/a Diehard Fan) contingent next year since they will no longer be hockey moms. We said, of course, all are welcome - provided they first pass the initiation! (Still no report from Vivian . . .)

Anyway, back to the basketball game. Detroit Lakes came into the game undefeated at 3 - 0 - the Lakers also made it to the state semi-finals last year. In other words, they're a darn good team. Alex was 2 - 2, having started with a very tough schedule. The game started and as usual (at least with respect to the games I have followed so far) the Cards jumped out to an early lead. This is usually the result of scoring from the team's leading scorer, Angela Christianson, who is averaging almost 30 points a game. Then, as I have also noticed, the refs make sure Angela gets 2 fouls before we are halfway through the first half, so that leads to Angela spending a lot of time on the bench for the remainder of the half. So, DL was able to get back into the game. Well, it turns out the refs weren't just after Angela - they were after EVERYBODY.
The game disintegrated into a fouling and free throw shooting contest, and with over 20 turnovers by both teams, it was, unfortunately, not a fans delight. In fact, Bob left at the half to go home to watch "Boston Legal," allegedly because his eyes were too dry in the sauna that is the Cardinal gym, but I think he was mad he didn't get to see Angela play more.
The Cards held on for a 64 - 61 win and, listening to the post-game show on the radio driving home, Gracie Bruzek was rightfully named player of the game, though she did foul out (one of many) - she played an all-around solid floor game and contributed 10 points. (Angela finished with 28, with a whole bunch of free throws, and could have finished with 30 again but she missed her last two at game's end.) The radio announcers did happen to mention how much Gracie looks like her mom - which is true, and how I knew Gracie was Gracie the first time I ever saw the team in warm-ups. (Still no report from Vivian . . .)

My brother Chris called from Virginia tonight - he was a classmate, at least through 7th grade, with Jim Hafdal, and school superintendent, Terry Quist, who also sits with us at the basketball games. I mentioned to him that I would be sitting with Jim and Terry at the girls basketball game tonight. Chris gave me the usual grief about going to a girls game - to which I always respond . . . well, never mind.

Still no report from Vivian. I can only conclude they stopped somewhere on the way home for a celebratory beverage. The game should have been an Alex "name-the-score" type of game. It's past my bedtime, so further reports will be later. I did get home in time to see the last half of "Boston Legal."

Football coach resigns after 17 years in Alex

The Jefferson High School head football coach announced his retirement last week after 17 years in Alexandria.

Dennis Kalpin was hired as the head football coach in 1991. He inherited a football program that had lost 19 straight games. During his tenure, Alexandria finished as high as state runner-up in 1994, played in six state tournaments and captured six conference titles.

As head football coach, Dennis created a family atmosphere with the gatherings after home games in the cafeteria. He made this a place for family, friends, alumni and players to gather win or lose. His emphasis on strength training and multi-sport participation changed the attitude of students throughout the entire activities program.

In his letter of resignation, Kalpin said, “.. football has been a large part of my life for the past 54 years, going back to my high school career. But after 47 consecutive years of coaching football, 29 as a head coach, and 17 in Alexandria, I feel that it is time for another man to take over the program. We have made great strides in our football program and I leave with no regrets. I am proud of what our players and coaches have accomplished. …. Thank you for a lifetime of memories.”

“When I came to Alexandria I had an opportunity to see Dennis transform our football program beginning with the upset of number one seed, Wayzata, 7-6. The many trips to play-off games played in domes to seeing the atmosphere he created was very special,” said David Hartmann, JHS Activities Director. “I was fortunate enough to work with Dennis as an administrator, parent and most of all a fan. I consider him a man of high integrity who strived to create a positive football experience for young men that would teach character values that would go far beyond the game of football.”

The position will be advertised with teaching openings for the 2008-2009 school year and opened to current staff members with a head coach licensure.

Merry Christmas from the Seveys

Sara Smith Sevey writes:

This was taken prior to our three oldest grandchildren having a sleepover at our house - Tyler, who is 3 1/2, calls it a "leftover" for some unknown reason. Anyway, the baby is 6 months old and wasn't included because I am way beyond 2 a.m. feedings. So from left to right we have Declan (pronounced Deck-lin), Caitlyn 8, Tyler and Connor who is 10. The two tallest ones are slightly older.
Wishing all of you a Merry Christmas and wonderful New Year.
Sara

(Thanks for the post Sara. We hope to have many more like this to share. Mail to Stan Rolfsrud, 2355 Abbey Point, Shakopee, MN 55379, or trailboss@swpub.com. Be sure to include IDs, so we don't have to wonder who ol' whatsisname is. Just kidding Sara, I know Jim's name. He's most angelic in your photo. TB)

Dinner Theater in Barrett bites the cub

A review of the 'Sven and Ole Christmas Carol'

By Tom Obert

Cub Theater Critic

. . . now where were we, before life interrupted? Oh yeah - through a silent auction in support of Alex's AAAA Theatre, Ruthie won two tickets to a dinner theatre performance of "A Sven and Ole Christmas Carol" at the Prairie Wind Theatre in Barrett. The play was written by Miltona's own, Kevin Lee, a man who also wears many hats (a haberdashers delight!) for the AAAA Theatre. Accordingly, it is unlikely that one could see this play on Broadway, at the Kennedy Center, or even at the Guthrie. Yet. Those in attendance, therefore, were a privileged lot.

Anyway, when we arrived at the theatre, about a 40-minute drive from Alexandria, we almost immediately ran into Claremont Anderson. We know Claremont, who lives in Hoffman, because he is the DFL Chair for Grant County. We did not know that Claremont is a locally-famous actor who was playing Ole that night! Needless to say, any attempt at an impartial review of the play went out the window right then and there. Some may recall that Claremont, and his wife Nancy, lost their son, Stuart, a 44-year old major in the National Guard, two years ago in a helicopter crash in Iraq on his 2nd tour of duty there.

We chatted with Claremont a bit before the play - the usual serious stuff about DFL senate candidates - so we were taken aback when we discovered he has quite a comedic strain that came through beautifully in his role as Ole, the star of the play.

They served meat balls, mashed potatoes, green beans, cole slaw, rolls, lefse, rosettes, and a chocolate sundae, with a cash bar for wine, to what I think they said was 140 patrons. It was all quite tasty!

Back to the plot, which was about the folks (Ole, Sven, Lena, et al) in a small town rehearsing "A Christmas Carol" to perform during the holidays. Ole played Scrooge. When it came time for Scrooge's first "Bah! Humbug!," Ole stopped everything to ask the director what "Bah! Humbug!" means. After several frustrating attempts to explain it, the exasperated director finally said, "It's just an expression, like 'Bite Me!'" So, the rehearsal started again and when it came to the appointed place, Ole, as Scrooge, blurted out - "Bite Me!" It brought down the house.

The drive home was eerie - the 25 miles between Alex and Barrett is absolutely empty except for the occasional farm house. It was like navigating in the middle of nowhere, except . . . in the distance, at about 45 degrees to starboard almost the entire way home, were the twinkling lights of Andes Tower Hills, the downhill ski area near Hoffman.

Attention: Grandparents

With the Christmas season upon us, and with the recent toy recalls and lead scares dancing in our heads, many grandparents may be confused as to just what to give their young ones this year. Our independent testing lab has shown that it is not the plastic pig, the Disney dog, the stuffed frog that will win your child's heart. Indeed, our latest research indicates that an empty can of paint has great appeal this year. Our test subject prefers it to a variety of other available objects, constantly and merrily toting it around the house, laughing all the way.
We suggest a line of latex Behr products from Home Depot, but that it is your option.
Hope this helps.
If any grandparents have made other observations about an unusual favorite play item, please send them to the trailboss@swpub.com

Bev Korkowski writes:
Stan:
You're right about kids loving the simplest things in life....our 15-month-old grandson in Florida had a Swiffer duster and a toy remote control on his "wish list"! It seems he has confiscated our daughter's Swiffer and absolutely loves the thing.
As for the remote, we all know that no child will love a play remote, no matter how it looks, so this grandpa and grandma bought him his own real universal remote. It will be much more appealing, plus when he tires of it, his parents have a new toy of their own! So, from paint cans to Swiffer dusters, who knew???
Bev

News, weather, sports, entertainment

By Tom Obert, Cub Reporter
We have a night at the theater to report. But first, because it is expected, here's the weather and sports reports.
At this hour of the morning in Alexandria, Minnesota, it is 14 below zero with a wind chill of minus 30. Moving on, the Cardinals beat the Cardinals last night in girls basketball, 59 - 54. Alex blew a 13 point lead in the second, actually fell behind by one, but came back to win the game against Willmar. Angela Christianson led the Cardinals with 24 points, and although it was a home game, these Diehard Fans could not attend because . . .

We had a previous engagement at the Prairie Wind Theatre in Barrett. The Missus got all dressed up for the occasion and was looking quite lovely if I do say so myself. So, we decided to take some pix with her standing by some of her holiday handiwork (click to enlarge).

Theater Review coming up.

(Viewing note: "Minnesota Bound," on Channel 11, Sunday @ 10:30 pm, is doing a feature on Alexandria's own, Art Engelbrecht.)

Willmar stunned by Alex onslaught

Special from Willmar Tribune
WILLMAR — The Alexandria Cardinals girls hockey team rolled over Willmar 10-0 on Thursday night at the Civic Center.
The two-time defending Central Lakes Conferenc champions have loads of firepower. Headlined by forwards Abby Williams, Kathryn DelZoppo, defenseman Ashley Holmes and goalie Danielle Justice, the Alexandria Cardinals are 30-2-4 over the last three years in CLC games.
Williams and Holmes will play Division I hockey at Minnesota State, Mankato, and the University of North Dakota, respectively, while Justice and DelZoppo are headed to Division III colleges.
Willmar couldn’t keep pace with the visitors as the Alexandria forwards declared open season on Willmar goalie Amanda Croonquist.
Williams had two goals and three assists, bringing her point total to 20.
Willmar did manage 22 shots on Justice, who recorded the third shutout for Alexandria which has given up just five goals in eight games.

Alexandria's Jingle Bells goes global

Remember Jingle Bells on KXRA when we were growing up?

The annual Jingle Bells telethon will be aired on KSAX-TV Saturday, December 8th, 6:30 pm to midnight Central time, live from the Lake Geneva Christian Center in Alexandria.
For the first time ever you will be able to see the telethon "live" all over the world on www.ksax.com It will be streamed live on the web.
For those of us who grew up trying to stay awake amidst a pile of blankets and bowls of popcorn to see the final amount raised...and to watch Jerry VanKempen -- Jingle Bells remains a fond memory. It's remains pretty corny and fun.
This is a great opportunity for those who no longer live in the area to show their kids and grandkids what real entertainment is!!!!?

Stopping by a woods on a snowy evening

Alexandria is having its second all-day snow storm since Saturday. I-94 is virtually shut down. The Cub went out in mid-afternoon to shovel the garage slab in anticipation of his wife's return from bridge. He has not been seen since.

Bartos photo on National Park calendar

Giving calendars for Christmas? Consider this.

http://www.nps.gov/nero/nhlphoto/2007honorablementions.htm

This is a link to the 2007 National Park Service National Historic Landmarks Photo contest in which classmate Lorlee Bartos is an honorable mention and her photo will be part of their calendar.
The calendars (now known as event planners) will be availablee for purchase on the Government Printing Office website for about $6.50 each.

Lorlee adds
All of this is wonderful, but even more wonderful is that today was my 3-year checkup -- and everything is fine.
Lorlee

Odds, ends, and alibis from the cub

The cub reports:

• Jim Hafdal advised, at the girls basketball game, that the Dziuk Chronicles - 8 mm black and white movies of Cardinal sporting events - apparently were thrown away years ago.
• In the absence of on-site photography by the cub reporter, basketballers Angela Christianson and Katie Brown are shown in the team volleyball picture posted on the blog on November 5. Volleyballer Greta Wood performs the rare double of also being a hockey cheerleader. For purely selfish reasons as Cardinal fans, we all wish Sam Dale (to Angela's left in the volleyball picture) would play basketball too, but she concentrates on volleyball and softball.
• The Diehards much anticipated trip to the National Hockey Center for the girls hockey game against St. Cloud Tech tonight has been de-railed by the second snow storm in the last three days. This weather - two snow storms already, several days below zero, high temps below 20 for the last week and so projected for the next week - has been quite a shock to our niece and nephew, recent new residents of Eden Prairie from the D.C. area. Our telling them that this is rare weather, like late January, for this time of year has somehow not been comforting for them.
  

An illusion of lava under a December sky

Ducks and geese cruised in the warmer water flowing out of a culvert between Alexandria's Lakes Cowdry and Taylor. Today's pinkish early morning sky was mirrored in the calm pool surrounded by about nine inches of new snow. When photographer Tom Obert took this shot, it was six below zero.

Now things are shakin' on this blog

Click on this link to see some of your classmates getting into the Christmas spirit. See if you can identify the elves.

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1132976406

Diane Obrien: I can only dream of such an elfish, limber body.......while visions of sugar-plums dance in my head.
Kathy Skadsberg: Too too funny!
Boy, we can really move for mature women :-)

Alright! Let's shake things up on this blog!

This blog is getting a little boring to look at. It makes grandpa grumpy. I can't be the only one to make him happy. So everybody send something to grandpa. Pictures of snow maybe. Pictures of your family. Pictures from your summer vacation. How about Christmas greetings that he can put on the blog? Family letters that he can use parts from?

-
Grandpa can take pictures of your Christmas cards and put them up on the blog you know. I am too young to use the internet, so I just mail my stuff to him. He doesn't care. I just write to Grandpa Stan, 2355 Abbey Point, Shakopee, MN 55379 and it makes him smile. He's says everybody is just too shy. Then he says Uff Da! What is that supposed to mean?
-
And what's all this trailblossom stuff? I was just learning how to say Grandpa. Thank you for your support. I'm going up to bed now.

Love,
Emily

Cub involved in drive-by shooting

Cub Reporter Tom Obert took this lovely photo of the Alexandria Maritime Museum early this morning as he drove past on his daily quest for donuts. He was able to frame this without stopping the family SUV and getting his galoshes wet. The snowflakes continued to fall, eventually dropping a foot of snow on America's Vacationland. Alas, no one has yet come by to plow the cub's drive so he will shoot pictures of the new snow from his back porch. Fortunately, he grabbed a double order of bear claws this morning, so he's snug for now.

Cardinal girl basketball drop opener

By Tom Obert
Cub Reporter
The Cards fell to the conference pre-season favorite in their home opener last night, but it was a great game for the fans. Tech is a very good team with three excellent guards and a big 6'2" center, who was unstoppable when she got the ball down low. Nevertheless, the Cards could have very easily won this game because of two words: Angela Christianson.

Angela was the leading scorer and rebounder on the team last year as a 5'11" freshman. This year, she has grown an inch to 6'0," making her the tallest player on the team, and while she is still on the slender side, she is obviously stronger than she was last year. And she is just a natural ball player who is not limited to a position - she can play all five of them. She's a ball hawk on defense who can steal a pass and then dribble the length of the floor through traffic, she has quick low post moves to score inside, she can use spin moves off the dribble to get inside, and she can shoot the three (she probably had 3 last night). She had 28 points and 14 rebounds in their opening overtime loss at Brainerd, the other conference pre-season favorite - and last night she had 32 points despite . . .

with her in the game, the Cardinals had a nice lead, as I recall around 9 points, when she picked up her second foul with about 10 minutes left in the first half - she already had 13 points at that time. Our coach had to put her on the bench then to protect her, and in about the 7 minutes she sat out, the Cards did not score a single point and Tech went on to take a 6 or 7 point lead. Not wanting the game to get out of hand, the coach had to put Angela back in for the final three minutes of the half. You could just see the whole team's confidence pick up with Angela back in, and they scooted from 25 points to 38 in the final minutes to take a 3 point lead at the half.

Then in the 2nd half, Angela appeared to have caught an elbow to the schnoz, and had to sit for a few minutes while her head cleared - and any time she was off the court, Tech would go on a spurt. The loudest cheers of the night from the sizeable group of Tech fans were when Angela picked up her 3rd, and later her 4th foul (on a really bogus charging call, in this reporter's obviously unbiased opinion, that negated another end-to-end dash for a lay-up) - they knew the outcome of the game was solely dependent upon whether or not Angela was in the game, and free to play without the onus of picking up her 5th foul. To Tech's credit, they held on to win the game with some marvelous play at the end from their star guard, who finished up with 28 points.

I mentioned to school superintendent Terry Quist and school board member Jim Hafdal during the game that they are going to have to hold the college recruiters at bay for the next three years. They nodded in agreement, for unless we miss our guess, Angela is on her way to being a Division 1 prospect.

So, it looks like it's going to be an interesting season - the Cards took the two conference favorites down to the wire in the their opening games. Obviously, Angela is the key player, but we have a lot of depth with younger players (including Gracie Bruzek, Bud's daughter) who should develop as the season progresses. And, just taking a flyer here, I could not tell whether Ally Teclaw was available last night - she is on the roster and we best know her as the centerfielder on the softball team - but she's 5'10," is a good athlete with speed, so I'm going to make the assumption that she would have to be a contributor to the basketball team.