Sports
Grandma’s Marathon 2014 Double: Only One Dumb Enough
After seeing the post last summer about Eric Strand running the Grandma’s “Double” (3 a.m. from the finish line to the start, then runs the race) I’ve been waiting for Eric’s 2014 installment. Here it is, another excellent video showing a great inside look at the people of the race: the runners, the volunteers and the spectators. Good job, Duluth!
RollerDames end the season with energy
… if not with victory.
The Dames lost both bouts. But more importantly, we Rollerdames fans are losing some familiar faces. The following Dames are retiring this year: SoKo Rebel, Wright Around Ya, Killah Cleta, Lady Gotcha, Nasty Fantastic, Hook N Splatter, Janet Smackson, Jilly Willy, Crumpet Crusher, Little Miss Spooky.
I am surely a fan of the Dames, but the first time I met these athletes at Buffalo Wild Wings, I got shivers. They are really, really good at their sport, and they are really, really good as a team. Dames fans will miss them.
World Cup in Duluth
A friend of mine was asking where were the best public places in Duluth to watch the World Cup.
Dubh Linn is says that they will be “showing all the games” and are offering discounts to people showing up in their team jerseys. It was also the only place in Duluth mentioned in an MPR article.
That’s the only place I’ve heard of so far. Are there others?
Video Archive: Vikings vs. Eagles in 1978
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fztt8yJ42W4
From Metropolitan Stadium, Dec. 3, 1978. It’s the tail-end of the Purple People Eater years, and many of the Vikings’ top stars are starting to show their age. Nonetheless, the home team comes into this game 7-5-1, with a shot at the playoffs. We’ll save the spoiler remarks until after the jump.
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Good place in Duluth to catch World Cup?
Does anyone know of a bar that will definitely be showing World Cup soccer matches?
Dragon boating — it’s not just one weekend a year
20 paddlers. One person steering. One calling commands. One long, Chinese-design canoe. Add these all up and you get a great workout on the water with great people.
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Super Bowl 52 is coming to Minnesota
The National Football League announced today that Minnesota will host Super Bowl 52 in 2018. The Vikings, Saints and Colts gave 15-minute presentations to team owners in Atlanta, Ga. and after the voting the Vikings won the bid. Full details and video at nfl.com.
Lester River Kayak Race Video
This video by Higher Base Media was created to show how awesome the 2014 Lester River Race was.
Homegrown Kickball
The 2014 Homegrown kickball game is officially being relocated to Observation Park.
Roller Derby Victory!
Harbor City Roller Dames were victorious all around Saturday night! The HCRD Shipwreckers won their bout against Forx Roller Derby 295-112; I missed most of this bout, catching dinner with friends beforehand.
The HCRD Nautikills won their bout against Mid State Sisters of Skate 223-129! It was close in the beginning; the SOS seemed masterful at luring the dames into the penalty box, and they were skillful at keeping control of the lead jammer.
But no one is as flexible as the Dames, no team can adjust the way the dames can adjust, you know?
Special goodbye to the person who introduced me to local derby through a Nerd Nite presentation years ago, I think it was: Killer Cletah. This was her retirement bout, and I will miss her terribly, despite being greeted with “Good to see you, Sir.”
Ye Olde Duluth: Roller Skating Edition
Duluth's Frank Bryant (right) and Raymond 'King' Kelly after skating 348 miles to set a world distance record for a 24-hour two-man relay, 21-22 January 1915.
I ran across this on the Library of Congress’s Flickr Commons photostream today and got curious. Although the original caption suggests that Bryant and King’s record was set “on ice,” the wheels on the skates the men are wearing make me skeptical–as does the background material on the Frank Bryant collection at the Northeast Minnesota Historical Center.
So, here goes: From 1913-1916, Duluthian Frank Bryant was a dominant competitive roller skater, holding a world championship in speed skating. The photo here depicts the 25 year-old Michigan native with St. Paulite Kelly, with whom he set a world record distance of 348 miles for a 24-hour two-man relay event–the Minnesotan pair’s performance eclipsed the previous 203-mile mark set just two weeks earlier in New York. A knee injury in 1916 apparently ended his high-level skating career, but he continued skating competitively into the late 1920s. Bryant worked for Duluth’s Union Towing and Wrecking Company for 32 years, retiring in 1955; he died in 1961.
Second chance for entry into 2014 Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon
Security Jewelers is auctioning one of its sponsor entries to Grandma’s Half Marathon on eBay. One hundred percent of proceeds go to the Duluth Art Institute’s program Art for Ed’s Sake, offering visual and media arts classes in Duluth Public Schools.
Glen Avon outdoor hockey is postcard classic
In an era of kids walking from heated SUV seats to climate-controlled arenas, Duluth is home to one of North America’s last all-outdoor youth hockey leagues. (Story via KARE-11.)
Mustache March Run 2014 Video
The Mustache March Run took place on March 1. The mustache-themed event, put on by Momentum Racing Events, is a fun event for anyone! You can grow your best mustache, wear a fake mustache, or just run mustache free.
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Video Archive: 1989 Denfeld Hockey
It’s been 25 years since Denfeld played in the 1989 Minnesota State High School Hockey Tournament. Through the miracle of shaky old VHS tapes, we take a look back. Above is the gloriously cheesy video profiling the school, produced for between-period entertainment.
Below are local TV news highlights of Denfeld’s route to the tournament. (more…)
UMD Bulldogs Hockey 101
The 12th episode of this series about the National Collegiate Hockey Conference profiles the University of Minnesota Duluth and its hockey history, NHL success, the campus and the school itself.
Duluth cross-country ski instructor recommendations?
Following up on cork1’s comment regarding taking a couple of lessons on the post about cross-country ski trails for absolute beginners … I just moved here from a flatter, warmer state and I would love to have some ski lessons. I want to learn from someone who will be patient with my ignorance and help me build my confidence with hills. Where do I find a good teacher?
Trail for Absolute Beginner XC Skiers
I’m wondering what the best (least scary) trails are for newbies to the sport of XC skiing. I’ve been on XC skis once (and downhill skis once). People say Lester is beginner friendly, but I found it a bit frightening. I’d like to learn on a trail with some nice gentle slopes and curves. Suggestions??? Thanks!
Chad Salmela’s Access Gold Medal
We had the clip here from Access Hollywood of Duluth’s Chad Salmela accepting a Gold Medal for his announcing of the 30k Skiathon as a cross-country skiing analyst for NBC. As you can see if you click on it now, NBC has put the copyright kibosh on it. Hopefully that means NBC has the clip available somewhere.
There is nothing left in anybody
Known to most of the world as “The Skiathlon Announcer” Duluth’s own Chad Salmela has gained notoriety as one of the stars of the Sochi Olympics. According to the web site Awful Announcing, “Chad Salmela is to the Winter Olympics what Rowdy Gaines is to the Summer Olympics.”
Thinking about warm weather or summer yet? How about tennis?
It may be winter, but the tennis season is just around the corner. If you live in, or near the Lakeside neighborhood and enjoy playing tennis, then you know how difficult it is to find a place to play nearby. Many do not know of the plans that were in the works to meet this need. The Washington Square Master Plan was passed just over a year ago by the Duluth City Council for the Lakeside park. The plan includes 4-6 holes of disc golf and, you guessed it, tennis courts!
Here is the official text from the Duluth City Council:
“Resolved, that the city council hereby approves the Washington Square Mini-Master Plan and authorizes implementation of the plan as funding becomes available.”
The only things stopping the court(s) from being built are funding and neighborhood support. If you like the idea of having a neighborhood tennis court and disc golf course, then please spread the word! You can view the complete set of documents for Washington Square by clicking here. For more information, or if you would like to help, email [email protected].