Sports
The Boomchucks – “Birkie Fever”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEbADJDXYC8
A silly little ditty by Duluth band the Boomchucks, all about the North American Birkebeiner.
PDD Quiz: Robots in Duluth
Test your knowledge of local robotics teams (and other area robots) with this quiz, inspired by the upcoming FIRST Robotics regional competitions taking place Mar. 3-4 at the DECC.
Our next PDD Quiz, reviewing this month’s local happenings, will be published on Feb. 26. E-mail question ideas to Alison Klawiter at [email protected] by Feb. 22.
Bowling
Ever since I tried curling a few months ago, I’ve hungered for bowling. It’s been ten years since I bowled, almost exactly, on the weekend my friends married (at the Incline Station). I’ve been to parties and for volleyball at Skyline Lanes. But I haven’t bowled in a while. (more…)
Backyard LED Hockey Rink
The list of oddball Minnesota hockey rinks is growing. In December Liftoff Aerials showed off PDD’s pond hockey rink shaped like the North Star State. Now, Gopher Aerial presents Shawn Carlon’s backyard rink in Maple Grove, which uses LED lights for added nighttime fun.
Postcards from the Duluth Curling Club
Duluth Curling & Skating Club was organized in 1891, with the first stone thrown Christmas Day on the ice of Lake Superior. The club moved from rink to rink until its first building opened in 1913. (more…)
Pond Hockey Rink in Shape of Minnesota
Pond Hockey Rink in Shape of Minnesota
Pond Hockey rink created in the shape of Minnesota.
vimeo.com
What says Minnesota more than pond hockey? How about a rink in the shape of Minnesota? I made this rink in the shape of Minnesota over the course of two days. The project took a total of a few hours and I had some help on the final shovel off.
Vikings add Duluth’s C.J. Ham to roster
The Minnesota Vikings announced today rookie running back C.J. Ham of Duluth has been signed to the team’s 53-man roster.
Ham joined the Vikings during rookie camp on a tryout basis and signed to the practice squad after final roster cuts. He played high school ball at Denfeld, graduating in 2011. At Augustana College in Sioux Falls, S.D., he totaled 2,662 rushing yards, 949 receiving yards and 35 total touchdowns in 43 games.
Minnesota (7-7) visits Green Bay (8-6) on Saturday. (more…)
Backyard and Pond Hockey
Looking for people who play hockey in their backyard or on a pond/lake/river to share their stories for a documentary.
Max Wolpoff thinks he’s Chad Salmela
Max Wolpoff, a Boston University student announcer working the Terriers women’s hockey game against the Gophers this past weekend, was almost as excitable as Duluthian Chad Salmela working the Sochi Olympics in 2014.
Amsoil Championship Snocross – Duluth 2016
[arve url=”https://youtu.be/CrVp-WCfYW4″]
Urban Downhilling Duluth
[arve url=”https://youtu.be/7nfe-wCdvF0&t=137s”]
Tearing up the streets of Duluth because who said mountain biking had to be done in the woods?
Rider: Max Fierek
Filmed by Capitol Letter Collective
Duluth’s C.J. Ham looking good in purple
Duluth native C.J. Ham is the Minnesota Vikings leading rusher over the first two preseason contests. He has gained 60 yards on 20 attempts, including a game-winning touchdown against the Cincinnati Bengals in week one. He also has three receptions for 27 yards.
“It’s been a dream come true,” Ham told WCCO-TV. “Just having the opportunity to be in the NFL and be with the team I grew up watching, it’s a dream come true.” (more…)
Duluth National Regatta of 1916
One century ago, Duluth hosted the 44th annual regatta of the National Association of Amateur Oarsmen. The event ran Aug. 11 and 12, 1916, with the Duluth team winning nine of the 12 events it entered. (more…)
Volleyball Leagues in Duluth
I’ve lived here for a decade. I don’t know why this surprises me so much, but I went to Skyline Lanes and saw more than 100 people playing volleyball on a Wednesday night. Are there other places for this kind of fun?
Bud Grant and the Superior Central Basketball Team
Pro Football Hall of Fame coach Bud Grant grew up in Superior and played football, basketball and baseball at Superior Central High School. This photo recently showed up Reddit, posted by user “drunkinwisconsin.”
“A bartender’s dad in my hometown of Superior, WI went to school with Bud Grant,” the post reads. “Here is his senior basketball picture, #13.”
Grandma’s Marathon 2016 Double: A Movement
[This post originally contained an embedded video that is no longer available at its source.]
Eric Strand cranks out the Grandma’s Double for the fifth consecutive year. Amazing feat and another fun video.
Duluth and North Shore featured in Surfer magazine
In the August/September issue of Surfer magazine, Justin Housman travels to Duluth to discover “that isolated Midwestern surf scene” on Lake Superior, where surfers “chisel boards free from the roofs of their snowbound cars, trudge through forests and thigh-deep snow, paddle out for a few frigid waves, then emerge from the water with icicles growing from their shocked, pink faces.”
Tennis courts by MacArthur School coming along
Seven tennis courts and a discus/shotput-throwing area look to be almost ready at 725 N. Central Ave. The new courts and field will be used by tennis and track teams from Denfeld, as well as physical education students and other community members.
A Duluth Mountain Biker’s Weekly Adventures – Max Fierek
Keep up with my adventures around the world, based in Duluth. Here’s the latest video. Take a look and if you like it check out the other videos, subscribe and give it a share!
Archetypes in Wrestling: Reflections on Recent Matches at Wessman Arena
I spent last Saturday night thinking and rethinking about cultural archetypes through the most popular form of American theater, the wrestling show.
Heavy on Wrestling, a Duluth-based promotion, has organized numerous cards over the past decade at casinos and entertainment centers throughout the region. Last week’s event at Wessman Arena was intergenerational. Baron von Raschke, who started wrestling in 1966, served as the “commissioner.” For those a bit younger, who remember wrestling on network TV, “The Million Dollar Man,” Ted DiBiase and Eugene were present; DiBiase signed autographs and Eugene wrestled Minnesota wrestling mainstay Mitch Paradise.
If you thought wrestling was something that only happened on cable TV, you are missing out. There are more than a half-dozen wrestling promotions in Minnesota running shows throughout the state. To learn more, follow the work of Razzling Rick.
MinneFLOWta Trailer – ESPN E60 Feature
ESPN’s E:60 will premiere its Minnesota State High School Hockey Tournament feature during its May 10 episode.
Producer Mike Farrell and hockey analyst Barry Melrose were in St. Paul for the tournament in March capturing footage for the feature, and the E:60 crew spent time in Hermantown leading up to the tournament, focusing on the Hawks’ pursuit of the class A championship.
Duluth Foam Sparring Group
Duluth Foam Sparring Group is a live-action role-playing group that safely emulates melee with foam-padded gear. Recruiting new members now. Join the Facebook page to learn how to get involved!
Superior’s Bogojevic begins wrestling training with WWE
According to Ringside News, Superior High School 2010 grad Nikola Bogojevic is part of a group of new recruits training at the World Wrestling Entertainment Performance Center. (He’s the hulking mass at the far right in the image above.) These men and women “will have the chance to hone their skills and fulfill their dream of becoming a WWE Superstar.” (more…)
Superior Surf
Video by Ali Rogers of Prana Lens. Narration by Rob Bell.
Skateboarding in Morgan Park School
Eight skaters, two days, granted permission. R.I.P. Morgan Park, you will be missed.
Shot/edited by Mike Rapaich. Additional video by Stephen Pestalozzi.