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.
This video by Higher Base Media was created to show how awesome the 2014 Lester River Race was.
The 2014 Homegrown kickball game is officially being relocated to Observation Park.
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.”
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.
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.
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.)
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.
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.
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.
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?
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!
