Basketball is a sport enjoyed by many. But for some it goes beyond the domaine casual sport and develops into a lifelong passion. For Esko’s Adam Trapp, basketball is in his blood.
Getting an offer to play hockey for the University of Minnesota Duluth was a dream come true for Scott Perunovich.”I’ve wanted to play there since I was a little kid,” Perunovich said of UMD. “My uncle Doug Torrel played at UMD. A good friend Davey Johnson also played there.”
It’s a choice many hockey players face. Play your senior season for your high school, or try your hand at junior hockey. Grand Rapids’ Mitchell Mattson chose the former.
As a junior, Eva Reinertsen scored her 1,000th career point for Lakeview Christian Academy, the first Lion girl to reach that milestone. However, a lack of players forced Lakeview to suspend its program this year, leaving Eva without a team mere weeks before the start of her senior season.
As preseason basketball practice grinds on in Washburn, the Castle Guards’ big man has one less worry.
Cook County High School was in the school’s first ever trip to the volleyball state tournament. And even with plenty of familiar faces in the stands, Viking playerss couldn’t avoid a few wide–eyed stares.
18 year old Bridget Villebrun of Nett Lake started watching hockey as a way to bond with her dad.
Danny Lilya has been part of the Moose Lake/Willow River football program since the 5th grade. But Danny isn’t like his Rebel teammates. Danny is in a wheelchair, but that doesn’t lessen his love for football.
UMD Footbal got back to work Tuesday after Saturday’s 66–17 blowout of Minnesota Crookston. It was a day where eight different Bulldogs found the end zone. Including Running Back Darren Walker who scored for the seconnd time in three weeks.
While the National Football League turns pink in October to raise breast cancer awareness, the National Hockey League goes purple to recognize the fight against all forms of cancer.
Of the eight different Bulldogs to score touchdowns in last Saturday’s rout of Minnesota Crookston, the most surprising was probably Jonathan Harden.
As a kid growing up in Esko, Karson Kuhlman had a dream to play hockey at the University of Minnesota Duluth.”UMD was always here,” said Kuhlman. “We always went to games as kids. It was a pretty obvious choice when the time came to choose a place to play college hockey.”
In Hermantown, the name Hoff is synonymous with girls soccer. Junior Callie Hoff is scoring goals for the Hawks, while Hailey Hoff, no relation, is the hawks’ all–time leading scorer. However, Hailey’s sister Kylie Hoff chose a different path.
On the football field, Will Hartman is a key member of Two Harbors’ defense. His classmates think so highly of him, that Will was voted Homecoming King. But it’s what happened after will got his crown. That showed this king’s true class.
The top roles on high school tennis teams are often filled by upperclassmen. Not at Duluth’s Marshall School, where 7th grader Nore Heinitz has been dominant at number one singles.
Former University of Minnesota Duluth women’s hockey coach Shannon Miller, former softball coach Jen Banford and former women’s basketball coach Annette Wiles are suing the University of Minnesota’s Board of Regents, citing a culture of discrimination at UMD.
While hitters get the glory, setters often go overlooked on the volleyball court.Duluth East volleyball coach Danna Anderson says her setter, Alayna Baker, is a prime example.”She doesn’t get a whole lot of credit for the amount of work that she puts in on the court,” Anderson said. “It’s a pretty thankless position.”
Swimming wasn’t the first sport Allie Mayfield tried, however once she was in the pool, it didn’t take Allie long to realize she’d found her sport.”I kinda tried really every sport before i got to swimming,” she said. “Swimming was different from every other sport I tried. I really love being an individual while still being on a team. I like testing my ability.”
Esko native Molly Trapp and Duluth East grad Bailey Romans thought they playing volleyball for Division I South Dakota State. However, a change of coaches, led to an unexpected change of scenery.
Exercise is important to good health; however, being safe and smart is just as important. It all starts, with a good warm up.
Summer may be ending but athletes should still be aware of the danger posed by heat injuries.“If you take the proper precautions, a lot of times you can avoid a pretty severe injury,” said Dr. David Rust with St. Luke’s Orthopedics and Sports Medicine.
It has been a busy summer of comings and goings in the University of Minnesota Duluth athletic department. Though the school now has a head coach for every program after Mandy Pearson was named the new women’s basketball coach Tuesday.
For veterans who enjoy golf, the Proctor Golf Course wants you on Labor Day.The course is holding its first ever Veterans Open September 7th. Any veteran is welcome to play for free and stick around for a bar–b–que.
While some people ride bikes to relax others ride to compete. People like Duluth’s Max Fierek.”I really enjoy the thrill of being timed against other racers,” he said. “I race the national circuit, so I race against the best guys in the nation.”
For Superior High School’s Bob DeMeyer, the first week of football camp is always the toughest.“We get a good idea of where we’re at physically,” said the Spartans’ head coach.
Summer is slow for competitive volleyball. So players flock to camps in order to stay sharp.”The kids need to keep improving at the high school level,” said UMD Assistant Volleyball coach Christyn May. “Especially if they want to continue after high school.”
Duluth will host Hockey Day Minnesota 2016 in February, at Bayfront Park.The Minnesota Wild and FOX Sports North made the official announcement Thursday.
Duluth East will face Lakeville North, in a Class AA championship game rematch, while Duluth Denfeld will take on Eveleth-Gilbert at Hockey Day Minnesota on February 6th. Both games will be played outdoors, on a rink built at Bayfront Park, three separate sources have confirmed to FOX 21 Sports.
For today’s hockey player there’s no such thing as an offseason.“It’s probably two, three weeks a year off a year, that’s it,” says professional hockey player Zack Fitzgerald.
A July weekend and high school basketball teams are playing.Wait, what?Team camps, like the one recently held at the University of Minnesota Duluth, give high school programs a way to stay active.
Hockey Day Minnesota is finally coming to Duluth.Three separate sources confirmed to FOX 21 Sports Thursday that the city will host the annual event in February of 2016.
Go by any tennis court in the summer and chances are you’ll find someone playing.“People of all ages that come and play, all different skill types,” said Joey Kronzer. Tennis is a great way to stay in shape, because on the court players are constantly moving.
Why is soccer still gaining popularity in the United States?”It’s a fun game,” said Cloquet girls coach Dustin Randall. “It’s accessible to lots of different people, you don’t need much to play it, and it’s really enjoyable.”Also, the beautiful game is a great way to stay fit.
A lot of people are trying CrossFit, which to the untrained eye looks like working out. However, the aspect of competition is why CrossFit is growing.
Things were going great for Al Sands. “The Haitian Temptation” held the Minnesota and NABA U.S. Cruiserweight titles. However, Sands felt something needed to change.”It was something I saw as a necessary step to progress through the boxing ranks,” he said. “It’s been a sort of spirit quest to break down everything I was doing before that everybody has seen to essentially reinvent myself.”
Bob Gustafson, long-time Public Relations Director for Grandma’s Marathon, has confirmed that he was let go from his position.
A calm summer day. A great time to get on the water, and a prefect time to try stand up paddleboarding.”It is a blast, it’s a lot of fun, said Heather Holmes Co-Owner of North Shore Stand Up Paddelboarding.
Will Starks may have been known as a basketball coach, but to many he was so much more.“My dad was more than a coach, first of all he was a dad,” said Will’s son Dyami Starks. “He was a dad, not just to me but he was a dad to this whole city.”
The Duluth basketball community is mourning the loss of long–time area coach Will Starks.Starks, 49, passed away early Thursday morning at the Mayo clinic from complications due to a heart defect.
The sounds of baseball are like a soundtrack to summer. The crack of the bat, the ball hitting the glove.However for many players, time in the sun is cut short by a trip to the trainer’s room. And one position is at risk more than any other.”Pitchers are definitely the highest risk group,” said Dr. David Rust of St. Luke’s Sports Medicine Clinic.
Whether it’s a 5K or the local favorite, Grandma’s Marathon, here’s why good running shoes can make all the difference.
Thursday May 28th, the Hermantown Hawks won two games to advance in the Section 7AA baseball playoffs.An impressive performance, considering the loss Hermantown suffered just 24 hours earlier.
The Duluth School Board voted to approve a boys and girls lacrosse program made up of players from Duluth East and Denfeld high schools.Those teams will compete in the Minnesota State High School League starting next spring.So what does that mean for the future of the Duluth Chargers club program?
Grand Rapids track coach Darrin Hofstad heard the stories.”You hear a lot of stories,” he said. “You never believe anything until you see it with your own eyes.For Hofstad, seeing was believing when it came to Andrea Contu.
When Julie Gross got the call, she could hardly believe it.”I said i think i need to put the phone down, because I need to scream.”
Duluth’s Ryan Watson is one of the top amateur heavyweight boxers in the country, even though he hasn’t fought in what Watson describes as “in forever.” Watson’s coach Aaron Resberg believes Ryan’s reputation is a big reason why.
Like many high school athletes, Denfeld’s Ashely Taipale plays three sports. But her favorite is softball. And her favorite part of the game is swinging the bat.
Team sports are a great way to get involved. However, for people that live their lives in a wheelchair, options are limited. That’s where power chair soccer comes in.”It’s creating opportunity for everybody to be involved,” said Mark Hanna of Courage Kenny Northland.
Superior native Amy Flessert took to Masters Swimming like a fish to water.”It’s a casual, not so competitive atmosphere,” she says.
The 2015 National Football League schedule was unveiled Tuesday.In case you’re planning on catching a Border Battle this season, the Vikings and Packers will meet Week 11 at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, with the re–match coming in the season finale at Lambeau Field.
