TARGET CENTER MINNEAPOLIS
A week ago today the team, on which my grand daughter dances, was announced as one of the six teams in the preliminary dance competition for Class A scheduled to dance second in the championship round around 5:30 p.m.
And dance all they did! Dance teams of fewer than ten and teams of more than thirty (Bombers team totals 32). More than fifty dance teams in Class A, Class AA and Class AAA representing Minnesota High Schools, private and public. The skill, cooperation and support for each other and each other's teams was unlike anything I had experienced before.
While the Cannon Falls Bombers were performing, the Sartell-St. Stephen's Sabre fans waited for the Bomber fans to exit to the right so they could enter from the left. This arrangement reversed when the Sabre team performed. At the end of the day, the Sabres finished first in Class AA.
The Bomber team and coaches were on the top of the world - exhilerated and exhausted. This was the fifth time the Bombers High Kick Team took first in state competition. On Tuesday evening, February 22 their joy turned to saddness when their entire team of coaches resigned citing coaching requires long days away from their families. The girls were naturally devistated. They "see" this situation through a much different lense than this proud gramma.
Using the preferred form of communication with teens just now, I texted my grand daughter first of all expressing saddness for this unexpected turn of events and then suggested that being the top team in their state division I was confident that there would be coaches standing in line to coach such athletic, talented, committed young women. She texted back "thanks."
I continue to be awed by all of the young women athletes and state teams. Now a week later I continue to celebrate the opportunity this presents to them and their taking advantage of the opportunity in exemplary ways.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Monday, February 21, 2011
Soooo much snow!
It is SO beautiful and we have SO much! For the second time since December 11, 2010 my front and back doors were blocked by snow. The drifts in my back yard are up to my hips. The snow piles that frame my garage apron provide a place for the snow to slow down and drop - which it DID - creating a three foot plus barrior to my garage door.
No getting out to work today! My neighbor came to shovel me out about noon today. Around 1:30 the snow was removed from my front and back doors making it possible for me to go outside for the first time since yesterday morning. By tonight the front steps were again buried as was the walkway to the garage. A friend invited me out for pizza. With the aid of my Nordic Trekkers I made my way to the street where she picked me up. Under the snow pack the street was completely lined with a thick layer of ice.
It is so beautiful...and car accidents were rampant on streets and freeways. I am a true Minnesotan, born and raised in rural Minnesota where snow drifts along roads and between farm buildings were the rule. Actually it was normal and expected. But now I live in the city - have since 1998 and this is the first winter where it feels like I am back on the farm fighting to open doors and get to the garage and find an opening in the snowbanks between the sidewalks and the street so I can go about my usual schedule.
It will be sometime tomorrow before I will have the garage shoveled out. So I will either take the bus to work or my co-worker will pick me up and drive me in. Walking is out of the question - many sidewalks are still covered with two feet plus of packed snow.
It is SO beautiful and it is SO problematic. We have had draught conditions in Minnesota the last three summers. Well, I think that after the incredible rains of last fall and the snow this winter, we must be assured that the draught is over for 2011.
I am just thinkin' that there are twenty-eight days until the first day of spring - if only that assured that the snow would stop falling and piling up! With the way things are going this season, I will not get my hopes up too high too soon. I will only hope that earth in my yard will be green by June 1 ... ... ...
No getting out to work today! My neighbor came to shovel me out about noon today. Around 1:30 the snow was removed from my front and back doors making it possible for me to go outside for the first time since yesterday morning. By tonight the front steps were again buried as was the walkway to the garage. A friend invited me out for pizza. With the aid of my Nordic Trekkers I made my way to the street where she picked me up. Under the snow pack the street was completely lined with a thick layer of ice.
It is so beautiful...and car accidents were rampant on streets and freeways. I am a true Minnesotan, born and raised in rural Minnesota where snow drifts along roads and between farm buildings were the rule. Actually it was normal and expected. But now I live in the city - have since 1998 and this is the first winter where it feels like I am back on the farm fighting to open doors and get to the garage and find an opening in the snowbanks between the sidewalks and the street so I can go about my usual schedule.
It will be sometime tomorrow before I will have the garage shoveled out. So I will either take the bus to work or my co-worker will pick me up and drive me in. Walking is out of the question - many sidewalks are still covered with two feet plus of packed snow.
It is SO beautiful and it is SO problematic. We have had draught conditions in Minnesota the last three summers. Well, I think that after the incredible rains of last fall and the snow this winter, we must be assured that the draught is over for 2011.
I am just thinkin' that there are twenty-eight days until the first day of spring - if only that assured that the snow would stop falling and piling up! With the way things are going this season, I will not get my hopes up too high too soon. I will only hope that earth in my yard will be green by June 1 ... ... ...
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Title IX: Girls Athletics 2011
February 19, 2011 The Cannon Falls Bomber High Kick Dance Team on which my grand-girl is a first year varsity dancer, earned CLASS A CHAMPIONSHIP status in the Minnesota High School League at Target Center last night.
The team consists of 32 amazing young women athletes. Brooke is in the eighth grade and achieved varsity status last fall. The team practiced three hours each night, and during Christmas vacation, five hours a day. Their grace and beauty, athleticism, enthusiasm and syncronization is astonishing to behold.
The crowds at Target Center were amazing too. Dance team supporters wore T-shirts announcing which team the wearer was cheering on. On the back of parents and family members T-shirts was printed the name of the dancer and their relationship to the dancer "Brooke's Mom," "Brooke's Dad," "Brooke's Sister," "Brooke's Brother." As each Class exited the arena, they cheered and welcomed in the next Class in saying "good luck." Dads and grampas and brothers cheered on their daughters, grand-daughters and sisters as loudly as moms, grammas and sisters! In the 70's and 80's when my girls were competing there were few dads and brothers at their events. My grandchildren win the award (given by gramma) for #1 Sibling Supporters! They had big signs they made and my eldest grand-girl let the Cannon Falls section in cheers for the team.
How often I have heard it said that girls are all about bickering and back-biting. What I saw yesterday was incredible sportswomanship and professionalism - every young woman a champion, every team state champion team and with three in each Class earned the titles of 1st or 2nd or 3rd in their class.
As a high school student in the 1960s, my classmates and I were allowed to play half-court basketball as part of phy ed class and that was the sum total of our opportunity. When children in the 70s and 80s were three and five years old I strongly supported Title IX. Little girls all over the U. S. were able to play T-ball in the summer recreation programs and began playing basketball and vollyball in elementary school and played throughout high school, one went on to compete in track in high school. By the time this generation reached high school they were competing with other high school league teams in their conference. Some of their friends chose tennis and golf. This generation learned both remain committed to being physically active and fit.
All of this is made possible byTitle IX - passed into law June 23, 1972 as part of the Educational Amendments. It requires gender equity for girls and boys in every educational program that receives federal funding. When it passed, the idea that girls would be able to compete at the state level was a dream. That dream has long since become a reality for hundres of thousands of girls!
Now the next generation cannot imagine a time when girls were not practicing and participating and competing in high school athletics - today it is the norm. Competing in basketball and vollyball, learing team work, cooperation and competition are vital life skills for all aspects of life. Title IX - a tremendous 38 year old law - provides these opportunities equally and powerfully. Opportunity and choice are priceless!
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2011 Class A Champions |
The team consists of 32 amazing young women athletes. Brooke is in the eighth grade and achieved varsity status last fall. The team practiced three hours each night, and during Christmas vacation, five hours a day. Their grace and beauty, athleticism, enthusiasm and syncronization is astonishing to behold.
The crowds at Target Center were amazing too. Dance team supporters wore T-shirts announcing which team the wearer was cheering on. On the back of parents and family members T-shirts was printed the name of the dancer and their relationship to the dancer "Brooke's Mom," "Brooke's Dad," "Brooke's Sister," "Brooke's Brother." As each Class exited the arena, they cheered and welcomed in the next Class in saying "good luck." Dads and grampas and brothers cheered on their daughters, grand-daughters and sisters as loudly as moms, grammas and sisters! In the 70's and 80's when my girls were competing there were few dads and brothers at their events. My grandchildren win the award (given by gramma) for #1 Sibling Supporters! They had big signs they made and my eldest grand-girl let the Cannon Falls section in cheers for the team.
How often I have heard it said that girls are all about bickering and back-biting. What I saw yesterday was incredible sportswomanship and professionalism - every young woman a champion, every team state champion team and with three in each Class earned the titles of 1st or 2nd or 3rd in their class.
As a high school student in the 1960s, my classmates and I were allowed to play half-court basketball as part of phy ed class and that was the sum total of our opportunity. When children in the 70s and 80s were three and five years old I strongly supported Title IX. Little girls all over the U. S. were able to play T-ball in the summer recreation programs and began playing basketball and vollyball in elementary school and played throughout high school, one went on to compete in track in high school. By the time this generation reached high school they were competing with other high school league teams in their conference. Some of their friends chose tennis and golf. This generation learned both remain committed to being physically active and fit.
All of this is made possible byTitle IX - passed into law June 23, 1972 as part of the Educational Amendments. It requires gender equity for girls and boys in every educational program that receives federal funding. When it passed, the idea that girls would be able to compete at the state level was a dream. That dream has long since become a reality for hundres of thousands of girls!
Now the next generation cannot imagine a time when girls were not practicing and participating and competing in high school athletics - today it is the norm. Competing in basketball and vollyball, learing team work, cooperation and competition are vital life skills for all aspects of life. Title IX - a tremendous 38 year old law - provides these opportunities equally and powerfully. Opportunity and choice are priceless!
Friday, February 11, 2011
Murbarak leaves Egypt
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Presidenital Palace Port au Prince Haiti |
I was there for three days during which my hosts, Renee and Marilyn Chauvet drove me up the mountain to see how the elite live and then through the poorest of the poor areas to see the stark shocking contrast. Downtown I saw the Presidential Palace and the Catholic Cathedral built in the 1600s that still stood but no longer used due to safety concerns.
It was astonishing to see the opulence that Baby Doc Duvilier lived in at the Presidential Palace surrounded by armed tanks and soldiers wearing crisscrossed bullet belts. Armed guards also stood outside gas stations and on street corners, along the road side - they seemed to be everywhere. The experiences of that trip have always remained potent in so many ways.
I returned for seven days in 1998 as part of a mission trip. On this trip, I went into the slum of Cite Soliet, a city inside a city built with funds from the World Bank - and without any infrastructure to support that city - no electricity, water, sewer! I watched as children went to the tanker truck to get water - five gallons per family per day. Period. The kids and women put the pails on their heads and headed for home.
There are no public schools in Haiti - education remains a privilege not a right. We visited Mother Theresa's hospice for infants with AIDS and another for children and adults and a "nursing home" outside the city run by a community of women religious from The Netherlands who provided care to children born with deformitites and a very few lucky elders. In the 19 years since I had visited Haiti, it had also become a city subsummed in air and ground polution with billboards for Nike and 7-UP and Pepsi and Coke and Ford and Chevrolet along the streets lined with discarded plastic bottles, soda cans and plastice bags.
These two trips brought me face to face with evil of dictators and globalization.
Today as Eyptian President Mubarak fled after his country rose up after 30 years of his dictatorship, my thoughts went right back to Haiti, to the ruthless dictator Baby Doc was, the horrendous poverty and violence the people of Haiti were subjected to under his reign of terror.
Unlike Baby Doc's exit in the 1980's when he fled with millions of dollars to continue living a lavish life, today Swiss banks immediately froze the assets of exiled Egyptian President Mubarak. Today I pray that the people of Egypt will be able to rebound and create a healthy society. The courage of the people in Egypt, their unswerving determination to stand firm provides hope for us all.
May the people of Egypt rise from the ashes as the Phoenix rose ... may Haiti find justice ... as Mother Theresa said - it is not that we don't have enough resources for the people of the world - it is just that those of us who have so much share so little... ... ...
Saturday, February 5, 2011
My first motorcycle show
February 5, 2011
My son called late yesterday afternoon and said, "Hey, just wondering if you'd like to go to the Motorcycle Show in Minneapolis tonight?" and I said, "sounds fun" and he quickly replied "I'll be there in 45."
The phone call took just about that much time. I scooted to the kitchen and turned of the soup pot, dashed upstairs and tossed my evening sweats aside and tried to imagine what I'd wear...I do not own a single Harley Davidson or Viking or Dukati or Yahama signature shirt or hat or scarf or pin or jacket or boots. How can I go and not stick out like a total nerd? So I settled on jeans, dress boots and a boring black vest over plum turtleneck shirt. Boring! I do not even own any bling.
We had so much fun! I learned the difference between chain and belt drive bikes between tires for straight riding and those that hug corners and so much more. There were bikes customized for exhibition that were wildly expensive and shiny with over the top paint jobs, some sitting near the booth that contained antique bikes dating back to 1918. Of course my son was shopping for after-market options, looking at heated winter gear and imagining what his next Harley Davidson option will be.
When I said yes I had no idea that I would be plunged back into my own love for all things "bike." My cousins had bikes (as in bicycle) so I learned to ride on a farm driveway that sloped down into a part time pasture where I quickly learned you either learned to balance and peddle or risked falling on a "cow pie." No amount of begging and pleading got me my own bike.
So of course, I described my plight to my high school friend and her dad overheard. Little did I know that he would go to work and find a bicycle at the dump, bring it home, fix it up and give it to me for free! It was an amazing gift. I don't know who was more excited, her dad or me.
Several years later one of my brothers got a Lambretta scooter. As the years passed my brothers moved up to motorcycles so of course I had to hit the road. I found myself on one of those cycles rounding a corner on a rural blacktop road at 80 mph (ya, it is easy to get lost in the experience and there was NO cruise control). Utterly shocked I shut it down, turned around and swore I'd never drive a cycle again that could exceed 30 mph.
My next cycle was a 1982 Yamaha "Yama Hopper." Perfect! With a top speed 30 mph it controlled me so I didn't need cruise control. Of course, I usually drove it maxed out. We lived in a small town so I ran errands, drove it to work and dubbed it my grocery getter. I haven't ridden it in more than 20 years but it has a special spot in my garage. I recently found a Yamaha shop in South St. Paul who services them so I planned to save the money and have it restored so Icould ride again (I still have the original manual in my files).
Then came last night! Holy cow within moments of walking into the cycle show I saw the Can Am. At the urging of my son, I climbed the closest one. Geez Louise, I need to retire, sell my car, buy cycle gear and a wee little camping trailer to pull behind and hit the road. This thing is SO cool. And it has cruise control.
I signed up to win a Harley Davidson motorcycle. Gosh, I could trade that in for a new Can Am...I just gotta win that drawing!
As we walked back to his car - me walking with the aid of a Nordic Trekker to ease pressure on my deteriorating left knee - we talked more about different kinds of bikes I might need to consider realizing that knee replacement is somewhere in my future. My orthopedic doctor does not recommend people with joint issues especially those with replacement joints ride bicycles on city streets or busy trails saying that the risk of serious injury is just too great in the event of an accident. But I love bicycles. My son wondered if I might need to consider a three wheel bicycle for safety. I admitted I might. Drats anyway.
But my mind went directly back to the show, the image of me on the three-wheel Can Am motorcycle. I could feel comfort and the wind and the sun and see the astonishingly beauty of earth revealed in every blink on every trip. I can walk for exercise and bike safely on a Can Am!
Just to be sure that what I experienced while sitting on the Can Am and listening to the saleswoman was real, I brought the catalog home to study the specs. Gas mileage - good. Stability - good. Reliability - good. Cost - doesn't matter I don't have that kind of the money. These things are so new there are few that are used. But then the drawing will take place tomorrow. I will wait for the call announcing me the winner.
The "it is time to ride again" bug is BACK as sure as once dormant chickenpox can return late in life as shingles! From what I have learned from my elders, it appears that the biking bug has been biting members of our family since the 1930's... ...
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1982 Yamaha "Yama hopper" |
The phone call took just about that much time. I scooted to the kitchen and turned of the soup pot, dashed upstairs and tossed my evening sweats aside and tried to imagine what I'd wear...I do not own a single Harley Davidson or Viking or Dukati or Yahama signature shirt or hat or scarf or pin or jacket or boots. How can I go and not stick out like a total nerd? So I settled on jeans, dress boots and a boring black vest over plum turtleneck shirt. Boring! I do not even own any bling.
We had so much fun! I learned the difference between chain and belt drive bikes between tires for straight riding and those that hug corners and so much more. There were bikes customized for exhibition that were wildly expensive and shiny with over the top paint jobs, some sitting near the booth that contained antique bikes dating back to 1918. Of course my son was shopping for after-market options, looking at heated winter gear and imagining what his next Harley Davidson option will be.
When I said yes I had no idea that I would be plunged back into my own love for all things "bike." My cousins had bikes (as in bicycle) so I learned to ride on a farm driveway that sloped down into a part time pasture where I quickly learned you either learned to balance and peddle or risked falling on a "cow pie." No amount of begging and pleading got me my own bike.
So of course, I described my plight to my high school friend and her dad overheard. Little did I know that he would go to work and find a bicycle at the dump, bring it home, fix it up and give it to me for free! It was an amazing gift. I don't know who was more excited, her dad or me.
Several years later one of my brothers got a Lambretta scooter. As the years passed my brothers moved up to motorcycles so of course I had to hit the road. I found myself on one of those cycles rounding a corner on a rural blacktop road at 80 mph (ya, it is easy to get lost in the experience and there was NO cruise control). Utterly shocked I shut it down, turned around and swore I'd never drive a cycle again that could exceed 30 mph.
My next cycle was a 1982 Yamaha "Yama Hopper." Perfect! With a top speed 30 mph it controlled me so I didn't need cruise control. Of course, I usually drove it maxed out. We lived in a small town so I ran errands, drove it to work and dubbed it my grocery getter. I haven't ridden it in more than 20 years but it has a special spot in my garage. I recently found a Yamaha shop in South St. Paul who services them so I planned to save the money and have it restored so Icould ride again (I still have the original manual in my files).
![]() |
2011 Can Am three-wheel cycle |
I signed up to win a Harley Davidson motorcycle. Gosh, I could trade that in for a new Can Am...I just gotta win that drawing!
As we walked back to his car - me walking with the aid of a Nordic Trekker to ease pressure on my deteriorating left knee - we talked more about different kinds of bikes I might need to consider realizing that knee replacement is somewhere in my future. My orthopedic doctor does not recommend people with joint issues especially those with replacement joints ride bicycles on city streets or busy trails saying that the risk of serious injury is just too great in the event of an accident. But I love bicycles. My son wondered if I might need to consider a three wheel bicycle for safety. I admitted I might. Drats anyway.
But my mind went directly back to the show, the image of me on the three-wheel Can Am motorcycle. I could feel comfort and the wind and the sun and see the astonishingly beauty of earth revealed in every blink on every trip. I can walk for exercise and bike safely on a Can Am!
Just to be sure that what I experienced while sitting on the Can Am and listening to the saleswoman was real, I brought the catalog home to study the specs. Gas mileage - good. Stability - good. Reliability - good. Cost - doesn't matter I don't have that kind of the money. These things are so new there are few that are used. But then the drawing will take place tomorrow. I will wait for the call announcing me the winner.
The "it is time to ride again" bug is BACK as sure as once dormant chickenpox can return late in life as shingles! From what I have learned from my elders, it appears that the biking bug has been biting members of our family since the 1930's... ...
Friday, February 4, 2011
I have a clean car!
I crawled home under sunny brilliant blue skies slowly so I could avoid growing snow-melt puddles. It has been since October that I my car has had this much shine, since I could see the real color, since the floor mats were not laden with snow melt and sometimes ice.
Oh...yah, I can see out the windows and the dash minus dust reflects and glistens. And, did I mention that my car is clean because a friend gave me a birthday present of a full-service car wash at a place near downtown that runs cars through like a manufacturing assembly line? The staff are like ants bustling from the moment they had you the "tag" to when the "finisher" puts a towel on the floor so that the newly cleaned floor mats would still be clean when I drove away. Gratefully this young woman asked if she could add "freshner." Quickly, I replied, "no thanks, this is just great." Yikes, just thinking about that sweet chemical stuff makes me sneeze and my nose plug!
Now I could have run some errands before coming home, but I just need to be able to see it looking like this for more than a few hours. Such a simple joy to savor with the bonus that spring is just around the corner, each day provides more and more and more daylight. The is so much to smile about... ... ...
Oh...yah, I can see out the windows and the dash minus dust reflects and glistens. And, did I mention that my car is clean because a friend gave me a birthday present of a full-service car wash at a place near downtown that runs cars through like a manufacturing assembly line? The staff are like ants bustling from the moment they had you the "tag" to when the "finisher" puts a towel on the floor so that the newly cleaned floor mats would still be clean when I drove away. Gratefully this young woman asked if she could add "freshner." Quickly, I replied, "no thanks, this is just great." Yikes, just thinking about that sweet chemical stuff makes me sneeze and my nose plug!
Now I could have run some errands before coming home, but I just need to be able to see it looking like this for more than a few hours. Such a simple joy to savor with the bonus that spring is just around the corner, each day provides more and more and more daylight. The is so much to smile about... ... ...
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