Years from now, the memorable performances at the 2011 South Dakota track and field meet will have faded away with time, only recaptured in the performer's own recollection (or that of family members and friends), photo albums, record books, social media and through search engines like Google, Bing and others.
Each new year brings new athletes and fresh accomplishment. So, it is easy for time to create distance and mind block about what we remember from a particular event. Therefore, it is important that we take time to reflect on this past weekend's state track meet, an event that is always exhilarating, exciting, pleasing and heartbreaking, seemingly all at the same time. It has been that way since boys state track competition officially began in 1906 and girls' state track started in 1969.
I give you 10 reflections of the 2011 meet, plus some postscripts about the meet.
#1 Dazzling recovery... Carly Carper was challenging Sioux Falls Washington sprinting phenom Kari Heck at the Howard Wood Dakota Relays in early May when the junior from Oldham-Ramona-Rutland High School pulled up with a leg injury. She was carried off the track leaving her, her supporters, and the thousands in attendance at the Dakota Relays in shock.
Turn the clock ahead less than a month later, Carper not only recovered from that injury but was at full strength as she dazzled the massed thousands at the state meet on the same track with a series of memorable performances. She led the ORR team to its second straight team title in the B girls division by winning four events. First, Carper won her fifth straight 100-meter title, which may be a first in South Dakota track history. Then, she proceeded to win the long jump and upset Colman-Egan's sensational sprinter Gina Fritz in the 200-meter dash (25.37). To top it all off, she was part of the ORR record-breaking 4x100 meter relay. The team of Breanna Olson, Kelly Thurow, Mandi Hagemann and Carper cruised in at 49.93, breaking their own 2010 mark of 50.46.
http://madisonet.com/site/news.cfm?BRD=1302&dept_id=181986&newsid=20462218&PAG=461&rfi=9
#2 Boom and Flash... Seth Boomsma of Tri-Valley and Sami Galliger of West Central, MVPs of the boys and girls A division respectively, provided a little bit of boom and flash during the state meet. The boom was the power of their sprinting and the flash - well if you turned away for a split second, all you saw was a flash of a trackster whizzing past your section of the stadium.
Boomsma did not lead his team to a team title but his powerful sprinting performance will be long remembered. Boomsma recorded four wins, including gold medals (best performances of all classes at the state meet) in the 100-meter dash (10.7) and 200-meter dash (21.88). Then he powered Tri Valley to victory in the 4x100-meter dash in 43.39, tying the meet record by the 2009 Harrisburg team. He brought the crowd to its feet when he took the baton in the 4x200-meter relay with his team in third place, reversing the order and bringing home the title with a surge of sprinting power that left those in attendance murmuring about the flash from Tri-Valley. Boomsma and Tri Valley won the event in 1:30.46, nipping Dakota Valley (1:30.59) at the tape.
Galliger won the 100 (12.58), 200 (25.65) and anchored West Central 4x100 (50.03) and 4x200 meter (1:46.05) relay squads to titles. Galliger's "flashy" efforts were part of a team championship effort. Galliger told the Argus Leader that "we've been hoping for this since I was in the seventh grade." Mission accomplished.
#3. What the Heck... Kari Heck of Sioux Falls Washington won the MVP of the Class AA girls meet for the second straight year after capturing four events in AA. She joined Jasmyne King of Rapid City Central as the only athletes to win four Gold Medals in a single meet. Heck, who like Carper is just a junior, handily won the 100 (12.27), 200 (24.86), 400 (55.93) and long jump (18'7.25), recording the top performance in all classes in all four events. Her 400-meter clocking was the fifth-best time ever run by a South Dakota female prep performer. The long jump ranks seventh best all-time while her 200-meter time was six hundreds of a second away from the all-time top-10 list. Heck is ranked in the state's top 10 all-time in the long jump, 100, 200 and 400. She is listed 11 times in the respective all-time individual or relays list. Despite her efforts, Sioux Falls Washington girls team fell short of a team title as they couldn't match the deep and talented Rapid City Stevens team, which won their 18th team title and 15th in the past 16 years.
http://www.argusleader.com/print/article/20110529/SPORTS01/105290326/Class-AA-Track-Warrior-pride
#4 Recalling tradition. The performance of the Sioux Falls Washington boys was historical and it helped the state's most decorated high school sports program recapture a little track glory. Coached by former Elkton and South Dakota State University standout Everett Gebhart, the Washington boys won a team title for the first time since 1988 and captured the school's 32nd team crown overall. Washington, which won five of the first nine meets ever held (one class), won just two events -- Alex Waddell in the 400-meter dash and Chris Parker in the high jump -- but used its deep squad to build points and easily win the title over co-favorite Watertown, 111.5 points to 97.5. After finishing second two years ago and third last season, Washington became the first Sioux Falls team since Lincoln in 1989 to win a title outright. Sioux Falls Roosevelt boosters will remember they finished tied for the title in 2000. Gebhart's teams also captured the combined team crown (boys first, girls, second).
#5 Flying Steel... Throwers threw their way in the meet's legacy of excellence. In the shot put, records in both the boys and girls fell during the two-day state meet. USD-bound Kyle McKelvey of Beresford High (http://www.ksfy.com/story/14737301/beresfords-mckelvey-hopes-to-break-own-state-record?clienttype=printable), who is ranked third in the nation with a throw of 69'3 (Howard Wood Dakota Relays), unleashed a 67'10 effort to set a Class A record. As a result, McKelvey now owns four of the top seven shot put throws ever in South Dakota history. He has broken 60 feet at least 10 times, unprecedented in the state. On the girls side, McKenzie Johnson of Rapid City Central had a record-setting AA throw of 45'02, which ranks seventh all-time in South Dakota and 42nd nationally.
#6 Triple Double... Connnor Anderson of Rosholt/Fairmont, N.D., left an unforgettable legacy in the hurdles by pulling off track's own version of a triple double. For the third straight year, she won both hurdles events. She captured the 100-meter hurdles in 14.96 and the 300-meter hurdles in 49.26. Yet frustrating for her was Rosholt-Fairmont's team title hopes, which again ended in bridesmaid category, as they finished second for the fourth straight year.
#7 Freshman sensation... Alexis Gannon of Brookings jolted the meet crowd when the freshman unleashed an all-time South Dakota best in the girl's triple jump with her 39'5.75 in the triple jump. The performance broke the mark of Alicia Heiser of Aberdeen Central of 38'10.75 in 1999.
#8 Battlers battle... When the Gettysburg Battlers B boys track team won the 4x400 meter relay, rallying to defeat team champion Canistota, there was a loud cheer of approval from the Battler section in Wood Stadium. While sports historians won't regard this moment as especially memorable - no record just a routine victory - it was significant for the Battlers. With the relay win, Gettysburg moved from sixth place to fourth place in the team title race and won a trophy. Canistota, which finished second to Gettysburg in the 4x400-meter relay lost that battle but won the war, earning its third team title to go with the state football crown won last fall.
Back to Gettysburg...Those who remember the great Battler track and field teams of the 1970s and early 1980s, will recall that the 4x400-meter relay was its bread and butter event. The 2011 squad, which had a 3:32.13 clocking, recaptured that Battler legacy. They also won the same event at the Howard Wood Dakota Relays. Gettysburg, which also claimed the 4x800-meter relay title and was third in the 4x200-meter relay, recorded perhaps its third-best finish (1976, third; 1978, tied for first) ever.During the two-day meet, as I watched this current Battlers (Austin Lake, Blaine Schmidt, Connor McPeck, and others) do work, I swear I saw the track ghosts of all-time Battler greats like Ron Schneider, David Langslet, Pat Simon, John Lomheim and others in the school's defining red and white gear.
#9 Sharing honors... Distance standout Tony Smoragiewicz of Rapid City Central (http://insidedakotasports.com/tony-smoragiewicz) did not set records but the junior continued to build a track resume as one of the state's all-time greats. He led the Central boys to a fourth-place finish by winning the 1600-meters (4:17.86) and the 3200-meters (9:35.07) while finishing third in the 800-meters and running on the sprint medley relay that finished seventh. We must not forget that he had earlier this year opened eyes by cracking nine minutes in the 3,200 meter run with an 8:57 clocking. As a result, he is just one of two runners in state history (Eric Grumstrup, 2001) to break the nine-minute barrier. As for the state meet, Smoragiewicz shared MVP honors with Pierre's hurdling sensation and NDSU recruit Parker McKittrick.
One of the perhaps little known but remarkable state meet notes is that McKittrick and two former Pierre hurdle standouts are tied for the best clocking in the 110-meter hurdles ever. Along with Matt Tetzlaff (2007) and Mark Larscheid (1969), McKittrick has clocked 14.10 in the event. At this meet, McKittrick won both hurdle races, finished third in the 200-meters and sixth in the 100-meters. McKittrick's win in the 300-meter hurdles will go down in state track meet history as memorable. While he won the event, Justin Greenway of Mitchell, who had tied the all-time best with a 37.89 clocking at Howard Wood Relays, seemed to edge McKittrick for first in the hurdle event. However Greenway, a cousin of NFL star Chad Greenway, clipped a hurdle in an opponent's lane forcing disqualification and giving McKittrick the win. McKittrick clocked a 38.24 in the 300-meter hurdles, breaking the record of Matt Merritt of Sioux Falls O'Gorman in 1995 of 38.60. He also won the 110-meter hurdles in 14.28, which is one-hundredth of a second from ranking in the top 10 all-time (14.27).
Doubling Up. Jeff O'Connell of Philip, S.D., helped lead his team to a team title, its first ever, in 2010, but that wasn't the case in 2011. Despite winning three individual events, he couldn't help them bring home a second straight crown. Philip finished second despite O'Connell winning the long jump and triple jump for the second straight year and the USD-bound senior winning the 400-meter dash in 50.07.
Postscripts
I can't help but appreciate the passion and effort of the scores of volunteers at the State Meet. They come out and give hours and hours of their time to make sure that timing systems, starting races, running field events and everything comprising a state meet goes off without a hitch. They don't get a lot of kudos, OK, maybe a public announcement, but they deserve a big congrats from all of us. To Mark Meile, Linda Hengeveld and all of the volunteers, bravo.
Announcers Greg Merrigan and Michael Holt are two professionals, who don't always receive kudos for their outstanding work, but should. They help make the state meet special, adding voice to the athlete's accomplishments. They provide attention to detail and enthusiastic zeal in their voices that captivates those in attendance. It is an art and one that deserves a forum, even if it just a blog. These two guys do a yeoman's job as announcers, putting in extra time to help honor these athletes and teams. While speaking about artists in action, I would be remiss if I didn't mention another valuable volunteer, Kevin Brady (and others in the scoreboard booth), who coordinated video replays and results on the new Daktronics video board, sponsored by Sanford.
Here is a Watering Hole cheer to you.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Thursday, May 26, 2011
South Dakota Track and Field State Meet to Involve 2,440 Student-Athletes Beginning Friday
Your body starts to tense up. Knees buckle. The stomach turns and twists and you feel like you just took a punch in the midsection. Your nerves are frazzled. As your eyes flutter about, shifting from one place to another, all you hear is a buzzing sound. It becomes so tense that you feel like you might pass out.
Then, someone taps you on the shoulder, and as you make a sudden, jerking movement toward that person, his/her smile helps release your exasperation. "Settle down, everything is ok."
That was the way, it was the first time I stepped onto the football field. I was a seventh grade student. While it wasn't the state track meet, the first time you compete in athletic competition, the body seems to do weird things and the mind seemingly plays tricks on you.
With the South Dakota High School Track and Field Championships starting Friday in Sioux Falls, Brandon and Madison, the nerves and restive behavior is just beginning for student-athletes, parents, coaches and fans across the state. It is a tense two days but one that is filled with drama and spectacular accomplishments. The finals on Saturday will produce a large crowd at Howard Wood Stadium that will provide the "oohs and aahs" as student-athletes make championship memories that will last a lifetime. The South Dakota State Track and Field Meet is indeed a time of high drama and excitement.
According to a press release by the South Dakota High School Athletic Association, 2,440 boys and girls from 151 South Dakota high schools will compete in the competition, which begins with field events at 9:30 a.m. on Friday. The running events start at 10 a.m. During the meet, 1,222 girls (AA - 333; A - 468; B - 421) and 1,218 boys (AA - 342; A - 448; B - 428) will compete.
In the team races, the Rapid City Stevens girls will try and defend their title, trying to add its 18th crown. Rapid City Stevens, led by coach Paul Hendry, has won 14-of-15 since 1996, only broken by Dave Dolan's Rapid City Central crew two years ago. In Class A, Clark/Willow Lake looks to defend its title while Oldham//Ramona, who will have the services of their standout Carly Carper (injured at the Howard Wood Relays), tries for another B crown.
On the boys side, Rapid City Stevens, which has won 16 titles since 1969, is back to defend its title. Dell Rapids, which won the 1969 title in the first year of the three-class systems, looks for its third straight Class A crown. Philip, led by its standout field event specialist Jeff O'Connell (back to defend long and triple jump titles), will try for its second straight class B team title.
Taking a look back, we find that South Dakota high school track and field officially started in 1906, although the first organized track and field meet was held in 1903 at College Park in Yankton, in a boys-only competition.
In late December 1906, a meeting of superintendents and principals resulted in the establishment of the South Dakota High School Athletic Association. The group of educators agreed to organize an annual state boys track and field meet, according to "One Hundred Years of South Dakota High School Activities and Athletics (David Kemp/Tamra Zastrow)."
The first "official" state meet was held in on May 4, 1906 at Coates Field (Riverside Park facility) in Sioux Falls. Sioux Falls Washington won the first two meets and five of the first nine state meets contested.
From 1907-14, state meets were held at Dakota Field (later site of Inman Field and today where business and law schools sit) at The University of South Dakota before moving to Brookings and South Dakota State University from 1915-23, according to "One Hundreds Year of South Dakota High School Activities and Athletics (for a copy, order at http://www.mariahpress.com/). In 1917-18, state track meets were not held due to World War I.
From 1931-43, Sioux Falls Washington dominated South Dakota track and field by winning 11-of-13 crowns. In 1946, the SDHSAA moved to a two-class system, dictating that schools with enrollments 150 and larger compete in Class A and the smaller schools in Class B. During that period, Sioux Falls Washington was dominant in Class A winning nine straight titles from 1953-61. Then Sioux Falls Lincoln won seven of eight titles from 1969-76, a period that included all-time great Jim Rinehart, who later starred at Notre Dame. Since 1969, the boys meet has operated in a three-class system and has been dominated by Rapid City Stevens.
The girls state meets began in Yankton in 1969 with Tyndall, led by Sally Phihal, winning the first state team title in a competition that drew 140 competitors from 43 schools. Phihal led Tyndall to another title in 1970 in a meet at Mitchell. In 1971-72, the meet moved to Madison. In 1973, the SDHSAA transitioned the girls meet into two classes in a meet held at Watertown, which involved 189 South Dakota schools. Two years later, the SDHSAA transitioned the girls state meet to the current three-class system. Since the start of girls track, Rapid City Stevens has been dominant winning 17 titles. In Class, Jefferson also had a dominant run with five straight titles from 1981-85.
It is noteworthy that the boys and girls meets were held together for the first time in 1976 when Rapid City was awarded the meet. The competition was held on the campus of the School of Mines in Rapid City, as well as at Douglas High and Spearfish High School. It should be noted that the first meet held in western South Dakota and not in the eastern part of the state, occurred in 1948.
For more information about the state track meet, including lanes and heats, go to http://www.sdhsaa.com/Publications/Yearbook/Yearbook.asp. Additional history about South Dakota sports is available at http://www.sdsportshistory.com/
Then, someone taps you on the shoulder, and as you make a sudden, jerking movement toward that person, his/her smile helps release your exasperation. "Settle down, everything is ok."
That was the way, it was the first time I stepped onto the football field. I was a seventh grade student. While it wasn't the state track meet, the first time you compete in athletic competition, the body seems to do weird things and the mind seemingly plays tricks on you.
With the South Dakota High School Track and Field Championships starting Friday in Sioux Falls, Brandon and Madison, the nerves and restive behavior is just beginning for student-athletes, parents, coaches and fans across the state. It is a tense two days but one that is filled with drama and spectacular accomplishments. The finals on Saturday will produce a large crowd at Howard Wood Stadium that will provide the "oohs and aahs" as student-athletes make championship memories that will last a lifetime. The South Dakota State Track and Field Meet is indeed a time of high drama and excitement.
According to a press release by the South Dakota High School Athletic Association, 2,440 boys and girls from 151 South Dakota high schools will compete in the competition, which begins with field events at 9:30 a.m. on Friday. The running events start at 10 a.m. During the meet, 1,222 girls (AA - 333; A - 468; B - 421) and 1,218 boys (AA - 342; A - 448; B - 428) will compete.
In the team races, the Rapid City Stevens girls will try and defend their title, trying to add its 18th crown. Rapid City Stevens, led by coach Paul Hendry, has won 14-of-15 since 1996, only broken by Dave Dolan's Rapid City Central crew two years ago. In Class A, Clark/Willow Lake looks to defend its title while Oldham//Ramona, who will have the services of their standout Carly Carper (injured at the Howard Wood Relays), tries for another B crown.
On the boys side, Rapid City Stevens, which has won 16 titles since 1969, is back to defend its title. Dell Rapids, which won the 1969 title in the first year of the three-class systems, looks for its third straight Class A crown. Philip, led by its standout field event specialist Jeff O'Connell (back to defend long and triple jump titles), will try for its second straight class B team title.
Taking a look back, we find that South Dakota high school track and field officially started in 1906, although the first organized track and field meet was held in 1903 at College Park in Yankton, in a boys-only competition.
In late December 1906, a meeting of superintendents and principals resulted in the establishment of the South Dakota High School Athletic Association. The group of educators agreed to organize an annual state boys track and field meet, according to "One Hundred Years of South Dakota High School Activities and Athletics (David Kemp/Tamra Zastrow)."
The first "official" state meet was held in on May 4, 1906 at Coates Field (Riverside Park facility) in Sioux Falls. Sioux Falls Washington won the first two meets and five of the first nine state meets contested.
From 1907-14, state meets were held at Dakota Field (later site of Inman Field and today where business and law schools sit) at The University of South Dakota before moving to Brookings and South Dakota State University from 1915-23, according to "One Hundreds Year of South Dakota High School Activities and Athletics (for a copy, order at http://www.mariahpress.com/). In 1917-18, state track meets were not held due to World War I.
From 1931-43, Sioux Falls Washington dominated South Dakota track and field by winning 11-of-13 crowns. In 1946, the SDHSAA moved to a two-class system, dictating that schools with enrollments 150 and larger compete in Class A and the smaller schools in Class B. During that period, Sioux Falls Washington was dominant in Class A winning nine straight titles from 1953-61. Then Sioux Falls Lincoln won seven of eight titles from 1969-76, a period that included all-time great Jim Rinehart, who later starred at Notre Dame. Since 1969, the boys meet has operated in a three-class system and has been dominated by Rapid City Stevens.
The girls state meets began in Yankton in 1969 with Tyndall, led by Sally Phihal, winning the first state team title in a competition that drew 140 competitors from 43 schools. Phihal led Tyndall to another title in 1970 in a meet at Mitchell. In 1971-72, the meet moved to Madison. In 1973, the SDHSAA transitioned the girls meet into two classes in a meet held at Watertown, which involved 189 South Dakota schools. Two years later, the SDHSAA transitioned the girls state meet to the current three-class system. Since the start of girls track, Rapid City Stevens has been dominant winning 17 titles. In Class, Jefferson also had a dominant run with five straight titles from 1981-85.
It is noteworthy that the boys and girls meets were held together for the first time in 1976 when Rapid City was awarded the meet. The competition was held on the campus of the School of Mines in Rapid City, as well as at Douglas High and Spearfish High School. It should be noted that the first meet held in western South Dakota and not in the eastern part of the state, occurred in 1948.
For more information about the state track meet, including lanes and heats, go to http://www.sdhsaa.com/Publications/Yearbook/Yearbook.asp. Additional history about South Dakota sports is available at http://www.sdsportshistory.com/
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
South Dakota Universities Scheduling Big 12 Opponents; 13 from USD and SDSU Headed to West Preliminaries
In the past week, both The University of South Dakota and South Dakota State University have added Big 12 teams to their football schedules for the coming seasons.
The University of South Dakota announced Wednesday (May 25) that the school has scheduled a game with Kansas on Sept. 7, 2013 at Lawrence, Kan. This game builds on a resume of DI schools that Coyotes have added to their upcoming schedules, including Wisconsin (Sept. 24 at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisc.) and Air Force (Sept. 3 at Colorado Springs) in 2011, Northwestern in 2012 and Kansas State in 2015. Last year the Coyotes pulled off an upset of Minnesota, 41-38, at TPC Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. USD also lost a 38-7 decision to bowl participant Central Florida.
http://www.usdcoyotes.com/sports/football/release.asp?release_id=6437
South Dakota State University has announced that it will face Big 12 power Missouri to open a 2014 season with the Tigers at Memorial Stadium/Faurot Field in Columbia, Mo., on August 30, 2014. SDSU has developed a schedule, past and future, that has featured Big 12 teams, including at Iowa State in 2008 (44-17 loss), at Nebraska in 2010 (17-3 loss) and Kansas to open the 2012 season. They will face Big Ten opponent Illinois on Sept. 10, 2011 at Champaign, Ill.
http://www.gojacks.com/SportSelect.dbml?SPSID=64627&SPID=7153&DB_OEM_ID=15000&Q_SEASON=2008
South Dakota Athletes Headed to NCAA West Preliminaries
South Dakota collegiate athletes continue to impress this season and will take their abilities to a national stage. A total of nine student-athletes from South Dakota (13 overall) will compete at the NCAA West Preliminaries at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore., beginning this Thursday.
The list of athletes with hometowns in South Dakota includes three from The University of South Dakota and six from South Dakota State University.
Overall, a total of 13 students athletes, including seven from USD and six from SDSU, will participate at the competition. If any of these student-athletes finish in the top 12 in their respective events, they will advance to the NCAA Track and Field Championships in Des Moines, Iowa, on June 8-11.
Competition for the west preliminaries begins at noon on Thursday and will conclude on Saturday afternoon. To qualify for the NCAA West Preliminaries, the athletes had to rank in the top 48 in their respective event.
For additional information on the NCAA West Preliminaries go to http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=4679&SPID=243&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=500&ATCLID=205122659
Breakdown -- The University of South Dakota
Two USD men will compete, including Tane Owens, a senior pole vaulter from Pierre, S.D., who was notified this week that he is the seventh student-athlete from USD to qualify for the NCAA West Preliminaries. Owens won the Great West pole vault competition with a conference record of 16'08. USD sprinter Matt Kerswill of Schofield, Wisc., will compete in the 100 meters after qualifying with a 10.5 in winning the Great West Conference event.
Five Coyote women have qualified for the competition, including senior Jasmine Mosley of Bellevue, Neb., in the hammer throw and shot put. She won both events at the Great West meet. Mosley, the school's record holder in both events, has qualified with a throw of 180-5 in the hammer throw (at the Great West meet) and 49-11.75 in the shot put. Junior Emma Erickson of Gayville, S.D., will participate in the 800-meter run after recording a 2:07.75 at the Stanford Invitational in March. Erickson, USD's record holder in the 800-meters, won both the indoor and outdoor 800-meters in 2008 when the Coyotes competed in NCAA Division II. She also won the 800-meters title at the Great West meet. Junior Kenna Wolter of Santa Maria, Calif., will compete in the triple jump as a result of her qualifying jump of 40'10.25 at the Bryan Clay Invite in April. She also won a Great West Conference title in the triple jump. Bethany Buell, a sophomore from St. Louis, Mo., is ranked ninth in the field and 12th in Division I with her vault of 13'09.25 at the Howard Wood Dakota Relays in Sioux Falls, S.D., in May. Sophomore Alexa Duling of Gregory, S.D., has qualified for the preliminaries with her clocking of 1:00.15 in the 400-meter hurdles. Her clocking broke a 21-year old school record and was set at the Mt. Sac Relays in Walnut, Calif., in April.
Breakdown -- South Dakota State University
SDSU has qualified four men and two women for the NCAA West preliminaries competition. Two Jackrabbit men have qualified in two events. They include senior Ben Jasinski of Rapid City, S.D., who will participate in the high jump and triple jump. He is ranked 12th in the region with his high jump of 7-1, which is a SDSU record. He is ranked 37th in the triple jump at 49-9. Junior Jared Vlastuin of Lennox, S.D., ranks 29th in the long jump at 24-5.75 and 47th in high jump at 6-10.75. Senior Sean Burns of Rapid City, S.D., ranks 44th in the hammer throw with a SDSU school record of 191-7. Junior Michael Krsnak of Rapid City, S.D., is ranked third in the 10,000 meter run at 29:10.87, which is the third best all-time 10K at SDSU.
Mary Wirth, a freshman from Sioux Falls, S.D., is ranked 22nd in the region with her high jump of 5-9.75 which she set at the Summit League Championships, held recently in Sioux Falls, S.D. The other SDSU women to qualify is Brooke Garner, a sophomore from Rapid City, S.D., who is ranked 27th in the hammer throw at 187-11 (SDSU record) and 27th in the discus at 166-2 (second all-time at SDSU).
The University of South Dakota announced Wednesday (May 25) that the school has scheduled a game with Kansas on Sept. 7, 2013 at Lawrence, Kan. This game builds on a resume of DI schools that Coyotes have added to their upcoming schedules, including Wisconsin (Sept. 24 at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wisc.) and Air Force (Sept. 3 at Colorado Springs) in 2011, Northwestern in 2012 and Kansas State in 2015. Last year the Coyotes pulled off an upset of Minnesota, 41-38, at TPC Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. USD also lost a 38-7 decision to bowl participant Central Florida.
http://www.usdcoyotes.com/sports/football/release.asp?release_id=6437
South Dakota State University has announced that it will face Big 12 power Missouri to open a 2014 season with the Tigers at Memorial Stadium/Faurot Field in Columbia, Mo., on August 30, 2014. SDSU has developed a schedule, past and future, that has featured Big 12 teams, including at Iowa State in 2008 (44-17 loss), at Nebraska in 2010 (17-3 loss) and Kansas to open the 2012 season. They will face Big Ten opponent Illinois on Sept. 10, 2011 at Champaign, Ill.
http://www.gojacks.com/SportSelect.dbml?SPSID=64627&SPID=7153&DB_OEM_ID=15000&Q_SEASON=2008
South Dakota Athletes Headed to NCAA West Preliminaries
South Dakota collegiate athletes continue to impress this season and will take their abilities to a national stage. A total of nine student-athletes from South Dakota (13 overall) will compete at the NCAA West Preliminaries at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore., beginning this Thursday.
The list of athletes with hometowns in South Dakota includes three from The University of South Dakota and six from South Dakota State University.
Overall, a total of 13 students athletes, including seven from USD and six from SDSU, will participate at the competition. If any of these student-athletes finish in the top 12 in their respective events, they will advance to the NCAA Track and Field Championships in Des Moines, Iowa, on June 8-11.
Competition for the west preliminaries begins at noon on Thursday and will conclude on Saturday afternoon. To qualify for the NCAA West Preliminaries, the athletes had to rank in the top 48 in their respective event.
For additional information on the NCAA West Preliminaries go to http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=4679&SPID=243&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=500&ATCLID=205122659
Breakdown -- The University of South Dakota
Two USD men will compete, including Tane Owens, a senior pole vaulter from Pierre, S.D., who was notified this week that he is the seventh student-athlete from USD to qualify for the NCAA West Preliminaries. Owens won the Great West pole vault competition with a conference record of 16'08. USD sprinter Matt Kerswill of Schofield, Wisc., will compete in the 100 meters after qualifying with a 10.5 in winning the Great West Conference event.
Five Coyote women have qualified for the competition, including senior Jasmine Mosley of Bellevue, Neb., in the hammer throw and shot put. She won both events at the Great West meet. Mosley, the school's record holder in both events, has qualified with a throw of 180-5 in the hammer throw (at the Great West meet) and 49-11.75 in the shot put. Junior Emma Erickson of Gayville, S.D., will participate in the 800-meter run after recording a 2:07.75 at the Stanford Invitational in March. Erickson, USD's record holder in the 800-meters, won both the indoor and outdoor 800-meters in 2008 when the Coyotes competed in NCAA Division II. She also won the 800-meters title at the Great West meet. Junior Kenna Wolter of Santa Maria, Calif., will compete in the triple jump as a result of her qualifying jump of 40'10.25 at the Bryan Clay Invite in April. She also won a Great West Conference title in the triple jump. Bethany Buell, a sophomore from St. Louis, Mo., is ranked ninth in the field and 12th in Division I with her vault of 13'09.25 at the Howard Wood Dakota Relays in Sioux Falls, S.D., in May. Sophomore Alexa Duling of Gregory, S.D., has qualified for the preliminaries with her clocking of 1:00.15 in the 400-meter hurdles. Her clocking broke a 21-year old school record and was set at the Mt. Sac Relays in Walnut, Calif., in April.
Breakdown -- South Dakota State University
SDSU has qualified four men and two women for the NCAA West preliminaries competition. Two Jackrabbit men have qualified in two events. They include senior Ben Jasinski of Rapid City, S.D., who will participate in the high jump and triple jump. He is ranked 12th in the region with his high jump of 7-1, which is a SDSU record. He is ranked 37th in the triple jump at 49-9. Junior Jared Vlastuin of Lennox, S.D., ranks 29th in the long jump at 24-5.75 and 47th in high jump at 6-10.75. Senior Sean Burns of Rapid City, S.D., ranks 44th in the hammer throw with a SDSU school record of 191-7. Junior Michael Krsnak of Rapid City, S.D., is ranked third in the 10,000 meter run at 29:10.87, which is the third best all-time 10K at SDSU.
Mary Wirth, a freshman from Sioux Falls, S.D., is ranked 22nd in the region with her high jump of 5-9.75 which she set at the Summit League Championships, held recently in Sioux Falls, S.D. The other SDSU women to qualify is Brooke Garner, a sophomore from Rapid City, S.D., who is ranked 27th in the hammer throw at 187-11 (SDSU record) and 27th in the discus at 166-2 (second all-time at SDSU).
Monday, May 23, 2011
Cleveland Rocks - But Is It Reality or a Mid-spring Dream?
Cleveland has a self-esteem problem and one wasn't wholly produced by the city itself. Yet, the beating and sarcasm of the rock and roll city rolls on.
This Northern Ohio city on Lake Erie, has taken its brunt of dark and cantankerous sarcasm from shows about the city, like the Drew Carey Show, Hot in Cleveland, and of course, the 1989 movie Major League.
Many of us love Betty White and have found a place in our hearts for Drew Carey and especially Tom Berenger, still, it must feel a more than a little dismaying of the constant bantering about Cleveland's failings. Imagine you are their lead PR person, or that of its professional organizations, the jokes and image come from across the nation and includes politicians and especially late night showmen.
It is a city that is continually the butt of fun and seemingly harmless quips - "Cleveland is the city with a river so polluted it once caught in fire (not really)." Or this - "What is the difference between Cleveland and the Titantic? Cleveland has a better orchestra (that is true)."
While the city wrestles with those perception problems, it is truly a beautiful city with a definite cultural flavor. The Cleveland Museum of Art may be the only major museum in the country that offers free admission to its massive, and wonderful permanent collection of pre-columbian art, Asian art, and much more. Cleveland is home to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. In that grand place, you will find John Lennon's hand-written lyrics to "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" and the Doors' Jim Morrison's boy scout uniform. Remember Cleveland is where David Bowie held his first U.S. appearance, where Elvis had his first northern concert and was the venue of Chuck Berry's first performance.
Yet, we know that all too often the image of a city is cast through the perception of its sports team. For that Cleveland has a big challenge.
Cleveland owns the second longest spell without a World Series champion, dating to 1948. Only the loveable losers Chicago Cubs have waited longer. Wait until next year is a predominant refrain in the baseball lore of these two Midwestern cities.
While Chicago has its Bears in the NFL and the Bulls in basketball, Cleveland is left with the hapless NBA Cavaliers and the perennial cellar dwelling Browns of the NFL.The Browns and their "Dawg Pound" crazies wait with heated breath for the next Pittsburgh encounter and not AFC North title. They were the victim to John Elway and "The Drive."
Cleveland steamed and stewed when Art Modell took his football team to Baltimore. As for the Cavs - everything seemed right when local kid (Akron native) LeBron James was making Cleveland one of the success stories in the NBA. While they failed to win a championship, they were winning and big. Then, like other chapters in the Cleveland sports story, Bron, Bron thirsting for a title and making his own legacy one of winning and not "gee almost" took his act to the Florida sun.
Graig Nettles, the New York Yankees great, who started his career in Cleveland once said on the team's intercom, "We will soon be landing in Cleveland, set your clocks back 42 minutes." And, Richie Scheinblum, who played for the Indians in the mid 1960s, said, "We should change our name to the Cleveland Utility Company. All we have are utility players."
So, if you are a Cleveland fan, a few of things hold true: Cleveland will forever be the recipient of bad jokes, winning is fleeting and once you believe winning is coming, reality sets in.
So, I have your attention right? Hope I didn't lose you with that long opening but you all needed some background on the Lake Erie city and its troubling sports legacy.
Now we see the Cleveland Indians, everyone's choice for the cellar if not the worst record in baseball, reversing the normal state of things and owning the best record in baseball at 29-15. Is it a mid-spring dream? Perhaps.
What we do know, is Cleveland is a team that just rolled over in-state arch nemesis Cincinnati in a three-game sweep. Star shortstop Astrubal Cabrera, one of the outstanding but oft-injured young players in the game, had five hits and two HRs with five RBI, to help the Indians stone the Reds. To beat the Reds, a team with a long history of success and one of the favorites in the N.L. Central, has to be a bit satisfying to northern Ohioans.
Cleveland is getting timely hitting and masterful pitching, primarily from Justin Masterson and Fausta Carmona, along with bullpen ace Chris Perez. It may be the only team in history with a middle infield duo of (Astrubal) Cabrera to (Orlando) Cabrera (yes, Minnesota, your second baseman from last year's playoff team).
Now with the Cleveland Indians enjoying a seven game lead in the American League Central over my Detroit Tigers, discussion about the Indians and if they are the real deal is the talk of not only Cleveland but all of baseball.
In all honesty, I want the real Cleveland, you know the self-destructing one of recent vintage, to show its face. I am a Detroit Tigers fan, who not so wisely projected them to win 95 games this season. Yes, I am frustrated by the failure to win a Central title under Jim Leyland's watch. Twice the Tigers have blown second half leads and allowed the Twins to win (2006, 2008). And, Detroit, itself has become the brunt of some not so kind chatter with its economic woes matched by its less than successful sports group.
Yet, as I contemplate the Tigers inconsistency and the failures of rivals Chicago and Minnesota, I can't help but show a little appreciation for the Cleveland Indians. Is it is better for the Indians to win than the White Sox or the Twins? Well, do I bite the fingernails on the left hand now? Maybe.
Seeing success in Cleveland is not what Tiger fans dream of. Still it is better than seeing the White Sox win. And it is better than watching my friends' Twins win.
Sorry Twins fans, I respect Ron Gardenhire and the entire Twins organization for its consistent winning. Time and time again, the Twins have delivered heartache to Tigers faithful. I have felt the heartbreak from Tom Kelly's handerchief waving group in 1987 (after the Tigers had the best record in baseball) and then again in 2008 when a little controversy prevailed as the Twins won a one-game playoff. As for the White Sox, sorry Ozzy, but I just don't like you. It makes my day, every day, when you lose another game.
Will Cleveland keep winning? I won't go that far. They have a lot of young talented players including outfield Michael Brantley and catcher Carlos Santana. Along with the veterans like power-hitting DH Travis Hafner, this group is on a roll. If they go five or six above .500 the rest of the way, it isn't likely that Detroit, Minnesota or Chicago will catch them. Sorry Royals, you shined early, but reality set in.
The Cleveland franchise originated as the Lakes Shores in 1900 in the American League (minor league at that time). One of the original eight charter franchises in the A.L., Cleveland has had the glare of the baseball world affixed on it throughout its history.
In 1920, the Indians won its first World Series, 5-2, over the Brooklyn Robins (Dodgers). In that World Series, Cleveland had the first grand slam (Ernie Smith), the first home run by a pitcher (Jim Bagby) and the first and only unassisted triple play (Bill Wambsganss). It was a team led by Hall of Famer Tris Speaker, who hit .388, and and Bagby who won 30 games as a pitcher. Twenty-eight years later, the Indians won its second world series led by MVP Lou Boudreau. In that season, Cleveland won the first ever one-game playoff, defeating the Boston Red Sox, and then upended the Boston Braves, 4-2, in the World Series.
Things looked bright for the Indians in the 1950s, they had the only pitcher ever that was on three different teams that featured 20-game winners. Mike Garcia? Bob Feller? Bob Lemon? Try Early Wynn, who was 20-13 with a 3.02 ERA in 1951, 23-12 with a 2.90 ERA in 1952 and 20-9 with a 2.72 ERA n 1956. Feller, Garcia and Lemon had 20 wins in two of those three seasons but only Wynn did it all three years. "Rapid Bob" is probably their greatest pitcher ever with 266 wins, six 20-win seasons and induction to Baseball's Hall of Fame.
In 1954, Cleveland laid havoc on the A.L. with a 111-43 record and a .721 winning percentage that remains the best in baseball history. However, the Indians were swept by the New York Giants, who featured rookie Willie Mays and his over the shoulder catch of a Vic Wertz drive.
Cleveland found the winning ways in the mid 1990s when it won five straight titles from 1995-99 and advanced to the World Series in 1997. However, bad luck found its way into the Indians camp again. They took a lead to the bottom of the ninth inning in game seven against the Florida Marlins in the 1997 World Series. However Jose Mesa couldn't hold the lead and Florida won the game in extra innings. As a result, Cleveland is the only team in history to blow a seventh game when leading in the bottom of the ninth inning.
The beat goes on.
Cleveland and its fans are in the throes of something - whether that will be a division, pennant or better, only time and memorable play will determine. They have the best home record in baseball at 18-4 and own the top run differential. Manny Acta is vying for manager of the year. In a year that has had its share of upsets across the board, the baseball group from Cleveland may join the party.
If not, and if Cleveland pulls a Cleveland, I am sure many fans will emulate Johnny in Major League (played by Randy Quaid) : "You Rotten Mobs! You overpaid weenies! Mild Thing! You make my butt sting! You're all garbage!...Back up the Truck."
And, for some of us, unfeeling sort, self-absorbed in our own teams, we have hope, based on past failures, that this is another Cleveland sports mirage. After a drink of water turns to sand for the Indians, reality will set in.
This Northern Ohio city on Lake Erie, has taken its brunt of dark and cantankerous sarcasm from shows about the city, like the Drew Carey Show, Hot in Cleveland, and of course, the 1989 movie Major League.
Many of us love Betty White and have found a place in our hearts for Drew Carey and especially Tom Berenger, still, it must feel a more than a little dismaying of the constant bantering about Cleveland's failings. Imagine you are their lead PR person, or that of its professional organizations, the jokes and image come from across the nation and includes politicians and especially late night showmen.
It is a city that is continually the butt of fun and seemingly harmless quips - "Cleveland is the city with a river so polluted it once caught in fire (not really)." Or this - "What is the difference between Cleveland and the Titantic? Cleveland has a better orchestra (that is true)."
While the city wrestles with those perception problems, it is truly a beautiful city with a definite cultural flavor. The Cleveland Museum of Art may be the only major museum in the country that offers free admission to its massive, and wonderful permanent collection of pre-columbian art, Asian art, and much more. Cleveland is home to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. In that grand place, you will find John Lennon's hand-written lyrics to "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" and the Doors' Jim Morrison's boy scout uniform. Remember Cleveland is where David Bowie held his first U.S. appearance, where Elvis had his first northern concert and was the venue of Chuck Berry's first performance.
Yet, we know that all too often the image of a city is cast through the perception of its sports team. For that Cleveland has a big challenge.
Cleveland owns the second longest spell without a World Series champion, dating to 1948. Only the loveable losers Chicago Cubs have waited longer. Wait until next year is a predominant refrain in the baseball lore of these two Midwestern cities.
While Chicago has its Bears in the NFL and the Bulls in basketball, Cleveland is left with the hapless NBA Cavaliers and the perennial cellar dwelling Browns of the NFL.The Browns and their "Dawg Pound" crazies wait with heated breath for the next Pittsburgh encounter and not AFC North title. They were the victim to John Elway and "The Drive."
Cleveland steamed and stewed when Art Modell took his football team to Baltimore. As for the Cavs - everything seemed right when local kid (Akron native) LeBron James was making Cleveland one of the success stories in the NBA. While they failed to win a championship, they were winning and big. Then, like other chapters in the Cleveland sports story, Bron, Bron thirsting for a title and making his own legacy one of winning and not "gee almost" took his act to the Florida sun.
Graig Nettles, the New York Yankees great, who started his career in Cleveland once said on the team's intercom, "We will soon be landing in Cleveland, set your clocks back 42 minutes." And, Richie Scheinblum, who played for the Indians in the mid 1960s, said, "We should change our name to the Cleveland Utility Company. All we have are utility players."
So, if you are a Cleveland fan, a few of things hold true: Cleveland will forever be the recipient of bad jokes, winning is fleeting and once you believe winning is coming, reality sets in.
So, I have your attention right? Hope I didn't lose you with that long opening but you all needed some background on the Lake Erie city and its troubling sports legacy.
Now we see the Cleveland Indians, everyone's choice for the cellar if not the worst record in baseball, reversing the normal state of things and owning the best record in baseball at 29-15. Is it a mid-spring dream? Perhaps.
What we do know, is Cleveland is a team that just rolled over in-state arch nemesis Cincinnati in a three-game sweep. Star shortstop Astrubal Cabrera, one of the outstanding but oft-injured young players in the game, had five hits and two HRs with five RBI, to help the Indians stone the Reds. To beat the Reds, a team with a long history of success and one of the favorites in the N.L. Central, has to be a bit satisfying to northern Ohioans.
Cleveland is getting timely hitting and masterful pitching, primarily from Justin Masterson and Fausta Carmona, along with bullpen ace Chris Perez. It may be the only team in history with a middle infield duo of (Astrubal) Cabrera to (Orlando) Cabrera (yes, Minnesota, your second baseman from last year's playoff team).
Now with the Cleveland Indians enjoying a seven game lead in the American League Central over my Detroit Tigers, discussion about the Indians and if they are the real deal is the talk of not only Cleveland but all of baseball.
In all honesty, I want the real Cleveland, you know the self-destructing one of recent vintage, to show its face. I am a Detroit Tigers fan, who not so wisely projected them to win 95 games this season. Yes, I am frustrated by the failure to win a Central title under Jim Leyland's watch. Twice the Tigers have blown second half leads and allowed the Twins to win (2006, 2008). And, Detroit, itself has become the brunt of some not so kind chatter with its economic woes matched by its less than successful sports group.
Yet, as I contemplate the Tigers inconsistency and the failures of rivals Chicago and Minnesota, I can't help but show a little appreciation for the Cleveland Indians. Is it is better for the Indians to win than the White Sox or the Twins? Well, do I bite the fingernails on the left hand now? Maybe.
Seeing success in Cleveland is not what Tiger fans dream of. Still it is better than seeing the White Sox win. And it is better than watching my friends' Twins win.
Sorry Twins fans, I respect Ron Gardenhire and the entire Twins organization for its consistent winning. Time and time again, the Twins have delivered heartache to Tigers faithful. I have felt the heartbreak from Tom Kelly's handerchief waving group in 1987 (after the Tigers had the best record in baseball) and then again in 2008 when a little controversy prevailed as the Twins won a one-game playoff. As for the White Sox, sorry Ozzy, but I just don't like you. It makes my day, every day, when you lose another game.
Will Cleveland keep winning? I won't go that far. They have a lot of young talented players including outfield Michael Brantley and catcher Carlos Santana. Along with the veterans like power-hitting DH Travis Hafner, this group is on a roll. If they go five or six above .500 the rest of the way, it isn't likely that Detroit, Minnesota or Chicago will catch them. Sorry Royals, you shined early, but reality set in.
The Cleveland franchise originated as the Lakes Shores in 1900 in the American League (minor league at that time). One of the original eight charter franchises in the A.L., Cleveland has had the glare of the baseball world affixed on it throughout its history.
In 1920, the Indians won its first World Series, 5-2, over the Brooklyn Robins (Dodgers). In that World Series, Cleveland had the first grand slam (Ernie Smith), the first home run by a pitcher (Jim Bagby) and the first and only unassisted triple play (Bill Wambsganss). It was a team led by Hall of Famer Tris Speaker, who hit .388, and and Bagby who won 30 games as a pitcher. Twenty-eight years later, the Indians won its second world series led by MVP Lou Boudreau. In that season, Cleveland won the first ever one-game playoff, defeating the Boston Red Sox, and then upended the Boston Braves, 4-2, in the World Series.
Things looked bright for the Indians in the 1950s, they had the only pitcher ever that was on three different teams that featured 20-game winners. Mike Garcia? Bob Feller? Bob Lemon? Try Early Wynn, who was 20-13 with a 3.02 ERA in 1951, 23-12 with a 2.90 ERA in 1952 and 20-9 with a 2.72 ERA n 1956. Feller, Garcia and Lemon had 20 wins in two of those three seasons but only Wynn did it all three years. "Rapid Bob" is probably their greatest pitcher ever with 266 wins, six 20-win seasons and induction to Baseball's Hall of Fame.
In 1954, Cleveland laid havoc on the A.L. with a 111-43 record and a .721 winning percentage that remains the best in baseball history. However, the Indians were swept by the New York Giants, who featured rookie Willie Mays and his over the shoulder catch of a Vic Wertz drive.
Cleveland found the winning ways in the mid 1990s when it won five straight titles from 1995-99 and advanced to the World Series in 1997. However, bad luck found its way into the Indians camp again. They took a lead to the bottom of the ninth inning in game seven against the Florida Marlins in the 1997 World Series. However Jose Mesa couldn't hold the lead and Florida won the game in extra innings. As a result, Cleveland is the only team in history to blow a seventh game when leading in the bottom of the ninth inning.
The beat goes on.
Cleveland and its fans are in the throes of something - whether that will be a division, pennant or better, only time and memorable play will determine. They have the best home record in baseball at 18-4 and own the top run differential. Manny Acta is vying for manager of the year. In a year that has had its share of upsets across the board, the baseball group from Cleveland may join the party.
If not, and if Cleveland pulls a Cleveland, I am sure many fans will emulate Johnny in Major League (played by Randy Quaid) : "You Rotten Mobs! You overpaid weenies! Mild Thing! You make my butt sting! You're all garbage!...Back up the Truck."
And, for some of us, unfeeling sort, self-absorbed in our own teams, we have hope, based on past failures, that this is another Cleveland sports mirage. After a drink of water turns to sand for the Indians, reality will set in.
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Questions About "Rapture"
Since Radio host and fringe Christian leader Harold Camping's "Rapture" and "End of the World" proclamations have been circulating and making the rounds throughout the media, including the Internet, millions have watched with a somewhat critical eye about this being "Judgement Day." For me, it has left a lot of questions.
I am a God-fearing Christian man, but my reading of the Bible doesn't jibe with that of Camping. He had another prediction of the World's end in 1994 that was wrong. Is he right this time? I guess we will find out at 6 p.m. international time when Camping predicts a massive earthquake, like which we have never seen in our lifetime. He believes today is the right time because this is the 7,000 birthday of Noah's Ark.
Mainly as I contemplate these next few hours, I wonder what kind of earthquake will strike down Earth? Will it be one that splits the planet in half? If that happens, do those living in the center of earth, come to the Heavens with the other 200 million "saved believers?" Or does that total count those living in the "undiscovered" earth core?
What is a earthquake? Is it similar to a quake?
As a means of understanding of what a quake is, I referred to Wikipedia for definitions.
~ Quake is an abbreviation of an earthquake or a seismic "shaking" of earth.
~ Quake and Quisp were a pair of Quaker Oats sweetened cereals advertising together in the 1960s.
~ Quake is also a videogame series -- 1996 first person shooter computer game by ID software.
~ Quake is a fictional "Transformers" character.
~ Quake Inc., is a Japanese music company.
~ Daisy Johnson Marvel Comics also has a comics character also known as "Quake."
With the "quake" question answered, I wonder if Church services will be canceled or postponed for Sunday morning? What about Saturday night? And, when will we find out?
I am left wondering what happens to all the unpaid bills? Will the credit crunch end?
Can I take my unread books with me? I mean, I have started like six books and I like them all. So?
What happens to all those scheduled sports events and other happenings?
If it is truly "Rapture" and not some version of the New Wave band Blondie's 1981 hit, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHCdS7O248g, it will mean that today's running of the Preakness will likely be the final horse race ever held on earth.
With the NBA West Finals set to resume in at the Oklahoma City Arena tonight, does Mark Cuban talk with the NBA about running a "quaking" promotion about the grandness of the game? Is he a "believer?"
Does "quaking" simply refer to the "shaking" of the arena when Dallas makes a patented run on the heals of its star Dirk Nowitski?
In baseball, a lot of games will be underway and when the "Rapture" unfolds in this part of the world. So, who finishes the game if most of the players ascend with Camping and the "believers?" Surely some players and fans will remain. Will the games be completed on on Earth or in the Heavens?
What happens if, say, Reggie Miller, ascends? Does that mean TNT throws Charles Barkley into the NBA analyst role of which he seems to have been born to fill? If he does, will Kenny "The Jet" Smith, join him or go with Reggie upstairs?
What does it mean for the Dallas and Okie fans, both hoping for their first title? Are they hoping for a heavenly outcome?
What happens to the market? Does the price of gas come down?
In baseball will "quaking" refer to each HR (and there will likely be many) that Detroit Tiger relief pitchers give up to Pirate hitters at PNC Ballpark tonight?
Who sends the first Twitter from Heaven? Does it happen during "Rapture" or will phones and computers cease to operate at that point?
After "Rapture," as pointed out by a National Public Radio story, "who walks the dog?" I sure hope Sierra gets to come?
http://www.npr.org/2011/05/21/136475372/after-the-rapture-who-will-walk-your-dog
What happens to the astronauts in space on Endeavor? Where do they return on June 1?
For those remaining on Earth, do they continue tweeting until the end? What do you do with Facebook friends?
If you remain on Earth do you continue to add friends and then, do you "unfriend" those who have ascended? Also, will we be able to FB in Heaven?
Does war end?
What happens with the discussion and investigation of PEDs and whether Lance Armstrong and others violated the moral sanctum of athletics?
What about all the graduation parties set to be held tonight and tomorrow? Do we still go? If those graduating ascend, what do the others celebrate?
So many questions....
As I contemplate others, I am told as I finish this blog that "Rapture" is not happening. http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2011/05/21
If it was to occur, New Zealand should already be feeling the effects of Camping's prophecy. So it appears on we go...
Yes, bills are due on Monday.
.
I am a God-fearing Christian man, but my reading of the Bible doesn't jibe with that of Camping. He had another prediction of the World's end in 1994 that was wrong. Is he right this time? I guess we will find out at 6 p.m. international time when Camping predicts a massive earthquake, like which we have never seen in our lifetime. He believes today is the right time because this is the 7,000 birthday of Noah's Ark.
Mainly as I contemplate these next few hours, I wonder what kind of earthquake will strike down Earth? Will it be one that splits the planet in half? If that happens, do those living in the center of earth, come to the Heavens with the other 200 million "saved believers?" Or does that total count those living in the "undiscovered" earth core?
What is a earthquake? Is it similar to a quake?
As a means of understanding of what a quake is, I referred to Wikipedia for definitions.
~ Quake is an abbreviation of an earthquake or a seismic "shaking" of earth.
~ Quake and Quisp were a pair of Quaker Oats sweetened cereals advertising together in the 1960s.
~ Quake is also a videogame series -- 1996 first person shooter computer game by ID software.
~ Quake is a fictional "Transformers" character.
~ Quake Inc., is a Japanese music company.
~ Daisy Johnson Marvel Comics also has a comics character also known as "Quake."
With the "quake" question answered, I wonder if Church services will be canceled or postponed for Sunday morning? What about Saturday night? And, when will we find out?
I am left wondering what happens to all the unpaid bills? Will the credit crunch end?
Can I take my unread books with me? I mean, I have started like six books and I like them all. So?
What happens to all those scheduled sports events and other happenings?
If it is truly "Rapture" and not some version of the New Wave band Blondie's 1981 hit, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHCdS7O248g, it will mean that today's running of the Preakness will likely be the final horse race ever held on earth.
With the NBA West Finals set to resume in at the Oklahoma City Arena tonight, does Mark Cuban talk with the NBA about running a "quaking" promotion about the grandness of the game? Is he a "believer?"
Does "quaking" simply refer to the "shaking" of the arena when Dallas makes a patented run on the heals of its star Dirk Nowitski?
In baseball, a lot of games will be underway and when the "Rapture" unfolds in this part of the world. So, who finishes the game if most of the players ascend with Camping and the "believers?" Surely some players and fans will remain. Will the games be completed on on Earth or in the Heavens?
What happens if, say, Reggie Miller, ascends? Does that mean TNT throws Charles Barkley into the NBA analyst role of which he seems to have been born to fill? If he does, will Kenny "The Jet" Smith, join him or go with Reggie upstairs?
What does it mean for the Dallas and Okie fans, both hoping for their first title? Are they hoping for a heavenly outcome?
What happens to the market? Does the price of gas come down?
In baseball will "quaking" refer to each HR (and there will likely be many) that Detroit Tiger relief pitchers give up to Pirate hitters at PNC Ballpark tonight?
Who sends the first Twitter from Heaven? Does it happen during "Rapture" or will phones and computers cease to operate at that point?
After "Rapture," as pointed out by a National Public Radio story, "who walks the dog?" I sure hope Sierra gets to come?
http://www.npr.org/2011/05/21/136475372/after-the-rapture-who-will-walk-your-dog
What happens to the astronauts in space on Endeavor? Where do they return on June 1?
For those remaining on Earth, do they continue tweeting until the end? What do you do with Facebook friends?
If you remain on Earth do you continue to add friends and then, do you "unfriend" those who have ascended? Also, will we be able to FB in Heaven?
Does war end?
What happens with the discussion and investigation of PEDs and whether Lance Armstrong and others violated the moral sanctum of athletics?
What about all the graduation parties set to be held tonight and tomorrow? Do we still go? If those graduating ascend, what do the others celebrate?
So many questions....
As I contemplate others, I am told as I finish this blog that "Rapture" is not happening. http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2011/05/21
If it was to occur, New Zealand should already be feeling the effects of Camping's prophecy. So it appears on we go...
Yes, bills are due on Monday.
.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Things You Probably Don't Know, Don't Care to Know and Wish You had Those 10 Minutes Back
Some of us dig useless information. In fact, I own a book, "The Ultimate Book of Useless Information" by Noel Botham (2007) and The Useless Information Society. Information about everything you might not want to know is in the book, compiled by Botham, the chairman and founding member of The Useless Information Society (London).
For example, the book includes one bit -- "The difference between a nook and a cranny is that the nook is a corner and the cranny is a crack." Or another one -- "The coiffe is the metal wire basket that holds a champagne cork in place."
So there you go, an introduction to a blog about seemingly useless facts (this one is focused on baseball). When I was working at The University of South Dakota, I had an assistant who once told me: "You have more useless information stored in your head than a normal person has relevant knowledge." Maybe that wasn't her words, but close. I get it, she was saying, I wasn't normal (maybe some still feel that way).
With that as background, I will own up that I love the useless side of things, particularly baseball statistics and facts. It is stuff not for everyone, except maybe a true baseball stat freak.
Recently, after the loss of the personable and soft-spoken former major league star Harmon Killibrew, I learned that he had hit the most HRs during the 1960s with 393, which was 18 more than Henry Aaron. It got me thinking and investigating. I decided to dig in and spew out some stat findings about the "Decades" HR leaders. And, after that was done, I really dug in and found what I think are some unique baseball factoids (not everyone will agree, even avid, rabid baseball factniks) or really useless info.
So folks, get ready, this blog post is being called "Things You Probably Don't Know, Don't Care to Know and Wish I Had Those 10 Minutes Back." I think the name lays out what you need to know about what follows.
Home Run Leaders by Decades
As stated, I have put together a list of the leader of home runs by decades dating back to the 1870s. The listing includes the total HR by decades and for that individual's career, teams they played for, as well as a few odds and ends about these stars.
1870s --- Lipman "Lip" Pike -- 20 (20). Nine teams, including Cincinnati Reds and Philadelphia A's. He has been identified as the first paid player in professional baseball.
1880s -- Harry Stovey -- 89 (122). Six teams, including Boston Reds, Baltimore Orioles, Philadelphia A's. He was the major league's first 100-HR hitter.
1890s -- Hugh Duffy -- 83 (106). Six teams, including the Chicago White Stockings, Boston Reds, Boston Beaneaters. In 1894, he won the Triple Crown with 18 HRs, 145 RBIs, and a batting average of .440.
1900s -- Harry Davis - 67 (75). Four teams including the Philadelphia Athletics and Pittsburgh Pirates. Davis is one of five players to lead the league in HRs four consecutive years. His best season was 1906 when he had 12 HRs and 96 RBI for the Philadelphia Athletics.
1910s -- Gavvy Cravath - 116 (119), Four teams including the Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Stockings and Washington Senators. Gravath was one of the early pioneer hitters in the dead ball era. His best season was 1915 when he had 24. He led the league in HRs on six occasions.
1920s -- Babe Ruth - 467 (714). New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox. Ruth owns the all-time mark for HRs in a specific decade. Alex Rodriquez (2000s) is next with 435 then Jimmie Foxx (1930s) with 415 and Mark McGwire (1990s) with 405. Harmon Killibrew (1960s) is fifth with 393. Ruth left the game with a 1.164 OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) and a .690 slugging percentage which are both major league records. Twelve times he led the league in HRs, hit 30 or more HRs 13 times and had 40 or more HRs 11 times. From 1926-32, he hit 346 home runs or an average of 49 per year. A 94-game winner as a pitcher, he played on seven World Series championship teams and hit .342 in his career.
1930s -- Jimmie Foxx - 415 (534). Philadelphia A"s, Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs. A lifetime .325 hitter, Foxx was the youngest player ever to reach 500 HRs (32) until Alex Rodriquez broke the record. A three-time MVP, he had 50 HRs and 175 RBI while hitting .360 in 1938.
1940s --- Ted Williams - 234 (521). Boston Red Sox. Nicknamed the "Splendid Splinter or Teddy Ballgame" among others, Williams was a two-time MVP and a 19-time All-Star. He finished his career with a .344 batting average and is the last player to hit .400 (.406) in 1941. He won the Triple Crown twice and was a six-time batting champion. However, he never played in or won a World Series.
1950s -- Duke Snider - 326 (407). Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, San Francisco Giants. The "Silver Fox" was on two World Series champions and was an eight-time All-Star. From 1953-57 (five straight years), he hit 40 or more HRs. He is the only player ever to hit four or more HRs in two different World Series (1952, 1955) and was one of two players with more than 1,000 RBIs in the 1950s (other was teammate Gil Hodges).
1960s -- Harmon Killibrew -- 393 (573). Washington Senators, Minnesota Twins, Kansas City Royals. A 13-time All-Star, Killibrew, nicknamed "Killer or Hammering Harmon," played in one World Series (1965) and was the American League MVP in 1969. He finished his career with 573 HRs, which was fifth all-time when he retired and is now 11th. He hit 40 HRs eight times with a high of 49. Killibrew was well known for his long, high flies that disappeared over fences. He is one of four players to hit a HR over the roof at Tiger Stadium, and owns the longest HR at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore and Met Stadium in Minneapolis.
1970s -- Willie Stargell -- 296 (475). Pittsburgh Pirates. A seven-time All-Star, "Pops" played on two World Series championship teams (1971, 1979) and was the N.L. MVP in 1979. He hit the first HR at Shea Stadium in 1962 and is one of four players to hit a HR out of Dodger Stadium, which he did twice. Stargell hit the longest HR at Vet Stadium in Philadelphia and is the only player to hit a fair ball to the upper deck at Montreal's Olympic Stadium, measuring 535 feet.
1980s -- Mike Schmidt -- 313 (548). Philadelphia Phillies. A three-time MVP, he was a 12-time All-Star and a member of the 1980 World Series championship team. A 10-time Gold Glove winner at third base, Schmidt hit 12 HRs in the Phillies first 15 games of the 1976 season, including a four in one game, a feat accomplished just 15 times in baseball history. He is considered the greatest third baseman in baseball history and was one of two men to hit 300 HRs during the 1980s (Dale Murphy, Atlanta).
1990s -- Mark McGwire --- 405. Oakland/St. Louis. A 12-time All-Star, McGwire hit 30 or more HRs eight times. He is one of two players to hit more than 50 HRs four times. He had a two-year total of 135 HRs in 1998-99. McGwire set a rookie record in 1987 with 49 HRs and, later in 1998, set a major league record with 70 HRs (broke by Barry Bonds with 73 in 2001). He hit a HR every 10.61 at-bats, which is best in baseball history. He was a member of the 1989 Oakland World Series championship team.
2000s -- Alex Rodriquez -- 435 (621). Texas/Seattle/New York. "A-rod" ranks sixth all-time with 621 HRs and also owns a .302 batting average. A three-time MVP, he has been named to 13 All-Star teams and won 10 Gold Gloves. He was the youngest to hit 500 HRs, surpassing Jimmy Foxx (1939) and also youngest to hit 600, beating Babe Ruth by nearly a year. A member of the 2009 World Series champion New York Yankees, he has 14, 100-RBI seasons, most in baseball history.
50-HR Club
In the history of baseball, just two players, Babe Ruth and Mark McGwire had four 50-home run seasons. Alex Rodriquez and Sammy Sosa both had three seasons with 50 home runs.
Only Two Gets Seven Hits in Nine
Only two players have had seven hits in a nine inning game. Wilbert Robinson, a baseball Hall of Famer, had his seven hits in leading the Baltimore Orioles (in the National League at that time) to a 25-4 win over the St. Louis Browns on June 10, 1892.
The only player in the 20th century to get seven hits in nine innings was Rennie Stennett of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Stennett had his seven hits in Pittsburgh's 22-0 decision over the Chicago Cubs on Sept. 16, 1975. Stennett did not finish the game as manager Danny Murtaugh sent in Willie Randolph as a pinch hitter after Stennett's seventh hit. Randolph, drafted by Pittsburgh in 1972, played just one season with the Pirates before a long, successful career with the Yankees. He was traded with Ken Brett and Doc Ellis to the Yankees for Doc Medich in 1975.
Fast Fact: Cesar Gutierrez, a lifetime .235 hitter, also had seven hits in leading the Detroit Tigers to a 9-8 win over the Cleveland Indians on June 21, 1970. However Gutierrez had his seven hits in a 12-inning affair.
The Inside Job
Tom McCreery of the Louisville Colonels was the first and only player in major league history to hit three inside-the-park HRs when he did it against Philadelphia on July 12, 1897. 17 players have hit two inside-the-park jobs with the last being Greg Gagne of the Minnesota Twins in 1986.
Fun Fact: On July 18, 2010, Jhonny Peralta, then of the Cleveland Indians, had a three-run inside the park HR to help the Indians defeat Detroit as Tigers' outfielder Ryan Raburn crashed through the fence. What is interesting about this dinger is that it took Peralta 16.74 seconds to round the bases, which was the slowest of any inside-the-park jobs that season and slower than five regular HR trots. Later in 2010, Peralta was dealt to those same Tigers.
Four!!!
15 players have hit four home runs in one game with the most recent being Carlos Delgado of Toronto on Sept. 25, 2003.
Some More Oddities
~ 12 times a player has had 10 or more RBIs in a game.
~13 times a batter has hit for a natural cycle (1B, 2B, 3B, HR in order), including Gary Matthews of the Texas Rangers in an 11-3 win over Detroit on September 13, 2006.
~14 times a player has hit six singles in a nine inning game.
~15 times a player has scored six runs in a game.
Putting on a Quick Shine
Baseball has had 108 players hit a home run in their first career at-bat. It has been accomplished 46 times in the American League with J.P. Arencibia of Toronto the most recent in a 17-11 win over Tampa Bay on August 7, 2010. He ended up with four hits in five trips to the plate. Sixty-two National League players have hit a HR in their first at-bat, including Starlin Castro of the Chicago Cubs on May 7, 2010. Castro had two hits and six RBI in leading the Cubs to a 14-7 win over Cincinatti.
For example, the book includes one bit -- "The difference between a nook and a cranny is that the nook is a corner and the cranny is a crack." Or another one -- "The coiffe is the metal wire basket that holds a champagne cork in place."
So there you go, an introduction to a blog about seemingly useless facts (this one is focused on baseball). When I was working at The University of South Dakota, I had an assistant who once told me: "You have more useless information stored in your head than a normal person has relevant knowledge." Maybe that wasn't her words, but close. I get it, she was saying, I wasn't normal (maybe some still feel that way).
With that as background, I will own up that I love the useless side of things, particularly baseball statistics and facts. It is stuff not for everyone, except maybe a true baseball stat freak.
Recently, after the loss of the personable and soft-spoken former major league star Harmon Killibrew, I learned that he had hit the most HRs during the 1960s with 393, which was 18 more than Henry Aaron. It got me thinking and investigating. I decided to dig in and spew out some stat findings about the "Decades" HR leaders. And, after that was done, I really dug in and found what I think are some unique baseball factoids (not everyone will agree, even avid, rabid baseball factniks) or really useless info.
So folks, get ready, this blog post is being called "Things You Probably Don't Know, Don't Care to Know and Wish I Had Those 10 Minutes Back." I think the name lays out what you need to know about what follows.
Home Run Leaders by Decades
As stated, I have put together a list of the leader of home runs by decades dating back to the 1870s. The listing includes the total HR by decades and for that individual's career, teams they played for, as well as a few odds and ends about these stars.
1870s --- Lipman "Lip" Pike -- 20 (20). Nine teams, including Cincinnati Reds and Philadelphia A's. He has been identified as the first paid player in professional baseball.
1880s -- Harry Stovey -- 89 (122). Six teams, including Boston Reds, Baltimore Orioles, Philadelphia A's. He was the major league's first 100-HR hitter.
1890s -- Hugh Duffy -- 83 (106). Six teams, including the Chicago White Stockings, Boston Reds, Boston Beaneaters. In 1894, he won the Triple Crown with 18 HRs, 145 RBIs, and a batting average of .440.
1900s -- Harry Davis - 67 (75). Four teams including the Philadelphia Athletics and Pittsburgh Pirates. Davis is one of five players to lead the league in HRs four consecutive years. His best season was 1906 when he had 12 HRs and 96 RBI for the Philadelphia Athletics.
1910s -- Gavvy Cravath - 116 (119), Four teams including the Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Stockings and Washington Senators. Gravath was one of the early pioneer hitters in the dead ball era. His best season was 1915 when he had 24. He led the league in HRs on six occasions.
1920s -- Babe Ruth - 467 (714). New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox. Ruth owns the all-time mark for HRs in a specific decade. Alex Rodriquez (2000s) is next with 435 then Jimmie Foxx (1930s) with 415 and Mark McGwire (1990s) with 405. Harmon Killibrew (1960s) is fifth with 393. Ruth left the game with a 1.164 OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) and a .690 slugging percentage which are both major league records. Twelve times he led the league in HRs, hit 30 or more HRs 13 times and had 40 or more HRs 11 times. From 1926-32, he hit 346 home runs or an average of 49 per year. A 94-game winner as a pitcher, he played on seven World Series championship teams and hit .342 in his career.
1930s -- Jimmie Foxx - 415 (534). Philadelphia A"s, Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs. A lifetime .325 hitter, Foxx was the youngest player ever to reach 500 HRs (32) until Alex Rodriquez broke the record. A three-time MVP, he had 50 HRs and 175 RBI while hitting .360 in 1938.
1940s --- Ted Williams - 234 (521). Boston Red Sox. Nicknamed the "Splendid Splinter or Teddy Ballgame" among others, Williams was a two-time MVP and a 19-time All-Star. He finished his career with a .344 batting average and is the last player to hit .400 (.406) in 1941. He won the Triple Crown twice and was a six-time batting champion. However, he never played in or won a World Series.
1950s -- Duke Snider - 326 (407). Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, San Francisco Giants. The "Silver Fox" was on two World Series champions and was an eight-time All-Star. From 1953-57 (five straight years), he hit 40 or more HRs. He is the only player ever to hit four or more HRs in two different World Series (1952, 1955) and was one of two players with more than 1,000 RBIs in the 1950s (other was teammate Gil Hodges).
1960s -- Harmon Killibrew -- 393 (573). Washington Senators, Minnesota Twins, Kansas City Royals. A 13-time All-Star, Killibrew, nicknamed "Killer or Hammering Harmon," played in one World Series (1965) and was the American League MVP in 1969. He finished his career with 573 HRs, which was fifth all-time when he retired and is now 11th. He hit 40 HRs eight times with a high of 49. Killibrew was well known for his long, high flies that disappeared over fences. He is one of four players to hit a HR over the roof at Tiger Stadium, and owns the longest HR at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore and Met Stadium in Minneapolis.
1970s -- Willie Stargell -- 296 (475). Pittsburgh Pirates. A seven-time All-Star, "Pops" played on two World Series championship teams (1971, 1979) and was the N.L. MVP in 1979. He hit the first HR at Shea Stadium in 1962 and is one of four players to hit a HR out of Dodger Stadium, which he did twice. Stargell hit the longest HR at Vet Stadium in Philadelphia and is the only player to hit a fair ball to the upper deck at Montreal's Olympic Stadium, measuring 535 feet.
1980s -- Mike Schmidt -- 313 (548). Philadelphia Phillies. A three-time MVP, he was a 12-time All-Star and a member of the 1980 World Series championship team. A 10-time Gold Glove winner at third base, Schmidt hit 12 HRs in the Phillies first 15 games of the 1976 season, including a four in one game, a feat accomplished just 15 times in baseball history. He is considered the greatest third baseman in baseball history and was one of two men to hit 300 HRs during the 1980s (Dale Murphy, Atlanta).
1990s -- Mark McGwire --- 405. Oakland/St. Louis. A 12-time All-Star, McGwire hit 30 or more HRs eight times. He is one of two players to hit more than 50 HRs four times. He had a two-year total of 135 HRs in 1998-99. McGwire set a rookie record in 1987 with 49 HRs and, later in 1998, set a major league record with 70 HRs (broke by Barry Bonds with 73 in 2001). He hit a HR every 10.61 at-bats, which is best in baseball history. He was a member of the 1989 Oakland World Series championship team.
2000s -- Alex Rodriquez -- 435 (621). Texas/Seattle/New York. "A-rod" ranks sixth all-time with 621 HRs and also owns a .302 batting average. A three-time MVP, he has been named to 13 All-Star teams and won 10 Gold Gloves. He was the youngest to hit 500 HRs, surpassing Jimmy Foxx (1939) and also youngest to hit 600, beating Babe Ruth by nearly a year. A member of the 2009 World Series champion New York Yankees, he has 14, 100-RBI seasons, most in baseball history.
50-HR Club
In the history of baseball, just two players, Babe Ruth and Mark McGwire had four 50-home run seasons. Alex Rodriquez and Sammy Sosa both had three seasons with 50 home runs.
Only Two Gets Seven Hits in Nine
Only two players have had seven hits in a nine inning game. Wilbert Robinson, a baseball Hall of Famer, had his seven hits in leading the Baltimore Orioles (in the National League at that time) to a 25-4 win over the St. Louis Browns on June 10, 1892.
The only player in the 20th century to get seven hits in nine innings was Rennie Stennett of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Stennett had his seven hits in Pittsburgh's 22-0 decision over the Chicago Cubs on Sept. 16, 1975. Stennett did not finish the game as manager Danny Murtaugh sent in Willie Randolph as a pinch hitter after Stennett's seventh hit. Randolph, drafted by Pittsburgh in 1972, played just one season with the Pirates before a long, successful career with the Yankees. He was traded with Ken Brett and Doc Ellis to the Yankees for Doc Medich in 1975.
Fast Fact: Cesar Gutierrez, a lifetime .235 hitter, also had seven hits in leading the Detroit Tigers to a 9-8 win over the Cleveland Indians on June 21, 1970. However Gutierrez had his seven hits in a 12-inning affair.
The Inside Job
Tom McCreery of the Louisville Colonels was the first and only player in major league history to hit three inside-the-park HRs when he did it against Philadelphia on July 12, 1897. 17 players have hit two inside-the-park jobs with the last being Greg Gagne of the Minnesota Twins in 1986.
Fun Fact: On July 18, 2010, Jhonny Peralta, then of the Cleveland Indians, had a three-run inside the park HR to help the Indians defeat Detroit as Tigers' outfielder Ryan Raburn crashed through the fence. What is interesting about this dinger is that it took Peralta 16.74 seconds to round the bases, which was the slowest of any inside-the-park jobs that season and slower than five regular HR trots. Later in 2010, Peralta was dealt to those same Tigers.
Four!!!
15 players have hit four home runs in one game with the most recent being Carlos Delgado of Toronto on Sept. 25, 2003.
Some More Oddities
~ 12 times a player has had 10 or more RBIs in a game.
~13 times a batter has hit for a natural cycle (1B, 2B, 3B, HR in order), including Gary Matthews of the Texas Rangers in an 11-3 win over Detroit on September 13, 2006.
~14 times a player has hit six singles in a nine inning game.
~15 times a player has scored six runs in a game.
Putting on a Quick Shine
Baseball has had 108 players hit a home run in their first career at-bat. It has been accomplished 46 times in the American League with J.P. Arencibia of Toronto the most recent in a 17-11 win over Tampa Bay on August 7, 2010. He ended up with four hits in five trips to the plate. Sixty-two National League players have hit a HR in their first at-bat, including Starlin Castro of the Chicago Cubs on May 7, 2010. Castro had two hits and six RBI in leading the Cubs to a 14-7 win over Cincinatti.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Records and Top Performances Marked Howard Wood Dakota Relays
The 2011 Howard Wood Dakota Relays was a record-breaking affair and one that includes top performances nationally at the both the collegiate and high school levels.
In total, 21 Howard Wood Dakota Relays record fell with five stadium marks also going by the wayside. The event featured 29 top-100 performances according to http://www.dyestat.com/ (keeper of high school marks) and another -- college DI or DII marks. Breaking down the records shows that there were seven collegiate records with nine high school boys marks and five high school girls marks.
Here is a look at the records and top performances with notes included with each mark.
Howard Wood Relays --
Collegiate Records --
Men's High Jump: Randall Carter, unattached, 7'04.25. Old mark: Randall Carter, unattached, 2010; Cameron Helder, SDSU, 2009; Ben Jasinski, SDSU, 2009, 7-0 1/2.
Notes: Carter likely qualified for the Olympic Trials with the jump. He has not attended college since graduating from Papillon-LaVista, Neb., high school where he went 7-04 and set the Nebraska high school high jump mark with the nation's top performance by a prep athlete. He had gone 7-03 at the DakotaDome in March but recorded the top high jump performance ever on South Dakota soil at the Wood Relays.
College Men 3000-meter Steeplechase: Tom Karbo, Augustana College, 8:55.91. Old mark: Valentine, Northern Colorado, 1988, 9:00.04.
Notes: Karbo's performance ranks sixth in NCAA Division II. His clocking is an A standard and an automatic qualifying berth for the NCAA DII nationals.
College Women's Pole Vault: Bethany Buell, University of South Dakota, 13'09.25 (4.20m). Old mark: Leslie Brost, unattached, 2010, 13-7 3/4.
Notes: Buell, coached by two-time Olympian Derek Miles at USD, broke her own USD record and had the best pole vault ever by a women's vaulter in South Dakota. She broke the mark of former Watertown prep standout Leslie Brost who compete at North Dakota State. Her vault is the 12th best in D1.
College Women's 1500-meter run: Runa Falch, Augustana, 4:27.09. Old mark: Noel, Nebraska, 4:29.47.
Notes: Falch clocked the fourth best time in NCAA DII at the Wood Relays She was just .07 from third with her performance which was an A standard and an NCAA DII automatic qualifying time.
College Women's 3,000-meter run: Runa Falch, Augustana, 9:37.84. Old mark: Tina Fenske, University of South Dakota, 1999, 9:50.49.
Notes: This event is not part of the national rankings at DII. However, Falch's second record-breaking performance at The Wood broke the previous mark by USD All-American Tina Fenske by 12.64 seconds.
College Women's 3,000-meter steeplechase: Kyle Blakeslee, Augustana, 10:40.85. Old Mark: Reuter, NDSU, 2010, 10:53.19.
Notes: Blakeslee's time is the ninth best time in NCAA DII. However, Blakeslee has run a 10:36.64 at the Drake Relays, a time that ranks fifth in DII.
College Women's 4x100m relay: South Dakota State University (Heather Wollman, Ashley Odegaard, Megan Bren, and Brittany Garner), :46.08. Old mark: The University of South Dakota (Heidi Muellenberg, Janessa Filler, Amanda Adamson, Stephanie Gebhart), 2006, :46.29.
Notes: The SDSU team of Wollman, Odegaard, Bren and Garner are all South Dakota natives as were the USD team of Muellenberg, Filler, Adamson and Gebhart that set the record in 2006.
HS Boys Shot Put: Kyle McKelvey, Beresford HS, 69-03. Old mark: Eric Flores, Custer, 2006, 67-4 1/2.
Notes: McKelvey's effort broke his own state of South Dakota all-time record (68-0) and ranks third in the high school ranks. According to Dyestat.com, Nick Venea of Morristown, N.J., has a throw of 75-09 on May 9 and Ryan Crouser of Sam Barlow, Ore., had a throw of 72-7 1/2 on April 23 at the Centennial Invitational in Oregon. Interestingly, Tyler Schultz of Custer had a toss of 60-0 which ranks 35th in the prep ranks. However Schultz threw the shot put 63-08 1/2 at the Queen City Classic on April 8 which places him ninth nationally. South Dakota has two of the top 10 shot put performers in the nation.
HS Boys 300-meter hurdles: Jason Greenway, Mitchell, :37.89. Old mark: Matt Dunbar, Dell Rapids, 2010, :38.51.
Notes: Greenway, who recorded the 35th best prep time this spring, tied the all-time South Dakota mark held by Tom Taylor of Sioux Falls Lincoln in 1988. It also should be noted that Erik Hill of Tea HS had a 38.11 clocking that ranks 55th nationally and Lukas Bernard of Watertown HS had a :38.38 clocking that ranks 90th in the prep ranks. Both Hill and Bernard had times better than Dunbar's 2010 record at the Dakota Relays. Hill is ranked in the top 100 in both hurdle events (28th in the 110m-+ hurdles and 55th in 300m hurdles).
HS Boys 4x400-meter relay: Watertown (Kirk Gilbertson, Collin Schull, Levi Winkels, Lukas Bernard), 3:19.27. Old mark: Sioux Falls Washington (Gerry, McMartin, Gebhart, Shade), 2009, 3:19.37.
Notes: Watertown broke the mark of SF Washington by .10 and set an all-time record in South Dakota. The performance ranks in Dyestat's Elite 100 performances at 84th place, just .02 from 81st.
HS Boys 4x100m Relay (AA): Sioux City West (Antonio Anderson, James Burton, Datrick Hollis, Darius Pearson), :42.34. Old mark: Aberdeen Central HS (Kono, Ford, Johnston, Schwan), 2002, :43.19.
Notes: Sioux City West ranks 232nd in the nation with this performance.
HS Boys 4x200m Relay (AA): Sioux City West (Antonio Anderson, Darius Peterson, Daquane Triplett, Datrick Hollis), 1:28.22. Old mark: Yankton HS (Johnson, Nelson, Tolsma, Fisher), 1994, 1:28.92.
Notes: Sioux City West, who set records in both the 4x100m relay and the 4x200m relay, ranks 94th in the country with his 4x200m relay performance at The Wood.
HS Boys 4x200-meter relay: Dakota Valley (Matt Lupkes, Evan Hendricks, Zach Sexton, Taylor White), 1:30.20. Old mark: Dell Rapids (Dunbar, Curry, Huska, Tibke), 2009, 1:30.22.
Notes: Nationally the time by Dakota Valley ranks 397th.
HS Boy 110 Hurdles: Erik Hill, Tea HS, 14.24 (prelims). Old mark: Matt Dunbar, Dell Rapids, 2010, 14.37.
Notes: Hill finished second in the finals to Parker McKittrick, Pierre, 14:34 but broke off a record-breaking run in the preliminary round. Hill's performance ranks 28th nationally. McKittrick's clocking is ranked 36th by Dyestat.com.
HS Boys Pole Vault: Brock Larson, Fargo South HS (ND), 16-0. Old mark: Henrichsen, Rapid City Stevens, 1995, 15-6.
Notes: Larson's vault ranks 30th in high school rankings this spring.
HS Boys 1600-meter sprint medley relay (class A): Worthington (MN) HS (Danny Rodriquez, Will Collin, Jeremy Clark, OJ Ogulla), 3:36.87. Old mark: Parkston (Wegehaupt, Conner, Duba, Muntefering), 2009, 3:37.79.
Notes: Both Worthington and Tea Area HS had marks better than the record and put together performances that rank in Dyestat's Elite 100. Worthington's time ranks 74th and Tea Area HS had a clocking that was 95th.
HS Girls 400-meter run: Morgan Milbrath, Minot Magic HS (ND), :53.98. Old mark: Laura Roesler, Fargo, N.D., 2008, :55.42.
Notes: Milbrath, who was part of three winning events (400, 4x200 meter relay, 200m) set an all-time mark in South Dakota, while recording the fifth fastest prep time this spring. Milbrath, just a sophomore, crushed Oregon standout Roesler by nearly a second and half and became the only female runner at the high school or collegiate ranks to break 54 seconds in the 400 meters. Her time beat USD and Elkton (SD) standout Stephanie Gebhart's Howard Wood Stadium mark of :54.08. Milbrath's time was just .07 behind the top prep time of Robin Reynolds of Miami Jackson HS (FL) of :53.91 set at the Florida 3A State Meet. All five prep runners with sub-54 clockings are either sophomores or juniors.
HS Girls 4x200m relay (A): West Central (Sieheh Mulbah, Shelby Sieverding, Maty Skinner, Sami Galliger), 1:45.78. Old mark: Miller (Schaaf, Danberg, Letche, Istus), 1987, 1:46.02).
Notes: West Central ranks 419th in prep ranks for the event.
HS Girls 4x100 relay (A): West Central (Sienah Bulbah, Allie MacDonald, Alyssa Hellvig, Sami Galliger).sprint
Notes: Bulbah and Galliger ran on both West Central record-breaking relays at the Dakota Relays.
HS Girls 1600m sprint medley (A): Luverne (MN) HS (Taylor Peterson, Katlyn Sawtelle, Paige Nath, Anne Tofteland), 4:17.34. Old mark: Vermillion HS (Walker, Roche, Brown, Day), 2007, 4:20.43.
HS Girls 4x800m relay: Adrian (MN) HS (Hailee Heitkamp, Nicole Slater, Jordin Kopplow, Austin Thier), 9:39.98. Old mark: Luverne (MN) HS, 2007, 2:45.60.
Notes: The Adrian HS team is ranked 186th on the Dyestat.com rankings. Interesting that a Minnesota school broke a mark at a South Dakota held previously by another Minnesota school.
Howard Wood Stadium Marks
HS Girls 400-meters: Morgan Milbrath of Minot Magic HS (ND) broke the Howard Wood Stadium record for high school girls and now owns the mark for fastest time in the stadium with her clocking of :53.98.
College Women's Pole Vault: Bethany Buell of The University of South Dakota set a Wood Stadium record by going 13'09 1/4 in the college women's pole vault. The effort broke the stadium mark by Leslie Brost, who competed unattached in 2010 and set the record at 13-7 3/4.
College Men's High Jump: Randall Carter, unattached, set a stadium mark by going 7'04 1/2. His jump is the best ever on South Dakota soil.
Top 100 Performances -- High School (http://www.dyestat.com/, as of May 9, 2011)
HS Boys
Shot Put
Kyle McKelvey, Beresford (SD) HS, 69-03, Ranking -- 3rd.
Tyler Schultz, Custer (SD) HS, 60-0, Ranking -- 35th.
(Schultz's best throw this season is 63-8 1/2, at the Queen City Classic in Spearfish, S.D., and ranks ninth nationally).
Pole Vault
Brock Larson, Fargo South (ND) HS, 16-0. Ranking -- 30th.
High Jump
Trevor Yedoni, Benilde St. Margaret (MN), 6-11. Ranking -- 11th.
Christian Parker, Sioux Falls (SD) Washington, 6-09. Ranking -- 39th.
110M Hurdles
Erik Hill, Tea (SD) Area HS, :14.24. Ranking -- 28th.
Parker McKittrick, Pierre (SD) Riggs HS, :14:34. Ranking -- 36th.
300M Hurdles
Jason Greenway, Mitchell (SD) HS, :37.89. Ranking -- 35th.
Erik Hill, Tea (SD) Area HS, :38.11. Ranking -- 55th.
Lukas Bernard, Watertown (SD) HS, :38.38. Ranking -- 90th.
3200M Run
Tony Smoragiewicz, Rapid City (SD) Central, 9:12.87. Ranking -- 67th.
(Smoragiewicz ranks eighth nationally with his 8:57.65 at the Arcadia Invitational in California in April.)
Jake Leingang, Bismarck (ND) HS, 9:14.93. Ranking -- 88th.
4x800M Relay
Sioux Falls (SD) Roosevelt (Matt Horan, Ethan Tabbert, Dylan Slaba, Tanner Ahrendt), 7:53.89. Ranking -- 31st.
4x400M Relay
Watertown (SD) HS (Kirk Gilbertson, Collin Schull, Levin Winkels, Lukas Bernard), 3:19.27. Ranking -- 84th.
4x200M Relay
Sioux City (IA) West (Antonio Anderson, Darious Peterson, Daquane Triplett, Datrick Hollis), 1:28.22. Ranking -- 94th.
1600M Sprint Medley Relay
Sioux Falls (SD) Washington HS (Serkout Aware, Nate Gerry, Scott Strand, Alex Waddell), 3:30.38. Ranking -- 6th.
Watertown (SD) HS (Sean Langnen, Levi Winkels, Collin Schull, Kirk Gilbertson), 3:32.57. Ranking: 16th.
Kelvin Manitoba (Canada) HS (Patrick Duncan, Riel Willmont, Matthew Fitkowsky, Levi Neufeld), 3:33.20. Ranking -- 25th.
Hopkins (MN) HS (Ralph Welwean, Austin Salargo, Julius Williamson, Sam Jacobwith), 3:34.50. Ranking -- 38th.
Worthington (MN) HS (Danny Rodriquez, Will Collin, Jeremy Clark, OJ Ojulla), 3:36.87. Ranking -- 74th.
HS Girls
400M
Morgan Milbrath, Minot Magic City (ND) HS, :53.98. Ranking -- 5th.
Kari Heck, Sioux Falls (SD) Washington HS, :55.62. Ranking -- 54th.
Shot Put
McKenzie Johnson, Rapid City (SD) Central, 44-03 1/4. Ranking -- 53rd.
Pole Vault
Brittany Stangl, Watertown (SD) HS. Ranking -- 52nd
(Stangl is ranked 26th nationally with her vault of 12-6 at the Thundering Herd Classic in ND).
1600M Run
Brecca Wahlund, Minot Magic City (ND) HS, 4:58.94. Ranking -- 56th.
3200M Run
Brecca Wahlund, Minot Magic City ND) HS, 10:41.76. Ranking -- 32nd.
1600M Sprint Medley Relay
Sistler Manitoba (Canada) HS (Sylvia Kajetaniak, Tanisha Roberts, Meagan Paracholski, Carly Paracholski), 4:07.28. Ranking -- 6th.
Spearfish (SD) HS (Becca Scheetz, Miranda Meeker, Kelsey Lamb, Darian Thompson), 4:14.38. Ranking -- 29th.
Sturgis (SD) HS (Lindsay Sanftner, Tessa Tierney, Brooke Ireland, Madeline Takahashie), 4:14.76. Ranking -- 35th.
In total, 21 Howard Wood Dakota Relays record fell with five stadium marks also going by the wayside. The event featured 29 top-100 performances according to http://www.dyestat.com/ (keeper of high school marks) and another -- college DI or DII marks. Breaking down the records shows that there were seven collegiate records with nine high school boys marks and five high school girls marks.
Here is a look at the records and top performances with notes included with each mark.
Howard Wood Relays --
Collegiate Records --
Men's High Jump: Randall Carter, unattached, 7'04.25. Old mark: Randall Carter, unattached, 2010; Cameron Helder, SDSU, 2009; Ben Jasinski, SDSU, 2009, 7-0 1/2.
Notes: Carter likely qualified for the Olympic Trials with the jump. He has not attended college since graduating from Papillon-LaVista, Neb., high school where he went 7-04 and set the Nebraska high school high jump mark with the nation's top performance by a prep athlete. He had gone 7-03 at the DakotaDome in March but recorded the top high jump performance ever on South Dakota soil at the Wood Relays.
College Men 3000-meter Steeplechase: Tom Karbo, Augustana College, 8:55.91. Old mark: Valentine, Northern Colorado, 1988, 9:00.04.
Notes: Karbo's performance ranks sixth in NCAA Division II. His clocking is an A standard and an automatic qualifying berth for the NCAA DII nationals.
College Women's Pole Vault: Bethany Buell, University of South Dakota, 13'09.25 (4.20m). Old mark: Leslie Brost, unattached, 2010, 13-7 3/4.
Notes: Buell, coached by two-time Olympian Derek Miles at USD, broke her own USD record and had the best pole vault ever by a women's vaulter in South Dakota. She broke the mark of former Watertown prep standout Leslie Brost who compete at North Dakota State. Her vault is the 12th best in D1.
College Women's 1500-meter run: Runa Falch, Augustana, 4:27.09. Old mark: Noel, Nebraska, 4:29.47.
Notes: Falch clocked the fourth best time in NCAA DII at the Wood Relays She was just .07 from third with her performance which was an A standard and an NCAA DII automatic qualifying time.
College Women's 3,000-meter run: Runa Falch, Augustana, 9:37.84. Old mark: Tina Fenske, University of South Dakota, 1999, 9:50.49.
Notes: This event is not part of the national rankings at DII. However, Falch's second record-breaking performance at The Wood broke the previous mark by USD All-American Tina Fenske by 12.64 seconds.
College Women's 3,000-meter steeplechase: Kyle Blakeslee, Augustana, 10:40.85. Old Mark: Reuter, NDSU, 2010, 10:53.19.
Notes: Blakeslee's time is the ninth best time in NCAA DII. However, Blakeslee has run a 10:36.64 at the Drake Relays, a time that ranks fifth in DII.
College Women's 4x100m relay: South Dakota State University (Heather Wollman, Ashley Odegaard, Megan Bren, and Brittany Garner), :46.08. Old mark: The University of South Dakota (Heidi Muellenberg, Janessa Filler, Amanda Adamson, Stephanie Gebhart), 2006, :46.29.
Notes: The SDSU team of Wollman, Odegaard, Bren and Garner are all South Dakota natives as were the USD team of Muellenberg, Filler, Adamson and Gebhart that set the record in 2006.
HS Boys Shot Put: Kyle McKelvey, Beresford HS, 69-03. Old mark: Eric Flores, Custer, 2006, 67-4 1/2.
Notes: McKelvey's effort broke his own state of South Dakota all-time record (68-0) and ranks third in the high school ranks. According to Dyestat.com, Nick Venea of Morristown, N.J., has a throw of 75-09 on May 9 and Ryan Crouser of Sam Barlow, Ore., had a throw of 72-7 1/2 on April 23 at the Centennial Invitational in Oregon. Interestingly, Tyler Schultz of Custer had a toss of 60-0 which ranks 35th in the prep ranks. However Schultz threw the shot put 63-08 1/2 at the Queen City Classic on April 8 which places him ninth nationally. South Dakota has two of the top 10 shot put performers in the nation.
HS Boys 300-meter hurdles: Jason Greenway, Mitchell, :37.89. Old mark: Matt Dunbar, Dell Rapids, 2010, :38.51.
Notes: Greenway, who recorded the 35th best prep time this spring, tied the all-time South Dakota mark held by Tom Taylor of Sioux Falls Lincoln in 1988. It also should be noted that Erik Hill of Tea HS had a 38.11 clocking that ranks 55th nationally and Lukas Bernard of Watertown HS had a :38.38 clocking that ranks 90th in the prep ranks. Both Hill and Bernard had times better than Dunbar's 2010 record at the Dakota Relays. Hill is ranked in the top 100 in both hurdle events (28th in the 110m-+ hurdles and 55th in 300m hurdles).
HS Boys 4x400-meter relay: Watertown (Kirk Gilbertson, Collin Schull, Levi Winkels, Lukas Bernard), 3:19.27. Old mark: Sioux Falls Washington (Gerry, McMartin, Gebhart, Shade), 2009, 3:19.37.
Notes: Watertown broke the mark of SF Washington by .10 and set an all-time record in South Dakota. The performance ranks in Dyestat's Elite 100 performances at 84th place, just .02 from 81st.
HS Boys 4x100m Relay (AA): Sioux City West (Antonio Anderson, James Burton, Datrick Hollis, Darius Pearson), :42.34. Old mark: Aberdeen Central HS (Kono, Ford, Johnston, Schwan), 2002, :43.19.
Notes: Sioux City West ranks 232nd in the nation with this performance.
HS Boys 4x200m Relay (AA): Sioux City West (Antonio Anderson, Darius Peterson, Daquane Triplett, Datrick Hollis), 1:28.22. Old mark: Yankton HS (Johnson, Nelson, Tolsma, Fisher), 1994, 1:28.92.
Notes: Sioux City West, who set records in both the 4x100m relay and the 4x200m relay, ranks 94th in the country with his 4x200m relay performance at The Wood.
HS Boys 4x200-meter relay: Dakota Valley (Matt Lupkes, Evan Hendricks, Zach Sexton, Taylor White), 1:30.20. Old mark: Dell Rapids (Dunbar, Curry, Huska, Tibke), 2009, 1:30.22.
Notes: Nationally the time by Dakota Valley ranks 397th.
HS Boy 110 Hurdles: Erik Hill, Tea HS, 14.24 (prelims). Old mark: Matt Dunbar, Dell Rapids, 2010, 14.37.
Notes: Hill finished second in the finals to Parker McKittrick, Pierre, 14:34 but broke off a record-breaking run in the preliminary round. Hill's performance ranks 28th nationally. McKittrick's clocking is ranked 36th by Dyestat.com.
HS Boys Pole Vault: Brock Larson, Fargo South HS (ND), 16-0. Old mark: Henrichsen, Rapid City Stevens, 1995, 15-6.
Notes: Larson's vault ranks 30th in high school rankings this spring.
HS Boys 1600-meter sprint medley relay (class A): Worthington (MN) HS (Danny Rodriquez, Will Collin, Jeremy Clark, OJ Ogulla), 3:36.87. Old mark: Parkston (Wegehaupt, Conner, Duba, Muntefering), 2009, 3:37.79.
Notes: Both Worthington and Tea Area HS had marks better than the record and put together performances that rank in Dyestat's Elite 100. Worthington's time ranks 74th and Tea Area HS had a clocking that was 95th.
HS Girls 400-meter run: Morgan Milbrath, Minot Magic HS (ND), :53.98. Old mark: Laura Roesler, Fargo, N.D., 2008, :55.42.
Notes: Milbrath, who was part of three winning events (400, 4x200 meter relay, 200m) set an all-time mark in South Dakota, while recording the fifth fastest prep time this spring. Milbrath, just a sophomore, crushed Oregon standout Roesler by nearly a second and half and became the only female runner at the high school or collegiate ranks to break 54 seconds in the 400 meters. Her time beat USD and Elkton (SD) standout Stephanie Gebhart's Howard Wood Stadium mark of :54.08. Milbrath's time was just .07 behind the top prep time of Robin Reynolds of Miami Jackson HS (FL) of :53.91 set at the Florida 3A State Meet. All five prep runners with sub-54 clockings are either sophomores or juniors.
HS Girls 4x200m relay (A): West Central (Sieheh Mulbah, Shelby Sieverding, Maty Skinner, Sami Galliger), 1:45.78. Old mark: Miller (Schaaf, Danberg, Letche, Istus), 1987, 1:46.02).
Notes: West Central ranks 419th in prep ranks for the event.
HS Girls 4x100 relay (A): West Central (Sienah Bulbah, Allie MacDonald, Alyssa Hellvig, Sami Galliger).sprint
Notes: Bulbah and Galliger ran on both West Central record-breaking relays at the Dakota Relays.
HS Girls 1600m sprint medley (A): Luverne (MN) HS (Taylor Peterson, Katlyn Sawtelle, Paige Nath, Anne Tofteland), 4:17.34. Old mark: Vermillion HS (Walker, Roche, Brown, Day), 2007, 4:20.43.
HS Girls 4x800m relay: Adrian (MN) HS (Hailee Heitkamp, Nicole Slater, Jordin Kopplow, Austin Thier), 9:39.98. Old mark: Luverne (MN) HS, 2007, 2:45.60.
Notes: The Adrian HS team is ranked 186th on the Dyestat.com rankings. Interesting that a Minnesota school broke a mark at a South Dakota held previously by another Minnesota school.
Howard Wood Stadium Marks
HS Girls 400-meters: Morgan Milbrath of Minot Magic HS (ND) broke the Howard Wood Stadium record for high school girls and now owns the mark for fastest time in the stadium with her clocking of :53.98.
College Women's Pole Vault: Bethany Buell of The University of South Dakota set a Wood Stadium record by going 13'09 1/4 in the college women's pole vault. The effort broke the stadium mark by Leslie Brost, who competed unattached in 2010 and set the record at 13-7 3/4.
College Men's High Jump: Randall Carter, unattached, set a stadium mark by going 7'04 1/2. His jump is the best ever on South Dakota soil.
Top 100 Performances -- High School (http://www.dyestat.com/, as of May 9, 2011)
HS Boys
Shot Put
Kyle McKelvey, Beresford (SD) HS, 69-03, Ranking -- 3rd.
Tyler Schultz, Custer (SD) HS, 60-0, Ranking -- 35th.
(Schultz's best throw this season is 63-8 1/2, at the Queen City Classic in Spearfish, S.D., and ranks ninth nationally).
Pole Vault
Brock Larson, Fargo South (ND) HS, 16-0. Ranking -- 30th.
High Jump
Trevor Yedoni, Benilde St. Margaret (MN), 6-11. Ranking -- 11th.
Christian Parker, Sioux Falls (SD) Washington, 6-09. Ranking -- 39th.
110M Hurdles
Erik Hill, Tea (SD) Area HS, :14.24. Ranking -- 28th.
Parker McKittrick, Pierre (SD) Riggs HS, :14:34. Ranking -- 36th.
300M Hurdles
Jason Greenway, Mitchell (SD) HS, :37.89. Ranking -- 35th.
Erik Hill, Tea (SD) Area HS, :38.11. Ranking -- 55th.
Lukas Bernard, Watertown (SD) HS, :38.38. Ranking -- 90th.
3200M Run
Tony Smoragiewicz, Rapid City (SD) Central, 9:12.87. Ranking -- 67th.
(Smoragiewicz ranks eighth nationally with his 8:57.65 at the Arcadia Invitational in California in April.)
Jake Leingang, Bismarck (ND) HS, 9:14.93. Ranking -- 88th.
4x800M Relay
Sioux Falls (SD) Roosevelt (Matt Horan, Ethan Tabbert, Dylan Slaba, Tanner Ahrendt), 7:53.89. Ranking -- 31st.
4x400M Relay
Watertown (SD) HS (Kirk Gilbertson, Collin Schull, Levin Winkels, Lukas Bernard), 3:19.27. Ranking -- 84th.
4x200M Relay
Sioux City (IA) West (Antonio Anderson, Darious Peterson, Daquane Triplett, Datrick Hollis), 1:28.22. Ranking -- 94th.
1600M Sprint Medley Relay
Sioux Falls (SD) Washington HS (Serkout Aware, Nate Gerry, Scott Strand, Alex Waddell), 3:30.38. Ranking -- 6th.
Watertown (SD) HS (Sean Langnen, Levi Winkels, Collin Schull, Kirk Gilbertson), 3:32.57. Ranking: 16th.
Kelvin Manitoba (Canada) HS (Patrick Duncan, Riel Willmont, Matthew Fitkowsky, Levi Neufeld), 3:33.20. Ranking -- 25th.
Hopkins (MN) HS (Ralph Welwean, Austin Salargo, Julius Williamson, Sam Jacobwith), 3:34.50. Ranking -- 38th.
Worthington (MN) HS (Danny Rodriquez, Will Collin, Jeremy Clark, OJ Ojulla), 3:36.87. Ranking -- 74th.
HS Girls
400M
Morgan Milbrath, Minot Magic City (ND) HS, :53.98. Ranking -- 5th.
Kari Heck, Sioux Falls (SD) Washington HS, :55.62. Ranking -- 54th.
Shot Put
McKenzie Johnson, Rapid City (SD) Central, 44-03 1/4. Ranking -- 53rd.
Pole Vault
Brittany Stangl, Watertown (SD) HS. Ranking -- 52nd
(Stangl is ranked 26th nationally with her vault of 12-6 at the Thundering Herd Classic in ND).
1600M Run
Brecca Wahlund, Minot Magic City (ND) HS, 4:58.94. Ranking -- 56th.
3200M Run
Brecca Wahlund, Minot Magic City ND) HS, 10:41.76. Ranking -- 32nd.
1600M Sprint Medley Relay
Sistler Manitoba (Canada) HS (Sylvia Kajetaniak, Tanisha Roberts, Meagan Paracholski, Carly Paracholski), 4:07.28. Ranking -- 6th.
Spearfish (SD) HS (Becca Scheetz, Miranda Meeker, Kelsey Lamb, Darian Thompson), 4:14.38. Ranking -- 29th.
Sturgis (SD) HS (Lindsay Sanftner, Tessa Tierney, Brooke Ireland, Madeline Takahashie), 4:14.76. Ranking -- 35th.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Baseball, Baseball, Baseball -- what else?
With baseball well into its season, it is time to offer up some interesting numbers. Yes, most of them relate to my Detroit Tigers; but if you aren't a Detroit fan read on, you will find some fun facts at the bottom of the blog.
I can hear my friends saying, "OK, Dan, your Tigers have won seven-straight and now you jump back on their wagon." OK, I get that. I know you will point to a whiny post (two weeks ago) that I made recently on Facebook about my Detroit Tigers. But as I have previously admitted, I am self-deprecating about my teams to a fault. Sorry, truth hurts. Yet, I will stay with the Tigs through my own definition of "thick and thin," even as I cast an occasional glass half-empty comment.
Somehow, I have a feeling that my Twins friends must be voicing their own derogatory statements after losing their 14th game in the last 17 outings including eight straight (Tigers also have a seven-game losing spin this season). That is a tough streak for the team picked my many baseball prognasticators to win the Central.
With that context, let's return to numbers about the "Motor City Kiddies," using information delineated from Tigers.com and the Detroit Free Press.
After going 12-17 in the first 29 games, Detroit has rebounded with 10 wins in 11 starts. It is the best streak since April and May of 2007 when the Tigers won 11 of 12.
If Detroit defeats Toronto at home on Monday, they will have their longest winning streak in a generation. They are sending Max Scherzer (6-0) to the mound for his seventh straight win to open the season. They haven't won eight in a row since 1984 when they won nine games in a row -- at the start and end of a 35-5 run. If you remember, the 1984 Tigers defeated San Diego, 4-1, to win its fourth World Series title (1935, 1945, 1968, 1984). Detroit, which was one of eight charter members of the American League, last won a pennant in 2006, one of 10 they have won since being established in 1894 as part of the old Western League.
This recent success has been built in part due to its success at home in Comerica Park. Detroit, which is 11-7 in 2011, has compiled a 113-66 mark since 2009, which is the second-best mark in the American League during that span.
Credit Detroit's pitching and hitting for the swing in fortunes. Over the last 11 games when Detroit is 10-1 they have a 1.67 ERA. The Tigers' pitching staff has a 2.69 ERA in its last 13 home games. They rank among the league's best with 18 wins and 26 quality starts and have a 15-8 mark and 2.85 ERA among starters in their past 30 games. Detroit leads the league with six shutouts and is tied for third in saves with 10 and strikeouts with 280.
After 40 games, Detroit is tied with Kansas City for A.L. lead with 187 runs scored (numbers taken before the start of play on Sunday). They are also fourth in walks with 142, fifth in hitting at .257 and second in hits with 350 (L.A. Angels, 384). The Tigers are the only team in the majors with an extra base hit in all of its games (40) and it is their longest streak since 1986 when they had a 51-game span.
Shortstop Jhonny Peralta, who is hitting .411 during a 11-game hitting streak, recorded his 1,000 career hit in a 3-0 win against Kansas City on Saturday. Peralta, now hitting .307, received a standing ovation from the Comerica faithful, even if it was just his 94th hit as a Detroit Tiger.
It is noteworthy to mention that Detroit is 10-1 since Scott Sizemore took over second base duties. However most would point to the return of catcher/DH Victor Martinez as one of the keys to the surge. Detroit is 9-1 since he returned to the starting lineup. Martinez has a 13-game hitting streak in which he has hit .468 with two home runs and 15 RBIs.
This and That...
No-hit stuff -- The current Baseball Digest provides a list of the 11 World Series winning teams that were victims of in-season no-hitters the following season. Of that group, the L.A. Dodgers were the last one when Tom Browning of Cincinnati stopped them on Sept. 16, 1988. Of the returning champions held without a hit, it is interesting that the Chicago White Sox were victimized twice in 1917; both by St. Louis Brown pitchers on consecutive days in May (5,6 by Ernie Koob and Bob Groom). It is the only time that one team that won the World Series were no-hit twice in the following season.
On MVPs: Lefty Groves of the Philadelphia A's was the first MVP of the American League while Frankie Frisch of the St. Louis Cardinals won it first in the NL, both in 1931. The Yankees have the most MVPs in history with 20 followed by St. Louis with 17 and then the San Francisco/New York Giants and Cincinnati Reds have 12 MVPs. They are followed by Philadelphia/Oakland A's with 11, Red Sox and Dodgers with 10 and then the Tigers at eight. Barry Bonds won the most MVPs with seven while nine others had three MVPs (Jimmie Foxx, Joe DiMaggio, Stan Musial, Yogi Betta, Roy Campanella, Mickey Mantle, Mike Schmidt, Alex Rodriquez and Albert Pujols). Amazingly Willie Mays, who I consider the game's greatest player, had just two MVP seasons. Bonds of San Francisco was the oldest MVP when he won it at age 40 in 2004 while Vida Blue of Oakland was the youngest at age 22 in 1971.
Shutouts by losing pitcher: Baseball Digest provided an interest factoid about pitchers with shutouts. Three pitchers are tied with record for most shutouts by a losing pitcher. All of them had eight shutouts, including Christy Mathewson of the Giants, who was 14-17 in 1902 with a 2.11 ERA. In 1906 Rube Waddell of the A's was 15-17 with a 2.21 ERA. Then, there was Camilio Pascual of the Twins, who was 15-16 with a 3.46 ERA in 1962.
Rookies in Hall of Fame: Once again supplied by Baseball Digest, we find that 14 players who were Rookie of the Year were later Hall of Fame inductees. The list includes Jackie Robinson (1947), Willie Mays (1951), Frank Robinson (1956), Rod Carew (1967), and Cal Ripken, Jr. (1982), among others.
Obscure? I'd say yes: In its article, "Obscure but not Forgotten," Baseball Digest noted that Joe Sewell had 115 straight games without striking out with Cleveland in 1929. More recently, George Brett of Kansas City had six straight three-hit games in 1976 when he hit .692 during that span.
I can hear my friends saying, "OK, Dan, your Tigers have won seven-straight and now you jump back on their wagon." OK, I get that. I know you will point to a whiny post (two weeks ago) that I made recently on Facebook about my Detroit Tigers. But as I have previously admitted, I am self-deprecating about my teams to a fault. Sorry, truth hurts. Yet, I will stay with the Tigs through my own definition of "thick and thin," even as I cast an occasional glass half-empty comment.
Somehow, I have a feeling that my Twins friends must be voicing their own derogatory statements after losing their 14th game in the last 17 outings including eight straight (Tigers also have a seven-game losing spin this season). That is a tough streak for the team picked my many baseball prognasticators to win the Central.
With that context, let's return to numbers about the "Motor City Kiddies," using information delineated from Tigers.com and the Detroit Free Press.
After going 12-17 in the first 29 games, Detroit has rebounded with 10 wins in 11 starts. It is the best streak since April and May of 2007 when the Tigers won 11 of 12.
If Detroit defeats Toronto at home on Monday, they will have their longest winning streak in a generation. They are sending Max Scherzer (6-0) to the mound for his seventh straight win to open the season. They haven't won eight in a row since 1984 when they won nine games in a row -- at the start and end of a 35-5 run. If you remember, the 1984 Tigers defeated San Diego, 4-1, to win its fourth World Series title (1935, 1945, 1968, 1984). Detroit, which was one of eight charter members of the American League, last won a pennant in 2006, one of 10 they have won since being established in 1894 as part of the old Western League.
This recent success has been built in part due to its success at home in Comerica Park. Detroit, which is 11-7 in 2011, has compiled a 113-66 mark since 2009, which is the second-best mark in the American League during that span.
Credit Detroit's pitching and hitting for the swing in fortunes. Over the last 11 games when Detroit is 10-1 they have a 1.67 ERA. The Tigers' pitching staff has a 2.69 ERA in its last 13 home games. They rank among the league's best with 18 wins and 26 quality starts and have a 15-8 mark and 2.85 ERA among starters in their past 30 games. Detroit leads the league with six shutouts and is tied for third in saves with 10 and strikeouts with 280.
After 40 games, Detroit is tied with Kansas City for A.L. lead with 187 runs scored (numbers taken before the start of play on Sunday). They are also fourth in walks with 142, fifth in hitting at .257 and second in hits with 350 (L.A. Angels, 384). The Tigers are the only team in the majors with an extra base hit in all of its games (40) and it is their longest streak since 1986 when they had a 51-game span.
Shortstop Jhonny Peralta, who is hitting .411 during a 11-game hitting streak, recorded his 1,000 career hit in a 3-0 win against Kansas City on Saturday. Peralta, now hitting .307, received a standing ovation from the Comerica faithful, even if it was just his 94th hit as a Detroit Tiger.
It is noteworthy to mention that Detroit is 10-1 since Scott Sizemore took over second base duties. However most would point to the return of catcher/DH Victor Martinez as one of the keys to the surge. Detroit is 9-1 since he returned to the starting lineup. Martinez has a 13-game hitting streak in which he has hit .468 with two home runs and 15 RBIs.
This and That...
No-hit stuff -- The current Baseball Digest provides a list of the 11 World Series winning teams that were victims of in-season no-hitters the following season. Of that group, the L.A. Dodgers were the last one when Tom Browning of Cincinnati stopped them on Sept. 16, 1988. Of the returning champions held without a hit, it is interesting that the Chicago White Sox were victimized twice in 1917; both by St. Louis Brown pitchers on consecutive days in May (5,6 by Ernie Koob and Bob Groom). It is the only time that one team that won the World Series were no-hit twice in the following season.
On MVPs: Lefty Groves of the Philadelphia A's was the first MVP of the American League while Frankie Frisch of the St. Louis Cardinals won it first in the NL, both in 1931. The Yankees have the most MVPs in history with 20 followed by St. Louis with 17 and then the San Francisco/New York Giants and Cincinnati Reds have 12 MVPs. They are followed by Philadelphia/Oakland A's with 11, Red Sox and Dodgers with 10 and then the Tigers at eight. Barry Bonds won the most MVPs with seven while nine others had three MVPs (Jimmie Foxx, Joe DiMaggio, Stan Musial, Yogi Betta, Roy Campanella, Mickey Mantle, Mike Schmidt, Alex Rodriquez and Albert Pujols). Amazingly Willie Mays, who I consider the game's greatest player, had just two MVP seasons. Bonds of San Francisco was the oldest MVP when he won it at age 40 in 2004 while Vida Blue of Oakland was the youngest at age 22 in 1971.
Shutouts by losing pitcher: Baseball Digest provided an interest factoid about pitchers with shutouts. Three pitchers are tied with record for most shutouts by a losing pitcher. All of them had eight shutouts, including Christy Mathewson of the Giants, who was 14-17 in 1902 with a 2.11 ERA. In 1906 Rube Waddell of the A's was 15-17 with a 2.21 ERA. Then, there was Camilio Pascual of the Twins, who was 15-16 with a 3.46 ERA in 1962.
Rookies in Hall of Fame: Once again supplied by Baseball Digest, we find that 14 players who were Rookie of the Year were later Hall of Fame inductees. The list includes Jackie Robinson (1947), Willie Mays (1951), Frank Robinson (1956), Rod Carew (1967), and Cal Ripken, Jr. (1982), among others.
Obscure? I'd say yes: In its article, "Obscure but not Forgotten," Baseball Digest noted that Joe Sewell had 115 straight games without striking out with Cleveland in 1929. More recently, George Brett of Kansas City had six straight three-hit games in 1976 when he hit .692 during that span.
Friday, May 13, 2011
Harmon Killibrew Says Goodbye Far too Early
(Note: Harmon Killibrew passed away on May 17 in Phoenix, Ariz. This blog was written on May 13).
It is likely we will soon be losing another hero to cancer.
Harmon Killibrew, with his family at his side, announced on May 13 that he had lost a battle with esophageal cancer and was checking into a hospice to spend his final days.
Killibrew, 74, a former major league baseball star, has battled cancer since diagnosis in December 2010. When Killibrew passes he will become one of the nearly 700,000 people to die of cancer in North America this year. There is approximately 7.6 million people who die of cancer every year http://www.ucan-behealthy.com/cancer/how-many-people-die-from-cancer-each-year/.
While I am not a Minnesota Twins fan (yes a Tigers fan), I am a Harmon Killibrew fan. I have always had a soft spot in my heart for the soft-spoken slugger, who I will simply call "Mr. Twin." He is one of the classiest and most humane individuals in the history of major league baseball.
When you are a boy growing up in central South Dakota, you get to hear a lot of Twins baseball, regardless of whether you like them or not. And, when you collected baseball cards, Killibrew's was one that you valued (even if I didn't let any of my friends know that). From those cards and Twins radio (I only got Tigers baseball late at night), you learned a lot about #3 and the Twins.
Inducted into the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame in 1984, Killibrew was the first Twin to have his jersey retired.
In a 22-year baseball career, Killibrew had 573 home runs, 1584 RBIs and a .509 slugging percentage. When he retired in 1975, he ranked fifth all-time in home runs (still ranks 11th). Eight times he hit 40 home runs or more with highs of 49 in both 1964 and 1969 when he was voted the league MVP. Nine times Killibrew had 100 or more RBIs, leading the league in that category three times. During his career, he hit 25 or more home runs 13 times and had 30 or more HRs 10 times. While his MVP season happened in 1969, he was in the top four in balloting five other times. Killibrew was especially dominant during a six-year period from 1959-64 when he hit 263 home runs or nearly 44 per year. Killibrew led the AL in home runs six times and was second twice.
A 6-0, 215 pound player from Payette, Idaho, Killibrew was a prep football All-American quarterback who had a scholarship offer to play for the University of Oregon but stayed home to go to the University of Idaho. Killibrew, whose football number was retired by his high school, was hitting .800 in Idaho semi-pro baseball when Clark Griffth directed a scout to go watch Killibrew, who was soon thereafter signed to a $50,000 bonus. Good thing, the Boston Red Sox were also hot on his trail. From there, he became the greatest Twins player ever (my opinion).
The soft-spoken and respectful Killibrew loved baseball. Anybody that listened to him or watched him perform had to marvel at the way he played the game. The 1971 winner of the Lou Gehrig Award, he was identified by his long high flies that disappeared over fences. He was one of four hitters to hit a home run over the left field roof at Tiger Stadium. He had the longest home run in Baltimore's Memorial Stadium and owns the longest HR hit at old Met Stadium in Minneapolis, sending the oval object 520 feet.
An 11-time All Star, Killibrew hit the most HRs of any player during the 1960s and when he retired in 1975, he had the second most home runs by an American League player to Babe Ruth. A street at the Mall of America, Killibrew Drive, is named for him, as is a gate at Target Field.
Killibrew nearly died in 1990 after a collapsed lung and damaged esophagus was followed by a staph infection and three surgeries. The man often called "Killer" beat that brush with death and survived some deep financial woes. He rebounded and set up the Harmon Killibrew Foundation and has donated more than $8.6 million to cancer research. It was probably set up to honor his former teammate Danny Thompson, who continued to play baseball while he battle leukemia; finally succumbing at the age of 29.
Now, it is time to say goodbye to a great man - a baseball hero to many. One of the great stories about Killibrew was when he was asked what he did for fun. It was well-known that he didn't go for late night partying. His answer - "wash dishes I guess," which shows his down to earth Midwestern spun personality.
Killibrew's time to go has come too early as has been the case with millions of other people cruelly impacted by cancer.
When he leaves, it will be a sad moment but perhaps a learnable moment for us. I think Killibrew's life is one that shows us hard work, resiliency, a friendly smile, and respect for others is to be appreciated. It is "Hammerin Harmon's" legacy.
Note -- the following link profile Harmon Killibrew.
http://www.foxsportsnorth.com/05/17/11/Cuddyer-He-was-able-to-paint-a-masterpie/landing_twins.html?blockID=524181&feedID=3546
http://www.foxsportsnorth.com/05/17/11/Cuddyer-He-was-able-to-paint-a-masterpie/landing_twins.html?blockID=524181&feedID=3546
It is likely we will soon be losing another hero to cancer.
Harmon Killibrew, with his family at his side, announced on May 13 that he had lost a battle with esophageal cancer and was checking into a hospice to spend his final days.
Killibrew, 74, a former major league baseball star, has battled cancer since diagnosis in December 2010. When Killibrew passes he will become one of the nearly 700,000 people to die of cancer in North America this year. There is approximately 7.6 million people who die of cancer every year http://www.ucan-behealthy.com/cancer/how-many-people-die-from-cancer-each-year/.
While I am not a Minnesota Twins fan (yes a Tigers fan), I am a Harmon Killibrew fan. I have always had a soft spot in my heart for the soft-spoken slugger, who I will simply call "Mr. Twin." He is one of the classiest and most humane individuals in the history of major league baseball.
When you are a boy growing up in central South Dakota, you get to hear a lot of Twins baseball, regardless of whether you like them or not. And, when you collected baseball cards, Killibrew's was one that you valued (even if I didn't let any of my friends know that). From those cards and Twins radio (I only got Tigers baseball late at night), you learned a lot about #3 and the Twins.
Inducted into the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame in 1984, Killibrew was the first Twin to have his jersey retired.
In a 22-year baseball career, Killibrew had 573 home runs, 1584 RBIs and a .509 slugging percentage. When he retired in 1975, he ranked fifth all-time in home runs (still ranks 11th). Eight times he hit 40 home runs or more with highs of 49 in both 1964 and 1969 when he was voted the league MVP. Nine times Killibrew had 100 or more RBIs, leading the league in that category three times. During his career, he hit 25 or more home runs 13 times and had 30 or more HRs 10 times. While his MVP season happened in 1969, he was in the top four in balloting five other times. Killibrew was especially dominant during a six-year period from 1959-64 when he hit 263 home runs or nearly 44 per year. Killibrew led the AL in home runs six times and was second twice.
A 6-0, 215 pound player from Payette, Idaho, Killibrew was a prep football All-American quarterback who had a scholarship offer to play for the University of Oregon but stayed home to go to the University of Idaho. Killibrew, whose football number was retired by his high school, was hitting .800 in Idaho semi-pro baseball when Clark Griffth directed a scout to go watch Killibrew, who was soon thereafter signed to a $50,000 bonus. Good thing, the Boston Red Sox were also hot on his trail. From there, he became the greatest Twins player ever (my opinion).
The soft-spoken and respectful Killibrew loved baseball. Anybody that listened to him or watched him perform had to marvel at the way he played the game. The 1971 winner of the Lou Gehrig Award, he was identified by his long high flies that disappeared over fences. He was one of four hitters to hit a home run over the left field roof at Tiger Stadium. He had the longest home run in Baltimore's Memorial Stadium and owns the longest HR hit at old Met Stadium in Minneapolis, sending the oval object 520 feet.
An 11-time All Star, Killibrew hit the most HRs of any player during the 1960s and when he retired in 1975, he had the second most home runs by an American League player to Babe Ruth. A street at the Mall of America, Killibrew Drive, is named for him, as is a gate at Target Field.
Killibrew nearly died in 1990 after a collapsed lung and damaged esophagus was followed by a staph infection and three surgeries. The man often called "Killer" beat that brush with death and survived some deep financial woes. He rebounded and set up the Harmon Killibrew Foundation and has donated more than $8.6 million to cancer research. It was probably set up to honor his former teammate Danny Thompson, who continued to play baseball while he battle leukemia; finally succumbing at the age of 29.
Now, it is time to say goodbye to a great man - a baseball hero to many. One of the great stories about Killibrew was when he was asked what he did for fun. It was well-known that he didn't go for late night partying. His answer - "wash dishes I guess," which shows his down to earth Midwestern spun personality.
Killibrew's time to go has come too early as has been the case with millions of other people cruelly impacted by cancer.
When he leaves, it will be a sad moment but perhaps a learnable moment for us. I think Killibrew's life is one that shows us hard work, resiliency, a friendly smile, and respect for others is to be appreciated. It is "Hammerin Harmon's" legacy.
Note -- the following link profile Harmon Killibrew.
http://www.foxsportsnorth.com/05/17/11/Cuddyer-He-was-able-to-paint-a-masterpie/landing_twins.html?blockID=524181&feedID=3546
http://www.foxsportsnorth.com/05/17/11/Cuddyer-He-was-able-to-paint-a-masterpie/landing_twins.html?blockID=524181&feedID=3546
Sunday, May 8, 2011
The Wood Relays Provides Venue for Prideful Moments
With dusk setting in, the Howard Wood Dakota Relays ended its 87th year Saturday after one of the most memorable meets in memory.
During the two-day Midwest track and field extravaganza at Howard Wood Stadium in Sioux Falls, S.D., thousands of people watched 21 meet records and five stadium marks fall. It was truly remarkable to see athletes shine at such a high level on a couple of picture-perfect weather days. It created a buzz that will continue for days if not longer.
In the pressbox, we watched with fascination as we anxiously looked for every bit of information to help build on the moments of these athletes. In that vein, the internet and Google filled an important role, as did a new Daktronics board and technology-smart staff. The announcers continued their smooth and informed delivery while a dedicated group of volunteers kept everything flowing in a personable and responsible manner.
As I looked down at a few fans from Sioux City West, I could see the pride in their faces after they had broken school and meet records in two sprint relays. A lot of glow shined on the faces of a group of Wall High School athletes, who won their first-ever Wood title. As I scanned the crowd, a lot of pride and beaming faces were in place.
For a few moments, I began to think about the parents - of the pride and joy that must feel to watch their sons and daughters perform. For some of them, this was their first trip to this Midwestern track and field extravanganza.
As I watched records fall, I started thinking about their (parents) emotions. I felt a sudden chill for those parents and family members witnessing sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, grandsons and granddaughters, nephews and nieces, friends and classmates competing at the Wood. As I watched the children of my friends, past and current, I was swept up by prideful feelings.
On my way to watch a field event competition, I saw an friend, a person I hadn't seen since I left Vermillion. Standing near the Vermillion team camp, Jeff Olson was sharing a video with his two daughters, Megan and Paige Olson, who had just competed in a section of the 4x800 meter relay. They were absorbed by the video and smiles adorned their faces.
It was a family moment that I stole a glimpse of as a father and two daughters shared a Wood experience. No, the Olsons had not led the Tanagers to a title but that didn't matter. The innocence and realness of that moment showed why athletic competitions are special and why they warm the heart.
In a meet where hundreds of athletes compete, thousands experience moments of pride. You see the wonders of humanity and humility. Athletes congratulating each other in manners of sportsmanship, even if they have never previously met.
I doubt that most parents know how big a meet that Wood is; and I don't think they'll calibrate its significance until later when the video, still images or a clipping from the newspaper falls from a notebook or scrapbook.
Like any athletic competition there is always joy of success.
At the same time, in another part of the stadium, athletes and supporters are anguishing over the pain of defeat...or injury. While a lot of value will be attached for competing, winning and setting records, there is also a dreary, if not sad, feeling that losing and especially injury can play on emotions of the competitors and their family.
When Carly Carper, the junior sprinting phenom from Oldham-Ramona-Rutland, was running neck and neck with AA standout Kari Heck from Sioux Falls Washington in the 100 meters semifinals and suddenly she grabbed her leg, I knew that the injury would be severe. I felt bad for her and winced at the emotions of that moment would have on her parents, her family. Then later, I saw the young star on crutches inch across the track with her teammates toward the end of the meet, and again I felt a twinge and a sad emotion hit me. Having witnessed injuries to other athletes, I know times will be tough for Carly for awhile but time allows for healing. Her smile will return, and if her grit on the track is any indication, she will return to track and field ready to conquer that world.
In competition, it is wrenching but injuries happen, sometimes after something really special happens. I feel for Carly and her support group, just as I felt for Jasmine King and her family last spring when she torn an Achilles at the state meet.
While those moments are difficult, it is important to take stock in the grandness of this athletic competition. It is to be valued.
I feel joy for those that were given an opportunity to compete at Howard Wood (and other competitions), regardless of the results.
The parents of Minot, N.D., Morgan Milbrath, who dazzled and captured the hearts of the Howard Wood Relays crowd, must be feeling special. She ran the nation's fifth best 400-meter time by a prep female with a clocking of 53.98. It was the fastest time run by a female college or high school athlete ever in South Dakota.
For USD's Bethany Buell, who cracked 13'9 1/2 in the pole vault (12th best jump in Division I), it must have been like sweet music to call her parents in St. Louis and relate the news. For the Watertown boys who set an all-time South Dakota mark in the 4x400 in the final race of the day, the parents must have been jumping in the aisles.
For my friend and USD and Gettysburg classmate John Lake, who I kid all the time about his lack of athletic prowess, watching his son compete must have generated some special feelings inside.
I saw my USD classmate Yvette Greer Albrecht, now Redfield's track coach, watch her son compete and a big smile broke out. It was in 1979 that he ran at the Wood for USD and lit up Wood field in the hurdles and sprints.
As I watched my hometown Gettysburg compete, I was reminded of the 1978 Battler team that tied Platte for a state track and field title. They won an 880-yard relay at Howard Wood. I wasn't at that meet or the state meet, but when they returned we shared the emotion of winning as friends and classmates do. Guys like Geoff Simon, Dave Langslet, Brad Meeks, Pat Simon, Brooke Bieber, Jeff Bohnenkamp, Drew Baldridge, Jim Rieger, Brad Tennant and a host of others tasted that rarity of success -- a championship. On Saturday, the Gettysburg team won a Howard Wood title in the 4x400 relay, which was a trademark event of success for the Battlers when I was in high school.
I think about Jacque and Jeff Olson of Vermillion, watching their triplets running around the track. How small they were just a few years ago. I remember all the energy they had when they were nine years old and their mother was seemingly out of breath trying to stay with them. Now Colin is one of the Vermillion High boys standouts and Paige and Megan are starring for the girls team. I felt good for them with a sense of pride of how far they have come and what great things lie in their future.
I was happy for Julie Smoragiewicz, who like me, once worked in college relations, albeit at different South Dakota universities. I was cheering for her son, Tony, who was gunning for the best 3200 meter time in Wood and state history. He remains with another west river guy, Erik Grumstrup (2001), as the only South Dakota athletes to break nine minutes. While Tony didn't quite make it happen early on Saturday; when I talked with his coach and former USD classmate Dave Dolan, I felt like he was happy with his performance.
With that being the case, I was even more impressed with his maturity and what lies ahead for him. Smoragiewicz, who won both the 1600 meter and 3200 meter races, will have his day soon, perhaps at the region meet or State Track Meet back in Howard Wood Stadium later this month.
In the end, these Howard Wood Relays, were filled with the extraordinary moments that stand the test of time.
While construction of the Wood stadium in 2012 will cost some a chance to compete next year, the relays of 2013 will be bigger and better.
It will be a time once again when competition generates a buzz of excitement...when athletes create lifelong memories. In that crowd we will find parents, who feel unfettered pride for their children - regardless of outcome.
During the two-day Midwest track and field extravaganza at Howard Wood Stadium in Sioux Falls, S.D., thousands of people watched 21 meet records and five stadium marks fall. It was truly remarkable to see athletes shine at such a high level on a couple of picture-perfect weather days. It created a buzz that will continue for days if not longer.
In the pressbox, we watched with fascination as we anxiously looked for every bit of information to help build on the moments of these athletes. In that vein, the internet and Google filled an important role, as did a new Daktronics board and technology-smart staff. The announcers continued their smooth and informed delivery while a dedicated group of volunteers kept everything flowing in a personable and responsible manner.
As I looked down at a few fans from Sioux City West, I could see the pride in their faces after they had broken school and meet records in two sprint relays. A lot of glow shined on the faces of a group of Wall High School athletes, who won their first-ever Wood title. As I scanned the crowd, a lot of pride and beaming faces were in place.
For a few moments, I began to think about the parents - of the pride and joy that must feel to watch their sons and daughters perform. For some of them, this was their first trip to this Midwestern track and field extravanganza.
As I watched records fall, I started thinking about their (parents) emotions. I felt a sudden chill for those parents and family members witnessing sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, grandsons and granddaughters, nephews and nieces, friends and classmates competing at the Wood. As I watched the children of my friends, past and current, I was swept up by prideful feelings.
On my way to watch a field event competition, I saw an friend, a person I hadn't seen since I left Vermillion. Standing near the Vermillion team camp, Jeff Olson was sharing a video with his two daughters, Megan and Paige Olson, who had just competed in a section of the 4x800 meter relay. They were absorbed by the video and smiles adorned their faces.
It was a family moment that I stole a glimpse of as a father and two daughters shared a Wood experience. No, the Olsons had not led the Tanagers to a title but that didn't matter. The innocence and realness of that moment showed why athletic competitions are special and why they warm the heart.
In a meet where hundreds of athletes compete, thousands experience moments of pride. You see the wonders of humanity and humility. Athletes congratulating each other in manners of sportsmanship, even if they have never previously met.
I doubt that most parents know how big a meet that Wood is; and I don't think they'll calibrate its significance until later when the video, still images or a clipping from the newspaper falls from a notebook or scrapbook.
Like any athletic competition there is always joy of success.
At the same time, in another part of the stadium, athletes and supporters are anguishing over the pain of defeat...or injury. While a lot of value will be attached for competing, winning and setting records, there is also a dreary, if not sad, feeling that losing and especially injury can play on emotions of the competitors and their family.
When Carly Carper, the junior sprinting phenom from Oldham-Ramona-Rutland, was running neck and neck with AA standout Kari Heck from Sioux Falls Washington in the 100 meters semifinals and suddenly she grabbed her leg, I knew that the injury would be severe. I felt bad for her and winced at the emotions of that moment would have on her parents, her family. Then later, I saw the young star on crutches inch across the track with her teammates toward the end of the meet, and again I felt a twinge and a sad emotion hit me. Having witnessed injuries to other athletes, I know times will be tough for Carly for awhile but time allows for healing. Her smile will return, and if her grit on the track is any indication, she will return to track and field ready to conquer that world.
In competition, it is wrenching but injuries happen, sometimes after something really special happens. I feel for Carly and her support group, just as I felt for Jasmine King and her family last spring when she torn an Achilles at the state meet.
While those moments are difficult, it is important to take stock in the grandness of this athletic competition. It is to be valued.
I feel joy for those that were given an opportunity to compete at Howard Wood (and other competitions), regardless of the results.
The parents of Minot, N.D., Morgan Milbrath, who dazzled and captured the hearts of the Howard Wood Relays crowd, must be feeling special. She ran the nation's fifth best 400-meter time by a prep female with a clocking of 53.98. It was the fastest time run by a female college or high school athlete ever in South Dakota.
For USD's Bethany Buell, who cracked 13'9 1/2 in the pole vault (12th best jump in Division I), it must have been like sweet music to call her parents in St. Louis and relate the news. For the Watertown boys who set an all-time South Dakota mark in the 4x400 in the final race of the day, the parents must have been jumping in the aisles.
For my friend and USD and Gettysburg classmate John Lake, who I kid all the time about his lack of athletic prowess, watching his son compete must have generated some special feelings inside.
I saw my USD classmate Yvette Greer Albrecht, now Redfield's track coach, watch her son compete and a big smile broke out. It was in 1979 that he ran at the Wood for USD and lit up Wood field in the hurdles and sprints.
As I watched my hometown Gettysburg compete, I was reminded of the 1978 Battler team that tied Platte for a state track and field title. They won an 880-yard relay at Howard Wood. I wasn't at that meet or the state meet, but when they returned we shared the emotion of winning as friends and classmates do. Guys like Geoff Simon, Dave Langslet, Brad Meeks, Pat Simon, Brooke Bieber, Jeff Bohnenkamp, Drew Baldridge, Jim Rieger, Brad Tennant and a host of others tasted that rarity of success -- a championship. On Saturday, the Gettysburg team won a Howard Wood title in the 4x400 relay, which was a trademark event of success for the Battlers when I was in high school.
I think about Jacque and Jeff Olson of Vermillion, watching their triplets running around the track. How small they were just a few years ago. I remember all the energy they had when they were nine years old and their mother was seemingly out of breath trying to stay with them. Now Colin is one of the Vermillion High boys standouts and Paige and Megan are starring for the girls team. I felt good for them with a sense of pride of how far they have come and what great things lie in their future.
I was happy for Julie Smoragiewicz, who like me, once worked in college relations, albeit at different South Dakota universities. I was cheering for her son, Tony, who was gunning for the best 3200 meter time in Wood and state history. He remains with another west river guy, Erik Grumstrup (2001), as the only South Dakota athletes to break nine minutes. While Tony didn't quite make it happen early on Saturday; when I talked with his coach and former USD classmate Dave Dolan, I felt like he was happy with his performance.
With that being the case, I was even more impressed with his maturity and what lies ahead for him. Smoragiewicz, who won both the 1600 meter and 3200 meter races, will have his day soon, perhaps at the region meet or State Track Meet back in Howard Wood Stadium later this month.
In the end, these Howard Wood Relays, were filled with the extraordinary moments that stand the test of time.
While construction of the Wood stadium in 2012 will cost some a chance to compete next year, the relays of 2013 will be bigger and better.
It will be a time once again when competition generates a buzz of excitement...when athletes create lifelong memories. In that crowd we will find parents, who feel unfettered pride for their children - regardless of outcome.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
The Wood - An Event That Keeps Circling
Every time there is a sudden burst or gust of wind during the Howard Wood Dakota Relays, I can't help but wonder if the ghosts of meets past are circling above and reminding us what is happening in front of us is special.
We may not know how special until later but it is history in the making - a very personal and joyful kind to those who compete, their supporters and everyone else taking it all.
I sometimes look up, and stare deep into the skies and I think I can see them -- the Reinharts, Theelers, Gebharts, Callahans, Woods, Lukens, Heidenreichs, DeHavens, Flores, Pribyls, Brosts and thousands of others running, jumping and throwing.
Give it a chance tomorrow before the Howard Wood Dakota Relays kick off on Friday afternoon at Howard Wood Stadium. Use a little imagination and those performances will appear like visions of a track meet. Maybe you will see yourself and the wonderful memories that the Howard Wood Dakota Relays provided, even as time has separated you from those days of Howard Wood Relays past. Then, come back to reality and watch the wonder of the Wood as events unfold. It is a meet that will keep you captivated if not on the edge of your seat.
In full disclosure, I have never run a race on the Wood stadium track. Some might say, I haven't run on any track (I have). No, I didn't throw one of the implements, nor ventured the skies in the pole vault. I wasn't on the high jump track nor was I even a starter (leave that to Dean Mann, Rich Hansen and others past and present).
About seven years ago, I experienced the Wood for the first time and it was a privilege. I was working at the Howard Wood Dakota Relays as a press steward, someone assisting the brilliant announcers, who in this generation are Greg Merrigan and Mike Holt. I continue to work with them and people like Kevin Brady, Linda Hengeveld, Rick Brommer and others who are part of a large Wood volunteer contingent that make the meet happen.
It is a privilege to work with those professionals; kudos to Mike and Greg (and Jim Burt before them), who give voice to the great performances that have captivated crowds for 87 years.
The Howard Wood Dakota Relays of yesterday and today is one of the most organized and important athletic functions that I have been part of. Credit needs to go to past leaders, like Wally Diehl and Dean Mann and others, and now to Mark Meile, who is one of the organized and professional people around. He keeps his volunteers charged up with a personable approach and a straight-forward problem-solving approach.
The Wood, as so many of us hail it, is one of the unique and special track and field events in the Midwest.
South Dakota women's track coach Lucky Huber recently told me how he feels about the Wood Relays.
"The Howard Wood Relays is what makes track and field such a big part of the athletic culture in South Dakota," said Huber. "If you don't have the relays, track is a lot different in this state. It is one of the few times that young athletes get to compete against everybody across the state and region. You get to see a hurdler from Pukwana run against a Rapid City kid. They get to compete and that is important for everyone to see. If all these things are separate and you don't get to see these them and you don't have the energy and kids don't see how others are fired up about this sport, you will have lost something important. To be able to compete against the best in the state (or region) motivates all the athletes, who strive to be better. It is because they get to be part of that track culture at the Wood. That event is part of the track and field theater in South Dakota and is what really helps fuel the sport's interest level in South Dakota," he said.
The meet was started in 1923 by longtime SF Washington coach Howard Wood. Originally named the Dakota Relays, it was renamed the Howard Wood Dakota Relays in 1949 after Wood's death. The first track meet was held at the 10th Street Viaduct, which later became known as the first Howard Wood Field. The meet moved to the current location in 1957. The USD-Notre Dame football games of 1914 (ND 33 USD 0) and 1916 (ND 21 USD 0) were also played at that 10th street site.
Here are some moments from Wood meets past. There are so many more not listed here that maybe this blog will become a working document (adding more and more as time goes). If anybody has a Howard Wood story to relate, please email me at dangenzler@gmail.com. I am putting together a history on this meet, which will eventually be added to sdsportshistory.com.
1925: Joie Ray of Chicago, co-holder of the world record in the mile, defeated Sioux Falls native Gerald Gill of Idaho. Gill was South Dakota first' distance runner to attract attention. There were many others later including 1964 Olympic champion at the 10K Billy Mills of Pine Ridge, Olympian Buddy Edelen of Sioux Falls Washington, who once held the world record in the marathon and starred at Minnesota. There was Steve Heidenrech of Watertown, who was the Big Ten's top miler for Indiana before he was injured in a tragic hit and run accident;vMadison's Jeff Schemmel, Huron's Rod DeHaven, former SDSU standout Garry Bentley, Rapid City Stevens' Erik Grumstrup and now Tony Smoragiewicz of Rapid City Central, among others.
1938-39: The Argus Leader reported in 1986 that the Dakota Relays were held annually except in 1938-39. Next year - 2012 - will be the second break as the stadium undergoes major construction.
1952: Dennis Nelson of Hurley tossed the discus 162-6 to better the previous Wood mark by 21 feet.
1953: Joe Quintal of Mitchell was named the first honorary referee of the Howard Wood Relays.
1956: This year was noteworthy in that it was the last time the meet was held at the original Wood Field at the 10th street viaduct. Since 1957, the meet has been held at Howard Wood Stadium on Russell Street.
1959: SF Washington won four of five relays, only a disqualification in the sprint medley stopped Elmer Hansen's crew from sweeping all five relays. They won the two-mile relay in a record of 8:19.5 with Ron Jacobson, Mike Savold, Dutch Haaland, and Dick Callahan, who later played for Nebraska's football squad. The group broke a 36-year Wood record. They won the mile in 3:30 with Haaland, Savold, Callahan, and Bud Werner. Washington's 880-yard relay won in 1:32.6 with Loren Little, Bill Anderson, Jon Hays and Werner. Washington's 440 relay had a record-tying effort with Little, Anderson, Hays and Werner. Interesting that Denny Busch added to his own prep Pole vault mark by going 12-5.
Also in 1959, "Smokey" Joe Mendel became the first inductee into the Howard Wood Dakota Relays Hall of Fame. Mendel, who prepped at Onida and later starred at Yankton College, single-handedly let Onida to a state title in 1926 by winning four events.
1962: On May 5, Gary Schwartz of Wessington Springs unleashed a remarkable discus toss of 190 feet, 7 1/2 inches, breaking Denny Nelson's discus record by 28 feet. Schwartz had a throw that sent him to the top of the prep ranks nationally. After leaving Wessington Springs, he went onto lead the Kansas Jayhawks to Big Conference titles in 1965-66. Later he was the head women's track coach at Penn State where he was the NCAA DI coach of the year.
The Clear Lake Cardinals sprint medley relay team took off the longest standing record at the Wood by winning Class B in 3:45.4 with a team of Gary Veen, George Bader, John Hawley and Deane Bjerke.
1963: A couple of noteworthy happenings highlighted the Wood Relays in 1963. John Thomas of Boston, Mass., cleared 7-1 1/4 in the high jump, breaking the seven-foot mark for the 105th time in his career. During an exhibition at Howard Wood, Thomas thrilled a crowd of 4,000 by becoming the first man to go seven feet at the Wood or in South Dakota. He bettered the stadium mark of 6-9 by Ken Ashley of Willamette (Ore.) University at the 1961 NAIA meet.
1972: For the first time, girls were able to compete at the Wood Relays. A year later, the meet returned to a two-day format of earlier years. In 1977, the Wood board of directors held a fundraiser to underwrite a $40,000 private sector portion of the new all-weather track's cost. Through an all-weather benefit football game (Brandon Valley and O'Gorman), the Wood field sported the new track in 1978.
Also in 1972, Carl Hesse (Sioux City East prep) of USD, Springfield set the men's U/C shot put record at 58-6 1/2, a mark that is the oldest record in the books.
1973: Jim Reinhart of Sioux Falls Lincoln owns the all-time state mark of 4:06.30 in the 1600 meters but went 4:09.74 at the Wood. In that same Dakota Relays, Reinhart led the Lincoln boys 1600 meter sprint medley relay to a record of 3:27.44, the second longest remaining record on the books. Reinhart, who later starred at Notre Dame, also owns the state mark of 1:51.1 in the 800, although he didn't run it at Howard Wood.
1978: This was the year that my Gettysburg Battlers won (tied Platte) the Class A state title. That year the Battlers also picked up a Howard Wood Relays win in the 800-meter relay (Brad Tennant, Pat Simon, John Lomheim and David Langslet) in 1:34.2 (no record, but those are my boys). A year later, the Battlers won the 400 relay with Jeff Bohnenkamp, Pat Simon, John Lomheim and Brad Tennant and finished tied with Elkton (Erv and Ev Gebhart - starred at SDSU) and Tri Valley in the 800-meter relay. I must also mention Ron Schneider, the Battlers standout sprinter who led Gettysburg to a third place finish at the state meet in 1976. Later a standout at SDSU, Schneider tied a Wood record with a 9.9 clocking in 1976.
In that same year, the second longest field event record still on the books was made by Don Maryott of USD, who went 25'5 in the men's U/C long jump.
1979: Current Redfield track coach Yvette Greer (Albrecht) was a college friend of mine at The University of South Dakota, who also cast her star on Howard Wood. The Sioux City West standout, who won two Iowa state titles in hurdle events, won the 100 meter hurdles in 15.0, the 100 in 12.7 and anchored titles for USD's 400 and 800 relay teams.
Don't forget the sizzling performance of Armour's Dennis Tiefenthaler, who came in at 49.2.
1984: Rod DeHaven, now the SDSU head track coach, set a record in the 3,200 meter run with a 9:08.59 clocking, a mark that will be tested by Smoragiewicz, who has run 10 seconds faster than that this year. Smoragiewicz and Grumstrup are the only South Dakota runners to break nine minutes in the 3200m. Grumstrup had a 8:56.3 to set the mark in 2001 while Smoragiewicz has gone 8:57.65 this year.
Also in 1984, Jeff Gross of Augustana turned a few heads by clocking a 46.28 in the 400-meters. Gross had a better time that year clocking a 45.54 - the only 45-second 400-meter runner in South Dakota history.
1988: One of the greatest performances at the high school level occurred with Scott Benson of Rapid City Stevens in 1988 when he went 7-2 in the boys high jump. The men's college mark still hasn't surpassed that mark although Cameron Helder and Ben Jasinski of SDSU set a record of 7-0 1/2 in 2009 and Randall Carter, competing unattached, went the same height in 2010.
1997: Jill Theeler, who prepped at Mitchell High and later led NDSU to a national D2 indoor title, was one of the most popular Wood performers. Theeler, a 19-time D2 All-American for NDSU, had a record-breaking performance of 24.27 in the 200-meters in 1997. The time by Theeler, now an associate A.D. at USD, remains second best in state history.
2003: Field turf replaced the grass infield in a renovation project at the stadium which has a seating capacity of 10,000.
2004: Sam Pribyl, who was a Webster, S.D., standout before winning a national title for USD in the pole vault in 2006, did a high wire act during 2004. He set the U/C men's pole vault mark of 17'5 in winning his second Wood title. He broke the school record and the Stadium mark of two-time Olympian Derek Miles with this performance. It was also the top outdoor mark in DII at that point in the season.
2005: One of my favorite all-time South Dakota performers is Stephanie Gebhart. The Elkton, S.D., standout set numerous records in high school and college and was MVP of the 2005 B State Meet. A 21-time DII All-American at USD (most in school history), she lit up the Howard Wood crowd in 2005 by clocking a 54.08 in the 400-meters while running for the Coyotes. Also during that meet, Allen Burrell of NDSU set 100-meter (10.29) and 200-meter (20.97) marks in the men's U/C division. Without mentioning Ramsay Kavan, the former Yankton prep standout and USD All-American, would be wrong. She electrified the Wood crowd in 2005 when she broke five minutes in the 1,600 meters with a record clocking of 4:55.09.
2006: Molly Belling of Nebraska-Omaha opened some eyes by setting records in the 100-meter (11.67) and 200-meters (23.97). In that same meet, Eric Flores of Custer busted out a shot put throw of 67-4 1/2, a mark that remains at the top of the record book. Beresford's Kyle McKelsey, who has already set the state mark at 68-0 this year, could break Flores' Wood mark.
Also in 2006, Allison Eckert of Sioux Falls Roosevelt set the girls 3,200 meter run mark at 10:19.74. It was a proud moment for her parents, including dad Joe, a friend (and former fantasy football league rival).
2009: I also recall Watertown prep Leslie Brost's pole vault performance two years ago while competing for NDSU. While she also won a title in 2010, she set the record of 13'7 3/4 in 2009 in a remarkable effort. USD's Bethany Buell, who was second in 2010, has gone 13'7 this year and may spring a record jump in 2011.
Another outstanding performance came from Jasmine King who set the 100-meter mark of 11.98 in 2009 while running for Rapid City Central.
Gayville's Emma Erickson, who won two national 800-meter titles (indoor and outdoor) for USD while the Coyotes competed in Division II before moving up to DI, set a U/C women's 800-mark running unattached. Erickson, who owns the Coyote women's indoor and outdoor 800-meter records, had a clocking of 2:07.14.
2010: While many people know that George Amundson, a Aberdeen Central prep star who went to Iowa State and played in the NFL for three seasons, set the discus record with an incomparable throw of 211-4 in 1969 at the South Dakota state meet, he doesn't own the Howard Wood mark. Rather that is held by Cody Snyder, who now competes for Dave Gottsleben's Coyote men. Snyder of Andes Central had a throw of 191'6 a year ago to beat Wessington Springs standout Gary Schwartz's high school boys mark of 190-7 1/2 set in 1962.
Snyder's performance was phenomenal but Laura Roesler, who was among the greatest field of high school girls 800-meter runners ever assembled in South Dakota, captured the hearts of the Wood crowd.
Roesler, who now runs for national power Oregon, wooed the Howard Wood audience for four years and as a senior clocked a 2:05.76 in winning the girls special 800-meters. Her time was the fastest prep time nationally at that point in the season.
In fact, both Carly Paracholski of Sisler Manitoba High School (Canada), who had a second place clocking of 2:08.25 and junior Shelby Houlihan of Sioux City East with a third place time of 2:08.58 also had times better than the previous Wood record. To that point in the 2010 prep season, those times were the three fastest prep times nationally. In addition, Roesler's time is the best 800-meters ever run by either a high school or collegiate runner in South Dakota history.
For records, event schedules and other Howard Wood Dakota Relays information, go to http://www.dakotarelays.com/. I am attaching the Wood records here as well -- http://www.dakotarelays.com/records.php
We may not know how special until later but it is history in the making - a very personal and joyful kind to those who compete, their supporters and everyone else taking it all.
I sometimes look up, and stare deep into the skies and I think I can see them -- the Reinharts, Theelers, Gebharts, Callahans, Woods, Lukens, Heidenreichs, DeHavens, Flores, Pribyls, Brosts and thousands of others running, jumping and throwing.
Give it a chance tomorrow before the Howard Wood Dakota Relays kick off on Friday afternoon at Howard Wood Stadium. Use a little imagination and those performances will appear like visions of a track meet. Maybe you will see yourself and the wonderful memories that the Howard Wood Dakota Relays provided, even as time has separated you from those days of Howard Wood Relays past. Then, come back to reality and watch the wonder of the Wood as events unfold. It is a meet that will keep you captivated if not on the edge of your seat.
In full disclosure, I have never run a race on the Wood stadium track. Some might say, I haven't run on any track (I have). No, I didn't throw one of the implements, nor ventured the skies in the pole vault. I wasn't on the high jump track nor was I even a starter (leave that to Dean Mann, Rich Hansen and others past and present).
About seven years ago, I experienced the Wood for the first time and it was a privilege. I was working at the Howard Wood Dakota Relays as a press steward, someone assisting the brilliant announcers, who in this generation are Greg Merrigan and Mike Holt. I continue to work with them and people like Kevin Brady, Linda Hengeveld, Rick Brommer and others who are part of a large Wood volunteer contingent that make the meet happen.
It is a privilege to work with those professionals; kudos to Mike and Greg (and Jim Burt before them), who give voice to the great performances that have captivated crowds for 87 years.
The Howard Wood Dakota Relays of yesterday and today is one of the most organized and important athletic functions that I have been part of. Credit needs to go to past leaders, like Wally Diehl and Dean Mann and others, and now to Mark Meile, who is one of the organized and professional people around. He keeps his volunteers charged up with a personable approach and a straight-forward problem-solving approach.
The Wood, as so many of us hail it, is one of the unique and special track and field events in the Midwest.
South Dakota women's track coach Lucky Huber recently told me how he feels about the Wood Relays.
"The Howard Wood Relays is what makes track and field such a big part of the athletic culture in South Dakota," said Huber. "If you don't have the relays, track is a lot different in this state. It is one of the few times that young athletes get to compete against everybody across the state and region. You get to see a hurdler from Pukwana run against a Rapid City kid. They get to compete and that is important for everyone to see. If all these things are separate and you don't get to see these them and you don't have the energy and kids don't see how others are fired up about this sport, you will have lost something important. To be able to compete against the best in the state (or region) motivates all the athletes, who strive to be better. It is because they get to be part of that track culture at the Wood. That event is part of the track and field theater in South Dakota and is what really helps fuel the sport's interest level in South Dakota," he said.
The meet was started in 1923 by longtime SF Washington coach Howard Wood. Originally named the Dakota Relays, it was renamed the Howard Wood Dakota Relays in 1949 after Wood's death. The first track meet was held at the 10th Street Viaduct, which later became known as the first Howard Wood Field. The meet moved to the current location in 1957. The USD-Notre Dame football games of 1914 (ND 33 USD 0) and 1916 (ND 21 USD 0) were also played at that 10th street site.
Here are some moments from Wood meets past. There are so many more not listed here that maybe this blog will become a working document (adding more and more as time goes). If anybody has a Howard Wood story to relate, please email me at dangenzler@gmail.com. I am putting together a history on this meet, which will eventually be added to sdsportshistory.com.
1925: Joie Ray of Chicago, co-holder of the world record in the mile, defeated Sioux Falls native Gerald Gill of Idaho. Gill was South Dakota first' distance runner to attract attention. There were many others later including 1964 Olympic champion at the 10K Billy Mills of Pine Ridge, Olympian Buddy Edelen of Sioux Falls Washington, who once held the world record in the marathon and starred at Minnesota. There was Steve Heidenrech of Watertown, who was the Big Ten's top miler for Indiana before he was injured in a tragic hit and run accident;vMadison's Jeff Schemmel, Huron's Rod DeHaven, former SDSU standout Garry Bentley, Rapid City Stevens' Erik Grumstrup and now Tony Smoragiewicz of Rapid City Central, among others.
1938-39: The Argus Leader reported in 1986 that the Dakota Relays were held annually except in 1938-39. Next year - 2012 - will be the second break as the stadium undergoes major construction.
1952: Dennis Nelson of Hurley tossed the discus 162-6 to better the previous Wood mark by 21 feet.
1953: Joe Quintal of Mitchell was named the first honorary referee of the Howard Wood Relays.
1956: This year was noteworthy in that it was the last time the meet was held at the original Wood Field at the 10th street viaduct. Since 1957, the meet has been held at Howard Wood Stadium on Russell Street.
1959: SF Washington won four of five relays, only a disqualification in the sprint medley stopped Elmer Hansen's crew from sweeping all five relays. They won the two-mile relay in a record of 8:19.5 with Ron Jacobson, Mike Savold, Dutch Haaland, and Dick Callahan, who later played for Nebraska's football squad. The group broke a 36-year Wood record. They won the mile in 3:30 with Haaland, Savold, Callahan, and Bud Werner. Washington's 880-yard relay won in 1:32.6 with Loren Little, Bill Anderson, Jon Hays and Werner. Washington's 440 relay had a record-tying effort with Little, Anderson, Hays and Werner. Interesting that Denny Busch added to his own prep Pole vault mark by going 12-5.
Also in 1959, "Smokey" Joe Mendel became the first inductee into the Howard Wood Dakota Relays Hall of Fame. Mendel, who prepped at Onida and later starred at Yankton College, single-handedly let Onida to a state title in 1926 by winning four events.
1962: On May 5, Gary Schwartz of Wessington Springs unleashed a remarkable discus toss of 190 feet, 7 1/2 inches, breaking Denny Nelson's discus record by 28 feet. Schwartz had a throw that sent him to the top of the prep ranks nationally. After leaving Wessington Springs, he went onto lead the Kansas Jayhawks to Big Conference titles in 1965-66. Later he was the head women's track coach at Penn State where he was the NCAA DI coach of the year.
The Clear Lake Cardinals sprint medley relay team took off the longest standing record at the Wood by winning Class B in 3:45.4 with a team of Gary Veen, George Bader, John Hawley and Deane Bjerke.
1963: A couple of noteworthy happenings highlighted the Wood Relays in 1963. John Thomas of Boston, Mass., cleared 7-1 1/4 in the high jump, breaking the seven-foot mark for the 105th time in his career. During an exhibition at Howard Wood, Thomas thrilled a crowd of 4,000 by becoming the first man to go seven feet at the Wood or in South Dakota. He bettered the stadium mark of 6-9 by Ken Ashley of Willamette (Ore.) University at the 1961 NAIA meet.
1972: For the first time, girls were able to compete at the Wood Relays. A year later, the meet returned to a two-day format of earlier years. In 1977, the Wood board of directors held a fundraiser to underwrite a $40,000 private sector portion of the new all-weather track's cost. Through an all-weather benefit football game (Brandon Valley and O'Gorman), the Wood field sported the new track in 1978.
Also in 1972, Carl Hesse (Sioux City East prep) of USD, Springfield set the men's U/C shot put record at 58-6 1/2, a mark that is the oldest record in the books.
1973: Jim Reinhart of Sioux Falls Lincoln owns the all-time state mark of 4:06.30 in the 1600 meters but went 4:09.74 at the Wood. In that same Dakota Relays, Reinhart led the Lincoln boys 1600 meter sprint medley relay to a record of 3:27.44, the second longest remaining record on the books. Reinhart, who later starred at Notre Dame, also owns the state mark of 1:51.1 in the 800, although he didn't run it at Howard Wood.
1978: This was the year that my Gettysburg Battlers won (tied Platte) the Class A state title. That year the Battlers also picked up a Howard Wood Relays win in the 800-meter relay (Brad Tennant, Pat Simon, John Lomheim and David Langslet) in 1:34.2 (no record, but those are my boys). A year later, the Battlers won the 400 relay with Jeff Bohnenkamp, Pat Simon, John Lomheim and Brad Tennant and finished tied with Elkton (Erv and Ev Gebhart - starred at SDSU) and Tri Valley in the 800-meter relay. I must also mention Ron Schneider, the Battlers standout sprinter who led Gettysburg to a third place finish at the state meet in 1976. Later a standout at SDSU, Schneider tied a Wood record with a 9.9 clocking in 1976.
In that same year, the second longest field event record still on the books was made by Don Maryott of USD, who went 25'5 in the men's U/C long jump.
1979: Current Redfield track coach Yvette Greer (Albrecht) was a college friend of mine at The University of South Dakota, who also cast her star on Howard Wood. The Sioux City West standout, who won two Iowa state titles in hurdle events, won the 100 meter hurdles in 15.0, the 100 in 12.7 and anchored titles for USD's 400 and 800 relay teams.
Don't forget the sizzling performance of Armour's Dennis Tiefenthaler, who came in at 49.2.
1984: Rod DeHaven, now the SDSU head track coach, set a record in the 3,200 meter run with a 9:08.59 clocking, a mark that will be tested by Smoragiewicz, who has run 10 seconds faster than that this year. Smoragiewicz and Grumstrup are the only South Dakota runners to break nine minutes in the 3200m. Grumstrup had a 8:56.3 to set the mark in 2001 while Smoragiewicz has gone 8:57.65 this year.
Also in 1984, Jeff Gross of Augustana turned a few heads by clocking a 46.28 in the 400-meters. Gross had a better time that year clocking a 45.54 - the only 45-second 400-meter runner in South Dakota history.
1988: One of the greatest performances at the high school level occurred with Scott Benson of Rapid City Stevens in 1988 when he went 7-2 in the boys high jump. The men's college mark still hasn't surpassed that mark although Cameron Helder and Ben Jasinski of SDSU set a record of 7-0 1/2 in 2009 and Randall Carter, competing unattached, went the same height in 2010.
1997: Jill Theeler, who prepped at Mitchell High and later led NDSU to a national D2 indoor title, was one of the most popular Wood performers. Theeler, a 19-time D2 All-American for NDSU, had a record-breaking performance of 24.27 in the 200-meters in 1997. The time by Theeler, now an associate A.D. at USD, remains second best in state history.
2003: Field turf replaced the grass infield in a renovation project at the stadium which has a seating capacity of 10,000.
2004: Sam Pribyl, who was a Webster, S.D., standout before winning a national title for USD in the pole vault in 2006, did a high wire act during 2004. He set the U/C men's pole vault mark of 17'5 in winning his second Wood title. He broke the school record and the Stadium mark of two-time Olympian Derek Miles with this performance. It was also the top outdoor mark in DII at that point in the season.
2005: One of my favorite all-time South Dakota performers is Stephanie Gebhart. The Elkton, S.D., standout set numerous records in high school and college and was MVP of the 2005 B State Meet. A 21-time DII All-American at USD (most in school history), she lit up the Howard Wood crowd in 2005 by clocking a 54.08 in the 400-meters while running for the Coyotes. Also during that meet, Allen Burrell of NDSU set 100-meter (10.29) and 200-meter (20.97) marks in the men's U/C division. Without mentioning Ramsay Kavan, the former Yankton prep standout and USD All-American, would be wrong. She electrified the Wood crowd in 2005 when she broke five minutes in the 1,600 meters with a record clocking of 4:55.09.
2006: Molly Belling of Nebraska-Omaha opened some eyes by setting records in the 100-meter (11.67) and 200-meters (23.97). In that same meet, Eric Flores of Custer busted out a shot put throw of 67-4 1/2, a mark that remains at the top of the record book. Beresford's Kyle McKelsey, who has already set the state mark at 68-0 this year, could break Flores' Wood mark.
Also in 2006, Allison Eckert of Sioux Falls Roosevelt set the girls 3,200 meter run mark at 10:19.74. It was a proud moment for her parents, including dad Joe, a friend (and former fantasy football league rival).
2009: I also recall Watertown prep Leslie Brost's pole vault performance two years ago while competing for NDSU. While she also won a title in 2010, she set the record of 13'7 3/4 in 2009 in a remarkable effort. USD's Bethany Buell, who was second in 2010, has gone 13'7 this year and may spring a record jump in 2011.
Another outstanding performance came from Jasmine King who set the 100-meter mark of 11.98 in 2009 while running for Rapid City Central.
Gayville's Emma Erickson, who won two national 800-meter titles (indoor and outdoor) for USD while the Coyotes competed in Division II before moving up to DI, set a U/C women's 800-mark running unattached. Erickson, who owns the Coyote women's indoor and outdoor 800-meter records, had a clocking of 2:07.14.
2010: While many people know that George Amundson, a Aberdeen Central prep star who went to Iowa State and played in the NFL for three seasons, set the discus record with an incomparable throw of 211-4 in 1969 at the South Dakota state meet, he doesn't own the Howard Wood mark. Rather that is held by Cody Snyder, who now competes for Dave Gottsleben's Coyote men. Snyder of Andes Central had a throw of 191'6 a year ago to beat Wessington Springs standout Gary Schwartz's high school boys mark of 190-7 1/2 set in 1962.
Snyder's performance was phenomenal but Laura Roesler, who was among the greatest field of high school girls 800-meter runners ever assembled in South Dakota, captured the hearts of the Wood crowd.
Roesler, who now runs for national power Oregon, wooed the Howard Wood audience for four years and as a senior clocked a 2:05.76 in winning the girls special 800-meters. Her time was the fastest prep time nationally at that point in the season.
In fact, both Carly Paracholski of Sisler Manitoba High School (Canada), who had a second place clocking of 2:08.25 and junior Shelby Houlihan of Sioux City East with a third place time of 2:08.58 also had times better than the previous Wood record. To that point in the 2010 prep season, those times were the three fastest prep times nationally. In addition, Roesler's time is the best 800-meters ever run by either a high school or collegiate runner in South Dakota history.
For records, event schedules and other Howard Wood Dakota Relays information, go to http://www.dakotarelays.com/. I am attaching the Wood records here as well -- http://www.dakotarelays.com/records.php
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