Short week. Not much to report. .
Three stars of the week:
- Polson golfer Talia Arlint took first place in Libby
-Arlee football’s offense: the Warriors won 71-18
-Cole Rice: the Warrior scored five touchdowns in Arlee’s win
Upcoming attractions:
-Polson football: the Pirates take on Libby on Friday in their homecoming game
-Ronan football: Columbia Falls visits the Chiefs for Ronan’s homecoming game
-Arlee volleyball’s Spike-It tournament: the Scarlets host a tournament that will include Charlo and Two Eagle River
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Deal with it
As the sports season started, the mileage I cover in a week has increased. Thursday, Friday and Saturdays are the heaviest days. I don’t mind driving. I hook my ipod up and go. On the way to the games, the drive isn’t bad. The sun is setting, making it easier to see the road signs so I don’t get lost. The traffic flow is good as most of the drivers are on their way home after a day of work.
The problems start to arise on the way home.
It’s dark so I can’t really see street signs. Thankfully, I usually just need to find my way back to highway 93 and that will bring me where I need to go.
Since it is nighttime, the speed limit goes from 70 to 65. Not many people follow this suggestion and I don’t want to be the one that holds everyone back on the one-lane highway, so I keep with the flow. But when I’m going 80, at night, down a hill, I usually put my foot on the brake and slow to 70. It seems reasonable, right?
Tell that to the people that tailgate. Just because I’m in a small car doesn’t mean your big truck can just push my bumper faster. To make matters worse, your headlights are at the perfect height of my rearview mirror blinding me, making that two inches of space between my trunk and your front bumper life or death for both of us. If getting to your destination two seconds faster is that important, you should have left earlier. Not to say I’m always on time, but I can’t make someone drive faster. Either pass me and give me a dirty look as you go by or deal with the speed I’m going.
Three highlights of the week:
-Arlee volleyball player Cassandra Kline: Her aces against Mission in the fifth set under pressure last Thursday were clutch.
-Polson soccer striker Sean Hart: He scored a hat trick in 12 minutes to lead the Pirates to a win.
-Charlo football team: When you score 156 points in your first two games, is it a challenge?
Upcoming attractions:
-Rivals Polson and Ronan volleyball teams face off tonight in Ronan. This is the first time the two teams meet this season.
-After last week’s intense game against Mission, the Arlee volleyball team faces Charlo.
-Mission football vs. Deer Lodge. Homecoming celebration.
This week is Mission’s homecoming. I’m curious how it is treated around here. Back home, it is a lot of fun but the town I was in wasn’t too into it. They supported us and everything, but it wasn’t that big of a deal.
The problems start to arise on the way home.
It’s dark so I can’t really see street signs. Thankfully, I usually just need to find my way back to highway 93 and that will bring me where I need to go.
Since it is nighttime, the speed limit goes from 70 to 65. Not many people follow this suggestion and I don’t want to be the one that holds everyone back on the one-lane highway, so I keep with the flow. But when I’m going 80, at night, down a hill, I usually put my foot on the brake and slow to 70. It seems reasonable, right?
Tell that to the people that tailgate. Just because I’m in a small car doesn’t mean your big truck can just push my bumper faster. To make matters worse, your headlights are at the perfect height of my rearview mirror blinding me, making that two inches of space between my trunk and your front bumper life or death for both of us. If getting to your destination two seconds faster is that important, you should have left earlier. Not to say I’m always on time, but I can’t make someone drive faster. Either pass me and give me a dirty look as you go by or deal with the speed I’m going.
Three highlights of the week:
-Arlee volleyball player Cassandra Kline: Her aces against Mission in the fifth set under pressure last Thursday were clutch.
-Polson soccer striker Sean Hart: He scored a hat trick in 12 minutes to lead the Pirates to a win.
-Charlo football team: When you score 156 points in your first two games, is it a challenge?
Upcoming attractions:
-Rivals Polson and Ronan volleyball teams face off tonight in Ronan. This is the first time the two teams meet this season.
-After last week’s intense game against Mission, the Arlee volleyball team faces Charlo.
-Mission football vs. Deer Lodge. Homecoming celebration.
This week is Mission’s homecoming. I’m curious how it is treated around here. Back home, it is a lot of fun but the town I was in wasn’t too into it. They supported us and everything, but it wasn’t that big of a deal.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Cheering section
Last night, I traveled to Arlee for the Arlee/Mission volleyball game. I didn’t know what I was in for.
Arlee AD Jim Taylor told me before the game that the two schools were big rivals in volleyball.
I didn’t realize how big.
The games were exciting and had long rallies but I was entertained by the Arlee cheering section that was made up of 50 boys, mostly football players. As the Mission vb team was announced, they all held up newspapers as a form of insult.
Nice gesture. I’ve done it at the Minnesota State High School Hockey tournament with a hundred other students, but no matter the crowd size, it’s still funny to see.
The Arlee cheering section was loud before, during and after the game. It was hard to hear anything anyone near me was saying. It was great. The gym was loud and the atmosphere was intense. I’ve never seen such crowd support at a volleyball game. All five games I have attended.
Every dig was followed with “Can you diiigggg it?” and they even knew the Arlee team’s cheer for an ace.
However, they did have competition.
Five Mission JV volleyball members were decked out in blue and white and had signs. My personal favorite was “Warning: Bulldogs can’t be held responsible for lost or damaged pride.”
The game went for five intense sets and after Arlee pulled off the win, the cheering section got down on their hands and knees, banged the floor and bowed down to the Arlee volleyball players as they headed for their locker room.
Talk about school pride.
Arlee AD Jim Taylor told me before the game that the two schools were big rivals in volleyball.
I didn’t realize how big.
The games were exciting and had long rallies but I was entertained by the Arlee cheering section that was made up of 50 boys, mostly football players. As the Mission vb team was announced, they all held up newspapers as a form of insult.
Nice gesture. I’ve done it at the Minnesota State High School Hockey tournament with a hundred other students, but no matter the crowd size, it’s still funny to see.
The Arlee cheering section was loud before, during and after the game. It was hard to hear anything anyone near me was saying. It was great. The gym was loud and the atmosphere was intense. I’ve never seen such crowd support at a volleyball game. All five games I have attended.
Every dig was followed with “Can you diiigggg it?” and they even knew the Arlee team’s cheer for an ace.
However, they did have competition.
Five Mission JV volleyball members were decked out in blue and white and had signs. My personal favorite was “Warning: Bulldogs can’t be held responsible for lost or damaged pride.”
The game went for five intense sets and after Arlee pulled off the win, the cheering section got down on their hands and knees, banged the floor and bowed down to the Arlee volleyball players as they headed for their locker room.
Talk about school pride.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Animals around here
So, the last week has been pretty hectic.
I underestimated how many games happen in one week. I have been to more sporting events than I can count. Friday night was particularly busy. I went to Two Eagle River for volleyball, Charlo for football and Arlee for football.
Two Eagle was easy to find before I headed to Charlo. Last time I was at Charlo, I was taking pictures of the football field for a feature. When I was there, a nice golden-colored dog followed me around. I figured it was someone’s dog as the football team was practicing and some people were working on the field. As I went to leave, the dog followed me to my car and sat outside my driver’s door as I started my vehicle. I backed out and the dog followed. I pulled out of the parking lot and the dog followed. I thought maybe it would give up if I upped the speed.
I was wrong.
I got up to 20mph and the dog was sprinting along with my car. Tounge out, wind in the face, legs sprinting. I didn’t want to hit the dog so I slowed down. It might look bad if I hit it. Plus I might have to explain to a small child why Comet went to doggie heaven and I would feel terrible.
At this point we are a mile from the field and I came to realize that this dog might not have an owner and I had to ditch it if I wanted to make it back to Polson. As I was plotting my next move in this chess game, the dog made it’s move. It sped up and started to run in front of my car.
Touche, dog, touche.
Eventually, the dog sped up its speed and I make a quick right turn, increased my speed and left the dog in Charlo. I’m waiting for the dog to use its sense of smell and show up in my backyard. My dad got a huge kick out of the story. Probably because I called him after I made my escape and was panicking.
Back to sports.
The Charlo game was impressive.
Theme of the game: Vikings get ball. Vikings score.
However, I didn’t factor in the other game that was going on. Mosquitos vs. Me.
The whole two months I have been in Montana, I haven’t seen a mosquito. Aimme has been bitten multiple times but the little pests have stayed away from me. Must be the Minnesotan blood.
But at the game, I have never been bit so many times in such a short period of time.
I left after the first quarter when the scores from both games were 46-0 in order to make the trek to Arlee.
I made it to Arlee without getting lost this time and could barely find a spot to park. The place was close to packed.
I’m glad I showed up when I did. It was a great second half, with Arlee winning.
The next morning, I ventured to the Ronan cross country meet. On my way there, three dogs chased my car. At different times. I’m starting to think either the dogs around here are nuts or my car smells like bacon.
Three highlights of the week:
-Charlo qb Chico Stipe scored 4 touchdowns for 24 points, the same amount Charlo’s defense scored in the Vikings 93-6 win on Friday
-Arlee’s defense stopping Granite at the six-yard line
-Ronan runner Justin Dusty Bull finishing the three-mile course in a little over 18 minutes
Upcoming
This week is busier but a majority of the teams are away.
Must-sees:
-Polson boys and girls soccer at home on Friday and Saturday
-Arlee vb against Mission, in Arlee, on Thursday night
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Isn’t tweeting what a bird does?
There are a lot of people on twitter.
Personally, I’m not but I represent the Leader’s large sports staff on the popular site. A lot of celebrities and athletes are and use their tweets as a way to give their fans some insight into the workings of their mind or to sound off on the latest controversy.
Now, the NFL has limited the use of twitter by coaches, players and football operations personnel.
Shouldn’t athletes be worried about the game or, at least, more focused? They get paid a lot of money to win said game. The limits seem unnecessary but I guess some athletes just can’t wait to share their thoughts.
Personally, I’m not but I represent the Leader’s large sports staff on the popular site. A lot of celebrities and athletes are and use their tweets as a way to give their fans some insight into the workings of their mind or to sound off on the latest controversy.
Now, the NFL has limited the use of twitter by coaches, players and football operations personnel.
League policy allows for the use of social media or networking sites (including Twitter and Facebook) by players, coaches and football operations personnel up to 90 minutes before kickoff and after the game following media interviews," the policy reads.
Shouldn’t athletes be worried about the game or, at least, more focused? They get paid a lot of money to win said game. The limits seem unnecessary but I guess some athletes just can’t wait to share their thoughts.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Gearing up
High school sports started one week ago. Before that, my story ideas consisted of a local 3-on-3 tournament, a rodeo and any other sports-related activity that would pop up.
Now, 24 teams from seven schools will be a main focus. That’s not to say I won’t cover other sporting events.
Last Friday night, I traveled down to Arlee for the Red/White Fight night. I was unable to make it to the volleyball scrimmage, but showed up for the football scrimmage. So many people showed up to watch the team scrimmage. That was really neat to see. The stands were almost full. The coolest thing was that after the game, the players stood in a line and the fans were able to go down the line and shake each players hand.
This Friday, I will be traveling to Arlee again for football. When I went to Arlee last time, I printed off a map from Mapquest even though many people told me that “you can’t miss Arlee.”
Well, I missed Arlee.
I was driving down 93 and it had been about 55 minutes since I had left Polson. I was looking for signs or anything that would tell me I was in Arlee or near it. The only sign I saw was for Missoula County. I missed Arlee. This reaffirmed the fact that I get lost no matter what. The map I had didn’t help. At all. I need a GPS.
For the week, we have 16 teams in action. Aimee has the Polson and Ronan golf teams on lock and Sasha has Ronan and Polson football and Polson boys and girls soccer teams to follow.
Now, 24 teams from seven schools will be a main focus. That’s not to say I won’t cover other sporting events.
Last Friday night, I traveled down to Arlee for the Red/White Fight night. I was unable to make it to the volleyball scrimmage, but showed up for the football scrimmage. So many people showed up to watch the team scrimmage. That was really neat to see. The stands were almost full. The coolest thing was that after the game, the players stood in a line and the fans were able to go down the line and shake each players hand.
This Friday, I will be traveling to Arlee again for football. When I went to Arlee last time, I printed off a map from Mapquest even though many people told me that “you can’t miss Arlee.”
Well, I missed Arlee.
I was driving down 93 and it had been about 55 minutes since I had left Polson. I was looking for signs or anything that would tell me I was in Arlee or near it. The only sign I saw was for Missoula County. I missed Arlee. This reaffirmed the fact that I get lost no matter what. The map I had didn’t help. At all. I need a GPS.
For the week, we have 16 teams in action. Aimee has the Polson and Ronan golf teams on lock and Sasha has Ronan and Polson football and Polson boys and girls soccer teams to follow.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Tip-off
When our editor asked the editorial staff if they wanted to blog, my first reaction was apprehension.
In journalism, professors tell you to take your opinion and throw it out the window. You aren’t supposed to write with a bias. That might be why blogs are tough for me to write.
This blog is going to start with the purpose of bringing to light national and local sports happenings and I’ll add my two cents. My train of thought is pretty scattered and rambling is what I do best.
I also want to include the interesting things that happen to me, since I’m not from Montana, let alone the Northwest. I hail from Minnesota. Yes, I have a little bit of an accent according to others. Dontcha know. I don’t notice it.
'On the bleachers' means, to me, all the things I observe from the stands. The trip to the game, the people sitting behind me and what is happening on the field are all things I hope to include.
I graduated in May 2009 and after many failed attempts at finding a job, I was offered one from the Lake County Leader as the sports editor. I accepted and ten days later, I was packing my car and driving to Polson, Montana.
Previous to this move, I had never lived outside of Minnesota. I grew up in Inver Grove Heights, straight suburbia is what I call it. For college, I traveled 25 minutes north to the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. Needless to say, living in Montana has been a big stretch. There are some similarities between the two states, but many more differences.
The one constant is sports.
I grew up in a very athletic family. My dad is a wealth of sports knowledge and is successful in any sport he participates in. He played softball and hockey when I was younger and continues to dominate my brother in drive-way basketball. My mom held her own back in her day. With three younger brothers, she is well versed in winning and competition. She was a champion in table tennis (and corrects anyone that calls it ping pong). My brother is an athlete in all definitions of the word. Hockey and baseball are his arenas and he will play baseball in college. I’m sure he will make frequent mentions in this blog. As for me, I was a three-sport athlete in high school. Cross country, hockey and track kept me busy. I also played park-and-rec softball in the summer.
That is why I picked sports journalism as my niche. I understand most aspects of the genre. The only one I don’t have experience in is the business side of things. General managers, owners and front office politics are where I get tripped up.
I’ve played, coached and cheered my way through more teams than I can count.
Hockey is my forte but I enjoy almost all forms of competition.
Feel free to leave comments, whether you love what I wrote or disagree. Let me know if you think I have overlooked an issue or have a great youTube video or article you want to share.
In journalism, professors tell you to take your opinion and throw it out the window. You aren’t supposed to write with a bias. That might be why blogs are tough for me to write.
This blog is going to start with the purpose of bringing to light national and local sports happenings and I’ll add my two cents. My train of thought is pretty scattered and rambling is what I do best.
I also want to include the interesting things that happen to me, since I’m not from Montana, let alone the Northwest. I hail from Minnesota. Yes, I have a little bit of an accent according to others. Dontcha know. I don’t notice it.
'On the bleachers' means, to me, all the things I observe from the stands. The trip to the game, the people sitting behind me and what is happening on the field are all things I hope to include.
I graduated in May 2009 and after many failed attempts at finding a job, I was offered one from the Lake County Leader as the sports editor. I accepted and ten days later, I was packing my car and driving to Polson, Montana.
Previous to this move, I had never lived outside of Minnesota. I grew up in Inver Grove Heights, straight suburbia is what I call it. For college, I traveled 25 minutes north to the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. Needless to say, living in Montana has been a big stretch. There are some similarities between the two states, but many more differences.
The one constant is sports.
I grew up in a very athletic family. My dad is a wealth of sports knowledge and is successful in any sport he participates in. He played softball and hockey when I was younger and continues to dominate my brother in drive-way basketball. My mom held her own back in her day. With three younger brothers, she is well versed in winning and competition. She was a champion in table tennis (and corrects anyone that calls it ping pong). My brother is an athlete in all definitions of the word. Hockey and baseball are his arenas and he will play baseball in college. I’m sure he will make frequent mentions in this blog. As for me, I was a three-sport athlete in high school. Cross country, hockey and track kept me busy. I also played park-and-rec softball in the summer.
That is why I picked sports journalism as my niche. I understand most aspects of the genre. The only one I don’t have experience in is the business side of things. General managers, owners and front office politics are where I get tripped up.
I’ve played, coached and cheered my way through more teams than I can count.
Hockey is my forte but I enjoy almost all forms of competition.
Feel free to leave comments, whether you love what I wrote or disagree. Let me know if you think I have overlooked an issue or have a great youTube video or article you want to share.
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