CONNECTIONS
On Saturday, February 12th, I ventured out into west central Minnesota to watch a girls high school basketball game between the Willmar Cardinals and the Moorhead Spuds. This trip is part of my yearly routine (there's a surprise..me having a routine) because the Willmar girls team is coached by my very good friend, Brad Atchison.
This year's outing to what the locals call the "The Big Red Gym" included a basketball "happy hour"..... yes, I was going to be able to watch 2 games for the price of 1......the second game of this basketball doubleheader had the Willmar boys taking on the lads from Moorhead.....it just doesn't get any better than this.....truly the perfect day for a basketball junkie like me.....
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| The Big Red Gym |
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| It's 2 for 1 today at the "Big Red Gym" |
This basketball doubleheader was of special interest to me because I had "connections" to several of the people who were involved in these games....and in case you didn't know it...... I live for "connections." This interest in finding new "connections" is based on how I define the term:
Connection - "any link or relationship that I have to a given person".
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| A link.....a relationship....that's all I need |
Using this definition my "connections" are therefore not just the people I know personally, they also include people I don't know who are in some way linked to one of my current friends (see Prattle #21). For example....if I know "Person A" and "Person A" has some sort of relationship or link to Person B, then I feel I have a "connection" to Person B even though I have never met Person B.....got it???....if not, read on and you will soon understand it (I think my Mom taught me this concept).
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| You never know where these cords may take you..... |
A real life example of my "connection concept" can be found at a 5th grade girls basketball game. If one of the 5th grade players is connected to someone I know then I thoroughly enjoy watching the game. On the flip side, if I don't have a connection to any of the players involved in the game, I consider the game unwatchable. This general "connection concept" also applies to games at any level that I may consider attending.
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| If I know #14 I'm loving it....if not, I'm heading home |
Now that you hopefully have an understanding of this concept I will now explain why this basketball doubleheader was going to break my personal one day record for "connections". As you will see on the list below the number of people who I'm connected to in these two games is off the charts.
Connection List
A. 3 referees
B. 3 head coaches
C. 5 players (had never even met 4 of these players)......
D. Atch's posse (his assistant coaches....his local friends....the Wilmar fans)
A pretty impressive list to say the least.......especially for two high school games out in Willmar, MN on a Saturday afternoon in February.
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| I love "connections" |
Of course it wasn't just some coincidence that my three buddies were in Willmar officiating these games. The idea of having these guys referee one of Atch's games was hatched many years ago on the golf course...then later finalized at an establishment that sold adult beverages. As with most things in my world this special "referee event" has become a yearly tradition in Willmar.....and oh how I love to attend traditional events....I never miss them. (see Prattle #10)......does the word predictable come to mind?
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| It all started here....at the golf course |
One might think that having your friends officiate a game you are coaching might be a conflict of interest and something you should avoid doing at all costs. The old adage of "don't do business with family or friends" probably comes to mind in this case. Fortunately my three friends are very good referees who do a great job officiating these games and there has never been any major disputes with the opposing coaches or with Atch .........(all three of these guys have been selected to officiate state tournament games so they are very good referees)....Atch keeps them on their toes with some good natured complaining during and after the games....especially on the golf course in the summer.
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| There is none of this..... |
In order to understand why I have so many "connections" to the participants in these games I feel I need to explain who these people are and how I'm linked to all of them. As the old saying goes...."a person needs a program just to follow along with this story"......so grab a program and follow along..........
CONNECTIONS PROGRAM
Brad Atchison - Head coach of the Willmar girls.........teacher and coach for 34 years.....currently teaching and coaching in Willmar.....has taken three different schools (Midwest Minnesota, MACCRAY, and Willmar) in 5 different years to the girls state basketball tournament.....his 1986 Midwest Minnesota team (Clara City, MN) won the Class A State championship. ...inducted into the Minnesota Girls Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame in 2002....# 4 on Minnesota's all time list of career coaching victories in girls high school basketball history....career record of 563-221 entering this season.....this year's record 11-7.
Connection - basketball teammate at Concordia - 1972-76.....close friends ever since.....charter member of the annual Ivy Open Golf outing that was started 25 years ago by my Concordia buddies....never misses this annual event.....called "Atch" and/or "Face" by his close friends.
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| ATCH / FACE |
Darrell Olson - Referee #1 ...teaching and coaching for 34 years....currently living in Maple Grove, MN and working in the Osseo-Maple Grove School District as a technology guru of sorts...high school basketball official for many years....has officiated in several Minnesota State High School Basketball tournaments...
Connection - became friends at Concordia 1972-76.....close friends ever since..... another charter member of the annual Ivy Open Golf outing.....never misses the event....called "Oly" by his close friends.
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| OLY |
Craig Samuelson - Referee #2 .....former teacher and coach....now works in the banking industry....lives in Barnesville, MN and works in Fargo, ND.....high school basketball official for many years....has officiated in several Minnesota State High School Basketball tournaments...
Connection - another Concordia friend.......met via Oly and Atch.....long time friend ever since......a regular at the annual Ivy Open Golf outing.....called "Sammy" by his close friends.
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| SAMMY |
Perry Reinertson - Referee #3......teacher / technology guru ....lives in Fergus Falls, MN and works in the Breckenridge, MN school district...high school basketball official for many years....has officiated in several Minnesota State High School Basketball tournaments...
Connection - met via Sammy many years ago.....long time friend ever since......another regular at the annual Ivy Open Golf outing.....called "Rhino" by his close friends.
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| RHINO |
Lindsey Atchison - Player on the Willmar girls team ...(the only player I had ever met).
Connection - daughter of my friends Brad and LeAnn Atchsion (sat with LeAnn at the game)....granddaughter of Dean and Mary Atchison (long time friends of mine via Atch.....pillars of the Moorhead community...big Concordia fans when I played basketball there).
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| LINDSEY |
Maggie Gulsvig - Player on the Moorhead girls team
Connection - daughter of Chuck Gulsvig who is a friend from Concordia... (he was at the game in Willmar)......granddaughter of the legendary Concordia basketball coach, Sonny Gulsvig (my coach at Concordia 1972-76)....played basketball with her uncle Kris Gulsvig at Concordia....
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| MAGGIE |
Katie Rosenfeldt - Player on the Moorhead girls team
Connection: daughter of Dan and Julie (Seljevold) Rosenfeldt who are friends of mine from Concordia 1972-76....(both were at the game in Willmar)....Julie was a cheerleader for the Concordia basketball team when I played there...granddaughter of Moorhead icon, Phil Seljevold (pillar of the community....Moorhead High School AD.....big Concordia supporter and fan when I played basketball there).
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| KATIE |
Jim Kapitan - Head coach of the Moorhead girls team
Connection - Jim played basketball at Moorhead State at the same time I played at Concordia 1972-76....bitter rivals at the time......my junior year I had a violent collision with him that knocked me out of the game.....may have had a concussion long before it became fashionable like it is today.
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| OUCH!! |
Steve Grove - Head coach of the Willmar boys team
Connection - Concordia graduate (different era - younger than me)...... keep in mind that the Cobber bond is still present no matter what year you graduated.....Cobbers of all ages are permanently linked together forever.....met via my buddy Atch.....socialized with him and Atch during my many visits to Willmar over the years....called "Grover" by his close friends.
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| The Cobber bond transcends time and space |
Aaron Lien - Player on the Moorhead boys team
Connection - his Dad was a friend of mine from my teaching and coaching days in Twin Valley, MN 1976-81.....his grandparents were also friends of mine in Twin Valley.....one of his uncles played basketball for me at Twin Valley in 1977....his aunt was a cheerleader at Twin Valley when I coached there....another one of his uncles was in my social studies class.
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| Aaron |
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| My 1977 Twin Valley Tigers - #12 is Aaron's uncle |
Matt Ellingson - Player on the Moorhead boys team
Connection - his Dad was a friend of mine at Concordia - 1972-76......his uncle was on the Glencoe team that my Twin Valley team played against at the State Basketball Tournament in 1977....this uncle now goes to the same church as I do in Maple Grove and I see him every Sunday....(both Dad and uncle were at this game in Willmar).....a very tangled web of connections...
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Atch's Posse - his assistant coaches, his friends and the Willmar fans
Connection - met all of these people through Atch during my many visits to Willmar... became good friends with all of them...(all were at the game......sat with many of them....they all attended the post game party).
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| Atch's Posse |
"The Big Red Gym" Highlights
Game Summaries
Girls Game: Willmar 65 - Moorhead 49....close game for a half...Willmar pulls away in the second half and coasts to victory...easy game for the officials....Atch gives the officials some good mock anger on a few calls.....no crucial calls to make in crunch time.....all is well with the friendships for another year.
Boys Game: Moorhead 57 - Willmar 54.....Willmar jumps off to an early lead and holds it for most of the game.....Moorhead makes a furious comeback and takes the lead late in the game....back and forth from there until the end....a real nail biter.....tense game for my buddies officiating the game......tough calls to make down the stretch....I think they got them right...(hey, they are state tournament officials, they have to be right).
Best Perk
Atch provided me with front row seats at mid court....better than Jack Nicholson's seats at Lakers games.....great place to ride the officials......
Best Moment
Watching the granddaughters of two Moorhead icons guard each other - Lindsey Atchison (Big Dean Atchison) and Maggie Gulsvig (Sonny Gulsvig).
Most Entertaining Moments
Atch yelling at the officials in mock anger during the game.
Security Measures
Oly wanted to avoid a police escort out of the gym after the game so he brought his two sons, Erik and Peder, to serve as his personal body guards....he escaped the gym without incident...(who would punch a guy who has his two kids with him?).
Top Heckler
A Willmar fan during the girls game....just to my right in the front row....equal opportunity heckler....yelled at all three of my buddies.....he picked up on the fact that I knew the referees so he would often times direct some of his complaints towards me....like I needed that abuse....I just want to be liked by everyone....this is the main reason why I could never be a referee....every call you make 50% of the people in gym disagree with you....my fragile personality could never handle it.
Best Drama
Final minutes of the boys game....big baskets....big misses........big calls to make by the officials....Willmar misses a 3 pointer at the buzzer that would have tied the score......
Most Tense Moment
Last minute of the game with Willmar down 2 points.....Grover, the Willmar coach, was not a happy camper.....he strongly voiced his opinion about a "no call" to my guys during a time out...little uncomfortable moment for me as I sat amongst the Willmar fans......one of those calls that could go either way.....I say they got it right....Grover was fine after the game...no bad blood...
Referee Evaluations
In order to have some laughs at the post game party I evaluated the work done by the referees (see below). This information also included the number of times they each blew their whistle. (yes, I really did keep track of these numbers).
Whistle Stats - Girls Game
- Sammy - 27 whistles - 9 fouls, 12 out of bounds, 2 travels, 3 time outs, 1 jump ball
- Oly - 22 whistles - 10 fouls, 7 out of bounds, 1 travel, 4 time outs
- Rhino - 18 whistles - 8 fouls, 6 out of bounds, 3 travels, 1 jump ball
Whistle Stats - Boys Game
Oly - 20 whistles - 11 fouls, 1 out of bounds, 1 travel, 5 time outs, 2 jump balls
Sammy - 17 whistles - 10 fouls, 3 out of bounds, 1 travel, 2 time outs, 1 jump ball
Rhino - 14 whistles - 6 fouls, 3 out of bounds, 1 travel, 4 time outs
Awards
The "Whistle Happy" Trophy - Sammy - Most Whistles (34)
The "Look at Me" Trophy - Oly - Most Fouls Called (21)
The "Let 'em Play" Trophy - Rhino - Least Fouls Called (14)
The "Suitcase" Trophy - Rhino - Most Traveling Violations Called (4)
Last Whistle
Oly (get the wallet out).
Strong point of each referee
Sammy - Runs like butter
Oly - Excellent mechanics
Rhino - High intensity
Shiniest Shoes
Sammy
Shiniest Head
Sammy
Best hitch in his giddy up
Oly
Yelled at the most by the fans
3 way tie
Most Controversial Play
No foul was called as a Willmar boy drove to the basket during the last minute of the game with Willmar down 2 points.....clean block?....body?....contact?.....(I'm so happy that I'm not a referee).
Overall Grade
A- (always need to leave a little room for improvement)
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Post Game Party
Golf Course restaurant and bar.....Atch's posse was in attendance....the post game party was huge success and a fine time was had by all.
At the party I presented Atch with a framed picture that I took last year......it showed the scroreboard clock at Williams Arena stopped at 11:11 with Atch's Willmar Cardinals leading Benilde by a score of 9-6 in last year's girl's state basketball tournament......my group of friends are fascinated by the time of 11:11...it all started in college and has lived on throughout the years (too hard to explain why).....my group of friends are all planning to take the day off and be together later this year when the magical date arrives in November.....11-11-11.......we are now in search of a building in the metro area that has an address of 1111 so we can all be there together at exactly 11:11 am on that very historical day in November.
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| 11:11 |
Photo Gallery - A day at the "Big Red Gym"
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| Remember....people are here to watch us.....not the players |
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| Don't forget....the last guy to blow his whistle buys dinner |
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| Sammy....what the heck is going on out there? |
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| Oly, what kind of a call was that? |
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| Sorry Atch, I think I missed a travel there |
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| Tell your Dad I plan on taking his money this summer on the golf course |
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| How many calls do you think we've missed so far? |
Moral of the story.......Don't leave home without a trunk full of these......
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