UMN-Morris gets another splash in Star Tribune

(B.W. photo)

Another day with "adventures in anti-lock brakes." A very familiar phenomenon in Minnesota. I am writing this on Thursday morning. Oh, the little challenges of living in Minnesota like with anti-lock brakes and discovering that your mailbox is frozen shut. I took a little hot water to remedy the mailbox situation, then fixed the little door so it's not quite shut. 

Snow this time of winter can have a wet quality. It can disappear fast once the temperature goes above 32 degrees. Add in the sun and we'll get "slush city." 

How can we keep our lives interesting? Well it looks like a nice slate of UMN-Morris activities is beginning. I attended one on Tuesday: the "Mardi Gras singalong" at the dance studio in the "old Assembly of God building" a block north of the old Budig's store. Heh heh, my description is just what you'd expect from a "lifer" in Morris. 

I'm a lifer with an asterisk - my family didn't come here until I was five years old. Before that I was a "city mouse." I was baptized in the Lutheran faith at Central Lutheran Church in Minneapolis. Minneapolis! The big city of Minnesota was once thriving with all the traits of metropolitan advantages. Small town life was at the other end of the scale. It was charming in the Mayberry fashion. 

Academic people rather looked down their noses at the small towns. Morris got an influx of academic people due to UMM. UMM is why Morris is getting attention from the big city newspaper again. A friend emailed me the current article that tries to lay out what is going on with our "jewel in the crown." 

Has the jewel lost some luster? Well it would appear so, based on the previous spread on UMM in the state's flagship newspaper. Some of us refer to it as the "Strib." It's the Star Tribune of course. I have lost more interest in that paper since their re-design brought a smaller type size. My eyesight at age 71 struggles. l turned age 71 in late January. Thanks to the U of M Foundation I get birthday cards. A morale-builder. 

I have no family. Do I have friends? I may have lost the few church friends (or at least acquaintances) I had because I chose to leave First Lutheran. It is astonishing how that church fell into decline and went through one stage of decline after another. But I really did not think it would get this bad. Now thanks to credible You Tube-based research, I learn that small town Protestant churches are fading fast everywhere. 

 

Catalyst for fading 

We have dug our grave by allowing the Upper Midwest Christian church to become so closely aligned with Republican politics. With MAGA. Not sure if a reversal will ever happen. People will find substitutes for the spiritual enrichment they once sought in their denominational church buildings. 

Never thought I'd say this but the Cathlolic Church might be a bastion against what has been happening. 

Lutheranism at its inception was a departure from the strictures of Catholicism. Today I am warmed as I consider the Catholic church. The Pope is a true leader of what is good, moral and reverential. The Protestant church? The Trump-supporting ones are doing fine for now, I guess. But the ones that have tried to be progressive? Look what has happened to First Lutheran in Morris of the ELCA. The notorious ELCA that thought it was being courageous with its moves to be generous with the gay folks, to be accepting. 

First Lutheran might be headed for dissolution. Dissolution might have been better than what the church has opted for: the partnership with the Methodist folks. Methodist folks are quite fine, make no mistake. That church nationally has been riven by the gay rights wedge. Can't we all find common ground with a generous and compromising attitude? 

 

Closures quickening?

The obstinance against compromise is literally driving pastors out of their profession. They find their congregations are unwilling to accept middle ground. And so, are we willing to accept more waves of church buildings closing their doors? 

First Lutheran in Morris has issues beyond progressivism or gay rights - the building design is frankly a disaster. Split-level! Steps and stairs everywhere as if to reflect how its designers were ignorant of special needs? I guess that's how society was at an earlier time. 

Before 1970 the Lutheran church did not even allow women ministers! And I'm sure there was pushback from the conservative forces when the new policy started. Today it's like pulling teeth to even get a new pastor in the ELCA. Where would we be without women? 

 

No wiggle room, I'm afraid 

But now First Lutheran has to contemplate a future where society will insist on buildings that are handicapped and elderly accessible, totally. Not good enough to have a "handicapped entry" on the far side of the building. There's a low spot just outside the east entrance where ice forms like a "skating rink" in late winter and early spring. Well that's the time of year we are experiencing right now. Schizofrenic weather. You'll swear that  signs of spring are taking over and then. . .wham! 

Be aware of your car's anti-lock brakes. You'll skid past your intended stopping point at an intersection. Get glares from other motorists at the place. Be thankful we're in a small town with less traffic congestion. 

 

B.W. photo of UMM's humanities building

Eyes (ears) on music!

And so UMM music is set for enriching events. Jazz concert tonight (Thursday). Was supposed to be 7 p.m. but I got an email advising of change to 6:30! Man, it was a blessing I received the clarification because for me to get misled on this might arouse my temper some. I need to cool it. 

I must say with emphasis that the Mardi Gras singalong at the dance studio was 100 percent wonderful. The UMM choir director in charge. The UMM choir program is different from what it has historically been. Less formal, I guess. Less regimented. I had mixed thoughts at first about this, now I think the new program is wonderful. 

Yulene Velásquez.

The director is ideally suited for this. It is very populist in its presentation. Is that a good way to describe? This isn't Brad Miller's choir program, it isn't Ken Hodgson's, it isn't even Ralph Williams'! Guess I have some special familiarity with the latter. But I think Yulene's program is quite the inspiration. 

 

Love these students!

I have seen some common threads in my interactions with UMM students over the last few months. I witnessed a student government meeting on the night when I first met Mike Rodriguez. I have attended basketball games where fans are firmly advised on acceptable behavior. And on Tuesday I felt the Mardi Gras spirit. 

And in all of these instances, I have been struck by the new and more gentle attitude and behavior of UMM students. And I could not be more happy. Praise the Lord! My church may already be dead but I'll still say "praise the Lord." I praise the Lord of all, not the false prophet propped up by the MAGA churches of which we have some here. 

I remember past eras of UMM history in which students could be so vain and arrogant. You would expect them to be civilized, but "student government" devolved into terrible personal conflict at times. I remember grabbing issues of the campus newspaper and seeing letters to the editor by students locked in vitriol over "student government." And I'd wonder "why?" I'd ask "is student government even worth all this? Why can't the students just be made to respect the legitimate authority over the campus: the administration." 

The worst part about the past generations of UMM students was their raw arrogance over how they thought they were so intelligent - this judgment being made by the metric of "GPA." Well, that's just one indice for judging intelligence. My late friend Donnie Eich said "all a degree from UMM proves is that you can read some books and then answer some questions about it." 

Not worthless intelligence, mind you, but just one barometer. And I have always considered book publishing to be rather a scam. A book is a product that must be packaged and marketed. I'll take "Wikipedia" any day. I learned more from the Wikipedia entry for Jesus Christ than from all my Sunday school classes. Books are "padded." 

The young generation does not want to deal with dense text in what they read. And what has more dense text than the Holy Bible? Maybe this contributes to young people's alienation from religion. But really I think it's the political problem: this flawed mortal person named Donald Trump who is propped up by the so-called "evangelicals," and it doesn't matter what he does. 

 

Refreshing new outlook

My message with today's post is fundamentally positive. And I think for the first time ever, I'm able to think of UMM in an effusively positive way. 

What do I think of the new "Strib" article? Well I'm not sure this Buchanan person comes off real well. She comes off as bitter. Well like it or not, pilgrims, the local campus answers to the Twin Cities and the Twin Cities people answer to the legislature. Well, when in Rome do as the Romans do. Or, when in Morris do as the Morrisons do!

 

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com 

Ankeny reaches 1000 points as Lakers win two

The 'Waska Lakers of GBB have elevated their record to 19-5! Lots of cheers coming from Laker country to the east of us. The success comes as we're all noticing hints of spring. Just hints. I believe this is called a "false spring." We spent so much of winter in the deep freeze. 

I find the current conditions therapeutic. But look at the calendar. Mid-February! Lots of winter could be remaining. Our current mild spell will get even milder on Sunday. Don't get out your shorts yet. 

Our "false spring" coincides with the major news story of the Nancy Guthrie kidnapping. If you know yours truly, you know I get quite interested in "true crime." The apparent kidnapping is really galvanizing the true crime enthusiasts. Man, I retired last night thinking that stuff was happening that would bring a prompt resolution. There were livestreams. My partner-in-spirit "JLR" of "JLR Investigates" was on top of the story. And this morning, no resolution. 

JLR has to roll up his sleeves again. 

With this story on hold (in an excruciating way), we can turn our thoughts to  basketball. The Minnewaska girls hope to make a run at the end like last year. They were fourth in state last year. All that success, and the school district still can't pass a referendum! That's a poser I guess. I feel that Glenwood and Starbuck are a little too far apart to create the kind of unified spirit they need. 

IMHO there should be a school on the outskirts of Glenwood. But that's water quite far under the bridge. 

The lake might look beautiful as you exit the school - I noticed this last summer after "Showstoppers" - but the lake does not produce kids or votes. It just looks beautiful. My late father grew up on the shores of Lake Minnewaska. He'd be quite happy about the Minnewaska Area girls basketball team of 2026. In addition to their 19-5 mark, they are 7-0 in section, 8-3 in conference and 12-2 as road warriors. 

It looks like the Lakers might face some obstacles for repeating last year's great heights. We'll see. Most recently the Laker crew defeated Eden Valley-Watkins on Tuesday and West Central Area on Thursday. West Central Area was last year's state champion in Class A. The Knights are coached by Morris product Becca Holland. 

The Lakers have just two games left in the regular season. They play today (Saturday) vs. New London-Spicer. Then they'll play Morris on Tuesday. After that? That's when the real excitement starts! We may get a resumption of winter weather by then, sigh.

 

Lakers 73, EV-Watkins 42

The Lakers cruised with this win by the hefty margin of 30-plus. The site was Eden Valley. The dominance was asserted in the first half which ended with a 40-28 score. 

Lauryn Ankeny was once again a cog for the Lakers. She led the double figures scorers with her 19 points. Those other double figures achievers were Berlynn Green 15 and Allie Mrnak 10. Lots of Lakers got into the scoring act. So let's acknowledge Alia Randt 8, Olivia Danielson 6, Kendall Danielson 4, Jayda Kolstoe 3, Eliana Marthaler 3, Norah VanZee 3 and Carly Jergenson 2. 

Wow! Lots of Lakers showed their three-point shooting chops! Is this the best sign for the post-season? Mrnak made three long-rangers and Olivia Danielson made two. These Lakers made one each from 3-point land: Green, Randt, Kendall Danielson, Kolstoe, Marthaler and VanZee. Ankeny snared nine rebounds. She and Green each supplied three assists. And we saw Ankeny and Randt each steal the ball five times. I'm used to seeing Ankeny lead in steals! Oh, and she had a blocked shot as did Kendall Danielson.

 

Lakers 57, WCA 47

The Thursday story included Berlynn Green coming on strong with 19 points. Lauryn Ankeny scored 12 and she stole the ball three times. The success was at the home gym which the West Central Tribune says is in "Glenwood." Hmmm. 

Ankeny reached the 1000 points career milestone. 

The Lakers led the Knights 32-19 at halftime. Here's the final scoring list: Green 19, Ankeny 12, Nori Song 9, Olivia Danielson 6, Alia Randt 5, Kendall Danielson 2, Allie Mrnak 2, and Jayda Kolstoe 2. 

Green and Song each made two 3-point shots and Randt made one. Ankeny topped rebounds with seven. Olivia Danielson was tops in assists with three. Three Lakers each had three steals: Green, Ankeny and Olivia Danielson. Green and Ankeny each blocked a shot. 

Hey Laker fans, let's keep the intensity high as we head toward post-season! But tomorrow (Sunday), get out and enjoy the mild temperature!

Home of the Lakers

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com 

UMN-Morris sports continues its long odyssey

I enjoyed watching the UMM women's basketball team defeat University of Northwestern on Saturday. Score was 81-69. Cougars have 9-12 record. Maddy Grove and Grace Perry co-led in points with 24. Shelby Mortenson scored ten points and Brooke Ver Steeg eight. 

 

It took 20 years for me to realize I should attend an occasional UMM sports event as a "fan." And of course, "why not?" 

For much of my life, if I was present at all for these entertainments, it was because I was intending to do some media work. It became a tragic story when we had the goalpost incident in 2005. 2005? Man, the years have really rolled by since then. They have rolled by since my departure from the Morris paper in 2006. Yes, a few months after the goalpost incident. 

It's not as if anyone was going to sit me down and "fire" me. So often such things do not happen like that. You know what I mean by that, right? Well, I did have a career of 27 years. These days with so much idle time, I reflect on all that even though it would be in my best interests not to. 

At no point was I ever expected to cover UMM sports comprehensively or consistently. Nevertheless I delivered a pretty heavy quantity of stuff. Mostly this was pre-Internet age, pre-digital. UMM did not even have a true "sports information" department. They had guys with the title "SID" but it was in name only. I'm sure that the UMM athletic director at the time would not dispute my description. So the point is not to point fingers. The truth is just that it was "different times." 

Having any kind of real PR department was not a UMM priority for a long time. Oh, I remember a statement attributed to Provost Imholte to the effect "that's the first thing I'll cut." This would not surprise me and I'm not even intending to be critical. 

 

Woodward/Bernstein didn't do this 

My job was in communications whether you approved of my work or not. Do you realize how much time I spent each week visiting car dealers and taking photos of cars? I even did that on Wednesday afternoon when I should have spent all my time wrapping up my news department obligations for the Thursday paper. It has gotten lost in time but we put out a paper on Tuesday and Thursday. And for many years I wrote sports for the Hancock newspaper, "when Hancock had a paper," I might add. 

So many changes, eras coming and going. The Internet changed everything. And the change did not happen overnight. The reporting from UMM on sports and other things went through a "nascent" stage. Oh, remember "web 1.0?" That was the caveman painting phase. We were all excited about simple "websites" that were quite static like they were billboards. It seemed like the cat's pajamas. 

Defenders of the old print media or "legacy" media liked to point out how "not everyone is online." They would suggest grandma and grandpa. But of course it is quite assumed today that everyone uses the 'net. 

Look how sharp the sports reporting is on UMM's own website. I'm sure the growing pains with this were difficult at times. I suspect it started out with one guy expected to do all the work. Brian Curtis? I heard reports that Curtis was feeling overwhelmed by his workload. And I would add: overwhelmed too by the expectation of perfection. I dealt with that myself. To be honest, the memories that float through my mind these days have become like nightmares. 

The old Morris Sun Tribune took criticism but we still had a pretty entrenched position in the local news/sports ecosystem. Basically, I just plugged away. The UMM coach with whom I worked most closely was Perry Ford. Unforgettable guy. And I should have known it would be just a matter of time before cries would be heard about how women's basketball deserved the same attention. Which it most certainly did. But of course our space was limited in the paper. 

And we heard loud demands and complaints from the emotional high school sports constituencies. I had an internal problem to deal with at the Morris paper. This was advocacy for the Cyrus and Hancock programs. Actually Cyrus and Hancock were together for a time in sports, actually called "Cyrus-Hancock." Don't ask me in what years that was in effect. It becomes hard to remember details the older you get. I turned age 71 on Jan. 28. 

Speaking of which, now that I am attending UMM basketball as a fan, man, us older folks really have to be careful going up and down the bleachers at the P.E. Center! The Cougar Sports Center? There's no way handrails could be installed there. I have come close to losing my balance a couple times. I think a physician would say that senior citizens must exercise "situational awareness." 

 

Lean forward, stay in one piece!

I decided that when going up the bleachers, try to lean forward because falling forward would be much easier to handle than falling backward. 

UMM has had a pep band on occasion this winter. I commend the effort. Frankly it is pretty rag-tag at the present time. I can think of some past UMM music faculty who would say that a rag-tag band does not reflect well on the music department. This band does not venture to play the National Anthem. They still use a recording. 

 

A grudging gesture 

I do not have my heart in standing for the Anthem and to look at the flag. Wish I could skip it. But why bother making a protest gesture? People would get upset at me. Right now Americans are putting up with a president who puts forward the image of the Obamas as apes. We just move on as if this was a passing distraction. And there are so many other reasons to push for the impeachment of the president. We can read accounts all day that should prompt outrage. There's a flurry or fuss in the media, then the status quo returns. 

Morris is in the heart of bright red Trump country. The people are probably applauding the Obamas/apes imagery. Me? I am of no mind to even stand for the National Anthem. But I do anyway. No point in having to risk vicious insults full of foul language being directed at me. Plenty of Morris people would talk that way, even people in the supposed prestige professions. Nobody cares much. In Morris, your reputation is determined by who your friends are. 

A rural town of about 5000 population might be the perfect example of a "clique-y" community. I guess you should know what side your bread is buttered on, and I have not always followed that dictum. I guess I object to ICE. I am pro-Palestinian. What is to become of me? My saving grace, I guess, is to have contributed generously to the University of Minnesota Foundation. Is this sufficient protection? It may not be. 

 

Ashamed of churches 

I write this on a Sunday morning. Our churches will be full of the Trump supporters. This too shall pass? I can only pray. But I will not pray in a Christian church in this time of Trump, MAGA and the Obamas/apes imagery.

 

Below: Let's not forget music at our UMN-Morris!

 

 - Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com

WBB: Cougars done in by flurry of three-pointers

Good morning on this Sunday that is out of the movie "Fargo," n'est-ce pas? I mean, the bleakness of it all. I was challenged driving downtown early this morning as everything just seemed bright white. Another morning when Caribou Coffee failed to open on time. To the rescue comes Kelvin Tschetter of the Willie's crew. He had coffee available gratis at his meat department. 

Caribou at Willie's has quite the history with ups and downs. Whenever I think it is stabilized, something comes up! Considering the shortage of restaurants that cater to the middle class people in Morris - that is, if the middle class even exists anymore - Caribou would seem to be a real asset. Remember the days of the Del Monico at the site that later became Thrifty White? 

Well anyway, commenting on the weather would seem to be an apt way to start out my missive on this day which begins February. It's when the toll of winter weather seems to start weighing on us more. We can attend basketball games as perhaps the best therapy. And we are blessed in Morris to have UMN-Morris in addition to the prepsters. 

 

"Raining threes"

You've heard the expression "raining threes" in basketball? Well that's exactly what we saw Wednesday night at our P.E. Center. Unfortunately it was our opponent that was putting on the exhibition. The display helped the opponent to a 71-63 win over our Cougars. 

Several fans of Bethany Lutheran College sat in front of me and they were gleeful as they exchanged high 5's after their team's long-rangers! I had to feel happy for them, those Lutherans. It is Sunday morning but I will not be attending my family church of First Lutheran. Too discouraged about all the stuff going on. 

My, how First Lutheran of Morris has been floundering! We knew we had problems, we knew there was lethargy, but it was hard to imagine we would capitulate. We capitulated by "partnering" with another church in Morris. Oh my, a partnering with a non-Lutheran church! At least it's not a right wing blinders-wearing church. We do have several of those in and around Morris, places that fight for Donald Trump no matter what. 

Even First Lutheran Church had at least one family that was Trump-disposed: that is the Hecks, Bob and Nadine. Their "Trump" signs across the street were clearly visible for children playing at East Side Park. I had to step aside. BTW First Lutheran is paired with Federated Church which is primarily Methodist in case you're keeping score. 

When a church can no longer have Sunday morning services at its own building, it is dead. We can someday read the history of First Lutheran which was once so important and mainstream. And then the voodoo Christians started taking over like the refugees from the ELCA churches. These people coalesced out north of Morris. What a windswept godforsaken place. Do you wanna bet that no one out there has voted for a Democrat in ages? They probably even voted for the guy who said the "bad guys won World War II." That was the U.S. Senate nominee of the Republicans.

What did Good Shepherd spend on a new steeple? And what did that accomplish?

 

Can't beat the 3's

The UMM women's basketball team hosted Bethany Lutheran Wednesday. The Bethany women succeeded time and again from 3-point range. I had to feel entertained even though it was the opposition. Twelve times the refs raised their arms to signal "success" on a Bethany long-ranger. The Vikings shot 40 percent in this category. They came out of the game at 5-0 in league. 

Kaylee Hunter

The Cougars were left at 4-2 in league play. I am getting more impressed with the caliber of play in the UMAC. Bethany made twelve 3-pointers in 30 attempts. Kaylee Hunter was a leader at five of eight. Morgan Hulke made three of nine. Hunter was top scorer for her team with 19 points. 

The Cougars were buoyed once again by the play of Maddy Grove who scored 24 points. She was 11 of 20 in field goals. My favorite player Gianna Klarenbeek was second-high with 15. Gianna made two of her four 3-point shot tries. She isn't tall but she has a real nice touch in outside shooting. UMM made 27 of 60 shots. 

Shelby Mortenson topped our rebounding with eight. Grace Perry had five of our 15 assists. Mortenson had our only two blocked shots. Three Cougars each had two steals: Grove, Klarenbeek and Brooke Ver Steeg. 

On this bleak Sunday morning when I had to shovel in the driveway first, I communicated with my Bonanza Valley newspaper friend Randy Olson. I often do. I respond to two recent emails he sent me. Below is the perspective I shared with him in this time of weather travail and basketball excitement. I share UMM basketball thoughts along with (of course) some other things. I titled the email "Hello Randy on Sunday." Here it is:

 

Hello Randy, thanks for your two recent emails. These are the times that try men's souls, just crappy weather for one reason or another. Winter arrived so rapidly this year. Late fall was actually unseasonably warm. Then winter arrived with a wallop and has remained. Last night there was more new snow than I was expecting. I used the shovel to get out of my driveway. Our neighborhood is semi-rural. I'm one of those people living in a house too big for him. The Star Trib had an article on such folks recently. Moving would be too much of a hassle.

After 20 years of being away from the paper I finally started attending UMM sports events as a fan, just volleyball and basketball, mainly women's basketball. It's a little odd because if you park in the lot next to the P.E. Center, your inclination is to use the south entrance but there is no ticket counter there. It's on the opposite end. The doors are open. If you go in on the south, there is nothing keeping you from watching the whole game while standing along the concourse, which is not a bad way to watch. So far, I do buy a ticket. But then I wonder, if I walk past the admission table to go to concessions or use the restroom, I have to walk past the counter again to my seat. So do they memorize everyone who has bought a ticket? I think next time I'll ask them about this. I am considering just watching from the concourse. I pay $5 whereas the non-seniors pay $10 which I think is an awful lot.

I have revised my views of the UMAC in that I think the caliber of play is quite acceptable. If I were to attend an NSIC game, I wonder if I would really notice a superior level of play. I probably would. I can accept the UMAC at present. But the "cult" nature of some of the opponents still bothers me. The Wisconsin Synod school where everyone believes that the Pope is the antichrist! It's not like playing Moorhead State.

In about a year all colleges are coming up against the "demographic cliff." I gather this is pretty serious. I really wonder about UMM's future. I could tell them one of their main problems: get the students to just shut up about politics, or to keep their political views private or expressed through channels not connected to UMM. I have been saying this for several years, not sure anyone listens. The problems have come from both the "woke world" and the extreme political right. The right has probably been crazier.

I have been blogging more frequently lately because of being forced indoors so much by the weather. I blog a lot about basketball which is always fun and I'm veering away from politics and the national news because of a sense of futility. Like with commenting about ICE and Minneapolis - my views would just be stating the obvious and I can't change the minds of the MAGA people anyway. It's low-hanging fruit to comment on all the things involving Donald Trump. It is overwhelming. My voice would be futile.

The Morris boys basketball coaches are sometimes posting game stats on "Maxpreps." Sometimes but not always, but when they do I can provide a pretty comprehensive post about the game. Meanwhile I don't bother checking the newspaper website. I'd like to be privy to the phone complaints that the Morris paper must get. I wonder how they respond. I wonder if people get upset and stop financially supporting the paper. The website just sits there with so much potential. I have suggested that their sportswriter just "riff" about what's going on with MACA sports once or twice a week, then click to publish to the website. That would be fun for everyone. And holy cow, why does the newspaper even bother with UMM sports? UMM's website is state of the art all the way around. We could not have dreamt of this kind of service back in the Perry Ford days. And then UMM went through growing pains with its website, as I'm sure all colleges did. For a while Brian Curtis was expected to do everything. That had to give way. 

Sports is really the "front porch" of the institution. And I remember when I was young, so many people in "academics" would pooh-pooh sports, make people feel guilty for getting excited about it. Today the "academics" have really shut up. These people are gone from UMM, the pretentious types. Everyone employed there just breathes a sigh of relief that the place can stay open.

In the old days, the UMM faculty would have risen up to protest Oak Hills Christian even coming here to play basketball, just like they protested the Carthage College "Redmen" coming here. That football game was at risk for cancellation. Today we wouldn't hear a peep.

Again, thanks for your emails.

- BW