Wayne Nelson
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Thanks to Mother Nature, the baseball season in Grand Forks can be short. However, a proposal to install Field Turf at Kraft Field could help lengthen the season. Tonight, the Grand Forks Park Board will receive a Field Turf proposal for Kraft Field -- one that is expected to help UND, Grand Forks high school, American Legion and youth baseball -- and perhaps other spring athletic programs that struggled with poor weather this spring. The board is not expected to take any action on the $900,000 proposal for the artificial surface, which would cover the infield and outfield at Kraft. "For
Usually, Mark Dobmeier capitalizes on restarts to move his No. 13 sprint car to the front. But there were no restarts Friday night during the 25-lap Outlaw sprint feature at River Cities Speedway. In a feature that took approximately 10 minutes to complete, Dobmeier aggressively moved his way to the front from his the No. 10 starting position to win yet another night of racing at RCS. This time, Dobmeier had his hands full with Casey Mack, who led the first 20 laps.
The UND soccer team spent a lot of time on the road last season -- its first as a Division I program. That travel, it seems, has paid off. UND's 2009 schedule will include seven home matches, including one against Missouri Valley Conference member Northern Iowa on Aug. 28. "We had to be on the road a lot last year in order to get return matches," UND coach Kristen Gay said. UND released its 2009 schedule Friday. The Sioux will play seven home matches and also will compete in the Great West Conference during the league's initial season. The Great West tournament is set for Nov.
The UND volleyball team will enter its second Division I season in August when the Sioux will play in a two-day tournament at Indiana State. In reality, however, it will be UND's first real taste of a true Division I schedule. The Sioux, who released their 2009 schedule Thursday, will play 26 matches, 25 against Division I competition. UND finished 24-8 last season, playing a schedule that included only four established Division I programs. "It's a tough schedule," first-year UND coach Ashley Hardee said.
When Bob Martin pulled into Victory Lane last week at the Dakota State Fair Speedway in Huron, S.D., the East Grand Forks sprint driver knew a trophy was waiting for him. He may have been surprised by the trophy's size, however.
Mark Dobmeier has won more than his share of races at River Cities Speedway. The Grand Forks driver usually wins the hard way -- coming from the middle or back of the pack to pick up the checkered flag. He won again Friday night during the RCS season opener. This time, however, the driver of the No. 13 car started on the pole of the 25-lap Outlaw sprint feature. But that didn't guarantee an easy run for Dobmeier. His latest win may have been one of his most difficult. "I don't even remember the last time I started on the pole here," Dobmeier said. "It was still tough out there.
Now in his 29th season of racing a sprint car, Lou Kennedy Jr. is anxious to try new things. "I'd like to go to places we've never raced before," Kennedy said. "And we're going to run against some tougher competition." Kennedy has done just that, racing in Florida, Nebraska and Wisconsin in addition to one show last week in Minot. So far, Kennedy has shown that he's not slowing down with age. He's as fast as he's been, evidenced by two feature wins in nine nights of racing this season. He's hoping for win No.
A year ago, Grand Forks Red River girls tennis coach Tim Wynne had confidence in his young players. Those players came through under pressure -- delivering another state tennis title for the Roughriders. Those Red River players are now a year older, but they're still young by high school standards.
UND won't have any athletic events until the end of August when it begins its second Division I season. But it's never too early to start promoting next season's UND athletic programs. With that, UND will host the Ultimate Fan Experience on May 30 in Bismarck. The event, scheduled for the Bismarck Civic Center, will feature 10 UND athletes from Sioux football, volleyball, men's basketball, women's basketball and men's hockey teams.
When UND first announced its decision to compete at the Division I level, the school -- predictably -- had to deal with critics who said the move would be too costly, Sioux athletic teams would be at a competitive disadvantage that would take years to overcome, scheduling would be a hassle and fans would not embrace a new era of athletics. After UND's first Division I season, the jury is still out.