After the NRHEG School Board meeting in April concluded, a special committee meeting was held. The purpose was to be “pro-active” rather than “re-active.” This was in reference to the NRHEG girls’ basketball team hopefully being in the 2014 Minnesota State Basketball Tournament.
It was understood by all present how the 2013 girls put NRHEG on the map by winning the 2013 Minnesota Girls’ Basketball Tournament. If the girls do their part and get to the 2014 State Tourney, the fans must also do their part in keeping NRHEG on the map.
With the girls and the NRHEG fans all doing their part, “Carpe Diem” will be the buzzword in March of 2014.
The following are some of the “NRHEG Country” suggested items and who will be responsible to carry them out:
The NRHEG School Board will be head of the committee.
There will be a billboard as soon as possible on the main street leading into each town in the NRHEG school district. The billboard message will be “Welcome to NRHEG Country.” The CEO of each town bank will be responsible for paying for the billboards.
The Star Eagle Newspaper will change the person-recognition to “Fan in the Stand” during the basketball season. Jim Lutgens will do this.
Bobblehead dolls of each member of the team will be available for sale at the beginning of the girls’ basketball season. The cheerleaders will handle this.
The New Richland Lions Club will host a benefit with matching funds in January. The Ellendale Lions Club will host one in February. (The funds will be used to help defray the team costs.)
There will be no school the days of the girls’ tourney – the school board will make this possible.
There will be no church service the days of the girls tourney – each church will take care of this. The girls will attend the church of their choice the Sunday after the championship game. Coach John Schultz will get this done.
A former mayor of each NRHEG school town will be in charge of the fan buses to the games. The City Councils will make this a city resolution.
Signs for the fans to hold up during the game will be furnished. Ginger Thompson of Ellendale will supervise the making of the signs.
A media disc will be distributed answering the question “Who is NRHEG?” Students plus faculty will do this.
A qualified medical person, plus two good sized male RN trainees, will be at each NRHEG tourney game to handle any fan medical emergencies. Physicians Assistant Judy Sibilrud of Hartland will cover this.
“Praise Him” group from Ellendale will be leading in the singing of the National Anthem before the first game, the Ebnet Family of New Richland the second game, and the local Ecumenical Choir the third game. At the beginning of the fourth quarter, “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” will be sung using “One, two, three, four, five fouls and you’re out.”
The quartet of Warren Torgerson, Whitey Hagen, Elmer Vanden Heuvel and Sharon Sorenson of Geneva will lead in singing at the first game. The quartet of Jim Johnson, Andy Lerberg, Roger Swearingen and Arlen Brekke of Ellendale will lead singing at the second game. The quartet plus one of Jim Hendrickson, Virgil Thofson, Jim Olson and Randy Tuchtenhagen, with Al Batt of Hartland being the plus-one, will lead singing at the third game.
Just as NRHEG made the last shot of the game to win by one point, my mind got a bit fuzzy as to what was happening. I heard Genie say, “You’ve got about ten more May Baskets to make.”
Do you suppose my dream will come true? As Genie likes to say, “We’ll see.”
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Bob is a retired AAL (Aid Association for Lutherans) agent, currently working on his master’s degree in Volunteering. His wife, Genie, is a retired RN, currently working on her doctor’s degree in Volunteering. They have two children, Deb in North Carolina, and Dan in Vermont. Bob says if you enjoy his column, let him know. If you don’t enjoy it, keep on reading, it can get worse. Words of wisdom: There is always room for God.