Sports Posts

Video Archive: Vikings vs. Eagles in 1978

From Metropolitan Stadium, Dec. 3, 1978. It’s the tail-end of the Purple People Eater years, and many of the Vikings’ top stars are starting to show their age. Nonetheless, the home team comes into this game 7-5-1, with a shot at the playoffs. We’ll save the spoiler remarks until after the jump.

All-Star Specs: Biggest Glasses in 1985 Topps Baseball Card Set

Good place in Duluth to catch World Cup?

Does anyone know of a bar that will definitely be showing World Cup soccer matches?

Dragon boating — it’s not just one weekend a year

20 paddlers. One person steering. One calling commands. One long, Chinese-design canoe.  Add these all up and you get a great workout on the water with great people.

Super Bowl 52 is coming to Minnesota

The National Football League announced today that Minnesota will host Super Bowl 52 in 2018. The Vikings, Saints and Colts gave 15-minute presentations to team owners in Atlanta, Ga. and after the voting the Vikings won the bid. Full details and video at nfl.com.

Lester River Kayak Race Video

This video by Higher Base Media was created to show how awesome the 2014 Lester River Race was.

Homegrown Kickball

The 2014 Homegrown kickball game is officially being relocated to Observation Park.

Roller Derby Victory!

Harbor City Roller Dames were victorious all around Saturday night! The HCRD Shipwreckers won their bout against Forx Roller Derby 295-112; I missed most of this bout, catching dinner with friends beforehand.

The HCRD Nautikills won their bout against Mid State Sisters of Skate 223-129! It was close in the beginning; the SOS seemed masterful at luring the dames into the penalty box, and they were skillful at keeping control of the lead jammer.

But no one is as flexible as the Dames, no team can adjust the way the dames can adjust, you know?

Special goodbye to the person who introduced me to local derby through a Nerd Nite presentation years ago, I think it was: Killer Cletah. This was her retirement bout, and I will miss her terribly, despite being greeted with “Good to see you, Sir.”

Ye Olde Duluth: Roller Skating Edition

Duluth's Frank Bryant (right) and Raymond 'King' Kelly after skating 348 miles to set a world distance record for a 24-hour two-man relay, 21-22 January 1915.

I ran across this on the Library of Congress’s Flickr Commons photostream today and got curious. Although the original caption suggests that Bryant and King’s record was set “on ice,” the wheels on the skates the men are wearing make me skeptical–as does the background material on the Frank Bryant collection at the Northeast Minnesota Historical Center.

So, here goes: From 1913-1916, Duluthian Frank Bryant was a dominant competitive roller skater, holding a world championship in speed skating. The photo here depicts the 25 year-old Michigan native with St. Paulite Kelly, with whom he set a world record distance of 348 miles for a 24-hour two-man relay event–the Minnesotan pair’s performance eclipsed the previous 203-mile mark set just two weeks earlier in New York. A knee injury in 1916 apparently ended his high-level skating career, but he continued skating competitively into the late 1920s. Bryant worked for Duluth’s Union Towing and Wrecking Company for 32 years, retiring in 1955; he died in 1961.

What snowboarding looks like for non-Olympian adults

Second chance for entry into 2014 Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon

Security Jewelers is auctioning one of its sponsor entries to Grandma’s Half Marathon on eBay. One hundred percent of proceeds go to the Duluth Art Institute’s program Art for Ed’s Sake, offering visual and media arts classes in Duluth Public Schools.

Hops and Hoops

I’m new to town and am looking for a fun place to watch the NCAA tournament games. Any suggestions for sports bars or other venues? Local beer on tap would be a plus!

Glen Avon outdoor hockey is postcard classic

In an era of kids walking from heated SUV seats to climate-controlled arenas, Duluth is home to one of North America’s last all-outdoor youth hockey leagues. (Story via KARE-11.)

Mustache March Run 2014 Video

The Mustache March Run took place on March 1. The mustache-themed event, put on by Momentum Racing Events, is a fun event for anyone! You can grow your best mustache, wear a fake mustache, or just run mustache free.

Minnesota All Hockey Hair Team 2014