Every day is a perfect day to improve yourself!

I'm blogging on this sunny, mild afternoon from the University of Minnesota-Morris Cougar Sports Center. I made the trip with my youngest daughter for pitching and hitting camps hosted by the UM-Morris Cougars fastpitch softball team. Last Sunday, I visited with B-B-E head fastpitch coach Logan Funk about the UMM softball clinics, and he reported that a few high school-age Jaguars were at the February 1 camps. The Cougars head coach, Heather Pennie-Roy, is a Villard high school graduate who pitched for the Waska Warriors, which was a pairing of students from Villard and Glenwood high schools. That pairing was joined with Starbuck school in 1991 to form what we know today as Minnewaska Area. In 9th and 10th grade, she pitched for the Osakis-Villard softball team after the program was founded in 1986. With her Villard high school diploma, Pennie-Roy headed west to UMM and had a record-making four-year career with the Cougars team. Her name still appears on the UMM school records. To this day, she holds the lowest ERA record (2.97) during her career from 1991-1994. She also ranks second for lowest batting average allowed (.272) in a career. Her career total of 298 innings pitched stood as the UMM record until 2009. There's your history lesson for the day!

It has been 37 years since the B-B-E Jaguars won a fastpitch softball conference title. The only team to earn such a feat was the very first Jaguar team, the 1989 squad, which was coached by head coach Jerry Lindstrom and assistant coach Bud Heidgerken. While I can't predict the future, getting my daughter experience that improves her pitching skills is our small part in the program's quest to earn conference and playoff hardware. The last playoff hardware was earned a full 18 years ago in 2008.

My daughter was excited to be joined in Morris today by her Bible Camp friend from New London-Spicer, whose mom is Krista (Lundgren) Lautenschlager. Their family has a farm in Colfax Township, and Krista was a 2005 graduate of B-B-E high school.

It took over an hour of being here before I recalled the main thing my daughter learned at the UMM pitching camp a year ago (March 2) where she was told "Squish a bug" during her hitting steps.

In volleyball news...
I haven't had a chance to catch up to this until now, and I still don't have time to give it proper writing...last week I learned that head volleyball coach Brittany Borgerding, a 2013 B-B-E graduate, has resigned her position. Also stepping away from the program is C-squad coach Branton Jones, a 2023 graduate. The Borgerding resignation was family-related, and Jones resigned in order to further his post-graduate education. Even in their "retirement" from the coaching staff, we wish them all the best and hold them both in our prayers.

In wrestling news...
Congratulations to B-B-E sophomore Elizabeth Rademacher, who is advancing to the girls' state wrestling tournament after she won the 130-pound Section 5A championship on Saturday at St. Michael-Albertville high school. In the championship match, Rademacher won by fall (2:41) against Morgan Mielke of St. Michael-Albertville. It's worth noting that in girls' wrestling, the playoffs are in a one-class format.

And in other news...
The Brooten city council meets in regular session on Monday night, February 9. (As does the school board.) The Brooten council agenda is posted at the Bonanza Valley Voice editor's blog: BrootenCouncilAgenda.

A great deal of Valentine's Day related advertising was in last week's newspaper, and more is coming in this week's issue. Here's the Brink's Beer Joint special for Saturday in Swift Falls: Brink's Valentines Special, including 8 oz. lobster tail $31.99 served with would rice and green beans; Prime Rib Queen $25.99 and Prime Rib King $28.99, both served with choice of potato and green beans or salad.

And yet more business news...this is breaking news as of today! Today, it was announced by local business owner Ashley Zimmerle that Earthy Elements, LLC, her local flower, plant and rock shop, is moving from Brooten to the Boosters building on the north end of Main Street Belgrade. Boosters owner Becky Mueller has space available for Ashley, and I believe it is going to be a truly tremendous partnership!