A few years ago, there was a documentary on PBS about Class B basketball. OK, it was probably at least 10 years ago! It was, believe it or not, so nostalgic and sentimental that it reportedly brought tears to the eyes of many men who watched it. I just searched for it and it was called "One Shining Moment: History of the North Dakota State B". It was filled with interviews from players and coaches about thier most memorable tournament games and experiences. The sad part was that alot of the schools from the past (the documentary covered the tournament starting in 1933, and mostly covered the boys tournament) are no longer open. If you haven't gathered from prior posts, I have a tendency toward being nostalgic and the sight of an empty old school makes me feel pretty deflated and also fascinated by what happened there before. Right now there is an old three story nieghborhood school for sale near downtown Fargo and I fantasize about buying it and...well...I have no idea what I would do with it but it just makes me sad to see old things abandoned just because they are old and have windows that are not energy efficient and too many flights of stairs for current guidelines. Sigh...
My nostalgia was going strong on Tuesday night when I attended a Class B Regional tournament game (of the girls variety). It is still strange to me, after several years, that girls basketball is played in wintertime and not fall. The association of basketball being connected with hot August weather, rumbling grain trucks, and a gym that feels like a sauna have been hard to break. The game I was watching was not that of my hometown but of a nearby school and former regular district opponent. Justin's cousin has three daughters who all start for the team. One is a senior, one a sophomore, and one a freshman. They are great players and on Tuesday they were in the second round of the tournament. It was an "edge of the seat" game with lots of excitement and an overtime but they won! They are one game away from the state tournament and tonight it will be decided around 8:00. Eeeehhh!!!
In my day, (I can't believe I used that phrase) districts were always played at Mayville State, the small local university that is almost as familiar to me as my high school was. It was where i went for swimming lessons, piano competitions, lifeguarding and cpr classes, school music contests, basketball camps, and many other events. Regionals were alternated betweein Mayville and a larger high school in the Northern district of our region. For some reason, maybe in the interest of a central location, they are now played at a fancy arena at UND and I have to say that it is just not the same! The arena is so nice, with it's leather stadium seats and high quality sound system but I miss the low budget, bleacher stomping rowdiness of the old places. Also, I miss the low budget refreshments and the concession stands with homemade bars that cost $.50 and bottles of soda that cost 1.00 and not the size small glass of Sprite I bought for $2.75 that was 1/3 ice.
Good luck tonight, ladies. There is nothing like going to state. I know because I was there! Once as a fan in 7th grade and once as a player. When our girls basketball team made it for the first time when I was in 7th grade it might have been the most exciting and fun weekend I had experienced until then...I remember the phone ringing late at night after the game with news that booked hotel rooms had opened at Holiday Inn in Minot (the fans of the favorite teams around the state who had lost were cancelling their rooms). What followed was a weekend of debauchery for the parents and unsupervision for the kids, which was just fine for us!
When I was a member of the team (a member who hardly left the bench) we went to the state tournament when I was a junior and we were treated like the most special girls in the world. Every day between the regional championship and the day we left for state was a surprise because we kept getting gifts and well wishes. We were given little silver basketball charms to wear around our necks and beanie babies (remember those?) wearing little custom made jerseys. We recieved cakes and candy and lip gloss and other girly treats. We put on our uniforms and paraded around the local nursing home like celebrities. We were given a fancy farewell with a morning pep rally and were escorted out of the gym by one of our fans wearing a fancy tuxedo like it was prom. Once we departed for the tournament on my teammates' mom's casino/tour bus (no uncomfortable school bus for us!) we had the funds to eat every meal in a restaurant and a huge cooler full of beverages at our disposal (water and Powerade only...no pop allowed except for coaches!) We arrived on a Wednesday morning and returned on Sunday afternoon so it was a long trip.
On the way out of town I had a fabulous surprise...the bus slowed down and I heard my name...the family I babysat for and their cousins, who my teammate babysat for, had made a big sign that said "Go Maren! Go Rachel!" and they were standing out in the yard in full fan gear (well, the little ones were...I imagine the older kids must have been at the school pep rally). The bus pulled over and we ran out and posed for pictures with our biggest fans!
On the way out of town I had a fabulous surprise...the bus slowed down and I heard my name...the family I babysat for and their cousins, who my teammate babysat for, had made a big sign that said "Go Maren! Go Rachel!" and they were standing out in the yard in full fan gear (well, the little ones were...I imagine the older kids must have been at the school pep rally). The bus pulled over and we ran out and posed for pictures with our biggest fans!
I happened to have this scanned...I might have had it in the pictures I had separated for the wedding slideshow or something. This was taken by their moms after they made the sign. Seeing this makes my eyes well up a bit! How sweet were they? The two of us were not star players but we were important to those kids...
I recall the hotel room I shared with three of my classmates and teammates being totally trashed, with clothes and makeup covering every surface. You need alot of clothes for five days, and we had to dress up for our games then (not sure if they still do...I always thought it was kind of silly) so many outfits were necessary. There were also banquets and hospitality rooms to attend and we were given by our very amicable coach 45 whole minutes at the mall!!! Fortunately, our bus driver liked to shop, especially for beanie babies, so she brought us back for more mall time later. I have quite a few pictures from that week but none are scanned. I think they are stashed in my closet at home so I should get them out some time. Just thinking about this makes me hope that the cousins win tonight so they can experience it! We had so many inside jokes and fun memories from that week! I think one of the better aspects for me was that when we returned I didn't have to go to basketball practice anymore!
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