When asked about the team’s success, Park Senior Hailee Potter replied, “we push ourselves and each other to the limit to do our best.  We work hard  and don’t give up.  We are one of the most closely bonded teams out there, even though we are rival schools.  We get motivated by the people who support us and, shockingly, the ones that don’t as well.  We were seated #7 and beat 10, 3, 2, and 1, so we can prove to anyone that we are a team.  Our coaches have been supportive from the start and never quit, even if we lose.  We are there for each other and no one forgets that.” 

 Captain Kelsie Anderson added, “Our team has done an amazing job at showing what we can accomplish.  We are very competitive and we’re not letting anyone take us down without a fight.  I’m so proud of this team.”  

    Clearly the girl’s agility, determination and their responsiveness to coaches, Kyle Kane and Scott Leonard, have factored into the team’s success this year.  The Royal Pack will battle for the state championship against #1 seed Eden Prairie next Tuesday at Hopkins High School at 6:00 pm.  

  Having been long time adverseries on the field, court, and track, the success of Park and Woodbury’s combined team has larger implications for their respective school communities:  It foreshadows the shifting boundaries and loyalities that will accompany the opening of East Ridge, a superbly equipped new school with a strong athletic focus.  It further suggests that, after all these years of sometimes bitter competition, co-operation might be more productive, and ultimately more fun, than rivalry. 

For more pics complements of Kelsi’s mom, Mrs. Anderson,  please visit:

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YOU GO GIRLS!!!                                                                                  

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Today we played the dreaded Woodbury Royals at home (April 30). Woodbury manages to beat us in all four rounds of singles. In doubles, Woodbury wins the first round, while Park wins the second round, but Woodbury comes back and defeats us in the third round. Woodbury took the game with a final score of 6-1. We’ll get them next time. Great effort out there boys, you played an excellent game.  [Record 5-6]

Hill-Murray is the opponent for today, and our boys weren’t going to lose again. Which they didn’t they beat Hill-Murray with a 5 point lead, ending score was 6-1, Park. Matches won by Tyler Bertelsen (single), Ben Uecker (single), Austin Kringle (single), Nick Jury (single), Brady Scott and Luke Landgraf (doubles), and John Vaillancourt and Peter Shrankler (doubles). [Record: 4-3]

Our rivals from Inver Grove Heights (Simley High School) had to play our Wolfpack boys. Simley hadn’t been doing so good so far this season and we just made it worse from them. We won with a 7-0 ending score. Excellent job, a congrats goes out to the whole team for defeating them and winning in every match played. [Record: 5-3]

Today was the first Junior Varsity’s Girls Softball game (April 7^th), and they played Hastings High School. The girls played an amazing game, in two five-inning games they won the first one 8-3 and won the second one 6-5. They have started out the season to a good start. Come on girls let’s make this a great season. Great job, keep up the work. [Record: 2-0]

Our girls played the much rivaled team, Cretin-Derham Hall (April 14^th). These girls are so determined to have an excellent season this year. This is going to be a very interesting season. JV took Cretin down; in the first game they scored 27 runs, while only giving up 3 runs to Cretin. In the second game Cretin held them back a little bit but not by much. Ending score for game two was 17-2. Another great game played by our JV girls. Good job. [Record 4-0]

They never seem to let us down, tonight Park JV played against Stillwater (April 28^th). Our girls have so much determination and they never seem to give up. In game one they won by 6 runs; with an ending score at 10-4, Park. Stillwater finally upped they game and ended the game with a score of 0-3, Stillwater. Excellent work girls, you showing everybody what the Wolfpack is made of. [Record 5-1]

            Yawn…It has been a boring winter for Twins fans, with the team not making any moves that make a difference so far. The biggest move they have made is signing shortstop Nick Punto to a two year contract worth 8.5 million dollars. If you ask me they way over paid for a shortstop who has a career batting average of .252 with 11 Homeruns and 140 RBI’s is a total of 611 games. Sure, Punto is a great fielder, but it doesn’t outweigh how bad his hitting is.

            It has been said that the Twins have been shopping Left Fielder Delmon Young for either a third baseman or a middle reliever. I have to ask why. Why on earth would the Twins trade a guy that had a .290 batting average with 10 Homeruns and 69 RBI’s, when he is only 23 years old?  Especially when they gave up a young, promising pitcher, who pitched great in the World Series, named Matt Garza for him. Why give up on him now? Manager Ron Gardenhire has said he thinks the three outfield spots should go to Michael Cuddyer, Denard Span, and Carlos Gomez, leaving out Delmon Young.

I say,  trade Cuddyer; he is making too much money, after signing a 3 year 24 million dollar contract last year, all he did was under perform. Spending most of last season on the DL, he only played 71 games. In those 71 games he played he had a batting average of .249, 3 Homeruns and 39 RBI’s. Tell me, with those stats who would you rather have? I think I would go with the young promising outfielder, who has yet to tap into his potential and has maybe, the best arm in the league, than a guy who has been injury prone his whole career, and was only good for that one year.  Sure he has a great arm, but I would take Young any day. Maybe, you could move Cuddyer to third base? He has played it before.  He has played all over the infield, especially when the Twins did not get very much production out of their third baseman last year.

Other than that, there is really no other news to report for the Twins. Their starting Pitching Rotation is set with Scott Baker, Francisco Liriano, Nick Blackburn, Kevin Slowey, and Glen Perkins, who, may I say, all pitched very well last year. Also, not one of those pitchers is over the age of 27. The only pitching the Twins need is in their bullpen. They lost pitchers Eddie Guardado and Dennys Reyes to free agency. Even though they had a young man named Jose Mijares come in and help their bullpen in September last year, nobody knows yet if he is for real or not. Also, in other bullpen news, the Twins lost pitcher and Minnesotan Pat Neshek for another year after he had to undergo Tommy-John surgery.

The Twins payroll, if it stays the way it is right now, will be less than last year at 56 millions dollars. After giving The Twins a new stadium last year, the Twins said that they would spend more money, but we have yet to see anything. That is just how the Twins are, they are a cheap team, who we really don’t expect anything out of, but, when they do well, we love them, and we always will love them.  There’s just something about them. Imagine if they spent a little bit more money…The things they could do…