National Sports Center Blog

Aaaaaand we're live...

By Greg Hutton, NSC Media Specialist

It's here.  You know what I'm talking about.

NSCtv, the free weekly video show of the National Sports Center, has officially made its debut.  Brought to you by the NSC's media staff, NSCtv offers a behind-the-scenes look at the events, programs, athletes and people of the facility.  A new edition will be available every Thursday, and the show can be accessed by clicking on the NSCtv link under the "Community" section of nscsports.org.

Approximately 30-40 NSC staff members, partners and friends celebrated the NSCtv premiere in style...sort of...with a party in the Schwan Center's Grand Hall. Hors D'oeuvres (don't think I've ever had to spell that word before) and drinks were provided, and everyone had a chance to socialize for a bit before the official unveiling of NSCtv at 3:33 p.m. CDT. We wanted to make it a fun, humorous event. And we succeeded, as you can see from this picture:

FROM LEFT:  Megan Perry and Stephonie Wentz of Visit Minneapolis North, and the infamous Sha Leahey (NSC Registrar).

FROM LEFT, CLOCKWISE:  NSC staff members Brady Eichhorn-Hicks, Angie Bertrand, J.J. Towner, Jenny Een and Kara Radeke.

ABOVE: Intently watching the NSCtv premiere.

We're working very hard to provide our customers with new, interactive tools that are largely unavailable in the amateur sports world.  We're ahead of the curve, and we will be continuing down this path with future editions of NSCtv, the addition of more extensive webcasting as well as the return of Kick TV, the daily video journal of Schwan's USA CUP, presented by PUMA.

As far as future editions of NSCtv:  we've got some interesting - and lighthearted - segments planned, so be sure to check back each week.  If nothing else, the outtakes will make you laugh.

New book profiles U.S. Women's National Soccer Team

By Barclay Kruse, NSC Chief Communications Officer

Paul Phillips (photo right) is a Minneapolis-based freelance sports photographer who has covered many events at the NSC -- National Team soccer games, Minnesota Thunder games, velodrome races, among others. At our request once, Paul even donated his time to the NSC to shoot aerial photos of our campus from a helicopter. You can check out Paul's photo work at his website.

Yesterday we received an advance copy of a new book Paul has photographed, with author Gail Stewart. Portrait of Passion is narrowly a book about the U.S. Women's National Team, focusing on their journey through the 2007 World Cup in China. In a broader sense though, the book is about the love of soccer, growing up in the sport, the beauty of teamwork, and ultimately, about moving on to different things.

The book is strikingly photographed, beautifully designed, and would be a treasured read for any fans who've enjoyed one of the many games the Women's National Team has played at the NSC Stadium over the years.

There's one photo in the book that wasn't shot by Paul, however. We are honored that Paul picked a photo taken by one of our talented Schwan's USA CUP photo interns Dillon Berntson. Dillon's photo of Julie Foudy accompanies Foudy's forward to the book. The picture was taken in the NSC press box before Foudy went on the air as color commentator for ESPN's coverage of the USA vs. Sweden game at the '06 Schwan's USA CUP.

The book can be ordered through portraitofpassion.com. We are also talking to Paul about autographing books at Schwan's USA CUP this July, or at other NSC soccer events this year. So stayed tuned.