National Sports Center Blog

We want to answer your questions on NSCtv!

By Scott Clasen, Director of Marketing

We love producing NSCtv each week and giving viewers a look at the huge variety of activity at the National Sports Center and how we produce these events. We want to take it another step by asking you, our audience, to submit questions you've always wanted answered about anything we do here.

We'll pick the best questions and answer them during a future episode of NSCtv. To whet your appetite, below you'll find the latest edition of NSCtv, in case you've never seen an episode.

So, let's hear it! What's on your mind about the events and programs we conduct at the world's largest amateur sports and meeting facility?

Use the comments section below to submit your questions. In the words of Ted Knight's "Caddyshack" character Judge Smails, "we're waiting....!"

 

Taste of Blaine is the NSC's tastiest event

By Barclay Kruse, NSC Chief Communications Officer

Last night was the big Taste of Blaine at the Schwan Center. This annual event is one of the most festive -- and tasty -- events on our non-sport calendar. Over a thousand attendees tasted samples from over 35 area restaurants. Taste of Blaine is a fund-raiser for Free2B!, a local charity that provides cars and car-care assistance to help individuals and families in Anoka County Minnesota to achieve economic security and self-sufficiency by supporting them in their transportation needs.

At the NSC, we love hosting this event. First, Free2B! is a unique charity that has identified a key area that low-income families need to hold jobs and become self-sufficient -- reliable transportation. We also love Taste because it's one of those unusual events that draws a lot of people who otherwise haven't visited our campus before. (In other words, we love to show off, especially to new customers!)

Here are some shots from Taste of Blaine 2012:

Below: Tim Cary, of the Tavern in Blaine, shows off salad samples.

Pepe Lusarreta and Cary Kemmerer of Chili's in Blaine:

NSC video producer Jake Frantzen interview Free2B!'s executive director Gary Levine for an upcoming episode of NSCtv.

Brian Lang, of Buffalo Wild Wings in Blaine, proudly serves up some ... wings!

National Sports Center will kick off new menu of outdoor shows with the Great Waters Fly Fishing Expo, March 23-25 and Minnesota Bass Expo, April 20-22

By Scott Clasen, Director of Marketing

The NSC announced today in a press release information about the new outdoor shows we are operating this year. From the release:

The National Sports Center (NSC) in Blaine will launch its new menu of outdoor-oriented expos by hosting Tom Helgeson’s Great Waters Fly Fishing Expo, March 23-25 and then will follow up with the inaugural Minnesota Bass Expo, April 20-22. This year the Fly Fishing Expo will be held in the Schwan Center and the new Bass Expo will be held in the NSC’s indoor Sports Hall. Both events will move into the NSC’s new Sport Expo Center for 2013.

Read the rest of the press release and details about both shows here.

Yoga brings calming presence to National Sports Center

By Scott Clasen, Director of Marketing

Full disclosure here. I'm a typical early 40s man with hamstrings you can play the piano on and occasional lower back aches and pains. Probably no different than millions of Americans my age. So the idea of particpating in yoga classes was not something I was actively seeking (otherwise my hamstrings would be as elastic as rubber bands). But when classes started being offered here at the National Sports Center, I figured I should try a class or two and see if I could increase my flexibility. That was in early December and I've only missed one class since then. 

Yoga has gained in popularity the last decade or so and it's easy to see why. It's not just that I feel more flexible after yoga practice, it's that my mind and spirit feel better too. Didn't see that one coming. I realized soon into the first class that it's not about achieving each pose in the most precise way and mimicing the instructor move for move. It's about pushing my body a little bit more than is comfortable. You don't have to go to a place where your'e in pain. But it's a great feeling to go to a place of discomfort because at the end, you feel so much better! Now I look forward to the classes I attend each Thursday.

Luckily, anyone can come experience yoga the way I have by taking classes here at the National Sports Center with Kristy, our great instructor. We're offering classes Monday evenings at 6:00 pm for women and a coed class at 7:15. The classes are being held in the clubhouse of the Victory Links Golf Course, a nice, quiet building that's perfect for getting your mind and body in the right place. 

I encourage anyone to download this flyer, sign up and give it a try! Classes started this past Monday, but you're still welcome to join. You got nothing to lose, except for maybe your stiff back.

"Eat Sleep Hockey" film premier Feb 29 showcases NSC partners

By Barclay Kruse, NSC Chief Communications Officer

Circle your calendar for February 29. That's the day a new hockey documentary film, "Eat Sleep Hockey" will have its premier showing. The premier will be held at the Andover Cinema, 1836 Bunker Lake Blvd., Andover, MN 55448, starting with a meet and greet with the cast and crew at 5:30 p.m and the national premier of the film at 6:30 p.m.

The film was directed and edited by Damian Kussian and the talented folks at North Metro 15 Television in Blaine. The film follows two hockey families one each from rival schools Blaine and Centennial, over the course of several months of, well, eating and sleeping hockey.

Representing Blaine in the film is the Brodzinski family, who own Hockey Central in Blaine, a Schwan Super Rink sponsor. Dad Mike played at St. Cloud State in the 1980's for the legendary Herb Brooks. Sons Jonny and Mike starred at Blaine High School, with Jonny headed for St. Cloud State next year and Mike verbally committed to the Golden Gophers in two years. Younger brothers Easton is a 9th grader on the Blaine High School JV team and Bryce plays on the BYHA pee wee team.

Facing off on the Centennial side of the rivalry in the film is the Hughes family of Lino Lakes. Dad Terry played at Mankato State, now Minnesota State-Mankato. He is the president of the Skate To Excellence AAA Hockey Program that rents over 500 hours of ice a year at the Super Rink, enters teams in NSC tournaments, and holds their annual golf tournament at the NSC's Victory Links. Kids in the Hughes hockey family are Trey, who currently plays for the El Paso Rhinos of the Junior A Western States Hockey League; Colin, a sophomore on the Centennial team; and Gabby, a talented 12U girls player.

Click here to see the trailer.

Proceeds from the premier will benefit the Blaine and Centennial Youth Hockey Associations.

Presidential candidate Rick Santorum visits the NSC

By Barclay Kruse, NSC Chief Communications Officer

It's party caucus day in Minnesota, and presidential candidate Rick Santorum made a brief campaign stop in front of about 200 supporters at the NSC's Schwan Center today.

The NSC has been a frequent stop for political candidates over the years. Among others, we've hosted President George W. Bush, candidates John McCain, Tim Pawlenty, Elwyn Tinklenberg, and Jesse Ventura. Besides great facilities and a professional staff to help set up the event, we have one thing that candidates love -- free parking!

These campaign events are often organized on short notice. We only learned about this yesterday afternoon, and that's not unusual in this business. Jeff Kapeller, the NSC's Host Services Account Manager, and the entire NSC operations staff did a great job getting everything organized on short notice.

From the NSC's perspective, hosting a political event is great publicity for us. There is usually lots of media coverage, and sometimes even national coverage (as there was today.) And the reporters who cover political campaigns come from a different part of the newsroom than the sports reporters who usually cover our events.

So when it comes to welcoming candidates, we are decidedly nonpartisan. Se try to treat all candidates, their staffs and their supporters the same -- well!

Here are some photos of Rick Santorum's visit this afternoon.

Below, news cameras line up to shoot Santorum's entrance:

Television cameras along the back wall of the Grand Hall. They'll shoot the entire event, and then use ten seconds of video on the news tonight!

And there's the candidate in person:

And after a short speech, it was time for Santorum to meet his supporters:

 

Take the fight to the ice

By Susan Schmidt, Ice Sports Programming 

Everyone has a story or heard a story about someone that has been affected by breast cancer. Fourteen years ago a local Centennial hockey mom in Blaine, Minn. took on the fight against breast cancer. Her hockey team took her fight to the ice. The Stick It To Cancer hockey tournament was first played in 1999 at the Schwan Super Rink in Blaine, Minn. Eight teams participated in that first event and all the proceeds were donated to the family. Unfortunately she lost her fight just before the Stick It to Cancer tournament in 2000, but her team never gave up the fight on the ice. 

After fourteen years, the tournament continues to offer a place for teams to take their fight. As this tournament continues to grow, every year we hear new stories about survivors who are playing or individuals playing for those that have lost the fight.

These teams have helped raise over $475,000 to support the fight against breast cancer and the tournament has grown to over 100 teams. Proceeds from recent years have been donated to the University of Minnesota Masonic Cancer Center to support research.

Who are you playing for? Why do you "take the fight to the ice"?

Do not adjust your screen, we actually painted the ice pink in 2008 for the Stick It event!

 

How to become an Ironman!

 By Spencer Arvold, Ice Sports Programming

 In a few short weeks the Ironman Adult Hockey Tournament will kick off. This challanging weekend of hockey is a great place for adults to get back to their hockey roots by competing in a five game, three day hockey tournament.  That's a tough task to play that many games in such a short amount of time, but we're actually making it even tougher this year. We have added a feature called the Zamboni Pull. This is a three man team competition, blue line to blue line, who can pull the zamboni in the shortest amount of time.

This a way to get the participants really into the Ironman spirit. It is quite rewarding once you get that lug of steel past the blue line and you and your teammates are sucking wind. I had the opportunity to test the zamboni pull, and let me tell you, its not easy! It took my team 30 seconds to dig down into our Ironman gut and pump our legs to get that thing moving. Think you can do better?  Lets see some predicitions in the comments below on your team's time! Better bring the Ironman inside you if you want to make it happen! Oh and did we mention that the fastest team will receive individual player fees paid for the 2013 Ironman plus a round of drinks from the Hat Trick Café for their entire roster?

Walls are going up for the new Sport Expo Center

By Barclay Kruse, NSC Chief Communications Officer

It's a big week for construction for our new Sport Expo Center at the NSC. After pouring footings last week, Kraus-Anderson, our contractor, and Fabcon, the manufacturer of the building walls, started tipping up the new walls yesterday. Suddenly, we have a building going up, and it's happening fast!

This new building, projected to open in early June, will host sports training (it'll have short turf on the floor), shows and expos, and during Schwan's USA CUP, it'll be the new home of the PUMA World Store.

Check out how much they've done in just two days!

Below: here's the view of the south wall, the side that faces the stadium field.

Another view of the south wall, this time shot from the top row of the stadium:

Photo shot from what will be the northwest corner of the building, taken from the NSC's mail parking lot:

This view, from the main parking lot, shows what will become the entry lobby to the left:

NSCtv producer Jake Frantzen tapes an interview with host Scott Clasen (left) interviewing project manager Kris Bjerkness, for a segment that will run on this week's NSCtv.