National Sports Center Blog

What a weekend!

By Barclay Kruse, NSC Chief Communications Officer

The National Sports Center is justifiably known as a soccer and hockey facility. They're our two biggest sports, so the suit fits. But during the weekend of June 7-8, we showed off just how diverse our facility can be. In addition to hockey, golf and soccer leagues going on throughout the weekend -- that's a given -- we hosted three other huge events, on the same day!

Looking for a parking spot? Give it up.

The MS150, a charity bike ride from Duluth to the NSC, brought 3,200 riders to their finish line just in front of the Schwan Center:

Just a hundred yards away, on our exhibition field, the Minnesota State High School Rugby Championship games were being played. Here's a photo from the boys' title game, Hopkins vs. Edina:

And right next door, at the NSC Velodrome, the two-day Minnesota Fixed Gear Classic bike race attracted big spectator crowds to see some of the best riders in the world. Included in the field were four-time world champion Roberto Chiappa, from Italy, short-list U.S. Olympic sprint cycling hopeful Ben Barchewski, from Pennsylvania, and a boatload of other elite cyclists:

I'd like to say it was a normal weekend, but even at the usually busy NSC, this weekend was busier than normal. In other words, perfect!

Skating show skaters span four generations

By Barclay Kruse, NSC Chief Communications Officer

The NSC Skating School at the Schwan Super Rink is getting ready for our annual ice show this weekend. Performances of the show, themed "Hooray for Hollywood," are scheduled for 7:00pm on Friday, May 2; and 2:00 and 7:00pm on Saturday, May 3.

Jane Schaber, our skating school director, tipped me off to a unique pair of skaters in the show. Bev Eberhard, who lives in Fridley and will only say she's in her 70's, will skate along with her great grand daughter Haylee Zellner. Haylee, who lives in Ham Lake, proudly admits her age: 6.

The four generation span of the two skaters, if not unique, must be highly unusual in the youngish world of figure skating.

In addition to performing together this weekend, Bev and Haylee have competed in the same competitions, and are always there to cheer each other on.

If you're interested in seeing our cast of thousands -- all right, a hundred or so -- skate this weekend, tickets are available at the door for $6.00 for adults 17 and over, $5.00 for children 5-16, and ages 4 and under are free.

Our French interns meet the Vikings cheerleaders

By Barclay Kruse, NSC Chief Communications Officer

This week the National Sports Center is hosting the 4th annual NSC Football Classic. This youth football tournament is one of the few times we host "American football" on our campus (as opposed to "futbol" the more familiar, international term for soccer.)

Left: Members of the Blaine Bengals relax in the Schwan Center lobby during the NSC Football Classic.

We have 50 teams from 5th to 8th grade. Most of the teams have just started their seasons. Some, in fact, have just been practicing for barely a week. So we market this as a pre-season tournament. True to that spirit, coaches are allowed on the field to help their teams learn new plays and techniques, as they use the tournament to prepare for their league season.

Right: Former Vikings Pro-Bowler Matt Blair signs autographs.

Today was Minnesota Vikings Day at the tournament. As a steady rain fell outside, players and parents came into the warm, dry Schwan Center to meet retired Vikings great Matt Blair and three of the Minnesota Vikings Cheerleaders. A week from Friday, tournament players will have the chance to attend the Vikings pre-season game against the Dallas Cowboys.

But let's get to the point of this blog. If you've been at an NSC event this summer, you may have met our French interns, Camille Saliot and Adrien Bequart. (And at Schwan's USA CUP earlier this summer, you might also remember Camille and Adrien as co-hosts of a very funny episode of Kick TV entitled "Kick TV learns about Bastille Day.")

Anyway, Camille and Adrien are really from France, they're great guys, and they'll be the first to admit they don't know much about American football. So we're working hard to teach them the elements of the game here, like why Minnesotans murmur in reverence when someone says "purple," that it's actually legal to touch a football with your hands (they're more proficient with their feet), and explaining some things that confused them -- like why the game stops every 30 seconds for the teams to huddle up.

So, ever eager to learn all they can about American football, Camille and Adrien jumped right to the front of the line to have their staff shirts autographed by the Vikings Cheerleaders. It was a heartwarming moment, sort of a futbol-meets-football hands-across-the-sea cultural moment.

Vive le Purple et les Blues!

Above: Camille Saliot (front) and Adrien Bequart meet the Minnesota Viking Cheerleaders.