Back on the Pitch....

Well, it was back to the soccer fields for us on Saturday. Sorry, I didn't help anyone's soccer referee fantasy team. Didn't even get to hand out one card. Had 2 games cancelled, which is sad most times, but this time it wasn't because in South Dakota Soccer, you get paid if you are scheduled for a game, and you show up and it gets cancelled. So that was a good deal. Still got to watch some kids play soccer, in the 12 and under division. These kids are fun to watch. Just as halftime ended and the second half was ready to begin, one of the kids comes out to the center of the field where I was standing and says, "Guess what. Our coach said if we come back and win, she will take us all out to Dairy Queen! We're not behind by much right?" I told him it was 4-0, and that did not even dampen his spirit. I also said, "Just remember, you can still come back. All you can do is go out and play hard and do your best, because that's what really matters." He was still so motivated by the small chance they could get to Dairy Queen, no other motivation was needed. That became the rally cry. "Do it for DQ!" They ran like crazy, passed well. The goal keeper did everything he could. Fully extending on dives for saves, leaping higher than he'd ever jumped before to make the save, taking shots off the chest, head, and face. He defended with all his might, but it just wasn't enough. As the second half wore on, and the goals for the other team kept mounting, you could see hope sliding away. Dairy Queen would have to wait for another day, as the team fell 8-0. I will give the kids credit though, they kept on trying even down by 8, and after the game it was a pleasure to shake their hands (which is apparently a soccer tradition that I HATE, except for this time). It was nice to tell these 12 year old boys they had done a great thing by keeping on playing until the time was up. Props to the U-12 team from De Smet for their effort.

Bringing back the Lawn Dart

Here is a story about how I earned this nickname which was brought back after last night's games. Last season, I went to play in the state tournament in Mitchell after a reffing clinic in Brookings. So, when I arrived we were already into the game, so I entered in the 3rd inning. Two pitches into my first appearance there is a short popup into what was my old position in left field. It was right down the line and going to be close, so I was hustling after it, and decided I would have to dive to make the catch. So, I laid out there thinking the thing that normally happened would happen. I'd catch it, and slide to a stop in foul territory, However, as I hit the ground, I found that the grass was extremely thick, and I wasn't going to slide at all. So, I hit the ground, my feet go straight up in the air as I'm standing on my head, at my same 5'10" height. Well, I was running, therefore, something has to give and my momentum must keep moving. So, I started to skid on my face with the feet straight up in the air. An odd burn followed, and I skidded for what seemed like forever (it was only about 6 feet). I finally flopped back down with the ball in hand. My team cheered, then broke down into laughter, and Matt Watson pipes up from the mound, "Nice grab Lawn Dart."

Last night wasn't quite the same, but it did resemble it somewhat apparently enough for Watson to again bring out the lawn dart comment. It is just the way I play, giving 100% all the time.

Memorial Weekend, Camping, Birthdays, Fishing, Watersports, Golf, and Sleep

Well, a big holiday for me is now behind us. It was a windy weekend camping, but we did survive, and so did the new digs. We finally got rid of the 1974 popup camper that we'd been using for a long time. I think Mom and Dad bought it from a garage sale in Minnesota for $400. Anyhow, this winter it was officially retired with the arrival of the new(er) fifth wheel camper, which received a huge approval from the other residents (Trent and Me). So, we were ready and it's Friday afternoon at 4pm when all the fun begins. First, a broken window on the pickup, so that had to be replaced. Then, lights to repair on the camper, then, load the camper since it had been in the shop all week with other work being done on it. So, we get away about 2 hours late. Then, Trent and I got the boat, and were ready to start to Watertown when we heard the pickup had pumped all the water from the radiator and reservoir. So, we got water and issued the repairs, The lights on the boat trailer weren't quite working properly, so we hurried to beat the darkness to Watertown, and barely made it in, only about 3 hours behind schedule.  Considering all the obstacles we overcame, that wasn't bad, but now we were camping and nothing could ruin that, not even the wind.

So, we then on Saturday got everything ready for the lake that we hoped to use one day of the weekend on Sunday. The forecast wasn't in our favor, although Sunday looked to be good enough. Then we decided to head to town to visit with my cousin Lorna at her restaurant (I'll write more on that establishment later). We got there in time to get dad completely surprised for his 50th birthday. He never saw it coming! Of course, he turned 51 one month ago today, so we were about a year and a month late. However, the timing completely threw him off! It was a fun time with friends that made the trip from all over.

So, Sunday, we went to the water, as it was a nice day and only a bit breezy. Trent and I fished for a couple hours in the boat that he recently acquired. That was fun. Now I'm not big into fishing, but I liked fishing from the boat. Then we decided it was warm enough to get in the water, and try it out. We did do some hydrofoiling and kneeboarding, and gave all the cousin's rides on the Seadoo. The event was cut somewhat short by the water being quite cold. I wasn't too bad, but I had the only wetsuit, and eventually, your arms feel like they are going to fall off after being pulled for quite some time, so then you stop. Trent went back to the water to fish, and I went golfing.


Fun to get out on the links for the first time this year, and like usual, there were some good holes (including a 3 stroke par on which I didn't mulligan even one shot) and some bad ones. But, still good fun and good exercise. Then when we woke up today to what seemed like icy cold weather, so we called a weekend and headed home. Now, I sleep good tonight, and have to return to work in the morning. I'm just looking forward to the cool side of the pillow.

All of the weekend's activities were also recorded in picture form, just head over to my online album on the right side of the page.

Pre-Season Action

Tonight was a bit of preseason action for the skiing season. The reason I say that is all runs were quite short, and I don't call the season open until Memorial Day Weekend. I was out tonight with some time on the sky ski, and wakeboard. Would have even knee-boarded, but the wrong kneeboard was delivered. Also learned that I'm going to have to give my dad some lessons in towing people behind the Seadoo. It didn't go too hot, although he did get better. We're also going to have to work on his water fashion. I was in my wetsuit with all the apparel that was needed to be in the water and on the Seadoo, and he's in jeans and a t-shirt with the lifejacket over the top. I do appreciate my parents coming to help tow me for a while, until Tom came to wakeboard after his wife let him. I've learned always ask her permission to see if Tom can come out and play, so thanks Steph. Well, that should wrap up the preseason time in the water. Next up we open the season in Watertown for a camping weekend. I'm already ready to turn over to 5 days and counting.

Dedicated or Just Plain Crazy....

I'm going to have to say, lean toward just plain crazy today. For the second year in a row, by brother and I (minus cousin Steph this time, but she was there last year at this time) hit the lake today, despite cold water and high winds. The entire outing lasted about 25 minutes, and it was quite an experience. I had a shorty wetsuit, so being in the water was only cold until I lost feeling in my legs, then it was just fine. If it wouldn't have been windy, the water temp and the air temp wouldn't have been too bad a combination, but wet and wind weren't good together. Anyhow, you judge for yourself, but as my brother said, "People are going to wonder when the Wipf Brothers lost it (mentally), and they will look back and point to this day." I think I agree with him, yet I might even do it again tomorrow.

Start of a new season

The beginning of the new season happened tonight, and it's hard to believe that it's already that time of year. So we went out as a team tonight and did the usual, the split for the night, although with a good game the first time out we looked good, and the second game was a weaker team, and we made several errors, but yours truly picked up the win! My first 3 pitches were 3 outs, it doesn't get better than that, but my bid for the no hitter was broken up in the second, and they other team went on to score 12 runs on me, only about 3 of which were earned (we made a ton of errors). Anyhow, 1-0 on the year from me after a complete game. Gonna get some chances to have some relief appearances during the season as well. So, the team is 1-1, and I'm still looking for my first stolen base....but that will come, and maybe you would want to pick me up in your Huron City Fantasy League, an outfielder/pitcher can be valuable.

The Big 1000!

This goes out to all of you that check here regularly, and push that counter at the bottom of the page ever higher. I cannot know for sure who the people are that visit (although some are a giveaway based on location), most of the people I cannot tell who you are when you view the blog, but the 1000th visitor was someone here in Huron that gets amusement of my musings. I have altered the way I will post now, because the stats indicate it was actually my computer that got the 1000th hit, so that means I'm the grand prize winner! I didn't really have a grand prize, and since I won it anyway, I don't have to come up with anything. Anyhow, thanks for wasting a couple minutes with me here over the past 6 months. Actually, it was almost exactly that when the 1000th hit came. Here's to 2000 and more! Some interesting stats though on the site visitors....

I've had visitors from 4 different continents.
I've got literally no clue who most of the readers are...for example, my reader from Ree Heights, thanks for dropping by! But I don't know that I know you, and Letcher, I wish we'd known each other, this is a little awkward (not really, I just used that cuz it's a quote from "Tommy Boy"). And the others, like Volga, Schaumburg, Ill., Fulton, SD (which I didn't know where that was until must moments ago), Woonsocket, Pierre, Rapid City, Austin, TX, East Grand Forks, these are all folks that I don't know who you are by city title, but thanks for checking in, and I hope you get a good laugh, and there will be more to come, I'm sure.

Now for the folks I do know, Frankfort, I'm pretty sure I know who you are, and Uganda, I think I know that one too....

Graduation....and Mother's Day

Well, this weekend we finally got my brother pushed through all his schooling, and now he's out to the real world. But, not without some problems at graduation. First, there was me and my Aunt Roxy who were making a scene during a speech. The little old lady that gave the speech was introduced as the "Wildcat of the Year" in the 80s or 90s, and both my aunt and I thought this was one of the funniest things, and started laughing, then started laughing at the other one laughing, and got out of control very quickly. We were both crying within 20 seconds of starting to laugh. It was quite a scene, although we tried hard to not be heard, the problem was quickly compounded as she tried to read through her speech, and then, she couldn't read it. She then stopped, several times audibly complaining she couldn't read the script, and then someone brought her her reading glasses. Well, this brought more snickering and laughing from most of the crowd, but aunt Roxy and I already hurt from laughing through the speech to this point. Anyhow she finally made it, and it came time for Trent to get his diploma, and he had the card to the lady with the phonetic spelling of his name so they pronounce it right. Afterwards, he told us they had asked him to go over the name for them so they would get it right, so he said pronounce every letter, Wipf. So he gets up, and the lady takes the card and says, "Tyler Wipf." We are all stunned. I was in the middle of the chaos in the center isle trying to get a picture of him getting his diploma, and I almost missed the picture from being stunned at the mistake. We aren't sure what happened, but she confused the person before him with his name, and mine came out. I couldn't believe it, and neither could the rest of our family, and my brother is somewhat bitter about it yet.

Then, we got him moved home, and it's Mother's Day today, so naturally, mom was told she didn't have to cook dinner. Novel idea, dad and Trent said they would take care of it, so I stayed in the background, and helped when necessary. So, we get to the meal, and dad and Trent start arguing about the ketchup not getting put over, and the sour kraut, and they fight and fight, and they finally get resolved whose fault it was that it didn't get put over as mom was arriving back at the table with the ketchup and sour kraut. I was in the middle of the fight playing referee as I usually do, and staying back as dad and Trent had said they'd handle the meal. Well, it turned out to be a very dysfunctional Mother's Day, and mom still did most of the work. I guess next year I will have to step up and get rid of them, and just take mom to town for lunch instead of trying that debacle again. The whole event made me wonder how those two survive when she's not around.

The Departure of Lobster Boy

Well, I've said goodbye to the sunburn, it has moved on to it's next torture on another victim. It's peeling off my face in chunks now, but at least the most painful part is gone, and that is behind the knees. Wow is that a terrible place to have a burn. One of the places you take for granted until you do something for it. Kinda like when you hurt your finger, and you don't think it's a huge deal until you realize how much you actually use that finger. Anyhow, we are now to May 7, and that means that Memorial Day is two weeks from this Friday (well, the weekend begins on Friday, but the holiday would actually be that Monday, and this guy is a little anxious. This weekend, I'll go to North Dakota for my brother's graduation, and then the rest of the weekend will be spent making sure the jetski is ready for the season. She'll be itching to hit the water by last Saturday afternoon.

Lobster Boy and his new found friends....

Well, its actually me we're talking about ME here (which if you look carefully would be evident by the halo over the lobster). I got that way over the weekend, where I spent all of Saturday and Sunday out on the pitch overseeing soccer games. I was the center referee (the one in the middle who makes all the calls, gives out the cards, and chases the ball to both ends of the field), and had a good weekend other than the burn. I even took precautions to use sunscreen, which apparently does NOT last as long as it says it does on the bottle. So, after burning Saturday, I made sure to apply before every game on Sunday as to not make the burn any worse. Two areas that will really hurt if sunburned. Top of your head, and behind your knees. If you don't believe me, try it sometime.

So, my new found friends after the burning, and my doing my best (and very convincing) impression of a lobster, are the Solarcaine Aloe Gel, and Advil. Well, the Advil is more for my knotted muscles than the sunburn, but they work in the same regard. If it would not be for the sunburn, I would have felt great today, but there are my new found friends. They will also see more use later this summer as there is more soccer to referee, and more time to spend on the lake.

For those of you who have me on your soccer referee fantasy team at home, I was a strong second round selection, and I did alright for you over the weekend. I awarded 2 penalty kicks, gave out 4 yellow cards. If I'm still available in your league, pick me up because there is a weekend series coming to Huron at the end of May.