Sports scoop

CLC performers

of the week

Nick Knoblach, Wensia Johnson and Brynn Novotny were named Central Lakes Conference performers of the week in their sports.

Knoblach, a junior, hit .722 in five games, going 13-for-18 with eight runs for the Cardinal baseball team.

Johnson, an 8th grader on the track and field team, was first in the 100-meter dash, setting a school record and recording the fastest time in the state this season.

Novotny, a junior, was the medalist at Willmar, carding a 78 for the Cardinal girls’ golf team.

Leuschke honorable mention All-region

Former Alexandria Cardinal shortstop Dalton Leuschke was recently named to the honorable mention All-Region XI team by the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA).

Leuschke is playing for Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) this season where he has hit .322 in helping to lead his team to the North Plains District Tournament championship. Leuschke, playing right field, had a .443 slugging percentage. He collected 37 hits, including nine doubles, a triple and a home run on his way to driving in 30 runs.

Tennis courts project gets $7,000 grant

The Alexandria athletic department recently received a $7,000 check that represents the first grant for the new tennis courts project at the new high school.

Christine Nickels, the United State Tennis Association’s (USTA) Northern Director of Community tennis, was on hand at the Discovery Middle School courts recently to award the check to Alexandria tennis coaches Dave Ronning, Steve Haug, John Schmidt and Lakes Area Recreation Director Fritz Bukowski.

The school has also submitted a grant request to the National USTA and is hoping to hear back on that request soon.

Cardinal girls’ basketball camp

Former Golden Gopher basketball player Jamie Broback will be the featured clinician for grades 7-11 at the 2012 Alexandria “Round Ball Week” girl’s basketball camp June 11-14.

Broback was part of the University of Minnesota’s final four run.

Camp for grades kindergarten-2 runs from 8-9:30 a.m. and is coached by the Cardinal varsity staff, with grades 7-11 running from 9:30 a.m.-noon and coached by Broback. Grades 3-6 will meet from 12:30-3 p.m. and will be coached by the varsity staff.

Those interested can register online at www.lakesarearecreation.com.

Special Olympics bocce practice

Practice for those interested in the Special Olympics bocce team will begin Thursday, June 7 at 3 p.m. at the Alexandria Area YMCA.

Call Angie at (320) 762-1693 with any questions.

Awake the Grapes runs

The Alexandria Figure Skating Club and the Alexandria Kiwanis will host the second annual Awake the Grapes 10K, 5K and 1-mile fun run at the Carlos Creek Winery in Alexandria on May 27 at 10 a.m.

Proceeds from the runs will benefit the Alexandria Figure Skating Club.

Day of event registration is available at the event.

Visit www.awakethegrapes.com for more information.

Hoelscher baseball camp

Nate Hoelscher, former pitcher for the Kansas City Royals, will hold a baseball camp for those in grades 5-6 interested in learning and developing the fundamentals of fielding, hitting and pitching.

The camp runs Monday-Friday, June 25-29 from 9 a.m.-noon for 5th graders and 1-4 p.m. for 6th graders.

For more information, call Lakes Area Recreation at (320) 762-2868 or register online at www.lakesarearecraton.com.

LAR summer youth volleyball

Lakes Area Recreation is accepting registrations for Summer Slam volleyball.

The program begins Wednesday, May 23 and runs through Wednesday, June 27.

The program is for grades 5-11 on Wednesday evenings from 6-8:30 p.m. at the Lakes Area Recreation gym.

For more information, contact LAR at (320) 762-2868.

Cap Paciotti golf tourney

The Cardinal Athletic Foundation/Cap Paciotti Memorial golf tournament will be held Saturday, June 16 at the Alexandria Golf Club.

This year’s honoree is Rich Nodland of Alexandria , who, along with Paciotti, helped create the Cardinal Athletic Foundation.

Registration for the tournament will be from 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m., with a shotgun start at 1 p.m. and dinner at 5 p.m.

It is a four-person handicapped scramble with field events, a hole-in-one contest and skins and mulligans availability.

Cost is $500 for the four-person team and includes green fees, cart, range balls, field events and dinner.

Extra dinner tickets can be purchased for $25.

Corporate sponsors and hole sponsors are available.

For more information, visit www.alexcards.com.

Osakis golf Scramble for Food

The Osakis Ladies Golf League will hold its first Scramble for Food charity 18-hole golf tournament on Saturday, June 2 at the Osakis Country Club.

The tournament is a four-person scramble for men and women. Registration begins at 7 a.m. with a shotgun start at 8 a.m. There will be coffee and rolls in the morning.

Cost is $35 for members and $35 for non-members and includes a chicken dinner at the Walleye Lodge, mulligans, events on holes and a raffle.

Registrations can be picked up at the Osakis Country Club or by contacting lmielitz@arvig.net. Deadline is May 29.

Alexandria youth football passing league

The Alexandria Cardinals football program is holding a youth football passing league for students who will be in grades 5-8 in the upcoming 2012-2013 school year.

The league will hold play on Monday (grades 5-6) and Wednesday (grades 7-8) nights beginning June 4 and running through August 1.

Interested players will be divided into teams based on the number of participants.

League play will take place at Jefferson High School on the varsity football practice field.

Cost is $55. For more information, visit www.lakesarearecreation.com.

Starz of Tomorrow baseball academy

The Starz of Tomorrow baseball academy Waite Park Area summer camp is scheduled for June 11-12.

The camp runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day at Rivers Edge Park.

Baseball players are given a chance to increase their baseball knowledge, work with experienced coaches and players to gain fundamental skills and get ready for the summer season.

The clinic will feature the following: injury prevention session with coaches that will talk about arm care; specialized drill work; baseball handouts on numerous parts of the game and baseball lectures on how to play the game the right way; coaching on all fundamentals of the game, including hitting, pitching, fielding and base running.

The SCSU coaching staff and team will instruct players.

For more information on the camp or to register, visit www.starzbaseballcamp.com or e-mail coach Harwerth at Michael@starzbaseballcamp.com.

Scott Dirck’s Golf Academy holding sessions

Scott Dirck’s Golf Academy at the Geneva Golf Club will be holding two junior golf sessions on Thursday, June 21 from 9-11 a.m. for ages 3-9 and Friday, June 22 from 9-11 a.m. for ages 10-13.

There will be several stations for teaching etiquette, long game, short game and putting in a safe and fun environment.

Each session will run for six consecutive weeks.

Call the academy at (320) 219-7677 to get signed up. Space is limited.

AGC junior golf academy

The Alexandria Golf Club’s Junior Golf Academy will start June 14 and run through August 24.

Lisa Grimes, AGC’s director of instruction, will work with kids ages 5-10 on Thursday mornings and ages 11-15 on Friday mornings. The program is open to all kids in the area.

Registration and information sheets will be available at the Alexandria Golf Club or online at www.alexandriagolfclub.com. For more information, call Grimes at (320) 815-9098 or AGC at (320) 763-3605.

Annual United Way Golf Classic

The 12th annual United Way Golf Classic will be Monday, June 11 at the Geneva Golf Club.

Proceeds from the classic support United Way programs in Douglas and Pope counties.

Several events are planned for the course, along with raffle prizes and a registration prize.

To register, call United Way at (320) 834-7800 or visit www.uwdp.org.

Ashby summer volleyball league

There will be a summer volleyball league at the Ashby High School for six-person women’s teams Tuesday evenings from June 12 through July 31.

The league is for volleyball players who have completed 8th grade or competed at a level higher than junior high.

There is an unlimited number of players allowed on each team, but a minimum of five must be on the court per game.

For more information, contact Brenda Johnson, Ashby Public School, 300 Birch Avenue, Ashby, MN 56309.

Card boys’ basketball camp

The Alexandria boys’ basketball program, along with Lakes Area Recreation, will hold its Cardinal boys’ camp June 18-21.

Camp directors include Cardinal head basketball coach Forrest Witt, assistant coaches Josh Dale and Tom Miller, along with former and current varsity players.

The camp focuses on fundamentals and skill development, along with offense, defense and transition play. Players will also work on goal setting, teamwork, reaching potential, mental toughness and confidence.

The camp is open to players in kindergarten through 7th grade, and will be divided into four age groups.

For more information, call Lakes Area Recreation at (320) 762-2868 or visit www.lakesarearecreation.com.

Alexandria boys’ basketball youth league

The Alexandria boys’ basketball program will hold a youth league to help provide players with the chance to learn and develop.

Led by Cardinal head coach Forrest Witt, the program is for players in 4th-7th grade on Mondays and Wednesdays from June 25 through July 18.

For more information, call Lakes Area Recreation at (320) 762-2868 or visit www.lakesarearecreation.com.

YMCA batting cage

The YMCA offers batting cages for rent.

Times available for baseball hitting are Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 7-9 p.m., while softball batting practice is Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 6-7 p.m.

For more information, e-mail Jeff Bartholomew at jbartholomew@alexandriaymca.com or call (320) 834-9622.

Register online at www.alexandriaymca.com.

Star of the North registration open

Team sports registration is now open for the 25th annual Star of the North games in Rochester on June 15-24.

The Star of the North games is Minnesota’s annual Olympic-style amateur sports festival with more than 4,500 athletes from all over the state competing in 17 different sports.

Registration information is available at www.starofthenorthgames.org.

21st Greg Schwartz wrestling camp

The 21st Greg Schwartz Memorial wrestling camp is set for June 18-21 at the Morris Area High School auxiliary gym.

The camp features many collegiate wrestlers and coaches as clinicians.

There are limited entries, so early registration is encouraged.

For more information, call (320) 766-5622, (507) 495-3213, (320) 589-4400, (320) 589-4344, (320) 589-1908, (320) 392-5622 or (320) 392-5621, or e-mail syhoe@acegroup.cc.

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