Basketball Weekend

Abigail and I were all smiles after the Panthers’ big win at Williams Arena on Thursday evening. 

By Allan Olson

Tired out – that’s how I would describe myself after three days of intense state tournament basketball action.

We left for the Cities early on Thursday morning so I would have plenty of time to get myself to the game, and allowed plenty of time so we could check in to our hotel prior to that. Of course we arrived at the hotel a little too early for check-in, so we had to wait.

Once we were unpacked and ready to head to the game, we discovered a flooding incident in the bathroom that required a last minute room change. In all the times we’ve stayed at this hotel, we’ve never had a problem, and that put me in a bit of panic. I wanted to make sure we were at the game in plenty of time, and with the big city traffic, you never know what might crop up.

Thankfully, the hotel staff was quick to get us into another room, and we were on our way. We found the arena without incident and we found parking relatively easily, which was surprising, considering the number of fans in attendance at the day’s games. Then it was time to find my press pass – after trying at two different spots, I finally found the right gate that had my name on their list, and everything was cleared and ready to go. Even better, I still had almost an hour before our game was scheduled to start. For me, in this situation, that was right on time.

I went and found a good spot to sit close to some of our fans, and waited for game time at the Williams Arena. It was thrilling to be back there again after an eight-year hiatus! After a few moments, I felt strangely comfortable being back in “the Barn.”

The game got rolling, and I started shooting pictures, texting updates to people and shooting more pictures and of course just intently watching the game. This opening round game was one I don’t think Panther fans or players will soon forget, as the opponent forced us into not only one overtime, but two. The final eight minutes (excluding timeouts) were very intense, and it was hard to take pictures during that time – in particular the second overtime when I was really thinking we weren’t going to come back this time – but we did, in spectacular Panther fashion.  

The best part of the whole thing for me was feeling the excitement of the crowd during our win – I was just as excited as the rest of the fans, and then even more excited that I was heading to take pictures at Target Center the next day! One note on that – the experience of taking pictures at the home of the Timberwolves was pretty neat, but in terms of shooting angles for a photographer, Williams Arena was better.

CL-B played an amazing game, and we have to give credit where it’s due – our  opponent, Rushford Peterson, was extremely talented and nearly took the game out of our hands twice.

That night it just so happened that there was a geocaching event only a block away from our hotel, so after I took the kids swimming, my wife and I went to that event briefly and then enjoyed some food at the restaurant.

On Friday morning the kids went swimming again, and this time I joined them. Afterwards we got ready to cheer on the Panthers once more, this time at Target Center. I scheduled a shuttle to get us to the light rail, which meant no driving in the city for me and no parking issues – and way less stress. That commute didn’t take as long on the rail as estimated, so we arrived in plenty of time before the Panthers were due on the court. The light rail dropped us off about a block from the arena, and it was wonderful to just sit and watch the prior game and just have time to relax before our big game. The kids complained that we were there too early, but my wife just told them, “We’re here because Dad is here for work, and Dad is less stressed because we’re here early.” She was absolutely correct.

While it was neat shooting at Target Center, this game didn’t go in our favor and our boys just couldn’t get their shooting game on to overcome the tough North Woods Grizzlies, who later finished second, right where they were ranked.

After the game we jumped back on the light rail and this time, while the train ride was still smooth, there was a big delay while waiting for the hotel shuttle. It was rush hour traffic, and they had another stop prior to picking us up. Thankfully, it wasn’t sub-zero temps and we didn’t freeze (much) during the 45 minute wait.

That evening, my wife’s cousin, husband and their children came to visit us, and all the kids enjoyed time in the pool together. It was a relaxing evening, although for me it was a little bit draining after coming off such a high from the night before.

On Saturday morning I got everyone up and moving at 7 a.m., and by 8 a.m. we were on the road to the game. Our Saturday morning commute was pretty easy, and we made it to the Concordia arena in St. Paul in plenty of time to watch the end of the first game.

Like my wife said, going from William’s Arena to Target Center with all the glitz and glamour made the game at Concordia pretty boring (in terms of style). In all honesty, shooting at the local high school gym would be about the same, in my opinion. 

Unfortunately, the Panthers were not able to win that game, either – against the number one-seeded team, who had been upset by the fourth-seeded team and eventual state champions. But it was still fun to watch our boys get this far in a fantastic season.

After the game I found some cleats for Marcus at a store, we had some lunch and then found some geocaches before heading to a birthday party for my wife’s aunt. We originally had no intention of going due to the distance, but since we were in the area, it only made sense.

This week, the boys will resume baseball practice and then we have Easter weekend, for which we will once again be on the road. This time, though, it will be all country roads and no city traffic, something for which I am very much thankful.

Please remember to watch out for the buses that will be carrying our most precious cargo. Also, snap a photo or two to preserve a lifetime of memories. Thanks for reading, and have a great week! Feel free to drop me a line at cltimes1@arvig.net or stop by the office for a visit.