tshoberg@westfargopioneer.com
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With final projects due and graduation right around the corner, West Fargo students are undoubtedly looking forward to a few months of summer relaxation. But for Packer athletes, there is some last-minute competition to conquer along with their studies. This week marks the beginning of postseason play for spring sports.
West Fargo Public Schools and West Fargo Parks are joining forces in hopes of avoiding redundancy with the close proximity of proposed playgrounds. During a school board meeting Monday at West Fargo High School, board members voted 5-0 to approve a resolution to cooperate with West Fargo Parks for the installation of a playground near the district's new Freedom Elementary School. School district business manager Mark Lemer said the proposal "allows us to create a single play area and avoid what we have at Westside," where there are district-owned and park-owned playgrounds within a half bl
By Tyler Shoberg Seven games - two of which are against conference foes - and less than two weeks separate the No. 1 West Fargo softball team from the postseason and a possible date with destiny. The Packers, undefeated in Eastern Dakota Conference play and 19-2 overall, are gunning for a 15th consecutive state championship. But new this year will be the chance to begin another streak at the conference level.
With the spring prep sports season on its downward slope, a pecking order of sorts has emerged between teams. In most cases, Packers are holding their own across the board; teams that have struggled are bouncing back, and those that have held their own all season generally are sitting pretty. Look at West Fargo track and field, for example. On Tuesday, both boys and girls teams took first place at the Owen Jensen Kiwanis meet at the North Dakota State College of Science in Wahpeton. They had another strong showing Friday as hosts of the Packer relays.
Farmers aren't the only people revving their engines because of a relatively mild and dry spring. Auto races officially were off and running Saturday's at Red River Valley Speedway's season opener in West Fargo. Besides the earlier start - a full two weeks, in fact, compared with 2011 - there is another noticeable difference between 2012 and previous years: the race day, itself.
Several local entities recently came together to fund a noticeable addition to the West Fargo High School gym. Moore Engineering and First International Bank each donated $25,000 toward a new 8-foot by 9-foot video board, prominently displayed above the south gym entrance. The Packer Backers also contributed more than $13,000 toward the $63,000 state-of-the-art technological marvel, which is the first of its kind for a North Dakota school. "We're just proud to be able to step up and help and be a good neighbor," said Jeff Volk of Moore Engineering.
By Tyler Shoberg The West Fargo boys golf team had a season to remember in 2011: they never placed lower than third in any conference meet, and wound up winning the East Region championship before taking third at state. This year, the Packers are picking up right where they left off. After two Eastern Dakota Conference meets - one at Kings Walk in Grand Forks and the other at Village Green in Moorhead - West Fargo is undefeated and boasts a team average of 295.5 strokes.
There's a pattern forming in the West Fargo track and field ranks; namely they're winning - a lot. Both boys and girls squads continued their unbeaten streaks, sweeping Monday's Eagle Invitational and Friday's Shanley Invitational. That same model of high-reaching consistency can be seen in a few West Fargo athletes, too. On the girls side, Amanda Levin kept a tight grip on the sprints, and swept the 100-, 200-, and 400-meter races on both days. Likewise, Christina Bruenjes won the triple jumps with leaps of 37 feet, 3.25 inches and 34-feet-11, respectively.
Nearly 1 1/2 years after going bankrupt and closing its doors to the public, a Horace landmark and popular destination for gun lovers is back with a bang. Located two miles north and three miles west of Horace, at 4333 167th Avenue SE, The Shooting Park officially reopened for business earlier this spring.
It seems like the spring weather has been uncharacteristically hot. Coincidentally, so has the West Fargo girls tennis team. Not only do the Packers currently sit atop the East Region standings at 2-0 against conference foes and 4-1 overall, but they've bested teams that, in coach Chad Anderson's recollection, haven't been beaten in years. "The girls have worked hard over the winter and put in lots of time," Anderson said.