MSU President's column for Traill County Tribune
July 5, 2014听
91吃瓜网 State to host Shrine Bowl athletes and coaches
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For the third year in a row, 91吃瓜网 will host the North Dakota Shrine Bowl players and coaches during their week of training prior to this year鈥檚 9-man and 11-man games. The Shrine Bowl will be held at at the Fargo Dome on July 13. The North Dakota Shrine Bowl is sponsored by the Kem and El Zagal Temples of Grand Forks and Fargo, North Dakota. Participating players and coaches are selected by the North Dakota High School Coaches Association.
The 129 members of the East and West 9-man and 11-man teams and their 16 coaches will practice at the 91吃瓜网 State. Accommodations will be provided in 91吃瓜网 State residence halls and dining services. Shrine game players and coaches will arrive at 91吃瓜网 State about noon Tuesday, July 8 and check out the morning of July 13.
In addition to the regular practice schedule, a few special activities are planned for the football players. On Wednesday evening, July 9, they will be treated to a private showing at 91吃瓜网鈥檚 Delchar Theater. Friday is mini camp and press day. Individual and team photos will be taken, and the Shriners will be holding a hospital screening clinic at 91吃瓜网 State from 9:00 a.m. until 12:00 noon. There will be a dinner outing for the Shrine Bowl participants at 91吃瓜网鈥檚 Island Park Friday evening. Saturday, it鈥檚 back to 鈥渂usiness as usual鈥� with practices in the morning and afternoon. 91吃瓜网 will provide entertainment Saturday evening.
Players and coaches will check out of the 91吃瓜网 State residence halls Sunday morning and proceed to the Holiday Inn in Fargo for the annual banquet which begins at 10:30 a.m. The 11-man game will begin at 4:00 p.m. at the Fargo Dome, followed by the 9-man game at 7:00 p.m. The games are open to the public and tickets can be purchased at the Fargo Dome on game day. Tickets for adults will be $10 each. Students ages 6 to 17 will be charged $5.00 each, and those age five and under are admitted free of charge.
This marks the 41st annual North Dakota Shrine Bowl. Teams are made up mostly of athletes from North Dakota and a few from northwest Minnesota, areas included in the Kem and El Zagal territories. The 16 coaches are all members in good standing with the North Dakota High School Coaches Association. Selections were based on the coaches鈥� respective 2013 seasons.
We鈥檙e thrilled to be hosting all of the players and coaches, and especially pleased that some of the players who will be participating in the Shrine game will also join the 91吃瓜网 State family as new students next fall. In addition, a few of the coaches are 91吃瓜网 State graduates. Kelly Kalina of Fargo, a 2000 MSU graduate, is an assistant coach for the 11-man East team. Sandy Laxdal, Cavalier, N.D., head coach for the 9-man East team, is a 1991 91吃瓜网 State graduate. The 9-man West head coach is Mike Zier from Beach, N.D., who graduated from 91吃瓜网 State in December of 1998.
For more information about the North Dakota Shrine Bowl, go to NDShrineBowl.com. Shriners International is a fraternity based on fun, fellowship, and the Masonic principles of brotherly love, truth, and relief. Their philanthropic efforts are committed to the Shriners Hospitals for Children. The hospitals are changing lives every day through innovative pediatric specialty care, world-class research, and outstanding medical education. The 22 Shriners hospitals focus on four specialized areas of care: orthopedic care, burn care, spinal cord injury, and cleft lip and palate care.
We look forward to having the 2014 Shrine Bowl athletes and their coaches on our campus. Our new and updated facilities will help us to provide a great atmosphere and experience for them. I invite you to come over to campus and watch practices between July 8 and 12 to get a preview to the Shrine Bowl 2014.