Is the Iron Range Irrelevant?

north_bear · Post by **north_bear** » Tue Dec 04, 2012 6:36 pm

Reality or not, this is down right depressing!! Sure the Range doesn't win state championships very often in high school sports anymore, but does that mean there are no more good teams? No! Rapids had a great basketball team a few years back, got 2nd at state and had won the section title 4 years in a row(not sure on that.) They always have a strong wrestling program, frequently make state trips. Hibbing has had a strong hockey team the last couple years. Rapids hockey has been quite competitive the last few years and looks to be good for a few more years. There's still D1 recruits that come out of the range on a pretty regular basis, not everyone has ran away.

I guess I'm just more of an optimistic person and always hope that the next year will be more prosperous than the previous. Good year or bad year, downfall of the range or not. Fans and supporters always fill the IRA rooting for their team.

May the legend of the Range live on!

Hibbing01 · Post by **Hibbing01** » Wed Dec 05, 2012 2:39 pm

I think a big thing is, the Youth associations that shorten the bench to two lines for the "A" teams. Alot of parents and players get pretty discouraged when they travel to North Dakota or the Twin Cities for a three day tournament with hotels at 70-80 a night, meals for three nights, entertainment for the other kids, time off of work, plus what you have in gear and equipment, only to see Junior play one or two shifts, and sit on the bench the rest of the weekend. Iron Range Youth Hockey associations need to realize that not everyone has that kind of dispensible income, and if they did they might rather spend it doing something that the whole family can enjoy. Hence less numbers in High School, and strugling to field good teams.

defense · Post by **defense** » Wed Dec 05, 2012 6:36 pm

I wouldn't say irrelevant, so its not like it was, but they still have good hockey. Did not Rapids lose two championship games in a row not long ago? Not bad. Look around the state, no one is doing great outside of the metro area. It will change sometime.

almostashappy · Post by **almostashappy** » Wed Dec 05, 2012 6:39 pm

defense wrote: Look around the state, no one is doing great outside of the metro area. It will change sometime.

How?

rainier · Post by **rainier** » Wed Dec 05, 2012 6:55 pm

defense wrote:I wouldn't say irrelevant, so its not like it was, but they still have good hockey. Did not Rapids lose two championship games in a row not long ago? Not bad. Look around the state, no one is doing great outside of the metro area. It will change sometime.

It's true, there still is good hockey on the range even given the reduction in enrollment. If you take out the schools that draw from AA-sized areas who masquerade as A schools (STA, Breck, SCC, Marshall, Lourdes, Totino, etc.), Hibbing, Virginia, and I-Falls would usually be top 10 teams in most years.

Although I wonder even if the enrollments went back up if most Iron Range teams could compete at all in the era of mega schools and constant transferring that goes on in the metro. I mean, when the best player from Hopkins (enrollment 2070) goes to play for Tonka (enrollment 2750), that is one mammoth talent pool to draw from.

rainier · Post by **rainier** » Wed Dec 05, 2012 7:04 pm

almostashappy wrote:
defense wrote: Look around the state, no one is doing great outside of the metro area. It will change sometime.
How?

Maybe someone will start an Iron Range Super Achiever Academy, then all the top players on the Range will transfer there.

The idea is far fetched, but they would be damn good. For example, two years ago Rapids had a top 10 AA team, and Hibbing and Virginia were both top 10 A teams, so if the top 3 players off Hibbing (Johnson, DeCenzo, Pechovnik) and Virginia (Hendrickson, Eddy, Judnick) had transferred to Rapids, that team could easily have won state. And they would still have an enrollment less than the mega schools. What a fantasy!

Maybe Phil Falcone will pony up the cash to make the IRSAA a reality.

northwoods oldtimer · Post by **northwoods oldtimer** » Wed Dec 05, 2012 7:04 pm

The fact that it is now a MONEY SPORT has killed the game so far as building the big pyramid of players. Outstate does not compete with the super rich metro kids and the year round marketing of "development". Look at Minneapolis and St Paul hockey, it is dead too. East side hockey going the same route rapidly. Only the uber rich burbs are making a go of it. It is actually quite a sad commentary on the health of the game. Which is really pathetic indeed!!!

Ignore the smarmy eagan comment.

rainier · Post by **rainier** » Wed Dec 05, 2012 7:07 pm

northwoods oldtimer wrote:The fact that it is now a MONEY SPORT has killed the game so far as building the big pyramid of players. Outstate does not compete with the super rich metro kids and the year round marketing of development.

Bingo. How much was a hockey stick in 1975? Now they are $250!!

If Edina used old wooden sticks, would they ever make it to state again?

northwoods oldtimer · Post by **northwoods oldtimer** » Wed Dec 05, 2012 7:13 pm

Ranier the games dying. Most people are too ignorant or too arrogant to figure that out and most is a little of both. USA hockey can shove the game up their rather enlarged arse they do NOTHING for the game!

Guys on here posted the right stuff you got to think outside the box in the north to start to develop again. The north associations try to do what big money west burbs do....YOU CAN'T!!!

almostashappy · Post by **almostashappy** » Wed Dec 05, 2012 7:36 pm

rainier wrote:
northwoods oldtimer wrote:The fact that it is now a MONEY SPORT has killed the game so far as building the big pyramid of players. Outstate does not compete with the super rich metro kids and the year round marketing of development.
Bingo. How much was a hockey stick in 1975? Now they are $250!!

If Edina used old wooden sticks, would they ever make it to state again?

I've said this before, but what if everyone was forced to use wooden sticks? Level the playing field, NASCAR style (and make it more affordable). It wouldn't hurt the game...unless you are the kind of person who loves hearing the "ping" of a high school aluminum bat rather than the sharp crack of MLB ash or maple.

Tripod · Post by **Tripod** » Thu Dec 06, 2012 11:15 am

I think a big thing is, the Youth associations that shorten the bench to two lines for the "A" teams. Alot of parents and players get pretty discouraged when they travel to North Dakota or the Twin Cities for a three day tournament with hotels at 70-80 a night, meals for three nights, entertainment for the other kids, time off of work, plus what you have in gear and equipment, only to see Junior play one or two shifts, and sit on the bench the rest of the weekend. Iron Range Youth Hockey associations need to realize that not everyone has that kind of dispensible income, and if they did they might rather spend it doing something that the whole family can enjoy. Hence less numbers in High School, and strugling to field good teams.

Spot on! At youth, nobody knows for sure who will be the best players at high school level, so play everybody. Some players keep progressing, so plateau, some leave the sport, some leave the area, etc.. Nobody remembers who won Squirt tourneys... really!

thestickler07 · Post by **thestickler07** » Thu Dec 06, 2012 11:20 am

Its demographics. The same reason the SEC is dominating college football.

More resources, more bodies, more opportunities.

mnmouth · Post by **mnmouth** » Thu Dec 06, 2012 11:35 am

Forget everything else about super teams and reinvigorating youth programs. No industry = continued decline in Range hockey. Take Polaris out of Roseau and Marvin out of Warroad and you head in the same direction up there.

MNHockeyFan · Post by **MNHockeyFan** » Thu Dec 06, 2012 11:58 am

thestickler07 wrote:Its demographics. The same reason the SEC is dominating college football.

More resources, more bodies, more opportunities.

I think demographics, and more specifically economics, play a much bigger role in hockey than they do in football. You don't need indoor ice and expensive sticks to play football.

MNHockeyFan · Post by **MNHockeyFan** » Thu Dec 06, 2012 12:07 pm

mnmouth wrote:No industry = continued decline in Range hockey. Take Polaris out of Roseau and Marvin out of Warroad and you head in the same direction up there.

Exactly. People today need very good paying jobs to be able to afford their kids playing hockey. It's no longer neighborhood teams playing one another on outdoor ice like it was when I was growing up. And a top-of-line fiberglass Northland Pro was just 5 bucks..but most made do with something less expensive like a $3 Sherwood.

This is the era when Range hockey really shined - all you needed to really excel at hockey were parents with a decent working class job and hard ice for three months a year (something the metro kids didn't always have).

defense · Post by **defense** » Thu Dec 06, 2012 12:22 pm

I second or third the money issue. Don't kno what it is up there, but locally it is just too expensive to justify paying just so the kid is doing something active. Then u got the trips, tourneys, food, hotel while there...jacket, t shirt , hat, pants, stickers, pics, idea, , and lets give the nice lady who did scrapbooks for everyone some money too, and pitch in for a coaches present, and by the way we a re all going bowling so.....

north_bear · Post by **north_bear** » Thu Dec 06, 2012 7:40 pm

I believe the mining industry is making a comeback. Magnetation has several working sites on the Range and will be building a new processing plant in Indiana. Essar steel has a site near Nashwalk. US Steel has been hiring more people. There has been talk about the potential for precious metals mines way up the Range, the mineral deposits there are some of the largest in the world.

Of course anyone in the mining industry knows it can be a job with uncertainties, i.e. layoffs and shutdowns related to market demand.

MN Power plant and Blandin are a couple of the big employers around the Rapids area that have well paying jobs.

On a side note, I laced up the skates for the first time this year on a local lake to break in the feet again, felt great!

net12 · Post by **net12** » Fri Dec 07, 2012 9:25 am

rockcrusher wrote:Greenway1969, lots of stories flying around the Twin Ports on why Rapids big guns aren't playing. And it has nothing to do with injuries. Fake ID's seem to be the common theme amongst the rumors. Any IRC fans wish to comment?

I can tell you that whoever said that their top players are out for fake Ids is completely wrong. Both top defenseman are out with concussions and are in now way in legal trouble.

mnmouth · Post by **mnmouth** » Fri Dec 07, 2012 11:35 am

net12 wrote:
rockcrusher wrote:Greenway1969, lots of stories flying around the Twin Ports on why Rapids big guns aren't playing. And it has nothing to do with injuries. Fake ID's seem to be the common theme amongst the rumors. Any IRC fans wish to comment?
I can tell you that whoever said that their top players are out for fake Ids is completely wrong. Both top defenseman are out with concussions and are in now way in legal trouble.

Buried in the DNT story in the article on NE Minnesota large school hockey is Jake Bischoff briefly discussing his injury situation.

http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/event/ ... id/251784/

Hopefully this ends the speculation.

grindiangrad-80 · Post by **grindiangrad-80** » Fri Dec 07, 2012 7:08 pm

rockcrusher wrote:Greenway1969, lots of stories flying around the Twin Ports on why Rapids big guns aren't playing. And it has nothing to do with injuries. Fake ID's seem to be the common theme amongst the rumors. Any IRC fans wish to comment?

Sure, I'll chime in.
Rumor flyin around the range is that rockcrusher has been spotted out in the sheep pen pretty regular lately.
Anyone in the twinports care to comment?

rockcrusher · Post by **rockcrusher** » Fri Dec 07, 2012 7:49 pm

Grindiangrad-80
Yeah, and can you bring back the rubber boots you borrowed from me?

grindiangrad-80 · Post by **grindiangrad-80** » Fri Dec 07, 2012 7:56 pm

EHSHack · Post by **EHSHack** » Fri Dec 07, 2012 11:34 pm

Why is Rapids being tossed around in an Iron Range discussion? Rapids is not the Range just as Forest Lake is not northern MN.

mnmouth · Post by **mnmouth** » Sat Dec 08, 2012 11:09 am

EHSHack wrote:Why is Rapids being tossed around in an Iron Range discussion? Rapids is not the Range just as Forest Lake is not northern MN.

Whether or not Grand Rapids is part of the Iron Range has been debated by many, including Rangers, for 100 years. Intercept a group of old-time Rangers in the Corner Bar in Hibbing, or the American Legion in Grand Rapids, or Norman's in Virginia, and you're liable to start a heated debate on what towns constitute the Iron Range. But, the fact remains that Rapids does belong, and has belonged, to the Iron Range Conference in hockey since 1958 and football/basketball since 1946.

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