Wrenshall News: Find the light in life in the dead of winter

Minnesota climatology records show that January was the cloudiest on record since recorded observations started in 1963. With the gloomy weather it can be hard to stay motivated. Luckily, our community has some options for you.

The city of Wrenshall created and maintains a free outdoor ice rink located just behind the post office and bus garage. It is lit by lights hanging in the pine trees that stay on until around 9 p.m. There is a warming house and bench for folks to put on skates and rest. Members of the community have donated skates, so there are quite a few pairs in various sizes.

If skating is not your thing, you can find inspiration from the Wrenshall elementary girls basketball team. Led by coach Sheila Crisp, the team has learned the value of hard work and team building through a successful season. The program started competition with a tournament in Cromwell and an initial blowout loss against Moose Lake. The team recovered in their second game with a loss by just two.

"We realized then we had some hope," Crisp said. The following week they played in Proctor where they won both games, and their two games on Wrenshall soil the next weekend were successful as well. Last weekend, with several girls out with winter illness, the team faced some aggressive competition and went into a double overtime tie in their first game, and lost their second game by just two points. Crisp said that learning how to be competitive and how to use winning and losing as fuel for practice is an important part of how a team develops.

"This is teaching these girls how to work hard together as a team. We do team bonding nights, and through playing and experiencing winning and losing together they build their work ethic early. That bond that they share will carry with them throughout their elementary experience. I know that I'm excited to follow them through the program."

Crisp said the support of the girls' parents is an important part of their success. It can be a lot to transport kids to practice and games but, as Crisp points out, their passion is inspiring. "I truly have a great bunch all around."

The team has its last tournament scheduled for Feb. 22 in Barnum and we'll all be cheering them on.

If you want to share your own Wrenshall-specific story - let me know. Call 218-310-4703 or email [email protected].