Winter Sports

Kels is playing 8th grade basketball for her school. Lil' TK is wrestling for West....He's been moved to JV and Varsity (depending on where he's needed for his weight class). Here are some pics Ang took while cheering them on....

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(¸.•´ (¸.•' Peace and Love

All Done!

Basketball has come to an end for both Lil' TK and Kels.

Lil' TK and the West White team had another tough season but got a win in the very last game to bring home 3rd place medals. It was a nice way to end the season!

Kels and the West Red Girls lost a heartbreaker at Grade State and ended up taking 5th in the 7AAA division. She got a basket and a free throw in one game and had a great time with her friends in the hotel. Mankato teams ended up placing 2nd and 5th in that division of State so overall it was a good weekend for Kato!

Next up for the Kopp Crew is registration for baseball and softball - both school and traveling teams. The snow on the ground makes it hard to imagine summer sports are just around the corner - but indeed they are!!

Big TK is playing around the area with Acoustic Inc. and has also formed a new yet-to-be-named band. The new band will feature electric guitars, bass and drummer. The 3 guys from AI (Big TK, Matt and Jerry) are busy learning songs with with the newly acquired drummer. Big TK is also working temporarily part-time for a friend who owns a business copier place in North Kato. With gas prices being so high, it's nice he doesn't have to travel.

Kels had oral surgery on the 11th to remove 5 teeth...one an impacted tooth growing sideways up under her nose. She did great but will be spending a low-key weekend recovering.

Cabin fever is in full force but getting out the Mexican Village for Big TK's birthday helped a bit. It was a family event with the Casio's and Hummer's joining in as well as Gramma Nita. And of course, the mandatory Sombrero picture - Happy Birthday, Have a Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday, Have a Happy Day - Ole!

 

The Crew is looking forward to warmer weather and the disappearance of the snow.

Until then....

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(¸.•´ (¸.•' Peace and Love

and still MORE basketball...

Kels and the 7th Grade West Red team have been improving and winning tournaments. Click the blog title to watch the Championship game at the Coon Rapids tournament which was played the end of January.

The team got trophies for each player, a bigger trophy for the coach and pink championship shirts with "We're so good, YOUR mom cheers for us!" on the back. It was a great weekend...the girls worked hard.

Lil' TK sprained his ankle at school basketball practice and has been out of commission for the last week. A visit to the Athletic Trainer at West High School helped to get a therapy program in place so that he can rejoin his school and traveling basketball teams as well as get ready for Royals baseball tryouts.

Big TK and Acoustic Inc. have been out and about entertaining bar patrons with their fun and light acoustic show.

Lil' TK and Kels turned 13 at the end of December. The most exciting part? They could put their real age on Facebook! In addition to all the sports programs they are involved in, they are both doing well in school and seem to enjoy participating in FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) with some of their fellow classmates/team-mates.

The winter in Minnesota is reminding us all that it is definitely in charge. Supposedly the Groundhog did not see his shadow and spring is just around the corner....but considering how much snow is out there, it will take until the 4th of July for it all to melt! There is concern that flooding will be an issue when all the white stuff does start melting. Fingers crossed that preparations are in place to keep the damage to as minimal as possible.

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(¸.•´ (¸.•' Peace and Love

B-Ball Gold and Snow

What a weekend for Kopp Crew basketball!

Lil’ TK fought through an ankle injury to play some great ball. Even though he and Big TK both told Ang he wasn’t going to play (upon which Ang stayed home instead of paying an entry fee into a tournament just to watch Lil’ TK warm the bench). The team lost all 3 games but it was good to know that Lil’ TK is becoming the kind of team-mate and player who will fight adversity to do what he can to help the team.

Kels and the Mankato West Red girls played in Northfield at beautiful St. Olaf College on Sunday. Despite still being the newest-to-basketball player on the team, she found her stride and did a tremendous job on defense and at post. 1 basket, 1 free throw and several rebounds and steals later, the girls took home the first place medal in the 7th grade division. Ang did get to see this one…hence the pictures to prove it!

Oh, as if we didn't have enough of the white stuff...it IS snowing here in the great state of MN again. Lots and lots of snow. It's gorgeous out there. Not so fun driving. But this is what winter in MN is all about.

Merry Christmas and God Bless You!

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(¸.•´ (¸.•' Peace and Love

More Basketball and Stuff.

Lil’ TK and the West White Scarlets are 1-5 after 2 tournaments. Better start than last year but still a bit disappointing. Lil’ TK is taking it all in stride trying to become a leader on the team and learn all that comes with that responsibility. Weather has not been kind to the practice schedule and the boys have a tournament in Lakeville this weekend before heading into the holiday break…and hopefully some more practice opportunities.

Kels has been doing well in school basketball, winning more than they’ve lost. She is on the A team which is great “practice” for the traveling team she decided to join. Some of her best friends are on this team (which only had 4 girls at try outs). The team is now at 7 players including Kels and has played in two tournaments. The competition and pace of the traveling games is much different than school but Kels is doing her best to learn all she can as fast as she can so that she can contribute as much as she can. Next up for the traveling team is a one day tournament in Northfield at St. Olaf College on Sunday before they head into the holiday break. School ball will be coming to an end on the 21st with a game against cross-town rival East. Then it will be focusing on traveling basketball and starting to get ready for softball.

It truly NEVER ENDS at the Kopp household.

Big TK has been working for a friend on a temp/part time basis. It’s been good for him to get out and do something productive. Acoustic Inc has 3 dates coming up, which always is exciting since music is his first true love. There is also talk of getting another band together (not acoustic – more members, more hard rock).

Ang is just Ang…making things harder than they need to be day by day – and trying to enjoy every minute of it.

Merry Christmas!

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(¸.•´ (¸.•' Peace and Love

Seasons End - Seasons Begin...

The 2010 7th Grade Hickorytech Rams from the West side ended the season with a win and a 6-0 record.
The team was fun to watch all season as the boys played hard, played together and played a full game each and every time. As the games continued and reached the 4th quarter, the Rams seemed to get more energized and hungrier for that notch in the Win column. Everyone is looking forward to watching this group play as West Scarlets in 8th grade next fall and carry on the tradition the Varsity team has started. The West Scarlets are 8-0 on the season and heading into playoffs. Here’s hoping they can add a State trophy to the Jug (won in the West vs. East game 10/20!) in that trophy case at the high school!

The DMMS D1 Volleyball team ended the season on a sourer note with losses to cross town rival East and Fairmont. Kels had fun playing with her friends and seems to have really improved as a player. Being the competitive athlete she is, she was hoping for a better season but it seems like there is a lot of potential with the serious players and next year should be another great experience.

Next up for the Kopp Crew: Basketball. School ball for both Kels and Lil’ TK starts with the Parent Meeting the last week of October. Lil’ TK again tried out for the traveling b-ball program in town as well and was placed on the “White (B)” team. Expecting practices to start soon for all of it…Ang and Big TK might actually be busier with b-ball than baseball/softball in the summer with 3 different teams to coordinate!

Mankato/North Mankato got deluged with rain at the end of September - some towns around us didn't have running water for a week due to flooding at their water treatment plants...everyone seemed to have water in their basements (but not us -  Thank you Lord!). The MN River got freakishly high...these pics from the stoplights at Lookout Drive and Lee Blvd - near the Judson Bottom Road - which was almost completely under water!

Ang is excited to FINALLY have a real grown-up bedroom to call her own. After 10 years of working slowly on the rest of the house, the bedroom finally got painted and decorated. Now to get going on Lil’ TK’s room, the kids’ bathroom and Ang’s office…it never ends!

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(¸.•´ (¸.•' Peace and Love

Spring is just around the corner...

Basketball is coming to a close for Lil’ TK. It’s been a rough season with only 1 victory and only 1 tournament left. The boys head to Austin on Sunday for their final tournament. Ang has been praying that they can get one more victory out of the season so he can feel a little better about the season. Looking forward to baseball and Royals tryouts. New bat in hand and ready to make some noise!

Kels is working hard on getting ready for Peppers softball tryouts. Her pitching has been going well considering she hasn’t been able to get private lessons. She has three pitches now…a change, drop and fastball. She is still more concerned with accuracy than speed but seems to be picking up some velocity so here’s hoping she has a good tryout and is able to play with her friends this summer.

Big TK got a job!!! He is in management training (CIT is what they call it – “Coach in Training”) with Pawn America. He had 3 days of training in Fridley and started last week officially training at the Mankato store. He already has ideas for helping the business become more successful and is still excited about the opportunity this position could bring. Ang feels like a huge weight has been lifted off her shoulders and is so proud of him!

Snow is slowing melting away as it has been raining the past few days. While it’s great to see spring peeking its head around the corner, the melting snow is revealing just how bad Lil’ TK and Kels were at keeping up with dog poop patrol. The back yard is a mess and it will not be easy to clean it up. Live and Learn! Picking up a little poo in the cold and snow is way better than picking up A LOT of it in the rain and muck!

Happy Spring!