The problem? The majority of their games are played against Minnesota teams. You know, the state with the most competitive hockey programs… the state that boasts the most NHLers…. the state that actually has enough interest in the sport that almost every high school has a hockey program, unlike Wisconsin where the a lot of the teams are combined schools, a la, the Burnett Blizzard.

But, in another "as usual" seeding meeting, the Blizzard are relegated to an away game as they are seeded #5 (out of 9). They miss out on playing in front of their home fans because they play most of their games against those hapless Minnesotans.

What a farce. I understand to a point, but the Blizz has a 19-2 record and have proven themselves against Wisconsin teams with a 7-2 record.

A #5 seed, though? That's absurd. The team they're playing in the first round is Menomonie (11-9, 3-7). The Mustangs finished a distant fifth in the Big Rivers Conference… but they get the four seed because they play all Wisconsin teams.

Record

The Blizz have the second best win percentage in the state. The only team higher is Verona and they are ranked #3 in the state. The number one team in the Blizz's section is Superior (and I'm not saying they shouldn't be) and their record is 11-8. 

I do not believe seeding should be based on record alone, but 19-2? that's pretty outstanding… definitely deserving of a home game. 

The RPI does not lie.

The RPI takes into account your opponent's winning percentage, your opponent's opponent's winning percentage, and several other indicators and spits out your RPI number. .500 is your average team.

The Mustangs have a .500 RPI. The Blizzard have .538. There are sixteen teams between the two (there are only 91 teams participating in boys hockey this year).

I don't think the seedings should be based on the RPI, but I do believe this shows there is a pretty big discrepancy and that politics are definitely playing a part in the seeding process.

Post from: We are Grantsburg

Blizzard boys

Grantsburg School District to Rebrand and Restructure Online School for Wisconsin Students

The Grantsburg School District has announced it will restructure and rename its online charter school to allow for a more customized and better quality education experience for middle and high school students across Wisconsin.  On July 1, 2012, the district will change the name of Insight School of Wisconsin to “iForward,” and expand the curriculum to include vocational courses so students can earn vocational credits aligned with their career goals. The district will also begin enrolling 6^th-8^th grade students in addition to approximately 600 9^th-12^th grade students it currently serves. The newly restructured iForward online school will continue to operate as a tuition-free, non-profit, diploma-granting online charter school for Wisconsin students who wish to learn online instead of in a traditional school environment. The Grantsburg School District is a pioneer in online education in Wisconsin, offering an online charter high school to Wisconsin residents since 2002. 

The District announced it will assume all management of the iForward online school, and will no longer contract with K12 Inc., for management services of the virtual charter school.    “We’ve operated our online school with a private company for a number of years, but there are great benefits to operating it on our own, and we’re eager for that autonomy,” said Grantsburg School District Superintendant Joni Burgin, ED. D. “We’ll have the flexibility to serve additional grades, provide new opportunities for students and expand our curriculum to offer online vocational courses, which very few online high schools offer.”

Approximately 4000 Wisconsin students attend online charter schools under Wisconsin’s open enrollment program. The growth in online public education is expected to continue over the next decade as students and parents seek alternatives to attending traditional schools for a variety of reasons. “The Grantsburg High School has been honored as one of the top high schools in the nation by U. S. News and World Report,” Burgin said. “We’re proud to be able to extend the quality of our bricks-and-mortar school community to our online students across Wisconsin.” 

High school students throughout the state can apply to enroll in iForward during Wisconsin’s open enrollment period, which runs from February 6–24, 2012. For enrollment or other inquiries, contact the Grantsburg School District atinfo@iforwardwisconsin.com

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Exciting changes at High School

Don’t Miss out on the 2012 Baseball Open Gym (you read that right, BASEBALL)

Baseball Open Gym is open to Grantsburg boys 4th-8th Grade that have an interest in baseball. The Focus of Open Gym will be:

Hitting-focus on Mechanics/Fundamentals, Situational Hitting, Bat Speed/Hitting with Power

Fielding-focus on Throwing Fundamentals,Mechanics, Infield Footwork, Ground Balls,

Game Play-focus on situational plays with an indoor game of baseball.

Open Gym Dates Schedule will be on the following Sundays From 5:30-7:00pm at the Grantsburg Middle School Gym 

Sunday January 22nd

Sunday January 29th

February Sunday 12th

Sunday February 19th

Sunday February 26th

Sunday March 4th

Sunday March 11th

Sunday March 18th

Open gym is brought to you by Grantsburg High School Baseball Coaches Pete Johnson and Ted Gerber. If you have any questions please call Ted Gerber at 715-463-3456

Post from: We are Grantsburg

Baseball open gym

Please pray for them as they have five small children; a two year old girl and four boys ages 2-7.

You can make donations of goods at Calvary Covenant church (MAP) and there is a fund set up at Community Bank (E. Main St., Grantsburg, 715-463-3456) if you'd like to help the family out financially.

Post from: We are Grantsburg

Donations being accepted

May you prosper in 2012. I personally cannot wait for it to begin!

Here are some words of wisdom as we head into the next year together. Read these and own one or two. It might just make all the difference in 2012:

Rule number one is, don't sweat the small stuff. Rule number two is, it's all small stuff – Robert Elliot

He that walketh with wise men shall be wise… – Proverbs 13:19-21

If you don't run your own life, someone else will. – John Atkinson

Death and life are in the power of the tongue… – Proverbs 18:21

There's very little difference in people. But that little difference makes a big difference. The little difference is attitude. The big difference is whether it is positive or negative. – W. Clement. Stone

Everybody who ever became great was a nobody who one day decided to be a somebody. – Dexter Yager

People of mediocre ability sometimes achieve outstanding success because they don't know when to quit. Most men succeed not because they are destined to but rather because they are determined to. – George Allen

People would worry less about what others think about them if they only realized how seldom they do. – Dexter Yager

Everyone has an invisible sign hanging around their neck saying, "make me feel important". – Dale Carnegie

I can live for two months on one good compliment. – Mark Twain

No matter what your profession is, success in life is about relationships. – Dexter Yager

Men do not determine their destiny. Men determine their habits and their habits determine their destiny. – Mike Murdock

The men who try to do something and fail are infinitely better than those who try to do nothing and succeed. – Lloyd Jones

Learn from your mistakes: failure is the opportunity to begin again more intelligently. – Henry Ford

And my all-time favorite:

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat. – Teddy Roosevelt

Post from: We are Grantsburg

Happy New Year!

12-9-11 Luck at Grantsburg Boys

12-9-11 Luck at Grantsburg Girls

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Luck/Grantsburg DH Game notes

Here's a link to the festivities of Santa Day in Grantsburg.

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Santa Day!

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Dairy groundbreaking

“WeAreGrantsburg.com has long been one of the top local sports websites in the state, and as the largest statewide high school sports website, we are excited to partner with Bob to expand and improve both of our companies,” WisSports.net Content Manager Travis Wilson said.

“I have utilized Bob's website for several years to find updates on Grantsburg sports, and the recent expansions that include audio and video make it a go-to destination for area sports fans,” Wilson added.

“Bob does a great job providing local content, and WisSports.net can help fill in with a statewide perspective on how Pirate teams and athletes compare to others across our fine state.”

“We look forward to working with Bob to continue to expand coverage for the outstanding student-athletes of Grantsburg Schools.”

WisSports.net provides statewide scores, standings, stats, coaches polls, rosters, schedules, video, news, and much more for all schools in the state across multiple sports, including information on Grantsburg athletic teams and the Lakeland Conference.

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Wisconsin Sports Network partners with We are Grantsburg

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Ultimate wiener dog racing