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W W W . C I . B L A I N E . M N . U S
March/April 2011
Team USA Unveils New Home at NSC The U.S. Women’s National Hockey Team recently moved into its permanent new training home at the Schwan’s Super Rink at the National Sports Center. Team USA can now step off the ice of Rink 7 directly into its new space. A short hallway leads past new laundry facilities, an equipment room, coaches’ locker room and office before opening into a spacious locker room, complete with medical training area
Move to Blaine Proves Successful for TwinsFest Fans of the Minnesota Twins poured into the National Sports Center in late January for the three-day TwinsFest, an annual winter festival featuring autographs, memorabilia and numerous interactive and fan-friendly activities to entertain baseball enthusiasts of all ages. The Twins found Blaine to be welcoming and accommodating despite only a few weeks of preparation to stage the event at the NSC after the roof collapse at the Metrodome, the former home of the fair. Tickets sold out quickly and, despite limiting the number of tickets sold to 25,000 to accommodate the smaller venue, dedicated fans still arrived hours in advance for the Friday session to stand in autograph lines for signatures from their favorite Twins. Thousands of fans also sent “get well” wishes to Hall of Famer Harmon Killebrew by signing an oversized greeting card. The former Twins great has been battling esophageal cancer and was unable to attend TwinsFest this year. TwinsFest, among the largest teamoperated festivals in professional sports, serves as an annual fundraiser for the Minnesota Twins Community Fun. The event has raised more than $4.2 million for programs and organizations supported by fund since its inception in 1991. The Miracle League ball field at the Blaine Baseball Complex was constructed, in part, with contributions from the Twins Community Fund.
and team meeting space. The new facility is also only a few short steps from the state-ofthe-art Herb Brooks Training Center. U.S. Women’s Hockey trained in Blaine prior to the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver as part of the Blaine Residency Program that began in May 2008. It was intended to keep players in town while they trained for international competition. Because Team USA found the city, Super Rink and other accommodations hospitable, planning began immediately after the Olympics to permanently keep the hockey program in Blaine. With an appropriation from the state legislature, the NSC was able to add a topnotch facility worthy of the top female athletes in the country. Construction on the new space adjacent to Rink 7 began in mid-September 2010. Adding onto the existing Super Rink helped meet the Dec. 26 construction deadline, when Team USA was officially handed the keys to its new digs in time for the one-week selection camp for the 2011 World IIHF Women’s World Championship. Forty of the best female hockey players in the country competed for a spot on the team, which travels to Switzerland in April to challenge for a gold medal.
Safety Services to Host Two Bike Helmet Sales Events this Spring The City of Blaine Safety Services Division will host two bike helmet fitting and sales events this spring as part of an ongoing effort to ensure the safety of bicyclists in the community. Sale dates are Tuesdays, April 12 and May 3, at Blaine City Hall, from 4 to 8 p.m. each night. Bike helmets will be sold for $12 each and will be available in a variety of colors and sizes ranging from toddler to adult. All helmets are Bell® brand helmets and comply with U.S. CPSC Safety Standards. Safety Services professionals will also ensure all helmets fit properly. Residents may also bring any helmets they already own for proper fitting. Parents are encouraged to get a helmet for themselves or have an existing one fitted to exemplify
safety for their kids. No appointments are necessary and helmets are available only while supplies last. More information about the bike helmet fitting and sales event is available from Andrea Hunt of the Blaine Police Department at 763-785-6113 or ahunt @ ci.blaine.mn.us.