View from the cheap seats

A weekly perspective on sports

Casey Krautkramer Reporter The Record-Review

I chatted with former Marathon residents Paul and Sara (Ahrens) Jaglinski at the Marshfield Columbus cross country invite on Saturday at Wildwood Zoo.

The couple now lives in Wisconsin Rapids, and their daughter, Jordyn Jaglinski, runs cross country on the Wisconsin Rapids Assumption Royals middle school team.

I remember watching a local television sports broadcast, approximately a year ago, on how Jordyn is a basketball dribbling phenom. Her uncle is Larry Buchberger of Marathon, who’ll introduce Bill Knetter as one of the five 2020 inductees into the Marathon Red Raider Hall of Fame during this Sunday’s 1 p.m. ceremony on the high school football field.

My girlfriend is amazed by how many people stop and talk to me at local high school sporting events. Most of the people who know me are parents of current athletes, former athletes and current and former head coaches.

For example, I saw recent former star high school cross country runners Jonathon Nowacki of Athens and

Marissa Ellenbecker of Edgar watching their alma maters perform at the Marshfield Columbus Invite on Saturday.

I also saw former Stratford varsity cross country coach Mark Guderski chatting with meet official Paul Rozak of Stratford on Saturday at Wildwood Park in Marshfield.

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I’m an optimistic person, therefore I’m always writing in my sports stories comments from local student athletes on how they would love to help their varsity teams qualify for the state tournament this year. I recall even writing in one of my previous sports columns how Edgar’s football team has a better shot at winning a state title this season, now that Black Hawk isn’t able to have a cooperative team with Warren, Ill. due to the coronavirus.

Well, it turns out I was a bit overly optimistic about there being state football championship games this year. In July, the WIAA Board of Control’s approval of a reduced, 11-week fall football field ruled out conducting the 2020 state football finals at Camp Randall Stadium since 1982. Therefore, I’m not sure if there’ll be any type of postseason held for football this year.

Today, the WIAA said because of the uncertaintly of conducting culminating events and tournaments, and given the challenging situation with COVID-19 restrictions in Dane County, the WIAA and University of Wisconsin- Madison announced WIAA tournaments won’t be held at UW faciilties this fall.

The state tournament events impacted include the girls golf, girls individual and team tennis and girls swimming and diving at the UW Natatorium.