Leaders of What?

This sign is next to the front door of Jefferson Elementary School on Jefferson St. in Blaine, MN. There are a number of implications to the line of thinking that has led to the creation of this graphic. For instance, if this school is in the business of allowing future leaders to learn here, who is it that they are going to be leading? Leaders, after all, imply those whom are led, the followers. Do the followers go to school somewhere else? Is there a similar school nearby that specializes in the learning of submission? Or are the Jeffersonian apprentice leaders practicing on their less dominant classmates?

Probably kindergartners and first graders have a rather elementary concept of leadership, as it were. Some of them may not even be able to read the sign. Those that are now literate may believe that their tenure at Jefferson qualifies them to lead the lesser lights at nearby Madison Elementary.  Be that as it may, what kind of leadership is being promoted here? Are we raising and educating these little shavers to lead troops into battle? Are they being taught the techniques of successful business management? Are they learning how to run for elective office and retain incumbency for a lifetime? Just what the heck is going on here?

Catlin Kids Torch the Southside Sprint

Local prodigies Kelly and Colin Catlin won the feature women's and men's races at the Southside Sprints in south Minneapolis on Sunday, July 20. An annual affair, the criterium circles a business district serving a residential area just north of Minnehaha Creek on Chicago Ave. In the elite women's race Northstar Development rider Kelly Catlin, who's riding style resembles that of long-time professional Linda Melanie Villumsen, escaped with Melissa Dahlman and Linda Sone' and the three were never threatened by a small field. Last year's winner Teresa Moriarity missed the break and never managed to bridge up. The result wasn't much of a surprise since Catlin outsprinted TWENTY16 professional Kaitlin Antonneau for the gold in the women's elite road race earlier in the month at the US Nationals in Madison, WI. She'll be a freshman at the University of Minnesota this fall.

Kelly Catlin

The men's elite-1-2 division had a bigger and arguably tougher field with a number of local stars capable of winning any given race. Escape artist Nick Kimpton was coming off a second place finish in a similar race at the Hopkins Raspberry Festival a week earlier. World masters track champion Dan Casper was involved with a couple of different riders in extended breakaways that were eventually reeled in. On the bell lap teen-ager Colin Catlin accelerated away from the field to take the top podium place.

Colin Catlin

Watch Cop Punch Out Lady on Freeway Shoulder

Yeah, it happens all the time but now bystanders with sophisticated magic phones get to not only record the event for posterity, they are also able to distribute it everywhere in the world. Now the cops have seized the lady's medical records: http://www.reviewjournal.com/trending/police-seize-medical-records-woman-beaten-officer

Leah Kirchmann a Triple Champion

Winnipeg native Leah Kirchmann won all three events at the Global Relay Canadian Road Cycling Championships in Lac Me'gantic, Quebec over the weekend of June 27-29. Already a two-time winner of the Canadian criterium championship, Kirchmann, a member of the Optum Pro Cycling ladies team, won that event as well as the time trial and the road race, becoming the first Canadian woman to hold the three championships simultaneously.  On Sunday she celebrated her 25th birthday.

Rebecca Sauber Wins Buck Hill Birch Bump

The Minnesota mountain bike family hit the trails on the slopes of the Buck Hill ski complex in suburban Burnsville on June 29, an unlikely location that served as the nursery for America's most successful skier, Lindsay Vonn. This time the slopes were dominated by speedy endurance star Rebecca Sauber, who shot away from a small women's elite field and won the event by a large margin.

A smile on her face as she crosses the finish line.

 

  

Alone on the last lap.

North Star Grand Prix Ladies 2014

A field of 106 lady cyclists signed up for the first stage time trial of the North Star Grand Prix in Minnesota on June 11 and when the agony was over on Sunday Durango, Colorado native Carmen Small of the Specialized-Lululemon team was the 2014 champion after taking the yellow jersey from United Health Care's Alison Powers in the Cannon Falls road race stage and holding her advantage through the final day's Stillwater criterium. Canadian champion Leah Kirchmann took the third spot on the podium for Optum Pro Cycling.

A number of the ladies had something to be proud of during the course of the contest. Californian Coryn Rivera won the field sprint in both of the flat criteriums in downtown St. Paul and Uptown Minneapolis in the kit of United Health Care. Vanderkitten rider Gillian Carleton won the Menomonie, WI road race and her team mate Lizzie Williams ran away from the field up Chilkoot Hill in the Stillwater criterium to win the festival's final stage. Local high school grad Kelly Catlin finished 15th in the GC for the Kakookies College All-stars. Overall winner Carmen Small talks over old times at the start line with former team mate Jade Wilcoxson. Coryn Rivera, many times a junior national champion, has found a place on the new United Health Care squad. Aussie rider Lizzie Williams emerged from a ten year retirement to join Vanderkitten in late 2013 and win the Chilkoot Hill stage at Stillwater with an impressive breakaway. Williams relaxes after her strenuous effort on Sunday afternoon. Consummate pro and Olympic silver medalist Lauren Tamayo does the work for the new United Health Care team,chasing the breakaways and leading out the sprints for Coryn Rivera. Canadian star Leah Kirchmann not only won third in the GC, she also took the best young rider jersey. Colavita-Finecooking rider Olivia Dillon placed ninth in the GC. Young Tibco veteran Samantha Schneider lines up next to new Optim rider Maura Kinsella.

Shamrock Capitol Criterium

Junior phenomenon Kelly Catlin leads the ladies field up the hill to the Minnesota State Capitol building as she wins the state criterium championship on June 1. Catlin finished 9th in last years world junior road racing championships in Tuscany, Italy. Abby Reuss and Melissa Dahlmann took second and third.

Jordan Cullen gets some company on his extended but failed breakaway. Grand Performance rider Tony Olson won the pro-1-2 event for the second consecutive year.