Fifty-one years ago, in the spring of 1969, after a snow-filled winter, Windom’s Island Park flooded. The peak came on April 11 — my mom’s 50th birthday (she will soon be 101).
There were many sandbags built and placed along Sixth Avenue — between the high school and Winfair Elementary — by high school students. A huge sand dike was constructed along Highway 62 near the entrance to Island Park. Fortunately, the waters from the Des Moines River and Perkins Creek never reached the sandbag barrier, which was designed to stop a potential flood of downtown Windom.
The Des Moines, however, completed flooded the park and when the waters receded, half of the track had vanished. As a senior with anticipation of running 440’s (yards) and pole vaulting in several home meets for the Eagles, I was devastated. I had worked out all winter, running and hoisting weights, preparing for the spring season.
Looking back now, what seemed — at the time — like a temporary tragedy (for me) was nothing!
We didn’t have any home meets and we had to practice on the grass behind Winfair. But we still had a full season, hosting the annual Eagle Invitational at Worthington. Jackson held the District 7 meet and the Southwest Conference meet was at Slayton. Not having any home meets wasn’t so bad after all. We were still able to practice, compete and strive for success with our teammates — the common bond which unites high school athletes.
Whenever, I hear the song “Bad Moon Rising” by Credence Clearwater Revival, I think back fondly to the spring of ’69 and memories of my last year of high school track and field.
Contrast that to this spring.
All Minnesota schools were closed for 10 days, starting March 18 and lasting through March 27. Optimists hoped we would back this week. Instead, the closure has been extended another five weeks, through May 4.
The same goes for all of spring sports. Originally, it was believed that maybe practices could begin again this week and events would be able to start on April 6. Now, nothing will happen until at least May 4 — if then?
I feel bad for high school athletes, especially those whose favorite sport is in the spring. There’s a good chance there won’t be a 2020 season.
Today is April Fool’s Day.
We all wish that this ever-spreading corona-virus pandemic was an “April Fool” and wasn’t really happening. But it is — and it appears to be even worse than projected.
The flood of ’69 came and went. There was a lot of messy clean-up, but life soon got back to normal and events continued. The potential long-term impact of COVID – 19, a serious respiratory illness, is not good. Many of the news stories are horrifying.
There are some positive signs that things will eventually get “under control.” But for now the approaching outlook is quite negative. Strive to follow the suggested guidelines by the medical experts and make the best of your situation.
As has been said many times — we are all in this together. Keep your faith and trust in God that we will survive and strive to thrive again!
