There really is a falls in Sioux Falls
Gene Steinmeyer
Don’t let any disappointment from the Bearcat men’s Saturday’s semifinal loss to Pittsburg State dampen what will happen this weekend. Northwest travels to Sioux Falls, South Dakota as the fourth seed in the NCAA Regional Tournament.
Northwest has made a habit of knocking off the host school in the region over the years. Just last year, Minnesota State-Mankato was the host school. The Bearcats beat them in the semifinals. Remember the regional finals against Central Missouri? If Dillon Starzl doesn’t get hurt, Central is not a national champion and their coach is probably not the Missouri coach today.
My Northwest teams were lucky enough to play in four NCAA Regional Tournaments. I liked to give my parents a little information about the city they would be visiting. I don’t know how many readers will make the trip, but I want to do the same service for the fans traveling to Sioux Falls this weekend.
Sioux Falls, a city of about 165,000, is about a five-hour drive up Interstate 29. Actress January Jones of the Chrysanthemum and the Sword is one of the most famous people born in Sioux Falls. Don’t feel bad, I have no clue who she is either.
A real famous person from Sioux Falls is James Abourezk. He was the first Arab-American Senator of the United States. In today’s climate, that’s quite an accomplishment, although Abourezk now practices law in South Dakota.
How about a little sports trivia? Ask this question: Who was the first commissioner of the American Football League, the 20th governor of South Dakota and a World War II ace? If you answered Joe Foss, you have too much time on your hands.
Any city named Sioux Falls must have a waterfall. The city was built on the Big Sioux River. About 14,000 years ago, the last ice age carved a falls on the Big Sioux River. I’ve actually seen it and it’s pretty neat.
My research has told me to definitely eat at Minerva’s Grill and Bar. If you want to try a real Sioux Falls landmark, check out the food at Bob’s Carry Out and Delivery. My mouth is watering now.
I have learned a few lessons during the four regionals my Northwest women’s teams participated in. The first was in Springfield, Missouri and Drury College was the host. The year was 2004 and the MIAA Tournament had just spent its second year in Kansas City.
We had spent five great nights in the downtown Marriott. Our games were played in history-rich Municipal Auditorium right in downtown Kansas City. We ate at famous barbecue restaurants, the basement of a famous jazz club and even brunch at Union Station.
In Springfield, we stayed in the Salem Inn, a trucker hotel just off the interstate. The lesson to be learned is never stay in a motel that ends with “Inn.” Huge letdown after Kansas City.
The second NCAA Region was in St. Joseph. Everyone already knew about the Pony Express and Jesse James. Also, everyone slept in their own beds. Another letdown.
The third NCAA Regional was played at West Texas A&M. We stayed in a Holiday Inn at Amarillo, about a 30-minute drive from Canyon, Texas, home of West Texas A&M.
We came in as the eighth seed, but a half court shot from Meghan Brue broke top-seed A&M’s 42-game home winning streak. Did you know the longest running canyon in the world starts at Canyon, Texas? One great disappointment was never even seeing the canyon.
The only lesson from this region is the home crowd is not very friendly when you end their season with a half-court shot at home. The team was pelted with water bottles and hats. For a second, I thought we were at a hockey game.
The last region was the most memorable. It was 2011 and Northwest was ranked in the top 10 nationally. We still didn’t get to host a region. We were sent to Tahlequah, Oklahoma, location of Northeastern State.
Tahlequah is the capitol of the Cherokee Nation. It was the hometown of the first female chief of the Cherokee Nation. Her name was Wilma Mankiller. That should have been a clue that Tahlequah had a few tough parts of town.
A KQ2 reporter was sent to cover the games. I can’t remember his name, but they didn’t give him a big budget for housing. While our team stayed at a very nice hotel just off the main highway, this reporter checked into the Cherokee Motor Lodge.
After the first night, the poor guy looked terrible. Bags were under his eyes and his clothes were wrinkled. He told me he heard drug deals being made just outside his door all night long. The under-paid reporter never took off his clothes and slept on top of the sheets.
The next morning, he checked out of the Cherokee Motor Lodge and found another cheap location that had a last name of “Motel.” The lesson is never stay overnight in anything ending in “Motor Lodge.”
If you are following the Bearcats, plan on staying until after Tuesday’s championship game. If history is any indication, Northwest will be hanging around Sioux Falls for a while.
You might even have time to check out the falls on the Big Sioux River.
