The Crystal Falls area had two regional champions in the annual Knights of Columbus free throw competition this year. Abby Nylund and Parker Sundell both won the regional contest in Negaunee March 18 and were state runners-up in their age brackets. Here are all the local district winners. Kneeling, from left: Claudia Nocerini, Riley Hendrickson, Laina Toivonen and John Frizzo. Standing: T.J. Gaasbeck, Parker Sundell, Jeremy Johnson, Abby Nylund and Hanna Logan. (submitted photo)

IRON RIVER— Forty years after Ike Blessitt had his “cup of coffee” in the “big show” with the Detroit Tigers, he will bring his story to Iron River’s Bachman Park this Sunday, April 15.
 Blessitt, 62, is now a hitting instructor traveling around Michigan and working with local youth. He will be at Bachman Park at 1 p.m. this Sunday to hold a “meet and greet,” sign autographs, talk about his career and give some hitting advice.
 In case of inclement weather, the event will be moved to the West Iron County Fire Hall. There is no charge, and the public is invited.
 For more information, contact Chris Sholander, event organizer, at 875-3671.

IRON COUNTY--Tryouts for Iron County Little League will be taking place early next week.
 In the Crystal Falls area, tryouts are scheduled at Runkle Lake Park on Monday, April 16, from 5 to 7 p.m.
 Iron River area tryouts will take place over two days, Monday and Tuesday, April 16 and 17, from 5 to 6:30. Those tryouts are at Bachman Park in Iron River.
 Any children from 7 to 16 years old who have not yet registered for Little League can register at the tryouts.

CRYSTAL FALLS—The annual spring meeting of the Crystal Falls Men’s Golf Club will be held Wednesday, April 18, at 6:30 p.m. at the golf course clubhouse.
 President Bruce Forstrom invites all members to attend. Plans will be formulated for the upcoming golf season.

Kylee Erickson sprints away after taking the baton from Brianna Lambert during the 1600-meter relay at Northland Pines. The other two members of the quartet, Jaclyn Waara and Joanna Pellizzer, are on the right. West Iron won both the event and the meet.

EAGLE RIVER, Wis.—West Iron County’s girls hit the ground running in the first event of track season March 29, earning first place at a seven-team indoor meet held at Northland Pines High School.
 It will be the Wykons’ only competition until an April 19 outdoor meet at Lakeland High School in Minocqua.
 West Iron’s boys team finished fifth among eight teams.

Gussert ‘D’ Player of Year
Gussert, Waara voted to all-U.P. ‘dream team’
ESCANABA—Local girls basketball fans got to see two of the U.P.’s best players this year, and that was confirmed by the U.P. Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association at its annual basketball selection meeting, held here March 27.
 West Iron County senior Jaclyn Waara and Forest Park sophomore Lexi Gussert were both voted to the five-member all-class “dream team” during the meeting.
 Waara earlier was voted player of the year in the West Pac Conference for the second time. She averaged 20.5 points this season, shooting 39% from the floor and 79% at the free throw line. She also averaged 4.5 steals and four assists. Waara finished her high school career with a West Iron school record of 1,588 points.
 Gussert was the only Class D player chosen to the dream team and was also voted Class D player of the year. She averaged 22.4 points and 9.3 rebounds this year, and she scored her 1,000th career point late in the regional semifinal game against Superior Central—and scored 81 in Forest Park’s three games after that. Next winter, she will be a junior.

IRON RIVER—The deadline to register for this summer’s Iron River soccer season is this Friday. Registration forms must be postmarked by April 6.
 The Iron River Soccer Association for Youth (SAY) invites children ages 4 thru 15 to register for Iron River’s summer league. It runs from the week of July 9 through the week of Aug. 20. Teams typically play one, sometimes two games per weeknight.

MARQUETTE—Donn Atanasoff, adult league ski racer and West Iron County High School ski coach, finished his own racing season in style recently.

As temperatures hovered in the upper 70s last week, members of West Iron County’s boys tennis team got in some doubles practice on the Nelson Field courts much earlier than they usually can. The Wykons’ first match this spring is on April 24—four weeks from now.
IRON RIVER—It was “pinch me” weather for all of us last week, including West Iron boys tennis Coach Joe Serbentas.
 There he was, watching West Iron’s boys tennis team in one of its first practices of the year—outside on the Nelson Field courts. In mid-March. The players were working out in shorts and either T-shirts or shirtless. After all, it was in the upper 70s. June weather in March!

AMASA—When the NCAA men’s basketball finals are played at the Superdome in New Orleans this weekend, millions across the world will watch the action on courts that started taking shape in Iron County last September.
 The sleek hardwood court on which the men’s finals will be played started its journey to the Final Four site March 17 with a fan rally in Louisville, Ky. Its journey to New Orleans was called “The Connor Sport Court Final Four Floor Tour Transported by UPS,” thanks to a partnership between Connor Sport Court and UPS.