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The Leland Educational Foundation presents Alisha Glass, tonight, Thursday, March 3, as she presents "Setting in Pursuit of a Dream" the journey of fulfilling her aspirations beginning as a Leelanau youth to her current position on the US Women's National Volleyball team. Enjoy as she shares how her leadership skills, commitment and innate attributes have led to the vigorous evolution of a youth athlete with nontraditional experience to obtaining a highly awarded collegiate career.

Tickets are $10 at the door or in advance from LPS Office, Pedaling Beans Coffeeshop or The Front Porch.
Student Admission- $5 or $4 in advance, Family Admission- $25

An indoor soccer tournament will be held Saturday, February 27 and Sunday February 28 in Traverse City to benefit victims of the Haiti earthquake. "Futsal 4 Haiti" is sponsored by the Grand Traverse Soccer League and American Red Cross. The event will be held at the former Norris Elementary School on Cherry Bend Road. The cost of the tournament is $20 per player and all proceeds will go to the Red Cross relief efforts in Haiti. Youth games will be played on Saturday and adult games on Sunday. Each team can be from six to eight players and will be guaranteed three games. For more information, or to register, go to www.gtsoccerleague.org . This event is not associated with Traverse City Area Public Schools.

The Leelanau Enterprise reports that convicted felon Remo Polselii and his wife Hanna are still in control of Sugar Loaf Resort:

Shortly after she purchased Sugar Loaf resort in March 2005, Wickstrom declared publicly that Polselli was “definitely out of the picture” – an assertion she has repeated several times since then.

But facts to the contrary emerged during a hearing Monday in a suit filed by waste treatment plant operator Sugar Loaf Service Company over an unpaid $500,000-plus sewer bill the company claimed Wickstrom owed. Named as co-defendant in the case was the holder of Wickstrom’s mortgage on the resort, Transcapital Bank of Florida, represented locally by Traverse City attorney Roy Jay Montney Jr.

Montney informed Judge Thomas G. Power during this week’s hearing that Transcapital no longer holds the mortgage on Sugar Loaf Resort – a fact that Sugar Loaf Service Company attorney Tom Pezetti, on the other side of the aisle, said he’d learned only Friday. Montney said that a corporation apparently controlled by Hanna Karcho Polselli had acquired the mortgage from Transcapital, and had subsequently assigned the mortgage to yet another bank.

To read more check out the the article at the Leelanau Enterprise.
Check out more Sugar Loaf news at Leelanau.com.

Photo credit:  Leelanau Enterprise

Sandra Carden, owner-director of UNION/YOGA will be offering yoga-teacher certification program at the Homestead beginning Jan 31. The Glen Arbor Sun reports:

Nearly anyone interested in becoming certified may participate in the upcoming training at The Homestead; the only prerequisite for the 200-level program is two years of prior yoga experience. The 7 a.m. to 4 or 5 p.m. daily studies (there are no days off during the 28-day program) will include anatomy, physiology, yoga’s medical and scientific benefits, yoga lifestyle and ethics, Sanskrit, teaching and methodology, and practical business skills such as marketing and advertising. Time will be set aside each day for hands-on public teaching experience and yoga practice, the latter to learn yoga poses (asanas) and techniques. Students receive one hour for lunch and those wanting total yoga immersion can partake of vegetarian-style, East Indian-Asian cuisine. Class participants can enjoy a 50-percent discount on services at the resort’s Spa Amira, open 10-6 on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays or by appointment during the week.

For more information, read the article at the Glen Arbor Sun or visit www.unionyoga.com

Leland Comets beat Central Lake in a three game sweep on Thursday for the Class D Regional Title. This is the first regional title since the Comets took the state title in 2006. Comets senior, Sarah Ruszel, told the Record Eagle:

"We're starting a new tradition of winning volleyball again." "We kind of faltered for awhile, but now we're bringing it back. We were just so excited. This is the first time any of us have been to regionals."

For highlights of the game, read the rest of the article at the Record Eagle site.

Leland now heads to Big Rapids on Tuesday, November 17, to face Beal City in the quarterfinals. Leland Public School will have a spectator bus for Middle School and High School students interested in attending the game. The cost to ride the bus is $5, and students must be registered by breakfast break on Tuesday morning. Parents are welcome to ride, please contact Leland School for more information.

Photo courtesy of Douglas Tesner / Record-Eagle.

The Glen Lake Turkey Trot 5K Run/Walk is this Saturday, November 14. Run/Walk Registration and packet pick-up begins at 8 a.m. – race time/start time 10 a.m. for both events.  And NEW for 2009 is the 1 Mile Fun Run/Walk.  The Turkey Trot is all about celebrating health and fitness out on Glen Lake School’s beautiful cross country trails. Over a dozen turkeys and other prizes will be awarded (randomly from list of participants).

The beautiful 5K (3.1 Miles) course includes spectacular wooded trail sections. The 1 Mile course includes some beautiful trail sections too.

The Turkey Trot is a fundraiser for the Glen Lake Men’s and Women’s Varsity Cross-Country Running Teams.

The Glen Lake Turkey Turkey Trot has been Nordic Walking Pole friendly for years.

Applications can be picked up at the Glen Lake Athletic Office or either of the Traverse City Running Fit Locations – Downtown on Front Street or South Airport across from the Mall.  For more information please contact Running Fit – phone: 231-932-5401 or Coach Edwards – phone: 231-334-3080/email: getfit@skiwalking.com

Sleeping Bear Surf & Kayak will sponsor the 1st annual Stand Up Paddle Board Race for SUP enthusiasts of all abilities - this Saturday, August 29, 2009. This event will be a primer for the 2010 race and will give us a chance to test the course and see what kind of shape the Great Lakes Paddlers are in!

Course - 7 mile open class paddle from Empire Beach along the Lake Michigan Shoreline to the Sleeping Bear Dunes Overlook and back. Three divisions 17 and under, Men's 18+, and Women's 18+

Registration is $20. 10am - 6pm, Friday, August 28 and 6am Saturday, August 29 at Sleeping Bear Surf & Kayak, 10228 W. Front Street, Empire, MI 49630, 231.326.WAVE (9283).
Pre-Registration is encouraged. Registrants get a grab bag with water bottle, sunscreen and energy bars and a voucher for catered lunch at the Empire beach pavilion.

Schedule: Saturday, August 29, 2009
6am - Registration
8:30am - 7 mile open class start
8:45am - 2 mile fun paddle start
12:00pm - Lunch and awards
5:00pm - After party at The Friendly Tavern
Dark - Outdoor Movie

The 1st Annual M-22 Challenge was a success, according to event coordinator, Matt Myers. One-hundred twenty-two athletes participated in the challenge, which included a 17 mile bike ride around Big and Little Glen Lake, a 2 mile run including dune climb, and 1 mile out and back paddle in Little Glen Lake. With a time of 1:09:37, Jonathan Kuck, from Champaign, IL, was the overall men's winner.  Mark Durno, of Fairview Park, OH and Stephen John Andriese, of Traverse City, followed closely behind respective times of 1:10:06 and 1:11:09.   Keri Pawielski, of St Joesph, MI, was the top woman, with 1:15:48 time. Stephanie Frye, of Traverse City, was the 2nd best woman with a 1:26:42:58 tim.  Leland's own, Sue Burns, took 3rd overall in the woman's division. with a time of 1:28:25.  Full results available on the M-22 Challenge website.

The M-22 Challenge is a multi-discipline event based in beautiful Leelanau County in Northern Michigan designed to challenge athletes against the natural terrain and environmental elements of the area. The event organizers were thrilled with the number of participants, spectators, and volunteers. Next year, they are hoping that next year the event will draw 500 participants.

The above photo is by Jason Hamelin.  More photos of the M-22 Challenge are availble on his website  www.hamelinphoto.com or via the M-22 Challenge site.

An investor group has purchased the King's Challenge Golf Course near Sugar Loaf in Cedar and laid out an ambitious plan to transform the course into one that can compete on a national level.

Bob Kuras, president of The Homestead will head the new operation and says that two of the most respected firms in the business, the Arnold Palmer Design Company and Wadsworth Golf Construction Company, have been retained to make improvements to the course.

“The quality of Palmer’s work is known throughout the world.  And, Brent Wadsworth is a friend and seasonal neighbor who has built 800 golf courses including those at some of the most prestigious clubs in the world.  We are fortunate to have Brent as an adviser, and contractor,” says Kuras.

All of the improvements are being planned, built, and managed to qualify for the Audubon International’s Cooperative Sanctuary Program and the LEED (the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification. Work is underway and will be done in stages on the course and facilities. The course is expected to open later this year.

Also see Top golf coming to Leelanau County in the Traverse City Record-Eagle.

Now if we could just get the Sugar Loaf thing moving...

Leland coach Jason Stowe expected a fantastic game last night and while the 54-52 loss was a heartbreaker, there's no doubt that the game (tied 22-22 at halftime) delivered all that excitement and more. It came down to a final shot and was a tremendous game.

If Ellsworth is the number one team, I think it's pretty clear that Leland was #2 - congratulations on a great season, Leland!

Leland Wins Regional Opener

Last night Leland captured the regional opener with an 85-67 victory over Hillman. The Record-Eagle reports that 6' 4" Comet center Galen Whittaker led the way with a season-best 32 points and 16 rebounds. Leland will meet 23-0 and number one Class D Ellsworth in the regional final on Wednesday night at 7 PM.

Leland won the regional crown a year ago, but coach Jason Stowe knows repeating will not be easy. He came away impressed with the Lancers.

"They're No. 1 in the state," Stowe said. "They haven't lost yet. They're a very impressive team. They like to dribble drive. They have great athletes, great shooters, They know how to win -- and that goes a long way this time of year.

"I expect a battle. I think it's going to be a fantastic game."

So does Ellsworth coach Tex Drenth.

"As well as we played (Monday), we'll have to step it up Wednesday night," Drenth said. "Leland's a superb team. This will be the best team we've faced all year. We'll have our work cut out for us, but we're up for the challenge."

Leland Captures District Crown

On Friday night Leland captured the Class D District title with an 81-55 victory over Lake Leelanau St Mary.

Leland rode a balanced attack to fend off repeated charges by a determined Eagles squad.

The Comets (17-7) move on to meet Hillman in the Regional opener tonight at 7 PM at Traverse City West Senior High. The winner of tonight's game will meet the winner of Mio vs Ellsworth on Wednesday at (I think) 7:30.

In other news, Suttons Bay fell by a score of 60-46 to Forest Area. The Record-Eagle has an article on the game.