Lane Hagemeyer:  

I was on the Mounds View Chess team that traveled by train to Chicago for the National High School Chess Championship. It was Honor for Home on the Ant Hill--Mounds View teenage CROWDED -- That is a fact! yeah right--like the chess team meant anything to another 16-18 year-old---hahaha -- unless you played and tried to make the team! The year was 1973. Bobby Fischer had just won the International Grandmaster competition, or, World Championship in Chess from Boris Spassky. Bobby was the first American to ever hold that title. Fisher was a goofball...but he was OUR goofball and the first ever USA champion of the world in chess. We overlooked the goofball part. At the high School Chess Championship, there were several hundred 5-person teams competing in the great city of Chicago. Mounds View High School came in runner-up to South Bend, IN. Don Bric led the way, and the late Arnold Cutler was our coach. Our trophy was in the case for many years. I'm not so sure anybody even knew of the Mounds View Chess Team's exploits back in the Watergate & Mounds View Swimming/Basketball/Hockey/Soccer/Track Team era. Maybe Mr. Cutler knew we were not going to garner Palin-type publicity, and that is why he sprung for a filet mignot dinner at a very nice restraunt for us after the ceremonies. I'll never forget that dinner. I was in various other sports. But, if you remember me for that, you probably feel sorry for me. My claim to fame was winning the 10th grade match game golf tournament, defeating Dan Quinn. Or, maybe, my twenty-four dollar and fifty cent week. You have to email me to find out about that! I enjoyed watching our basketball, hockey and swimming teams as well. Many days I returned home at 9 or 10 at night, after being at school all day. I traveled to many away sporting events. I earned my driver's license the day after I turned 16. My birthday fell on Thanksgiving in 1972. High School sports was my box of chocolates at the time. I had wheels. Well, Mom and Dads' wheels Dad walked to work and Mom did not work. So IT worked. I ran for Mounds View High School Board Representative and got badly beaten. Even the outgoing HS board representative, Don Adderly, could not deliver me the votes needed. I played basketball as a youngster and met Ziggy Kauls, Mark and Paul Landsberger along with many others in the Summer of 1970 basketball camp at Lake Johana Jr High School. I was very excited to meet, greet and play ball. Who do I remember most? Not the 2-time future world champ. Not the future hall of fame coach. nope It was Mr. buckets catching water dripping from ...Expand for more