By Bruce Sayler
The Mining City Duals scored a decision victory last Tuesday when Advantage Butte voted to help fund expenses for the high school wrestling tournament.
The vote came at the Butte Plaza Inn during the November meeting of Advantage Butte.
The tournament is scheduled for December 12-13 in the Butte Civic Center and annually draws a large field of high school wrestling teams from Montana and, sometimes, surrounding states. This year’s meet has a field of 24 schools entered, said Kody West, president of the Butte Wrestling Club.
The club requested the Advantage Butte funding.
Ron Davis of Butte Broadcasting presided over Tuesday’s meeting as past president and co-founder of the organization. He said the group’s executive meeting had gone over the $3,000 request submitted and recommended approval. A membership vote was held at the meeting and carried unanimously after Ed Heard Jr. of Butte-Silver Bow Parks & Recreation forwarded the motion for approval and Jax Ralp of the Butte Plaza Inn seconded it.
The vote centered the meeting in which other Advantage Butte business was conducted.
Davis said Ralp is the new Butte Plaza Inn general manager and also took over duties as Advantage Butte secretary.
Brad Spear, treasurer, and representing Anderson Zurmuehlen & Co., reported $41,210 in the Advantage Butte checking account with $22,950 committed.
Butte High School Activities Director Travis Johnson told the group the state Class AA high school golf tournament held in October at the Butte Country Club was a “huge success.” Advantage Butte had granted $3,000 for the purchase of electronic scorecards for the tourney.
“It was my first state tournament (to direct) and I have to thank Advantage Butte for making it easier,” Johnson said.
Don Peoples Jr., Butte Central Catholic Schools president, said the East-West Tip-Off Class A basketball event will be held in Butte December 19-20 at the Maroon Activities Center. He also said the MAC will be the venue for the Western C Divisional basketball tournament in February.
Brenda Hergott, representing Montana Special Olympics, said the state bowling tournament for Montana Special Olympics is probably going to be in Butte annually and permanently. Star Lanes will be the host.
West said the Butte Wrestling Club season will start in January, but its members and staff will be helping with working The Mining City Duals and also the Class A Duals tournament set for January 30-31 and the Western B-C Divisional wrestling tournament February 13-14, both also in the Civic Center.
Montana Tech Athletic Director Matt Stepan said Montana Tech’s 11-0 Frontier Conference East Division champion football team will be home on November 29 for a second-round game of the NAIA national playoffs after drawing a bye through the first round. It was reported Saturday the Orediggers’ opponent November 29 will be league rival Carroll, which won its first-round game Saturday. Stepan also that if Montana Tech wins the game, it will likely be home for the next round, too. He said bids are going to the NAIA and he will submit a formal request to Advantage Butte for some funding help. The 11-0 ledger is a school record for Montana Tech. Stepan said, that as far as he has been able to research, no Oredigger football team had been undefeated through five games before this season.
Stepan added that the Montana Tech volleyball team, which also had a successful year, was not selected for the NAIA national tournament field and has ended its season.
Heard reminded that the Butte Turkey Trot, a running event featuring distances of 5-kilometer and 1-mile distances, is to be held Thanksgiving Day. It is to begin at 9:30 a.m. and will begin in the Three Bears Alaska parking lot. Registration is to be held at 8:30 a.m. and participants are asked to bring non-perishable food items for the Butte Emergency Food Bank.
He noted, too, that the Thanksgiving Day Walkerville Pie Race is also on the docket. It is slated for a 10 a.m. start in Walkerville and is to be a 10-kilometer bike race or run.
Heard told the group, too, that the Ridgewaters water park showed increases in usage this past summer. Despite time lost to repairs, 537 more people visited the park and the morning sessions drew 1,500 more people total for water aerobics.
He said Highland View Golf Course use showed a 10 percent uptick in revenue and that simulator use increased 20 percent. He said winter golf leagues on the simulators just started and 56 two-man teams are participating. He said a six-week spring league will start in February.
The refinished old floor moved from the Civic Center main arena to the annex will see recreational use with two pickleball courts and a volleyball court, Heard said. He added that fitness classes will start up at the Civic Center again, but fees will be charged because of insurance requirements.
