Midwest floods wash out field of dreams

May 12, 1997
Web posted at: 6:13 a.m. EDT (1013 GMT)

From Correspondent Jeff Flock

GRAND FORKS, North Dakota (CNN) -- In the quiet of a North Dakota morning, between the barns and silos, a would-be javelin champion struggles to find his form.

"It's peaceful coming out here, all these nice days," says high school athlete Joe Wilson. "I think it's kind of fun."

This after weeks of no fun, no nice days and no peace.

There was no track, tennis or golf this spring in Grand Forks, North Dakota. Instead, throwing sandbags became the spring sport, not by choice, but out of necessity.

"A bunch of friends and I were out sandbagging, trying to save other people's houses. I came home about midnight and my parents were saying, 'Let's get out of the house,'" Wilson recalls of the flood that changed everybody's lives in this small, Midwestern town.

Now Wilson's neighborhood is covered in debris, belongings from his friends and neighbors line the street. His high school is closed, so he goes to a relative's farm to try and stay in shape.

Sidetracked champions

The story is played out for hundreds of area athletes from junior high to college.

Red River High School's tennis players, last year's state champions, now live and train 83 miles away in Fargo.

"It's because of tennis," says one of the girls.

"Otherwise I would be at home with my family," says another. "But I wanted to play."

"It gives them something to focus on and gives them something to take their minds away from what otherwise is a real tough time," explains Craig Perry, Red River High School athletic director.

Just two weeks before the flood, the University of North Dakota won the Division I National Hockey Championships. Spring sports, however, are a washout.

"They gave it all up. It's very tough and in a lot of ways, it's sad because some of the seniors who are graduating are not going to have another chance to participate in a national championship," says Kendall Baker, president of the University of North Dakota.

Take Mark Murdock for example.

The two-time, all-American shot putter is now putting debris out at the curb. This was his senior year.

"You know, you spend close to a lifetime working and training when it comes to the end of your senior year, that's when you want to be your best," Murdock says. "That's what I was aiming for."

Related stories:

• Grand Forks struggles back to normal life - May 6, 1997
• Mystery 'angel' donates $2,000 per flooded family - April 30, 1997
• Residents win some and lose some to the Red River - April 25, 1997

Related sites:

• Salvation Army - operation "WE CARE"
• The Red River Valley Reporter
• FEMA Spring Floods Watch
• North Dakota Governor's Office - Flood Links
• The Grand Forks Herald: Floodwatch
• American Red Cross - How You Can Help

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