The Super Bowl is over and now we have a few months before spring ball starts. Which will bring us up to the NFL combine and the draft in April. For college, the next big thing before spring ball is the national signing day and recruiting is already in full swing. UND football’s schedule is almost cemented and we now know that there are seven home games. The UND Men’s hockey team is ranked 7th in the latest polls and they have been practicing outside in preparation for the outdoor game against Nebraska-Omaha. A local Special Olympian has taken a Gold medal at the World Games.

Signing Day happened yesterday (Wednesday) for UND Football. Signing day serves as the first official time that prospective student-athletes can sign football National Letters of Intent for the 2013 season. Check out UNDSports.com for more information on who the new recruits are.

UND Football also announced that the 2013 schedule is almost complete. Here are the dates and teams UND will match up against in 2013:

Thu, Aug 29 Valparaiso Grand Forks, N.D.

Sat, Sep 07 South Dakota State Grand Forks, N.D.

Sat, Sep 14 Montana Grand Forks, N.D.

Sat, Sep 21 Open

Sat, Sep 28 Montana State * Grand Forks, N.D.

Sat, Oct 05 Idaho State * at Pocatello, Idaho

Sat, Oct 12 Eastern Washington * Grand Forks, N.D.

Sat, Oct 19 Sacramento State * Grand Forks, N.D.

Sat, Oct 26 Portland State * at Portland, Ore.

Sat, Nov 02 Northern Arizona * at Flagstaff,

Ariz.

Sat, Nov 09 Northern Colorado * at Grand Forks,

N.D.

Sat, Nov 16 UC Davis * at Davis, Calif.

Sat, Nov 23 Open

* Notes conference games

UND Senior defensive back Cordero Finley and the rest of the UND Football team will take the field on Thursday Aug. 29th at the Alerus Center. Photo courtesy of UND Athletics Media Relations.

gf briefs

UND Men’s Hockey took practice outdoors to Riverside Park to prepare for Saturday’s outdoor game against the University of Nebraska-Omaha. UND will travel to Nebraska Omaha this week to face the Mavericks, who are ranked 14th in the USCHO poll and 15th in the USA Today poll. Saturday’s game will be played outdoors at TD Ameritrade Park, the home of the College World Series, in an outdoor doubleheader billed as the “Mutual of Omaha Battles on Ice.” The puck drops at 6:37 p.m. on Friday and 4:07 p.m. on Saturday.

UND recently claimed three of four Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) points from Wisconsin, UND is now ranked seventh in both major national polls that were released on Monday.

A Grand Forks man recently won a gold medal at the Special Olympics World Games in South Korea. 21-year-old Tommy Mikkelson won a gold medal in the Alpine Novice Super G. Mikkelson has been competing in the special olympics for nine years and, not only does Tommy compete in alpine skiing but he also competes in aquatics, bowling, basketball , soccer , and track & field.

Around Town

Feast of Nations

If you are a coinsure of international food the 51st annual Feast of Nations, presented by the students of the International Organization, will be held Feb. 9, 2013, at the Alerus Ballroom. The semi-formal/formal event begins at 6 pm. Doors open at 5 pm and the event features a full course international meal, international entertainment, a red carpet, and a dance with live band. Tickets will be on sale beginning Jan 10, at the UND Memorial Union Information Desk and at the Alerus box office. Ticket prices are: $20 for students and $30 for non-students. Table Reservations can be made by calling 701-777-3015 beginning Jan. 8 or visit http://www.feastofnations.und.edu/

Turtle River State Park Winter Expo

Turtle River State Park would like to invite you to our Winter Expo, Saturday February 9th from 10:00am to 3 p.m. at the Chalet. The Ski & Bike Shop will have winter equipment; skis, snowshoes, fat-tire bikes, snowboards and other equipment to try out, plus experts on hand to answer questions and demonstrate equipment. They’ll also have used equipment for sale. Cabela’s will be on site from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. to talk about winter clothing options and choosing the right pair of binoculars. Stop in and chat with Sandy from the Grand Cities Bird Club about feeding common winter yard birds and winter birding in general. At 1:00pm join us in a Feeding Frenzy as we make suet bird feeders to take home. The Scoop from Larimore will have snacks, hot drinks, and food available for sale during the day.

An annual pass or $5 daily pass required for entrance into the park.

For more information contact: Laci Prucinsky at Turtle River State Park (701) 594-4445