Basketball Champs.  How nice it was to see you, Sue, at the August 9^th Victoria City Council Meeting.  I'd like to submit the enclosed photo of our daughter Christine and her teammates, taken at the Shakopee Derby Days, to be included in the next issue of the Gazette.  We always enjoy reading the Gazette and getting caught up on the latest news in our community.
Congratulations to the Shakopee Derby Days 3 On 3 Basketball Tournament Champions.  (L-r):  Micaela Pekarek, Christine Piwnica, Rachel Carlin, and Lauren Robertson
Beth Piwnica
Victoria, Minnesota

Soccer Champs.  Holy Family Girls Varsity Soccer team won the Catholic Cup Soccer Tourna-ment.  Holy Family Catholic High School, Victoria, defeated Winona Cotter 5-1 and Providence Academy 4-2.  Members of the team:  Front (l-r):  Jackie Geisler, Meghan Hemkin, Maddie Tomkins.  Second Row:  Laura Wondra, Megan Karschinia, Lauren Faust, Bridget Ryan, Lili Ruff, Ashley Pigneri.  Third Row:  Shea O'Brien, Ashley Johnson, Annie Stringini, Karly Pratt, Jackie Wilz, Lizzi Traxler of Victoria, Beth Karschinia, Amber Powers, Hannah Elton, Emily Steinbrueck, Kaylagh Hollen of Victoria.  Back:  Head Coach Jorge Oconitrillo, Morgan Roberts, Sarah Adie, Katie Pichotta, Assistant Coaches Rebecca Kennedy and Betsy Kennedy.
Anne Traxler
Victoria, Minnesota

Ryan Paulsen.  Attached are two Associated Press photos of our son Ryan taken on September 11^th.  The next day CNN had him on their website underneath the photo of Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke.  Ry can be intense.  We are immense-ly proud of him.  Ry and his wife Lea and their son Tully are in the process of moving to Elmhurst after living five years just north of Lincoln Park.  Ry is an option trader in the S&P 500 Index at the Chicago board Options Exchange.  He has done this since graduating from Gustavus Adolphus.  He works for Interactive Brokers of Greenwich, Connecticut, which is a very large trading firm.
Jim Paulsen

Victoria, Minnesota

We the People.  Attached is a photo from our Constitution Day Celebration.  We are unable to send photos of children until after September 30^th, which is the deadline for parents to notify us that they do not want their child's picture publicized.  If you use this photo, please crop it so the children off to the side do not appear.
Victoria Elementary School celebrated Constitution Day with an all-school assembly on Friday, September 14^th, 2007.  Victoria Mayor Mary Hershberger Thun, left, and VES Principal Nancy Wittman spoke to the children.  The 5^th grade students recited the original Preamble to the Constitution and then explained what the words in the Preamble mean in language understandable to young students. 
Renee Boraas
Media Specialist
Victoria Elementary School

Golfers A Go-Go.  Here's the group picture from the latest St. Victoria Choir Golf Tournament which was held Saturday, September 8^th, at the Deer Run Golf Course in Victoria.  Michelle McNallan was taking the pictures and Jamie Moore had to run away before we took it.  Front (l-r):  June Henning, Dick's daughter, Cowboy Tom Stumpf.  Back:  Chuck Freiberg, Dick Ertl, Mary Riley, Ruth Ertl, Pat McNallan, Tami Slater, Pat Henning, Pam Schmillen, Diane Robinson, Dick's son in law Pat.
Tournament winners are raising their Number One fingers:  June Henning, Patrick McNallan, me, and Pat Henning.  We came in at par.
Tami Slater
St. Victoria, Minnesota

Breezy Golfers.  Enclosed is a picture of a group of senior men, mostly veterans, who meet once a year at Breezy Point, Minnesota, the first Sunday in May.  We pick teams and play a Ryder Cup Event.  This year Mal MacAlpine of Victoria and Harry Winters of Victoria contributed to their first victory!  Mal was the team captain and Harry won all four of his matches, which led the team to victory.  Mal gets to keep the traveling trophy for one year.
(L-r):  Lee Russeth of Minnetonka, Bob Ready of Minneapolis, Harry Winters of Victoria, Mal MacAlpine of Victoria, Dan Jacobwith of Minneapolis, Rod Mandler of Plymouth, Don Thompson of Brooklyn Center, Jim Zimmernan of Delano, and Nick Huble (who likes the nickname "The Snake") of St. Louis Park. 
Thanks, Sue.  This means a lot to us older guys.  On August 7^th we lost our oldest member, Elmer Groth, age 92.
Malcolm MacAlpine
Victoria, Minnesota

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