North Dakota
A quick ‘Hello’ … again … from The South
When a person L-O-V-E-S their job, vacation can be interminable and excruciating.
The very first thought that popped into my head — after buying the plane tickets — was North Dakota’s May sports calendar (which features the glidepaths of track & field, baseball, softball and all the rest for prep student/athletes trying to finish strong) combined with a genuine need for a vacation, along with seeing Mom for Mother’s Day. But THE WORK is important because while my existence in North Dakota only is 15-months-old, those young people have been working hard for years and I owe it to them.
So, The Dickinson Press has allowed me to write from the road and it took a bit of weight offa my shoulders. Having a conscience also can be an encouragement and I know how important y’all’s kids are to you … that matters.
So, since May 5, Florida-Man has returned home and dwelt in his old-stomping-grounds and my southern neighbors, friends and family have been oh-so accommodating (see: photo-gallery contained within) to meet me for cocktails, invite me onto the boat and just relax to shoot-the-breeze. Yes, I’m only a week-in, but the plans are to maximize the next few days before returning to Dickinson.
It still am happy to do the job while I’m on vacation because I love doing it with all my heart … and one of the reasons I’m grateful to Forum for allowing me to write from home is because the stories still need to be told, and the job simply HAS to get done because the games always will go on for the young people we cover in community journalism. I always was sold from the start on community journalism because there is only one place you can read about a game between Richardton-Taylor and Beach (or: Insert area high school teams here _________) so I know how important it is to you.
Nonetheless, my birthday always coincides with Mother’s Day and so I decided to go home for the first time in a few years. The first thing I noticed was that while we in ND have I-94, the East Coast of Florida has I-95, and that’s a striking difference. I brag on my adopted hometown in Dickinson for having very-little traffic, and I’d forgotten just how bad it is down here. It’s misery-inducing.
Don’t get me wrong, the weather is great … but it’s still incredibly hot. And yet, there’s a pool outside to take the edge off and if you’re fishing out on the boat in the Atlantic the water is just over the side (likewise at the beach). Hanging out at the bar for a couple of cocktails with the locals also means one shall sweat a little, but there are awnings, water-mister-fans and air conditioning inside if the humidity starts to create problems. You get used to it.
Connecting the dots of seeing friends also can be complicated, because while I’m on “vacation” they still have jobs to do from Monday through Friday and I don’t like making demands on my buddies. But it’s been relatively easy to catch up with people because I know their habits. Truth-be-told, it’s still quite obvious that life hasn’t changed here much, and there’s less of it to miss each day.
In the meantime, my life has altered dramatically. Frankly, I’m grateful for those changes, because — while it’s awesome to get back down to Jensen — every day in my new home is different. Not one is precisely the same, and while there are similarities each 24 hours is unduplicatable and not one week is anything like the other. I’ve known for quite awhile that I live a charmed-life, and it takes a few days’-worth of time to step away and remind me just how charming it is.
Yeah … I’ve been asked how I could move away from “paradise” to Dickinson — countless times — and I always say roughly the same thing: It was time for a change and I love being a sportswriter. Because I’m somewhat selfish, I managed to work it out and be able to do all that while seeing my Mom and get a few stories in for y’all during the trip.
I’m about halfway in and it’s been fun, and I’ve sent some of y’all snapshots of what I’m been doing … but here are some more just so you know what’s happening down here:
Yes, Florida-Man is back in his element; but I sort of miss the elements up-home and definitely will be happy to get back to the 701 area code (side-note: When somebody asks me for my phone number at a restaurant or to get back in touch with me for something, they say, “Where’s that?” When I tell them “North Dakota” they invariably start doing that ridiculous imitation of the lady in “FARGO” … do they do that to y’all when you’re traveling?!? because it’s annoying).
In any event, I will see y’all in a couple of weeks and be home just-in-time for all the postseason North Dakota prep sports you can handle. See-you-soon.
Gaylon is a sportswriter who originally is from Jensen Beach, Fla. (and, currently writing from there) and his column generally appears on Mondays. He can be reached at
gparker@thedickinsonpress.com
and/or 701-456-1213.
Gaylon is a sportswriter from Jensen Beach, Fla., but has lived all over the world. Growing up with an athletic background gave him a love of sports that led to a journalism career in such places as Enid, Okla., Alamogordo, N.M., Pascagoula, Miss. and Viera, Fla. since 1998. His main passion is small-town community sports, particularly baseball and soccer.
Coming into his sophomore season at the University of North Dakota, Mac Swanson was facing more uncertainty than at any point in his young hockey career.
By his own admission, Swanson, 20, struggled at times on the ice as a freshman. And after the 2024-25 season, the Fighting Hawks had replaced their head coach, introducing another variable.
But first-year coach Dane Jackson has now led UND to a 29-9-1 record, and Swanson has added multiple dimensions to his game in his second year of college hockey.
Now Swanson and UND are among the final quartet of teams playing for a national championship this weekend at the Frozen Four in Las Vegas.
The Hawks take on Wisconsin on Thursday at 4:30 p.m. Alaska time with a chance to advance to the championship. That game will be preceded at 1 p.m. by the first semifinal, pitting Michigan against Denver, which is coached by Anchorage’s David Carle. Both games are scheduled to be broadcast on ESPN2.
A mainstay on UND’s second line, Swanson has added strength, improved his scoring and taken on more responsibility on defense.
“I felt confident throughout the year,” Swanson said. “My goal-scoring has improve and obviously we have a great team this year. It’s easy to play with those guys.”
When UND announced it was replacing longtime coach Brad Berry, Swanson said players were in a holding pattern. But Jackson, who was on the UND staff for nearly two decades before taking the head coaching role, helped maintain continuity for the players after a couple weeks of wondering who would lead the team.
“There was a lot of uncertainty in the program for the first time in a while,” Swanson said. “It was definitely a weird time for all of us that were kind of deciding whether to stay or transfer out. But when coach Jackson got the job, we all felt pretty confident in him and his abilities, so we really did think that we would have a good team this year.”
Swanson described Jackson as a “hard but fair coach” and said the announcement secured his future with UND.
“I love my time here,” he said. “I love playing at The Ralph (Engelstad Arena), and I didn’t really want to leave at all. So I’m happy with where I’m at.”
Swanson’s production this season has been consistent. He’s seventh on the team in scoring, with 11 goals and 17 assists in 39 games. He showed a major uptick in his goal-scoring ability, after notching just two as a freshman.
Swanson believes his progression at UND is similar to what he was able to accomplish with the Fargo Force, where he played before signing with the Fighting Hawks. There he developed into a much more dynamic offensive player in his second season with the USHL team. Swanson has been especially effective the last half of the season with 13 points in his last 15 games.
“I think (my game) has evolved a little bit,” he said. “I’ve really tried to round out my two-way game. I started penalty killing this year too, which just adds another dimension to my game and makes me more valuable to the team.”
Mac’s dad, Brian, had a standout hockey career at Colorado College and was a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award in 1999. Having his dad as a sounding board has been invaluable as he’s progressed through his college career.
“He’s always there for me,” Swanson said. “But he never forces anything upon me, which I think is a good thing. He obviously is there for me whenever I need to talk or just a quick text before or after a game. … It’s great to have someone who’s been through everything I’m going through.”
Part of Swanson’s offseason mandate was to add strength. In Alaska over last summer, he worked out independently as well as at Mac’s Strength & Power in Eagle River, operated by his cousin.
“It gave me a good opportunity to grow in some areas I needed to,” he said.
The Frozen Four is shaping up to be one of the most interesting in recent history. The four teams have the four most NCAA championships in history, led by Denver’s 10 and followed by Michigan (9), UND (8) and Wisconsin (6).
“It’s really cool it’s kind of all these blue-blood programs,” he said. “Obviously we’ll try not to focus on too much of the stuff going on in Vegas and just focus on us.”
UND was dominant in reaching the Frozen Four, winning a pair of games by a combined 8-0 score in the Regional at Sioux Falls, South Dakota. He had family in attendance for those games and in the week and a half since has received plenty of messages from friends and family.
“Obviously you feel that support being from Alaska,” he said. “When someone is doing well, everyone is happy for them, which I think’s pretty cool about the hockey community back home.”
North Dakota
North Dakota approves certificate of site compatibility for 400MWh BESS from NextEra Energy Resources
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BISMARCK, N.D. – Gov. Kelly Armstrong today announced the opening of the application period for school, community and church bands, orchestras and choirs across North Dakota to apply to serve as the Governor’s Official State Band/Orchestra Program and Choral Program for the 2026-2027 school year.
The Governor and First Lady will select the two groups from the applications received based on musical talent, achievement and community involvement. The governor may invite the groups to perform at official state functions held throughout the 2026-2027 school year, including the State of the State Address in January 2027 at the Capitol in Bismarck.
Interested groups should submit an application with a musical recording to the Governor’s Office by 5 p.m. Monday, May 4. The Governor’s Band/Orchestra Program and Governor’s Choral Program will be announced in May. Please complete the application and provide materials at https://www.governor.nd.gov/governors-chorus-and-bandorchestra-program-application.
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