PROUD TO BE A NIMROD...
I'm on vacation in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan at Carolyn's family cabin. There's no electricity or internet. That means no weather charts or forecasts from me for a week. Instead, I have crafted a number of posts about the U.P. and the cabin so you can still get a taste of my daily blogs and a feel for what we call "our special place".
Not far from Carolyn's family cabin in upper Michigan, (17 miles as the crow flies) is the small town of Watersmeet, Michigan. Just north of the Wisconsin border, tucked into the Ottawa National Forest, the town with a population of 1366 claims it's the gateway to the "Northland".
To be honest, there's not much there, but the road well traveled has taken me through dozens of times. I've visited the trout hatchery on several occasions, bought bait and gas, and stopped at the world-famous food store called Nordines. Rest assured it ain't the Hy Vee, but it has a rustic charm and can get you by in a pinch.
About 20 years ago, I cruised past the high school, with a student body (K-12) of about 240. (My daughter's freshman class alone had nearly 700)! It was just another brick school until I was struck by a sign that read...home of the Nimrods. Excited, I exclaimed to Carolyn, did you see that, they're the Nimrods? Are you kidding me, what a mascot. In my opinion, it's one of the greatest school nicknames in the history of sports! The school may be small, but the nickname is massive, I loved it and remember thinking, if only I could get a t-shirt or hat with the word Nimrods plastered on the front. Nimrod swag, I want it, I need it?
So compelling are the Nimrods, that in 2003 ESPN Sportscenter ran a commercial where Watersmeet is playing basketball against some other small school. An 81-year-old guy who was an original Nimrod in the 30s sings the Nimrod fight song. At the end of the spot, the narrator asks the compelling question, Without sports, who would cheer for the Nimrods?
Man, I about fell off the couch. The tiny school with the big nickname in the middle of nowhere had made the national stage. Soon, people like me all over the country were demanding Nimrod gear. The smart people in Watersmeet saw an opportunity and quickly opened a store. In no-time, they racked up $35,000.00 in sales from new-found fans.
By 2016 it's estimated that $500,000,00 had been made on behalf of the Nimrod name. Of course, they got their share from me, including a hat and two t/shirts. You can still get yours on-line today. Even better, the school uses the money to provide college scholarships to Watersmeet graduates who go off to college.
Never do I pass through the town of Watersmeet without tipping my hat to the fighting Nimrods. This vacation will be no exception. Roll weather and go Nimrods. TS
Below is a 2004 article by the Associated Press on the Nimrod phenomenon....Enjoy!
In most places, calling someone a "nimrod" might earn you a cold stare or a fat lip.
Not in Watersmeet, a rural township of 1,500 in the western Upper Peninsula of Michigan, where "Nimrods" is a badge of honor, the nickname of sports teams at the local school, which serves all grades and whose principal once doubled as coach and superintendent.