Koy Hopke

[Chickenman Testa]

Well thank you I appreciate that. We needed some good news over here in the land of a hundred million mosquitoes.

@82bordeaux , too soon my friend. Too soon.

Oh my god the mosquitos. I was driving from the Apostle Islands in WI to Grand Marais MN last July. On the way, I took a bit of a detour inland to the Boundary Waters to hike Eagle Mtn - Minnesota’s highest point. I like to hike/climb high points if I get the chance.

Anyway, I was prepared and had DEET spray with me, but the mosquitoes were murderous. If you kept moving it was okay, but if you stopped, they would just swarm. I got back to the trailhead lot and quickly stripped off my socks and boots and smelly shirt to change into more comfortable stuff - they hammered any unprotected skin in those 75 seconds or so. I get into the car and you could see swarms in the backup camera just pummeling the window. Crazy!

 

[nerfstate]

Oh my god the mosquitos. I was driving from the Apostle Islands in WI to Grand Marais MN last July. On the way, I took a bit of a detour inland to the Boundary Waters to hike Eagle Mtn - Minnesota’s highest point. I like to hike/climb high points if I get the chance.

Anyway, I was prepared and had DEET spray with me, but the mosquitoes were murderous. If you kept moving it was okay, but if you stopped, they would just swarm. I got back to the trailhead lot and quickly stripped off my socks and boots and smelly shirt to change into more comfortable stuff - they hammered any unprotected skin in those 75 seconds or so. I get into the car and you could see swarms in the backup camera just pummeling the window. Crazy!

It's really a different world WRT to those bastards--heck, even in the Twin Cities they can get pretty insane. Love Grand Marais, though! My dad has had the best of experiences through the Folk College there. I one day hope to live on/near the shores of Superior. I'm hardy enough to take the winters--I think.

 

[CropDuster507]

M

No eating of said hats.

I wasn’t hungry, anyway.

 

[Foreverinbluejeans57]

Ultimately I don’t think Cael loved any of the HWT prospects, I think he believes a beefed up Mirsola brother will be able to complete. Perhaps next target is Correa but who knows.

 

[El-Jefe]

Ultimately I don’t think Cael loved any of the HWT prospects, I think he believes a beefed up Mirsola brother will be able to complete. Perhaps next target is Correa but who knows.

Cael was smart to get the twins now. 2025 is short on elite upper-weight talent -- Correa, Austin Johnson, and within the top 30 maybe 2 other guys grow into 195. And that assumes none go football.

IMO we're more likely to look for high-end HWT depth. Pavlechko would be perfect unless he wants to start elsewhere.

 

[DuckBlunder]

Curious. Why does Minny appear to be the premier destination for all star heavyweight recruits and turn out champ after champ at that weight? Lesnar, Konrad, Nelson, Steveson and now Hopke. 2000, 2007, 2013 and 2022. It can't really be for the training partners and none of their coaches are heavyweights that I could find.

 

[zzs006]

Curious. Why does Minny appear to be the premier destination for all star heavyweight recruits and turn out champ after champ at that weight? Lesnar, Konrad, Nelson, Steveson and now Hopke. 2000, 2007, 2013 and 2022. It can't really be for the training partners and none of their coaches are heavyweights that I could find.

They have Trevor Brandvold as an upper weight coach. I don’t think he was a great wrestler but is supposedly a wonderful coach. He isnt the reason for the earlier heavyweight results but Gable has spoken highly of him and might be a reason that Hopke is going to Minnesota

 

[DuckBlunder]

Oh my god the mosquitos. I was driving from the Apostle Islands in WI to Grand Marais MN last July. On the way, I took a bit of a detour inland to the Boundary Waters to hike Eagle Mtn - Minnesota’s highest point. I like to hike/climb high points if I get the chance.

Anyway, I was prepared and had DEET spray with me, but the mosquitoes were murderous. If you kept moving it was okay, but if you stopped, they would just swarm. I got back to the trailhead lot and quickly stripped off my socks and boots and smelly shirt to change into more comfortable stuff - they hammered any unprotected skin in those 75 seconds or so. I get into the car and you could see swarms in the backup camera just pummeling the window. Crazy!

Right? Just moved back to PA after 4 years in Fargo/Moorhead. Played a lot of disc golf while I was there. Definitely the worst mosquitoes I've ever seen. Waaaay beyond a nuisance. I felt like I was being hunted. Literally if you forget the DEET, turn the car around.

 

[District four]

Right? Just moved back to PA after 4 years in Fargo/Moorhead. Played a lot of disc golf while I was there. Definitely the worst mosquitoes I've ever seen. Waaaay beyond a nuisance. I felt like I was being hunted. Literally if you forget the DEET, turn the car around.

Seriously is it that bad or are you guys just joking around. I'm not really going to go to Minnesota due to it being cold 364 days a year I don't feel the one day would do it justice. Now back to the mosquitos if they really are that bad why? It's cold as shit up there most of the year is it not. Why are they hanging out there?

 

[DuckBlunder]

Seriously is it that bad or are you guys just joking around. I'm not really going to go to Minnesota due to it being cold 364 days a year I don't feel the one day would do it justice. Now back to the mosquitos if they really are that bad why? It's cold as shit up there most of the year is it not. Why are they hanging out there?

That’s a fact. It was cold. When it got close to -30, the first couple breaths in the morning, you couldn’t take a deep breath. Had to do this Lamaze thing for the first couple breaths while you got acclimated. I just missed the vortex by a few months when I got there and it got down to -60 something. I don’t know mosquito science but my guess would be all the standing water. Land of a Thousand Lakes and all. They’d leave you alone in the heat of the day but when the sun started going down, no bueno. As horrid and long as the winters were though, summertime was amazing albeit a bit too windy a lot of the time for disc golf. Throwing a disc in 25mph wind is just silly. Lake life is their jam out there…and booze. Biggest liquor stores I’ve ever seen in my life.

 

[Chickenman Testa]

Seriously is it that bad or are you guys just joking around. I'm not really going to go to Minnesota due to it being cold 364 days a year I don't feel the one day would do it justice. Now back to the mosquitos if they really are that bad why? It's cold as shit up there most of the year is it not. Why are they hanging out there?

I think Mosquitos and the like - black flies, midges, etc are so bad up North (and I assume in certain extreme places in the Southern Hemisphere) because their lifecycle is so short due to the weather, that when they hatch, they need to feed, breed, etc like madmen before the frost comes.

 

[District four]

That’s a fact. It was cold. When it got close to -30, the first couple breaths in the morning, you couldn’t take a deep breath. Had to do this Lamaze thing for the first couple breaths while you got acclimated. I just missed the vortex by a few months when I got there and it got down to -60 something. I don’t know mosquito science but my guess would be all the standing water. Land of a Thousand Lakes and all. They’d leave you alone in the heat of the day but when the sun started going down, no bueno. As horrid and long as the winters were though, summertime was amazing albeit a bit too windy a lot of the time for disc golf. Throwing a disc in 25mph wind is just silly. Lake life is the their jam out there…and booze. Biggest liquor stores I’ve ever seen in my life.

What's that weird viking fish they eat?

 

[DuckBlunder]

What's that weird viking fish they eat?

I never saw anything like that during my stay. Their thing out there is fried cheese curds, Juicy Lucy(burger with cheese in the middle) and Hot Dish(gravy covered tater tots with various fixings). You could definitely see the Scandinavian influence though. Lots of blondes. They have a Scandinavian import store in downtown Fargo. I think you are talking about Surstromming. It's some kind of pickled fish that causes most people to wretch just from cracking the tin. The only reason I know of it is from The Trailer Park Boys. It is so unpleasant to the senses that there is something called the Surstromming Challenge, where people try to eat it often times to no avail. Check out Youtube. It's pretty great.

 

[nerfstate]

What's that weird viking fish they eat?

lutefisk? 🤮

I dig pickled herring though.

 

[poorwrestler]

I am proud to have inspired such a conversation

- yes there are times of the year where the mosquitos and wood ticks are so bad it’s not worth going outside. Sometimes it makes me miss winter.

- Lutefisk is super awesome. As are juicy Lucy’s, cheese curds, hot dish (although that’s an umbrella term used for basically anything you can mix together in one pan) and especially pickled herring, or pickled northern, or any pickled fish.

- Trevor Brandvold is one of the best assistant coaches in the country. Great recruiter and I hope he’s in Minnesota for a very long time.

 

[mcpat]

Re: 2018 vs 2024 recruiting class… no comparison.

Only Brooks was a top 10 recruit in the class of 2018. Six guys in top 25, but only one in top 10.

Contrast that with 2024 recruiting class where five top 10 guys have committed.

 

[The Japanese Whizzer]

Minnesota.

This aged well

 

[Cali_Nittany]

I think Mosquitos and the like - black flies, midges, etc are so bad up North (and I assume in certain extreme places in the Southern Hemisphere) because their lifecycle is so short due to the weather, that when they hatch, they need to feed, breed, etc like madmen before the frost comes.

That could be part of it. There's A LOT of standing water. I've been to Fargo a few times for a former company. The locals said the mosquito was their state bird.