Sandpoint's Olympian Nate Holland is making a name for himself

Sandpoint's Olympian, Nate Holland, is making a name and a face for himself.

He will be competing today in the boardercross competition.

If it wasn't for Nate, I would have given up on the Olympics this year all together. NBC has done a terrible job covering the XX Winter Olympics.

This Bode Miller phenomenon has been a joke. Michelle Kwan is gone. While there have been a few great stories, Ted Ligety for example, but they are few and far between.

USA Today has Nate picked for a bronze medal. My prediction is he will either score a gold medal or he will crash and burn trying. Following my heart, though, I'll bet we will have a gold medalist who calls Sandpoint home today.

We are already working on possible Page 1 layouts to celebrate!

I've seen Nate tear up Schweitzer and I watched as he tore up the competition in the X Games two weeks ago. It's a cliche, but he does go all out.

Nate's mom, Rebecca, stopped by the Bee last week on her way to Torino. More than 30 friends and relatives were headed to the Games from all over the country. She has a camera and has promised a full report — with photos — when she gets home.

She and Don had tickets for a few hockey games and some other competitions before today's competition and Rebecca admits to being a bit nervous.

Nate has been featured in several newspaper stories and he was the final athlete on the TV screen Friday night as the opening night ceremonies drew to a close.

I have had a "Nate watch" note out to a few of my friends and our Web site has been clobbered by people wanting to learn about Sandpoint and our Olympian,

Turn on the TV Thursday and root one of Sandpoint's own on.

Bad spellers of the world untie!

That's one of my favorite bumperstickers and I thought about that message when I received a note about how many local spellers qualified for the regional spelling bee.

This bee, set for March 18 at North Idaho College, should not be confused with the adult spelling bee held in Sandpoint during Winter Carnival.

The adult version featured betting, gamesmanship, noisemakers and costumes. The regional spelling bee features none of that — just the best spelling fourth-though-eighth graders in North Idaho vying for a trip to Washington, D.C., for a chance to compete in the National Spelling Bee.

The Daily Bee and Hagadone News Network will foot the bill for the winner and guardian to compete in Washington, D.C., during the week of May 29 to June 2.

Who are these spellers and I wonder if they need an escort to Washington, D.C.?

West Bonner County School District — Abbey Huggler, fourth grade, Idaho Hill Elementary; Scott French, fifth grade, Priest River Elementary; Calista Gresick, sixth grade, Priest River Elementary; Christian Handy, seventh grade, Priest River Jr. High; and Anna Reed, eighth grade, Priest River Jr. High.

Lake Pend Oreille School District — Lizzy Branson, fourth grade, Farmin Stidwell Elementary; Katie Miller, fifth grade, Southside Elementary; Jackson Olin, sixth grade, Farmin Stidwell Elementary; Finan Adamson, seventh grade, Sandpoint Middle School; and Tommy Jacobs, eighth grade, Sandpoint Middle School

Boundary County School District — Jailee Foster, fourth grade, Valley View Elementary; Jessica Hart, fifth grade, Valley View Elementary; Nicole Bennett, sixth grade, Boundary County Middle School; Markayle Acord, seventh grade, Boundary County Middle School; and Shayne Hamilton, eighth grade, Boundary County Middle School.

There will be 54 spellers vying for the title as best speller.

More than 1,200 people attended Saturday's bridal fair at the Bonner Mall. I hadn't planned on being one of them until Lisa Seward asked if I would like to have Olivia and Austin, my son and daughter, dress up in some pretty cool clothes from Larson's and Affordable Elegance.

How could I say no?

What I didn't know was that Seward had a plan for me. More accurately, Seward had plans for me to wear a RED tuxedo and do a little dance to "Just a Gigolo" by David Lee Roth in front of a bunch of women.

I would have rather been Dick Cheney's hunting partner while wearing a quail outfit than to dance in public, truth be told.

It was showtime Saturday and I was lucky enough to help Austin into his first "real" tuxedo. I also caught a glimpse of Olivia in one of several beautiful dresses she would wear she would wear in the shows. I snuck back to the JC Penneys changing room and transformed from Clark Kent into the reddest tuxedo you can imagine.

Seward had ordered me to hide out in the tuxedo so that the audience wouldn't see me. Right as the show was set to start I bolted out of the changing room and speedily worked my way to the front of the store, weaving in and out of rows of hanging clothes.

As I turned a sharp corner, a came toe to toe with a woman who was conservatively in her late 70s or early 80s. She was about five feet tall.

She was startled and had a panicked look on her face. She blurted out, "What the hell?" as she stared at me.

I was stunned. What could I say? She had just run into the biggest, reddest thing she had ever seen.

"Now you know how I feel," I said as I walked off. "I ordered a blue tuxedo."

While that shook my confidence with my fancy tuxedo, I knew I had to put my game face on and perform. I did. I will keep my day job after all and will leave male modeling for someone who can wear red and not scare elderly women.

I did have a great time watching Austin and Olivia enjoy themselves, so that part was worth it. And I will always be indebted to Lisa Seward for talking me into helping with the wedding fair and allowing me a chance to see my daughter in the prettiest dresses and my son all dressed up.

Those are memories I'll always have. Thanks, Lisa.

I told my wife, Marlisa, about the whole "scare the old lady to death with the red tux" story and she suggested I could have handled the incident differently. As this poor, old woman stared up in horror at me and uttered, "what the hell …" I should have answered ,"precisely ma'am, I am the devil and as anybody with any sense knows, the men's department in JC Penney's in Ponderay is the official portal to hell, so come along with me Alice."

"But, my name is not Alice," she would have responded.

"Well, then I guess today is your lucky day," I could have said as I strolled off.

Now I know where my kids get their warped sense of humor.

Congrats to Pierre and Denise Huguenin. They are the Sandpoint Rotary Club's lucky winners in the annual raffle drawing for an Alaskan cruise. Rumor has it, Pierre purchased two books to help his odds. The couple is hoping to dine on a French/Arby's cuisine while on their trip.

I found out a little more about what the CAL ladies and their husbands are doing. It's in Ponderay, it is Bizarre and it's coming in March. Clarice Parsons knows more, but she isn't talking … yet.

Mark March 18 on your calendar. The Sandpoint High School grad class auction and dinner is set for the Bonner County Fairgrounds beginning at 5 p.m. Tickets are $12 and are available at Century 21, 2 1/2 -blocks from the lake. The money will help pay for the all-night senior party following graduation.

The party saves lives.

Clark Fork is also holding an all-night graduation party for what will be the largest class in the school's history. Byron and Kelly Ruen at 266-0188 and Paul Trunnell at 266-1789 will be glad to collect any donations for prizes for the young adults who want to stay safe and sane after graduation.

A total of 110 people responded to the Bee's online poll question on whether they think their tax assessment is fair. Of those who responded, 81.8 perent said "no." This week's poll question: Are you watching the Olympic Games on TV?

David Keyes is publisher of the Bee. His column runs weekly.