April 3 – Chaska Rotary Board Meeting via Zoom, 7 AM LINK
June 13-17, 2026 Rotary International Convention in Taipei, Taiwan LINK
May 22-26, 2027 Rotary International Convention in Dubai, United Arab Emirates LINK
May 26-30, 2029 Rotary International Convention in Minneapolis LINK
Link to District 5950 Calendar of Events This includes Feb – June activities and meetings related to Rotary Foundation, Polio Plus, President-elect Education, activities of other clubs, special events. Note: Rotary Awareness Day 2/23/26. Incoming President Learning Seminar 3/12-14/26. Grant Management Seminar 3/26/26
Link to Carver County Local News Community Events This includes events and activities such as the Landscape Arboretum, regional parks, Carver County Public Health, local entertainment, non-profit and church events, and winter events.
· Neil Wingert reminded volunteers to help distribute books at Hooked on Books in the Chanhassen High School on Saturday, Feb. 21, 9 AM-noon.
· Lindsey Hagen thanked those who bought raffle tickets from her but was sad to report that there were no prizes for them.
· Bob Chinnock indicated that Greg Anderson would be pulling double duty today by speaking to the STRIVE students about their future experience of renting a place of their own.
· Ryan Seibert asked us to support our club’s Membership drive and to think about inviting guests to our March meetings. We’ll have continental breakfasts each week. The speaker schedule has changed, so new flyers will be created to reflect the changes: March 5– Matt + Ryan; March 12– Michael Phelps; March 19- Joe Beckman; March 26- Erik Therwanger. The Klein Award will be presented later, possibly April 30.
· Erin Kerber - Our personal Rotary Apparel Store is OPEN! Here is your opportunity to advertise Chaska Rotary and volunteer in-style. Click here to be taken to the online store, or copy and paste the following into your browser: https://chaskarotaryspring2026.itemorder.com/shop/home/. We are approaching our fundraising season, and fresh garb will be needed (tree planting, garbage pickup, music fest, River City Days, etc. This online store CLOSES 3/2/26, so make sure to get your orders in soon. Special thanks to Cindy Anderson for making this happen!
HAPPYDOLLARS
We were spared the wrath of a Finemaster, so Neil, Matt P., Ken H., Gretchen and Vic all donated happy dollars.
ROTARY INTERNATIONAL: CLUB FLAG
Ken Hiller displayed the club flag from Monterrey, Mexico. He constructed a collage of their photos that showed how similar Rotary clubs are across the globe. Ken found one of their flags for sale - $18.90 or best offer.
ROTARY INTERN: Gonzalo Romero
Gonzalo was happy to report his soccer team’s win against a competitive team and a successful presentation of his school project.
YOUTH EXCHANGE STUDENT: Ane Otsby
Ane’s photos and activities included ice skating (just like the Olympics!), a Quiz Bowl meeting and time with friends. Her 18th birthday was on the 16th but she didn’t share any cake from her happy day.
PRESENTATION: Greg Anderson - Kettlebells, Tea Tree Oil + Pickle Juice
Busto Arsizio, Italy June 9, 2025 World Championship Instagram LINK
Ryan Seibert introduced our club’s world class kettlebell competitor Greg Anderson. The colorful history of the sport and its variations across the years and throughout the world oriented us to this aspect of physical conditioning and physical capabilities that we couldn’t have dreamed of. Greg’s interest started in 2019 and then he was joined by his wife Cindy and daughter Lauren as a fitness and conditioning method.
The kettlebells are made of steel, and the wide range of weights is matched by an array of different positions and challenges. Balance, coordination, strength and willingness to endure pain have somehow blended with competitive drive to propel Greg into the international arena with like-minded people of all ages. We saw many photos of his smiles and few of his grimaces, along with his family and the places they’ve visited during his matches. Greg described the various categories of lifts, repetitions and durations that amazed us with their required endurance and commitment to compete.
Example: a 24 kilogram (53 pounds) kettlebell, lifted 298 times, in 30 minutes. That total = 15,720 pounds! In one match, Greg lifted about 50,000 lbs over 4 hours. Last year, he won 6 gold and 2 silver medals in a match held in Poland.
We learned that vinegar (pickle juice) can help prevent muscle cramping. Most of us probably won’t get to test Greg’s advice to use tea tree oil to help treat blistered hands from lifting the kettlebells hundreds (thousands?) of times. We also learned that the support of family at the competitions and comradery among the athletes have kept Greg sane and coming back for more kettlebell experiences.
In the photos below, the green weight is 24 kilos and the yellow is 16 kg. The final photo shows 88 pounds being held in a “resting” position by Greg with his gold-medal smile!
HOOKED ON BOOKS
Saturday Feb. 21 at Chanhassen High School, the annual Hooked on Books provided respite from the chilling winds outside. Family fun abounded inside, with Rotary’s Free Book tables set up in the middle of it all. Some parents let their children’s eager hands pick up the first book they saw. Others encouraged a review of all the available titles and the broad range of topics and reading levels. Our club donated money for the school district to purchase the books, and we affixed labels attributing our contributions.
Over 25 activities, information tables, give-away stuff, therapy dogs and a rabbit, books for purchase, games, dance teams, musicians and hands-on crafting provided some of us relief from the recent stresses of 2026 life in our community.
Today’s crew (rt to left): Gretchen Oppriecht, Dan Keyport, Sarah Carlson, Robin Nesburg, Neil Wingert.
Invocations can be a faith traditional prayer, or a meditation, or inspirational verse or quote. Brief 20 – 30 seconds. Light-hearted is okay. Option: focus on our Mission of Service Above Self. Need an idea – Google Rotary Invocations.
