Mayor Brede has always made it a priority to welcome our sport groups to their national championship banquets or opening ceremonies. Not once or a few times – but literally every event we ask. I am amazed at his promptness, enthusiasm, and natural ability to positively interact with and welcome the individual athletes and families before, during and after these engagements. It is far above the call of duty!
I cannot recall where it all started and when, but one early memory of Mayor Brede’s participation in our sports events stands out. It was the day after we first erected the sports bubble and had the ribbon cutting (kind of) with a first pitch thrown by legendary USA Softball star Jennie Finch in front of city leaders and over 400 8-16 year old young ladies, all hoping to meet Jennie and hopefully some day becoming her. It was a magical time and she threw that pitch to….you guessed it, Mayor Brede!
Mayor Brede not only got the thrill of catching that first pitch but also used the moment to get Jennie to sign his glove. He still brings that glove to all the USA Softball National championship opening ceremonies where he throws out the ceremonial first pitch, shows the girls that autograph, and shares the story.
When we hosted the USA Hockey Junior National Championship, Mayor Brede was not only there to drop the tournament first puck, but also to watch games and present the championship trophy at the event’s conclusion.
He speaks at all our national banquets in a way that provides a warm welcome to our teams and guests, weaving in interesting facts and information about our city in a short and professional manner. He never leaves early and can almost always be found days later at the tournament games cheering on the teams.
He is always there on time and prepared to speak to the various guests, no matter what their sports, with intelligence about the event, always injecting a bit of humor. Most of all, he adds the warm welcome we have grown to expect from our Mayor. He takes pride in our city, his role and our events.
Mayor Brede will end his reign as mayor at year’s end. I believe it is fair to say he will never be replaced – but he will certainly be missed! From the entire Rochester Sports family we want to thank Rochester Mayor Ardell Brede for his years of dedication to our City and to all the events and memories he made more special for our athletes and guests. He is our MVP and certainly will be missed!
Upcoming Events:
September 7-8: RCTC Volleyball Invite