Super Fan is down, but not out

Russ Erickson walked into the Grantsburg gymnasium, eyed his favorite place at the top of the bleachers at center court and plopped himself down.
“I like to sit in the back so I can lean my back against the wall,” he chuckled.
Folks have become accustomed to seeing Russ there — he’s always there. In fact, since he retired as a teacher from Grantsburg, he’s become one of the Pirate’s biggest fans — in fact, what some would call, “A Super Fan.”

At a game two weeks ago against St. Croix Falls, an appreciative basketball mother brought him a piece of cake at halftime, to thank him for being such a great fan.

But Sunday Super Fan Russ tangled with the weather conditions and took a severe blow to his back in a traffic accident. “He and friend Phil Schmidt were driving to St. Croix Falls Sunday morning for church and hit a patch of ice and rolled into the ditch.

“Dad was trapped for about 30 minutes in the vehicle. He has a fracture in a vertebra,” wrote his son Bryan in Russ’s CaringBridge page.

Russ Erickson is now in a bed at Regions Hospital in St. Paul — down, but not out.

“He should heal up and be ready for the baseball season,” said son Bryan.

On Tuesday morning doctors used an MRI to determine the severity of Russ’ injuries. “It wasn’t as bad as they thought so they’re going to put a brace on my back and hopefully I’ll get to go home,” Russ said.

The night Russ went to the St. Croix Falls game he’d just returned from the Wisconsin School Board Convention in Milwaukee. He hadn’t been home more than a couple of hours when he went to the girls-boys basketball doubleheader at Grantsburg High School.

That’s the way Super Fans are — they hate to miss a game, no matter what.
Even on Tuesday morning (February 11) he told a caller, “Let me know the scores after today’s games (against Unity).”

It hadn’t been easy for Russ before the accident. He’s been doctoring for months against cancer and it’s changed his lifestyle. After he was diagnosed, he found the medicine he’d need was expensive beyond his comprehension. But a private firm came to the rescue and put up the money for the prescriptions. “That was a God-sent because I didn’t know what I was going to do,” said Russ.

Fortunately, the accident didn’t affect his Cancer treatments. In fact, every time he took steroids on a Monday, he had a tough night sleeping — to the point where he didn’t look forward to Monday nights. But his Monday in a bed at Regions Hospital, he took the medicine and got a pretty good night’s sleep.

Russ Erickson isn’t the kind of guy who sits around and does nothing. Just about 17 years ago he accepted an offer to deliver newspapers every week for the Burnett County Sentinel. Since he started, he’s missed very few deliveries. “They’ll have to do it without me for a while now,” he said.
A call from the Sentinel assured him his route is covered during his absence.

Russ ran for election to the Grantsburg Public Schools Board of Education 17 years ago — and until Monday night, he doesn’t recall, “Ever missing a meeting,” he said.
He’s proud of his part in making the school a better place. As he sat in the gymnasium at Grantsburg for a recent game against Luck, Russ Erickson talked about his role in the improvements made to the gymnasium.
“It really looks good now, don’t you think?” he said.

After it was determined Russ would not need surgery, his son Bryan said, “They measured him for a back brace, which should arrive tomorrow. Then they can get him upright. He’ll need the brace for up to 12 weeks.”
The good news is the brace will help him get back home.

The accident
Sunday morning when Schmidt and Erickson began their journey to church in St. Croix Falls, there was little hint of what was to come.
“It wasn’t even snowing in Grantsburg,” Russ said.
But partway down the road the truck Schmidt was driving hit an icy patch and went out of control — and at one point turned over, crunching the roof tighter down on Erickson. The truck eventually landed on its wheels.
Schmidt was able to climb out the back window, which no longer had glass in it, but Erickson was trapped in the passenger side with the roof caved in on him.
The first one to the scene was John Richards, an employee of Northwestern Electric Company of Grantsburg. “John asked me if I knew who he was and I said he looked familiar,” said Russ. John then said, “I was one of your students, John Richards.”
Richards stayed with Erickson until rescue crews could arrive to extricate him from the vehicle.
“John was so great to stay with me,” Erickson said.
Schmidt, who had bumps, bruises, and scratches, did not require hospitalization.

Russ Erickson is a survivor. He’s survived before and now he’s done it again. Chances are it won’t be long before he will once again be seen gracing the bleachers and fields at ball games in the area.

After all, Russ Erickson is down — but he isn’t out!