THE FRONT ROW with MARK NELKE: This parade would be more entertaining and less controversial

I remember attending a Sandpoint Fourth of July parade many, many, many years ago. 

One of the “floats” was actually members of the Sandpoint High volleyball team, playing pepper as they “marched” down the street, trying to avoid getting run over by some vehicle behind them carrying politicians, and hopefully avoiding the horse poop from the “float” ahead of them. 

I thought that was a pretty neat idea for a “float.” 

So rather than have a parade where organizers are concerned about the type of “floats” that may be entered, what if Coeur d’Alene put on a sports-themed parade for the Fourth of July?

HERE’S A few ideas for “floats.” 

• A float to honor all the folks who work behind the scenes to make youth sports run ... 

• A float to honor all the moms who do so much so their kids can play sports. Of course, that would take several floats, so maybe we can mix those in throughout the parade. 

• The North Idaho College men’s and women’s golf teams, under coach and PGA professional Russell Grove, have dominated the Northwest Athletic Conference in recent years. 

Put the players together in one float with a few artificial turf mats, and someone with a green on wheels roughly 100 yards ahead of them, and have the players launch wedge shots over the floats in front of them, and onto the green on wheels.  

(Of course, errant shots into the crowd could result in a loss of scholarship funds, and/or players losing their spot on the varsity for the next tournament.) 

• In addition, or perhaps as a safer option, the NIC men’s and women’s basketball teams could put on a rolling 3-point and/or slam dunk show. 

• Perhaps one of the local high school football teams, decked out in T-shirts and shorts — say, Coeur d’Alene — could run some offense as a float, with running plays and short passes. 

• And in lieu of candy, perhaps someone who serves barbecue out of a food truck could roll down the parade route, tossing wrapped-up ribs to the crowd. 

WHAT ELSE? 

• Another float could honor longtime coaches in the community — at any level. That might take a few vehicles as well. 

• Ditto with teams and individuals that won state championships. 

• A gymnastics “float” could be interesting — though the floor exercise might not work as well on pavement.  

Ditto a wrestling “float.” 

• Perhaps one of the “floats” could be one of the local youth hockey teams putting on a display of stickhandling and puck handling, rifling the occasional wrister into a portable net. 

• And if Lauren Rook and her horse, Tucker (who has paraded the American flag around Viking Field for the national anthem before football games), wanted to lead this sports-themed parade, that would be cool as well. 

Mark Nelke is sports editor of The Press. He can be reached at 208-664-8176, Ext. 2019, or via email at mnelke@cdapress.com. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @CdAPressSports.