MAURIE DAIGNEAU: COACHES WERE FATHER FIGURES TO ALL-BIG TEN NORTHWESTERN QB FROM ROCHESTER

May 15, 2024 “My mother would say I was playing with a ball as soon as I could walk,” says Maurice “Maurie” Daigneau, born in Rochester, Minnesota, in 1950.  “I loved sports, and I was successful at them.  It formed an identity for me.”  It was especially important for the youthful athlete since his parents

KATHYRN MILES JOHNSON: FIND THE BEST FIT

May 9, 2024 “I always had an interest in sports, which is a bit odd because no one else in my family did,” Kathryn Miles Johnson says of lifetime participation in sports.  Born in Nova Scotia in 1978, Kathryn, her sister, Elizabeth, and parents Ken and Pat made a transcontinental move to Surrey, British Columbia,

LISA BROWN: GUSTAVUS ATHLETE COMPETED IN THE US OLYMPIC JAVELIN TRIALS

May 1, 2024 A young woman from the small town of Lake Crystal, Minnesota (population 2,500), 13 miles southwest of Mankato was competing with the country’s best javelin throwers in 2008 at the US Olympic Trials at historic Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.  “Some of the most respected javelin throwers in the world and people

MIAC Athletes in Major League Baseball

April 16, 2024 Like the previously posted article on Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) athletes who played in the NFL, this story will feature only athletes from the 13 Minnesota liberal arts colleges—plus St. Thomas—who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) since 1960.  While few in number, there are intriguing stories. The University of St.

MIKE PALMQUIST: FORTUNATE TO BE PART OF MINNESOTA RUNNING SCENE

April 11, 2024 An energetic 4th-grade kid living in Hibbing, Mike Palmquist, born in 1957, says, “I just started running around the school, a four-block area, and I’d feel better.”  It was the start of an illustrious running career for the oldest of seven children—all who would perform well in cross country and track—of James

Minnesota Athletes Celebration Recap

April 8, 2024 A rapt audience of about 60 people appreciated the presentation of 9 Minnesota athletes at the Braemar Golf Club in Edina on Sunday.  Each speaker included teachers, coaches, and teammates who were instrumental in their athletic journey and how sports influenced their life, developing life skills and lifelong friendships.  A listing of

STEVE HULS: BLEEDING MAROON & GOLD—EVEN THE FAMILY DOG IS NAMED “GOLDY”

  With two parents as teachers, education is bound to be a priority for their children.  Steve Huls, born in 1974, of Cold Spring, Minnesota, and his older siblings, Russ and Tracey, were the fortunate recipients of that powerful pull from parents Bill and Marcia.  Bill Huls grew up on a farm near Holdingford, Minnesota,

TWO MINNESOTA RUNNERS COMPETE IN U 20 WORLD CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS

March 29, 20234 2022 Minnesota state cross country champion Aidan Jones of Minneapolis Washburn and 2021 runner-up Noah Breker of Robbinsdale Armstrong competed at the U20 World Cross Country Championships in Belgrade, Serbia, earlier today in a meet dominated by Kenyan and Ethiopian distance runners. Noah, a two-time state track champion in the 3200-meter run,

Henry Boucha Was at the First Minnesota Athletes Celebration, This Time Olympic Teammate Craig Sarner Will Be Present

March 27, 2024 Friend Connie DeGrote sent a reminder the premiere of “The Electric Indian,” featuring hockey star Henry Boucha was scheduled to be televised on Twin Cities Public Television last night. It was eight years ago when the Warroad, Minnesota native attended and presented at the inaugural Minnesota Athletes Celebration coordinated with the book

AARON BANKS: OLYMPIC TRIALS FINALIST LOVES HISTORY OF SHOT PUT, DISCUS THROWING

Aaron Banks will be one of the featured presenters at the Minnesota Athletes Celebration on Sunday, April 7th, at the Braemar Golf Club in Edina, from noon to 3:00 p.m. The public is warmly invited. Please call 507-301-4369 or write to pakkem@charter.net for free tickets. March 26, 2024 “The influence of the farm was important

CHARI NORDGAARD KNUEPPEL: FAMILY WITH ATHLETIC HISTORY, FUTURE ENCOURAGES OTHERS TO SET GOALS AND WORK AT THEM EVERY DAY

March 19, 2024 With a family history chock-full of athletic achievements, Chari Nordgaard Knueppel and her family had another highlight earlier this month with the announcement that their son, Kon II, had been named the recipient of the Wisconsin Mr. Basketball Award.  Ranked the #16 boys’ high school player in the nation, the 6’-6” five-star

TINA KAMPA: COLLEGE OF ST. BENEDICT WAS RIGHT ENVIRONMENT FOR TWO-SPORT ATHLETE

March 12, 2024 “I was an active child.  Anything that involved being outside and moving around me happy,” says volleyball and basketball College of St. Benedict’s (CSB) Hall of Fame athlete Tina Kampa of her childhood.  The oldest of four children of Ralph “Butch” and Bernice (Schleper) Kampa in St. Cloud, Minnesota, Tina points out

LEAH YAVAROW: MINDFUL CURLER

March 6, 2024 “I started curling like most people do—as a family sport,” says Leah Yavarow of her introduction to the sport.  Born in 2001 to parents Mike, a firefighter, and Carrie, a registered nurse, in Bemidji, Minnesota, Leah began curling at age six as part of a community education program. Always active, Leah started

GREG BOONE: MAN OF “A LOT OF LAYERS” IS ALL ABOUT COMMUNITY SERVICE

February 27, 2024 This is the first in a 2024 series of stories on Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) athletes. Woven throughout the layered life of Greg Boone, a basketball star at Minneapolis Central and Augsburg University, has been dedication to community.  Born in 1958 as the fourth of five children to Louis (Sr.) and

LEN LILYHOLM: ARCHITECT REALIZED OLYMPIC HOCKEY GOAL

February 21, 2024 A 1959 Robbinsdale High School Robins graduate, Len Lilyholm has fond memories of his high school years, the most cherished meeting his future wife, Carol Rivers.  Len captained football, hockey, and track and field teams, where talented athletes abounded. Teammate Julian Hook, a two-time undefeated state wrestling champion, also excelled in football

ROSIE FRANKOWSKI: CELEBRATE WINTER WITH A SPORT THAT BRINGS PEOPLE TOGETHER

February 15, 2024 “I had an interesting mix in my childhood,” says Rosie Frankowski, born in 1991, referring to her experience living in Minneapolis near Southwest High School during the academic year and at Lake Caribou a few miles from Lutsen, Minnesota (population 220) throughout the summer and weekends. “My sister, Anna, and I would

MIAC ATHLETES WHO PLAYED PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL SINCE 1960

February 8, 2024 With Saint John’s University of Collegeville, Minnesota, graduate Ben Bartch, a 4th  round NFL draft pick in 2020, on the roster of the Super Bowl-bound San Francisco 49ers as a reserve offensive lineman, Minnesota sports fans may wonder how many other Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) athletes have played professional football at

2024 US Curling Championships Have Robust Minnesota Representation

February 6, 2024 Minnesota’s once dominant representation in ice hockey and speedskating at the Winter Olympics has diminished with the advent of artificial ice.  But the composition of US Olympic curling teams with Minnesota ties has been prevalent, highlighted by the Cinderella 2018 gold medal-winning team of John Shuster, Chisholm (now living in Superior, WI);

Woohoo! Minnesota Woman Qualifies for Olympics as Dakotah Lindwurm takes 3rd! Reed Fischer 9th in Men’s Olympic Marathon Trials

February 3, 2024 Originally scheduled to start at noon, the US Olympic Marathon Trials were thankfully moved ahead two hours due to heat and humidity concerns expressed by the runners.  With a gun-start after 10:00 in Orlando, Florida, at 54° F and temperatures expected to rise significantly, many Minnesota athletes with Minnesota connections raced the

RYLEE STREIFEL: PRIOR LAKE WRESTLER WAS IN SPOTLIGHT AT 2016 US WORLD WRESTLING JUNIOR FREESTYLE CHAMPIONSHIPS IN LAS VEGAS

January 30, 2024 Enjoying life in rural Prior Lake as the youngest child of Pat and Pam Streifel, Rylee has fond memories, saying, “My parents encouraged us to play and be outdoors.  It created a great relationship with my siblings as we built snow forts and dug tunnels together. I also went snowmobiling, four-wheeling, and

AARON BUZARD: IT’S LESS ABOUT THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND MORE ABOUT THE PEOPLE

January 23, 2024 Football took a backseat to track for a fleet runner attending Rochester Mayo High School as Aaron Buzard (pronounced Buz∙ard, like the bird) kept breaking time barriers in his pursuit of excellence in the sport.  Aaron was born in 1984 in Fort Worth, Texas, but his family soon moved to the Medical

PEG BRENDEN: HISTORIC ROLE IN MINNESOTA WOMEN’S ATHLETICS—THE STATUS QUO SOMETIMES NEEDS TO BE CHALLENGED

January 11, 2022   In 1971, Peg Brenden, an athletic tennis player from St. Cloud, wrote a letter to the Minnesota Civil Liberties Union (MCLU) with the encouragement of her sister, Sandy, and her boyfriend at the time (now husband), Jim.  Peg had been disappointed that she was not allowed to compete on the St.

CRAIG SARNER: 1972 OLYMPICS WERE ALL A HIGHLIGHT TO HOCKEY SILVER MEDALIST

January 16, 2024 “It was heaven back then,” says Craig Sarner describing his play outdoors as a child.  “You’d leave the house at eight o’clock and come back at five o’ clock.  The neighborhood had a lot of kids, and we would form teams. It was a magical time.”  Born in St. Paul in 1949,

US U-18 Women’s Hockey Team Wins Gold in World Championships

January 14, 2023 Young Minnesota women hockey athletes as young as 15 years old winning a gold medal at the U-18 World Championships showed a promising future to fans following the enthralling success of Minnesota’s Professional Hockey League with 13,316 in attendance at its home opener (see full story with brief biographies of the team’s

Minnesota Athletes Vital to Growth and Success in Nordic Skiing

January 12, 2024 While the lack of snow has curtailed cross country skiing in Minnesota this winter, the World Cup championship races in Europe have a strong dose of Minnesota participation and history.  Jessie Diggins continues to amaze; the 5’ 4” Afton, Minnesota athlete has a significant lead in the standings for 2023-24.  It follows

JOHN LONG: TWO-TIME BADGER CROSS COUNTRY CAPTAIN NOW OWNS RUNNING STORE STARTED BY STEVE HOAG

February 26, 2022   Genetics may have a lot to do with the running success of John Long, but it was a BMX accident that got him started in the sport.  The son of an Irish immigrant who won the 1957 Guinness Mile in a time of 4:04 against a stacked field, John was born

Minnesota Athletes on the Minnesota Professional Women’s Hockey League Team

January 8, 2024 Minnesota’s Professional Women’s Hockey Leaguewon both its opener, 3-2vs Boston, and its home opener, a 3-0 victory powered by Grace Zumwinkle’s hat trick.  The shutout over Montreal by Maddie Rooney was played at the Xcel Center in St. Paul in front of a record crowd of 13,316 for a women’s professional hockey

KARIE PLOOF TUTTLE: PROGRESSIONS

April 6, 2022 M Club Hall of Fame member and All-American gymnast Karie Ploof, born in 1961, is the second of four children born to Jack and Janice Ploof of Shakopee, Minnesota, when few schools had gymnastics teams.  She describes her advancements as a series of progressions and advises athletes today, “It’s actually when we

2024 Qualifiers for the US Olympic Men’s Marathon Trials with Minnesota Connections

January 3, 2024 To run in the 2024 US Olympic Marathon Trials men’s division in Orlando, Florida on February 3rd, a time of 2:18:00 (or 1:03 in the half-marathon) or faster must have been recorded in the past two years (one year for the half-marathon) in a certified race.  A total of 227 men have

US Olympic Marathon Trials: Women Qualifiers with Minnesota Connections

January 1, 2024 To run in the 2024 US Olympic Marathon Trials women’s division in Orlando, Florida on February 3rd, a time of 2:37:00 (or 1:12 in the half-marathon) or faster must have been recorded in the past two years (one year for the half-marathon) in a certified race.  A total of 173 women have

DONNA GATHJE MUELLER: SUPPORT YOUR TEAM, SUPPORT YOUR COACH

April 26, 2022 Donna Gathje (pronounced get-key) believes she was blessed with great support and coaches.  Today, she promotes the healthy benefits of running and encourages the families of runners to support runners and their coaches. The Gathje family of Rochester, Minnesota, is known statewide and beyond for their running prowess, but parents Ron and

COURTNEY GEORGE BENSON: CURLING IS A WONDERFUL, ACCEPTING COMMUNITY

February 3, 2022   “Curlers are the best,” Olympian Courtney George Benson says of her fellow players.  “My life wouldn’t be the same if I hadn’t curled.  It’s a special sport and developed me a lot as a person.”   Curling has had a prominent role in the George family.  Born in 1986 in Duluth,

AARON BARTNIK AND CARLI SCHULZ BARTNIK: NOW HAVING A DIFFERENT APPRECIATION OF WHAT RUNNING HAS BROUGHT TO THEIR LIVES

March 2, 2022   Eden Prairie cross country, nordic skiing, and track and field athletes Aaron Bartnik and Carli Schulz connected through their community school and sports and are now married.  The pair have many similarities:  they both first competed in soccer, remember finishing second in the phy ed mile run—and missing out on a

DIANE SCOVILL: DID YOU KNOW YOU WERE ON THE VOLLEYBALL TEAM?

May 4, 2022 A recipient of a Special Merit Award at the 2017 Minnesota Girls and Women in Sport Day, Diane Scovill has been a longtime physical education and health educator at Minneapolis Community and Technical College who has witnessed and promoted the explosive growth in women’s sports. Born in 1955, Diane is the youngest

DECEMBER SPOTLIGHT ON MINNESOTA RUNNERS

December 18, 2023 Major running competitions are still happening in December and Minnesota runners are continuing their strong tradition by performing well.  In the National Club Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee, Florida, the Minnesota Distance Elite team was runner-up to the San Diego Track Club.  Two members of the team are Minnesota natives:  Joel Reichow

MIKE AND TAMMI CHEEVER: ATHLETIC MINNEAPOLIS FAMILY MOST PROUD OF KIDS WITH BIG HEARTS

December 11, 2023 While Mike and Tammi (Wermers) Cheever had their own achievements in running, they quickly deflect to the successes of their children, Jamie and Dylan, in athletics and their contributions to society, saying their children “have big hearts.”  Growing up in Brookings, South Dakota, Mike and Tammi met in middle school and both

JOHN MAYASICH, DICK MEREDITH, AND JACK MCCARTAN: 1960 OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALISTS AND OTHER HOCKEY LEGENDS

December 7, 2023 It was a Who’s Who gathering of hockey players at Olympic Hills Golf Club on Wednesday, December 6, 2023.  Stanley Cup rings adorned the hands of Ed Thomlinson, a scout for the New Jersey Devils during their three championship years.  Ed and University of North Dakota teammate Art Miller—also present—were members of

MARGARET CHUTICH: IN TENNIS OR SERVING AS A JUDICIAL OFFICER, PRACTICE MAKES YOU BETTER

December 4, 2023 Minnesota State Supreme Court Justice Margaret Chutich (pronounced Chū∙tich) speaks positively about her childhood, career, and life.  “I am grateful for opportunities at Anoka High School—they were forward-thinking.  I was on the cusp as girls’ sports were blooming,” she says of the start of her athletic career in the 1970s.  Born in

JULIANNE VASICHEK: LIVER TRANSPLANT RECIPIENT SAYS ENERGY IS THERE AGAIN

November 28, 2023 “A constant in my life is to make myself uncomfortable,” says Julianne Vasichek, the head coach of the women’s hockey team at the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth, Minnesota.  “Whether it was playing with elite athletes, expanding the network of my PSC [Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis], or challenging myself in professional life,

HOCKEY LORE AT LUNCH

November 18, 2023 An invitation from Dave Metzen to meet a group of 1960s hockey players at Tom Reid’s Hockey City Pub in St. Paul was eagerly accepted and had not a disappointing moment.  From Carl Wetzel’s proclamation that there was an aura in the room due to the presence of two goalies—obviously indicating himself—plus

MIKE GEBEKE: 1979 WHITE BEAR LAKE STATE TRACK CHAMPION BECAME PART OF GRIAK SNOTTY NOSE TOUGH TEAMS AT U OF MN AND COMPETED INTERNATIONALLY

November 17, 2023 The oldest of five athletic children, Mike Gebeke (pronounced Gĕb∙key) was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana, in 1961, and moved to White Bear Lake, Minnesota, as a preschool-aged child.   Parents Chuck, a mechanical engineer at 3M, and Renee, an elementary teacher, also had four daughters: Jill, a basketball player at St. Cloud

PEGGY CLASEN: THREE-TIME OLYMPIAN STILL LOVING THE ICE

November 13, 2023 Minnesota athletes have a rich history in Olympic speedskating with several members of the Midway Speedskating Club in St. Paul among those competing on the international stage.  Peggy Clasen, born in St. Paul in 1969 and growing up in Roseville, a suburban community 8 miles northwest of the capital city, is one

2023 STATE CROSS COUNTRY MEET: WAYZATA TEAMS TRIUMPH; 8TH GRADE BOY 6TH IN CLASS A

November 4, 2023 The Minnesota state cross country meet returned to the Les Bolstad Golf Course at the University of Minnesota in St. Paul after being hosted by St. Olaf College in Northfield for three decades. A sports enthusiast is always rewarded by watching the effort and sportsmanship exhibited by the boys and girls qualifying

JENNIE FRIEDRICH (LAHR): YOU CAN CONTROL YOUR OWN ATTITUDE AND YOUR OWN EFFORT

November 1, 2023 “Looking back, I didn’t realize how big a role athletics would play in my life,” says Jennie (Lahr) Friedrich, an All-American cross country and track runner at Northern Michigan University (NMU) in Marquette, Michigan.  “There are only two things I can control:  my own attitude and my own effort.  I learned to

MIAC 2023 CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIP TEAMS BOTH FROM NORTHFIELD

October 28, 2023 Minnesota’s running scene is fortunate to have high-caliber meets and runners such as the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC)—they have never disappointed cross country fans. There were a host of repeats at the 2023 MIAC Cross Country Championships in the Upper Arboretum of Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota on Saturday, October 28th.

JON HOESE: WACONIA AND COLOGNE BANKER STROVE TO BE AS VALUABLE AND VERSATILE AS POSSIBLE AS GOPHER FOOTBALL PLAYER

March 22, 2022 Born on Independence Day in 1989, Jon Hoese was the youngest of three children raised on a generational farm north of Glencoe, a town of 5,700 people 55 miles west of Minneapolis.  His parents, Terry and Sharon, and life experiences on the farm taught him perseverance which have proven to be valuable. 

AMANDA ANDERSON SCHOENING: ST. FRANCIS HIGH SCHOOL THROWER PROMOTES MANY PURPOSES OF SPORT AS COACH AT ALMA MATER

October 17, 2023 Located 40 miles north of Minneapolis, St. Francis is a city of 8,000 residents straddling Anoka and Isanti Counties on the Rum River.   As the hometown of 2016 rhythmic gymnastics Olympian Kiana Eide, Olympic Trials marathon qualifier Dakotah Lindwurm (Bullen), and 7-time state champion and 2023 national champion shot putter Maggie Ewen,

CHICAGO MARATHON HAS MINNESOTA HIGHLIGHTS

October 8, 2023 This morning proved that breaking two hours in the marathon is not far in the future as Kevin Kliptum of Kenya completed the Chicago Marathon is an astonishing 2:00:35, with a negative split! The highlights for the Minnesota running community included three Minnesota women finishing 11th, 12th, and 13th (4th, 5th, and

V3 SPORTS IN NORTH MINNEAPOLIS: A WHOLE COMMUNITY EXPERIENCE

October 5, 2023 There was an air of excitement and pride in North Minneapolis yesterday as residents, dignitaries and visitors toured the construction of the highly anticipated V3 Center at the intersection of Lyndale and Plymouth Avenues.  The area lost its only year-round swimming pool in 2007 and families in the area no longer had

Some Upbeat Stories Amid Cancellation of All Twins Cities Marathon Events

October 1, 2023 With the cancellation of all of the running events connected with the Twin Cities Marathon today, perhaps some updates on recent runs will be of interest to the running community. Pictured below are some inspiring runners, too. At the Jeff Winter City of Lakes Half Marathon on September 23rd, many Minnesota age

BOB WAGNER: RAN FOR COACH GRIAK AT ST. LOUIS PARK HIGH SCHOOL AND UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA

September 27, 2023 “I was one lucky athlete to end up in St. Louis Park,” is how Bob “Wags” Wagner, born in 1946, describes his family’s move from Charles City, Iowa, to the Minneapolis western suburb when he was in 9th grade.  In phy ed class, teacher Roy Griak saw the new kid not wearing

RUNNING AND HOCKEY: AT THE GRIAK INVITE AND AT TPT ALMANAC DISCUSSING HENRY BOUCHA

September 23, 2023 Attending the Griak Invite, the large, elite cross country race hosted at the Les Bolstand Golf Course on the University of Minnesota campus in St. Paul, is always rewarded with exceptional performances with California Baptist University leading the field. While the women’s team placed in the middle, the four lead runners were

Henry Boucha: Bimiiwinitisowin Omaa Aiding

September 19, 2023 It was announced today that Olympian and Minnesota hockey legend Henry Boucha passed away at age 72. The following story was featured in the published book Minnesota Gold. Once ignoring his Ojibwe heritage because “It was not cool,” Henry Boucha now embraces it.  Two of his grandfathers were chiefs, and he is

MALIK RUCKER: PRODUCT OF NORTH MINNEAPOLIS ORGANIZATIONS NOW GIVING BACK THROUGH V3 SPORTS

September 13, 2023 Utilizing programs available such as Oak Park Neighborhood Center, Malik Rucker, born in 1995, says, “I am a product of North Minneapolis organizations.”  These positive experiences have led Malik to “give back” in his professional life to Big Brothers Big Sisters Twin Cities and now to V3 Sports, an organization with a

Gabriele Anderson Grunewald: Fighter

September 9, 2023 Today the sixth running of the Brave Like Gabe 5k and Gabe’s life were celebrated. Among the family members, I met Gabe’s father, Kim Anderson, and brother Caleb Anderson, both physical therapists. The Anderson family is from Perham, Minnesota, a recreational paradise in Otter Tail County in the northern part of the

Jerry Feldhausen and Tom Barry: Difference Makers

September 4, 2023 Growing up on a Minnesota dairy farm, I doubted I would ever have the opportunity to be part of an athletic team or benefit from coaching.  Thankfully, my life has been enriched by having both.  A patient coach starting a college cross country program at St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wisconsin,

KATIE BRUST: BURSTING WITH CREATIVITY

August 30, 2023 Katie Brust radiates energy, joy, and creativity.  She enthusiastically shares her history in alpine skiing, fishing, running, art, trap shooting, student government, and love of family and travel.  And for only being 23 years old, she has a lot to share. The oldest daughter of David, a St. Olaf graduate who competed

JENNY RYAN: LOVING IT IN MARQUETTE, MICHIGAN

August 25, 2023 “I get home to visit my parents in Burnsville often,” says Jenny Ryan, head coach of the Northern Michigan University (NMU) women’s cross country and track and field teams.  “I also have two siblings in the area and see them and their families too.”  Jenny has led an active life beginning with

Amy Peterson Peck: : EXPERIENCING JOY BOTH FROM THE URBAN LIFE OF THE EAST SIDE OF ST PAUL TO A 1,000 MILK-COW DAIRY FARM IN UPSTATE NEW YORK

August 12, 2023 A five-time Olympian and three-time Olympic medalist, Amy Peterson Peck of St. Paul and Maplewood, is now the mother of four boys who lives on a large dairy farm in a scenic area of upstate New York called Schuylerville. Visiting the humble 2002 Olympic flag bearer recently, we were rewarded by meeting

Scott Wopata: From 0 to 100

August 7, 2023 Usually the phrase “0 to 100” refers to miles per hour in a motorized vehicle.  But in the case of Scott Wopata, it means running mileage which started one day in 2021 to the Cascade Crest 100 mile run on July 21, 2023. Originally from the forested environment of Grand Rapids, Minnesota,

Adam Frye: From the Gateway of the Bluff Country to the Crest of the Cascades

August 3, 2023 A native of Chatfield in the Bluff Country of southeastern Minnesota, Adam Frye was introduced to running as a youth of five or six years of age when he ran a mile race at Planview Corn on the Cob Days with his father, Chris, a former high school runner who later co-founded

RYAN LAMPPA: 1977 STATE TRACK 440-YARD DASH 1-2 FINISH BY SMALL-COMMUNITY BENSON RUNNERS UNDER 50 SECONDS IS PRETTY AMAZING

July 25, 2023 “I had an idyllic childhood,” says Ryan Lamppa of life in the small Minnesota communities of Blackduck and Benson (located 125 miles west of Minneapolis and serves as the county seat of Swift County).  The fifth of six children of Herman “Roger” (a Flying Finn from Embarrass under the tutelage of coach

MATT HAUGEN: AS MUCH AS I LOVE RACING, I WOULD RATHER WATCH MY TEAM RACE

July 19, 2023 A lightly recruited runner who became an All-American at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, Matt Haugen says, “I was so hungry after not making the state meets in high school, I had a burning will to improve myself in college.”  And he did.  That desire led Matt to successfully compete in

DANNY DOCHERTY: PEOPLE FROM OTHER STATES RECOGNIZE MINNESOTA’S INCREDIBLE RUNNING COMMUNITY

July 11, 2023 The second oldest of four children from a running-oriented St. Paul family, Danny Docherty, born in 1989, says, “It’s fun seeing what you can do.  You learn over time the specifics of training.  I am trying to continue to evolve my career as an athlete and now more as a coach.”  While

LEA B. OLSEN: CAME TO ORGANIZED SPORTS ORGANICALLY

July 3, 2023 It’s surprising to learn that sports broadcaster and former University of Minnesota (U of MN) basketball player Lea B. Olsen only began playing organized basketball as a junior at Minneapolis South High School.  Born in 1968 as Lea Bergin, she is one of two Black children and the youngest of six children

PART 2 OF A 2-PART SERIES: NEW BRIGHTON WINS IN 1999; ROCHESTER CLAIMS NATIONAL TITLE IN 2003; AND EDEN PRAIRIE CAPTURES CHAMPIONSHIP IN 2011

June 28, 2023 Following a gap of 40 years between American Legion World Series Championships from 1943 when Richfield Post 435 was the first Minnesota team to win to a thrilling victory for Edina Post 471 in 1983, it was a briefer spell to the next title in 1999 by New Brighton Post 517—also known

PART 1 OF A 2-PART SERIES AMERICAN LEGION WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS FROM MINNESOTA: RICHFIELD IN 1943; EDINA IN 1983

June 26, 2023 In honor of Joe Ryan (a 2020 Olympian who won a game for the silver medal-winning American team) pitching the first complete game by a Twins’ pitcher in FIVE years, this story is the first part of a two-part article on Minnesota teams winning the American Legion World Series. Despite Minnesota’s colder

MADDIE VAN BEEK: MEMORABLE RUNS INCLUDE FIRST STEEPLECHASE RACE AND RUNNING THREE MILES CRADLING RESCUED KITTEN

While Maddie McClellan Van Beek has a history of being an introvert, she wants the world to know she is an animal lover.  On a memorable run on a gravel road near Hawley, Minnesota with friend Erin Teschuck—a future Canadian steeplechase Olympian—Maddie discovered a kitten and cradled it in one of her arms the final

ZAK KETTERSON: 2-TIME STATE NORDIC SKI CHAMPION ON WINNING WORLD CUP MIXED RELAY GOLD MEDAL TEAM WITH JESSIE DIGGINS

June 6, 2023 “We were a very active family,” says Zak Ketterson of his youthful years in Bloomington, Minnesota.  “We were always hiking or biking on trips.”  The younger son of Jim and Brigette (Breuer) Ketterson is proof that endurance is apparently a family trademark.  Jim ran cross country and track at Carleton College in

SARAH RENK THORSETT: 1500 METER WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP RUNNER FROM WINONA NOW ASKS KIDS SHE COACHES, “WHO DO YOU WANT TO BE?”

May 30, 2023 Growing up in an athletic family of seven children in Winona, Minnesota, a Mississippi River city 40 miles east of the renowned medical city of Rochester, Sarah Renk says, “My first love was basketball.  I liked shooting hoops in our backyard with my three older brothers.  It’s where I found my competitiveness. 

TIM MCINTOSH: LONG-TIME MEMBER OF BASEBALL’S BROTHERHOOD, NOW FOCUSING ON BEING A MINNESOTA REALTOR

January 4, 2022 Tim McIntosh has a lot of stories to share.  Born in 1965, Tim reminisces about his childhood, saying, “Brooklyn Center was a great place to grow up.  We rode our bikes everywhere.”  Tim had an older sister, Tamara, an older brother, Tom—a hero to him—and a younger brother, Brad Sutton.  His father

SAM STEIDL: SMALLER TOWN MINNESOTA KID WHO LOVES EVERYTHING MINNESOTA HAS TO OFFER HAD CAREER .363 BATTING AVERAGE FOR GOPHERS

May 23, 2023 Only half-jokingly, Sam Steidl warns his four young children that if they want any financial aid for their college education, their chances to receive it are better if they attend the University of Minnesota (U of MN) and cheer for the Gopher athletic teams.  Sam’s father, uncles, and cousins attended the U

EMI TROST: RUNNER-UP FINISHES MOTIVATED RURAL CANNON FALLS/GOODHUE ATHLETE TO STATE AND NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

It may not be “far-fetched” to say Emi Trost got her start in running by fetching tools for her father, Tim, when he was in the field.  Born in 1995, Emi and her three younger brothers, Karl, Dan, and Aaron loved country life at their family’s 80-acre Lone Oak Farm between Cannon Falls and Goodhue,

MARISSA JANNING MURPHY: 18-LETTERWINNER AT WATERTOWN-MAYER BECAME BIG EAST BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE YEAR AT CREIGHTON

May 16, 2023 If ever there is someone in sport to personify the term multi-sport athlete, Marissa Janning fits the bill.  Here is a sampling:  swimming, wrestling (until 4th grade), football (until 5th grade), softball, cross country, volleyball, basketball, track, and, most recently, marathoning.  She earned 18 letters at Watertown-Mayer High School, achieving all-state recognition

AUSTIN MALINOWSKI: LEFTY TWINS’ DRAFTEE NOW A MILWAUKEE LAWYER

May 9, 2023 “We were always active,” Austin Malinowski, a former professional baseball pitcher says of himself and his four brothers.  “We were always involved in a game.  It was controlled chaos.”  Like their father, Jim, a chef, the Malinowski brothers were multi-sport athletes.  In fact, Austin encourages it, saying, “Make sure you mix it

Billy Soule: YEARS AS A BASEBALL TROJAN AND GOPHER HAVE BEEN A “TRIP”

December 7, 2021 “I was probably the easiest recruit in Gopher baseball history,” says the former Gopher ball boy and bat boy. Learning Billy Soule’s personal history makes that a believable declaration. Born in St. Louis Park in 1990 and raised in Medina, Minnesota, Billy’s father, William, Sr., played on the diamond for the University

JILL STEINBACH MICHEL: ENCOURAGE ATHLETES TO BE MULTI-SPORT

May 2, 2023 A three-sport athlete at Wayzata (a western suburb of Minneapolis) High School, Jill Steinbach Michel says, “From an athletic training standpoint, there are far lower rates of injuries, physiological reasons, a mental break, and more exposure to teammates and coaching styles when you try different sports.”  A kinesiology major with a graduate

COOL, WET SPRING STILL SHOWS IMPRESSIVE ROAD, MOUNTAIN RACE RESULTS

May 1, 2023 April’s wildly varying weather may have curtailed training, but Minnesota’s distance runners continue to forge ahead. Conditions were even worse at the USATF Mountain Running Championships in New Hampshire for Tom Sederquist of Duluth who finished as the 21st male on a muddy course as he survived steep ascents and treacherous descents

Cassie Kimes (Busse) NEWEST M CLUB HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE HAD SPECIAL LAST TIME WITH TEAMMATES IN RUN TO 2003 NCAA VOLLEYBALL FINAL FOUR

November 29, 2021 Born during a 1982 snowstorm, future national volleyball team member Cassie Busse grew up on a 100-acre farm which raised ostriches among other animals near Prior Lake, Minnesota. One of three children, Cassie has fond memories of “running all over the farm, playing with kittens, and running through the fields.” In addition

PAYTON OTTERDAHL: 2020 OLYMPIC SHOT PUTTER FROM ROSEMOUNT HAS A MENAGERIE OF PETS

As a kid, Payton Otterdahl reveled in walking along streams or Lake Superior on the North Shore by the family cabin near Schroeder (about 80 miles north of Duluth), Minnesota.  “I’d spend my entire time flipping over rocks and catching salamanders, snakes, and other critters,” says the 2020 Olympic Trials shot put bronze medalist.  The

ALICIA RUE PIERSKALLA: JUNIOR PAN AM POLE VAULT GOLD MEDALIST FELT THE CULTURE OF TRACK AND FIELD IN SÃO PAULO

April 18, 2023 “I wanted to copy everything my older sister, Jennifer, did,” says Alicia Rue Pierskalla while recounting her start in athletics, “and she was in gymnastics.  I started at age two or three.”  The younger daughter of Mark and Maureen Rue of Plymouth, a western suburb of Minneapolis, Alicia admits to having a

GARY ALM: BROTHERS AND GOPHER TEAM WENT ON GUTS AND HUSTLE

April 13, 2023 With a broad smile and sparkling eyes, Gary Alm is in his element and he shares stories about his hockey career as a player and official.  “It was just so much fun!” he declares of time spent playing hockey at parks, ponds, and arenas.  Six sons were born to Vern, a Minneapolis

CASSIE (JOHNSON) POTTER: STARTING AT HISTORIC BEMIDJI CURLING CLUB, NOW WORKING AT THE MINNESOTA HISTORICAL SOCIETY

With a strong family history in curling and living in the sport’s hotbed community of Bemidji, Minnesota, Cassie (Johnson) Potter, began curling at about the age of five or six. Her parents, Tim Johnson, a press board operator,a press board operator, and her mother, Liz, a schoolteacher, have won the Mixed U. S. Curling Championships

BILL ISRAELSON: BAREFOOT 10-YEAR-OLD CADDIED FOR GEORGE MIKAN, USED $15 TIP ON BASEBALL SPIKES

“Bemidji had a great sports culture and was a great place to grow up,” says Bill Israelson before rattling off name after name of high-achieving athletes who competed for the Bemidji High School Lumberjacks which has had more state boys’ golf appearances than any other Minnesota high school (25), had several curlers on Olympic teams

TOM MULSO: 1970 SINGLE-CLASS BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP FOR SHERBURN WAS HISTORIC, LIFE-CHANGING

March 27, 2023 With the conclusion of the Minnesota State High School League basketball tournaments and the NCAA Division I championships winnowed to eight teams; it is natural to reflect on past tournaments.  “Mulso Powers Sherburn to Title,” was the Minneapolis Tribune Sunday headline following the win by the Sherburn Raiders over the powerful South

WRESTLING RECORDS

March 22, 2023 More than most sports, wrestling is often a family and community trademark.  Followers of the flourishing history of Minnesota wrestling will recognize the family name and associated school:  Bullerman-Adrian; Merritt-Canby; Paulson-Anoka; Hansen and Jean-Albert Lea; Kingsley and  Steveson-Apple Valley; Ness and Morgan-Bloomington Kennedy; Lexvold and O’Reilly-Goodhue; Nagel-Frazee; Dahl-Greenbush; Pike-Hayfield; Vaith-Hastings; Moore-Jackson County

NYC HALF MARATHON RESULTS: BOTH DAKOTAH LINDWURM AND ANNIE FRISBIE FINISH IN PRIZE MONEY

March 20, 2023 A previous post mentioned the continuing success and exploits of Minnesota Distance Elite runners Dakotah Lindwurm and Annie Frisbie who were competing today in the New York City Half Marathon. Daktotah finished 6th in the women’s division, edging 2016 Olympian Molly Huddle and finishing 4 seconds behind the first American woman, Desiree

DAVE METZEN: A CONVERSATION WITH A SOUTH ST. PAUL ATHLETE AND EDUCATOR

March 15, 2023 “Be careful what you write,” are the light-hearted parting words of a chuckling Dave Metzen following a 90-minute conversation.  Dave has both a storied career in athletics, educational leadership, and community service and a potential career in storytelling.  An All-Conference tackle in football who found greater success in hockey, Dave spent his

THREE MINNESOTA WOMEN PLACE IN TOP TEN AT USATF 15K CHAMPIONSHIPS

Heat and humidity created challenging conditions for Minnesota runners at last week’s USATF 15K Championships in Jacksonville, Florida. Nevertheless, 27-year-old former hockey goalie Dakotah Lindwurm (originally from St. Francis, Minnesota) stuck with the pack chasing Olympian Emily Sisson, eventually claiming 4th place in the women’s division with a time of 52:03. Minnesota Distance Elite teammate

SKI JUMPING: IT’S FLYING LIKE SUPERMAN WITHOUT THE CAPE

October 7, 2021 Ski jumpers are adventure seekers as the quote above by 1980 Olympian Jim Grahek (Ely) indicates. To a casual observer like myself, they are fearless while other people might question their sanity. The US Ski Jumping Hall of Fame (located in Red Wing) had a large and successful deferred induction ceremony in

TOM SEDERQUIST: PUSHING LIMITS—WITH NO GUTS?!?!

March 7, 2023 A gung-ho runner with a penchant for adventure sports, Tom Sederquist oozes energy.  Now an analyst for Cirrus Aircraft in Duluth and distance coach at UW Superior, Tom does it all—literally—with no guts. The oldest of three sons of Dave and Jane Remark Sederquist, the family moved to Moorhead, Minnesota (located on

EMMA LEE: ATHLETES WHO HAVE THE ABILITY TO SEE THE BIG PICTURE SEEM TO HAVE MORE SUCCESS

An Olympic Trials marathon qualifier who was an All-American in three sports and currently a postdoctoral fellow who clearly has had athletic and academic success, Emma Lee appreciates people who see the big picture. Born in 1991 and raised in St. Anthony Park, Minnesota, a neighborhood tucked into the northwest section of St. Paul near

TONY SCHILLER: CHASING PEOPLE I ADMIRED

Celebrating movement—and practicing it—has been a big part of Tony Schiller’s life as a triathlete and advocate for enjoying the outdoors and nature through exercise.  Born in 1958, the middle child of 11 children who grew up in the St. Paul central area, Tony remembers the neighborhood as “a haven of sports at the time.” 

TODD BOONSTRA: LOVING THE ALASKA LIFE; SEWARD’S SWIMMING SENSATION, LYDIA JACOBY

September 22, 2021 Part of this column’s hiatus was due to a lifelong dream trip to Alaska to view the majestic scenery and unique wildlife. We were richly rewarded. We were also rewarded with a visit with Todd Boonstra (Eagan), a three-time Olympian in cross country skiing: 1984, 1988, and 1994. The Burnsville High School

BRUCE MORTENSON: 185,300 MILES; WE KEPT EACH OTHER RUNNING

February 7, 2023 A 1943 New Year’s Eve baby born in Minneapolis was probably churning his legs immediately after birth and they have never stopped for any time of significant duration.  People in the Minnesota running community can probably guess that the person who has logged 185,300 miles can only be Bruce Mortenson, a runner

NED SHUCK: DIVISION I WRESTLING COACH KNEW FUTURE PROFESSION AS AN 8TH GRADER

Raised in Mapleton, Minnesota (also the hometown of Olympic curling gold medalist John Landsteiner), a town 18 miles south of Mankato in Blue Earth County, Ned Shuck did not feel confident about being on the wrestling mat in a second grade tournament.  He felt a bit tricked into competing at a tournament in nearby New

DAN LYNDGAARD: RUNNING HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE 2 STATE CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS AND A BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN CONCERT

January 24, 2023 A conversation with brothers Dan and Dave Lyndgaard reveals they are each other’s biggest boosters—constantly complimenting or lauding the other’s achievements.  But they are equally quick to point out people who contributed to their success in cross country and on the track including high school and college teammates; Wayne Feder, their high

DAVE LYNDGAARD: SURROUNDED BY INSPIRATION

January 24, 2023 A brother, family support, a coach, teammates at New Richland-Hartland High School and St. John’s University in Collegeville, the campuses and students at Saint John’s and Saint Ben’s, runners coached, colleagues in administration, and a person who was both a teammate and runner he coached who had a historic impact on athletics

GABI HOOPER ROOKER: COMMITMENT

January 17, 2023 The American public would not generally associate an Olympic or All-American gymnast to become a national-caliber marathoner, yet that is exactly what Gabi Hooper Rooker has accomplished.  Born in State College, Pennsylvania in 1987 to Kate and Simon Hooper, Gabi (Gabriella) is the third of four children.  Her older sisters Lucy and

BRUCE BROTHERS: SPORTSWRITER AND MARATHONER SEES GLASS ALMOST ALWAYS HALF-FULL; WHAT COULD BE BETTER THAN THAT?

Growing up in Morningside, Minnesota, a village sandwiched between St. Louis Park and Minneapolis (annexed by Edina in 1966), Bruce Brothers always loved sports, but he did not consider himself athletic.  Getting hooked on baseball when his grandfather took him to see the Minneapolis Millers play at Metropolitan Stadium, Bruce, born in 1946, admits he

ZACH SANDERS: IT ALWAYS CAME FROM WITHIN

January 4, 2023 “I don’t remember starting wrestling,” confesses four-time University of Minnesota (U of M) Gopher All-American Zach Sanders. “It’s just what I did.”  The resolute wrestling athlete is the son of Liz and Ron Sanders, a science teacher and wrestling coach at Wabasha-Kellogg High School, located 75 miles southeast of St. Paul on

MINNESOTA ATHLETES FINDING SUCCESS ON ALTERNATIVES TO ROAD RACES AS THEY ENTER TRAIL AND SPARTAN COMPETITIONS

December 27, 2022 Trail running is finding increasing popularity as runners seek out alternatives to road racing in an effort to find a running sector easier on their joints, include a more varied with turns and elevation changes, and more natural scenery. Garrett Heath (Winona) won the USATF Half Marathon Trail Championships hosted on American

Kelly Skalicky: WELCOME THE BEST COMPETITION

October 12, 2021 Born in 1963 to an active and athletic family, Kelly Skalicky of Albany, Minnesota, quickly became acquainted with better competition through her older brother, Jeff, and became prominent in state basketball and on the national golf landscape. “I gravitated to what Jeff did in sports,” says Kelly. “I tagged along with him

TERESA DAHLEM: MANY MENTORS AND TRACK COACH’S ADMONISHMENT LED TO SUCCESSFUL ATHLETIC, OFFICIATING, AND EDUCATION CAREERS

December 13, 2022 It was probably a cultural shock to the Dennis and Nancy Dahlem family when they moved in 1974 from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Appleton, Minnesota (population 1,789 in 1970), a community 30 miles east of Big Stone Lake on the South Dakota border. The third of four children, Teresa had been active in

USATF MARATHON ROAD CHAMPIONSHIPS IN SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA HAVE STRONG MINNESOTA RESULTS

December 10, 2022 Sunday’s USA Track & Field Marathon Road Championship, the California International Marathon, had many Minnesota athletes in or near the top 100 finishers including a gutsy effort that landed Joel Reichow (White Bear Lake)on the podium. Joel hung tough despite stomach issues and severe quad pain, finishing 3rd overall in 2:12:11, a

John Pohl: JUNIOR YEAR AT RED WING, SENIOR YEAR AT UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA WERE STORYBOOK SEASONS

December 6, 2022 Part of a true brotherhood, John Pohl is the oldest of four boys of a Red Wing, Minnesota teacher, hockey coach, and athletic director father, Jim, and lawyer mother, Joanne. Born in 1979, John was joined by brothers, Mark, Mike, and Tommy within the next five years. “We boys did everything together,”

DEBRA HUNTER: CLOQUET WILL ALWAYS BE HOME

Cloquet, Minnesota, will always be home to coach and 1979-83 University of Minnesota (U of M) point guard Debra Hunter while she also emphatically states she “was raised by a series of villages.”  The villages included the churches her father served as a pastor; people in the community of Cloquet, a city of 12,000 people

DAKOTAH LINDWURM: PASSIONATE HOCKEY PLAYER BECOMES GRANDMA’S MARATHON CHAMPION

Beginning to play hockey in 2nd grade, Dakotah Marie Lindwurm (nee Bullen) has long had Jim Craig, goalie on the 1980 Miracle on Ice Olympic hockey team, as a favorite athlete. “Hockey was my heart and soul and my Olympic dream beginning,” says the 5’ 1” and 105-pound native of St. Francis, Minnesota. “Everything revolved

David Van Orsdel: RUNNER TURNED EUROPEAN PROFESSIONAL CYCLIST NOW “ALL IN” AS HE RIDES ON EMOTION

November 16, 2022 “I was always obsessed with sports,” says David Van Orsdelwho moved to Hopkins, Minnesota from Minneapolis at the age of one. One of two sons of Lil (Lundeen) and Scott Van Orsdel, a sprinter at Concordia College in Moorhead, David, born in 1984, grew to 5’ 8” by 8th grade—and has remained

JENNY SHAUGHNESSY FERRIS: PARENTS, BROTHER WERE #1 SUPPORT SYSTEM FOR 2022 M CLUB HALL OF FAME SWIMMER

November 8, 2022 “I am part of a swim family,” says Jenny Shaughnessy of the sport and her close-knit family.  “My parents both swam at St. Olaf College and when my older brother, Michael, began swimming, I’d tag along to swim meets.  I naturally followed that path.”  Jenny also credits her parents, William, an orthopedic

CLARE FLANAGAN: RUNNING OFFERED SENSE OF DOING SOMETHING YOU DIDN’T BELIEVE YOU COULD DO

Born in Chicago in 1995, Clare Flanagan moved to Edina, Minnesota at age seven when her mother, Michelle, accepted a position in the Twin Cities.  She quickly adapted to the lifestyle of Minnesota—meaning she started playing ice hockey in the winter and playing outside with her brother, John, in a nearby wooded area, one of

JOHN CURLEY: LEAPING FROM 92ND IN STATE CROSS COUNTRY MEET IN 2010 TO 11TH IN TC MARATHON IN 2022

October 26, 2022 “Now I can run and train according to how I feel,” John Curley says about his impressive improvement in running.  The Duluth pharmacist had battled injuries and was squeezed for time while completing a rigorous school schedule, juggling jobs, and being active in academic and agricultural organizations.  John admits his 5:43 per

HURRAH STEEPLECHASERS AND MINNESOTA MEMORIES OF THE 2016 OLYMPIC TRIALS

The three men with Minnesota connections who were competing in the steeplechase at the Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon, all qualified for the finals! Alec Basten (U of M; Green Bay) had the 4th fastest time overall with a personal best time of 8:22.22 while Mason Ferlic (Roseville and Mounds Park Academy) and Obsa Ali

ALL-AMERICAN DEL CERNEY ON SWIMMING: YOU GET OUT OF IT WHAT YOU PUT INTO IT

October 19, 2022 One of two sons of a cattle farmer and schoolteacher on the borders of the Dakotas, Del Cerney, born in 1970, remembers the unusual sight of a newborn calf in the family’s trailer home bathtub early in his life.  Such is survival and livelihood in remote rural areas.  His father, Frank, and

STEW THORNLEY: WRITING AND SPEAKING ARE WAYS TO CONTINUE YOUR INTERESTS

A man with many interests, Stew Thornley has discovered a multitude of ways to share his interests in regional sports, baseball in Minnesota, skydiving, and graveyard hunting. Writing and speaking have allowed him to transform from a research consumer to a research producer. Stew’s father, Howard, was a prisoner of war at the famed Stalag

JULIE GUMLIA: MINNESOTA WOMEN’S STATE AMATEUR GOLF CHAMPION AT 14, FULL OF GRATITUDE FOR PEOPLE IN HER LIFE

JULIE GUMLIA: MINNESOTA WOMEN’S STATE AMATEUR GOLF CHAMPION AT 14, FULL OF GRATITUDE FOR PEOPLE IN HER LIFE

Julie Gumlia Marvel’s love of sports is clear in even her earliest memories. “I grew up in a close-knit family, we loved to play and watch all sports together especially golf, says Julie of her childhood in Crookston, Minnesota (located about 20 miles from the North Dakota border) and summers spent at her grandmother’s cottage in Bemidji,

DANIEL HUMES: RUNNING AT A TIME OF CROSSROADS

The sport of running changed dramatically in the 1960s and 1970s with the construction and marketing of lightweight, supportive shoes through the founding of Nike (its predecessor was Blue Ribbon Sports) in 1964; the advent of synthetic surface running tracks starting in the 1968 Olympics; and the implementation of Title IX in 1972 which allowed

ANDREA NAHRGANG IMBSEN: IT’S OKAY TO PLAY

Appreciating the opportunity to try multiple sports as a youth, Andrea Nahrgang Imbsen tried volleyball, basketball, swimming, and track and field before she was introduced years later to the sport which led to her becoming an Olympian in 2002. Jim and Cindy Nahrgang moved their young family from Houghton, Michigan, to Minnetonka (with a Wayzata

Bill Robertson: SUCCESSFUL SPORTS ADMINISTRATOR AND DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS REMEMBERS MAGICAL TIME ON HIGHLAND PARK PLAYGROUNDS

September 13, 2022 The Robertson family was a sports family. Bill, now 61 years old, recalls his mild-manner father, Norbert, was a three-sport athlete at the University of Minnesota (U of M) playing hockey, baseball, and football—under legendary coach Bernie Bierman—before his career was interrupted by WW II and then picking up the sports againBill Robertson: SUCCESSFUL SPORTS ADMINISTRATOR AND DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS REMEMBERS MAGICAL TIME ON HIGHLAND PARK PLAYGROUNDS”

JOHN, ED, AND BILL TWOMEY: WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING GAMES AND RUNNING

In the late 1950s, surgeon John Twomey (pronounced too-mee) and his wife, Katie, a medical technologist, moved their young family from Northeast Minneapolis to the western suburb of Golden Valley, Minnesota. Three boys, John, Ed, and Bill, and an infant daughter, Cathie, were in tow. “We were always outside playing games like capture the flag

ALEX BOXWELL: BEING A GOPHER MEANT A TON TO ME

Alex Boxwell has a tradition of being loyal to the teams he has played: Coon Rapids, the University of Minnesota (U of M), and the Fargo-Moorhead Redhawks. Born in 1996 and raised in Coon Rapids, Minnesota, Alex is the youngest of three sons of Bill and Lisa Hansen Boxwelll. “I was young and wanted to

JILL SLETTEDAHL: MINNESOTA IS A 12-HOUR DRIVE FROM KENTUCKY HOME, BUT IT ONLY TAKES 3 HOURS FOR THE GRANITE FALLS RUNNER’S MINNESOTA ACCENT TO RETURN

August 24, 2022 “We were busy kids,” Jill Slettedahl Winter says of the childhood she shared with younger sisters Amy Northrop (Slettedahl) and Heidi Slettedahl Macpherson.  Jill became a state track champion and collegiate All-American, but the value of education shone through the daughters of Bob, a rural mail carrier, and Judy, an educator, too. 

THE KLECKER SISTERS: WE ALL HAD A GREAT MINNESOTA RUNNING EXPERIENCE

February 16, 2021 Born in the 1990s to parents Barney Klecker and Janis Klecker (Horns), the three Klecker sisters acknowledge their running roots. “It was a huge benefit to be surrounded by people who were always running,” says Elizabeth “Bit” Klecker, the youngest of the three sisters. Mary, Sarah, and Bit Klecker have three brothers

Jordan Kingsley and Brandon Kingsley: SUCCESS ISN’T MEASURED ONLY IN WINS AND LOSSES

Although Jordan and Brandon Kingsley were introduced to wrestling before they started school, their father, Roger Kingsley— a 1982 state tournament competitor from Aitkin, Minnesota, who pinned undefeated John Cyr of Oklee in the quarterfinals — originally tried to steer the youngsters away from the sport due to challenges of cutting weight and the pressureJordan Kingsley and Brandon Kingsley: SUCCESS ISN’T MEASURED ONLY IN WINS AND LOSSES”

ADAM STEELE: LOTS OF HARD WORK, THEN A MAGICAL 2003 SEASON

Attending the recent World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon, recently at renovated Hayward Field, Adam Steele found the crowd sparse and the atmosphere a bit flat compared to his experience at the 2003 World Championships.  “There was not the electricity of eighty-thousand fans that we had in Paris,” says Adam, referring to the noise and

Chris Celichowski AND Bonnie Sons AND FAMILY: BE NOT AFRAID

Chris Celichowski and Bonnie Sons led parallel lives in adjoining states until they intersected in marriage. Both started their accomplished running careers later than most collegiate runners: Bonnie started in the spring of her junior year at Central High School in Norwood Young America (located about 45 miles west of Minneapolis); Chris, remarkably, did not

Tina Bahr Ostroot: WHAT’S IMPORTANT IS TO REMEMBER WHERE WE COME FROM AND TO OPEN DOORS FOR OTHERS

Raised in International Falls, Minnesota, Tina Bahr was familiar with the many state hockey championships the town on the Canadian border had earned, but she probably had little inkling that she would bring not one, but two, individual cross country titles to her hometown.  Born in 1961, Tina is the oldest of four children of

Cory Sauter: GOPHERS’ QUARTERBACK NOW AIMING TO HELP PLAYERS IN THE NEXT CHAPTER OF THEIR LIVES

A native of Hutchinson, Minnesota, Cory Sauter sings the praises of his hometown like former Minnesota Lynx basketball star and current University of Minnesota (U of M) women’s head basketball coach Lindsay Whalen Greve: “It was a safe and very supportive community.” Born in 1974, Cory was raised as the only child of a single

THE FENSKE FAMILY: YAY FOR PERSEVERENCE OF FAMILY AND CHURCH

Joel Fenske and Tina Fenske (Lang) grew up on the opposite ends of Paynesville, Minnesota, a town of 2,500 people in Stearns County, and on opposite ends of the birth order spectrum. “It makes for some interesting dynamics,” says Joel, the youngest of 7 children, with a soft chuckle. “I have such an appreciation for

Mary Lahammer ON COMPETITION: WE DREW BLOOD PLAYING SPOONS!

The youngest of five children in a St. Louis Park family, Mary Lahammer laughs reminiscing about the competitive and intense nature of her family, saying, “We drew blood,” as she recalls diving and clawing for spoons in a mad scramble of the card game where a player tries to obtain four of a kind and

Dana Young (Peterson): TENNIS SKILLS WENT TO NEXT LEVEL THANKS TO COACHES, TEAMMATES, AND PARENTS

Born in New York but raised in Apple Valley, Minnesota, Dana is the daughter of Fran and Robin Peterson and has a younger brother, Derek. Her father was a defensive back converted to the starting quarterback at the University of Vermont his junior year and earned All-East honors at the position and was inducted into

THE GATHJE FAMILY: CHERISHED MEMORIES OF MIAC TEAMMATES, COACHES, AND OTHER RUNNERS

Remember, the 1960s running community was miniscule compared to the broad appeal it enjoys today. Ron Gathje (pictured below with John Gathje, Steve, Jim Gathje, and Mike), a sheet metal worker originally from Stewartville, Minnesota, was perplexed when his son Steve started long distance running, but he and his wife, Helen, became huge fans of

Tom Nevers: LOVED BASEBALL AND HOCKEY EQUALLY

Immersed and surrounded by athletics early in life, Tom Nevers, born in 1971, is the youngest of five children raised in Edina, Minnesota. His father, Gordon, pitched in the Kansas City Athletics’ professional baseball organization for four years. His older brothers, Gordy and John, played sports throughout their years at Edina High School and Tom

ABBY LARSON: MEMORABLE 2005 RACES “GOB-SMACKED” ATHLETE AND LED TO OLYMPIC BERTH

It’s rare for an Olympian to admit that she “was the kid that was picked last for teams,” and “I didn’t have a lot of motor skill coordination.”  Yet, it may be true and demonstrate that the right kind of coaching and support and personal resiliency, passion, and intensity can lead to an impressive athletic

JANET KARVONEN-MONTGOMERY: I FEEL LIKE I GREW UP IN THE RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME

  The 5th of 7 children raised in the Finnish community of New York Mills, the home of Lund Boats, located in scenic Otter Tail County, Janet Karvonen benefited being part of a close-knit family which owned the local furniture store and funeral home.  Born in 1962, Janet had three older sisters who, she says

LINDSEY HOREJSI KOZELSY: I WISHED THERE WAS A 500-METER BREASTSTROKE EVENT, I LOVED IT SO MUCH

June 21, 2022 Only 24 years old, Lindsey Horejsi (pronounced hoo-ray zhē) Kozelsky has achieved a lot in her young lifetime.  The Albert Lea, Minnesota, athlete set a national high school swimming record in the 100-yard breaststroke (58.56), qualified for three US Olympic Trials, graduated from high school a semester early and from undergraduate school

HAPPY GRANDMA’S (MARATHON) DAY, Dakotah Marie Lindwurm!

A year ago, 2021 Grandma’s Marathon champion Dakotah Marie Lindwurm (Bullen) graciously consented to an extensive interview. Today the reigning champion repeated and won the title in an eye-catching time of 2:25:01, a time that is receiving national attention. In honor of Dakotah’s achievement, the profile featuring her is being reposted. Of course, all runners

KARA SALMELA (HERMANSON): FELL IN LOVE WITH THE SPORT OF BIATHLON

June 15, 2022   Kara Hermanson has fallen in love many times in her lifetime.  Born in 1972, the youngest of four children, Kara lived in Rogers, Minnesota, and attended school in Elk River.  She was an athletic youth who competed in swimming, basketball, and track.  At 5’ 2” tall, her playing time on the

Star Tribune Attempts to List 50 Most Memorable Minnesota Girl Athletes in Title IX Era

Perhaps you read the Star Tribune’s Sunday edition article on the 50 Most Memorable Girls From the Title IX Sports Era. Developing and creating such a list is always challenging to research, discuss, and decide and sometimes stokes controversy. Nevertheless, I applaud their effort–it will provide more recognition to these persevering and athletic young women.

AMBER FRYKLUND: 1998 MS. MINNESOTA HOCKEY FINALIST BELIEVES TITLE IX AND HOCKEY LED TO EVERY SINGLE OPPORTUNITY SHE HAS HAD IN LIFE

Born in Hibbing, Minnesota in 1980, Amber Fryklund quickly points out that she was born in a good year—the year of the Miracle on Ice as a young US men’s hockey team surprisingly captured an Olympic gold medal.  The only child of Jay Fryklund and Lori (Fryklund) Koehler, Amber found Hibbing a great place to

Anne Hed: TRIATHLETE WITH HEART FOR SUPPORTING ATHLETES AND MAKING WHEELS FOR THEM

A pioneer female triathlete, Anne McDonnell Hed was born in Duluth in 1961, the second oldest of six children—including triplets Penny Riermann, Paula, and Brad McDonnell The daughter of John, a US Steel worker, and Bonnie, a homemaker who later became a teacher, Anne says of her childhood, “It was fun—we always had someone to

TINA KAMPA: PLAYING BIGGER

May 18, 2022 Adopted as an infant by Todd and Jean Kampa, Christina “Tina” was born in Bogota, Colombia, in 1999 and is now a 5’ 0” woman who has played Division I hockey with a big heart.  Starting out on figure skates, time on the ice was not easy for Tina.  “Getting a pair

ANNIE ADAMCZAK: SPORTS GAVE ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO WHAT I WANT TO DO IN LIFE

January 19, 2022   Should anyone have doubts about the “ultra-super-competitive” nature of three-sport star athlete Annie Adamczak of Moose Lake, she will allay them in words and deeds.  Annie says, “I had a Hoosier-like childhood.  It was simple and fun.”  The 9th of 12 children, Annie claims her 8 brothers sent her on a

ROCHELE GOETZ WILLIAMS: 1988 BIG TEN MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENT AND VOLLEYBALL CO-CAPTAIN FONDLY REMEMBERS TEAM-BUILDING TIMES

March 15, 2022 To say athletics have played an important part in Rochele Goetz’s life is probably an understatement.  Her birth father played football at the University of Minnesota (U of M) for a year before returning to farm in Waconia, Minnesota; Rochele and her two older sisters formed 60% of the high school team’s

2010 OLYMPIAN NATALIE (SIMENSEN) NICHOLSON NAMED RECIPIENT OF PRESTIGIOUS BUSH FELLOWSHIP

Natalie Nicholson (Bemidji), a 2010 curling Olympian and nurse practitioner, was announced as one of only 16 Minnesota recipients of a prestigious Bush Fellowship. A member of the 2006 women’s team which won an international silver medal, Natalie was on the 2010 Olympic team with one other Minnesota athlete, Allison Pottinger. Natalie’s roots on her

GYMNASTICS AND THE STEEPLECHASE: MINNESOTA ATHLETES PROVE YOU NEED SOME OF THE SAME QUALITIES

To a casual viewer, it is still obvious that elite gymnastics requires flexibility, strength, explosiveness, speed, endurance, and hand-eye coordination. What we sometimes forget is the spatial awareness and mental toughness that is also essential to possess in the sport. Surprising to some sports fans is that most of these qualities are also attributes of

BACK ON THE TRACK (AND FIELD) AT THE OLYMPIC TRIALS

Two Minnesota athletes advanced to the finals of the men’s 5,000-meter run as Garrett Heath (Winona) and Hassan Mead (Minneapolis) both finished in the top 5 of their respective heats and will be competing for the three spots to go to Tokyo. Garrett led the heat going into the bell lap and the 4-time Olympic

HURRAH STEEPLECHASERS AND MINNESOTA MEMORIES OF THE 2016 OLYMPIC TRIALS

The three men with Minnesota connections who were competing in the steeplechase at the Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon, all qualified for the finals! Alec Basten (U of M; Green Bay) had the 4th fastest time overall with a personal best time of 8:22.22 while Mason Ferlic (Roseville and Mounds Park Academy) and Obsa Ali

MINNESOTA MOMENTS IN EUGENE AND DULUTH

The first Minnesota athlete to win Grandma’s Marathon in three decades occurred yesterday in Duluth as Dakotah Marie Lindwurm (St. Francis; now living in Eagan) took the title in 2:29:04, nearly 2 1/2 minutes in front of the runner-up. Jan Ettle of Freeport (Albany HS) took the crown in 1991 while Olympian Janis Klecker (Edina)

MINNESOTA MOMENTS

Minnesota athletes had some memorable moments on Friday, June 18, 2021 . . . Joe Fabe Klecker, son of Barney Klecker and Janis Klecker, two fabled state distance runners, placed 3rd in the 10,000-meter run to earn a spot on the US Olympic team–and he already has achieved the Olympic qualifying standard at the distance.

MINNESOTA ATHLETES AT THE OLYMPIC TRIALS

Minnesota athletes continue to compete at the Olympic Trials in swimming and as the track and field competition begins today in Eugene, Oregon. In swimming, Regan Smith (Lakeville) has qualified for 2 events, the 100-meter backstroke and 200-meter butterfly, with her best event, the 200-meter backstroke still to be decided. The low-key, levelheaded swimming star

OLYMPIC SWIMMING TRIALS; GOPHERS AT NCAA TRACK & FIELD; USA WOMEN’S HOCKEY NATIONAL CAMP TEAM ROSTER SELECTED

Regan Smith (Lakeville) and Isabelle Stadden (Blaine) are among the most promising Minnesota swimmers trying out for the US Olympic team this week in Omaha, Nebraska. As of this time, Regan Smith qualified for the 100-meter butterfly semifinals. Both Regan and Isabelle will be competing for one of the two coveted qualifying spots in the

LIFE IS FUN, BY GEORGE!

Friend William Garnett, a math teacher at Duluth East, contacted me yesterday to inform me of the passing of a Duluth legend, a lively character who was a 1952 nordic skiing Olympian, George Hovland. I had the good fortune to interview George in 2014 for a book on Minnesota Olympians. His step and wit were

SPRING SPORTS EVENTS: CHAMPION GYMNAST, TITLES IN TRACK & FIELD AND GOPHERS IN THE FIELD

The storied athletic career of gymnast Shane Wiskus (Spring Park; Mound-Westonka High School) was in full display as he led the University of MInnesota (U of M) men’s gymnastic team to 5th place in the national championships and captured two titles and five All-American finishes. The business and marketing education major was named the Nissen-Emery

RESULTS: BLAZING 10K IN DES MOINES; AND OLYMPIC TRIALS IN WRESTLING AND ROWING

Minnesota Distance Elite runners Joel Reichow (White Bear Lake) and Dakotah Marie Lindwurm (St. Francis) won championships in the men’s and women’s division at the Blazing 10K in Des Moines, Iowa, on Sunday, April 11. Reichow claimed the victory with a time of 29:13 while Lindwurm, age 25, took the title in 33:53. Other notable

WRESTLERS WITH MINNESOTA CONNECTIONS AT OLYMPIC TRIALS THIS WEEK

Several wrestlers with a background in the sport in Minnesota high schools or colleges will be competing Friday and Saturday at Dickie’s Arena in Fort Worth, Texas, for the coveted spots on the US Olympic team. While this list is not comprehensive, here are most of the athletes Minnesotans may be interested in following. Two

GOPHER TRACK & FIELD ATHLETE Alec Basten NOW A FIRST-TEAM ALL-AMERICAN

Running a smart race by maintaining contact with the lead pack Alec Basten deservingly earned All-American honors in both the 3,000- and 5,000-meter runs, placing 5th and 7th respectively and breaking school records of two Olympians in the process. In the former distance, Alec broke Ben Blankenship’s record with a time of 7:52.05 and Hassan

GOPHER TRACK & FIELD ATHLETE Bethany Hasz IS A FIRST-TEAM ALL-AMERICAN

Like University of Minnesota track athlete Alec Basten, Bethany Hasz Hasz ran a strong and strategic race in the 2021 NCAA Track & Field Indoor Championships in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Bethany maintained contact with the lead pack and either picked her way through the competition or accelerated around runners and claimed the runner-up spot in a

GOPHER ACHIEVEMENTS

Readers may remember (or can scroll down and read) an article about the miraculous recoveries and courage of former Gopher baseball player and San Diego Padres coach Mark Merila. His son, Boston (St. Michael-Albertville), is now on the roster of the Gophers. Here’s a link to a recent article featuring more about him> https://gophersports.com/…/baseball-rounding-the-bases… Bethany

MINNESOTA MARATHONERS IN ACTION

On Sunday, December 20th, several Minnesota runners competed at The Marathon Project race in Chandler, Arizona, with positive results. The women’s field especially had many recognizable names in the top 20 with Minnesota connections. Emma Bates (Elk River) led the elite group with a 4th-place finish with a time of 2:25:40–she had finished 7th in

MARK MERILA: ‘TIS THE SEASON OF MIRACLES

For someone diagnosed with a brain tumor his senior year as a baseball player in 1994 with the University of Minnesota (U of M) while leading the Big Ten Conference with a .488 batting average and then told he had three months to live in 2005 when the tumor returned when serving as bullpen coach

JAKE DEITCHLER: HIGH SCHOOL WRESTLING OLYMPIAN BELIEVES IN TESTING YOURSELF

Jake Deitchler has a coach’s voice:  enthusiastic, positive, and booming.  “The best part of wrestling is the hand-to-hand combat,” he asserts.  “I believe in testing yourself.”  As proof he cites his experience as the only high school wrestler at a training camp.  “I got my tail kicked every day.  The quickest track to success for

REPORTS ON A FEW SPORTING COMPETITIONS THAT HAVE BEEN HOSTED

RUNNING: Melissa Gacek won the master’s division in the Army 10-Miler and a Minnesota quartet comprised of Sasha Hovind, Colette Celichowski (Minnetonka), Andrea Haus (coach at Hamline University), and Gacek won the women’s team championship. WRESTLING: Patrick Smith (Chanhassen/Chaska) was runner-up at 77kg at the US Senior Greco-Roman Wrestling Nationals in November as Alec Ortiz

KAY KONERZA: PACKED LESTER PRAIRIE GYM RALLIED AROUND TEAM LIKE THE MOVIE “HOOSIERS”

Less than 50 miles west of Minneapolis resides the farming community of Lester Prairie, a town in McLeod County, which enjoyed a “Hoosiers Experience” in the early 1980s when the girls’ basketball team was led by 5’ 11” Kay Konerza. The youngest daughter of Duane and Arlene Konerza, and sister of Lori, Kay grew up

TAYLOR WILLIAMSON: HOCKEY LEGACY FAMILY HOLIDAYS REVOLVED AROUND POND HOCKEY

“Hockey is in our family’s blood,” gushes Taylor Williamson, the daughter of, Dean, a University of Minnesota (U of M) hockey player and granddaughter of All-American wing and two-time Olympic men’s hockey coach Murray Williamson.  “I have known from the get-go I wanted to be a hockey player.  Holidays revolved around pond hockey.  We are

MARY JO MILLER: FROM HAYLOFT HOOP SCRAPPER TO MANHATTAN (KANSAS, THAT IS)

The youngest of six girls raised on a 120-cow dairy farm near Milroy, Minnesota, Mary Jo Hmielewski (nee Miller), led a busy, self-disciplined life as a youth.  She got her start in basketball by shooting at a hoop in the hayloft of the barn and was starting on the girls’ varsity basketball team known as

ANDY TATE: POWER OF A TEAM

“People who buy into teams can do amazing things,” says Andy Tate, a Minnesota athlete who grew up in Morris and savored the sweet taste of amazement in multiple sports at Morris, at Stillwater High School, and at Kansas University. Born in 1977, Andy is the son of a father who owned an insurance agency

Robb Quinlan: ALWAYS PROVED HE COULD HIT AND SHOWED IT WITH 3 HITS OFF ANDY PETTITTE IN 2ND MAJOR LEAGUE GAME

The youngest of three sons, Robb Quinlan grew up in Maplewood, Minnesota, and would be joining the ranks of other St. Paul and Gopher stars playing in Major League Baseball (MLB), Jerry Kindall, Dave Winfield, Paul Molitor, and—soon after Robb—Jack Hannahan. Robb played golf and tennis recreationally in addition to hockey and baseball at Hill-Murray

ROBB LEER: MINNEAPOLIS SOUTHWEST HIGH SCHOOL CONNECTIONS AND A PASSION FOR HOCKEY LANDED HIM THE JOB AT KSTP

Former sports and news broadcaster and media strategist Robb Leer readily admits he is enthused about chasing the next great story, but you also quickly learn that he is a good storyteller himself.  And he has a lot of material over years of reporting to pluck from to share. The fourth of five sons who

Joe Nord: JROB 28-DAY INTENSIVE CAMP WAS TURNING POINT

With a geographical environment being a wrestling hotbed and a home environment including a father who was a professional wrestler, Joe Nord was surrounded by wrestling models and coaches. Originally from Robbinsdale, the home of professional wrestlers Barry Darsow, the “Demolition Smash”; “Mr. Perfect” Curt Hennig; announcer “Mean” Gene Okerlund; Gopher football and wrestling great

THOUGHTS ON SID

By Joel Rippel, StarTribune sports writer and fact-checker and first editor of Patrick Mader‘s book on Minnesota athletes “I’m a member of the Society for American Baseball Research and have long been interested in sports statistics and sports history. I’m going to utilize numbers to put Sid Hartman’s remarkable life and career in perspective. There

ELIZABETH YETZER SPEHAR: NO MATTER HOW I PERFORM, I AM LOVED

With older siblings following their mother’s footsteps, Elizabeth Yetzer says, “It [running] was a big part of my parents’ lives and we saw that modeled.  Naturally, you just kind of hop in.”  Jake, Rebekah, and Annie were the older siblings and Mary Stepka, the state runner-up in the mile run to future World Cross Country

BRANDON LINGEN: FORMER GOPHER FOOTBALL TIGHT END CHEERING FOR TEAM TO ROW THE BOAT

Each of Brent and Michelle Lingen’s children has been able to compete in athletics at the collegiate level:  middle child Sarah earned All-Summit League honors as a swimmer at the University of Denver; youngest child Hannah competes in dance at UMD; and the oldest child, Brandon, became the primary starting tight end on the University

MISSY BUTTRY ROCK: THE FAMILY PICTURE IS SOMETHING TO BEHOLD!

“A unique thing about our family is that there are sixteen children,” Missy Buttry Rocks says with quiet understatement.  Yes, sixteen children; Missy is one of three biological children and has 13 siblings who were adopted by her parents who live in Shendandoah, Iowa, in the southwest quadrant of the state. Missy’s parents ran the

SID, OF COURSE!! AND THE FIRST RACE OF THE WORLD CUP SKI SEASON

Legendary sports reporter Sid Hartman passed away today. The 100-year local icon famous for scooping stories, malapropisms, promoting local sports, and mispronouncing names died at the age of 100. Tomorrow, sports news assistant Joel Rippel (you see his byline primarily associated with high school and college sports) will be sharing his memories from a brief

Megan Daymont Thomas: GRATEFUL FOR OPPORTUNITIES

When your early baby-sitters are Suzy Wilson, spouse of University of Minnesota women’s track and field coach Gary Wilson, and Leslie Seymour, a qualifier for two Cross County World Championships, and your mother, Chris Daymont, is a St. Olaf College Hall of Fame coach, and your father, Dick, is a longtime coach and track official,

DRAKE BLUE OVAL SHOWCASE: MINNESOTA ATHLETE RESULTS

Three Minnesota athletes competed in the road mile race, two finishing 9th. Running with the leaders the entire race, Joe Fabe Klecker (Hopkins) ran to a 3rd place finish in the men’s division, clocking a time of 3:59. The recent University of Colorado graduate becomes another Minnesota athlete running a sub-4-minute mile. Placing 9th in

Eric Twohey: YOU ARE WHO YOU SURROUND YOURSELF WITH

Growing up on a dairy farm near Rock Dell, a small community in southeastern Minnesota, Eric and his two brothers (he also has two sisters), did their share of roughhousing as youths.  His mother, a nurse at Mayo Clinic, enrolled him in wrestling starting in 1st grade in an effort to halt the WWE exhibitions

Garrott Kuzzy: Prost! PASSION NOW IS SHARING EUROPEAN SKI EXPERIENCE WITH TRAVELERS

Although 2010 Olympian Garrott Kuzzy, born in 1982, grew up a few blocks east of Theodore Wirth Park, a 2020 World Cup site, he didn’t ski there much  One of three children from an athletic family (one sister, Laura, skied for the University of New Hampshire, while the other, Martha, was on the Virginia rowing

RILEY PELLIGRO MACON: ATHLETIC CAREER HIGHLIGHTS WERE WITH TEAMMATES

Born in Nashville, Tennessee, Riley Macon has returned to his birthplace as he pursues a master’s degree at Middle Tennessee State University.  But in between, Riley spent his formative years in Minnesota and became an elite high school runner with a state title in the 1600-meter run in 2012 and a runner-up finish in the

MERRILY DEAN BAKER: SIX YEARS IN MINNESOTA AND THE U OF M LEFT AN INDELIBLE MARK IN MY HEART

Coaches, officials, and administrators are recognized by the M Club and Minnesota State High School League, and it appropriate that they be profiled by the author of Minnesota Athletes too.  A lifelong athlete and sports administrator, Merrily Dean Baker played a significant role in the growth and development of University of Minnesota (U of M)

Caitlin Compton Gregg: ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE

How does a girl born and raised in Manhattan become a winter Olympian?  Caitlyn Gregg Compton thinks it shows anything is possible. Caitlin did have the advantage of having parents who were outdoors enthusiasts—they met at a ski and bike shop—but she lived in Manhattan until age 10 before moving to Vermont.  It proved to

Jared Pittman: STATE TRACK CHAMPION REDISCOVERING THE FUN IN RUNNING

A state track champion who was also the # 1 ranked runner in cross country his senior year in 1993, Jared Pittman grew up in Owatonna, Minnesota, and only began running when his family moved to Northfield and he felt too small for the physical toll of football. Thanks to influential coaches Pat Foley and

Jared Pittman: STATE TRACK CHAMPION REDISCOVERING THE FUN IN RUNNING

A state track champion who was also the # 1 ranked runner in cross country his senior year in 1993, Jared Pittman grew up in Owatonna, Minnesota, and only began running when his family moved to Northfield and he felt too small for the physical toll of football. Thanks to influential coaches Pat Foley and

Nick Golebiowski RUNNING THE 2019 GARRY BJORKLUND HALF-MARATHON WITH A SMILE ON HIS FACE

Born and raised in St. Cloud, Minnesota, young Nick Golebiowski laughingly says about a well-regarded decade (2007-2015 ) corps of Minnesota distance high school runners, “Starting with Mason Ferlic, we like to think of ourselves as the Golden Age of Class A runners.” There is a lot of truth in the statement, though. During Nick’s

Eric Loeffler: CAN’T IMAGINE WHAT MY LIFE WOULD HAVE BEEN WITHOUT RUNNING

Growing up in Fergus Falls, Minnesota, Eric Loeffler was primarily exposed to a sport which did not require running-his parents owned the bowling alley. As a youth he participated in basketball and baseball and he planned to go out for football in 7th grade when cross country coach Terry Harrington called to ask him to

“Mike” Michael McArthur: WESTERN LIFESTYLE, MINISTRY HAVE BEEN GOOD FITS

Born in Aitkin, Minnesota, but raised in Brooklyn Park–when it was still farmland–Mike McArthur was first exposed to the sport of wrestling during a physical education unit in 8th grade. When he defeated the top junior varsity wrestler at his weight, the teacher and wrestling coach, Jim Chester, asked him to join the team. “It

PUTTING MINNESOTA FAST-PITCH SOFTBALL ON THE MAP

Villard, Minnesota, a town with a population of 250 citizens in Pope County; Alexandria, a popular travel destination for its lakes located 17 miles north of Villard; and St. Paul are on the USA Softball map because they are connected to star softball pitcher Joel Cooley. Following the footsteps of his father, Allen, Joel was

Winny Brodt Brown: TRAILBLAZER AND AMBASSADOR OF MINNESOTA WOMEN’S HOCKEY

One of five children whose names end in the letter y, (including brother Vic whose full name is Victory), Winny Brodt Brown is a member of a sports-minded family. Her father, Jack, played hockey at Hamline and her mother, Marlene, started playing at age 22 and plays yet today. Winny started playing the sport at

Jon-Michael Brandt: SURROUNDED BY GOOD PEOPLE IN BLUFF COUNTRY

Born and raised in Winona, Minnesota (his older brother, Gregg, is a professional bicycle racer), Jon-Michael Brandt‘s primary focus in sports as a youth was soccer. When he did not find the middle school soccer team very challenging after years on a traveling team, his parents insisted he pick a school activity and he chose

Jeremy Polson: BIG PART OF DULUTH’S HISTORIC RUNNING POWERHOUSE TEAMS IN MID-1990S

Duluth East girls’ cross country teams are renown in the running community for their 7 consecutive state championships from 1992-98, but the boys’ teams at East, Denfeld, and Central in the port city were remarkably strong too. Growing up on the West Side near Spirit Mountain, Jeremy Polson played hockey like most northern Minnesota kids.

TOM HEINONEN’S LONG HISTORY IN RUNNING

Tagging along with the Robbinsdale High School cross country team as an 8th grader because his older brother was a member of the team–but not allowed to compete until he became a sophomore due to varsity rules at the time–Tom Heinonen became the team’s number two runner as a 10th grader. As a junior, the

TARA LASZLO: THE DUTCH KNOW THE SPORT AND CHEER FOR ALL

Raised near Hillcrest Golf Course in the Greater East Side neighborhood of St. Paul, Tara Laszlo was on ice skates shortly after her second birthday. The oldest of three children, Tara then started figure skating lessons at age 5 at Aldrich Arena where she met future five-time Olympian speedskater Amy Peterson Peck, who also started

LUKE WATSON: MAGICAL TIMES

Born in Minneapolis, Luke Watson moved with his family to Stillwater when he was 5 years old. Playing hockey, baseball, and soccer provided him with an athletic background, but his parents decided they needed a family activity they could all do so they would not be shuttling their four children to various places at different

JENNY RYAN: I’VE BEEN ABLE TO USE EVERYTHING I LEARNED AS AN ATHLETE IN MY COACHING

Trying multiple sports as a youth, Jenny Ryan eventually gravitated to cross country running and distance events in track. Energetic coach Phil Lundin encouraged Jenny, one of four children from a Burnsville family, to go out for nordic skiing–“we had so much fun”–to stay in shape which led to a lifelong connection with the sport

PROFILE ON HOCKEY PLAYER MIKE ANTONOVICH: I STILL DREAM OF BEING 6′ 3″

The title characterizes the sense of humor Mike Antonovich has about his stature. The playmaking center and prolific scorer was 5′ 5″ and 130 pounds when he graduated from Greenway of Coleraine, a school district encompassing the towns of Pengilly, Calumet, La Prairie, Marble, Bovey, Trout Lake, Taconite, and, of course, Coleraine in addition to

GROWING SPORT OF CURLING HAS EARLY BEMIDJI HISTORY OF OLYMPIANS

The first city on the Mississippi, Bemidji has had a long and successful history in the sport of curling. Olympic medalists Joe Polo and Pete Fenson; sisters Kari Liapis Erickson and Stacey Liapis Fuchsgruber Oly (2002) and another pair, the Johnson sisters Jamie and Cassie Potter; and Scott Baird are among the city’s Olympians. Bemidji

Yes, you expect numerous Winter Games Olympians from Duluth, but there are at least two Duluth athletes who have competed in the Summer Games: rower Dave Krmpotich, a bronze medalist in the 1988; and Kara Wheeler Goucher, a famed distance runner. Let’s concentrate on Kara, a two-time Olympian (2008 in the 5,000- and 10,000-meter runs

MINNESOTA’S ONLY SUMMER OLYMPIAN INDIVIDUAL GOLD MEDALIST

Minnesota has had many Olympic gold medalists: Briana Scurry (Dayton; Anoka High School) in soccer; Lindsay Whalen (Hutchinson) and Burdette Haldorson (Austin) in basketball; Jessie Diggins (Afton; Stillwater High School); the 2018 curlers, John Shuster (Chisholm), John Landsteiner (Mapleton), Joe Polo (Bemidji), and Tyler George (Duluth), and more than 20 hockey players, but they have

MINNESOTA’S ONLY FENCING OLYMPIAN

How about a brief article which is not public health related? We will try posting two or three articles per week that touch on a story about a Minnesota athlete. If you are starving for sports news, consider looking back on previous posts! Susie Scanlan of St. Paul (Central High School) was instrumental in the

In More Minnesota Gold: Speedskaters, Wrestlers, Runners, Ski Jumpers, Hockey Players, Swimmers

Please excuse this departure from highlighting Minnesota athletes and their lives and achievements to an invitation to meet some of your fellow athletes and coaches. Yes, after three years of research, interviews, writing (and more writing) and editing (and more and more editing!), More Minnesota Gold is printed and available! Please see the invitation with

MINNESOTA ATHLETES AT THE US OLYMPIC MARATHON TRIALS

Minnesota has a rich heritage in long-distance running with many state athletes competing on the world stage. People sometimes forget that qualifying for an Olympics Trials is a tremendous achievement that involves running thousands–probably tens of thousands in many cases–of miles, overcoming injuries, perseverance, and time management and balancing life for years. University of Minnesota

WINTER CHAMPIONSHIPS IN NORDIC SKIING AND SPEEDSKATING PLUS A WONDERFUL GLIMPSE INTO THE HISTORY OF WOMEN’S HOCKEY IN MINNESOTA

The Birkebeiner 50K nordic skate race had two Minnesota male athletes in the top 10: Ian Torchia (Rochester) was runner-up and a scant 1.6 seconds behind the winner while Kyle Baltrud (Eden Prairie) took 10th. Ageless Phil Rogosheske (St. Cloud) placed 3rd in the 75-79 age division. In the women’s division, 5-time Birkie champion and

MINNESOTA ATHLETES STAR AT NATIONAL CURLING CHAMPIONSHIPS; OLYMPIC/PARALYMPIC VOLLEYBALL OFFICIALS AND SUCCESSFUL TRYOUT CANDIDATES

The state’s strong representation on championship curling teams continued at both the junior and senior levels for men and women last week. Taking the men’s senior championship in Spokane, Washington, was the 2018 gold medal-winning John Shuster (originally from Chisholm) rink–his 9th national title. Lead John Landsteiner (originally from Mapleton) and Third Chris Plys (Duluth)

MINNESOTA’S ELITE BACKSTROKERS; MINNESOTA ATHLETES ON THE DIAMOND; AND USA TRACK & FIELD INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS

Remarkable high school athletes Regan Smith (Lakeville) and Isabelle Stadden (Blaine; daughter of Jodi Stadden) continue to impress at the national level and finished 1-2 in the 200-meter backstroke at the 2020 TYR Pro Swim Series in Knoxville, Tennessee last month. Isabelle also finished 6th in the finals in the 100-meter backstroke while Regan claimed

JANUARY RUNNING, WRESTLING, AND CURLING; A PERFECT 10 IN GYMNASTICS

Qualifying for the Olympic Trials marathon on Sunday was Liz Berkholtz, a U of M graduate and the 2nd American to cross the finish line (2:40:34) at the Houston Marathon. Also competing in Houston and placing 32nd-34th respectively were Joel Reichow, Kevin Lewis, and Tyler Jermann in the half-marathon. Congratulations to Matthew Edward Gabrielson of

MINNESOTA ATHLETE SUCCESS IN SPEEDSKATING

As promised, this posting will focus on Olympians and people influential in Minnesota’s illustrious history in speedskating. Bill and Thomas Cushman of St. Paul deserve credit for their decades of dedication to the sport and Midway Speedskating. Bill was a competitive speedskater and then turned his energies to serving as a coach and board member

Phil Lundin RETIRES; MINNESOTA SPEEDSKATING SUCCESS CONTINUES; AND AT THE US NATIONAL NORDIC CHAMPIONSHIPS

Head St. Olaf College men’s cross country and track and field coach Phil Lundin has officially retired following 34 seasons at St. Olaf and many more as head coach at the U of M where the teams had won four Big 10 championships and he had been named US Collegiate national Cross Country/Track & Field

TRIBUTE TO SOUTH ST. PAUL, GOPHER HOCKEY LEGEND; MINNESOTA CURLERS KEEP MEDALING

Hundreds of people packed South St. Paul High School today to honor the life of Doug Woog: family man (surviving spouse, Jan Woog), athlete, and coach. Some less known facts by the public: Doug was an all-state football player as a tailback on the team’s single wing offense and offered a football scholarship to the

TRIBUTES TO TWO COACHES, GOPHER SPORTS, AND ANALEE WEAVER

Analee Weaver (Stillwater) placed 14th in the National Foot Locker Championships in San Diego, CA, this weekend. Analee is a junior and claimed the Class 2A state title in cross country this fall with a time of 17:46.1, a nearly 7-second margin of victory. Another name familiar to the running community who placed at the

END OF CROSS COUNTRY, THE START OF WRESTLING FOR MINNESOTA ATHLETES

The U of M Gopher victory over Northwestern created an interesting piece of research discovered about Evan Hull, the Maple Grove High School graduate playing running back for the Wildcats. Hull participated in 3 state championship meets last year as a high school senior: on the football team, as an individual in wrestling at 182

EXCITING U OF M WOMEN’S HOCKEY TEAM TOPS #1 RANKED WISCONSIN IN TWO GAMES

The Gopher women’s hockey team has a storied history: national championships in 2000, 2004, 2005, 2012, 2013 (undefeated in 41 games!), 2015, and 2016. The team displaced Wisconsin as the #1 ranked team in the nation following a 4-2 victory Saturday and earning bonus points with a shootout win following a 2-2 tie on Sunday.

BIG CROSS COUNTRY WEEKEND

The Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) cross country championships were hosted at St. Olaf College in Northfield on Saturday. Due to its proximity to our home, I have never missed the state meet since it was relocated to Northfield in 1992 when Carrie Tollefson (Dawson-Boyd, Lac qui Parle), Lisa Aro (Buffalo), Andy Cowgill (St.

MINNESOTA ATHLETES EARNING WORTHY, BUT LESS KNOWN AWARDS

Marathon runner and Grandma’s (1982 and again in 1991) and Twin Cities Marathon (1985) champion Jan Ettle’s (Janis Klecker ‘s longtime friendly rival) words, “The accomplishments of other runners are just as important as mine,” are so very wise. Many other athletes train just as hard, compete with just as much determination and effort, yet

MINNESOTA STATE HIGH SCHOOL LEAGUE HALL OF FAME CEREMONY

Hall of Fame ceremonies are joyful events: people who have contributed to their community, school, or profession are recognized for making an impact on others and their vocation. Friends and family members are there to support the nominees and emotional moments are commonplace. Beginning in 2015, I began attending the MSHSL Hall of Fame ceremony

CELEBRATING THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF TWO MORE MINNESOTA ATHLETES FROM IMMIGRANT FAMILIES

Sometimes it is easy to forget how recent our families migrated from another country to come to the U. S. As Steve Sertich told me, “Growing up on the Range was a special and unique experience with the different ethnic groups.” One child of immigrants arguably became Minnesota’s most famous hockey player: John Mayasich, one

CELEBRATING THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF TWO MINNESOTA ATHLETES FROM IMMIGRANT FAMILIES

The wonderful story and recent performances of gymnast Sunisa Lee of St. Paul has prompted me to think of other Minnesota athletes and their families who have had similar experiences in adapting to a new country and culture . Sunisa, a Hmong-American, won the the uneven bar and finished second to Simone Biles in the

MINNESOTA ATHLETES AT THE PAN AM GAMES; SWIMMING OLYMPIC TRIALS CUTS; AND REGAN SMITH

Sincere and hearty congratulations to Regan Smith (Lakeville) for setting two world records at the World Championships in South Korea! The 17-year-old athlete won individual titles in the 100- and 200-meter backstroke and swam the opening leg in the 4 x 100-meter medley. The quiet, modest swimmer is the youngest member on the senior national

USA TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS; MINNESOTA ATHLETES IN FIELD EVENTS, RUNS, AND STEEPLECHASE

Probably my favorite moment at the USATF Outdoor Championships on the blue oval at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, on Saturday, was witnessing the response of the pole vaulters after Sam Kendricks, the 2016 Olympic bronze medalist, broke the American record for the event with his 19-10 1/2 vault. They mobbed him–and it seemed

HISTORY AND RESULTS OF GRANDMA’S MARATHON

The running scene of Minnesota shines at Grandma’s Marathon events in Duluth. Debuting in 1978 with 150 participants, the marathon was first sponsored by Duluth-based Grandma’s Restaurant. The setting, hospitality, and Minnesota running community helped it explode in popularity. Distance running icons Garry Bjorklund (Proctor), Barney Klecker, and Dick Beardsley (Excelsior) won 5 of the

MINNESOTA VOLLEYBALL PLAYERS ON NATIONAL TEAM; GRANDMA’S RACE THIS WEEKEND

Minnesota has impressive representation on the 25-player USA Volleyball Nations League (VNL) roster: Sarah Parsons (Eden Prairie), Tori Dixon (Burnsville), Lauren Gibbemeyer (St. Paul), and Paige Tapp (Stewartville) are on the team and all but Tapp are returning members. Sarah Parsons and Paige Tapp recently helped a professional team in Stuttgart claim the German league

ON THE TRACK, ON THE MAT, ON THE JOURNEY

The Minnesota State High School League track and field meet is in the record books. Relay teams from Alexandria and Hopkins are particularly notable. Congratulations to MaeLea Harmon (Waterville-Elysian-Morristown), champion in the girls’ 100-meter Class A dash and Emma Roethler (Northfield), daughter of Travis Roethler and Michelle Haugen Roethler, who placed in Class AA discus

MIAC COACHES WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE OLYMPICS AND OLYMPIC COACHES WHO ATTENDED MIAC; FINAL INSTALLMENT OF SIX PART SERIES

In a testament to the quality of athletes recruited to coach in the MIAC, there are a handful of MIAC coaches who are Olympians, and one Olympic coach was a graduate of a MIAC school. Roberto Sobalvarro (Owatonna), a graduate of Macalester, was the 2012 Olympic head women’s fencing coach. Seen below with another Olympian

MIAC OLYMPIANS: NORTHFIELD’S OLES AND CARLS and a Bethel Royal at Arden Hills; PART 5 OF A SERIES

Northfield’s two colleges, St. Olaf and Carleton, have both had representation at the Olympics, although Carleton’s is not from Minnesota. Philip Dunn was a cross country runner and distance runner in track at Carleton, but the Oregon native qualified for three Olympics in race walking. A 4-time national champion, Dunn competed in the 50K racewalk

MIAC OLYMPIANS: BOLD & GOLD, THE GUSTIES; PART 4 OF A SERIES

Two Gustavus Adolphus College graduates have been Olympians (our daughter, Ellen Mader, and the pastor at Bethel Lutheran, three-sport athlete Rebecca Wold Freeman are graduates of the school too) : Gene Sandvig in speedskating and Philip Roy Rogosheske in kayaking. Gene Sandvig (Minneapolis) is a three-time Olympian, but had the satisfaction of only competing once,

BRAVE LIKE GABE 5K

We are going to interrupt our series on MIAC Olympians to address the Brave Like Gabe 5K race and mission. Gabriele Anderson Grunewald (Perham) and her husband Justin Grunewald started a race to raise funds with the mission of to “support rare cancer research and empower all cancer survivors through physical activity.” People in the

MIAC OLYMPIANS: THE AUGGIES, PART 3 OF A SERIES

Augsburg College in Minneapolis has a storied history in the sport of men’s wrestling and will begin its inaugural season in women’s wrestling in 2019-2020 led by recruit Emily Shilson (pictured below), three-time state qualifier in boys’ Minnesota State High School League wrestling, and the daughter of Margaret Buchholz Shilson and Chad Shilson. The first

MIAC OLYMPIANS: ST. JOHN’S VS ST. THOMAS

Legendary football rivals in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC), St. Thomas narrowly defeated a hard-charging St. John’s team 20-17 in a game at Target Field in September 2017. The announced attendance of 37,355 more than doubled the previous record for a crowd at a Division III football game. St. Thomas also appears to edge

MIAC OLYMPIANS: CONCORDIA COLLEGE (MOORHEAD) AND ST. MARY’S UNIVERSITY IN WINONA, PART 1 OF A SERIES

A 6-2 female athlete from the small southwestern Minnesota high school of #Storden-Jeffers was hoping to earn a basketball scholarship, but her hopes were not realized. Instead, she became one of the country’s best discus throwers and persevered through injuries and disappointments to qualify for the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia. Kris Kuehl, an art

RECENT APRIL RESULTS FOR THE MINNESOTA RUNNING AND WRESTLING COMMUNITIES

A posting before a series of columns on #MIAC athletes who became Olympians features many Minnesota athletes who performed will at the Get in Gear Race along the Mississippi River and Marine Corps US Open (wrestling) in Las Vegas, Nevada. In the premier 10K race, four Minnesota athletes finished between 4th and 7th within 23

SPRING SPORTS: THE VERSATILITY OF OWATONNA’S NOEL JENKE AND JENNIE NELSEN

Members of the #Owatonna High School Hall of Fame, three-sport athletes Noel Jenke and Jennie Nelsen continued their competitive athletic careers in college. Jenke became a seven-time letterwinner at the University of Minnesota (U of M) while Nelsen accepted a track scholarship to the University of Colorado. Jenke is known primarily for his football skills

SPRING SPORTS: THE VERSATILITY OF BART AND BRAD BUETOW AND CHRIS PAULOS

Twins Bart and Brad Buetow of Mounds View, Minnesota, were not only three-sport stars in high school, but also competed in three sports at the University of Minnesota (U of M) too. They arrived on the Twin Cities campus with hockey scholarships—their high school team lost 4-3 in overtime to the Mike Antonovich-led Greenway of

SPRING SPORTS: THE VERSATILITY OF LIZ PODOMINICK AND FOUR MINNESOTA POSITION-PITCHER PLAYERS

Liz Podominick(Lakeville) was the 2003 Miss Minnesota Basketball award-winner. She also claimed 4 state high school track and field titles in shot put and two more in discus. The versatile athlete then competed in both sports at the University of Minnesota (U of M). Liz was a valued player off the bench when the Gophers’

EXTRA EDITION! MINNESOTA HIGH SCHOOL STATE TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETES WHO ACHIEVED FAME IN OTHER SPORTS AND CAREERS

The strength and speed exhibited in state track and field meets has often been exhibited in other sports. Here are a few more with superb performances at the state meet and another sport or profession in which he/she excelled. Kay Konerza of Lester Prairie won the 1980 long jump title and placed again in 1981.

MINNESOTA HIGH SCHOOL STATE TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETES WHO ACHIEVED FAME IN OTHER SPORTS AND CAREERS, PART 3 of 3

A number of US Olympic and national cross country ski team members have excelled at Minnesota state track and field and cross country meets: Todd Boonstra (Burnsville), Barb Jones (St. Paul Central), Ian Torchia (Rochester Lourdes), Ben Husaby (Eden Prairie), Kevin Brochman and Todd Kampainen are premier examples. Three-time Olympian Todd Boonstra (pictured below winning

MINNESOTA HIGH SCHOOL STATE TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETES WHO ACHIEVED FAME IN OTHER SPORTS AND CAREERS, PART 2 of 3

Speed and strength are vital in a number of sports, and coaches of many sports encourage athletes to participate in track and field to improve those aspects of an athlete’s development. Thank you to Bruce Mortenson for the suggesting Gale Gillingham (pictured below) of Little Falls, Minnesota state champion in the discus in 1962 (Bruce

MINNESOTA HIGH SCHOOL STATE TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETES WHO ACHIEVED FAME IN OTHER SPORTS AND CAREERS, Part 1 of 3

Thanks to the time and dedication invested by Bill Miles, the http://www.mnpreptrack.com yields a treasure trove of statistics on the achievements of Minnesota athletes who qualified for the state cross country and track and field meets. While researching information for the books I have written on Minnesota Olympians, I discovered—often accidentally—that many athletes better known

MINNESOTA ATHLETE ACHIEVEMENTS OUTSIDE OF THE STATE TOURNAMENTS

The U. S. freestyle wrestling team won the bronze medal at the 2019 World Cup in Yakutsk, Russia over the weekend. In the final match against Japan, three athletes from Minnesota won: Zach Sanders (Wabasha) won by forfeit; Hayden Zillmer (Crosby) triumphed by technical fall (10-0); and Tony Nelson (Cambridge) claimed victory in a 5-3

LESSER-KNOWN MINNESOTA ATHLETES, BIG-TIME ACHIEVEMENTS, Part 4 of 5

Multiple-sport athlete Dawn Peterson has achieved success in so many arenas it is challenging to condense her accomplishments. A 1975 Elk River High School graduate, Dawn earned letters in tennis, volleyball, and track. She originally competed on the boys’ tennis team until girls’ sports were instituted. Later, Dawn captained the girls’ tennis team, set the

LESSER-KNOWN MINNESOTA ATHLETES, BIG-TIME ACHIEVEMENTS, PART 3 OF 5

A 2013 AAU Sullivan Award finalist for the best amateur athlete in the United States, Joy Woog Garvey has many incredible athletic accomplishments in her lifetime. In the era before girls’ high school hockey, Joy played ice hockey for the Minnesota Thoroughbreds, the only high-caliber amateur hockey team available to girls in the state. Her

LESSER-KNOWN MINNESOTA ATHLETES, BIG-TIME ACHIEVEMENTS

People in Duluth and Hopkins will probably dispute this person being a lesser-known athlete, but Norm Kragseth is not known much to the general public because he went to college out-of-state and never played professional sports. Yet Olympians are very familiar with him: ski jumpers Greg Windsperger and Jim Grahek, cross country Olympian George Hovland,

LESSER-KNOWN MINNESOTA ATHLETES, BIG-TIME ACHIEVEMENTS, Part 1 of 5

Thanks to Patrick D. Lanin for submitting the suggestion of researching and writing about this athlete. Tony Lynch of International Falls, 1962 HS graduate, 1966 Harvard graduate, two degrees from Columbia University Obviously an intelligent man, Tony won five individual state titles in track, the 120-yard high hurdles in 1960-62 and the 180-yard low hurdles

FINAL FOUR (ACTUALLY A FIVESOME) FEATURE ON BIG TEN MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENT

2018 Recipient: Derek Wiebke, Kasson In 2013 , Derek Wiebke was the runner-up in the Minnesota state high school Class AA 800-meter run with a time of 1:53. He enrolled at the U of M and became a two-time Academic All-American and in 2017 won the Big Ten Indoor Track and Field Championship in the

FIRST FOUR FEATURED BIG TEN MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENTS

2016 recipient: Aaron Bartnik, Eden Prairie State Class AA cross country champion as a junior in 2009 with a time of 15:55.1, Aaron (pictured below) ran for the U of M from 2011-2016. He served as captain, was All-Big Ten and All-Region in cross country twice. He graduated from the Department of Electrical and Computer

BIG TEN MEDAL OF HONOR: SOME MINNESOTA NAMES

Cited as the most exclusive conference award given to only one male and one female student athlete at each of the 14 Big Ten institutions for achieving greatest proficiency in athletics and academics, the Big Ten Medal of Honor was brought to my attention as I continued research for a book on Minnesota Olympians.It’s an

SINGING FOR THE UNSUNG MINNESOTA ATHLETES

As a classroom teacher, it was always fun and rewarding to learn of the contributions students have been able to make in society. A student struggling academically became a gifted mechanic while a somewhat uncoordinated girl became a star softball player at Apple Valley; a roommate, Arne Graff, persevered to become a prominent physician at

Cross Country Wrap-Up; University of Minnesota Women Sports Success, Men’s Wrestlers Going International

National meets in Spokane, Washington, and San Diego, California concluded cross country competition for 2018. Ben Blankenship (Stillwater, pictured below when he ran at the U of M) won the National Club Cross Country Championship in Spokane, covering the 10K course in a time of 29:21. Garrett Heath (Winona) was fifth, the first Brooks Beast

Positive Coaching Alliance Impact Award Event; Other Awards

Monday night–thanks to a thoughtful gesture by Deborah Diamond Edwards, former Executive Director of Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA)–my wife, Karen Olson Mader, and I attended the organization’s Impact Award Event in Minneapolis. PCA is a national group with a Minnesota state chapter with the mission of having youth sports being a positive, character-building experience. Our

Minnesota State Cross Country Concludes, Wrestling Prelude

The strong tradition of distance running in Minnesota continued today with several sterling performances and spectacular effort by the hundreds of runners competing at the Minnesota State High School League Cross Country Championships hosted at St. Olaf College in Northfield. Emily Covert (Minneapolis Washburn) set a 5-kilometer (5K) girls record with her time of 17:03.4.

End Of October Competitions

The University of Minnesota (U of M) volleyball team has continued its march of victories over Big 10 opponents, most recently a sweep over the # 12-ranked Michigan Wolverines. Taylor Mariah Morgan (Blaine) led the Gophers with 13 kills and CC McGraw (Prior Lake) had a career-high 24 digs. Samantha Jo Seliger-Swenson (Minnetonka) added to

U of M Volleyball; Marathon Day Races

Undefeated in Big 10 play, the # 3 U of M volleyball team swept the # 7-ranked Illinois team Friday night. Taylor Mariah Morgan‘s three blocks brought roars from the sellout crowd as did the powerful kills of outside hitter Alexis Hart and opposite hitter Stephanie Samedy. Freshman CC McGraw (Prior Lake) led the team

Bits of Sports News; Lots of Griak

Emily Shilson (Maple Grove), daughter of Margaret and Chad Shilson, qualified in wrestling for the Youth Olympics in Argentina in October. Emily has previously qualified for the state boys’ wrestling tournament the past two years and was recently crowned Cadet World Champion at 43 kilograms. Lots of Minnesota representation: Tori Dixon (Burnsville), Hannah and Paige

M Club Induction, Fall Sports Start

On Thursday, September 13th, eight Gopher athletes were inducted into the prestigious M Club at the University of Minnesota. Heather Kampf (Rosemount High School), a middle distance star and the first U of M female track athlete to be a national champion (2006, indoors 800-meters); Damion Hahn, a two-time national champion wrestler; fleet running back

Minnesota Has a National Swimming Champion, New M Club Hall of Fame Members

Teen swimming sensation Regan Smith (Lakeville) tied with Kathleen Baker for the 200-meter backstroke national championship title in Irvine, California, in a time of 2:06.43. Regan qualified for the senior World Championships last year as a 15-year-old! Also having a strong meet was Lindsey Kozelsky (nee Horesji from Albert Lea, U of M) tied for

Cheers For Achievements, Historic Race!

Lots to cheer about . . . Congratulations to Hugh McCutcheon, head coach of the University of Minnesota (U of M) women’s volleyball team, on the announcement of being inducted into the International Volleyball Hall of Fame. Several U of M athletes from Minnesota received Academic All-District awards: Lindsey Smits (Lakeville, track), Derek Wiebke (Kasson,

Crediting Coaches

Minnesota athletes interviewed usually state a common goal: “to give back.” They appreciate the support received from family, friends, teammates, and their local community, but voice an emphasis on coaches who have helped their athletic careers. Here are a few names mentioned by those contacted. Runner Garrett Heath (who finished 5th in the 10,000-meter run

Duluth Races, More Minnesota Sports Hall of Fame Inductees

Several races were hosted in Duluth in conjunction with Grandma’s Marathon and many runners with Minnesota connections had notable achievements. Carrie Tollefson a recent Villanova University Hall of Fame inductee, won the women’s William Irvin 5K with a time of 18:21 while Team USA Minnesota runner Tyler Jermann placed an impressive 12th in the marathon.

Minnesota Sports Hall of Fame

Other than professional sports halls of fame, I had seldom visited galleries honoring athletes, coaches, and contributors. That changed when I attended the Minnesota State High School League Hall of Fame in 2015 and witnessed the induction of coaches, administrators, fine arts leaders, athletes, and an official. Personal highlights were seeing people I had written

Celebrating Youth

A longtime elementary school teacher, I sometimes tired of hearing adults complain about “today’s youth.” Certainly there was misbehavior and frustrating times dealing with belligerence or unmotivated students, but I mostly remember hearty vocal and instrumental performances, impressive athletic feats, well-deserved academic awards, and even humanitarian acts of kindness to others. This posting is going

Variety of Sports, More Achievements

Minnesota has remarkable representation with 5 athletes on the USA Volleyball roster: twin sisters Paige Tapp and Hannah Tapp of Stewartville; Sarah Wilhite of Eden Prairie; Tori Dixon from Burnsville; and Lauren Gibbemeyer, a Cretin-Derham Hall graduate from St. Paul. All are graduates of the University of Minnesota. Kevin Docherty, another Cretin-Derham Hall graduate from

Milestones

Several Minnesota athletes achieved personal, national, or global milestones in recent days. We would like to congratulate and recognize them! Ladia Albertson-Junkans (Stillwater; U of M Academic All-American Accord) ran an Olympic Trials marathon qualifying time of 2:41:52 at the Silo District Marathon in Waco, Texas. At the same event, Gabriele Anderson Grunewald took first

Many Spring Sport Successes

Spring burst on the landscape suddenly after heavy snowfalls in April, but it has brought a pair of wonderful Big 10 championships to University of Minnesota women in softball and outdoor track and field and the baseball team is currently leading the conference. Many Minnesota athletes had outstanding performances at the Marine Corps U. S.

Boston and U of MN Results Happy Spring???

While athletes at Boston (and Minnesota!) endured wind, freezing rain, and cold temperatures, it did not dampen the spirits of many runners. Here are a few Boston highlights: John Simons (U of M graduate) took 2nd in the mile with a 4:09 time and Tony Schiller placed 24th in his age division in the marathon.

The cross country World Cup series concluded and we want to celebrate the successes the Minnesota athletes and their teammates.

Congratulations to Jessie Diggins (Afton, graduate of Stillwater High School) capturing second place overall in the prestigious endurance series of nearly 30 races spreading from late November to mid-March with the Winter Olympics sandwiched in between. Teammate Sadie Bjornsen placed 6th overall to make for an impressive American showing and the by far the the

Minnesota’s Sub-4:30 Women Milers

Due to gender discrimination and misguided philosophies about the running endurance of women, the historic timeline for women running the mile is significantly less than men and as a result many fewer women have run under 4:30 (an arbitrary time) in a timed mile competition than men breaking the 4-minute mile barrier. While I found

Minnesota’s Sub-4-Minute Milers

Thanks to a response from Joe Winegardner, one of Karl John Mader’s (who witnessed numerous runners eclipse the 4-minute mark while competing in races in Boston and New York) cross country coaches, I did a little research on sub-4-minute milers from Minnesota. The first American to run under 4 minutes was Don Bowden (ran collegiately

Recapping Results of Minnesota Olympians in the 2018 Winter Games

Cheers to Jessie Diggins for being selected by the US Olympic athletes as the flag bearer at the closing ceremonies! A heartfelt cheer to all of the Minnesota athletes named to the US Olympic team and their efforts in throughout the selection process and at the Winter Games! Women’s hockey: Gold! Lee Stecklein, Roseville; Kelly

Thanks To These Gracious Minnesota Athletes

A sincere thank you to Lindsay Whalen for presenting at the elementary school she attended–St.Anastasia in Hutchinson. I had the honor of introducing her to an overflowing audience! And thanks to Deb Diggins, mother of Olympian Jessie Diggins, who gave interesting background information on the national women’s cross country skiing team and Jessie’s training to

Minnesota Athletes on the 2018 Olympic Team

A few people have requested a listing of Minnesota athletes who have qualified for the 2018 Winter Olympics. Here is what I know: Curling: John Shuster, originally from Chisholm; Tyler George, Duluth; John Landsteiner, Mapleton; Joe Polo, Duluth (alternate); Tabitha Peterson, Eagan; Aileen Geving, Duluth; and Cory Christensen, Duluth (alternate). Hockey: Lee Stecklein, Roseville; Kelly

Final Installment of Fall Sports Series

The running community has been celebrating the past two days! Today, Shalane Flanagan became the first American woman to capture the New York City Marathon in four decades. Carrie Tollefson was one of the broadcast announcers expressing her pride in the elite runner. Minnesota distance running has a rich history in the state and yesterday

This is the second part of a sports series on autumn sports.

Congratulations to Darrell Thompson (Rochester John Marshall), Krissy Pohl (Brooklyn Park, picture below), and Heather Van Norman for being inducted into the Minnesota State High School League Hall of Fame last Sunday. Officials, athletic and activity coaches, and administrators also joined the elite group. More than 40 players on the current University of Minnesota football

Fall Series: This is the first of three posts on autumn sports and Minnesota athletes achieving recent success.

Andrew Stelter (Owatonna) plays on the defensive line for the University of Minnesota (U of M). He has been named a semifinalist for the 2017 William V. Campbell Trophy, an award given to an athlete who best demonstrates academic, community service, and on-field performance. Congratulations, Andrew! The U of M Gophers women’s cross country team

Part V of Summer Sports Series

A mix of notes about summer sports and competitions. . . In swimming, 15-year-old Regan Smith (Lakeville) set a junior world record of 2:07.19 in the 200-meter backstroke semifinals at the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary. She is the youngest member of the national team and finished 8th overall. Austin Athmann (Cold Spring) batted .268

Part III of Summer Minnesota Sports Series

A pair of international events are highlighted in the third summer posting: the Track and Field World Championships in London and the World Junior Wrestling Championships in Tampere, Finland. Thank you to John John M Harrington (Virginia), a member of the 1980 gold medal-winning hockey team; Kim Kostron Nyquist (St. Paul), a two-time Olympian speedskater

Part II of Summer Minnesota Sports Series

Thanks to wrestler Jim Martinez (Osseo), rower Dave Krmpotich (Duluth), hockey player Jack Morrison (Wayzata), and runners Jan Ettle (Freeport and Albany HS), and Leslie Seymour (Minneapolis) for taking time to share their lives, achievements, challenges, and stories with conversations this past month for volume two of Minnesota Gold scheduled for publication in December 2019.

Part I of a Summer Sports Series

This is the first installment of five articles which will highlight Minnesota athletes competing in summer sports: baseball, track and field, swimming, wrestling (an Olympic Summer Games sport), and celebrating hall of fame inductions. Austin Athmann (Cold Spring) is batting over .270 for the West Michigan White Caps, a class A affiliate of the Detroit

Minnesota Athletes’ Success in Winter Competitions

Starting with the USA Indoor Track and Field Championships in Albuquerque, many Minnesotans have captured titles or had podium finishes in competitions in the past two weeks. In keeping with Minnesota’s strong distance running tradition, Ben Blankenship (Stillwater) won the mile and took third place in the two-mile run at Albuquerque while Garrett Heath (Winona)

Winter Sports Series, Part 10: Biathlon, Precision and Speed

Biathlon, a sport wildly popular in Europe combining the power of skiing with the precision of shooting, has been in the sports news this month primarily because of the stunning performance of Lowell Bailey in winning the 20 km individual race at the world championships in Hochfilzen, Austria—a first for an American biathlete. The first

Winter Sports Series, Part 9: Figure Skating Glides Along

The period of Minnesota’s greatest impact in figure skating was probably near the midway point of the 20th century. Margaret Bennett (1932) and Robin Lee (1936) were Olympians and later coaches, but it was a corps of skaters who won national fours, or two mixed pairs, which is not an Olympic event, that propelled a

Winter Sports Update

Lots of events involving Minnesota athletes have taken place while this column was on hiatus: the University of Minnesota (U of M) indoor track and field season has been in full swing; four U of M wrestlers were at the U S Collegiate Championships Tournament at the Air Force Academy; and the U S Senior

Winter Sports Series Resumes With Part 8: Minnesota Women are Premier Skiers

While Minnesota may lack the topography and terrain of mountainous states, women athletes from the state have been ranked not only nationally but internationally.The family of Cindy Nelson owned and operated the Lutsen Ski Resort along Minnesota’s North Shore. Cindy became proficient at all three disciplines (slalom, giant slalom, and downhill) and qualified for four

Winter Sports Series, Part 6: Curling, Coming on Like Gangbusters

Minnesota has had a robust presence in the sport of curling at the Olympics since it became an officially full-sanctioned sport at the Games in 1998 (after being a demonstration sport in earlier appearances). And Minnesota’s representation in curling will probably increase with the dynamic growth of the sport and the addition of mixed doubles

Winter Sports Series, Part 5: Minnesota, the State of Hockey for Women too!

Hearing an announcement that women’s hockey would be an Olympic sport debuting in 1998, 8th grader Jenny Potter (then Schmidgall), a superior swimmer at Edina High School, decided her love for physicality and the sport played on ice would be her route to the Olympics. Still not a Minnesota State High School League sport (the

Winter Sports Series, Part 4: Minnesota, Truly the State of Hockey

Today is Hockey Day in Minnesota, but the sport’s passionate fans believe that every winter day meets that description. Minnesota’s colder temperatures provide a wonderful resource that has been embraced by hundreds of thousands of the state’s inhabitants: ice. The slippery frozen surface has been the ideal play space for both youth and adults playing

Profiles of Inspirational and Persevering Athletes Exhibiting the Olympic Spirit – Gabriele Anderson Grunewald

It would be unthinkable not to include Gabriele Anderson Grunewald in any listing of inspirational and persevering Minnesota athletes who exhibit the Olympic spirit. Gabriele is from the cross country powerhouse of Perham, MN (both boys and girls teams were state runner-up this year). Always a contender to win, she placed as high as 4th

Profiles of Inspirational and Persevering Athletes Exhibiting the Olympic Spirit – Heather Dorniden, Rosemount

While at the Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon, in July, I was cheering on Minnesota track athletes Hassan Mead, Jamie Cheever, Gabriele Anderson Grunewald, Goaner Deng, Ben Blankenship, Jess Lehman, Sarah Price Boylan, Maddie McClellan van Beek, Garrett Heath, Mason Ferlic, and field athletes Amanda Smock in triple jump, Liz Podominick in discus, and others

Lindsay Nielsen, Minneapolis – Profiles of Inspirational and Persevering Athletes Exhibiting the Olympic Spirit

A politician named Tim Penny once told me the most courageous members in Congress were those who had faced physical death because political death was then not frightening. He proceeded to tell me about three politicians (both parties) whom he considered of strong political character: two veterans wounded significantly in wars, the other who had

Johanna Olson, Wadena – Profiles of Inspirational and Persevering Athletes Exhibiting the Olympic Spirit

This posting is the first of a series of five that will feature extraordinary Minnesota athletes who have demonstrated remarkable personal and physical strength, incredible perseverance, and just plain guts. If you have nominations or comments, please submit them. I was reminded of this first person by Brent Lorentz, a lawyer I met while making

Similarities Abound for Gopher Teams at Big 10 Cross Country Championships: Madeline Strandemo; Bethany Hasz, Megan Hasz, Alexandria; Matthew Thomas Welch, Proctor; Charlie Lawrence, Foley

The Gopher teams matched each other in many ways at today’s Big 10 Championships at the Les Bolstad Golf Course on the St. Paul campus of the University of Minnesota: both teams placed 4th, each team had three runners place in the top 20, the teams were predominantly composed of Minnesota athletes, and none of

Not in the News, But This Was a Headlining Event

On Saturday, October 22, Augsburg College hosted the induction of three Greco-Roman wrestlers–two from Minnesota–into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum: Lindsey Durlacher (Illinois) and identical twin brothers Dave and Jim Hazewinkel (Coon Rapids, 1962 graduates of Anoka High School). Dave Hazewinkel, wrestling at 57 kg won two World Championship medals (silver

Minnesota Runners at La Crosse

Competing in three races at La Crosse over the weekend, the U of M women’s cross country team participated in the Nuttycombe Invitational and its Open Meet on Friday and the Neubauer Invitational on Saturday. Megan Hasz (Alexandria) led the team with a 28th- place finish in 20:44 as they competed with running powerhouses from

When an American Running Record Was Set at Macalester’s Track

A day after winning the Minnesota State College Conference cross country championship on a 4-mile course in Bemidji in 19:19, Van Nelson set a 30-kilometer American record in 1:37:16.4 at the Macalester track on October 31, 1965. The phenomenal performance was a full 8 minutes less than the recognized record set by Dick Haines two

The Weekend’s Non-Marathon Runs

While Dominic Ondoro’s record-setting Twin Cities Marathon time of 2:08:51 was capturing headlines, there were three other competitive runs in conjunction with the main event over the weekend: the 5K, 10K, and 10-mile distances. Minnesota athletes continued their strong tradition of successful distance running. Unattached runners at the U of M took five of the

City of Lakes Marathon–Pre-Twin Cities Marathon Era

With the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon scheduled next Sunday, October 9, it seems fitting that the early Minnesota marathons be addressed. While many people deserve credit for putting marathoning on the Minnesota map, Patrick D. Lanin, Ron Dawes, Jeff Winter, and Jack Moran certainly were among the sport’s earliest and greatest promoters in the state.

1970 US Team Set 24-Hour Distance Record

While attending the Roy Griak Invitational last Saturday, Don Timm (Burnsville), a runner on the 1969 Big 10 cross country championship team told me how he knew a runner named Phil Camp. They had trained together–presumably as a pre-Olympic training center–in the state of Washington in 1970. It was decided that about one-half of the

Roy Griak Invitational: Women’s Gold Division

Ranked 25th in the country, the U of M women’s cross country team matched the men’s team by placing 9th in the competitive and challenging Roy Griak Invitational at Les Bolstad Golf Course in St. Paul on Saturday. True freshman Bethany Hasz (Alexandria) was the first Gopher runner to cross the line as she finished

Griak Invitational: Men’s Gold Division

Led by the strong running of Minnesota athletes Matthew Thomas Welch (Proctor) and Obsa Ali (Richfield) as they maneuvered to the top ten runners, the U of M Gopher men’s team captured 9th place in the prestigious Griak Invitational at Les Bolstad Golf Course on the St. Paul campus. This is the second consecutive strong

Women’s National Cross Country Championship–Open Division

Debuting in 1964, the women’s cc national championships has had only one Minnesota athlete crowned as its champion: Emily Brown (West Allis, WI, U of M) in 2007 at the Agricultural History Farm Park in Derwood, MD. It was a dominant win as Emily cruised through the 8 K race in a time of 26:58–more

Minnesota Athletes in Professional Baseball; Women’s Gymnastics

With professional minor league baseball’s season winding down, here are some statistics about a few Minnesota athletes at this time. Austin Athman (Cold Spring, U of M) was drafted by the Detroit Tigers baseball organization in the 14th round and is batting .276 in the New York-Penn League. He has 12 extra base hits in

Fall Sports Action has Sprung into Action at the University of Minnesota (U of M)

My brother Jim Mader and I witnessed the victory vs Oregon State on Thursday night. Minnesota athltes starting on the offensive side of the ball for the football team are Jonah Pirsig (Blue Earth, OL) and Mitch Leidner (Lakeville, QB). On defense, Andrew Steltner (Owatonna, DL) and Adekunle Ayinde (Blaine, CB) have claimed starting positions.

St. Paul, Minnesota has had very few Olympians in Boxing and Only One Known Athlete in Fencing

Widely known in the 1970s, Duane Bobick grew up in a family of 13 children in Bowlus, Minnesota, a small town located between St. Cloud and Little Falls. He was a superb athlete at Royalton High School and enlisted in the US Navy soon after graduating. With an 82-inch reach and a famed left jab,

Women’s Soccer Games Begin Today at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro

Women’s soccer games begin today at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Two superb Minnesota athletes have had prominent roles as Olympians in the sport: Briana Scurry, a graduate of Anoka High School, and Manny Lagos, a St. Paul Academy graduate. Briana was an all-state athlete in basketball, soccer, and track and field. She

Let’s Take Flight Today with Shani Johnson and Amanda Smock

. Friends and triple jumpers Shani Johnson and Amanda Smock have a lot in common: both are Olympians (Shani, 2008; Amanda, 2012), possess a strong background in gymnastics, have persevered through injuries, express a faith-life that is important to them, and are as one coach said, “beautiful inside and outside.” Shani is from Apple Valley

Minnesota Athletes at Rio (Summary)

Hassan Mead (Minneapolis South, University of Minnesota) placed 11th in the 5,000-meter run final. Stillwater High School and U of M graduate Ben Blankenship placed 8th in the 1,500-meter run final. Living in Arden Hills for a few years, badminton pairs player Paula Lynn Obanana and her playing partner did not place. Rugby was reintroduced

Day 10 p.m. at Eugene: Minnesota has a second Olympian!

Ben Blankenship dug down deep to recapture third place (3:36.18) from a hard-charging Lee Manzano after Manzano had edged ahead. It was reminiscent of Carrie Tollefson momentarily losing the lead of the 1500 meter finals in the 2004 Olympic Trials and then pulling ahead to win. Very exciting! Jess Lehman of the University of Minnesota

Day 9 at Eugene: Minnesota has a new Olympian

Day 9 at Eugene: Minnesota has a new Olympian! In a stirring and rousing 5,000-meter run, Hassan Mead claimed second place with a furious sprint and time of 13:35.70 behind 41-year-old Bernard Legat. Two gutsy runners staked out a 20 meter lead and the pack did not catch them until three laps to go. Galen

Day 8 at Eugene: Great news about two Minnesota athletes!

Gabriele Anderson Grunewald (Perham) ran a 4:11.86 and Ben Blankenship (Stillwater) in the fastest qualifying time of ran a 3:44.24 to qualify for the 1500-meter finals! Ben ran strongly and won his heat after leading the majority of the race. Gabe finished sixth in her heat with an impressive sprint and qualified on time. Sadly,

Day 7 at Eugene: A steady drizzle began after a few events.

Ben Blankenship (Stillwater) finished first in his heat of the 1500-meter run and Heather Dorniden of Rosemount (married to Ben Kampf) and Gabriele Anderson Grunewald (Perham) both qualifed for the semifinals on the women’s side. Gabriele Anderson Grunewald had competed in the 5000-meter run about two hours earlier–a gutsy performance. Heather had a strong finish

National Men’s Cross Country Championships–Open Division

With the start of the high school and college cross country season, here is some researched information on elite runners competing at the national level of an often overlooked race: the National Cross Country Championships. Past winners have included Frank Shorter, Jack Bachelor, Craig Virgin, and Alberto Salazar. But many Minnesota athletes have also made

AMAZING OLYMPIC FACT: THREE HOCKEY OLYMPIANS FROM SAME SMALL MINNESOTA TOWN ON 1976 ROSTER

Indeed, the name of the town which produced three Olympians on the 1976 men’s Olympic hockey roster won’t be a surprise to fans of the sport: Roseau, Minnesota. Defenseman Gary Ross (larger photo–his brother, Don, was on the 1964 and 1968 Olympic teams), goalie Blane Comstock, and wing Robbie Harris played on the same team

Joel Maturi, Featured Speaker; U of M Women’s Volleyball Team

Today Joel Maturi was the program speaker at C.O.R.E.S. (Coaches, Officials, Reporters, Educators, and Sports Fans) at a luncheon in Bloomington. Joel was the University of Minnesota ( U of M) Athletic Director from 2002-2012. During his tenure he oversaw the difficult merging of the men’s and women’s athletic departments, attended hundreds of athletic events,