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

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

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

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 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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,”

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”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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: 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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