10% of an athletic program
Movement Literacy: Fixing Physical Education and Rehabilitation

Life After The Championship (And Injury)? Injuries are going to happen but let's try to reduce them. 

Most of the time, we just overlook movement until it becomes a problem. Be proactive - set a baseline.

Injury prevention is a must for any 21st century youth athletic program. Prevention should be integrated into the program.
Agility, plyometrics, weightlifting, and stretching are part of a training program, but are not in itself an injury prevention program.

Agility, plyometrics, weightlifting, and stretching will actually cause injuries if placed on a dysfunctional growing body. Most youth have dysfunctional bodies. You will get by for awhile but the training will catch up with you. So first a functional baseline needs to be in place.  Proper movement maintenance will require knowledgeable coaches which is a sign of caring. An athlete in good physical condition does not mean they are not at risk for injury.

Overuse injuries, like stress fractures, can occur when you specialize in one sport (i.e. cross country). Moving (running) in the same pattern, day after day, year after year, WILL take its toll on your body. The runners body is growing also, (6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th grade) which is another variable  involved. Ever wonder why we see more and more middle school girls and even boys running at state cross country meets? Female Q-Angle issues can be functionally worked on.

With dysfunctional movement, the athletes performance will decrease gradually over time. The coach may think the athlete is no longer giving their best effort. The coach may replace the athlete, many times with a younger athlete with less wear and tear. The coach may even replace the high school athlete with a middle school athlete.

So screening is important along with understanding proper recovery, nutrition, other movement patterns to integrate into a running program, and goals that emphasis health, not just trying to become a state champion team (coaches goal) or an individual champion.

Many local athletes obtain overuse, ACL, and numerous other injuries that never are reported. Below are a few that made the newspaper. If you would like to add your injury story to this website, please send it by email-skubisiak@bis.midco.net.

There is so much more to coaching than recruiting. As qualifications for coaching improve (don't hold your breath), we will see less and less injuries. In the mean time, the list of injuries below will increase.

Championship teams most often are the least healthiest because they are focused on short term development.

Some colleges tend not to recruit from some high schools in specific sports because the athletes do not last very long (burned out or have overuse injuries).

Another very important part of teaching youth about proper movement and injury prevention strategies is physical education. Since about the 1930's, physical education became "gym" class.

So gym class needed to go back to teaching physical education. 

 

Youth Sports Injuries Statistics

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), participation in organized sports is on the rise. Nearly 30 million children and adolescents participate in youth sports in the United States. This increase in play has led to some other startling statistics about injuries among America's young athletes:

• High school athletes account for an estimated 2 million injuries and 500,000 doctor visits and 30,000 hospitalizations each year.¹
• More than 3.5 million kids under age 14 receive medical treatment for sports injuries each year.¹
• Children ages 5 to 14 account for nearly 40 percent of all sports-related injuries treated in hospitals. On average the rate and severity of injury increases with a child's age.⁴
• Overuse injuries are responsible for nearly half of all sports injuries to middle and high school students²
• Although 62 percent of organized sports-related injuries occur during practice, one-third of parents do not have their children take the same safety precautions at practice that they would during a game.²
• Twenty percent of children ages 8 to 12 and 45 percent of those ages 13 to 14 will have arm pain during a single youth baseball season.³
• Injuries associated with participation in sports and recreational activities account for 21 percent of all traumatic brain injuries among children in the United States.⁴
• According to the CDC, more than half of all sports injuries in children are preventable.
• By age 13, 70 percent of kids drop out of youth sports. The top three reasons: adults, coaches and parents.²
• Among athletes ages 5 to 14, 28 percent of percent of football players, 25 percent of baseball players, 22 percent of soccer players, 15 percent of basketball players, and 12 percent of softball players were injured while playing their respective sports⁴
• Since 2000 there has been a fivefold increase in the number of serious shoulder and elbow injuries among youth baseball and softball players.⁴

References:

1. JS Powell, KD Barber Foss, 1999. Injury patterns in selected high school sports: a review of the 1995-1997 seasons. J Athl Train. 34: 277-84.
2. Safe Kids USA Campaign Web site. 2009.
3. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. 2009.
4. Preserving the Future of Sport: From Prevention to Treatment of Youth Overuse Sports Injuries. AOSSM 2009 Annual Meeting Pre-Conference Program. Keystone, Colorado.

Case Studies
The case study is a widely used approach in fields like medicine, psychology, and the social sciences. Even in our disciplines cases studies of unique situations appear in the literature. A case study is an in-depth analysis of a unique condition or situation. The subject is the case study may be one person or an intact class,institution,or entire community. The purpose of a study like this is to examine as many aspects of the subject in question as possible and to note how the cause is unique or different from what is normal or expected. Usually, the event or situation in question is not well known, not well understood, or rare, making experimental research on it impractical or impossible.
   Obviously, drawing any broad generalizations from a case study is not warranted. However, when many case studies have been performed on the same topic and similar results are reported, the basis of formulating a hypothesis or theory is made. Therefore, case study research may be the only way to provide a foundation of knowledge when examining exceptional circumstances or conditions. Also, in some instances, case studies may use experimental methods and designs.

Case Study 1: Dealing with Injuries-North Dakota Athlete in Own Words

A little bit on my injury: I had been injury-free my whole running career (since I was 11- 12 years of no injuries) until January 2015 when I ended up with a 20% tear in my right Achilles. I was fine the day of my first indoor race of the season and afterwards I was in pain & it was a battle for months to try to keep running and manage the pain until in April I decided to get a PRP injection and was in a boot for 5 weeks. I started slowly getting back into it and was running pain free at the USA nationals in Eugene that June of 2015 (I was just there to watch). While I was in Eugene, I did a hard lifting and plyometric session one morning and then that afternoon went out to do a track workout. That flared my Achilles up again & long story short I had to stop running and take a few months break to let it rest and heal and was just doing 2 hours of daily physical therapy. That fall of 2015 and I began to slowly start training again. Everything was going amazing. We were in January of 2016- 2 days before my first race of the season and I lifted in the morning, then later came out to the track to do hard plyometrics and then a sprint workout. The next day my left Achilles was sore. The rest of this 2016 season I battled with Achilles tendonitis on my left side and never went a day without pain. I only ran on the ground when doing track workouts and did not do any other mileage on the ground. I supplemented this mileage with lots of cross training. A big thing I have learned coming off of an Achilles injury is that introducing too many new elements back into your training routine at once is a big way to flare it up again. For me, I would have been fine just doing my plyometrics one day and saving the track workout for the next day. That probably would have prevented a lot of my pain. But the combination of all of the different elements involved in those two workouts was too much stress for my still-healing Achilles to handle. The stress of the plyometrics alone on my Achilles was probably enough for one day, and adding the sprint workout afterwards pushed it over the top. I have continued to do physical therapy ever since 2015 and still had tendonitis in 2016 from trying to do too many things at once. Things that help me: physical therapy (strengthen areas connected to Achilles- butt, hamstrings, hips, calves), treatment (laser, ultrasound, graston, massage, KT tape), rest/cross training when sore (Elliptigo, elliptical, antigrav, biking, swimming, & water jogging), I do not spike up unless I am racing (lessens the load on the Achilles- spikes add a little extra stress of being on your toes), I do not do sprint workouts anymore (same reason of lessening being up on the toes), I limit running on indoor tracks to just my few indoor races because the indoor turns and banks can really irritate the Achilles (it did for me), and I run most of my workouts backwards (clockwise) on the track because that lessened the stress on my left Achilles (I live in Texas- and can train outside all year long). My normal training week in 2016 was: Monday: AM weights PM track endurance workout Tuesday: AM treatment & tempo on antigrav Wednesday: AM 30 min cross training PM massage Thursday: AM weights PM speed endurance track workout Friday: PM 30 min cross training Saturday: AM track workout Sunday: rest day!

Case Study 2: Dealing with Injuries-North Dakota Athlete in Own Words

I enjoyed running and competing in cross country and track. I started running in the mid seventies during the running boom that Frank Shorter and Bill Rogers ushered in. They were proponents of Australian Arther Lydiard's system of high mileage running. He had coached a few Olympic champions. So I felt if it was good enough for the two best distance runners in America it was good enough for me. Lydiard's basic theory was you couldn't run too many miles and that 100 miles a week was really the bare minimum with most of his runner's training 150-200 miles per week. He felt it was track workouts that were the most injurious to athletes. Although he incorporated  track workouts they were only meant to "peak" the runner for the ultimate end of season race. Since I enjoyed running it was no problem for me to log the heavy mileage. I had fought off the usual nagging injuries and illnesses that can come on with such high mileage however it was during my senior year of high school right before the cross country season was about to start that I noticed a pain in my right forefoot. I brushed it off as another nagging pain but after a couple of weeks the pain greatly intensified. I went to the local MD who suggested I take aspirin. I couldn't understand how an aspirin would help my foot pain which was now swelling quite a bit. I then went to the local foot doctor who was basically a toe nail cutter and he just told me to get a bigger shoe and continue wrapping my foot with an Ace bandage. By now I was limping fairly noticeably and all the while not cutting back on my running which was not smart on my part. I  went to another foot doctor for another opinion. He took an x-Ray and found nothing wrong with my foot and told me to just suck it up and double up on the aspirin. I limped through the rest of the cross country season without racing hoping to be ready for the spring track season and possibly college running in the fall however due to the pain I finally had to stop. I was forced to supplement my running for cross training activities such as biking, swimming and weight training. When I tried to return to running the pain in the foot had not subsided and I knew my track season would be gone. I continued to rest and cross train all summer long before fall college cross country however I knew that I would not be in "running" shape to compete, I was just hoping to be able to run. I arrived at college but the hope of running again was soon dashed as the pain returned with the same intensity as before. One of the coaches suggested I have another x-ray. I did which confirmed a previous stress fracture that had not healed properly. The foot never bothered me with doing any other activities but running. I had to come to the realization that my running days were done. I missed running however, I was not the only runner during that time period who is no longer running. That was the high mileage era I grew up in and many of my teammates suffered their share of injuries as well.  I don't think high school runners should be running such mileage. When I visit with young runner's I am a proponent of a balanced running schedule of some distance, hills and track workouts sprinkled in with periods of rest and cross training. This will keep the runner mentally and physically fresh . 

 

Different skill set

NFL rosters incorporate athletes with a wide range of skill sets and body types, from 195-pound receivers with 37 1/2-inch vertical leaps like Jefferson to 300-pound linemen like Phillips, who turned heads at the 2018 NFL combine when he bench pressed 225 pounds 42 times.

The list of skills Vikings players developed in other sports is equally broad.

Track and field helped throwers like Reed, Ham and Patrick Jones — who was on a high school team with 2020 Olympic silver medalist Grant Holloway — learn to transfer force from their lower to upper bodies, and refined raw speed for perimeter players like Patrick Peterson, K.J. Osborn, Jalen Nailor and Jefferson, who ran the 200- and 400-meter dashes while competing in the long jump and triple jump. It's perhaps appropriate that Smith, who's gone to six Pro Bowls as a do-everything safety in the NFL, was a state champion decathlete in Tennessee.

The Vikings' top two defensive linemen, Phillips and Dalvin Tomlinson, were both heavyweight state wrestling champions. Tomlinson, who turned down a chance to wrestle at Harvard so he could play football at Alabama, estimated he borrows something from his wrestling background "almost every other play" on the field.

"I remember one time, I came off a block and dove for somebody and I was like, 'I just did a single-leg takedown,'" Tomlinson said. "A lot of different times, you'll come out and it feels like you're on the wrestling mat all over again. Especially when you're going up against two 300-pound people, the amount of leverage it takes to stay up in there, it feels like a long overtime wrestling match."

Thielen said, "If I didn't play basketball, I don't think I'd be where I am," because of the body control, spatial awareness and high-speed change of direction he learned on the court. When he returned punts and kicks in college, he said, his experience as a center fielder in baseball helped him track balls in the air.

Even his golf background, he said, can transfer to football.

"I think of the mental side of the game — you kind of have to flush it, move on and go to the next shot," he said. "I think you can learn a lot from that, and that's really helped me."

Still competing

Vikings players have entered the time of the year when they're largely training on their own, often with personal trainers. While much of that work is to build pure speed and strength, some Vikings players still mix multisport approaches into their training even now.

Cousins, like Thielen, has paused playing pickup basketball during his NFL career, out of concern he could get injured. He's replaced it with tennis, where he can incorporate some lateral movement and get his shoulder some light work while serving.

Phillips sometimes returns to his high school (Millard West in Omaha) for offseason conditioning on the wrestling mat with anyone on the team who "wants a shot at the title." He said he typically shows up with a large stack of cash and offers it to anyone that can score a point on him.

"No one's ever scored a point," he said. "It's been working out in my favor."

As for Reed, who turns 31 in July, an Olympic trials bid would likely be more serious once he's done playing football. His best mark of 65 feet, 10 ¹⁄₄ inches — set in a meet he won at Myers Field House in 2014 while Ham finished third — was less than 2 feet short of the standard for the 2020 trials. Almost as soon as he signed with the Vikings last April, he started talking to Ham about throwing in some meets this offseason, when they both would be in Minnesota. He's planning to compete in several more this spring to see how serious a shot he might have at the 2024 trials. Next offseason, he said, he could train more consistently and link up with a coach.

Even if he's not yet making a full investment in his Olympic dreams, he knows whatever time he spends in the shot put ring can benefit his work in the middle of the Vikings' offensive line.

"It trains spatial awareness — when your body's moving fast, knowing where your body is in space," Reed said. "I use sports psychology a lot for shot put, imagery and all that stuff, so that transfers to football. It's great strength training for offensive linemen, because at the point of attack, everything happens in a split-second. You're training speed and explosiveness. It kind of is a good, well-rounded training."

St. Mary's Welk works through leg injury

2010

Welk, a junior, is a three-sport athlete at St. Mary's with the emphasis on track and field.

This spring Welk owns the top Class A 200-meter time (22.07) and the second-best clocking in the 100 (10.83). He's the defending champion in the 200 (22.39) and is already a six-time state placer - twice each in the 100, 200 and long jump.

All that despite two major leg injuries in the past two seasons that have cost him most of a football season and almost a season and one-half of basketball. Additionally, Welk is certain to miss his senior football season.

The ongoing health problems notwithstanding, Welk isn't inclined to feel sorry for himself.

"It's been discouraging at times, but you have to take it as it comes. That's life," he said. "... It's helped my mentality. I've learned not to get frustrated, to not get down. I keep looking forward to the next play, the next race and am thankful for what I do have."

Welk was off to a brilliant start as a sophomore running back when he suffered a devastating leg injury - a broken fibula and tibia. That injury required a metal plate and eight screws in his left leg to support the healing process.

With his leg on the mend, Welk missed the entire basketball season. His strong showing at the 2009 state track and field meet was the product of tons of patience and hard work.

Along the way to recovery there were two subsequent surgeries - one during the indoor season and another after the state meet. The first involved removal of some of the screws from his leg and the second cleaned out the rest of the hardware.

Welk said he never reached a stage that could be called normal during his sophomore track season.

"I had to take it easy most of the summer and I went into football pretty weak," he said. " I had some difficulty during the season but I was able to play. ... I was kind of disappointed with last season. I wanted one good season before I graduated."

The Saints went 4-6 and were eliminated in the first round of the Class AA football playoffs.

By the time basketball arrived, Welk was ready to go. He appeared in 10 games as a reserve before being stricken again. Playing against Mandan he felt a crack in his right knee on a breakaway and his season ended Jan. 22.

"I tore my ACL and there were a few tears in the meniscus, too," he said. "... They did an MRI and I was thinking track was out of the question."

The anterior cruciate ligament is located in the middle of the knee and is part of the stabilizing structure in the joint. The meniscus, or cartilage, serves a cushioning function.

Because of the meniscus damage, the initial medical recommendation was to skip track, have immediate surgery and salvage the senior year.

But after further consultation, Welk was given the go-ahead for sprinting only.

"He (Dr. Joseph Carlson of the Bone and Joint Center) told me I could run straight lines with the ACL," Welk recalled. "... They decided the meniscus tear was small enough that I can get through the season without further splitting."

So far, so good.

St. Mary's track coach Tavis Freidt said he eased Welk into the season slowly.

"We kept him out of the indoor season because of the tight corners and high impact," Freidt said. "... At the beginning of the outdoor season we started him with the 100 and put him in the 200 the next week. We were a little worried about the 200 because of the curve."

Welk hopes to finish the track season and have surgery June 10. That would allow him to compete in track as a senior and, maybe, basketball. Football is a no-go for sure.

"It was hard to sacrifice my senior year of football. I felt like I let my teammates down, but track has been my passion," Welk noted. "... That's what I'm dedicated to now."

Welk would like to run track at the collegiate level, and in order to drum up interest among college coaches he intends to put his emphasis on track.

"I need to improve my times if I'm interested in track in college," he said.

Basketball is a possibility, but not at the expense of track.

"I'll have to see how the rehabilitation goes. ... Track has always been my passion. It's my primary sport," he said.

Freidt said he was confident that Welk was one of the rare athletes who could compete with what would normally be a disabling injury.

"I was in the stands when he got injured and I got that feeling in the pit of my stomach," the coach said. "But I had reason to be optimistic because I knew he was a hard worker and he'd already overcome one injury."

Freidt hopes to get Welk qualified in the short relays, but he's moving along pretty gingerly with that plan.

"He's run the 4x100 once this spring and the 4x200 once," Freidt said. "He'd be long jumping if he was at 100 percent, but that's pretty high-impact. Hopefully, next year he'll be long jumping."

Thus far, Welk has been pleased with what he's been able to accomplish. "My times are good, especially my 200 time. I've taken more than two seconds off that," he said.

Welk said he would never have asked for the injuries that have had such an effect on his athletic career. Through it all, however, he's become a more thankful person.

"There have been a lot of ups and downs, back and forth ... but everything has turned out fine," Welk said. "I'm lucky to even be running right now. ... Each week is a gift. That's how I kind of treated last season, too."

While Welk is able to compete this spring, he's not Joe Average. Caution is the magic word.

"I've had to be really careful training-wise," he said. ... "I can feel the meniscus more than the ACL, especially during warmups. During races I can't feel anything. I don't know if that's the adrenaline, but at full speed there's no discomfort. It's been way better than I expected it to be."

 

Tearing it up: ligaments find ways to limit athlete's futures

 

• By SETH EBACH Century Star 2011

Ready, set, hike! The play goes on just as everyone had practiced; everything is going just as the whole football team had rehearsed time and time again. It seems as though nothing can go wrong for this young football team on its way to winning yet another game.

Until one play, one second, one motion, one sound — SNAP.

Junior Noah Schaible tore his ACL and his MCL during a football game his sophomore year. Schaible was hit from the front and the outside of his knee at the same time, causing it to lock; he then attempted to move, which resulted in the ligament tearing.

“I knew right away,” Schaible said. “Once I heard that awful noise, I knew something tore.”

The ACL is the anterior cruciate ligament, which is one of the four main ligaments in the human knee. The ACL connects at the top of the tibia and the bottom of the femur, directly behind the patella.

Ligaments are strong, dense structures made of connective tissue that stabilize a joint. A good indicator of the ligament being torn is the inability to move the knee and an immense amount of swelling within minutes of the incident happening. Tearing this ligament requires surgery and rehabilitation directly after the injury.

Science teacher Sarah McNulty tore her ACL in the winter of 1999.

She was playing indoor soccer and she planted her foot on the ground and twisted it just a little too much, causing it to overstretch and tear.

“After surgery, I had a lot of pain,” McNulty said. “Then, six months later, I had to have the two screws taken out. Other than that, the injury doesn’t bother me or limit me to this day.”

After one week of surgery, the patient should be able to walk with the assistance of crutches. The amount of time  the patient needs crutches depends on how well surgery went and the recommended time the surgeon suggests.

Medcenter One physical therapist and athletic trainer Mike Ibach said a torn ACL is becoming a more prominent injury for teenage athletes.

“The reconstructive surgery is the easy part,” Ibach said. “It’s the recovery and rehab that take time.”

The average amount of time for recovery is about five months, but can range anywhere from two to six months. Patients will be issued crutches for anywhere between two to six weeks, again depending on how well the surgery went and what the surgeon recommends.

“Once the ACL is ruptured, it won’t heal on its own,” Ibach said.

Rehabilitation can go on from a few months to a couple of years.

Active teenagers who tear their ACL will have an easier time recovering versus an adult who is limited to the amount of physical activity he or she can do.

“It was so hard being on crutches,” Schaible said. “I couldn’t do anything, and the things I used to be able to do became so much harder.”

The injury Schaible suffered still bothers him in football today, and slightly limits him on some days. But he pushes through because he is determined to do his best, all day, every day. 

Patriots sweep first day

2014

Outside hitters Katie Scherr, Jordyn Jossart and Ali Hasche bring contrasting styles to the Century volleyball team.

But that doesn’t mean that their respective strengths clash. The trio is able to turn their traits into a positive for the Patriots

The three outside hitters put their qualities into competitive action for the first time this fall on the first day of the BHS-CHS Invite.

Century and crosstown rival Bismarck both finished Friday’s action unbeaten at 3-0.

Century co-coaches Jamie Zastoupil and Sara Bohrer believe that the outside hitters will be one of Century’s stronger suits to start the season.

Jossart is a 5-foot-8 senior and Hasche a 6-foot senior. Scherr is a junior, at 6-foot.

Jossart led Century on Friday with 25 kills. Hasche added 12 and Scherr 10. Jossart also collected an impressive 15 blocks while Scherr made 25 digs.

“Jordyn is going to be the competitive one every single night,” Zastoupil said. There’s nothing she doesn’t want to win, and that’s a fun athlete to have.

“Ali is very smart. She’s a student of the game. She always knows what’s on the other side of the court. Her strategy really sticks out above others.

Just because Scherr is a year younger doesn’t make her inferior.

“Katie hits a hard heavy ball and has become a student of the game,” Zastoupil said. “She has incredible defense. People see her only as a hitter, but she’s one of our better defenders.”

Scherr played sparingly on the varsity as a freshman, becoming part of a state championship team. All three played big roles as sophomores and have improved each year. Hasche is coming off an ACL injury from basketball season and was cleared for competition on the first day of practice. She played mainly back row last fall but will play all the way around this season.

“We all have the same goal,” Scherr said. “We all want to work toward the same goal. We all compete against each other, which helps us a lot.”

While many teams like to ride on the shoulders of one big player, Zastoupil and Bohrer have all those strengths spread around in three different players.

“It’s nice to not have to depend on only one player,” Zastoupil said. “We have so many options with the three of them. They can be in different positions on the floor and hit in different positions.”

First-year setter Cassidy Wilhelm should have no problem making all three happy.

“These girls know what their leadership roles are, whether it is on the court or off the court,” Zastoupil said. “All three do a good job of mixing the leadership roles around. The team really thrives off the three of them.”

Zastoupil and Bohrer plan to use the early tournament as a way to try out different lineups. The coaches both agreed that the players can recognize the talent and are open to trying new options.

Jenna Binstock led Bismarck with 17 kills. Brenna Berg added 16 and Jaycee Walter 15. Sadie Luetzen dished out 62 assists.

St. Mary’s finished Friday 1-2. Alexa Hutzenbiler led with 12 kills while Regan Bradley had 42 digs.

Fargo Davies, Fargo Shanley and Valley City also finished Friday’s action 3-0.

 

BISMARCK GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY: Haussler happy to be back

•  Bismarck Tribune
• 2011

 

It's been almost two years since Tessa Haussler has competed in a cross country race.

Excitement has taken over the Bismarck High senior as she prepares for her final season.

But, there's also some anxiety lingering in Haussler's mind.

"It's been a long time since I've been on a cross country course," she said. "I have mixed feelings about it. Of course I am happy to get back to racing again, but there's also that nervousness that anyone who hasn't raced in almost two years would have.

"It's my last season here, and I want to make it my best."

The Demons are preparing to open up their season Saturday, Aug. 27 at the Becki Wells Invitational in Dickinson.

Haussler entered last season with high hopes. She returned as Bismarck's No. 1 runner and was hoping to help the Demons win their third straight Class A title.

Excitement turned into despair. Haussler was struck with an injury the first week of practice and never competed in a meet all season while the Demons finished runners-up to Fargo Davies at the state meet.

Haussler started experiencing pain in her left hip. An MRI revealed inflammation inside her hip bone. Haussler tried cross training to no avail.

"If I would've kept running on it, I would've eventually had a stress fracture, and that would be way more severe and taken a much longer time to heal," she said. "It never healed in time to run in a cross country meet. I still don't understand how or why it happened, but it cost me a cross country season that I won't get back. But that only paves the way for a better season this year."

Bismarck coach Scott Reichenberger sympathized with Haussler.

"It was disappointing for us because she was coming back as our No. 1 runner," Reichenberger said. "We never got to see her run in one race. She tried to work through it but never got a chance to race."

Even though Haussler couldn't compete, she did her best to carry a positive outlook, especially in front of her fellow harriers.

"It was tough at first, but I knew I could still be a supporter for my team," Haussler said. "I did what I could to stay involved in practices and meets by encouraging them."

But that didn't mean watching her teammates run didn't tug at her heart strings.

"The hardest part for me was watching the state cross country meet," Haussler said. "It really hit me while I watched them in a pack during the race. I wanted to be out there with them so bad."

Haussler was able to get healthy enough to compete in track during the spring. She placed sixth in the 1,600-meter run and seventh in the 3,200. Haussler was hoping for better results in the spring, but was happy to be running again.

"It was hard to catch up after I hadn't run at all for a few months," she said. "It was a rough start for track, but things started to get back to normal toward the end of the season.

"I wasn't that proud of my season, but the coaches told me afterward that they were happy with how my state meet went considering my setback during cross country."

Reichenberger said that Haussler looks completely healthy. Haussler says she feels fine.

"During track, I felt it a couple times but it was nothing too severe, and I worked through it," she said. "This summer I trained more than I have any summer before. I went on a lot of steady runs and just tried to get some more miles in."

Haussler's return gives the Demons plenty of punch. Returning from last season is Brittany Brownotter, who placed 11th at the state meet. Alexis Zeis finished 12th and Kayla Wald 14th.

"All three have improved," Reichenberger said. "They should be stronger, and they are a year older. Throw Tessa in that group, and that gives us a nice group of runners."

Reihenberger said that Fargo Davies will enter the season as the team to beat. But he believes his Demons will be able to challenge.

We have to develop some depth to win a state title," Reichenberger said. "We are down on numbers, but we look forward to that opportunity. I look forward to the challenge, and the girls do too."

BOYS CROSS COUNTRY: Kashur = Perseverance

• By STEVE THOMAS Bismarck Tribune
• 2011

Bismarck cross country runner Lane Kashur has shown he has no trouble reaching the finish line in precipitous fashion. His problem has been getting to the starting line.

Kashur, a junior, is one of five BHS runners ranked in the top six in the state cross country poll. And he'll have more invested in today's state meet at Rose Creek Golf Course in Fargo than most of the entrants.

Stress fractures hobbled him at last year's state meet. He was ranked in the top 10 and gutted out a 63rd-place finish. Last spring he was the state's second-ranked two-miler when a similar injury sidelined him.

As a freshman, he was ranked ninth in the state cross country poll, became ill the week of the state meet and placed 22nd.

"That young man has had to deal with some blows and he's persevered," said Dave Zittleman, who shares BHS coaching duties with Darrell Anderson. "He's really worked hard with his crosstraining and he's passionate about the sport, so this year we wanted to make sure he gets to the starting line at the state meet."

With his history of stress fractures, Kashur has adopted an unorthodox training regimen.

"I've really reduced my mileage. I'm just a lot more careful and have orthotics in my shoes now ... and I'm pretty much doing a lot of crosstraining. I'm on a weight-reducing treadmill once a week, and I'm actually running six out of seven days."

In order to prepare for cross country over the summer, Kashur supplemented his running with swimming and biking.

The alternative training plan has paid off, thus far.

"I didn't know what to expect. I decided to see how it goes and it's worked out nicely," Kashur said.

Ranked ahead of Kashur in the final cross country coaches poll are teammates Jake Leingang, Austin Todd and Brandon Berg. They're rated 1-2-3, respectively. Branden Scheel of Fargo Davies stands fourth and Bismarck's Preston Lerew is No. 6.

Leingang took the individual title last fall as Bismarck claimed its sixth straight state championship. Todd, Lerew and Berg finished fourth, 13th and 17th, respectively, as Bismarck posted a score of 53.

A much lower team score is anticipated this year. The Demons enter the state meet on the heels of back-to-back perfect scores. They tallied a 15 in the conference meet two weeks ago and matched that 10 days ago in a four-team Bismarck-Mandan event.

BHS is undefeated this season, a run that includes a victory in the Roy Griak meet in the Twin Cities. Kashur said it's been amazing to watch the team come together.

"There are a bunch of young kids on the team who really decided to step up this year in hopes we can make it to the national meet in December," Kashur said.

In order to qualify for the New Balance nationals the Demons must place first or second in the Heartland Region meet next month. BHS is currently ranked No. 1 in the seven-state region and 11th in the Dyestat national ratings. The Dyestat individual rankings have Leingang 12th.

That's not to say Kashur has lost track of the state meet.

"The state meet is a big meet for us, but we look to the November and December meets as part of our season."

Kashur has ambitious goals for today.

"Personally, I'd like to be in the top five," he siad. "With my teammates we're hoping to go one through five."

That would break the state Class A record of 19 set in 1967. That team included Randy Lussenden, Leon Conitz and Leon Kleingartner.

Kashur said Bismarck's back-to-back 15s are a little hard to comprehend.

"I don't know if any of us expected to be where we are right now," he siad. "We definitely thought we had a shot at another state title, but we didn't expect to be getting perfect scores."

Behind Bismarck in the statewide standings come West Fargo, Grand Forks Central, Fargo Davies and Century.

Century, led by Cataldo DiDonna's eighth-place finish, placed second behind Bismarck in the conference meet. West Fargo edged Central 65-57 to win the East Region meet. Scheel finished first individually.

Zittleman said apart from Leingang the Demons are well-balanced.

"Our 2-3-4-5 have kind of been interchangeable, and that's a good thing," Zittleman said. "I think we're deep back to our 10th guy."

However, Zittleman insists today's focus is not on a perfect score. "We just want to go out there and have a successful run ... and if it happens, it happens," he said. "But there are some really good runners from the East, so it will take a really outstanding run."

The Class A boys are second on today's program with a 12:30 p.m. start. The Class A girls kick things off at noon. The Class B girls run at 2 p.m. with the B boys scheduled to start at 2:45.

The state layout is 4,000 meters for girls and 5,000 meters for boys.

 

 

  Strahm prepares for spring training with Royals

WEST FARGO — Following a breakout season pitching in the minor leagues of the Kansas City Royals organization last summer, former West Fargo baseball standout Matt Strahm is about to enter a pivotal time in his professional career.

Pitchers and catchers report to the Royals spring training complex in Surprise, Ariz., on Feb. 18 and few may be as eager to get to work than Strahm, who was added to the team's 40-man roster in November.

"It is a little surreal right now, but I'm sure it will all set in once I get there," said Strahm, who is a 6-foot-4 left-handed pitcher and 2010 graduate of West Fargo High School. "I'm going in there with an open mind and not really knowing what to expect. I'm sure the veterans of the clubhouse will take care of me and show me the ropes."

Strahm, 24, isn't a stranger to spring training, but this one comes with heightened importance considering Baseball America has named him one of the Royals' Top 10 prospects entering the 2016 season. He's listed as the team's eighth best overall prospect according to the publication.

Kansas City Royals Director of Scouting Lonnie Goldberg said Strahm's position within the organization has elevated. The Royals made a handful of trades last season and gave up quality left-handed pitching prospects to get utility player Ben Zobrist and starting pitcher Johnny Cueto to contribute to the team's World Series championship run.

"We were fortunate in that going into last season a strength in our system was our left-handed pitching and Matt was certainly a part of that," Goldberg said. "When we start talking about who is left-handed and is ready to pitch down in the minor leagues for us, his name is going to have to come up. That is why spring training is going to be extremely important for him coming in, getting acclimated and making an impression."

Strahm left an impression last season pitching for the Lexington (Ky.) Legends and the Wilmington (N.C.) Blue Rocks — the Royals' low and advanced Single-A affiliates, respectively. He finished the year with a combined earned run average of 2.59, 121 strikeouts, and a 0.97 WHIP (walks and hits per inning pitched).

Strahm suffered an arm injury and underwent Tommy John surgery early in his professional career. He pitched out of the bullpen with Lexington, but later made 11 starts with Wilmington while being under a five-inning limit.

"Going into spring training I still don't know what they are going to do with me," Strahm said. "Last year they wanted to protect my arm. This year going into spring training I'm going to do what is asked of me and see where I end up."

Matt Price, the scout who signed Strahm in 2012 after being selected in the 21st round of the June MLB Draft, said he still watches Strahm's pitching lines closely.

"They are taking things slow with him," said Price, who still believes Strahm could be a starter in the big leagues. "Teams are always looking for situational lefties during the September call-up part of the season and if he gets that chance it could be a valuable stepping stone for the next year."

Strahm returned home to West Fargo during the offseason. In December, Strahm threw with his younger brother Ben, who is a freshman on the Cowley Community College (Kan.) baseball team that is ranked No. 4 in the National Junior College Athletic Association Division I preseason rankings. When Ben returned to Kansas, Strahm sent a text message to Concordia baseball coach Chris Coste — a former big league catcher with the Philadelphia Phillies and Houston Astros.

 

 

Coste lined up a throwing partner to meet Strahm at Concordia's indoor training facility whenever he requested.

"It is great that they have done that for me and I appreciate it," Strahm said.

Getting pointers from Coste is something Strahm said has been beneficial.

"I love talking baseball with anyone, but talking baseball with Coste is neat," Strahm said. "He is a former big leaguer and a guy I used to look up to when he played with the Fargo-Moorhead Redhawks."

Strahm said the pitch he has been working on most in the offseason is his changeup and getting it to a point where there is a more dramatic difference of speed from his fastball.

Strahm won't get his assignment until the end of spring training, but he likely has more experiences to go through in the higher levels of the minor leagues.

"It's up to them," Strahm said. "Wherever they send me I'm going to go out and perform to the best of my abilities."

West Fargo three-sport standout Amanda Levin has torn ACL/MCL

WEST FARGO - One of North Dakota's top female high school athletes received tough news Wednesday.

Amanda Levin, a senior three-sport standout at West Fargo High School, has a torn ACL and MCL in her left knee. Levin's father, Dan, confirmed the injury's severity after results of an MRI taken early in the week came back.

Levin, who competes in volleyball, basketball and track at West Fargo, will have surgery later this month followed by several months of rehabilitation.

Levin's injury was suffered while competing at a tournament last weekend in Bismarck. The torn ACL and MCL will keep Levin off the volleyball court the rest of the season and likely the entire basketball season as well.

Dan Levin said doctors are optimistic the 5-foot-10 sprinter would be at full strength for track and field this upcoming spring. Levin is the defending Class A state champion in the 100-, 200- and 400-meter sprinting events.

Tuesday's 3-2 loss to Fargo Shanley was West Fargo's first volleyball match without Levin.

"Amanda loves to compete," West Fargo head coach Paula Pierson said. "Will we be able to replace her 100 percent? Absolutely not, but everyone is going to have to step up. That's how you even come close to replacing a player like Amanda."

"It's really hard not having her on the court with us," West Fargo senior Kaitlin Langerud added. "I wasn't expecting to play my senior year without my best friend, but she'll be there cheering us on."

Levin was an all-state second team selection in volleyball a year ago and also earned all-Eastern Dakota Conference honors.

"It is going to be different because I've played sports with her since the third grade," senior Shelby Gustafson said. "She just brings so much positive energy to the court."

"Amanda always wants everyone to do well," senior Margaret McIntosh added. "(On Tuesday) she was cheering loud for all of us from the bench."

West Fargo's Levin returns from ACL/MCL tear to defend her track titles

  FARGO - West Fargo senior Amanda Levin remembers going up for a spike at a volleyball tournament late last August and feeling a pop in her left knee as she came down.

Her knee wasn't the only part of Levin in pain.

"It was a punch to the heart," Levin said. "My foot went to the left and my knee went to the right and I pretty much collapsed."

Levin had plans for her final high school volleyball and basketball seasons. With that pop, volleyball, where Levin was an all-state second team and all-Eastern Dakota Conference selection as a junior, was done. Basketball, where she was a starter for the Packers as a junior, was over.

"I worked all my life to train for these sports," Levin said. "You dream of always being on that varsity team and going out with a bang your senior year. I had pretty high goals and all of sudden it was taken away. I wanted to go out there and play with my teammates, who I had been playing with and training with for so long. It was the worst feeling ever."

The plans were over for volleyball and basketball, but it was track that was the first thing to pop in Levin's mind as the Class A state champion in the 100, 200 and 400 meters lay with a torn ACL and MCL.

"The first thing I thought of was my track season," Levin said. "I was devastated. As soon as it happened, I pretty much knew that it was my ACL. I've never felt something so painful."

The pain didn't stop there. It would take nearly seven months of work to get back to track and field, but Levin returned. Fittingly, she returned at an indoor meet at the Bison Sports Arena on the campus of North Dakota State, where Levin is committed to run next season.

"Those were probably the six longest months of my life," Levin said of her training after surgery. "There was a lot of sweat and tears that go into the training."

West Fargo track coach Darin McKinnon remembers hearing the news about Levin tearing her ACL and MCL.

"You don't want to see that with any athlete," McKinnon said. "It's not just our kids, but you'd hate to see it happen to any kid. At the end of the day, though, it can be a learning experience and appreciation for everything you have."

Levin says she's back to full strength. At the Packer Relays on Friday, Levin took third in the 100 with a state-qualifying time of 12.72 seconds, but didn't run in the 200 and 400 after tweaking her hip.

Levin has some work to do to get back to her state-champion times of 12.05 seconds, 25.19 seconds and 58.57 seconds in the 100, 200 and 400, respectively.

"I'm working on endurance," Levin said. "I'm still working on my 100 and 200 times. I've been pretty satisfied with my 400 times. I just want to continually getting better for the end of the season."

According to McKinnon, work is nothing new to Levin.

"There's no quit in Amanda," McKinnon said. "She looked at it as a hurdle she had to get over. It takes time to recover, but I think she's on a very good path right now."

With the nightmare behind her, Levin can see the happy ending at the finish line.

"There's a bigger picture down the road, which is going to NDSU and running," Levin said. "I just want to focus on my times and hopefully keep improving. My motivation is at an all-time high right now."

 

Century must replace all-state quarterback -8/12/15

Sometimes it's as illuminating to check out who's on the sidelines as it is to determine who's on the field during the first day of football practice.

That was certainly the case on Wednesday with quarterback Dalton Feeney absent from Century's first day of drills.

Feeney, a 6-foot-3, 200-pound senior quarterback with big-play potential and a rocket-like throwing arm, is grounded by an injury to his right elbow. He suffered a disabling injury July 30 in the state AA American Legion baseball tournament and lasted only 11 pitches.

"Dalton blew his arm out in the first inning of his first game at the state tournament," Century head football coach Ron Wingenbach said. "We're definitely hoping he'll play some this year ... but any games we get him for will be gravy."

Feeney missed most of last season with a foot injury, but as a sophomore threw for 1,333 yards and 15 touchdowns to earn second-team all-state honors.

Fortunately for the Patriots, the other players reported in serviceable condition.

"Outside of Dalton, everybody is upright. We didn't lose anyone else from what we might call our top 22," Wingenbach said.

The other three AA Bismarck-Mandan teams fared better than Century in terms of player availability.

Legacy coach Chris Clements said a pair of returning starters are unlikely to play this season after undergoing surgery. Junior lineman John Holt suffered a dislocated kneecap in a football camp at North Dakota State University in June. Tyler Wetzstein, a junior offensive lineman and linebacker, had shoulder surgery after suffering a torn labrum.

"Those kids played a lot of football for us the last two years," said Clements, who will lead the Sabers into their first year of varsity action sans a senior class.

Mandan coach Todd Sheldon said the Braves were relatively injury-free the first day. 

"A couple of kids came in with injuries, but they were sophomores or younger," Sheldon said.

Bismarck coach Mark Gibson said his players showed up injury-free.

With temperatures expected to crest above 90 the rest of the week, the local coaches have made appropriate practice schedule adjustments.

Gibson, who is running two-a-days, said he's moved his second practice from the afternoon into the evening.

Clements said he scrapped his plans for two practices a day.

"We were going to go two-a-days, two hours each, but with 90-degree heat we're practicing three hours in the morning.

Wingenbach said he's going with one long morning practice the rest of this week in order to beat the heat.

"We're on the field by 8:10 (a.m.)," he said.

Sheldon said he's shuffled his practice schedule to make the most of the cooler temperatures early in the day. 

"We took out our 45-minute conditioning period today and did classroom time instead," he said.

Wingenbach estimates his squad size at 115 to 125 players, including 33 freshman. The Patriots have 25 seniors.

"We have pretty good splits as far as numbers -- 25 to 33 per class," he said.

Gibson said 105 players, grades 9-12, reported to Hughes Field on Wednesday.

"We're down, obviously, because of the new school (Legacy)," he said. "... Actually, our senior numbers are pretty decent. We've got 24 seniors and 33 freshmen. Our lightest class is the juniors with 20."

Sheldon had 89 athletes, representing the top four grades, on the field Wednesday.

 

 

"That's about exactly where we were last year, which is a little disappointing. ... Our junior class has several really talented kids, but we have really low numbers in the junior class. Three or four kids I thought would be out for football didn't come out."

Clements was pleased with his turnout. 

"I like where we're at. When it's all said and done we're going to have anywhere from 90 to 100. For three classes, that's pretty good," he said.

As might be expected, players showed up all over the spectrum in terms of off-season conditioning. Clements put his evaluation in the middle of a 10-point scale.

"I'd say a five. We'll see how they react in the next couple of days," Clements said.

Gibson also took the middle ground. 

"They showed up at about a 4.8. We've got guys I'd classify as a nine or 10 and guys I'd classify as zero or one," he observed.

Wingenbach noticed a trend.

"The kids we assumed would make an impact on the team early in the year case in in pretty good shape. Some of the others will have to catch up," he said.

Sheldon said his players reported in varying degrees of readiness. He was relieved to see his core returnees came in ready to go, almost to a man.

"We had a dozen kids at 10 and eight more kids who were eights. We had a lot of sixes and sevens and, unfortunately, a group of twos and ones," he noted.

The first important evaluation for the local teams arrives on Aug. 22 with a 9 a.m. multi-team scrimmage involving Bismarck, Century, Legacy, Mandan and St. Mary's at the Community Bowl.

Century is the first local AA team out of the chute with an opener scheduled Aug. 27 against defending state champion Fargo Davies at the Bowl.

Legacy visits West Fargo Sheyenne and Fargo South visits Faris Field to play Mandan on Aug. 28. Bismarck opens against Grand Forks Red River on Aug. 29 at the Bowl.

 

March 29, 2012

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Mary Cain Speaks Out Against Nike and Coach Alberto Salazar Over Emotional, Physical Abuse

Nov 7, 2019

 

Former high school track phenom Mary Cain has broken her silence on her former coach Alberto Salazar and her treatment as a member of the Nike Oregon Project.

"I joined Nike because I wanted to be the best female athlete ever," Cain says in an Op-Ed video produced by the New York Times' Lindsay Crouse. "Instead, I was emotionally and physically abused by a system designed by Alberto and endorsed by Nike."

Former high school track phenom Mary Cain has broken her silence on her former coach Alberto Salazar and her treatment as a member of the Nike Oregon Project.

"I joined Nike because I wanted to be the best female athlete ever," Cain says in an Op-Ed video produced by the New York Times' Lindsay Crouse. "Instead, I was emotionally and physically abused by a system designed by Alberto and endorsed by Nike."

Despite the success, Cain revealed on Thursday she battled depression that led to cutting herself and suicidal thoughts. She says she informed Salazar that she was cutting herself in 2015 to no action from the coach.

Cain announced she was leaving the Oregon Project and Salazar in Oct. 2016 and continued training as a professional runner from home in New York. From 2016 to 2019, she barely raced.

In late September, the United States Anti-Doping Agency banned Salazar four years for violating anti-doping rules. He is appealing the decision. Nike president Mark Parker issued a statement saying USADA's report found no evidence of performance-enhancing drugs being used on or by Salazar's athletes and would support him in his appeal process. 

The World Anti-Doping Agency announced that they are also investigating Salazar and his former athletes.

Salazar denied Cain's claims to the New York Times and said that he "supported her health and welfare." Nike did not respond 

At the end of the Times' video, Cain calls for change at Nike and within the sport.

"I got caught in a system designed by and for men which destroys the bodies of young girls. Rather than force to fend for themselves, we have to protect them."

Last month, Nike shuttered the Oregon Project just days before the Chicago Marathon. The team had been started by Salazar in 2011. 

Pete Julian, who was an assistant coach under Salazar, will continue to coach former Oregon Project athletes but no group or team has been announced. Julian was an assistant with the team while Cain was a member

 

On Oct. 23, Julian wrote on Instagram: "I don't regret one minute of my time with the NOP the past seven years. Every medal, championship, and record were the real deal. Not a single doubt in my mind. Love goes out to Alberto and his family and for those that have stood by their side through these past few years."

 

I Was the Fastest Girl in America, Until I Joined Nike

Mary Cain’s male coaches were convinced she had to get “thinner, and thinner, and thinner.” Then her body started breaking down.

“Equal Play” is an Opinion video series showcasing the insurgent athletes who are dragging women’s sports into the 21st century. The article below is by Lindsay Crouse.

 

At 17, Mary Cain was already a record-breaking phenom: the fastest girl in a generation, and the youngest American track and field athlete to make a World Championships team. In 2013, she was signed by the best track team in the world, Nike’s Oregon Project, run by its star coach Alberto Salazar.

Then everything collapsed. Her fall was just as spectacular as her rise, and she shares that story for the first time in the Video Op-Ed above.

Instead of becoming a symbol of girls’ unlimited potential in sports, Cain became yet another standout young athlete who got beaten down by a win-at-all-costs culture. Girls like Cain become damaged goods and fade away. We rarely hear what happened to them. We move on.

Continue reading the main story

 

MDU Resources Community Bowl Turf Replacement

 

 

 

Background Information:  At its November 1, 2016 meeting, the BPS Board approved the request from the MDUCB for BPS to manage the turf replacement project at the MDURCB.  The BPS Board directed Administration to hire an engineer Administration solicited proposals from engineers and added the turf replacement to the current Athletic Complex cooperative purchasing agreement with FieldTurf.  The cost of this project belongs to the MDUCRB and will be financed by the Bismarck Mandan Chamber Foundation.  The BPS Board will need to appoint a Board member to serve on the construction review committee.
Recommendation:  It is recommended that the board approve Swenson, Hagen and Company as the engineer on the field turf replacement project, appoint a board member to serve on the construction review committee, and award a contract to FieldTurf not to exceed $443,891.37.

 

MDU Resources Community Bowl Change Order (Attachment)

 

 

 

Background Information:  The parking lot and field lighting is not currently metered.  MDU has a special rate of lighting that eliminates the demand charges for these lights.  The cost for this change proposal is approximately $40,000 and has about a 5-6 year payback.  Projects that pay for themselves in less than 10 years are considered good projects.
Recommendation:  It is recommended that the Board approve Change Order E-2 as presented.

 

 

MDU Resources Community Bowl Change Orders (Attachment)

 

 

 

Background Information:  The Construction Review Committee has reviewed two change orders for the MDU Resources Community Bowl   project.  Details of the change orders can be found in the attached document.
Recommendation:  It is recommended that Change Order G-6 in the amount of $4,479.45 and Change Order G-7 in the amount of $1,389.74 be approved.

MDU Resources Community Bowl Change Order (Attachment)

Background Information:  The Construction Review Committee has reviewed five change orders for the MDU Resources Community Bowl project.  Details of the change orders can be found in the attached document.
Recommendation:  It is recommended that Change Order G-2 in the amount of $3,431.23, Change Order G-3 in the amount of $115.71, Change Order G-4 in the amount of ($860.06), Change Order G-5 in the amount of $642.65, and Change Order E-1 in the amount of $3,987.00 be approved.

MDU Resources Community Bowl Change Order (Attachment)

 

 

 

Background Information:  The Construction Review Committee has reviewed one change order for the MDU Resources Community Bowl project.  Details of the change order can be found in the attached document.
Recommendation:  It is recommended that Change Order G-1 in the amount of $774.29 be approved.

 

B.

BPS Athletic Complex, Phases III and IV

 

 

1.

BPS Athletic Complex, Phases III and IV Bid (Attachment)

 

 

 

Background Information: Contractor bids for the BPS Athletic Complex were received on Thursday, April 21, 2017, by BPS’s construction manager, Northwest Contracting.  A map showing Phase III and IV is included as an attachment.  Phase III included a natural grass baseball field, synthetic turf softball field, natural grass softball field and an entrance building.  Phase IV included tennis courts.  The Guaranteed Maximum Price for Phase III and IV was $3,334,903.45.
Recommendation:  It is recommended that the Board accept the bid with a GMP of $3,334,903.45.

 

 

2.

BPS Athletic Complex, Phase III Cooperative Purchasing

 

 

 

Background Information: The synthetic turf softball field was secured using cooperative purchasing.  The contract will be with FieldTurf USA, Inc. in the amount of $460,983.50.
Recommendation:  It is recommended that the Board approve the contract with FieldTurf USA, Inc. in the amount of $460,983.50.

 

Women’s Cross Country – Reclaiming The Summit Title

In Cross Country by admin

 

 

Legacy's Prince makes most of senior gymnastics season

March 28, 2021

 

Legacy High gymnast Zoe Prince lost two of her high school seasons due to injury.

She made the last two count, however, especially her senior season.

Prince won the state championship on beam last month in Jamestown and took second in the all-around, capping a career which featured plenty of perseverance.

quotShe was out her freshman and sophomore years with stress fractures in her feet,quot said Rachel Johnson Krug, head coach of the Legacy, Bismarck and Century gymnastics teams. quotShe really improved last year, and this year she excelled and competed at a very high level.quot

Prince was one of three Legacy gymnasts named to the all-state team. Junior Madison Deics, and sophomore Joanne Lee, also were selected.

Finally healthy, Johnson Krug said Prince was able to put in a full summer's worth of preparation for the season.

quotShe was able to have a full, normal offseason and she really worked hard,quot said Johnson Krug, who was in her first season as head coach. quotIt was just fun to see her healthy and having fun, but then to do as well as she did, you just felt so good for her.quot

Prince certainly excelled in her final meet.

She won the difficult beam apparatus with a stellar score of 9.5. She also earned runner-up honors on vault (9.483) and was fifth on bars (9.1). When the meet was over, her all around total of 37.540 points was second behind only Amy Fridley of Dickinson (38.4). 

As one of two seniors on the team, Prince provided more the Sabers more than just points.

quotShe did a great job in the gym. She works hard and helps motivate the younger girls,quot Johnson Krug said. quotShe's a kind person.quot

Legacy finished fourth at the state meet behind Dickinson, Valley City and Jamestown.

Prince plans to attend North Dakota State next year and study biomedical engineering.

quotShe really pushed her team along the way,quot Johnson Krug said of Prince. quotIt was a good year. A lot of positive things happened.quot

James Thomas’ collapsing effort propels Broomfield into state cross country meet: “I’ve never seen a kid run that hard”

The Colorado high school state XC meet is Saturday in Colorado Springs

Oct 16, 2020

 

James Thomas collapsed from exhaustion nearing the finish line when the Broomfield cross country runner mustered all of his strength for one last kick.

“I got to the 100-meter mark and my legs kind of just gave out,” said Thomas, who was running in third at his Class 5A regional last week, with the fourth-place finisher closing in. “I fell and I could hear everyone behind me cheering. So, I got up, took a couple more steps, looked at the finish line, and just dove.

“Everything started going dizzy, but I kept thinking: ‘Every place counts. I can’t let anyone beat me to get the boys to state.’”

Thomas’ dramatic plunge secured his third-place finish and kept the Eagles soaring into the postseason.

“I’ve never seen a kid run that hard,” Broomfield cross country coach Greg Weich said. “It was really gratifying to have that effort not wasted. All the other boys ran perfectly to qualify. It was amazing.”

The state high school boys and girls state cross country meet is Saturday in Colorado Springs at the Norris-Penrose Events Center. Few teams are so grateful for a shot at a team title as Broomfield, whose top runner pushed himself to the brink — and overcame a subsequent health scare.

Thomas will compete Saturday, but for several nervous hours after regionals, his running future appeared to be in jeopardy.

“I’ve never felt anything like that before,” Thomas said. “It was 10 minutes after the race and I’m still lying in the tent. I’m still breathing hard and I could barely see anything. That’s when I knew that it was probably bad.”

Thomas’ mother, Brooke Smith, brought her son to a nearby hospital for IV-fluids that lifted his spirits. But a concerning EKG and bloodwork results led doctors to suggest Thomas be immediately transferred to Children’s Hospital for an ultrasound on his heart. They needed to rule out any related long-term health concerns.

“He was nervous, for sure, because there was that window of time where we tried not to think about it too much,” Smith said. “What if the doctor came back with … ‘You’re done running.’”

After nearly 10 hours between two hospitals, though, Thomas was finally released with a clean bill of health. He ran at practice the next day. Thomas said an extremely fast start at regionals and low salt levels contributed to his physical collapse.

“James was a perfect example of a kid who is completely running for his team,” Weich said. “I don’t think most people running for themselves can get quite to that point. If you’re running for a little bit extra, I think you’ll find yourself running with absolutely nothing left.

“For him to get up and finish for his team in third, it was a really special moment.”

Thomas qualified as an individual for the state meet in each of the past two seasons. For the senior this will be his first and final trip with the Broomfield boys team by his side. He’s ready for one last kick to the finish line.

“The goal for me is to get as close to the top-five as possible and break into it if I can,” Thomas said. “That will just come down to preparing and racing as hard as I can that day. Hopefully, nothing like last week happens. But you never know.”

 

Jamestown runner works to make North Dakota history ahead of state cross country meet

Oct 18, 2020

 

JAMESTOWN-- Jamestown senior Meghan Ford may be one of the greatest runners to ever come out of North Dakota. She already has won two state cross country titles in Class A and is committed to run at division one at Furman next spring. Last fall though, Meghan wasn’t feeling like herself and the results on the course showed. Now it's about being back in front and finishing her final state cross country tournament in the history books.

“I think it was kind of a blessing in disguise,” said Ford.

Ford says that she strives to always be at the front of the pack.

“I think that more internal pressure than outside pressure, everybody just wants me to have fun and enjoy it. I always think that I need to win every race by more than 30 seconds,” said Ford.

For the last two years she has. Ford has already won two state cross country championships in North Dakota.

“I think probably after my freshman year during track when I won the mile. I didn't think that I would ever win a state title and so I kind of pushed my limits a little bit more. I didn’t really have super high expectations for myself then. So I kind of thought that the skies the limit, I can set my goals and if I don’t reach them I’ll still be able to do something special,” said Ford.

“I think the argument can be made that she’s maybe one of the top three or maybe top two female distance runners to ever go through the state. We’ve seen a gradual progression every year. I think we have known probably since eighth or ninth grade that she’s had a lot of potential and it still is a process of trying to make the most out of that potential,” said Jamestown Cross Country Coach Ken Gardner.

Next weekend the standout senior works to make North Dakota history becoming only the third female runner to ever win three state cross country titles. It’s a moment Ford thought might not even be feasible.

“I looked like a zombie. I was so pale and I just felt like I was going to pass out,” she said.

Last year in Minnesota, Meghan was the leader at the Roy Griak Invitational. A race where nearly 300 of the top runners from across the region compete in. She held the lead until the one mile mark, when she said something felt wrong.

“I didn’t really feel like I had been worn down until at Roy Griak. I barely finished the race and then I feel like that was kind of the race where I just realized that there was something up,” said Ford.

Meghan finished the race in 43rd and went on to discover that she had iron deficiency, making her feel weak especially when competing in her usual safe place.

I had to go through some really hard practices just not feeling full of energy and just feeling really run down for a few weeks and so I was able to mentally push through that so I think that helped me realize that my mind was holding me back a bit,” said Ford.

Once she started taking the right amount of ferritin, Ford started finding her stride again.

“I said I have nothing to lose, I couldn’t do much worse than I did at Roy Griak and I just wanted to prove to people that I was meant to be there and I just kind of let loose,” said Ford.

Not only did Meghan run well, but she started winning races again, including the Nike Cross Fit Regional in Sioux Falls, qualifying her for the national race in Oregon.

“It felt like a dream, it didn’t really hit me until like a few days afterwards I think. I crossed the line yelling I was so excited. I had dreamed about that since I was in middle school. I didn't think that I would ever do that because I looked up to those people so much that were winning those races,” said Ford.

No matter what the result is when she crosses the finish line for the final time in her career, Meghan is thankful she is still able to compete in that safe place.

“I think no matter how it goes, how I feel, I will be able to give it my all and just know that I finished it out on a good note,” said Ford.

Another perk for Ford, the state meet will be at her home course in Jamestown at Parkhurst Recreation Area next Saturday.

Davies' Entze runs through devastating injury

Oct. 1, 2020

 

FARGO -- It was a play Ethan Entze will never forget.

His Davies Eagles owned a 30-16 lead over Red River in the fourth quarter of a September 4th game.

Entze and his offense were backed up on their own three-yard line.

Davies quarterback Reid Hartness handed the ball off to the senior running back.

quotI ran the wrong play,quot Entze remembered. quotI was supposed to get the ball on the right side, I went to the left.quot

Still, he got the blockers he needed. A hole opened up and Entze exploded through.

He made one defender miss, then a second.

quotWhen I made him miss, I felt a pop in my right knee,quot Entze said. quotRight when that happened I thought, 'This kind of feels weird.'quot

quotI thought maybe I’d twisted my right knee.quot

He felt the knee pop 20 yards into the run. As he continued his run, he started to get a noticeable limp.

But he had enough blockers in front of him, so he gritted his teeth and kept going.

quotAdrenaline must’ve kicked in, I finished the play,quot he said.

Entze somehow powered his way through a 97-yard touchdown run. As he broke the plane, he knew something much worse had happened.

quotUsually I score a touchdown, I celebrate with my teammates,quot he said. quotIf you watch the end of the play, I'm putting my hand out like, 'Don't touch me, something's wrong with me.'quot

quotI thought he pulled a hamstring,quot said Davies head coach Wayne Werremeyer. quotI was going to get on him about eating bananas when he got to the sideline.quot

Entze's gut feeling became an unfortunate reality. On the cut, he completely tore his right ACL.

His senior season and high school career were done.

quotCalled my mom and she broke the news,quot Entze said. quotI was in the hallway and I was in tears. I had to ask one of the teachers in the hallway to grab my stuff out of my math class.quot

quotIt sucked, he’s one of my best friends,quot said Hartness. quotSeeing all the work he put in from the spring to now, I mean it sucks.quot

After hearing the diagnosis, Entze still wonders how he made it through the run.

quotUsually when people tear their ACLs, they go down,quot he said. quotMaybe it's the anatomy of my leg, I don't know.quot

His final play showed determination and grit many of his teammates and coaches never witnessed before.

quotI don’t know if I’ve ever seen a kid with a knee injury finish a 97-yard run,quot Werremeyer said. quotHe went about 70 yards on a bum knee.quot

Entze knows it's a great story he can tell everyone as life moves on. It's just he wasn't ready for that to be his finale.

quotI think that’s just the case in point of any play could be your last for high school,quot he said. quotI kind of took that for granted.quot

He's rehabbing most days throughout the week. Every now and then, he'll drop by practice, but it's difficult for him to see his teammates playing and not be out there with them.

quotEven watching practice and I did suit up for our senior night,quot Entze said. quotTears start coming a little bit.quot

When those times come, he thinks about the play that ended his high school career. How he didn't quit when the going got tough.

In many ways, Entze set an example for himself: in the face of adversity, keep running.

quotI’ve got stuff to work for rehabbing,quot he said. quotWhen things like this do happen, it’s not the end of the world. You can fight through it.quot

 

 

No pain, no gain

October 6, 2020

 

 

The boys and girls cross country teams participated against other schools at Souris Valley Golf Course on Saturday. Kylie Roberts is on the girls varsity cross country team and she had nothing but good things to say.

“I felt pretty good about (today’s race),” she began. “It was pretty nice weather, especially because it was kind of cold this morning and it did warm up quite a bit.”

After the race, she had a bag of ice wrapped to her ankle to help with the pain she feels in her Achilles tendon. However, it was not a consequence of running. When she is walking around, she said it’s more of a nuisance but it gets worse when she runs.

In order to “keep herself in the game,” Roberts clears her head and focuses on the race. “I think (it’s) a strength when you run because your mind is on something else that distracts you from your race, so it’s good to have a clear mindset.”

The way things go depends on her body, too.

“I would start focusing on my tendon a little bit, so I guess I had to push myself to keep focusing on the race instead of on my tendon to keep myself going.”

All in all, with the weather and feeling positive toward Saturday’s race, Roberts said she had fun.

 

CSU athletic trainers say they left because of athletic department's 'negligent,' 'toxic' culture

Dec 18, 2020

 

The final day of athletic trainer Mike DeLuca's six-year Colorado State career came last Friday, the same day the university announced it paid $107,397.50 to an outside firm for its two-month investigation into the CSU athletic department's handling of COVID-19 and racial insensitivity issues. 

He said that was appropriate given the reasons why he left the university included the quotuniversity's so-called investigation'' by law firm Husch Blackwell and subsequent report that President Joyce McConnell used to create an action plan to address the issues.

DeLuca is the second athletic trainer to leave the athletic department recently. In an email to McConnell last week, he said he has witnessed CSU fail to adhere to COVID-19 protocols and that he was lied to by one of Husch Blackwell's investigators about contacting student-athletes for the investigation.

The other trainer said she left for the same reasons as DeLuca but wished not to be identified as she seeks another job. She reported to investigators that two football players over the summer told her a coach instructed them to not report COVID-19 symptoms and to lie on daily questions concerning COVID-19 symptoms so that they wouldn't miss practice.

The report included statements from student-athletes and athletic staff that corroborated and denied the accounts by the trainers.

quotIf you're going to make recommendations, you have to do a thorough investigation,'' DeLuca, who found a similar job at another university, said in a Tuesday interview. quotMe and others told the investigators what we had experienced and for President McConnell to come out and say that most people feel OK further creates negligence and a toxic atmosphere in which me and a lot of people don't feel OK about.''

McConnell said previously in a statement to the CSU community that quotthere were no significant issues identified around COVID-19 protocol compliance in CSU Athleticsquot in the report's findings, and overall the report results were quotpositive and reassuring overall'' while acknowledging some issues.

McConnell's action plan calls for, among other things, a system for student-athletes to report concerns to an employee outside of the athletic department and continued or supplemental diversity and inclusion training university-wide, with a special focus on the athletic department.

The Board of Governors also issued a public statement supporting the administration based on the findings.

CSU responded to an email interview request with McConnell that stated, quotAs a general rule CSU doesn’t discuss personnel matters or hearsay allegations, so we would not have anything to add re: the email you referenced.''

A request last week to the Board of Governors for an interview regarding its statement was not returned.

What the investigation said: See the full reports here

Those statements have been the central focus of growing frustration from faculty, athletic staff, CSU organizations, student-athletes and students who have publicly grilled administration regarding the issues and have called into question the legitimacy of the investigation.

Alleged lies, sexual relationship

In an email exchange last week and this week that DeLuca had with McConnell and shared with the Coloradoan, he explained he was leaving because of what he said was an athletic department that was quotnegligent'' and quottoxic'' and one he couldn't trust to put the health and well-being of student-athletes first.

A Coloradoan story in which student-athletes and athletic staff alleged a COVID-19 cover-up led to McConnell's call for an investigation in early August.

 

Reality Check: You Will Probably Never Coach an Olympic Champion

Dec 11, 2020

By Slava Fattakhov

 

Reality Check: You Will Probably Never Coach an Olympic Champion

As a Coach You Can Change the World, but Probably Not in the Way You Think

Very few of us will ever coach a young student all the way to the Olympics. Yet, for many coaches, this is the ultimate dream. Training an Olympian is a chance to leave our mark on the swimming world, especially if we, ourselves, never made it to that level as competitive swimmers. But in being ever on the lookout for the next swimming superstar, are we actually failing to truly serve those less-than-Olympian athletes that continue to show up to our practices and give swimming their all?

We coach almost exclusively with the goal of preparing for competition, and we focus almost exclusively on the competition-related aspects of swimming, such as stroke technique, physical conditioning, training, nutrition, and what it takes to succeed in swimming both as an individual and as part of a team. But what difference does it make to our students if they’re fast swimmers, if they eventually stop swimming, as most will, without ever learning to apply the lessons of the sport properly across other aspects of their lives? We can best serve our serious students – whether they are Olympic material or not – by actively and consciously preparing them to achieve their own logical and realistic goals not as swimmers, but through swimming. Several such goals that bear every coach’s consideration are higher education, career opportunities in coaching, and for a small subset of students, the possibility of immigration.
Achieving a higher education will make our students more productive and more successful members of society. The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) or National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) swimming can be saviors for some students. Many athletes in the United States have been able to get their degree due to their physical abilities. These are not only Olympic-level athletes, either. A student doesn’t even necessarily have to be a national champion to get an athletic scholarship at NCAA Division I/Division II schools. There are many opportunities at the NAIA level that as coaches, we can make our more serious young athletes aware of. Helping our students to train and succeed at securing one of these competitive scholarships is not only a worthy goal, it is far more achievable than even getting as far as Olympic-level tryouts.

Some of these student-athletes that graduate can go on to get their master’s degrees and work as Graduate Assistants (GAs). A GA in swimming is essentially an Assistant Coach in a university swimming program. This is a clear and achievable path for students who choose to remain involved in swimming through coaching others. There is a big demand for coaches across the country, from learn to swim programs to more competitive options such as; club, high school, college, and professional swimming. We can also make students aware of the existence of swimming-related aquatics careers like quality assurance roles around the delivery of aquatics training courses. Individuals working in this capacity ensure that both the courses themselves and the students being assessed are meeting the standards of the course.

Though not all of our students may be interested in an aquatic career field, most of them, at some point, will have to do something for some extra money, and an accomplished swimmer can get paid far more for their time by teaching swimming than they can for flipping burgers or waiting tables. Teaching others can also help the teacher hone both their people and public speaking skills, which is a benefit in any career they might ultimately choose to pursue.
Finally, the sport of swimming can be a viable way for foreign-born students to remain in the U.S. and attain U.S. citizenship. One of the official sponsors/partners of the American Swimming Coaches Association is the law firm of immigration attorney Joshua P. Bratter, who specializes in the representation of Foreign Nationals of Extraordinary Ability, National Interest Waivers, and Entrepreneurial Investors. I got my own U.S. residentship through him, and many swimmers—not all of whom have been in Olympics—have gotten their green cards through him as well. In fact, as of the writing of this article, according to his website bratterpa.com, “over 200 competitive swimmers have successfully secured their visas.” They may not all still be really fast swimmers, but today, most of them work for really good companies and have built successful lives because they were able to leverage their athletic ability to create a non-athletic opportunity for themselves.

What it comes down to is that how fast a student swims doesn’t matter nearly as much as how much they can apply their athletic and non-athletic skills in other areas of their lives. When we coach competitive swimmers, regardless of how far they may go, we are not just building athletes, we are building character. When we encourage our students to improve as swimmers, we are teaching them how to persevere, improve, and succeed in anything they choose to pursue. Our students aren’t just learning how to be fast swimmers, they are learning how to learn and how to master a skill that has a physical dimension. They are learning that ability and success in any field begins with getting foundational skills and concepts right. They are learning why the right foundation matters, and they are learning how to build from there.
I believe that part of every coach’s job is to see potential in our young swimmers across all of these areas and then offer them as many options as we can for what they can do with it. We can influence all of our charges to think of swimming not just as something that they will either “make it” at or not, but as a sport that can and should be part of what shapes their lives. Yes, we should do everything we can to develop our students’ athletic abilities, but we should also not neglect to teach them that the most important thing about swimming isn’t how fast you swim but what you get out of it.

All of the young swimmers that we coach are on a path, and as coaches, it’s our responsibility to recognize that those paths are varied and that all have great value, not just to the young swimmers themselves, but to the world. The Olympics is merely one of them.

***

Slava Fattakhov is an ASCA LEVEL 2 coach providing swimming lessons to students from babies to more competitive swimmers in the South Florida area. A former award-winning competitive swimmer himself, Slava is a graduate of the University of Bridgeport, where he also coached

NCAA Division II national-level competitive swimmers. To learn more about how Coach Slava is shaping young lives around the sport of swimming, visit www.coachslava.com.

 

Colorado high schools launch inaugural season of girls flag football: “It’s not just a man’s sport”

More than 500 girls are participating in the first season of a sport that could be on its way to the Olympics

October 9, 2022 at 5:45 a.m.

 

There stood Mallory Brinker, a Chatfield High School senior, in the middle of a football field, wearing her black No. 29 jersey with black crosses smeared under her eyes and a red headband holding back blonde tendrils that had escaped her braids.

“I just want to tackle,” she said to her coach. “It’s taking all of my self control not to just….arrrgggh!”

“Mallory,” Chatfield coach Alexis Rosholt replied, “don’t tackle anyone.”

After the game, Brinker pondered tackling versus pulling flags hanging from another girl’s belt. Reaching for them is challenging, she said.

“They’re hard to grab,” she said. “They flap and twist all over the place.”

Brinker is one of more than 500 athletes in three Denver metro school districts who signed up for the inaugural season of high school girls flag football. At Chatfield, 83 registered to play on the first day, forcing the coach to cut it off because she wasn’t sure they could handle that many girls.

The Colorado High School Athletic Association board of directors approved on Wednesday a three-year pilot program with the goal of making flag football a sanctioned sport in 2025. Play began this fall with 25 teams from Denver Public Schools, Cherry Creek School District and JeffCo Public Schools, but CHSAA hopes to expand it to other districts over the next couple of years, association commissioner Mike Krueger said.

Flag football is growing in popularity as more women and girls play the sport and more men and boys decide it’s safer than tackle football. It’s also less expensive — and more accessible — because less equipment is required to play.

USA Football, the NFL and the International Federation of American Football are pushing for flag football to become an Olympic demonstration sport in 2028 in Los Angeles. The NAIA declared womens flag football an emerging sport in 2021 with 16 colleges fielding teams, and the National Junior College Athletic Association also is adding the sport to its offerings.

Seven state high school associations sanction girls flag football, and Colorado hopes to be in the next wave, Krueger said.

“It’s the most popular sport in our country, and we certainly think there’s a place for girls at the table,” he said.

There stood Mallory Brinker, a Chatfield High School senior, in the middle of a football field, wearing her black No. 29 jersey with black crosses smeared under her eyes and a red headband holding back blonde tendrils that had escaped her braids.

“I just want to tackle,” she said to her coach. “It’s taking all of my self control not to just….arrrgggh!”

“Mallory,” Chatfield coach Alexis Rosholt replied, “don’t tackle anyone.”

After the game, Brinker pondered tackling versus pulling flags hanging from another girl’s belt. Reaching for them is challenging, she said.

“They’re hard to grab,” she said. “They flap and twist all over the place.”

Brinker is one of more than 500 athletes in three Denver metro school districts who signed up for the inaugural season of high school girls flag football. At Chatfield, 83 registered to play on the first day, forcing the coach to cut it off because she wasn’t sure they could handle that many girls.

The Colorado High School Athletic Association board of directors approved on Wednesday a three-year pilot program with the goal of making flag football a sanctioned sport in 2025. Play began this fall with 25 teams from Denver Public Schools, Cherry Creek School District and JeffCo Public Schools, but CHSAA hopes to expand it to other districts over the next couple of years, association commissioner Mike Krueger said.

Flag football is growing in popularity as more women and girls play the sport and more men and boys decide it’s safer than tackle football. It’s also less expensive — and more accessible — because less equipment is required to play.

USA Football, the NFL and the International Federation of American Football are pushing for flag football to become an Olympic demonstration sport in 2028 in Los Angeles. The NAIA declared womens flag football an emerging sport in 2021 with 16 colleges fielding teams, and the National Junior College Athletic Association also is adding the sport to its offerings.

Seven state high school associations sanction girls flag football, and Colorado hopes to be in the next wave, Krueger said.

“It’s the most popular sport in our country, and we certainly think there’s a place for girls at the table,” he said.

There stood Mallory Brinker, a Chatfield High School senior, in the middle of a football field, wearing her black No. 29 jersey with black crosses smeared under her eyes and a red headband holding back blonde tendrils that had escaped her braids.

“I just want to tackle,” she said to her coach. “It’s taking all of my self control not to just….arrrgggh!”

“Mallory,” Chatfield coach Alexis Rosholt replied, “don’t tackle anyone.”

After the game, Brinker pondered tackling versus pulling flags hanging from another girl’s belt. Reaching for them is challenging, she said.

“They’re hard to grab,” she said. “They flap and twist all over the place.”

Brinker is one of more than 500 athletes in three Denver metro school districts who signed up for the inaugural season of high school girls flag football. At Chatfield, 83 registered to play on the first day, forcing the coach to cut it off because she wasn’t sure they could handle that many girls.

The Colorado High School Athletic Association board of directors approved on Wednesday a three-year pilot program with the goal of making flag football a sanctioned sport in 2025. Play began this fall with 25 teams from Denver Public Schools, Cherry Creek School District and JeffCo Public Schools, but CHSAA hopes to expand it to other districts over the next couple of years, association commissioner Mike Krueger said.

Flag football is growing in popularity as more women and girls play the sport and more men and boys decide it’s safer than tackle football. It’s also less expensive — and more accessible — because less equipment is required to play.

USA Football, the NFL and the International Federation of American Football are pushing for flag football to become an Olympic demonstration sport in 2028 in Los Angeles. The NAIA declared womens flag football an emerging sport in 2021 with 16 colleges fielding teams, and the National Junior College Athletic Association also is adding the sport to its offerings.

Seven state high school associations sanction girls flag football, and Colorado hopes to be in the next wave, Krueger said.

Place on the field

Jayda Glasswright certainly believes she deserves a place on the field.

The Thomas Jefferson senior, who plays quarterback, said it’s been fun to be a part of the inaugural season and prove girls can play football. One reason she wanted to play was to show off her skills to her best friend — Sam White, the senior center on the boys football team.

Glasswright also plays basketball and runs track for Thomas Jefferson. Flag football gave her a new outlet in the fall.

“I already like being aggressive and tough,” she said. “I just love to play sports.”

Lwam Tekle, a senior center for TJ, said she grew up wanting a chance to play football. Now, she has it.

“I want to go down in history,” Tekle said. “It’s fun that they gave girls a chance.”

The Thomas Jefferson team’s sideline illustrated just how popular flag football could be among Colorado girls. There were Black girls and white girls. Girls speaking Spanish. Girls wearing hijabs. Girls with purple hair. Upperclassmen cheering for underclassmen. Soccer players. Basketball players. Swimmers.

Seeing such a diverse group engaged with the sport is rewarding, coach Suzanne Meyer said.

“There’s just a great team spirit,” she said.

Meyer is a math teacher at TJ and wasn’t involved with any athletics teams when the principal approached her about flag football. She agreed to take on the team.

“I love football,” Meyer said. “I have Broncos stuff all over my room.”

The Broncos are a big reason girls flag football is underway in Colorado, Krueger said.

Football crazy Colorado

CHSAA hired Krueger from USA Football and the Broncos approached him about flag football before he officially started in July. The Broncos invited three Front Range school districts to participate in the first season and paid for equipment, referees and coaches’ stipends, he said.

The Broncos also paired with Nike to provide every team uniforms.

The Broncos, like every other NFL team, works with youth and school football leagues to promote the sport. The team was ready to bring more girls into the fold, said Bobby Mestas, the Broncos director of youth and high school football.

“This is something that’s really exploding all over the country,” Mestas said. “It’s about giving girls more opportunities to participate in high school athletics.”

The goal, Mestas and Krueger said, is for flag football to become CHSAA’s 17th sanctioned girls sport.

“It’s a great team activity,” Krueger said. “And it’s one that involves great athletic movement and skills. Multi-sport athletes have a chance to expand their athletic opportunities and grow their skills.”

Colorado already has a national presence among adult women’s football.

In July, the Mile High Blaze, a semi-pro tackle football team, won its first national championship.

Last year, Lace Up, a pro women’s flag football team based in Denver, won a national title in its first season. Two women play for USA Football’s national team, said Coach Mario Lopez, who also volunteers with Arvada West.

“There’s so much upside to women’s flag football,” Lopez said. “It is its own sport. Anybody can play.”

Rosholt, the Chatfield coach, said she’s already received a request for game footage of her players from a college in Texas.

“I told them, ‘You do know they’ve only been playing for four weeks?'”

Veneigh Howard, whose daughter, Khamari Williams, plays for Denver North, said she believes it will catch on at the high school level.

“That’s why so many girls signed up because we are football crazy,” Howard said.

7-on-7

As they built the flag football program from scratch, CHSAA, along with the Broncos and athletic directors from the three school districts, consulted with other states to figure out the rules.

They looked to the Georgia High School Association, which was the first to make flag football an official sport, for guidance. Georgia is in its third year of championship play and added a third division because of the growing popularity, according to the association’s website.

Colorado officials settled on 7-on-7, although USA Football’s National Flag Football teams play 5-on-5, and that is the style being pushed for Olympics consideration.

Colorado’s organizers decided 7-on-7 gave more girls a chance to be on the field, Mestas said.

They wanted to avoid injuries as much as possible as the girls learn the sport, so it is non-contact. There’s no blocking and fumbles are dead balls, so girls don’t slam into each other diving for a loose football.

“We’re trying to keep the incidental contact out of the game,” Mestas said. “There’s not a way to be ultra aggressive in flag football. It’s much more a skill-based game.

“For the time being, we love our rules. It’s very fast-paced. It’s very high scoring.”

For those who might scoff at football where no one gets tackled, Andrew Ryland, senior manager of education and training at USA Football, said spectators need to think about other popular sports that have variations in play. Softball, for example, has slow pitch and fast pitch. Professional rugby teams usually play with 15 players to a side while rugby 7s are played in the Olympics.

“Football, because it is a contact, collision sport, has created these particular barriers and ideas of what football is,” Ryland said.

Some athletes — and their families — love football but also are leery of the tackling.

“The throwing and catching is intriguing to them but maybe they don’t want to fight with other giant human beings,” Ryland said. “Each individual will be attracted to different variations fo the game.”

“Girls can play”

On Tuesday night, JeffCo Public Schools held a jamboree for the teams in its district at JeffCo Stadium.

Arvada principal Shannon Vigil watched her girls beat a team from Columbine, 24-12. The team is creating a buzz on the Arvada campus, which is home to 700 students, 75% of whom are on free or reduced lunch plans.

Flag football is a great fit for Arvada’s athletics program because of its low cost, she said. The flag football coach, Vernon Wittington, also coaches girls and boys basketball.

“We don’t have to buy a lot of equipment,” Vigil said. “It gives a lot of girls access to sports that don’t play other sports. And it’s so new for everybody that you don’t have a powerhouse.”

Emma Ngewasi, an Arvada junior, and Jessica Vazquez, a sophomore, were the stars for the night. Vazquez scored off an interception, too fast for anyone to catch, and Ngewasi, a basketball and soccer star, showed off her footwork as she danced between would-be tacklers, making it hard to grab ahold of the flags fluttering around her waist.

“My older brother and sister play sports,” Ngewasi said. “I got used to being strong and playing rough with them.”

Vazquez said she learned to play football from her dad. Speed runs in the family, she said.

“We’ve been putting that work in,” she said.

The parents also are thrilled with flag football’s introduction.

Shelly Myskiw stood along a railing at JeffCo Stadium watching her daughter, Tia Myskiw, a Chatfield sophomore, play safety.

Myskiw was especially pleased to see hundreds of girls playing a sport together for a few hours, rather than sitting at home and fiddling around on social media.

“She works harder on her academics because wants to be eligible,” she said of her daughter. “She’s made some good friends. Without this, she would be at home on Instagram. Instead, she’s here. In a thousand ways, this is better.”

On another field, Jay Cordova lined up on defense for Pomona. Her 4-foot-11 stature did not hold her back as she hassled an Arvada West quarterback the entire game. One of her pass breakups was so hard that a thundering thump could be heard across the field as she swatted the ball through the back of the end zone.

Cordova, a freshman, started playing flag football when she was five. She played tackle football in a boys rec league for two years in middle school and briefly considered trying out for Pomona’s boys team. But she decided she was too small and would get hurt.

“It’s too scary,” she said.

Then came the announcement about a girls flag football team. Cordova found her place.

On Tuesday, she lined up wearing her black jersey with hot pink sleeves underneath. She returned an interception for a touchdown, helping her team win 38-6.

“I like being competitive,” she said before running off to celebrate with teammates.

Most of all, the girls taking the field this fall said they are proud to be part of something new and breakdown stereotypes in sports.

“Girls can play football,” M.J. Murphy, a Chatfield freshman, said. “It’s not just a man’s sport. It’s equality.”

CHSAA Girls Flag Football Rules

+ Seven players on each side

+ The field is 60 yards long x 30 yards wide

+ Four downs to get to midfield, then another four downs to score

+ Once a team is 5 yards or less from the end zone or midfield point, running plays are not allowed

+ Fumbles are dead balls

+ Interceptions are live balls

+ No blocking

+ No special teams

+ Quarterback can only run if she’s being rushed

If you go

The girls state flag football championships will be held at 2:30 p.m., Oct. 15, at the Pat Bowlen Field House, 13655 E. Broncos Pkwy., Centennial. Admission is free.

Columbine players from left to right Emily McFadden, Annie Peyrouse, Tuli Smith and Emma Hendricks watch the action against Arvada at JeffCo Stadium in Lakewood on Tuesday, October 4, 2022. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)

 

How Vikings players use multiple sports to power their football success

The team has 62 on the roster who played more than one sport in high school, and there's even an Olympic hopeful in the bunch. 

By Ben Goessling Star Tribune FEBRUARY 21, 2023 — 6:28AM

Chris Reed and C.J. Ham — with many of their Vikings teammates already settled in warmer climes — piled their families into cars for a trip to Mankato on the second Saturday of the offseason to see if they could put the shot as far as they once did.

They'd first become acquainted over January indoor track and field meets at Minnesota State Mankato. Reed won two Division II national championships at MSU, with career bests that put him just short of U.S. Olympic trials qualification, while Ham was the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference runner-up in the shot as a senior for Augustana.

Since then, they've both beaten the odds in football, as undrafted free agents from Division II schools who'd earned lucrative contracts and NFL pensions.

"If I wasn't doing track, I don't know that I would have pulled it off," Reed said. "Because I know I got my strongest when I was throwing, and that translated to football."

Reed and Ham are part of a lineage of Vikings players who grew up as multisport athletes and remain outspoken about how the skills they honed in other sports made them better football players. Of the 71 players on the Vikings' current roster, 62 competed in at least two high school sports. Nine — including Kirk Cousins, Brian O'Neill, Eric Kendricks, Harrison Phillips, Dalvin Tomlinson and Harrison Smith — were three-sport athletes. Three players (Adam Thielen, William Kwenkeu and T.J. Smith) competed in four.

Track and field (30) and basketball (23) were the two most popular second sports, but the list included seven others: baseball, wrestling, soccer, rugby, cross country, lacrosse and golf, where Thielen won a state championship with Detroit Lakes in 2008.

Reed and Ham squeezed in a pair of 90-minute throwing sessions at Concordia-St. Paul the week of the Mark Schuck Open, then made their way to Mankato to compete Jan. 28 as unattached competitors. The day came with more fanfare than Reed or Ham ever experienced as college athletes: a recording of the Vikings' "Skol" chant boomed over the field house speakers during their final attempts, and their competitors lined up for pictures with Reed and Ham at the end of the meet. Reed won and Ham finished third; they laughed afterward about the nerves they'd felt during their first shot put attempts in years.

"It's fun to just compete," Ham said afterward. "I missed that feeling of, 'It's just you in that ring.' It's awesome."

The trip hadn't just been for nostalgia: Reed wants to chase his dream of qualifying for the Olympic trials in 2024 or 2028, and both Ham and he knew the balance, coordination and force production they trained in the shot put ring could help them on the football field.

"I was at my most explosive when I was [throwing in track and field]," Ham said. "Doing these types of movements makes me a better athlete."

'Just be a kid'

Even as professionals, a handful of Vikings players incorporate other sports into their offseason training; pickup basketball remains popular, while Phillips returns to his high school wrestling mat each offseason and Cousins has picked up tennis. Running back Dalvin Cook said he once drove by a park near his house and did a double-take when he saw Justin Jefferson playing in a pickup soccer game.

"A lot of [sports] is just trying to get them thinking you're going one way and then going the other," said Jefferson, who first learned some of the footwork he uses against defensive backs while trying to mimic Allen Iverson's crossover in pickup basketball games with his brothers. "My parents told me, 'Just try to do as much as possible; just try to learn as much as possible. You never know which sport is going to help out with another.' You don't have to worry about one sport all the time. Just be a kid, and have fun."

The fact so many Vikings players grew up playing multiple sports cuts against the growth of single-sport specialization, as club teams and competitive youth travel teams exert greater influence and parents steer children toward one sport.

Two studies presented at the 2018 American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons annual meeting showed 54.7% of parents encouraged children to focus on a single sport. Thielen, who's opened up a series of sports training facilities around the Midwest with his trainer Ryan Englebert, said "it's pretty much a guarantee" he brings it up or fields questions from parents about it at every grand opening.

"Parents are very curious about the thoughts of people who have been through it," Thielen said. "If you asked a lot of people in strength training, sports performance, high-level athletics, a majority would probably say they encourage you to play multiple sports, because of that injury prevention: different movements, and not just doing the same thing over and over. If you do have an awkward movement in a game [and you specialize], your body's not used to that."

The Vikings players who grew up playing multiple sports say they're grateful for their backgrounds.

"You don't realize how big it is," Reed said. "I feel like a lot of my stuff [from different sports] working together is why I was able to go to the NFL."

Different skill set

NFL rosters incorporate athletes with a wide range of skill sets and body types, from 195-pound receivers with 37 1/2-inch vertical leaps like Jefferson to 300-pound linemen like Phillips, who turned heads at the 2018 NFL combine when he bench pressed 225 pounds 42 times.

The list of skills Vikings players developed in other sports is equally broad.

Track and field helped throwers like Reed, Ham and Patrick Jones — who was on a high school team with 2020 Olympic silver medalist Grant Holloway — learn to transfer force from their lower to upper bodies, and refined raw speed for perimeter players like Patrick Peterson, K.J. Osborn, Jalen Nailor and Jefferson, who ran the 200- and 400-meter dashes while competing in the long jump and triple jump. It's perhaps appropriate that Smith, who's gone to six Pro Bowls as a do-everything safety in the NFL, was a state champion decathlete in Tennessee.

The Vikings' top two defensive linemen, Phillips and Dalvin Tomlinson, were both heavyweight state wrestling champions. Tomlinson, who turned down a chance to wrestle at Harvard so he could play football at Alabama, estimated he borrows something from his wrestling background "almost every other play" on the field.

"I remember one time, I came off a block and dove for somebody and I was like, 'I just did a single-leg takedown,'" Tomlinson said. "A lot of different times, you'll come out and it feels like you're on the wrestling mat all over again. Especially when you're going up against two 300-pound people, the amount of leverage it takes to stay up in there, it feels like a long overtime wrestling match."

Thielen said, "If I didn't play basketball, I don't think I'd be where I am," because of the body control, spatial awareness and high-speed change of direction he learned on the court. When he returned punts and kicks in college, he said, his experience as a center fielder in baseball helped him track balls in the air.

Even his golf background, he said, can transfer to football.

"I think of the mental side of the game — you kind of have to flush it, move on and go to the next shot," he said. "I think you can learn a lot from that, and that's really helped me."

Still competing

Vikings players have entered the time of the year when they're largely training on their own, often with personal trainers. While much of that work is to build pure speed and strength, some Vikings players still mix multisport approaches into their training even now.

Cousins, like Thielen, has paused playing pickup basketball during his NFL career, out of concern he could get injured. He's replaced it with tennis, where he can incorporate some lateral movement and get his shoulder some light work while serving.

Phillips sometimes returns to his high school (Millard West in Omaha) for offseason conditioning on the wrestling mat with anyone on the team who "wants a shot at the title." He said he typically shows up with a large stack of cash and offers it to anyone that can score a point on him.

"No one's ever scored a point," he said. "It's been working out in my favor."

As for Reed, who turns 31 in July, an Olympic trials bid would likely be more serious once he's done playing football. His best mark of 65 feet, 10 ¹⁄₄ inches — set in a meet he won at Myers Field House in 2014 while Ham finished third — was less than 2 feet short of the standard for the 2020 trials. Almost as soon as he signed with the Vikings last April, he started talking to Ham about throwing in some meets this offseason, when they both would be in Minnesota. He's planning to compete in several more this spring to see how serious a shot he might have at the 2024 trials. Next offseason, he said, he could train more consistently and link up with a coach.

Even if he's not yet making a full investment in his Olympic dreams, he knows whatever time he spends in the shot put ring can benefit his work in the middle of the Vikings' offensive line.

"It trains spatial awareness — when your body's moving fast, knowing where your body is in space," Reed said. "I use sports psychology a lot for shot put, imagery and all that stuff, so that transfers to football. It's great strength training for offensive linemen, because at the point of attack, everything happens in a split-second. You're training speed and explosiveness. It kind of is a good, well-rounded training."

 

Rest and recovery time from organized sport participation: Adolescent and young athletes should spend time away from organized sport and/or activity at the end of each competitive season. This allows for both physical and mental recovery, promotes health and well-being and minimizes injury risk and burnout/dropout. How long should an athlete take off? One month. Being overambitious is what gets you in trouble and burned out or injured. You can still remain active during this rest period, just get completely away from your sport environment. Remember, it is the recovery, rest period that makes you stronger! 

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