“In Perham, the girls' gymnastics team fills the trophy case” plus 2 more |
- In Perham, the girls' gymnastics team fills the trophy case
- Welcoming the winter sports season
- Jackson-area youth sports: Baseball, bowling, cheerleading, gymnastics, golf, soccer listings; weekly bowling results
| In Perham, the girls' gymnastics team fills the trophy case Posted: 21 Dec 2010 11:55 AM PST by Dan Gunderson, Minnesota Public Radio December 10, 2010 Perham, Minn. — In many Minnesota small towns, Friday nights bring fans together for high school basketball or hockey games. Those are the winter sports that get the most attention. But in the small town of Perham, it's the girls' gymnastics team that's filling the trophy case. The Perham gymnasts are starting a season they hope will end with an eighth consecutive state championship. In the high school's dimly lit gym, seven state title banners hang from the rafters. A half dozen girls are practicing balance beam moves at the same time and Coach Charlie Fleck seems to see them all. He pushes, and praises. "Jordan, you gotta keep your back straight. Get posture position! Get that takeoff position." Fleck exhorts. "Atta girl," Fleck adds when the gymnast is successful. Fleck has been doing this for 38 years. The 60-year-old retired teacher taught and coached gymnastics in Fargo for 25 years. He coached 18 conference championship teams and won four National High School Gymnastics Invitational titles. When he retired he moved to Minnesota lakes country. In 1998 he opened a gymnastics club in Perham. Perham approved girl's gymnastics as a high school sport in 2002. Two years later the team won its first state title, and they've won every year since. Mikaela Eickschen, a senior this year, has been coached by Fleck since she was three. "He's not mean, but he's tough," Eickschen said. "He loves you like his own daughter. He'll reward you like his own daughter. He buys us [leotards] for Christmas. They're $30 a piece, times 14 girls, it gets expensive. He cares about us a lot and he wants us to be good." The girls practice three hours every evening and on Saturday. They have a 9 p.m. curfew. Senior Kelsi Vomacka said the coach demands hard work in the gym and in the classroom. "It's not a sport for the weak, that's for sure," Vomacka said. "We pick off the weak in the beginning and the tough stay through it. "You have to give up dinner with your family because you get home late from practice. You have to give up a lot of sleep because you're up late doing homework," she said. "Going out to see a movie, you have to give that up because you need to be home either studying or sleeping. You can't be running around. It does take time to realize that, but it pays off in the end." The payoff for Vomacka has been an individual state championship in addition to the team state titles. As a senior, she feels the pressure to repeat this year. She said no one wants to be on the team that breaks the streak of seven straight state titles. Fleck said the Perham gymnastics program is successful because kids get an early start and they work hard. Local businesses pay for equipment and parents support the program. Gymnastics is still growing in Perham. This year there are 14 girls on the high school team and more are expected to make the team next year. The coach isn't much for inspirational speeches, but he uses a lot of simple phrases to focus on the same message, discipline and hard work. "When the going gets tough the tough get going. That's one he says all the time," offers Eickschen. "And another one: 'It's not luck; it's hard work,' " adds Kelsi Vomacka. "[When] preparation meets opportunity, luck is what happens," Fleck said. "We've had some good luck." That luck is expected to continue this year. The Perham girls are favored to win another state title. Perham is tied with Mahtomedi for the most consecutive state titles in girls' gymnastics, according to the Minnesota State High School League office. Fleck hopes to bring home several more state titles to Perham. He's 60 now and plans to keep coaching for another six years. "I like kids; kids are part of my life," he said at the gym. "When I come here, it's fun because every day the kids come in here with a smile on their face. And the next two years we're going to gain a lot of numbers. And we have some phenomenal kids coming." There's room to hang at least a few more championship banners from the rafters in that crowded old gym. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
| Welcoming the winter sports season Posted: 21 Dec 2010 10:38 AM PST Except for skiing, every winter sport is under way. Just like every year, I look forward to the winter sports season because its my favorite. I like the winter so much because my two favorite high school sports, basketball and gymnastics, take place during this period. Another positive for the winter is that its more of a marathon and not a sprint, allowing everyone time to get into the season. This differs from all the fall sports, sans football, and the spring sports, in which those seasons are sprints and appear to end shortly after they commenced. After a fall in which three amazing people, who made huge contributions to the world passed away at a young age, and bad breaks followed a few good breaks, the coming of the winter season is soothing and welcoming. Life isn't about who wins and who loses on an athletic field and court; it's more important for the universe to be in harmony than it is for one's team to win. So far, the winter appears to be off to a harmonious start and things actually feel right with the world at all levels. I even feel like a different person with a new focus as well, which contributes to the new harmony of the winter sports season. Covering athletes with heart is fun. Let's start with the Staples boys basketball team. Staples grabbed a historic win over Trinity Catholic on Friday, beating the Crusaders for the first time in at least 20 years. The Wrecker cagers are a fun group to cover and easy to root for, and with senior tri-captain lefty Gabe Seidman leading the way along with senior tri-captains Luke Yeager and Jake Felman, and vastly-improved junior Mike Argosh, I predict them to garner 15 regular-season victories. Speaking of Felman, he epitomizes what heart and hustle are about. As a 6-1 center, he won many battles for the rebound against opponents who are much taller. Yeager is one of the best guards in the league and Seidman can do everything and will be a worthy candidate for the Jewish Center for Community Services Scholastic All-Star game. Another worthy candidate for the Jewish Center for Community Services All-Star game is Weston girls basketball senior tri-captain Christina Welsh. Welsh is deft in turning thievery into an art form as she had 23 steals in the last two games, 28 overall in three games. The Lady Trojans should also win 15 regular-season games with Welsh leading the way along with senior tri-captain swingman Hannah Hutchins, senior tri-captain defensive player extraordinaire Dakota Sloop and junior inside player Ellie Martin. Covering the Staples girls and Weston boys basketball teams along with both gymnastics teams will also be worth savoring. Senior captain Nikki Brill is a tough player who is fun to watch and senior tri-captain MaryKate Van Sant brings a lot to the table for the Lady Wrecker cagers, as well as junior Remy Nolan. Providing Weston with energy are senior tri-captains Cole Rosemann and Justin Mettel and junior lefty point guard Max Molinsky. Two players who will make an impact for both basketball teams and will be fun to watch are Lady Wrecker sophomore point guard Erica Stein and Trojan junior power forward center Lyle Mitchell. Another positive for the winter season are the cheerleading competitions, which I'm looking forward to cover. The only drawback for the winter is the weather, which is unpredictable in this region. Four years ago, we had 70-degree days in January and here's hoping we'll have another tropical month. If we have that and all the things that have been working out continue to work out, this could be one of the best winters ever. Last, but certainly not least, working with two coaches I hold in high regard, Staples girls basketball coach Ed Huydic and Lady Trojans gymnastics coach Salina Tavella, are two finer points of the winter sports season. Let's hope this a positive and memorable winter season. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
| Posted: 21 Dec 2010 12:26 PM PST Published: Tuesday, December 21, 2010, 2:59 PM Updated: Tuesday, December 21, 2010, 3:07 PMANNOUNCEMENTS Basketball
Bowling
Cheerleading
Gymnastics
Golf
Soccer
RESULTS Bowling Airport Lanes Junior/Senior All Stars—Ian Smith 479, Kaitlyn DeForest 468, Zachary White 454, Kenny Holmes 452, Bryanna Dishaw 414. Peanuts—Bryce Thomas 108, Ryan Smith 94, Austin McCarron 85. Prep Birdies—Connor Smith 275, Donavan Dragan 262, Bryce Keller 261, Hailey Rodriguez 255. Youth Masters Classic—Ryan Masters won the weekly tournament when he rolled a 213 in the final match. Hunter Williams (203) finished second and David Rodriguez (196) was third. Suburban Lanes Juniors—Zach Fagan 606, Nolan Kinchsular 592, Chelsea Daniels 442. Preps—Kourtni Epperly 267. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
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