John's Journal: February 2023

Monday, February 27, 2023

John’s Journal: Female Wrestling Coaches Fill Important New Positions

Teresa Tonda remembers the day in May 2021 when the 48-member MSHSL Representative Assembly approved adding girls wrestling as a sanctioned sport. Despite having no background in the sport, the longtime teacher in South St. Paul and a onetime basketball coach immediately made it clear that she wanted to help coach female wrestlers.

The middle school language arts teacher, in her 34^th year as an educator, said, “Literally that day I went in and said, ‘I want to coach wrestling.’ My stepsons had wrestled, I love the sport and I wanted to be part of girls having a place to belong.”

Tonda is one of several female high school wrestling coaches in Minnesota, where wrestling for girls is in its second season. Some of the coaches are veteran teachers and coaches in other sports, some have children who wrestled, some are young women who have experience as wrestlers on the high school and college levels, and all are enthusiastic about this new opportunity for female athletes.

“It’s really awesome being a role model and leader for these girls,” said Savannah Vold, 23, an assistant coach at Chatfield who wrestled at Rochester Mayo and Augsburg University in Minneapolis. “It’s cool to know how much they look up to me.”

The number of MSHSL schools sponsoring girls wrestling doubled to 96 this season, and the opportunities for postseason berths also doubled. The number of section tournaments for girls went from two last season to four this season, and the number of girls advancing to state also has doubled.

Ninety-six females have qualified for this week’s state tournament at Xcel Energy Center. A year ago, when girls competition was held for the first time, four girls advanced to state in each weight class. When the individual competition for girls and boys is held Friday and Saturday (boys will compete for team titles on Thursday), girls will wrestle in 12 weight classes from 100 to 235 pounds, with eight girls in each class.

It's a sea change for a sport that was basically a boys-only activity for nearly a century; the MSHSL began sponsoring state wrestling tournaments in 1938.

“The big thing for me is I wanted to show girls you can have a job and be a mom and work out and be strong and sweaty and dirty, and then you clean up and put on your high-heeled shows and go to the dance,” Tonda said. “There are zero limitations for girls.”

South St. Paul’s Gisele Gallegos and Ella George will wrestle at state. The Packers brought seven female wrestlers to the section tournament and they all medaled, including three who are first-year wrestlers.

Kahlea Jolly, 21, is one of the busiest wrestlers and wrestling coaches in the state. She wrestled at Centennial High School for four years and is now a senior wrestler at Augsburg -- which has sponsored women’s wrestling since the 2019-20 season – as well as an assistant coach at Centennial. She was at Hastings High School for a girls section wrestling tournament on Feb. 11, where Centennial wrestlers Jaden Ruegsegger, Nora Akpan and Alaina Franco advanced to state.

“It was full of emotions,” Jolly said of the section tourney. “The highest of highs, sending three girls to state, and the other girls barely missed going to state. I was full of adrenaline all day long. It’s kind of bittersweet because when I was in high school, we didn’t have this. I’m soaking up every second of it.”

Jolly is very busy, because a typical day begins with wrestling practice at Augsburg at 7 a.m., a full slate of college classes, followed by coaching Centennial High School wrestlers at 3:30.

“I love it,” she said.

A love of wrestling provides motivation for coaches, no matter the gender.

Jenn Passe, 38, works as a school nurse at Jordan High School as well as a first-year assistant wrestling coach for the Scott West team, a cooperative squad with athletes from Jordan and Belle Plaine. She wrestled at Hesperia High School while growing up in southern California.

“It was the only way my dad would let me and sister wrestle,” she said, “if it was on all-girls team. Me, my sister and other girls joined forces. My dad drove us to tournaments, because there were no buses for us. It was nothing like it is today. We had three tournaments and that was it. No section, no state, nothing like it is now.

“And I would have to say I love it,” she said. “My five-year goal is to build the girls team up as well as the boys team. We had 10 girls at Scott West to start with, and two left the team. Next year I hope to double or triple that number. I’m paying my respect back from when I was in it, and I’m glad I can pay it forward because I love wrestling.”

Vold graduated from Rochester Mayo in 2018 and wrestled collegiately, first at Waldorf College in Iowa and then at Augsburg. She began wrestling as a high school junior, competing mainly against boys.

“You really didn’t see any girls wrestling,” she said. “It was crazy if you saw two girls. It was basically all boys.”

Chloe Berg, who will wrestle at state this week, is one of seven female wrestlers at Chatfield.

“I love all of them so much,” Vold said. “It’s so much fun getting to bond with them and relate to them. That makes the girls more comfortable to come out for wrestling.”

Having females compete has given wrestling a big boost, in numbers as well as attention. The female coaches see much more growth ahead.

“Honestly, I feel like it’s going to keep getting bigger and bigger,” Vold said. “It’s amazing that the MSHSL has sanctioned it. I’ve talked to my friends from Augsburg and we wish we’d had this opportunity. It’s cool to talk to the wrestlers now and hope they appreciate this. I don’t have any doubt that it’s going to continue getting bigger. Now that it’s an actual thing and they see all these girls go to college and wrestle, they know they have a shot with this, now. It’s super cool to see.”

Passe said, “Ten years from now, I feel like girls wrestling will be just as big as boys wrestling, if not bigger. Especially with how many girls wrestle now compared to just five years ago. I feel like it’s a powerful sport and now that parents are realizing that their girls can do it, and now there are female coaches and female refs, it’s going to become a female sport just as much as a male sport. It’s a wonderful thing.”

Vold said the relationships with young female wrestlers is vitally important.

“I can help give them experiences that I didn’t necessarily get,” she said. “Being there for them off the mat, too, giving them life advice, is important. It’s pretty special.”

--MSHSL media specialist John Millea has been the leading voice of Minnesota high school activities for decades. Follow him on Twitter @MSHSLjohn and listen to "Preps Today with John Millea” wherever you get podcasts. Contact John at jmillea@mshsl.org

Saturday, February 25, 2023

John’s Journal: Dave Palmquist Is The Dean Of Girls Hockey Coaches

Dave Palmquist, as he has been doing for nearly three decades, was encouraging his players in the middle of a game.

“We’ve gotta be cool and calm here, girls. Cool and calm.”

This statement came with under six minutes remaining in regulation of Saturday morning’s third-place game in the Class A state hockey tournament at Xcel Energy Center. Palmquist’s South St. Paul Packers and the Proctor/Hermantown Mirage were tied 2-2.

When regulation time ended in the same deadlock, the players listened to their coach as they gathered on the bench.

“I’m so proud of you girls! Keep it up! It doesn’t get much better than this, huh?”

The Packers got the 3-2 win with sophomore Bailey Vesper scoring in overtime, her third goal of the game. Sophomores Lily Pachl and Alida Ahern assisted on Bailey’s first and third goals, with senior Sarah Wincentsen getting the assist on goal No. 2.

The postgame smiles were large and the cheers were exuberant. Before the door to the Packers’ locker room – the same locker room used by visiting NHL teams -- was closed, Palmquist stood in front of the seated players and said, “I’m so proud of you guys. Give it up!” Everyone applauded.

There were hugs and tears, because the season had come to an end with a record of 23-6-1. It was the 977^th game in Palmquist’s coaching career, giving him an overall record of 653-291-33.

That’s a lot of hockey, and rightfully so. Palmquist, 59, was hired when South St. Paul started playing girls hockey in 1994-95, the year when it became an official MSHSL sport. He’s the only original head coach to still be on the job, and he has no plans to stop.

“They always say don't quit something you still love, and I still love it,” he said. “The society wants to say it's getting tougher and tougher, but the kids need more love and that's why I want to be around them. There are kids that you can't give up on, you’ve got to keep loving them. And I feel like it's my calling and what I need to do.”

Indeed, it is his calling. And how it happened is an example of the turns that life can take. Palmquist, a graduate of Minnehaha Academy in Minneapolis, had coached boys hockey at his alma mater for seven years when he applied for the job as boys hockey coach at South St. Paul. He wasn’t hired, but a short time later the Packers were looking for a coach to lead their first-year girls program.

Tim Dittberner, now the superintendent at New Prague, was in his second year as the South St. Paul athletic director in 1994. When the decision was made to start a girls team, they had their candidate.

“We recruited him really hard,” said Dittberner. “We had a teaching position open for him, we put the full-court press on him and he finally said yes.”

Palmquist, a middle school physical education teacher, also coaches boys golf. He loves everything about what he does and can’t imagine changing a thing.

“I’ve just been a teacher and a coach, I don't know anything different,” he said. “I wouldn’t even know how to pull myself out of it. I don't know how to end because honestly, as challenging as it can be at times, I just love the kids so much.”

South St. Paul is a legendary program. The Packers finished second in the inaugural four-team state tournament in 1995, losing in the title game to Apple Valley 2-0 at Aldrich Arena. Their 2023 trip to state is the 17^th in history; the Packers won state championships in 2002, 2003, 2005 and 2006, with second-place finishes in 2011 and 2012.

Palmquist was among the inaugural inductees into the Minnesota Girls Hockey Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2013. And now, a decade later, he remains in place.

“Yesterday I was talking to a friend from South St. Paul,” said Dittberner. “I mentioned how awesome is was for them to be in the state tournament and he said, ‘Congrats, that was a great hire.’ ”

Thursday, February 23, 2023

Leadership can be seen in many places. On the high school level, team captains set the tone for younger players, whether it’s at practice, in school or during competition.

Leadership can also be seen after games, especially following tough losses.

During this week’s girls state hockey tournament at Xcel Energy Center in downtown St. Paul, the postgame routine is familiar. Head coaches and usually two or three players sit at a raised table in front of media members. It’s quite straightforward: Questions are asked, answers are given.

After the first Class 2A state quarterfinal game on Thursday, however, everything was different. Unseeded Rosemount had just lost to second-seeded and defending state champion Andover 9-0. Co-coaches Kyle Finn and Jennifer Williams took seats at the table along with senior captains Anna Shandorf and Sophie Stramel

Almost always, the coaches make an opening statement and questions follow, most of them answered by the coaches. After losing at state, student-athletes are often a bit downcast. Not Anna and Sophie. They absolutely owned the room.

Finn opened the session by smiling and saying, “We are ready for questions.” And for the next five and a half minutes (in a nine-minute press conference), the players smiled, talked, answered all the questions and enjoyed the moment. One would finish answering a question and the other would pick up the thread and add more comments. It was high-level, tag-team leadership and I’ve never seen anything like it.

The opening question was about Andover’s skill level and what the Irish hoped to do on the ice.

Anna answered, “I think we were really just trying to believe in ourselves, like having the mentality going in that we can do this, we can really just work together as a team and play for each other.”

Anna and Sophie, two of Rosemount’s five seniors, answered questions about what was discussed in the locker room between periods, about Andover’s talent and experience, the emotions of playing at the state tournament in the big arena, and the future of their hockey program. What they said was important, but how they said it, bolstered by their self-confidence and joy, was evident.

“We're a young team,” said Sophie. “We have lots of first years. I think we only have maybe five returners this year and I think that it gives me so much more hope for the future of Rosemount hockey. The younger players that are coming up, those girls look up to us and they want to be like us, they want to be playing at the state tournament and they want to be winning. I think it's really good for us to know that.”

Asked about pregame emotions, Anna said, “Being a senior, it's just unreal to be on this team and be able to make it my last year. We made it here this year and I just can't be prouder. It was just a great feeling to be here.”

Finn talked about how much Anna and Sophie and the other veteran players have meant. The co-coaches were new this year and the seniors went the distance in leading the squad.

“We’re super happy and super proud of these girls,” Finn said. “They were kind of put in a tough situation early in the season with a brand new coaching staff coming in right before the season started. We had phenomenal leadership from our captains and it’s a huge testament to them to be able to play here.

“(Coaching has been) unbelievably easy. We’ve barely even had to coach this team. We could let the captains run practice. We probably don't need to be here. The girls even checked everybody in at the hotel.”

The Biggest Goal Of The Tournament

After losing to Warroad 15-1 in Wednesday night’s Class A state quarterfinals, the Albert Lea girls hockey team left the ice without making much noise. But the last player to head to the locker room wore a smile that spoke volumes.

First, realize this: The Tigers are one of the youngest teams to ever play at state. The team has no seniors, three juniors, eight sophomores, four ninth-graders, four eighth-graders and one seventh-grader.

One of the team captains is sophomore Shelby Evans, and she wore the postgame smile. The lopsided final score is what will be listed in the tournament annals, but what Shelby will remember is playing at Xcel Energy Center with her teammates and scoring a goal.

She got the goal at the 8:03 mark of the second period, making the score 6-1, and was smothered by her teammates. Assists went to sophomore Mika Cichosz and eighth-grader Sydney Kolker.

“It was super cool,” Shelby said. “I’m glad we could get that shot on net and I was right there. That was a pretty good deal right there.”

Tigers coach Mark Goskeson added with a smile, “It was nice to see us put a puck in the net. We got some excitement from that.”

Hey, Who Can Drive?

When the hockey season started, the team from Luverne faced a minor travel issue. The Cardinals practice and play at city-owned Blue Mound Ice Arena, which is a mile and a half from the high school. The issue came when the school day ended and the girls needed to get to the rink. Traditionally, players who are able to drive transport younger teammates.

This season, only three players were licensed to drive when practice started.

“The whole team would load up in three cars,” said coach Tony Sandbulte. “I’m not sure it was always legal but they got there and we had practice.”

Sophomore Payton Behr got her driver’s license in January, adding a fourth vehicle to the caravan.

“That's what small town hockey is, that's what you have to do,” said the coach.

Wednesday, February 22, 2023

John’s Journal: Worry About The Weather? Not A Chance

Travel warnings were issued by the Minnesota Department of Transportation’s District 7 office on Wednesday. Considering that much of the state is facing the brunt of a major winter storm, the messages were not surprising.

At 11:06 a.m. this was posted: “No travel is advised on all state highways and I-90 in Nobles & Rock counties in SC MN. Blowing and drifting snow is creating blizzard and whiteout conditions. Motorists are advised not to travel in these areas until conditions improve.”

And at 2:07 p.m. came this even more serious, all-caps post: “TRAVEL ALERT: MnDOT has closed state highways & I-90 from Worthington west to the South Dakota border, and from Worthington south to the Iowa border due to blizzard conditions creating blowing and drifting snow and significantly reducing visibility.”

The Rock County seat is Luverne, which is also home to one of the 16 girls hockey teams competing in this week’s state tournament.

When the first warning was issued, the Luverne Cardinals hockey players were warming up in a corridor near their locker room inside Xcel Energy Center. When the second post hit Twitter, the Cardinals were in the midst of a Class A state quarterfinal game against Orono. (The final score was Orono 6, Luverne 0).

“Our schedule didn’t change one bit,” said Luverne activities director Todd Oye. “We came to town Tuesday, practiced at Ridder Arena and went to the banquet Tuesday night.”

One downside of the weather and road conditions was that none of the Class A schools competing Wednesday were able to bring students or adult fans on buses to Xcel Energy Center. With virtually every school calling off classes Wednesday and Thursday, that situation will remain the same when the Class 2A quarterfinals are played Thursday.

But while some people freak out about the weather, there was a sense of normalcy inside Xcel Energy Center on Wednesday. Other than the Covid-19 pandemic, it’s difficult if not impossible to remember an MSHSL state tournament being called off or postponed because of weather.

In the days and hours before the tournament, the Twitter freak-out experts were in high gear. Here are a few examples …

“If the storm occurs as predicted, what happens with the Girls Hockey Tournament?”

“Hockey should be pushed to Friday Saturday Sunday start at 9 am Friday play at games at Xcel semis at Xcel Saturday and third place and title games Sunday.”

“looking at girls state hockey in the upcoming days, and the weather forecast… what could cancellations/postponing look like for this type of scenario?”

We have been through this before, and school officials, coaches and fans know what to do. The basic plan is to plan ahead, travel early and get to town ahead of the storm. Hotels in and near downtown St. Paul were busy Wednesday, not just with fan of Class 1A teams and fans but also Class 2A contingents.

Mankato East, which lost a 4-3 decision to Proctor/Hermantown on Wednesday, also arrived in the Twin Cities on Wednesday. That was the plan all along, although there were some thoughts about arriving even earlier.

“Tuesday night, we came up for the banquet,” said coach Amber Prange. “But last Friday, we had already started talking about maybe leaving early. But activities director Todd Waterbury was (joking about), ‘You’re going to play so we might get stuck there and have to spend a little bit too much time together.’ But we knew we were going to play so we were planning on it.”

This Tweet was posted by MnDot District 7 at 6:07 p.m. Wednesday: “A No Travel Advisory has been issued for portions of state hwys & I-90 in Brown, Cottonwood, Jackson, Martin & Watonwan counties in SC MN due to due to dangerous driving conditions. Several state hwys & I-90 in the SW corner of MN remain closed overnight.”

Stay safe, friends.

Sunday, February 19, 2023

John’s Journal: Rock Ridge ‘Brings Tears To My Eyes And A Smile To My Face’

At 2:16 p.m. Friday, members of the Rock Ridge High School girls basketball team walked into their new gym for the first time. They gazed at the shiny floor, the sunlight streaming in from high windows, a giant video board and three smaller scoreboards. The place was gleaming.

“Holy buckets,” said one, “this is insane.” As the last few players walked into the space, they heard from a teammate already standing at midcourt, “You better take your shoes off. We’re keeping this court clean.”

Rock Ridge is a new school district bringing together students from Virginia and Eveleth-Gilbert. Voters in those communities approved consolidating the two school districts into one as well as building a new high school and two new elementary schools. It’s the first newly consolidated school district in Minnesota in 15 years. (Rock Ridge website: https://rrps.org)

The current high school enrollments are 443 at Virginia and 246 at Eveleth-Gilbert for a total of 689. Shuttle buses run between the two high school buildings each day as students learn in both places and make new friends, all in preparation for moving into their new high school in a few months.

Athletic teams have led the way into the future, with the Rock Ridge Wolverines boys swimming and diving team the first to join together four years ago. After decades of competing against each other, the girls and boys basketball players became Wolverines this season, and boys coach Spencer Aune said, “I’m blown away by the kids. They’re already best friends.”

Friday was a “soft” opening for the new gym, and the first time the public – and the players -- would be inside the school. The Wolverines girls hosted Two Harbors, followed by a boys game between Rock Ridge and Hibbing. This was a chance for the seniors to play one game in the gym that will become the Wolverines’ home starting next season. The rest of this year’s home games are being played in Eveleth.

The new high school will open to students in the fall; it’s a beautiful structure that is tucked into a wooded area off of U.S. Highway 53, a mile from the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in Eveleth. The school is on Progress Parkway, which is entirely suitable for a district that’s looking into the future.

The 300,000-square-foot high school is a marvel of light and space and technology. From large wooden beams to exposed steel to the textures and colors of the walls and floors, the facility carries a distinct Iron Range theme. In the classrooms, study spaces, an 800-seat auditorium, an eight-lane swimming pool, a large fitness center, and technology areas that focus on auto mechanics, welding and woodworking, the school is a marvel. The football, baseball and softball fields, now blanketed by snow, are permanently covered with artificial turf.

To the sound of bouncing basketballs in the gym at mid-afternoon, a school official expressed concern about that evening’s crowd, saying “I wonder if anyone will come?”

But of course, if you build it they will come. The parking lot was nearly full 30 minutes before the girls game tipped off inside U.S. Steel Gymnasium (many areas of the school have sponsors), and nearly every single one of the 1,400 or so seats were filled when the action began. The concession stand wasn’t yet stocked; the only items for sale were bottles of water and pom poms in Rock Ridge green and white. Both items did a brisk business.

The Wolverines pep band performed magnificently, a large Rock Ridge student section provided spirit and entertainment, cheerleaders cheered, the dance team performed at halftime of both games, and everybody smiled. Officials Dave Clement, Babe Glumack and Jordan Parentaeu called both contests and did a splendid job. When the officials were introduced before each game, they were applauded by the fans. (Between games, Glumack told a visitor: “What a great atmosphere. This is a really fun gym to work in.”)

The girls game tipped off at 5:47 as the Rock Ridge students stood and chanted, “I Believe That We Will Win!” Things quickly went the way of the Wolverines, and that didn’t change throughout the day. The first points in the new gym were scored on a driving layup by Rock Ridge ninth-grader Maija Lamppa, whose teammates include her twin sister Lexi and junior sister Emma.

Maija Lamppa and Two Harbors senior Karly Holm put on a show, with each scoring 31 points in the Wolverines’ 90-58 win.

The boys game featured head coaches who are brothers, Spencer Aune and Hibbing’s Tom Aune. That contest also went to the Wolverines by a score of 92-71. Carter Mavec led Rock Ridge with 16 points, with Casey Aune and Jalen Miskowitz scoring 14 each. Finley Cary led Hibbing with 17 and Raymod Brau had 16.

“Oh, it was awesome,” said Wolverines senior Grant Hansen, who scored the first basket in the boys game. “The fans were crazy, the court’s so nice, the whole school is nice. I feel so lucky. For us seniors to get in here, it meant everything.”

Rock Ridge girls coach Byron Negen added, “I think the atmosphere today, with the community coming together, just made it perfect for the kids. It was something they will remember, especially the seniors.”

The day was filled with pride in community, in a new adventure, a bright future and in the Iron Range itself. But mostly, the day was filled with happiness.

“I honestly can’t take the smile off my face,” said Wolverines senior Paige Maki. “I was smiling the whole time, all day, just thinking about it. It was kind of surreal. It shows how much these communities have come together to support us. It brings tears to my eyes and a smile to my face.”

Early in the afternoon, athletic director Josh Lamppa – who was among the people who studied other schools and had a hand in the design of the new building – was taking a visitor on a tour of the building. Other than some minor detail work that’s being done, the school looks ready for staff and students. Very few people have been able to walk though the halls at this point, but for basketball fans who saw the gymnasium and adjacent pool – both can be viewed through large windows from the concession area – it was a taste of what’s to come.

After the two basketball games had gone off without a hitch and folks were chatting in the gym, Josh Lamppa was approached by his daughter Emma. She had a simple question: “Dad, can I get a tour?”

The waiting, for everyone, will soon be over.

Tuesday, February 14, 2023

John’s Journal: Three Siblings, Three Hockey Officials

The Szymanski kids grew up in a sports-oriented family in Sauk Rapids. Ryan, Matt, Justin and little sister Kaelyn were athletes at Sauk Rapids-Rice High School. They all became hockey officials, which set up a special day for their family recently when Ryan, Matt and Kaelyn officiated together for the first time.

“It was the most fun reffing experience I’ve had,” Matt said. “It was really special to do that with both of them.”

Ryan and Matt had worked together on the ice previously, but never with their sister. All three are teachers as well as officials.

--Ryan Szymanski, 35, is a special education teacher at Sauk Rapids-Rice High School.

--Matt Szymanski, 32, is a fourth-grade teacher at Cottage Grove Elementary School.

--Kaelyn Szymanski, 25, is a special education teacher at Pleasantview Elementary in the Sauk Rapids-Rice school district.

Justin, 30, who lives in Milwaukee, used to officiate. Matt has cut back on the number of games he works after becoming a father last year. They all umpired baseball games and Matt also has worked as an MSHSL soccer official. Becoming officials seemed like a no-brainer after their competitive sports careers ended.

“It’s pretty much ingrained with us,” Ryan said.

The siblings asked if they could be assigned to the same game at some point this season. They worked a Jan. 28 girls hockey game between Elk River and Brainerd/Little Falls in Elk River, but not without a minor wrinkle because worked two games that day.

She began her day in White Bear Lake, officiating a 9:30 a.m. girls game between Stillwater and White Bear Lake as part of Hockey Day Minnesota. She raced from there to Elk River afterwards. The game in Elk River, scheduled for a 1 p.m. start, was pushed back about 20 minutes until Kaelyn arrived.

“The (Brainerd/Little Falls and Elk River) coaches knew about it and they were just as excited,” Matt said.

Their parents, Steve and Teresa were on hand in Elk River and took photos of their three kids. Steve is a youth hockey official, and that’s the level where the officiating Szymanski kids got started.

Ryan, who was 11 or 12 years old, was on hand with the rest of the family to watch one of his little brother’s Mite games. When no one showed up to officiate, Steve borrowed a whistle from one of the coaches, handed it to Ryan and said, “Get out there.”

“I was wearing jeans, a green sweatshirt and a yellow helmet,” Ryan said. “After the game someone handed me twenty bucks and I said, ‘Dad we’re doing this again.’ ”

Matt watched Ryan working games and began doing the same thing.

“Over time it became a really good job, it taught me lot of life skills I use every day,” Matt said. “It’s fun being around the game once you’re done with the playing side of it.”

Kaelyn said working with her brothers for the first was “a fun day. I got to White Bear at 8:30 and it was about 13 below. It was a very cool experience to be on TV and be outside, working a game. I’m really motivated to move up and having an outdoor game was pretty cool.”

When she got to Elk River, Ryan had a surprise for her.

“Ryan let me stripe instead of line that day, and it was kind of fun being one of the lead officials. I probably felt the most comfortable I ever have, reffing with my brothers. They had my back. I hope we get to do more.”

Kaelyn, an up-and-coming official, attended a USA Hockey camp for young female officials at St. Cloud State last summer.

“That camp was eye-opening and exhausting,” she said. “It really made me want to go up more, reffing high-level games.”

Kaelyn was assigned a recent Minnesota Whitecaps game in the professional Premier Hockey Federation. She said, “Ryan has pushed me a lot, in a good way, saying, ‘You have the opportunity to do all this stuff, international hockey, Olympics.’ ”

The Szymanskis are still smiling about the game they worked together.

“It was really special to do that with both of them,” Matt said. “I had reffed with Ryan before on the high school side and it’s been fun to watch my sister continue to develop and grow. I love to see her and what she can do. … My hope is that she works her way into some international tournament and then I’ll have an excuse to do some traveling.”

If that happens, it’s a safe bet that the whole family will be there.

Thursday, February 9, 2023

John’s Journal: Moorhead Speech Director To Receive National Honor

Rebecca-Meyer Larson (second from left) will be honored by the National Federation of State High School Associations.

Rebecca Meyer-Larson had big plans for her life. As a teenager, she dreamed about taking off for New York City and working toward a career as a stage director.

But life, of course, sometimes has other plans. Meyer-Larson went straight from Minnesota State Moorhead to a teaching position at Moorhead High School, and it’s not a stretch to say she has been in a dream job –and doing a great job -- ever since.

Beginning in 1991, Meyer-Larson’s duties have included language arts teacher, theatre director and speech coach at Moorhead. She has led the Spuds speech team to the MSHSL state championship in five of the last six years, and overall she has coached 29 individual state champions and 232 medalists. She has coached National Speech and Debate Association speakers in several categories, including 16 national finalists.

Meyer-Larson is not one to focus on personal acclaim, but her years of dedication to students is being recognized by the National Federation of State High School Associations. During the annual NFHS summer meeting in late June in Seattle, she will be awarded the NFHS Citation Award.

The Citation Award is one of the most highly regarded achievements in high school athletics and performing arts. Meyer-Larson will be a recipient in the category of Speech/Debate/Theatre/Academics.

“I had such big dreams and ideas, but I can’t imagine I would have liked doing anything more than teaching and high school speech,” Meyer-Larson said this week.

During 30 years as an educator, she has created a respected learning environment that encourages young people to explore their love of the arts and focus on social justice and human rights issues. She directed the Trollwood Performing Arts School in Moorhead from 2000 to 2008, where she developed and led an arts-integrated middle school theatre program. While leading the school, she coordinated grants to support other artists and educators in creating curriculum and establishing standards to measure student success.

The first member of her family to go to college, Meyer-Larson is a native of Audubon, Minnesota. Her school started a One-Act Play program while she was a student. A professor at Minnesota State Moorhead saw her perform, and – much like Meyer-Larson has done for countless students – he changed her life.

“He shook my hand and said, ‘I think you have some talent and we’d love to see you at MSU,’ ” she said. “We don’t understand the importance of telling kids that they have talent. That changed my entire trajectory.”

She had considered becoming a hair stylist (“It’s a fine career and I would have found the artistry in it, for sure,” she said). She credits her mother for helping her navigate the process of applying for college. She uses her experience as a lesson for students.

“God bless my Mom, she figured it out and here I am. I tell kids all the time that the world belongs to people who show up.”

Meyer-Larson helped found the Broadway Lights Series in 2009, which connected young artists with Broadway professionals to produce contemporary musicals. The program has since been renamed Act Up Theatre, which she describes as “a performance and training ground for young artists with exceptional musical theater talent, stage presence and a discipline that makes them stand out.”

Meyer-Larson teaches with the philosophy of igniting the spark in every student, demonstrating the strength of individuality and creativity. During her 32-year career, she has received many honors, including two U.S. Presidential Scholars Program Teacher awards, NFHS Outstanding Educator State Award, Presidential Teaching Medallion recipient, Five Diamond Coach from the National Forensic League and the 2019 MSHSL AA Coach of the Year.

Meyer-Larson’s husband, Paul, is a former wrestling coach who is a second-grade teacher in Moorhead. Their daughter Izzy was a two-time state speech champion in Duo Interpretation (with Devon Solwold). A recent graduate of George Mason University near Washington, D.C., Izzy was a national collegiate champion in dramatic duo. Their son Finn joined the Spuds speech team as a junior last year and remains on the team as a senior, “which is exciting,” Meyer-Larson said.

I followed Rebecca and her team during the final day of the 2017 MSHSL state speech tournament, which resulted in a story for John’s Journal. Here is that story, originally posted on April 22, 2017.

State Speech: A Day In The Life Of The Spuds

“Kaden, how do you feel?”

“You feeling good, Maryn?”

Rebecca Meyer-Larson was checking on her team a few minutes before Friday’s Class 2A state speech competition began at Apple Valley High School. The Moorhead coach knew the hay was in the barn after months of hard work, and she also knew the final day of the season held high expectations.

There are 13 categories in speech, ranging from Creative Expression to Extemporaneous Speaking to Storytelling to Original Oratory. Last year Moorhead went home with a state championship in one category (Izzy Larson and Devon Solwold in Duo Interpretation) and won enough second- through eighth-place medals to share the 2016 team championship with Eagan.

A few days before Friday’s event, Meyer-Larson talked to me about speech and what makes it different from other MSHSL activities.

“It’s not like wrestling, it’s not about getting a pin, it’s not about getting faster,” she said. “It’s so subjective. All you can control is how much you can control; sleep, preparations.”

This is Meyer-Larson’s 25th year as the Spuds coach. In her first year, the team consisted of five students. This year there are 74; 28 of them qualified for state via the Section 8 tournament.

“We always start with, ‘Who do you want to be later in life? What kind of person do you want to become?’ ” she said. “I’m biased of course, but I think this activity is the best at preparing these kids for the future. I’m amazed by their intelligence, their drive, their desire to do good and be good.”

As the Spuds knew, there were no guarantees Friday. Izzy Larson (the coach’s daughter) and Solwold were back to defend their Duo Interpretation title. That category has been a Spud specialty, with Matthew Wisenden and Jordan Hartjen winning state in 2014. Could Izzy and Devon make it three Moorhead Duo Interp titles in four years?

State speech is a torrent of cross-current performance streams. Classrooms are the competition sites, with speakers, judges, room managers, coaches and fans studying maps of the school to find the room and speaker(s) they want to see. In the first three rounds, six speakers are in each room and their lineups change during those rounds so different judges can see them.

Following the first three rounds, the top eight in each category advance to the championship round, with each category viewed by five judges.

In Extemporaneous Speaking, Moorhead’s Bridget McManamon’s first-round presentation centered on President Trump’s relationship with American workers and labor unions. As she made her points while discussing things like NAFTA and jobs in the coal industry, Bridget quoted articles from The Economist, Politico and other sources.

Evyn Judisch -- competing in Creative Expression with a highly entertaining presentation that he authored (titled “Greetings Mr. Ducksworth”) -- sat at a classroom desk waiting for the room manager to start the round. All the speakers dress in business attire; males in dark suits and females in skirts and jackets. Evyn, with slicked-back hair and large eyeglasses, owned the room as he voiced three characters and physically “became” them. He had seemed small as he sat at the desk but was larger than life during his performance.

In a nearby classroom a few minutes later, Moorhead’s Kaden Moszer was the opposite of teammate Evyn during his Serious Interpretation of Prose speech: “I’m Not a Serial Killer” by Dan Wells. While Evyn made Room 219C laugh, Room 211 was buried in absolute silence as Kaden glared, glowered, muttered, screamed and raised an invisible knife (no props are used).

“By the end of the season they’ve been giving these speeches for a while,” Meyer-Larson said. “It’s fresh every weekend, but we always tell them you walk up to the front of the room and they ought to see in you that you love your words, you love this activity, love your team and represent the activity and your school.”

After three rounds, lists of those who qualified for the championship round were posted on TV monitors throughout the bright, spacious school. The results, as it turned out, were very good for the Spuds: 16 of them advanced to the final round. That meant 16 medals would be traveling home to Moorhead

At the end of the day the results were announced, with MSHSL speech rules clinician Cliff Janke at the podium. One by one, the eight finalists in each category came to the stage and stood in a line as winners of the eight medals were revealed, from eighth to first.

It quickly became clear that this was going to be Moorhead’s day. Storytelling state champion: “From Moorhead, McKensie Bedore.” Informative Speaking state champion: “From Moorhead, Sarah Schulz.” Serious Interpretation of Prose state champion: “From Moorhead, Noel Kangas.”

The first three categories to be announced resulted in three champs from Moorhead. Meyer-Larson sat in the bleachers with the team, standing, applauding and seeming breathless at times.

The Spuds’ Carolyn Solberg won gold in Great Speeches and teammate Maryn Cella placed third. In Serious Interpretation of Drama, Luke Seidel was second and Kenan Stoltenow was sixth. In Humorous Interpretation, Ariana Grollman finished as a state runner-up and Sophia Klindt was fourth.

The closers came through, too. Izzy and Devon were awarded their second consecutive state championship in Duo Interpretation and teammates Abby Dahlberg and Skyler Klostriech were fifth. Then came the team scores: Moorhead 84 points, Apple Valley 62, and Eagan and Lakeville North sharing third place with 34 points.

For the jubilant Spuds, this had become a day of Non-Extemporaneous Peaking.

“It was definitely kind of a trial to get through it,” Devon said of winning another title with Izzy. “I was really, really eager this year, even more than last year, to just be here. You of course want to do it again but you’ve got to swallow whatever happens. The fact that it went down this way is phenomenal.”

“The reason why these kids are so good is because Minnesota is so good,” said Meyer-Larson. “And that’s because of the Minnesota State High School League, the way they treat these kids. They treat them like rock stars. If you ask any kid here, they believe what they’re doing is every bit as important as what happened at state hockey or state wrestling. Because it is. The high school league does a brilliant job of making these kids feel special.”

After photos, hugs and even a few tears, the day – a remarkable day for the kids who were 250 miles from home -- had ended.

“It’s just so fun,” Izzy said. “One thing my mom says the most is that it’s not about the trophies and how well you do; it’s about the heart and how much passion you have for your speech and your team and sticking together and having an awesome time. And that’s what we did. Sometimes it works out.”