the legend of pom'pee

      Well folks, the sports world in the area is a little slow so I chose to bring you a story of a different kind of athlete. An athlete that lives life to the fullest every day and faces dangers on a regular basis. He became a friend of mine two years ago and I have witnessed his trials and tribulations in his attempts to become successful and take care of his family.

"I tell you a story that needs to be told

about a guy in the summer, not in the cold

he faces the challenge of feeding his family

herein lies the legend of my friend Pom'pee""

      He paid us a visit that first day and showed me attitude from the start, but I was resilient and soon had him eating out of the palm of my hand. We had seen the likes of him before. Mario was the first, but he was stolen by a hawk right within our view. He was fast as lightning but got caught just after coming in for a pit stop. We watched another that was talented enough to take two at a time, so we called him "Twofer". But Pompeii was different, he was the only black squirrel in the neighborhood, and he was special.

"He was the master of crossing the street,

 beat every challenge that he happened to meet,

Oh, Pom'pee was something, you just shook your head,

we worried that someday we would find him dead."

      Every time we went a couple days without seeing him we feared the worst but then he would sneak up on the porch and wait for his snacks. We have helped keep area merchants going with our purchases of unsalted peanuts and it is a joy to watch Pompee and his friends, or enemies, come over and chase peanuts around the yard. We lost one of the "boys" the other day to the street and we know that is always a possibility with small animals, but we try to make their lives a little better by showing them some lunch and love. That's why we refer to them as athletes, they race here and there and not even rain slows them down. We know their time is limited but isn't that true for all of us. We need to learn to enjoy the small moments in life. It's over all too soon!

"The legend of Pompee should teach us all

life is so short so answer the call

be happy and kind and love as you live

everyone out there has peanuts to give."

      Enjoy the Aitkin County Fair this week my friends!    

     Well folks, the 4th of July is this week and hopefully everyone will enjoy the holiday weekend and enjoy it safely. The subject this week is baseball and softball for the youth of the Aitkin area. There are so many teams and I am so impressed with the number of people who volunteer to coach and the number of kids who participate on a daily and weekly basis. Right now I am reporting results scores on woodiessportzone.com every day and I am following 25 teams on my phone. That’s right I said 25 teams. Do you realize what a crazy number that is. Do you also realize what an undertaking this is for area officials and coaches. My goodness it’s not a wonder why our softball and baseball teams are so successful when they get to the upper classes of high school during the season. There are in-house teams and traveling teams, rookies and teams that play games where they don’t keep score. They are learning the game the right way, learning the fundamentals and having fun. All of these teams are sponsored and have team shirts so the businesses of Aitkin should be commended as well. They are putting money into our area youth every season and we can’t thank them enough. The fields they play on almost every night the first couple months of summer are immaculate and players are very proud to play their games there. The “Roost”, the Connie Lueck Little league Field, Woock Field, the two high school fields and the “Hayfield” are all excellent facilities and we are lucky to have them all. There isn’t a lot of season left for these teams so if you get a chance to watch them please do. You will be amazed at their improvement over the season. I am so impressed and you will be too, remember 25 teams in our little town. Congratulations players, coaches, sponsors and fans, you’ve done a marvelous job of teaching our kids the game of baseball, softball and more importantly, the game of life!
 

      Well folks, it was a wild weekend weather-wise around the area, and it certainly affected sporting events around the region. The Aitkin Flying Gobblers were in Bemidji for a tourney when bad weather hit and destroyed fields and property and ended up getting the tournament cancelled. The boys were in tournaments in Shakopee and St. Cloud and although they got games played it was very hot and humid for most of the time. Meanwhile the runners in Duluth for Grandma’s Marathon had a pretty good day with much lower temperatures. Some of the results are available elsewhere in the Sports and most were happy with their times. 
      There is a special event coming up next Monday at the Aitkin High School track facility. The Aitkin Special Olympics team was scheduled to participate in their annual Region event at Grand Rapids earlier this spring but weather put a damper on that and it was cancelled. That led to a group of people to put together a track meet here because the athletes had worked so hard getting ready for the Region event and ended up disappointed. Next Monday is the day for that meet and we urge all of you to come out and support these athletes from 3:30-6:00pm. Awards will be presented in five different stations and trust me if you have never been to an event like this, you will love it. Smiles will be at an all-time high and you’ll never forget it.
     It’s hard to figure out those Minnesota Twins this season. A month ago they were in the throes of a big winning streak sneaking up on first place and now they are close to ten games back and next to last in the Central Division. We all knew their pitching would catch up with them but their sporadic hitting really stumps me. Twelve runs one game and only 12 hits in the next two games. Tough to watch sometimes but we watch anyway. 
    The phenomenon that is Caitlin Clark continues this season in the WNBA and there are those who say she gets special treatment but i have never seen such violent play against one player in some time if ever. But I can tell you this, she takes it, fights back once in a while and her teammates have her back. I can also tell you this, the WNBA is thriving now and their attendance is at an all-time high and the number one reason is a girl named Caitlin Clark and the detractors better take note. She could leave the league and start her own league and leave a lot of the players in the dust. At a time when the league should be embracing the player that saved the WNBA, they should also be aware that if something long-term happens to her they better have a back-up plan to keep the league solvent. She’s putting people in the seats of every arena and keeping the money flowing. The jealousy has to stop and the appreciation better be coming soon!

     Well folks, imagine this. You are in the race of your life, looking for a State Championship in the 3200m. You are in a pack of runners beginning your second lap and someone inadvertently steps on the back of your shoe and it comes off your foot. What do you do, take time to fall back and put your shoe back on, losing valuable seconds in the eight lap race. Or, so you do what McGregors’ Garrett Guida did, continue to run with just one shoe and try to keep up. Guida catches us up from there, “One of the runners tried to make a move and stepped on my shoe, a little part of me wanted to stop and put it back on but I decided to keep on pushing.” Oh he kept on pushing alright, finishing the run in 9:56.55, good enough for 10th place, just out of the medal chase while setting a new school record again. Remember now he’s running on soft asphalt for nearly 2800m. What made this young man keep going, “Determination I guess, at the end I wasn’t disappointed with my time but what I could have done had I not lost my shoe. It was God-given talent that kept me going.” Coach Steve Frauenshuh was pretty proud of his junior distance runner, “It was unbelievable, we didn’t really notice he was on one shoe until late in the race when he started slowing down, not something we are used to seeing. At the end of the race when he took his sock off he had three blood blisters on his right foot. All that happened to him in that ten minute race and he still set a new school record.” I am in awe of the track athletes of today. They are so cognizant of their talent and what it takes to be an elite member of today’s athletic community. But what Garrett did in my eyes was astonishing, courageous and totally remarkable. When there are so many reasons to question the integrity and purpose of today’s young people in this country along comes a kid like Garrett that makes us believe that we are going to be okay with the next generation. He was willing to turn a horrible break and turn it into something positive and live with the result. I truly love this story and wish him the best of luck in his senior year.

  

     Well folks, hold on, wait, up in the sky, it's a bird, it's a plane, no, it's, it's Jake Carlson!! That's right, it's the 80 year old young lady from nearby Palisade. Jake lost her husband Mike on June 7, 2023, and it would have been easy to just sit around and feel sorry for herself, but that's not who Jake is. She lives life to the fullest and wanted to celebrate her 80th birthday with a bang and boy did she ever. She joined jump-mates Pamela Mizner and Shawna Hill recently and through a company called Skydive Twin Cities, she realized a goal she has had for some time. The obvious question is why? "I have wanted to do it since my 40th birthday and I kept putting it off until I finally decided if I was going to do the jump I better get to it and I did. I thought i might be easier for me because I've been a pilot. The people in the plane reminded us that we could always back out at any time. Pam was on the fence about it until the last week but then she decided she was coming with us." Any thoughts just before jumping out, "I hadn't been flying for a while so I was enjoying the moment as my jump-buddy was attaching everything. The videographer was in front of me and he was behind me but when I heard the pilot hit the throttle and the jump door opened, it just happened. It was a windy day and we got tossed around quite a bit during the free fall. The free fall was the "wow" moment and we went from 13,000 feet to 4,500 in about a minute and a half when the chute opened. From then on it was about five minutes until we landed. There were plenty of folks on the ground to grab us and get things in order." The instructors at SDTC are all pretty young and they have to have a minimum of 500 jumps themselves before they can become an instructor." She definitely was impressed with everyone involved, "They were all very professional and really put us at ease. They let us know that it's very safe but in life things happen so you have to sign some liability papers before you can make the jump. I did my jump at Baldwin, Wisconsin where the airstrip is just for jumpers, no other traffic is allowed, that's all they do there. Next time, and I'm going to jump again, I will wear a hat that covers my ears in case the wind is strong again".

     Pamela Mizner and Shawna Hill were partners of Jake and Pamela had some thoughts on the experience, "It was such an honor to join Ambassador Jake in my very first skydive and celebrate her 80th birthday. I met Jake at Karmady Yoga Studio in Aitkin where I have been volunteering yoga and fitness classes for over 10 years. This is where the moniker Ambassador Jake came to me. Her friendly and uplifting energy welcomed me when I was a newcomer to this little town of Aitkin. Over the years I've continued to be inspired by her spirit of adventure that I simply had to join her in this long-forgotten dream of mine to take the leap. She is definitely a spirit of the air and inspires and uplifts everyone she meets. I was very nervous about the jump but I'm so glad I got to experience this with Jake and Shawna and for me, the free fall was the most amazing experience ever and I want more." Shawna also commented on Jake and her experience, "Two years ago at a yoga retreat in Mexico Jake mentioned to me her plan to skydive for her 80th birthday. She invited anyone interested to join her. I instantly said I would but quietly wondered what I was thinking and seriously considered going only to watch and support her jump. But then at this years retreat I got sick and backed out of deep sea fishing. But Jake and Mary went and snagged a huge fish to bring back and feed the entire crew. As the saying goes, your biggest regrets in life are the things you do not do. Her little nudge was a welcome reminder that doing dangerous things safely and getting out of your comfort zone is wildly fun and empowering. Jakes jump exemplifies Mary Oliver's quote, "What will you do in this one wild and precious life." The Free-Faller Fam, as our group is called is discussing an encore jump to see the fall colors at 13,000 feet.  I have been honored to be one of her wing mates and I hope to join this brave octogenarian on many more thrilling adventures. Our 2026 Yoga Retreat takes us to Belize, I wonder what we can find."

     The story here is that no matter how old you are, you can still chase and catch dreams. This isn't the last dream that Jake has and who knows what she will be up to next. She has lots of time up there on the river to decide, right now trust me, Mike is sure proud.

(All photos courtesy of Jake Carlson and Skydive Twin Cities)

      Well folks, another group of seniors ends their high school days this week. It has been a pleasure covering so many of them over their years wearing the uniform and I salute all of the students and athletes for their accomplishments over the years. I also have a message for them as they conclude their walks down the hallowed halls. I hope you enjoyed your time in high school because for most of you there were many moments of success and of course failure but I always ay that high school days are the best of the your life. You need to hold those memories close because when you get to my age, yup 75, all you really have left are memories and I have lots of them. I have covered high school sports for the better part of 55 years and I cherish all the great times and even bad times because I knew in the long run those times will be remembered by the athletes for their rest of their lives. Sometimes the line between success and failure is thin but the friendships you make will last forever. When you get together in later years you will remember the people but you may not always remember the games you played with them. Oh you’ll remember the times you beat C-I or the times you beat Esko or the times you beat Greenway but all in all it’s the friends you won those games with that are important. Kids always laugh when I tell them that you need to have a good memory about your high school days when you move forward. It’s those days that have shaped you into the person you are and will be in the future. Congratulations to all the 2025 graduates. It has been an absolute pleasure to be a small part of your life and best of luck in the future!
     I also pass along some bad news this week with the passing of another friend, Terry Mehr. I met her when she brought their sons, (Emily hadn’t come along yet), to our house for Barb to babysit when they were pre-school age. Jacob and Adam were welcomed into our home during the week and Jacob especially has become a good friend over the years. Mark and Terry are good people and her loss is a tough one. She was always doing something at the school and was very efficient at everything. Condolences to the Mehr family.   

      Well folks, the school year is winding down and that means one thing. The post-season for spring sports is upon us and high school careers are coming to an end for our area senior athletes. The Section 7A sub-section track meet is Thursday in Esko, and the Section meet is just a week away at UMD. One Aitkin Gobbler sophomore is eyeing her chance to advance to the State Track meet in a couple weeks. Ashley Asmus has been a dominant force in the world of the 800m run this season and she has worked her way to the top. I wanted to know why she chose the 800 for her premier event, “I was running in relay events, and I started looking at my split times in those events and we decided that the 800 might be the best use of my abilities. I didn’t have to do any specific training for that event. I just kept running sprints and working hard in the summer to improve my times.” Her end goal is to break the Gobbler school record of 2:23.73 set by Amie Anderson in 1988. “Ultimately I would like to do well at Section and make it to the State Meet.” She has run the 800m in her best time this season just .27 of a second off the school record and with her attitude and work ethic I think her chances are good that she will realize that goal sooner than later. Coach Adam Carlson likes her chances as well, “Ashley is cutting time at every meet, It’s very exciting watching her take off with speed and she doesn’t slow down. She is committed to reaching her goals and works hard. We’re excited to see what she will accomplish this season.” Isaiah Baker recently tied a school record first set by Dave Desutter in 1984, high jumping 6'6". Both are great track athletes and other school records are in danger from Baker who is just a junior.
      The Gobblers have a ton of talent this season and they could send several athletes to the Section next week and maybe even on to State. Isaiah Baker has had a great year and he is a threat in the long jump, triple jump and high jump. Camden Visnovec is a tough competitor and should be tough to beat in the 110m hurdles and 300m hurdles. Tika May has been to State, she knows what it takes and is strong in the 100m hurdles and the 300m hurdles. The relay teams are always a threat so look for some great performances this week. Aitkin track is on the way up every season, and this could be the start of something really good.

     Well folks, to say the first annual Scottie Johnson Classic was a success is quite an understatement. From the weather to the attendance to the games themselves, it was just an outstanding event. If you walked around the fields as I did several times you saw a lot of great baseball and a lot of smiles. The tournament was very well run and if you needed a t-shirt, a hat, a hot dog, a cold drink, you could find all of it in numerous locations. The “first pitch” ceremony was very cool with Scottie Johnson, the tournaments namesake doing the honors tossing to tournament originator Landon Janzen. The guy who has been a part of baseball in Aitkin for a long time was visibly humbled by the attention but coolly stepped up and delivered a strike. It was pure baseball from that point on and you couldn’t find a critic at any of the field locations around town. I’m sure this event will become a yearly event on the calendar and they won’t have any problems filling the tournament every year. Aside from all the hoopla and excitement there was some really good baseball from the teams playing this weekend. Great pitching, great hitting and great sportsmanship among all the entrants. You can’t ask for anything more than that. I am old enough that I remember playing on Woock Field and in my mind there is not a better facility in northern Minnesota. You have an outstanding field, lights, batting cages and restroom facilities. Okay, I know they are portable but not everywhere you go do they have multiple places to go so Aitkin is in luck in that respect. Every town has their people that stand out and Scottie is our guy. As I walked up to talk to him Friday night before the first pitch he immediately told me who the umpires were for that game. He knows them all, also football, basketball and softball officials as well. How he remembers them all is beyond me but he does. They all look for him when they show up for the games and that makes me even more happy. This tournament was built with him in mind and cudos to Landon and his dad Jeremy for coming up with the idea. Scottie was well known before this tournament and he is much more known and loved after last weekend. Not many people are known by simply one name, Pele, Messi, Kobe, Babe, I could name many but the one who lives in our hearts and in our town is a guy simply called Scottie. Great weekend my friend and thanks for being you!
 

      Well folks, Bill Murray, President George W. Bush and gymnast Suni Lee have all done this, but I'm not sure there is a better celebrity than the guy that will do this Friday night. Friday night. They have all thrown out the first ball prior to a big baseball game, Friday Aitkins Scottie Johnson will join that list when he tosses out the first pitch at the Scottie Johnson Classic at Woock Field. This three day event is the brainchild of Gobbler baseball coaches Jeremy and Landon Janzen and will feature play at least five different locations around Aitkin. Action will take place at the "Roost" behind Rippleside, Woock, the "Connie", (Connie Lueck Field), the high school softball field and the "hayfield". Gobbler head coach Jeremy Janzen on the concept, "We had talked about hosting a youth tournament. Landon did all the work creating the ideal brackets and presented it to the board. We put it on paper, and we thought about what we should call it. I asked Landon what about the Scottie Johnson Classic and the board agreed. We felt Scottie is our number one fan of so many players over the years and he deserves this." This is a huge undertaking, and volunteers will be used in nearly every capacity over the three days. If you love baseball come on out and catch the action. Friday night, Scottie Johnson will do the honors, that will be very cool. 
     This Sunday is Mother's Day and of course I have talked about this holiday many times. I have not had my mom for 43 years, but we always celebrate Aaron's mom, Barb and although he won't be home this weekend, I'm sure Barb will get a call at some point. I say to all the moms out there that I hope they can enjoy the day with their loved ones but I also celebrate those special moms who keep our athletes on the straight and narrow all year long. They are the ones that make the lunches to take on road trips and make sure they are hydrated during the games. They take the pictures and most of the time they are there when the bus gets back to pick up their kid. They are special in so many ways and Sunday is their day. Happy Mother's Day to every one of you that makes our athletes and young people who they are every day of their lives. You are very special!
  

     Well folks, Saturday was a big day for longtime Gobbler wrestling coach Dan Stifter. The current Superintendent of Schools at Aitkin was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame-Minnesota chapter in Austin. His resume is outstanding of course, 88-36 at Winsted-Holy Trinity, then another 80 wins at University of Minnesota-Morris. He was an All-American in 1987 and graduated in 1989. He coached the Gobblers from 1993-2009, three of those years with the legendary Noel Bailey. Three times he took his team to the State Wrestling team tournament, 1997, 2007 and 2008. He was GRC Coach of the Year three times, and his team won the conference title 14 of 15 years. Dan was not without words to describe his day, "Awesome, humbling, overwhelming and honored" were just some of the ways he described being inducted into the Hall of Fame. "I look at some of the people inducted with me and before me and I just wonder how I got here. When I started, I just wanted to be the same kind of person, parent and coach that my mentors were." He got a little emotional talking about his biggest mentor, Noel Bailey, "When we came to town Noel and his family adopted us. It's been a little over a year now since Noel passed and I wish he could have been here to celebrate with us. When I saw his daughter and son, Dawn and Lance, and their families come in today it was wonderful." A couple of Dan's wrestlers over the years were pretty happy about his honor as well. Justin Chouanard, who wrestled for Dan on the State teams of 2007 and 2008 was happy to chat, "Congratulations Coach Stifter on your selection to the Hall of Fame. You're welcome for helping make that happen and giving you some stories along the way. Thank you for being a positive influence in my wrestling career and in life. I always respected how you carried yourself as a coach, a parent and a member of the community. You will always be a big part of the wrestling history in Aitkin." Josh Tibbetts, (1994-1999), was also a State entrant for the Gobblers and enjoyed his time under Dan's coaching, "He was more than a coach, he was a mentor. Those high school years of my life were highlighted by wrestling. He took a kid with my energy and a general love of wrestling and coached the best out of me. He invested in me and in all of us. The hours, blood, sweat and tears taught us to be hardnosed and tough, and he was fun." Matt Christenson was also one of those wrestlers who knew what Dan brought to the table in the coaching department, "Coach Stifter was a great coach and very disciplined in his approach to coaching and structure. I think all of us wrestlers benefit from having that structure in a sport so demanding both physical and mental. That is what made his teams so successful. We knew the expectations and he held us accountable. Christenson, who finished his Gobbler career in 2008, continued, "He was also able to coach you on the mat to the style that best fit your skills and capabilities. Most coaches don't allow that freedom while on the mat. It took a lot of trust and knowledge of the wrestlers to be successful with that approach. He didn't force moves on us, instead taught us how to be successful with what we had and the style we wanted. Looking back, it was a great way to instill confidence in all of his wrestlers as he would allow that freedom to make a mistake and learn from it. Lastly, he was huge in tradition. He allowed former wrestlers and prior coaches to attend practices on a regular basis. He taught the importance of respecting those who came before and who would come after to build on that tradition. He instilled in his wrestlers the confidence and that is part of that Bailey and Aitkin wrestling tradition. It didn't matter who the opponent was, you were disciplined and taught that hard work is the key to success." I'm pretty sure if you asked a hundred kids that Dan coached over the years you would get the same answer in so many words. He is a Hall of Famer in every way. Congratulations Dan, Gobbler proud forever!

       Well folks, I have watched a lot of basketball in the past two weeks, what with the Girls State, Boys State, NCAA Men and NCAA Women and it has been pretty exciting. The C-I Rangers made it to the title game in Class "AA" girls and several area teams were in their respective tourneys, Brainerd in "AAAA" and Cromwell-Wright in "A". All were well coached and played like they belonged there. The Rangers have had a great run, three State trips in a row and nothing tells me they won't have a great chance to be back in 2026. Season ending awards will be given out over the next couple of weeks and players and coaches will be selected for their play over the past season. It got me to thinking about expectations and achievements and how much improvement teams make over the course of a calendar year. When I look back at 2023-24 and see that the Aitkin Gobblers won a total of three games and then I look at 2024-25 where they posted 19 wins, it is truly amazing. I think that kind of turnaround deserves recognition as well. Does it mean they worked harder than other teams, not necessarily, but for a program that has struggled, it is awesome. The fact that the players spent the off-season working harder and making themselves better can't be overlooked, they did the work, but they have bought into the system that Head Coach Kaija Davies has produced and that is most important as well. Is Kaija the Section 7AA Coach of the Year? Of course not, that's not the way it works, but I can count on one hand how many teams in Minnesota made a 16 game flip from last year to this season. It just doesn't happen. Sometimes we spend too much time celebrating the end result, not the journey. In the 2024-25 high school girls' basketball season there were a lot of good teams, and they have shown that in the past month since the start of Sections, but there was not a team that was better coached over the past five months than the Gobblers and Kaija Davies. She deserves the recognition and most importantly the respect of her fellow coaches. She doesn't need me to defend her, she has earned the right to stand next to the best coaches in northern Minnesota. Coach, thank you!

     Well folks, this is a very tough column for me to write because it is a very controversial topic around Minnesota and the rest of the country. I will preface this week by letting you know that I am someone who doesn’t care if you are a female, male, transgender or binary or anyone else. You are who you are and I believe that you are entitled to that in the United States of America. I don’t believe our kids should be taught certain things in third grade but that is another story. Earlier this month the Minnesota House shut down a bill called the “Preserving Girls Sports Act. I know why they did it and that’s another thing that is wrong with this country’s government, but we move on. There are two comments from that day that stay with me and here they are. Representative Peggy Scott, (R) from Andover in her presented bill said in part, “Only female students may participate in an elementary or secondary level athletic team or sport that an educational institution has restricted to women and girls.” The bill also reads, “female means as biologically determined by genetics and defined with respect to an individuals reproductive system.” The other came from Representative Lisha Kozlowski, (D), Duluth. It reads, “I can assure you that our children will not stop being transgender just because you try to remove us from sports.” She called the bill “a bill to bully trans girls and non-binary kids.”
     On June 23rd, 1972 President Richard Nixon signed into law “Title IX.” It was a landmark civil rights law that was created as part of the Education Amendments of 1972. It prohibits sex-based discrimination in any school of other education programs that receives funding from the federal government. It was referred to as a follow-up to the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The law has been challenged over the years and in March of 2021 President Biden issued an executive order entitled “Guaranteeing an Educational Environment Free from discrimination on the basis of sex, including Sexual Orientation of Gender Identity, reversing changes made by the first Trump administration to limit the scope of Title IX to sex only, excluding gender identity and sexual orientation. Then on January 20, 2025, President Trump issued “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Truth to the Federal Government, which for the purpose of the federal government, defined the sex of a person as their sex at conception. That decision did not set well with the Minnesota State High School League, one of two organizations that immediately opposed the act. The Department of Education responded by saying, “Investigations are underway of the Minnesota State High School league who has publicly announced plans to violate federal anti-discrimination laws relating to girls and women’s sports. This includes the possibility of allowing male athletes to compete in women’s sports and use women’s intimate facilities.”
      In my opinion the continuance of allowing biological male athletes to compete in girls' sports will result in two things. 1) Girls will continue to be injured. 2) Girls will continue to decide against playing sports in high school and college due to the fact that bigger and stronger male athletes will become a factor. There is no argument there because no matter how much training is done, males will always be bigger and stronger as proven by simple biology. I know it’s 2025 and things have changed so much since Title IX was enacted in 1972 but what hasn’t changed is that girls belong in girls' sports and boys belong in boys' sports. Realistically that is what Title IX was built for. Fifty-three years later that hasn’t changed! Even the governing bodies should know that!



Sent from my iPad

        Well folks, I have met some pretty remarkable people in my life but only a handful that are truly inspiring. This lady is "truly" an inspiration to anyone who knows her story. She was born in the small town of Kyonggi-do just south of Seoul, South Korea. She picks it up from there, "I was adopted from South Korea in 1992. My family had tried adopting within the United States but did not find a good fit. They took a break until my older brothers insisted they start looking again. They then decided to look overseas and found me. I came to them on September 28th, 1992, when I was 7 months old. To say I feel fortunate is an understatement, I feel pretty darn lucky." Ladies and gentlemen, that young lady is Jenna (Kuiken) Snow and this is her story in her own words, fast forwarding of course.
       "It was one thing to try out for the All Starz dance team but it was an entirely different thing competing as a one-handed dancer. I would not have been so successful without an amazing support group that included my parents Paul and Beth, Marion Cordie and Lisa Roth and the amazing close knit community of Aitkin. Growing up my parents always told me you're not handicapped/disabled and you will do anything and everything better than your two older brothers that have both their hands. I was blessed with being guided by so many amazing people in the community that instilled that mindset in me as well. People like Sonja Hagestuen who taught me how to play piano at a young age using my prosthetic arm. My elementary gym teacher Mr. Werner, taking the time to break down every sport for me and modify it so I could play no matter what. And of course, my amazing dance coaches, Marion Cordie and Lisa Roth who took on the challenge of adding a one-handed dancer to their dance team. It wasn't until years later that I realized what Marion and Lisa did for me that helped me seamlessly blend in with my teammates through specific choreography and uniform choices. Each dance I competed in they made sure I could execute each movement safely and look unison with my teammates. I wore a special glove over my prosthetic that matched the gloves worn by the team and protected my teammates from the hard metal on my prosthetic arm. Marion and Lisa's choreography over the years did such a great job blending me into the teams choreography that it wasn't until my senior year at the State that a judge realized I was missing a hand and had watched me for years compete without realizing it. Marion and Lisa made sure that I felt very much a part of the dance team without ever making me feel handicapped or less than anyone else. It truly helped spark a confidence in me that I would never have gained without them."
     That, of course is not the end of the story because you can "believe" no matter how old you are and how much you have already accomplished. Jenna decided to follow in the footsteps of her dad, Paul Kuiken and become a chiropractor. Can you imagine being a chiropractor and only having one hand, oh what challenges lay ahead for this young lady. She was basically turned away at every turn, but Jenna was not going to let that stop her. She kicked down all the doors and didn't stop until she had become the only one-handed person to ever pass all the National chiropractic boards, in history. There are other one-handed chiropractors in the United States, but all have lost their hand after passing the boards. If that is not "truly" believing I don't know what else to say. Dr. Jenna (Kuiken) Snow now owns her own clinic, "The Spinery" in the Twin Cities. Inspiring? Check the dictionary, this young lady checks all the boxes. 
  

      Well folks, nine months ago I talked about to you about teammates and how good ones will always have your back and take care of you when needed. I am back this week to tell you about the loss of one of those teammates and how tough that loss can be. Since her surgery in February to remove a cancerous leg our little dog has lived her best life. A new fence gave her the freedom to run the yard without fear of getting into the street and her ability to be off her leash most of the time. She chased squirrels and chipmunks and birds, knowing full well she would never catch one and what to do if she did. It was a great life for the little dog and she loved it. She would lay in the backyard for hours and watch the world go by. She didn't seem to lose a step with three legs and people she met on her walks marveled at her love of life and her ability to move around like the little tripod she was. Less than two weeks ago she was still going for her walks everyday and it appeared nothing was wrong. She had never had a seizure before but all of a sudden she had a number in a 24 hour period and we were at a loss at to what was causing them. A visit to the vet brought no answers but with some medication we hoped it would control them until we found out what was wrong. Our little teammate needed our help but we couldn't help her. Then after a four-day period of being lethargic and needing help to go outside once again we knew we were going to have to make another decision. One week ago we were back at the vet and deciding that with so many things going against her we were not going to get our little dog back. There was no guarantee that that would happen even with treatment and so with tears in our eyes we told the doctor that we needed to let Jaz go. Barb held her and for the first time in four days she let us touch her and pet her and comfort her. As the first shot started to take effect she looked at me and said "It's okay Dad, I'm ready to cross the rainbow bridge and meet Malcolm and Echo and say hi to Tigger and Ella." The vet assistant put her on the table and we said our final goodbyes, I told her thank you and I love you and then it was over. Again for the second time we asked ourselves if we had done the right thing but I knew when she looked at me that final time she was ready to say goodbye to the pain. The healing has begun but every day I have to hold Juno, our cat, and try to tell him that it's okay, his buddy was gone but not forgotten. Other pets know, they really do and Juno misses his friend that he has had for over ten years. It's very difficult for Barb since I am gone many nights in the winter covering sports because Jaz was a constant companion. Tough for me because she was always waiting on the couch for me to get home. I will miss my little girl and all the time we spent on the front porch in the summer waving at cars and enjoying people that stopped to say hello. She will most definitely be our last dog but we will remember them all. I have to give a shout-out to Iron Range Veterinary Clinic for all the help they have given us in the past two weeks. They helped make Jaz's journey a little easier and I think they were as sad as we were on that final trip. I knew this day would come but nothing makes it easier or prepares you for it. Another teammate gone and this one really hurts. I know you have all gone through this so you understand. Jaz, you were the best, right there with Echo but each of you had your own special life. God bless you and know that I will always miss you my little girl!