By John RittenhouseThe Blue Mound Figure Skating Club opened the 2005-06 season over the weekend.Fourteen members of the program tested their skills at the New Ulm Skating Competition Saturday and Sunday.The debut was successful for the Luverne group, which placed third in team competition and captured eight event championships.Three of Luverne’s titles came in couples competition.Tommy McCarthy and Shelby Kingery took top honors in couples spotlight high, Brianna McCarthy and Gretchen Schneekloth won title at a different level of spotlight couples high competition, and Lindsay Rust and Courtney Thompson produced a title in couples spotlight low.Briana Erickson secured a pair of titles at the Freestyle 2 level.Erickson’s wins came in the stroking and compulsory events.Kynzie Smedsrud also captured a Freestyle 2 title by taking top honors in spotlight entertainment.Tommy McCarthy and Katie Shearer earned individual championships at the Freestyle 4 and Freestyle 6 levels respectively.McCarthy gained top honors in spotlight light entertainment. Shearer won the interpretive title.Here is a look at the rest of the places secured by the local skaters during the New Ulm event.Beta: Lexi Rust, sixth in stroking.Alpha: Brooke Thompson, sixth in stroking.Freestyle 2: Katie Ailts and Erika Rust place second in couples low spotlight and jump and spin medium; Kingery, third in compulsory and stroking, fourth in program and interpretive; Smedsrud, second in stroking, third in compulsory and fifth in interpretive; Erickson, third in interpretive and fifth in spotlight light entertainment.Freestyle 3: Brianna McCarthy, second in jump and spin with Schneekloth and fourth in spotlight light entertainment; Lindsay Rust second in jump and spin with Courtney Thompson; Courtney Thompson, third in interpretive, fourth in compulsory, fifth in program and second in jump and spin with Lindsay Rust.Freestyle 4: Tommy McCarthy, second in compulsory, fourth in interpretive, fifth in footwork; Schneekloth, second in compulsory and spotlight dramatic, third interpretive, sixth in program and footwork.Freestyle 5: Shannon DeBoer, second in footwork, fourth in compulsory and interpretive, fifth in spotlight light entertainment, sixth in program.Freestyle 6: Shearer, second in compulsory and spotlight light entertainment.

By John RittenhouseFour Luverne High School players earned roster spots on the first All-Southern Minnesota Alliance Football Team.Along with the four All-Alliance selections, three more Cardinals drew honorable mention from the league’s coaches.Forty-five players grace the All-SMA roster, and 24 more drew honorable mention selections.Senior Ben Nath, one of Luverne’s All-Alliance selections, received a special award when he was named the SMA’s Defensive Back of the Year.Senior Nick Heronimus and juniors Craig Rogers and Derek Elbers join Nath on the All-SMA roster.Seniors Derek Johnson and Mike Kunstle and junior Jake Cark are Luverne’s honorable mention selections.Fairmont, the league champion, drew six All-SMA selections. Seniors Mike Wubbena, Kyle Sheehan, Brody Padgett, Kurt Erickson, Jake Peymann and Ryan Ebert are the Cardinals on the squad.Fairmont’s Troy Cody is the Coach of the Year, Wubbena the Offensive Back of the Year and Sheehan the Defensive Lineman of the Year.Windom and Marshall drew five All-SMA selections each. Windom seniors Travis Karschnik, Tyler Knutson, Kody Johnson and Matt Anderson, and junior Colin Bennett made the team. Marshall senior Kyle Meier and juniors Clay Welch, Anthony Awoleye, Nate Baumann and Dan Marron grace the roster.Blue Earth Area and Pipestone matched Luverne by picking up four All-SMA selections.Pipestone seniors Creighton Schroyer, John Lentz and Matt Paulsen, and junior Seth Garrett are the Arrows on the team. Schroyer and Lentz were selected as the Co-Offensive Linemen of the Year.BEA seniors Dan Fanta, Jordan Becker and Ty Sturtz, and junior Cody Sukalski grace the roster.Worthington, St. Peter and Jackson County Central landed three All-SMA selections each.Worthington seniors Matt Cowdin, Derek Hellstrom and Alex Solem, JCC senior Matt Stegenga and juniors Marcus Schultz and Justin Schmit, and SP seniors Andrew Grean, Joe Kautt and Matt Knutson represent their schools on the roster. Knutson is the Special Teams Player of the Year.Rounding out the roster are New Ulm senior Chris Koob and junior Joey Carda, St. James senior Cody Anderson and junior Lucas Seive, Redwood Valley seniors Ross Potter and Eric Ellingworth and Waseca junior Brian Sommers and sophomore Jimmy Loonan.Other honorable mention selections include Fairmont senior Jon Abel and juniors Matt Reeve and Eric Hugoson, Windom seniors Trent Anderson and Brent Fredin, Marshall senior Ben Haugen and junior Keith Graven, BEA seniors Cody Hyland and Brian Barnes and sophomore Logan Becker, Pipestone senior Wade Newgard and junior Colin Taubert, Worthington seniors Ray Landberg and Zach Traphagen, JCC senior Bryan Vancura, NU sophomore Wade French, SJ senior Justin Schwanz, RWV senior Craig Kodet and Waseca senior Chad Hollerud.

By John RittenhouseThanks to the years of service turned in by a Luverne man, the Minnesota State High School League was forced to do some rethinking.When the directors of the MSHSL decided to recognize registered officials for their years of service 10 years ago, they set some guidelines.Awards would be presented to officials who reached the milestones of 20, 30, 40 and 50 years of service.The guidelines established by the MSHSL seemed reasonable until this year, when Luverne’s Jake Boomgaarden completed his 60th year of service as a registered official."When we set up the recognition program for officials, we developed awards for 20, 30, 40 and 50 years of service, but not 60," said MSHSL Associate Director Kevin Merkle, in a letter addressed to Boomgaarden."We decided that the award for this significant accomplishment will be a ring," the letter continued.Boomgaarden is unsure when he will receive his service ring, but he said it will be treasured when it arrives. His officiating tenure in Minnesota has spanned from 1945-2005, and it will continue for at least one more year.Boomgaarden was introduced to the world of officiating when he was serving in the Air Force during World War II.Based in Cambridge, England, his commanding officer learned Boomgaarden had played football in the past. When the officer asked Jake if he wanted to officiate with him, the Luverne man accepted the offer."I ended up liking it and thought it might be something I would like to do when I left the Air Force," Boomgaarden said."I requested some rule books from the state (MSHSL) when I still was in Cambridge, and they sent them to me so I could study them overseas."When his stint with the Air Force was complete, the Magnolia High School graduate met the criteria to begin his officiating career after returning to Minnesota.He worked basketball, football and baseball games at the high school and college levels, and he spent his summers umpiring softball for the American Softball Association.When his knees started to bother him later on, Boomgaarden decided to give up officiating football and basketball events.He still works baseball, softball and volleyball games in the states of Minnesota, Iowa and South Dakota."I do it because I like to do it. I like working with the kids," Boomgaarden said.Jake said he requested the MSHSL put the logos of basketball, football and baseball on his recognition.Those were some of the sports he worked the longest, not the ones he liked the best."All the sports I’ve officiated are the best ones as far as I’m concerned," Boomgaarden said."It’s been a good, long trip. I’ve put on many, many miles on the roads and highways over the years. I’ve even worn out a couple of cars. I have enjoyed it."His officiating tenure is not over yet, but his wife of 62 years (Evelyn) thinks it might be time for her husband to give it up."I have a schedule for this coming year, but my wife says I have to quit after next year. We’ll have to wait and see what happens, but you probably know who will win this discussion," Boomgaarden said.

By John RittenhouseFour Hills-Beaver Creek-Ellsworth players drew post-season honors from the Southwest Ridge Conference football coaches last week.Two Patriots cracked the roster of the 21-player 2005 All-SRC Football Team. Two more H-BC-E athletes drew honorable mention from the league’s coaches.Senior Jason Martens and junior Cody Rozeboom are the Patriots who made the All-SRC team.Juniors Aaron Esselink and Jon Klaassen drew honorable mention.Edgerton won the conference championship and led all teams with six All-SRC selections.Seniors Max Zwart, Brett Elgersma, Reed Van Hulzen, Tony Fluit and Derek Westenberg, and junior Kevin Vander Schaaf made the team for Edgerton.Fluit was named the league’s Lineman of the Year. Edgerton’s Andrew Fleischman is the Head Coach of the Year, and Scott Landin the Assistant Coach of the Year.Southwest United placed second in the conference and drew four All-SRC roster spots. Seniors Mike Schmitz, Keith Rogers, Tanner Sharping and Dustin Leopold are the Wildcats on the roster.Lakeview and Westbrook-Walnut Grove picked up three selections each.Lakeview seniors Derby Wiesen and Cody Fruin and junior Parry Bossuyt grace the list. W-WG seniors Dominick Madson, Dillion Robinson and Jake Severson represent the Chargers.Madson is the league’s Back of the Year.Lincoln HI-Lake Benton seniors Josh Prosch and Cody Plueger and Cedar-Mountain-Comfrey senior Cameron Maurer round out the roster.Other honorable mention selections include Edgerton junior Kent Van’t Hof and sophomore Justin Van Grootheest, SWU seniors Jared Smith and Nick Carlson, Lakeview senior Tanner Alm and junior Zach Meyer, W-WG juniors Brian Theisen and Prestin Parker, LH-LB senior Brandon Fleahman and junior John Speakman, and CM-C seniors Jason Heiling and Al Madsen.

By John RittenhouseFor being a college men’s basketball coach in Orange City, Iowa, Northwestern College’s Kris Korver spent a lot of time driving on southwestern Minnesota roads the past two winters.Korver is in charge of Northwestern’s Red Raider basketball team that currently is ranked No. 1 in the nation at the NAIA Division 2 level. He was interested in drawing three players from the Star Herald coverage area to his talent pool in Iowa.It meant a lot of long nights away from home for Korver and his coaching staff, but their recruiting efforts paid off as they added Ellsworth High School standout Curt Schilling and Hills-Beaver Creek High School stars Kale Wiertzema and Tyler Bush to their program."We came to watch Curt play a lot when he was a senior two years ago," Korver said."We saw Kale and Tyler play eight to 10 games last year, and I would guess we watched Curt play eight to 10 games the year before."Korver seeks certain kinds of individuals to be a part of his program, which has been one of the nation’s best in recent years.The Red Raiders have qualified for the Elite Eight (national tournament) seven straight years, and they won the last five GPAC (Great Plains Athletic Conference) titles.Korver says it’s that type of success that has earned his 2005-06 team the nation’s No. 1-ranking early in the season, but he downplays the attention because he knows basketball games are settled on the court, not on paper."It really doesn’t matter," Korver said of the ranking. "It doesn’t matter where you start, it matters where you finish. I think it’s (the ranking) a reflection of the tradition and the history of our program more than anything else."In Schilling, Wiertzema and Bush, Korver found some players he thought would be a good fit in his program."We like all three of them," he said."We like their character, we like how unselfish they are and we like their court vision. Those are traits we all enjoy."Schilling, a sophomore at NC, is coming off a solid freshman season.After coming off the bench as a reserve forward during the first half of a 29-4 season, Schilling earned a starting position based on his performance.Although he was bothered by a serious knee injury sustained during his senior season as a member of the H-BC-E football team, Schilling averaged 12 points per game for the Red Raiders last season.Korver said Schilling’s knee still is a problem this year, but the 2004 EHS graduate has been producing well coming off the bench for NC early this season."Curt is a fantastic basketball player. He’s a confident, determined young man who is playing well for us," Korver offered.Wiertzema and Bush are 2005 H-BC graduates who are freshmen getting adjusted to playing a higher level of basketball.Wiertzema, a guard, has made some contributions to the team as a reserve this year.The more Wiertzema adapts to playing the college game, the better off he’ll be in the future."Kale has been coming off the bench and doing a nice job for us," Korver stated."He does a lot of things well. He shoots and passes the ball well. Once he gets a little stronger, I think he’ll grow and develop into an outstanding basketball player."An ankle injury Bush sustained shortly after practice started has limited his ability to perform this year.The injury has kept Bush from logging any playing time this year, but Korver feels he has the capability to help the Red Raiders in the future."Tyler’s an incredible athlete with fantastic vision on the court," Korver said."If he keeps working at it, and if he continues to mature, in time, I think he can become a tremendous basketball player."If the local trio works hard and develops as Korver expects, Schilling, Wiertzema and Bush will make an impact on NC’s basketball program for the next few years.And, since they all came from the same area, don’t expect coach Korver to cross southwest Minnesota off his list of recruiting territories any time soon."It’s definitely been good to us," Korver said of our area. "Hopefully, we can continue to find these types of outstanding young men who can grow as players and leaders in years to come."

By Lexi MooreTomorrow will be the biggest day for retail businesses in America. After-Thanksgiving sales and promotions drive this post-holiday shop-a-thon.Choices for holiday shopping in the Crescent reading area are abundant and offer a wide variety.Local businesses, whether retail or service, depend on the local patrons to stay in business. This time of year, it is important to remember options locally available without going too far from home.Makin’ Waves, located just off Main Street in Hills, has a variety of jewelry and purses available for less than $10. Gift certificates can also be purchased and used for massages, manicures, pedicures, tanning and hair services. Hair products are available and make great gifts for women and teenage girls.To satisfy the stomachs of those on your list, Tedd Larson, owner of Hills Locker, offers "all the old and all the regular." This includes smoked ham or turkey, beef sticks, jerky and fresh Oregon oysters.Sundem Oil offers a variety of Christmas cards, candy and tons of creative gifts.Holly Mulder with Country Flowers and Gifts outside of Steen offers gifts of fresh or silk flowers, candles and arrangements for the holiday season.Milmore Consolidated, a printing and customization business in Hills, offers a variety of gifts including personalized holiday cards, calendars, magnets and coasters. The business uses photos provided by customers or taken by the company to personalize gifts.Owner David Moore encourages residents to place orders early to ensure holiday delivery.A subscription to the Hills Crescent makes a great year-round gift. Subscriptions can be purchased for residents in the area or those living out-of-state. A yearly subscription will remind them of your kindness every week.Gift certificates encourage loved ones to patronize businesses in the area and are a great gift for pickier people on a Christmas list.The following stores offer gift certificates for the holidays:üAround the Clock Fitness and Tanning LLC offers tanning or fitness certificates for members and nonmembers.üBeaver Creek Lumber offers gift certificates that can be used toward the purchase of services or lumber.üDonatello’s Deli and Café certificates are available in any amount and can be used on food or merchandise.üLocal service stations, Rauk’s, Sundem Oil and the Lester Pump N’ Pak have gas gift cards available.

By Lexi MooreHills residents and cousins Ross Metzger and Kelly Leuthold said they feel they’ve answered a community need by building the Hills Storage Center at the corner of Water Avenue and Third Street in Hills.Construction on the 6,500-square-foot building began in August when dirt work was started. Work on the site continued through October and November and is expected to finish in December.Metzger and Leuthold purchased the 144-by-158 lot from New Vision Coop in the spring of 2005. Originally, they had intended to build a shop and storage facility to house vehicles from their trucking companies.Not long after the purchase was complete, the partners began getting suggestions on how to use the lot. They changed their plans and decided to begin designs on a public storage space."We wanted to find the best way to utilize this bare lot while still providing a service to our community," Leuthold said when asked why they changed their plans.The building will have 20 12-by-25 spaces and five 10-by-10 storage spaces for rent. Renters can sign either short or long-term agreements.Metzger assures there won’t be limitations on the type of items stored in the building."We don’t have any limits on what can be stored. If it fits in the space, you can store it at the Hills Storage Center."Renters will be responsible for providing their own locks but the lot will be secured. Owners intend to install security lights on the property, which will be available to renters 24 hours a day.Leuthold’s wife, Tammie, will be responsible for handling customers’ reservations. Kelly said several parties have already contacted Tammie about reserving a space."People can call Tammie or Ross anytime to reserve a space, but we recommend doing so soon, because spaces are limited and will be reserved on a first come basis."The building takes up about half of the property the partners purchased, leaving them open for possible expansions in the future."We don’t know yet what we are going to do with the rest of the space," Metzger said. "We can always expand if the need is there."The Hills Storage Center building will be open for tours when the owners host an open house in the near future. They encourage interested parties to contact Tammie at 962-3111 or Ross at 962-3107 for pricing and information on the facility.

Here we are approaching Thanksgiving 2005, and I am at a loss as to what should be said this Thanksgiving.Should I write a remembrance from the old days? I don't think so.It occurs to me that far too many events in recent times have impacted in a negative way on our lives, some natural disasters like Katrina, and other similar natural disasters. However, I believe the biggest changes that came about were made by the current administration, and as we speak, they do continue to affect us all.I recall when President George Bush Senior commented that what this country needed was a kinder and gentler place, and I understood. Some fifteen years later, his son speaks of "Compassionate Conservatism," and I am still trying to determine what that means. Why the dilemma? Does compassionate conservatism mean it is OK for the United States to torture the "Bad Guys" from Bin Laden and his ilk? If that is what the Vice President wants and gets approval to do, I would ask him what he thinks the "Bad Guys" will do with American prisoners, military or civilian?We are all aware of the Vice President's military background – five student deferments during the Vietnam War. Perhaps President Clinton went to school on Cheney's successful avoidance of military service.It would seem that as we approach Thanksgiving 2005, we should be thankful for the fact that the current administration, which led us into war with false statements and no plan for the insurgency attacks that followed, has just three years remaining to get us safely and honorably out of this conflict. We simply must HONOR those incredible young men and women who have carried the combat burden for the past three plus years and fought in Iraq — now and when they return home! As you have undoubtedly detected, I was opposed to the invasion from the beginning. The evidence presented was simply too thin and flimsy. General Powell since has said the same thing. Most of you know that I served the Army part- and full-time for 35 years, and I did so proudly and say so proudly now.Thankful this Thanksgiving?Yes, but also angry at this Holiday time. I guess I had to vent my spleen a bit before I get to what is important. It is ironic that in the past 40 years we have had two presidents who misled us into war. President L.B. Johnson, Democrat, used the alleged attack in the Gulf of Tonkin on U.S. Navy ships to make the major commitment in VietNam!In 2004/2003 President George Bush, a Republican, convinced us of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq that simply did not exist. One a Democrat and the other a Republican, and both from Texas! We are a resilient and forgiving people, and when we sit down this Thanksgiving 2005, give our thanks and know that better times are ahead. We must NOT forget what our young soldiers, Marines and other services are doing for us!Final noteMy father was in the process of working on this article when he passed away suddenly on Nov. 19. My father was a proud American who believed that this country was a great one because it allowed for people to stand up and disagree with the actions of its leaders.I want to thank the Hills Crescent and all of you for being so appreciative of my father’s articles the last few years. Writing them gave him such joy – even when he was complaining or maybe especially when he was complaining!Kim Fleming

First, I would like to wish a happy turkey week to all Crescent readers. This week I am going to spin tales of turkeys past.This year will be my 28th Thanksgiving, and I am not responsible for any of the food. I simply get to show up and enjoy the family.As I child I never really liked Thanksgiving. You didn’t get much time off school, there aren’t any cool songs to sing, you don’t get a new dress for church, no presents, just a big meal with family.In addition, the big meal always and still does cause problems for me because I tend to be a fussy eater.Growing up, I would have a hot dog and Jell-O for Thanksgiving dinner. This fact would irritate everyone around me, especially my grandmothers who had slaved for days to make a picture-perfect feast.I have never really eaten birds of any kind. When I was very young, my grandpa had a pet chicken that pretty much lived in their house. I blame this pet on my aversion to eating things that once had feathers.So, as the feast begins, my relatives (who never seem to remember the aforementioned fact) begin questioning the bareness of my plate."Why don’t you have any turkey?""What is wrong with the stuffing?""Do you know how long it took to make that rice casserole?"As I grew and my grandmothers passed away, my mother took pity on me and would make a roast beef alongside the ham or turkey for holiday dinners, but I would always try a tiny piece of turkey – just to please my father.This made for less awkward trips to the holiday buffet counter, until I became an adult.My first Thanksgiving without my family was spent at the home of my future in-laws, and they were serving duck and turkey.As I left the safety of my college apartment to board a plane bound for Maryland, I knew I was in trouble. Here was a whole new batch of people to explain my strange eating habits to.They pretended to understand the problems I had with turkey and duck, but were blown away when I didn’t eat either the pumpkin or the apple pie for dessert.I can’t explain why I don’t appreciate a good pie; it is just not my thing.The second Thanksgiving without my family, David and I were newly married and decided to cook a feast for our family-less college friends.We had gotten a free turkey for spending tons of money at a local grocery store in Texas, and although I didn’t plan to eat the bird, I knew we had to serve one at our Thanksgiving feast.We heard an interesting recipe on a morning talk show. It entailed putting the bird, covered with olive oil, salt and a touch of pepper, into a paper sack. That sounded easy enough, and it meant I wasn’t going to have to touch the turkey.Thinking we were smart hosts, we moved the turkey from the freezer to the refrigerator the day before our big meal.The next morning when we pulled the bird from the fridge to begin smothering it in oil, we found it to be just about as solid as it had been the day before.Moments later, we made the first of half a dozen calls to our mothers.The bird went into a cold bath of water in the sink. There it sat until we had to put in into the oven. Our guests were not going to want to eat at 10 p.m. when they were told dinner would be served at six.During one of the conversations with our mothers, we were warned that we would need to remove a bag of stuff from the turkey before we put it in the oven.I volunteered my husband for this job. I was not going to put my hand inside this carcass and fish around for a bag of organs. Because it was still quite frozen, removing this bag turned into a giant task.David could feel something he thought was plastic near the back of the cavity, but it would not come loose. After awhile I tried, too. My body was overcome with goose bumps and I think I screamed a bit, but no luck.We tried cutting it out with a knife, we tried going in from behind – nothing worked. Another call, this time to my mother.She told us not to worry about it, just get the turkey in the oven as soon as possible.After that conversation, we felt good again. We bagged the bird and slid the roasting pan into the oven.Then we happily played Thanksgiving for the next few hours. We set a beautiful table using the dishes we had gotten for our wedding, we cooked side dishes, we watched football and our guests arrived on time with more food.When the buzzer went off, I pulled that turkey out and opened the paper bag to see that the little red circle had not popped out. I didn’t care. We had cooked it for the designated time and perhaps the red popper broke while we were poking the inside with a knife. I announced the turkey was done and about to be carved.David grabbed one of our new wedding knives and made the first incision.That bird was still pink inside.I could have died. In fact, one guest fainted, falling into the turkey and the bowl of gravy.So the bird went back into the oven, this time without a bag and at a much higher temperature. By the time we had washed the gravy from my guest’s hair, the turkey was done and people were eating.I didn’t try any turkey that day, not even a bite.I pledged to my husband that we would never again cook a turkey. That would be the job of my aunts, mother, mother-in-law or my sister. I will never stick my hand inside a frozen bird – never. Story ideas or comments can be emailed to Lexi Moore at lexim@star-herald.com or called in at 962-3561.