By John RittenhouseThe Luverne tennis team captured the school’s first Section 3A Team Tournament title by winning three straight matches during the event early this week.Luverne blanked MACCRAY during Monday’s quarterfinals in Luverne.The Cardinals traveled to Redwood Valley Tuesday to complete the tournament, where they posted 4-3 wins over Lac qui Parle Valley and Montevideo to win the championship.Luverne, 14-4 overall, will compete at its first Minnesota State Class A Team Tennis Tournament June 7 in Burnsville. The Cardinals will take on the Section 1A champion in the quarterfinals at 10 a.m. at the Northwest Athletic Club.Luverne 4, Montevideo 3The Cardinals punched their ticket to the state tournament by defeating the Thunder Hawks by one point during the section title match in Redwood Falls Tuesday.Luverne threw a curve at Montevideo by placing some of its top singles players on doubles teams for the title tilt, and the strategy worked out for the best."We switched our lineup to strengthen our doubles teams, and it paid off," said Cardinal coach Greg Antoine."Our third doubles team fell behind early, but came back to win a tough match to tie the score at three. The only match left was No. 1 singles. Dusty (Antoine) won first set, and Keith (Gordon, of Montevideo) won the second set. From there it was a dogfight with Dusty coming out on top to send us to state."Antoine won the decisive match by scores of 6-4, 3-6, 7-5, but the wins posted by the LHS doubles teams were equally important to the cause.Brandon Deragisch and Nick Heronimus notched 6-0 and 6-2 victories over Adam Jones and Sebass Richters at No. 1. David Nelson and Derek Boeve topped Adam Malecek and Sam Hathaway by 6-2 and 6-0 tallies at No. 2. Weston Sawtelle and Zach Sanderson recorded a 3-6, 6-1, 6-3 win over Trevor Kittleson and Chris Tastad at No. 3.Montevideo’s points came in singles, where Luverne filled the final three positions with freshmen players.Peter Mohagen bested Matt Kreuch by 6-0 and 6-2 scores at No. 2, Ryan Aeiken upended Erik Stegemann by 6-0 and 6-1 tallies at No. 3, and Adam Larsen saddled Jamie Vickery with a pair of 6-0 setbacks at No. 4."The three freshmen that filled in at singles for us did so for the team. This truly was a team effort. Everyone did what was asked of them," Antoine said.Luverne 4, LQPV 3The Cardinals advanced to the section title match with a one-point win over LQPV Tuesday in Redwood Falls.Like the championship match against Montevideo, the Cardinals swept LQPV in doubles and won one singles test to notch the victory.Deragisch and Heronimus topped Kevin Cerny and Cody Swenson by 6-2 and 6-0 scores at first doubles. Sawtelle and Stegemann handed Mike Schliep and Yan To Cheung a pair of 6-1 set backs at No. 2. Kreuch and Vickery prevailed by 6-0 and 6-1 tallies against Matt Roggenbuck and Matt Schliep at No. 3.Boeve produced the singles win for LHS by besting Jamie Schweiger by 6-1 and 6-2 scores at No. 3.Dutch Hanson (6-3 and 7-5 over Dusty Antoine at No. 1), Ian Hanson (6-1, 7-6, 7-3 in the tie-breaker over Nelson at No. 2) and Darren Schweiger (6-1 and 6-3 over Sanderson at No. 4) posted singles wins for LQPV.Luverne 7, MACCRAY 0The Cardinals opened tournament play by rolling to a seven-point home win over MACCRAY.Top-seeded LHS lost two sets during the match, and three singles players posted wins without losing a game.Nelson (over Nate Satre at No. 2), Derek Boeve (over Gavin Balderas at No. 3) and Sanderson (over Lucas Diesken at No. 4) all notched a pair of 6-0 victories for the Cards.Antoine lost a 6-0 set to MACCRAY’s Zach Reiger at No. 1 singles before rallying to post 6-4 wins in the second and third sets.Luverne prevailed in straight sets at No. 1 and No. 3 doubles. Deragisch and Heronimus bested Matt Skoglund and Travis Wubben by 6-3 and 7-5 tallies at No. 1. Kreuch and Vickery downed Nate Chayapornsopon and Alex Sweep by 6-3 and 6-2 counts at No. 3.Sawtelle and Stegemann bested Mike Ammermann and Mitch Kremin in a three-set battle at second doubles featuring scores of 6-3, 4-6, 6-2.

By John RittenhouseThe Luverne boys made their first appearance at the Minnesota State Class A True Team Track and Field Championships in Blaine a memorable experience Saturday.Competing against eight other teams at the National Sports Center in Blaine, the Luverne boys compiled 413.5 points to place third in a nine-squad field.Defending state true team champion Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton repeated as the winner of the meet with 428 points. Plainview nipped Luverne by one counter with 414.5 points for second place.Mayer Lutheran (332), Esko (320), Holdingford (317.5), Minnesota Valley Lutheran (263.5), St. Croix Lutheran (239.5) and Deer River (199.5) round out the Class A field.LHS coach Craig Nelson said he considered the entire state meet experience to be a successful one for the Cardinals. The mentor expected the boys to compete for a state title, and they fell 15 1/2 points short of making the dream come true."With a few breaks one way or another, we would have been the state champions," he said. "In a meet where more than 2,000 points are scored, finishing 13.5 points behind the champion is not a huge difference. It’s almost like losing on a last-second shot in basketball."The Cardinals competed well against the other teams, winning three events, placing second in three events and recording five-third place finishes.Luverne’s wins came from Mike Kunstle, Chris Ashby and the 1,600-meter relay team consisting of Tom Ward, Scott Goebel, Nick Otten and Jake Hendricks.Kunstle, who placed second in the 100-meter dash with a time of 11.95, won the 200 in 23.16. Ashby cleared the 300-meter hurdles in 42.41 for his win. The 1,600-meter relay registered a time of 3:32.21.Tony Willers and the 800-meter relay team of Ashby, Ryan Wynia, Ward and Jordan Siebenahler made bids to win titles before settling for second place. Willers tossed the shot put 42-3 3/4. The 800-meter relay produced a time of 1:36.77.Placing third individually for LHS are Matt Rosin (42-3 1/2 in the shot), Hendricks (51.4 in the 400), Otten (2:05.83 in the 800) and Thomas Pinkal (10:39.62 in the 3,200).The 3,200-meter relay team of Ward, Goebel Ruston Aaker and Steve Schneiderman finished third in 8:50.71.Nelson said all of the team members competed well, and he wasn’t surprised when the Cards emerged as Class A’s third best team."I felt going into the meet that we would be competitive, and I wasn’t surprised about finishing in the top three. We thought three of the teams stood above the rest, and it worked out that way. I knew it was going to be a close meet, one that came down to split seconds and inches. That’s exactly what happened."Here is a look at the rest of Luverne’s individual and relay results from the meet.Fourth place: Ben Uphoff, 300 hurdles, 42.63Fifth place:Pinkal, 1,600, 4:49.15; 400 relay (Uphoff, Wynia, Ryan Jacobsma and Siebenahler), 47.47.Sixth place: Wynia, pole vault, 11-0; Rosin, discus, 116-1; Kunstle, long jump, 19-2 1/4; Aaker, 400, 53.16; Hendricks, 200, 23.8.Seventh place: Uphoff, 110 hurdles, 18.81; Goebel, 800, 2:10.36.Eighth place: Otten, 1,600, 4:43.43.Ninth place: Ashby, 110 hurdles, 18.88.11th place: Michael Nelson, pole vault, 10-0; Hendricks, long jump, 18-1; Schneiderman, 3,200, 10:59.24.12th place: Kunstle, triple jump, 37-4 1/2; Siebenahler, 100, 12.64.14th place: Ward, high jump, 5-4; Willers, discus, 103-3.15th place: Tim Miller, triple jump, 36-0 1/5.16th place: Miller, high jump, 5-2.

10 years ago (1995)
Luverne City Council approved the final plat for the five-acre Mounds View Estates located south of the Minnesota Veterans Home.
Barbara Dye has logged 197 hours of volunteer work at the Minnesota Veterans Home since it opened. Margaret Pickard has logged 238 hours volunteering.
Nick Bork, son of Orville and Barb Bork, has been named a first-place winner in a national livestock judging contest.25 years ago (1980)
Sheila Aanenson is the winner of the bike given away during the annual Bike Rodeo sponsored by the Luverne Optimist Club, Luverne Police Department and the VFW Light a Bike Program.
Shelly Zinnel, Bonnie Van Aartsen, Dave Renes and Felicia Mohr are winners of the Carl Nash Memorial Band and Choral Awards at Luverne High School. Dan Duffy, Scott Matthiesen, Janice Fick and Pamela Swenson were chosen to attend Boys and Girls State.50 years ago (1955)
Shots for polio were given to first- and second-grade children of Rock County last Friday morning at the Luverne High School gym. An efficient crew of doctors, nurses and helpers were present to put the children through in good time.75 years ago (1930)
At a meeting of business men representing the retail institutions of the city, it was decided to keep the stores open each Wednesday until 10 p.m. through the summer.
Mrs. Nels Oldre, of Magnolia, and Mrs. W.G. Jacobson, Hills, held the numbers entitling them to the Kampkookand waterless cookers that were given away Saturday at Backer hardware.
A class of five will receive diplomas next Tuesday in the commencement exercises for Beaver Creek high school. The class is composed of Edward Rauk, valedictorian; Russell Leslie, salutatorian, and Darrell Bennett, Nan Gustof and Mabel Anderson.100 years ago (1905)
Quite a crowd of Luverne boys went to Trosky Tuesday evening and attended a dance, returning on the morning Rock Island. Those who went were Otto and Lloyd Ihlan, Ray Nutting, Martin Oldre, Ellsworth Beady, Pat Larkin, Otto Steinfeldt, Geo. Gilbertson and Frank Heck.
Considerable complaint has been made by farmers and others who have had occasion to drive in the country, of the condition of the bridges and culverts, caused by the recent heavy rains.

DISTRICT COURTPROBATE DIVISIONFIFTH JUDICIAL DISTRICTNOTICE AND ORDER OF HEARING ON PETITION FOR PROBATE OF WILL AND APPOINTMENT OF PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE AND NOTICE TO CREDITORSSTATE OF MINNESOTACOUNTY OF ROCKESTATE OFVIRGINIA MAE SMEDSRUD A/K/A VIRGINIA M. SMEDSRUD DECEDENTIt is Ordered and Notice is given that on June 13, 2005, at 3:30 (p.m.) a hearing will be held in this Court at Rock County Courthouse, Minnesota, for the formal probate of an instrument purporting to be the will of Decedent, dated February 18, 1997, and codicil (N/A) to the will dated N/A, and separate writing (N/A) under Minn. Stat. 524.2-513 ("Will"), and for the appointment of (1) David D. Smedsrud whose address is: 408 West Brown, Luverne, MN 56156 (2) Kellie Jo Smedsrud whose address is: 909 Douglas, Yankton, S.D. 57078 as personal representatives of the Estate of the Decedent in a SUPERVISED administration. Any objections to the petition must be filed with the Court prior to or raised at the hearing. If proper and if no objections are filed or raised, the personal representatives will be appointed with full power to administer the Estate, including the power to collect all assets, pay all legal debts, claims, taxes and expenses, to sell real and personal property, and do all necessary acts for the Estate. Notice is also given that (subject to Minn. Stat. 524.3-801) all creditors having claims against the Estate are required to present the claims to the personal representatives or to the Court Administrator within four months after the date of this Notice or the claims will be barred./s/TIMOTHY K. CONNELLTIMOTHY K. CONNELLJudge Date/s/SANDRA L. VRTACNIKSANDRA L. VRTACNIKCourt Administrator DateAttorney for Personal RepresentativesBENJAMIN VANDER KOOI, JR.VANDER KOOI LAW OFFICES, P.A.127 E. MainP.O. Box 746Luverne, MN 56156-0746507-283-9546Attorney I.D. No. 112124(5-26, 6-2)

NOTICE of PUBLIC INFORMATION MEETINGNotice is hereby given that on Monday, June 6th, 2005, at 8:00 p.m. the Rock County Planning and Zoning will hold a public meeting to hear input on the proposed construction of a feedlot by G&A Farms Inc. The public meeting will be held at the Rock County Family Services Building located at 2 Roundwind, Luverne, MN. The feedlot would be located in the NE 1/4 of the SE 1/4 of section 3 of Clinton Township. This proposal meets the requirements of Minnesota Pollution Control Agency 7020 Feedlot Rules and the Rock County Feedlot Zoning Ordinance. This is per Minnesota Rules part 4410.4300. Subpart 29, item B.(5-26, 6-2)

Letting go isn’t fun for me. I’d rather cling. That’s why putting my house on the market has given me mixed feelings. On one hand, it’s a wonderful way to avoid the responsibility of maintenance, pay off some bills (hopefully), and force myself to have a rummage sale. But on the other hand, it’s my house … and I won’t have a place to call my own anymore.There are certain things I will miss: like climbing the spiral staircase at the end of the day to the loft where I watch TV or work at my computer; the pretty chandelier over the dining table that took so long to afford; the color of the walls I painstakingly chose (not too sunny, not too mustard-y yellow); the way the kitchen always feels bright and clean; the handy storage spaces. Maybe I should have replaced the carpeting on the stairs or put a shower in the upstairs bathroom, but those are things someone else can address.What I have to address now is accepting the fact that people will traipse through my house (for who knows how long?) until it’s sold.I’m afraid to hear that potential buyers are turning their noses up at the paint color, or that they disagree with my choice of laminate flooring, or that they can’t wait to replace the chandelier. I feel like hanging notes around the house like, "The kitchen appears very small, but it’s truly handy, and I managed to cook many extravagant meals in it."When the house is finally sold, my fear turns to finding a decent place to rent.But although I readily admit that letting go is difficult for me, it’s not as if I will have a completely new start. I’ll still take with me all the things that made the house my home. I’ll have my favorite things: dishes, furniture, pictures and family memorabilia. And with a rummage sale and some give-a-ways, I won’t have anything I don’t want or need anymore.I’ve thought long enough about selling the house to realize it’s what I need to do. I just stopped enjoying things about homeownership that I thought were important before. Even so, Sunday afternoon I enjoyed time as a homeowner like I haven’t in a while. I spread a quilt on the lawn, sipped Diet Mountain Dew and ate handfuls of sunflower seeds while enjoying the warm sun and a few chapters of "East of Eden" — all in the semi-privacy of my own back yard.Then I went inside and remembered that I haven’t paid for my newly-installed bathtub fixtures yet, nor have I settled up with my lawnmower boy, who gave me the freshly trimmed grass to lie on. Yes, it’s time for me to take a break from homeownership.In real estate terms, the house is cozy, efficient, cute and move-in ready. But to me, it’s a responsibility that someone else can have … for the right price.

True team competition in track and field is an event that lives up to its name.In order to be successful, like the Luverne High School boys were by finishing third at the Class A meet in Blaine Saturday, it takes a complete team effort.Unlike run-of-the-mill meets, where points are awarded to individuals and relays based on placing in the top eight or better, everyone scores in true team competition.The teams are allowed to enter two athletes in each individual event, and one relay team in each race. Points are awarded based on how the individuals and relay teams fare against the field.If there are 18 athletes in an individual event, the event champion earns 18 points for the team. The athlete who places second scores 17 points, and so on down to the runner finishing 18th, who would record one point.The scoring for relay teams is based on increments of three. If there are nine teams entered in a relay, the winning squad tallies 27 points for the team. The relay that places ninth contributes three points to the team effort.According to LHS coach Craig Nelson, true team competition is the best way to judge the greatness of the team."True team competition started in 1987 by a group of track coaches who didn’t think awarding a team championship during the state meet was quite right," Nelson said."The coaches realized one individual could win a title for a team at the state meet, and they didn’t feel right about that. The true team concept boils down to team competition, and it gives you an opportunity to prove which team truly is the best team in the state."The LHS boys can take pride in the fact that they are one of the best teams in the state. The Cardinals missed placing second in Class A by one point, and finished 13 1/5 points shy of winning the team championship.The best thing about true team competition is the scoring system, which requires every athlete to contribute. Every team has its standout athletes that can carry a team to success in regular meets, but it’s the athletes who sometimes fly under the radar screen who can make all the difference in true team competition."Here in Minnesota, where we have two classes in track, it’s tough to qualify for the state meet," Nelson said. "True team gives an opportunity for some kids who wouldn’t qualify individually to compete at a state meet as a part of a team."Nelson had a hunch Luverne would fare well in the Class A field, and they did Saturday. A third-place finish is a strong effort, especially after a disappointing second-place finish in section competition in 2004."We were disappointed that we didn’t make it to state in true team last year. We thought we had a good chance to get there, but we didn’t because we made some mistakes at the section meet. We thought we had a legitimate chance to get to state and do well there this year, and our goals were realized Saturday," he said.

The following appeared in the Rock County Herald in 1934:NOTE IN SOCK BRINGS ANSWERRecipient Of Pair Of Red Cross Socks Sends Letter Of Thanks To Luverne GirlFive years ago, when contributions of knitted garments of all kinds were being made to the American Red Cross, Miss Marie Wiegel, of this city, at that time eight years of age, knitted a pair of wool socks and contributed them in the usual way. In the toe of one of the socks, she inserted a little slip of paper bearing the following notation: "Made by Marie Wiegel (8 years old), Luverne, Rock County, Minnesota. Please let me hear who gets these."Last week she received through the mail a letter bearing the post mark of "Villach," and addressed to "Miss Marie Wiegel, Luverne, Rock county, Minnesota, U.S.A., Amerika." The contents of the letter follows: "St. Andrae, 11, 1, 24"Dear Miss Wiegel,"When I arrived on the 6th of April, 1922, at Vladivostok, Siberia, I was presented with your stockings. Thanks. I’ve worn them and they have become old and full of holes. They were darned; but, you know, this method could not help them to die. They have done truly their work, kept my feet warm for two years and a half. Now they are "invallde." I am sorry of it. "I spent about seven years in captivity. I had plenty of time to meditate. Praised be the Lord that I returned to our Heavenly Father. I was converted and began to study the Holy Bible. I didn’t know formerly. I resolved to stay in Russia and become a missionar. Need and hunger compelled me to return home with my wife and baby. For ten days we drove on a little Chinese car through Manchuria. Five days we spent in the railway and two months on a steamer until we reached Italy. "In the autumn of 1922, we entered the Bible School in St. Andrae, where I am preparing myself for service. "If the Lord will grant me I’ll go to Louvre for one year to have a little medical training before returning to Russia."The stockings are worn out, the letter finished and you have become two years older. "Are you attending a Sunday School? May the Lord return to you what you have done to a poor prisoner of war. "Our best compliments to your parents. We remain"Thankfully"Otto and Louise Bauxbaum"Mary"Address:"Otto Bauxbaum"in St. Andrae"near Villach"(Bible School)"Austria."It is apparent from the writer’s letter that he received the socks some 3 years after they were made, and it is hard to imagine how they fell into the hands of an Austrian prisoner of The Russian Government.The letter was written in English. Donations to the Rock County Historical Endowment Fund can be sent to the Rock County Historical Society, P.O. Box 741, Luverne, MN 56156.Mann welcomes correspondence sent to mannmade@iw.net.

"O, Lord, you know me ..."My favorite Psalm is 139. I have found so many uses for the comfort of those words. It helps me to know that I am not alone in this world, no matter how lonely I become. I first learned about this Psalm when I was about 10 years old. I was the typical 10-year-old; for a boy, but of course I was a girl. I was active and most of the time I was a tomboy. I climbed trees, played baseball and rode my bike for hours. Once I got lost and didn’t panic until I was really late for dinner. I was exploring the mountains of Wills Mountain in Southwestern Pennsylvania, where I lived. I rode my bike to a trail that swerved up over the hillside and decided to ‘conquer’ that hill. I was alone but fearless.I remember encountering a deer nearby and for the first time I was amazed by it’s beautiful eyes. I still marvel at the clearness of a doe’s eyes. On up I went until I could no longer see the path below. In fact, I was not sure where I was and how many turns I had taken. A meadow spread out before me and I knew, at that moment, that I had not seen that meadow before. Gulp! I was surely lost!Well, dummy, turn around and you can just backtrack on down to your bike and peddle on home, I told myself!!! But down was now up and over and around and I was lost. Too brave to cry, I sat down on the grass and began to think real hard. A piece of paper blew right past me and landed on my shoes. I grabbed it and it was Psalm 139, torn from the center of the Bible. King James Version, I remember. I had read the Bible but I was not an avid scholar. I almost threw it away, until I read the first line:"O Lord, thou hast searched me and known me! Thou knowest when I sit down and when I rise up: Thou discernest my thoughts from afar."Visions of the deer’s eyes, the beautiful meadow and that sacred page will live with me always. All I had to do was trust in God, who knows me best. When I feel ‘lost,’ I just open my Bible and turn to Psalm 139 and I know God will show me the way. I rarely use the King James Version of the Bible but I do read quite often the comforting words of Psalm 139. When my beloved father died 10 years ago, nothing would comfort me but the words of ‘my’ Psalm. I still need that comfort when I think of my father.Do you have a favorite Psalm? Read through them every day and see how they each speak to you. If you ever get ‘lost,’ you can find your way with God’s Word.