Luverne senior Stephanie Morgan keeps a ball alive during the 2002 volleyball debut against Sioux Valley-Round Lake-Brewster in Luverne Thursday. Morgan led the Cards with 11 kills during a 3-2 victory.

By John Rittenhouse
The Luverne volleyball team opened the 2002 campaign by posting a 3-2 home victory over Sioux Valley-Round Lake-Brewster Thursday.

The Cardinals, a young team that has one girl playing the same position (setter Brittney Williams) from the 2001 season, seemed to be out of sync at times during the match.

Luverne, however, came up big when it had to against a senior-dominated SV-RL-B team. When the two-hour match was complete, the Cardinals and their fans were able to celebrate a season-opening win.

"It definitely was played like it was our first match of the season," said LHS coach Mary Jo Graphenteen. "I thought we could have won this match in three (games), but SV-RL-B is a scrappy team. They dug up a lot of balls, and we really had to scramble a lot to win."

Luverne got off to a good start in Game 1 when it turned a 4-3 edge into a nine-point cushion (12-3) with an 8-0 run. Tara Boomgaarden served the run, which featured a pair of ace deliveries by the server, and two kills and one ace tip by Emily Oksness.

The Raiders climbed within five points (12-7) of the Cards as the game progressed, but a pair of ace serves by Oksness and a tip from Boomgaarden capped a 15-7 win.

A 7-0 run featuring two kills by Stephanie Morgan, two ace serves and two service points by Brittney Williams and a point from Boomgaarden gave the Cards a big lead in Game 2.

SV-RL-B, however, scored the next 13 points before Luverne put together a 5-0 surge (two points and one ace serve by Williams, and one point and one ace serve by Morgan) that left the Cards facing a 13-12 deficit. The Raiders then recorded the next two points to prevail 15-12 and knot the match at one game each.

Luverne responded to the situation by rolling to a 15-0 win in Game 3.

Morgan served a seven-point run that featured three ace serves, one kill by Taylor Nelson and one ace tip by Oksness. Callen Bosshart served a six-point run during the game that was spurred by a pair of ace tips from Boomgaarden.

Luverne seemed to be in control of the fourth game when it turned a 9-7 edge into a 13-7 cushion with an ace block by Nelson, an ace serve from Cassie Pap and one ace tip and one service point from Boomgaarden.

Although the Cards needed to score two points to win the match after their 4-0 run, they were outscored 9-1 during the rest of a game that ended with SV-RL-B boasting a 16-14 win.

Luverne scored the first four points of Game 5 and led 10-1 when Bosshart served a six-point run featuring one kill and one ace tip by Boomgaarden, and one kill and one ace block by Morgan.

SV-RL-B scored the next point, but a point from Williams, followed by a three-point run served by Morgan, clinched a 15-2 win for LHS.

Morgan led the Cardinals with 11 kills in the match. Boomgaarden added eight kills, Pap and Nelson recorded seven each and Oksness chipped in six.

Boomgaarden served a team-high 18 points from the line. Morgan had 14 points, while Bosshart and Williams served 11 and 10 points respectively.

Williams also had 24 set assists.

"We did a lot of positive things in the games we won," Graphenteen said. "Serving hurt us in the games we lost. We missed 14 serves in the two losses. It's hard to get anything going in the game of volleyball when you miss that many serves. The good news is a lot of the unforced errors we made are the type of mistakes we can improve upon in practice."

By John Rittenhouse
The Luverne tennis team opened Southwest Conference play by splitting a pair of matches.

The Cardinals lost a one-point decision in Redwood Falls Friday before nipping Marshall by one point at home Tuesday.

Luverne, 4-3 overall, plays in Springfield today before hosting Sioux Falls Roosevelt and Lincoln Friday and Monday respectively.

Luverne 4, Marshall 3
Luverne's veteran players came up big during Tuesday's home win over the Tigers.

Three LHS seniors posted singles wins and a junior led a doubles team to victory in a hard-fought match.

"Our senior leadership showed through in singles," said Cardinal coach Greg Antoine. "Then Jenny (Braa) and Nikki (Van Dyk) played hard through three sets to win our fourth point in doubles."

Van Dyk and Braa played in the No. 1 doubles slot, where they secured a 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 win over Gracie Henderson and Amanda Herrmann.

Becky Antoine, Rachel Tofteland and Gabe Van Dyk won two-set matches at No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 singles.

Antoine notched 6-2 and 6-0 wins over Heather Buesing, Tofteland handed Rachel Henderson 6-2 and 7-5 setbacks, and Van Dyk prevailed by 6-1 and 6-1 tallies over Kayla Pruitt.

MarshallÕs Diana Naatz topped Brittany Boeve by 6-2 and 6-3 scores at No. 4 singles.

The TigersÕ No. 2 doubles team of Ellie Ahmann and Nicole St. Aubin saddled Lexi Jauert and Andraya Gacke with a pair of 6-2 setbacks. MarshallÕs Stacy Christopherson and Rachelle Kunde upended Samantha Gacke and Alyssa Klein by 6-1 and 6-4 scores at No. 3.

"The thing I would like to see now is for us to be more aggressive. We've got to start taking it to our opponents instead letting them take it to us," Antoine said.

RWV 4, Luverne 3
The Cardinals came up one point short when they opened Southwest Conference play in Redwood Falls Friday.

The teams split four singles matches, but RWV took two of three doubles tests to win the battle.

"We played really well, especially in singles," said Cardinal coach Antoine.

Tofteland and Gabe Van Dyk notched wins at No. 2 and No. 3 singles respectively. Tofteland secured 6-3 and 6-4 victories over Linda Gano. Van Dyk topped Alecia Prins by 6-2 and 7-5 tallies.

RWVÕs Kate Maland downed Antoine by 6-2 and 6-4 scores at No. 1 singles. Host Lisa Goodthunder saddled Boeve with a pair of 6-0 setbacks at No. 4.

Although the Cards went 1-2, Antoine said his doubles teams benefited from two days of practice prior the match.

"Our doubles teams used what we did in practice very well. We worked a lot on our cross-court and alley shots for two days in practice, and we did a much better job. It was good to see that our practice paid off," he said.

Luverne's Braa and Jauert bested Olivia Schoffman and Amanda Malecek by 6-2 and 6-4 tallies at No. 1 doubles.

RWV's Karissa Rothmeier and Kristin Malecha downed Nikki Van Dyk and Samantha Gacke by 6-4 and 6-1 scores at No. 2. Lily Madsen and Devyan Morris posted 6-0 and 6-1 wins over Klein and Andraya Gacke at No. 3.

By Lori Ehde
Area women have a new way to get in shape since the opening of Curves for Women Tuesday.

Dubbed the "30-minute fitness and weight loss center," Curves is a weight-loss program exclusively for women using both aerobic and resistance exercise.

Located in the north side of the former Smith Furniture building, it's designed around eight resistance stations separated by aerobic recovery stations.

With audio prompts instructing exercisers to move from station to station, each workout is guaranteed to last no longer than 30 minutes.

"That's what makes this so attractive to so many people, especially to working women," said Georgie Pfaffinger, who co-owns the Luverne franchise with her husband, John.

"They can easily fit it in their schedules, before work, at noon or whenever. They're in and out of there in 30 minutes."

Women who already run or bike can supplement their aerobics programs with the Curves resistance training.

She said this is a popular option, because Curves makes them stronger and burn calories more efficiently.

What sets the Curves machines apart from those in standard fitness centers is that they move on hydraulic resistance, and the faster they're worked, the more resistance they offer.

"The harder you work, the more workout you get," Georgie said. "But older women who aren't able to use weight machines can operate these on a slower pace."

New members are weighed and measured and their progress is tracked monthly. Those meeting exceptional goals are publicly rewarded.

Since March, members at the Blue Earth Curves (where the Pfaffingers live) have lost 2,000 inches and nearly 400 pounds among nearly 300 women.

Inches are the preferred measurement at Curves. "You'll lose more inches than weight, because muscle weighs more than fat," Georgie said.

Curves has become the world's largest women's fitness and weight loss franchise, and was named by Entrepreneur Magazine the third-best franchise worldwide.

In the past five years, 3,500 Curves franchises have started in communities nationwide. Another 1,000 have started this year alone.

Curves members can work out in any Curves nationwide. The Luverne franchise, bought by the Pfaffingers, was one of the last available in the state of Minnesota.

It's popularity, Georgie said, is largely due to its women's only status.

"Women are more comfortable in our environment and feel guys aren't looking at them," she said. "Early morning ladies brush their teeth and come in, without having to worry about what they look like."

In Luverne, the Curves dŽcor is distinctly feminine with pink and lavender throughout, and Georgie said the women-only rule fosters a casual, playful workout among exercisers.

"It's like playtime for women," she said. "ItÕs their time away from their husbands and kids, and they seem to have a great time."

The Pfaffingers hired Deb Meyer, Rock Rapids to manage the Luverne business, and four additional part-time employees have also been hired.

Club hours are from 6 to 9 a.m., 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., 3 to 7 p.m. and on Saturdays itÕs open from 8 to 10 a.m. The phone number is 449-8000.

Curves is leasing the space from Lori Ketterling, who purchased the Smith Building from Glen Gust. Ketterling's business, Final Touch, will occupy the front part of the building.

West Nile virus antibodies have been found in a 72-year-old Rock County woman by the South Dakota Health Department, according to Nobles-Rock Public Health Service.

Case information was reported to the Minnesota Department of Health Tuesday and blood samples were forwarded to the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, for confirmation. Results from Atlanta may take several weeks.

The woman was hospitalized with symptoms including low blood pressure, body rash, dizziness, headache, slight neck pain and slight nausea. After no signs of encephalitis, an inflammation of the brain, the woman was released.

"This case of West Nile virus was not unexpected," said David Neitzel, epidemiologist from MDH specializing in diseases transmitted by mosquitoes to humans, in a press release.

"We have been monitoring the state closely and have known that the potential was there since the virus first appeared in the state in July."

Nine dead birds and 256 horses from southwestern and central Minnesota have tested positive for West Nile. This means that the mosquitoes responsible for the transmission of West Nile Virus to birds and horses are present in southwest Minnesota.

Minnesota likely will not experience anything close to the number of cases that occurred in Louisiana, Mississippi or Texas, according to Neitzel.

He reiterated the threat of any one person becoming ill from West Nile virus is extremely low. Most mosquitoes don't carry the virus so most people bitten by a mosquito have not been exposed. West Nile cannot be spread by contact with an infected person.

Fewer than one out of 150 people infected will become severely ill. Of those infected, most people will have no symptoms at all or mild symptoms.

Symptoms typically appear three to 15 days after being bitten and can include headache, high fever, muscle weakness, stiff neck, stupor, disorientation, tremors, convulsions, paralysis and coma. Severe cases tend to occur more frequently in the elderly.

While the mild symptoms can mimic the common cold and flu, staff at Luverne Medical Center say they havenÕt had requests to be tested by those suspecting they have the virus.

West Nile Virus first appeared in New York City in 1999 and has now been found in 41 states. By 2002, West Nile had affected 480 people, resulting in 24 deaths nationwide.

People who have questions about West Nile virus may call Nobles-Rock Public Health Service at 888-807-8099 or 372-8256 between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

To reduce risk of being bitten, Minnesotans should:
Protect themselves with mosquito repellent containing no more than 30 percent of the active ingredient DEET. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends products containing no more than 10 percent or less of DEET for children.

Wear long-sleeve shirts and long pants if you have to spend time in an area where mosquitoes are biting.

Avoid outdoor activities at dusk and dawn when mosquitoes feed.

Eliminate possible mosquito-breeding sites on and around property - including items such as old tires, buckets, clogged rain gutters, birdbaths, cans and other containers and anything else that can hold a small amount of water.

By Jolene Farley
After 30 years on the Hills Fire Department, Fire Chief Alan Top will hang up his helmet. Top retires as fire chief in November, but plans to remain among the ranks of the firefighters until next year.

Top shared thoughts on what motivated him when he joined the fire department at 24 years old in 1972.

"Every kid wants to be a fireman, right?" he said "The excitement, the adrenaline rush. The guys on the department - we're a pretty tight knit group."

Top said the frequency of fire calls has decreased since he joined the fire department.

"I don't know if it's that people are more aware of fire prevention or what it is," he said.

With 25 men currently on the Hills Fire Department and 12 men on the First Responders, Top said the department could use a few more volunteers.

An ongoing problem for many departments is a lack of volunteers during daytime hours.

The Hills Fire Department welcomed six new volunteers this spring. The volunteers completed 150 hours of firefighter training and also attended First Responder training.

Top is thankful equipment and training has improved during his years as a firefighter.

"When I first joined we had a small pumper and tanker and a very minimal rescue truck," he said. He added that a state instructor would come to Hills for only one evening a year to train the firefighters.

The department now has a fire hall, two pumper trucks, a tanker, a rescue truck and a grass fire rig, and firefighters are offered many hours of education.

"People have been real supportive for a small community," he said. "The equipment we have is very good. We are very appreciative of that."

Top said rescue calls are tougher than fire calls because when the pager goes off, they know someone is hurt.

"You always think the worst," he said. "Most of the time you get there and it's not the worst. A lot of times people just need to be calmed down."

But the calls when that isn't the case are difficult. A look of sadness passes over Top's face as he remembers an incident 25 years ago when two people were killed in a train wreck. "It was ugly," was all he said.

"You know every call you go to, you know the people," he said. "You deal with their sadness. You hurt for the people, because you know most of them. Those are the kind of calls you go home and you donÕt sleep for the rest of the night."

One evening on a happier call about 20 years ago, fire department volunteers delivered a baby west of Hills. Two women were passing through the area, and one of them went into labor. After the delivery, the fire department had a baby quilt made with Hills Fire Department stitched on it and "delivered" to the hospital.

No Hills firefighters have been killed or seriously injured in the line of duty, but Top and his fellow firefighters sympathize with the New York firefighters who lost their lives on Sept. 11 during the terrorist attacks.

"We felt like the rest of America," he said. "You felt for the families, even the families that weren't firefighters."

Top hopes he made the fire department a fun, friendly place under his leadership.

"I think someone else that's younger could do a better job now," said Top. "It's harder and harder to get up in the middle of the night."

He went on to tell a story of how he and another fireman used to be the first people at the fire hall after a fire call.

He told his friend. "It must be a sign of age, we're not as fast as we used to be at getting to the fire hall. We're getting beat out."

Top said it is time to let some of the younger members of the department who are full of enthusiasm and new ideas take over the department. "It's time to turn it over and let them go."

"It's going to be hard. What's really going to be tough is when I hear a fire siren. It's going to be hard for me not to be a Looky-Lou, wanting to go out there and run the show."

Top will always carry with him the deep friendships he developed with his fellow firefighters.

"You are counting on the guy behind you and in front of you all the time," he said. "I want to make sure the guy behind me knows what he's doing. He could save my life or I could save his life. I think it comes out in the friendships."

Top speaks fondly of his fire fighting years overall.

"It's been a pleasure. It's the greatest organization I've ever belonged to. I would recommend it to anyone," he said.

"It is some of the hardest work ever done with the most gratification you'll ever have."

Hills-Beaver Creek-Ellsworth-Edgerton runner Greg Van Batavia makes a move to pass a Southwest Christian athlete during Tuesday's Dragon Invitational in Adrian. The Patriot boys won the varsity team title at the event.

By John Rittenhouse
The Hills-Beaver Creek-Ellsworth-Edgerton boys' cross country team posted its first meet victory of the season Tuesday in Adrian.

Mixing it up with four other complete teams (two more squads were incomplete) at the Dragon Invitational, the Patriots took top honors at the event with 26 points.

Luverne, Southwest Christian and Adrian round out the field with 43, 70 and 112 points respectively.

"Our boys fared very well," said Patriot coach Tom Goehle. "They ran really well as a group. They tried to run together as long as they could."

Tyler Bush and Zach Hadler set the stage for victory by placing first and second with respective 17:50 and 18:32 times.

Lee Jackson placed sixth in 19:24, Greg Van Batavia eighth in 19:40 and Todd Alberty ninth in 19:57 to round out the team scoring.

Kale Wiertzema (11th in 20:10), John Sandbulte (24th in 22:13), Michael Bos (27th in 23:32), Jared Drenth (29th in 23:38) and Justin Hinks (35th in 29:42) also ran in the varsity race for H-BC-E-E.

Erika Fransen was H-BC-E-E's lone entry in the girls' varsity race. She placed 18th in 20:22.

Mya Mann, Amanda Tilstra and Rayne Sandoval finished second, third and ninth with respective 6:31, 6:33 and 7:20 times in the girls' junior high race.

Adam Finke and Grant Hoogendoorn placed second and fourth with times of 6:16 and 6:42 in the boys' junior high event.

"I'm really happy with where our times are at for this time of year. We are a lot better from where we were at last year at this time," Goehle concluded.

The Patriots will run in the Garretson, S.D., Invitational Monday.

By Jolene Farley
People interested in filing for elected office in Hills, Beaver Creek or Steen have until Tuesday, Sept. 10, to do so.

Filings for city offices opened Aug. 22 and close at noon Tuesday in Hills and Steen and at 5 p.m. in Beaver Creek.

As of Wednesday, Sept. 4, no one had filed in Hills for the two-year mayor seat or for the two four-year city council seats. City clerk Connie Wiertzema said she isn't surprised by the lack of interest.

"That's not unusual. A lot of times, they wait until the last day or two," she said. "They'll think about it and think about it and take that last step and come in."

Jim Jellema, who was appointed after George Langford resigned at the end of 2001, is the current mayor.

Wendell Bengtson and Linus Svoboda currently fill the two four-year council seats. Svoboda was appointed to the council to replace Jim Jellema, who was appointed mayor.

In Beaver Creek, current mayor Al Blank has filed for another two-year term.

No one has filed for the three open seats on the Beaver Creek City Council. Those seats are currently held by Carolyn DeBoer (four-year term), Arlyn Gehrke (four-year term), and Burdell Willers (two-year term).

Willers was appointed after the resignation of Julie Buysse from the council. Gehrke was appointed after the resignation of Arnold Brondsema.

In Steen, Mel Van Batavia has filed for another two-year term as mayor.

Robert Sandbulte, Leonard Otkin and Brad Bosch have filed for two four-year council vacancies.
Current council member Dries Bosch has decided not to run.

Sandbulte was appointed to office after the resignation of Cornie Bosch.

Qualified individuals may file at the city hall in the three communities, or an application signed by at least five voters may be filed on behalf of an eligible person.

By Jolene Farley
The Hills Community Club has set the date for Old Fashioned Saturday Night in Hills for Saturday, Sept. 14.

The Community Club will serve grilled pork loin sandwiches, beans, coleslaw, chips and a drink for $5 or a hotdog, chips and a drink for $2, ice cream with a topping will be $1.

Local talent Bill Kroon, Harlan Kroon and Carol Zwaan will play bluegrass, gospel and country music from 5 to 7 p.m.

Community Club membership dues will be collected during the evening. Family memberships are $10 and single memberships are $5.

Above, Diane Leuthold serves area residents sausage links prepared by volunteers from the Hills Christian School on Monday. Wendell Buys, Hills Christian School administrator, was pleased with the turnout at the free will donation pancake feed. "We thought there were probably more people than last year," he said. Volunteers hope the public will continue to attend the Labor Day event. At right, Helene Buys (left) and Diane Leuthold are on clean-up duty.

Photo by Jolene Farley