Speed Sport Magazine, January 2014: Angell Park Home To Midget Greats

Speed Sport Magazine, January 2014

G'town players ruled ineligible

Daily News (West Bend, Wis.)
Published: Jan. 31, 2014

G’town players ruled ineligible

4 seniors eligible for reinstatement Feb. 14

By NICHOLAS DETTMANN

Daily News

Four Germantown High School boys basketball players who were arrested Jan. 23 have been ruled ineligible, according to Germantown’s co-curricular code.

In a news release from the Germantown School District Thursday, Lamonte Bearden, Brian Bearden, Lamont Christian and Dearionte Hudson were ruled ineligible. However, the four players, all seniors, may return to competition this season provided they adhere to all provisions of the code.

The players can still attend practice with the team.

The Beardens, Christian and Hudson were arrested for alleged possession of marijuana after a traffic stop at about 10:30 a.m. Jan. 23 in the area of Mequon and Goldendale roads. Two other Germantown teenagers, both 17, were also arrested. All were arrested for illegal drug violations.

Hudson was arrested and taken to Washington County Jail. He appeared before Washington County Circuit Judge James Pouros on one count of misdemeanor possession of THC on Jan. 24. A hearing has been set for 2:45 p.m. Feb. 19, according to court records.

If found guilty, Hudson could face up to six months of imprisonment and up to $1,000 in fines.

Germantown Principal Joel Farren could not be reached for comment.

In the news release, Farren wrote, “The District is not in a position to provide statements relating specifically to an individual pupil’s behavior or specific consequences.”

Germantown coach Steve Showalter said after last week’s game against Whitefish Bay he has been ordered by the district to not comment on the situation.

Lamonte Bearden is committed to NCAA Division I University of Buffalo on a basketball scholarship and is Germantown’s leading scorer. It is unknown if Bearden’s ineligibility will impact his scholarship.

Brian Bearden is fourth on the team in scoring, and Hudson is one of the Warhawks’ key defensive players. Germantown has won the last two WIAA Division 1 state championships and had its 69-game winning streak snapped Jan. 14 at Brookfield Central.

The Warhawks have five games remaining in the regular season after Thursday’s 88-37 victory over Nicolet.

With a first violation, the studentathlete must sit for one-quarter of regular season contests, which is five games, according to the code.

According to WIAA rules regarding a suspension during the postseason tournament, a suspended or ineligible player during the tournament will result in disqualification from the entire tournament.

The earliest the players could regain eligibility is Feb. 14 at Nicolet.

WIAA to extend games next fall

Daily News (West Bend, Wis.)
Published: Jan. 30, 2014

WIAA to extend games next fall

Teams will play 45-minute halves

By NICHOLAS DETTMANN

Daily News

In an effort to fit with the guidelines of club, collegiate and professional soccer, the WIAA announced Wednesday its plan to extend halves from 40 to 45 minutes for high school soccer games, starting in the fall of 2014.

Kettle Moraine Lutheran boys and girls soccer coach Matt Moeller confirmed the plan.

“Most clubs at the 17- and 18-year-old level play 45-minute halves; professional and collegiate levels play 45-minute halves,” he said. “It bring us closer to the higher level soccer and to how the game is played (around the world).”

This change was one of many decided on by the WIAA’s Board of Control at its monthly meeting, including the finalization of the Green Bay Realignment plan, which has KML and Kewaskum becoming conference foes starting in the fall of 2015. Those schools will join Campbellsport, Plymouth, Waupun, Berlin, Ripon and Winneconne to form an unnamed conference.

Kewaskum athletic director Jason Piittmann said nothing has developed in terms of a name, bylaws, etc.

In addition, the WIAA announced it will start and end the boys soccer season one week later, starting in the fall of 2015. And the regional dates will be moved from a Tuesday/Thursday schedule to Thursday/Saturday.

“I don’t like the fact they’re moving the season back,” Slinger boys coach Brian Kiley said. “For high school, you want fans in the stands and the season starts before school starts so I can see where they’re coming from. I prefer to start in that first week of August.”

“I would love to see a Wednesday/Saturday or Tuesday/Saturday (regional schedule),” he added. “It allows you time to prepare and to recover. Those days are important to me.”

Moeller completed his three-year term on the state soccer coaches advisory committee in November and said this was an idea that has been in the works for the last couple years.

The WIAA had to request a waiver from the NFHS to implement this change as an experiment. Moeller said that procedure has taken place and was approved.

In addition to the 45-minute halves, the sudden-death overtime will be eliminated for regular season matches. In the postseason tournament series, after 90 minutes, if the teams are tied, games will be extended to two 10-minute overtime periods with no suddenvictory goal. If teams are still tied, penalty kicks will break the tie.

One of the reasons for the change, especially in regular season matches is to assist players, parents, coaches and officials with a solid start and end time to games. Moeller said many referees try to officiate more than one game in a day. If a game goes to overtime, an official may not be able to make a second game. With this change, the officials know when a game will start and when it will end.

“Different coaches have been thinking about this for a while because so many players play club,” Moeller said. “Some of the players had even talked about it.”

“Good move,” Slinger girls coach Jim Rasmussen said. “I think it makes sense with what FIFA and what that age group is doing at the club level. I think they’re trying to get the rules to be more uniform with the club level. I’m all in favor of it.”

The change will also likely alter the game management by a coach.

“The coaches have a better idea of how many minutes they’re going to play, you can make knowledge substitutions,” Moeller said. “It’s always tough late in regulation because you want the best players out there, but you need fresh legs for overtime.

“I think this will improve the overall nature of the game.”

Rasmussen said he’d like to see overtime stick with conference games.

“You don’t want to have a tie in conference,” he said.

East names Rondorf next coach

Daily News (West Bend, Wis.)
Published: Jan. 29, 2014

East names Rondorf next coach

1986 graduate will remain as athletic director until June 30

By NICHOLAS DETTMANN

Daily News Sports Editor

In December, Jeff Rondorf warned the potential hire for the varsity football coach position at West Bend East about thinning patience among its supporters.

On Tuesday, he took on that responsibility.

East has announced Rondorf as the school’s new varsity head football coach and will resign as the athletic director when his contract expires June 30.

“It means a lot,” he said. “I’m very excited about it. I’m excited to get back into the classroom. I look forward to the opportunity and the challenge both jobs present.”

Rondorf spent the last eight years as the athletic director at East. However, he brings a résumé of football coaching that was hard to match, Principal Jim Curler said.

“Jeff came in with a passion and a knowledge, the winning experience no else could match,” he said.

Rondorf coached at Cedar Grove-Belgium in a variety of roles from 1991-2006. From 2000-05, he was the school’s varsity football coach where he led the team to three Central Lakeshore Conference championships and three straight playoff appearances.

Rondorf left Cedar Grove-Belgium just before the start of the 2006 season to return to East as the athletic director.

Rondorf graduated from East in 1986. Returning to coaching at his alma mater is just short of a dream situation for him.

“I’ve called West Bend home my entire life,” he said. “I certainly saw what a successful football program does to a community. I certainly want that (for West Bend) as well.”

Six candidates, including Rondorf, were interviewed for the job — all with head coaching experience. Rondorf’s proven record of turning around a program was what ultimately got him the job.

“Most of them came in knowledgeable with the situation with West Bend East,” Curler said. “Jeff has that winning experience.”

Rondorf is East’s third varsity football coach in four years. The Suns enter the 2014 season with 18 straight losses and haven’t had a winning season since going 6-4 in 2007. The Suns are 1046 since then, with three winless seasons — all in the last five years.

“There’s a lot of pressure that goes with this but I welcome it,” Rondorf said. “I have a lot of confidence in my coaching ability.”

“I told the committee, you can’t tell a senior or a senior parent that it’s going to take two or three years to turn this around,” he added. “It’s going to have to be done next year.”

Rondorf believes turning the program around as soon as next season can happen. A reason for that belief is his familiarity with the players at the varsity, junior varsity, freshman and the youth levels.

“It’s going to be a tremendous help,” Rondorf said. “We’ve got a lot of great people. We have a lot of talented kids in the youth program and talented coaches.”

Rondorf, who attended the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, wanted to be a teacher coming out of college. As the athletic director at East, he couldn’t work in the classroom. By becoming the football coach, he will also begin teaching in the business education department.

“It was the itch to get back into the classroom, to have that direct impact on children,” Rondorf said when asked why he applied for the football job. “I went to college to be a teacher. It was something I certainly missed.”

Cedar Grove-Belgium’s record in 2000 and 2001 was not available, but the Rockets were 0-9 in 2002. In 2003, the Rockets went 5-5 and qualified for the playoffs. In 2004, the Rockets were 10-1, losing in Level 3.

From 2003-05, the Rockets were 23-8.

“Priority No. 1 is to get our football players faster and stronger,” Rondorf said about his first step. “Our strength and conditioning program has to get better.”

“It’s just another challenge,” he added. “I enjoy challenges. I was put in a similar spot, turning a program around and turning it into a successful program. I look forward to doing the same (at East).

“We have a lot to do in a short period of time. It’s going to take parents, players and the coaching staff to commit themselves.”

Curler said the search for Rondorf’s replacement in the athletic office will wait. He said the search likely won’t intensify until early April.

“We have plenty of time to make a decision on that position,” Curler said.

ENTERPRISE: Setting your limits

Daily News (West Bend, Wis.)
Published: Jan. 29, 2014

Setting your limits

Area trainers and doctor discuss excessive exercising and its dangers

By NICHOLAS DETTMANN

Daily News Sports Editor

Keep it real ... that is, keep your training plan and fitness goals within a reasonable and attainable platform. Don’t overwork yourself as you push toward a 5-kilometer run, a triathlon, a marathon or any fitness goal set for the year.

Physical exercise is good and often encouraged by health professionals, but there is such a thing as excessive exercise, which can lead to greater problems, including death. World tennis star Melanie Oudin, a former U.S.

Open quarterfinalist, withdrew from the recently completed Australian Open before it began because she developed an ailment called rhabdomyolysis.

What is rhabdomyolysis?

It is a condition that breaks down overworked and damaged muscles, and releases fibers into the bloodstream, causing many complications. While rare, kidney failure can occur.

“It can occur in any athlete who performs strenuous activity,” said Dr. Gary Herdrich, a physician at the Froedtert West Bend Health Center.

It can happen to someone of any age just starting an exercise program to a moderate athlete to an elite, Olympic-level athlete.

In 2011, 13 Iowa football players were hospitalized because they developed the ailment.

Herdrich said two of the biggest triggers are excessive repeated exercise and lack of hydration. Heat can also play a role said Herdrich.

Herdrich attributed a survey conducted by Harold B. Schiff in 1978 looking at marathon running.

In the study, myoglobinaemia (muscle destruction or segregation) occurred in 25 of 44 runners completing a 99-kilometer marathon.

“It comes from trauma to the muscle and the muscle breakdowns,” Herdrich said.

Potential red flags include trouble moving arms or lifting objects, fever, confusion or loss of consciousness, abnormal or irregular heartbeat and dark colored or lack of urine.

One of the biggest warning signs is swelling of the muscle.

If soreness doesn’t go away and is coupled with dark or no urine, patients should consult a doctor.

“Everybody’s goals are different; everybody’s unique with their goals,” said Nicola Patrinos, a personal trainer and wellness coach at Kettle Moraine YMCA in West Bend. “I always focus on the three components of a good exercise program: cardio, strength and flexibility. Depending on the level of fitness with one individual, that’s going to vary.”

“So somebody that’s just starting an exercise program, you’re not going to have them do 45 minutes of cardio seven days a week,” she added. “You want to start in small steps.”

Patrinos, along with fellow YMCA trainer Chris DelCamp, and Herdrich, each encourage rest and recovery as being maybe more important than the exercising itself. In addition, nobody knows your body better than you. So listen to it if it starts to hurt. That is the best advice for any person at any level of exercise level, Patrinos said.

“You start by gradual increments,” Herdrich said. “As you do so, stay well hydrated and listen to your body. You’ve got to build up to it.”

How do you know when too much is too much?

“You want to look at your rate of perceived exertion,” Patrinos said. “How hard are you working? You ask yourself; not what it says on the machine. How hard are you working from 1 to 10?

“1 is you can hold a conversation, where 10 is when you can’t, you’re gasping for air. You want to have your level to be 6, 7 or 8.”

Dehydration is a risk factor and doctors believe that contributed to Oudin’s problems. It didn’t appear to be an issue for the Iowa football players, but they had something else in common with Oudin and others with the diagnosis: an intense workout immediately after a long break.

The Hawkeyes took three weeks off after their bowl game, then returned with a session that included 100 back squats at half of the maximum weight each player could manage for one lift.

“Acclimate yourself to exercise,” Herdrich warned.

“When you’re doing those three components, cardio, strength and flexibility, you want to have a day to rest to let the muscle rest, to let the muscle repair,” Patrinos said. “You can definitely overtrain.”

While athletes often test their limit with their workout routines, especially as money becomes a factor in measuring one’s success, rhabdomyolysis has shown to be the point where an athlete at all levels has crossed the line of that limit. More doctors and trainers are trying to get people to shy away from the idea of no pain, no gain. Television shows like “The Biggest Loser” give people the wrong idea about how to lose weight. DelCamp said the goal for those interested in strength training is to get close to hypertrophy — an increase in mass or girth — but not exceed it.

“You want to work the muscle, get it active, challenge it,” DelCamp said. “But stop if you get that sensation where the muscle gets tight and starts to shake a little bit.”

Rhabdomyolysis gives a different perspective on that motto of no pain, no gain. If there’s pain, slow down.

“It’s a little more serious than some people think it is,” DelCamp said. “It’s not worth second guessing.”

“The challenge (for trainers) is to give them appropriate expectations about what’s going to happen,” he added.

In tough spot, Warhawks prevail

Daily News (West Bend, Wis.)
Published: Jan. 25, 2014

In tough spot, Warhawks prevail

Germantown without top scorer

By NICHOLAS DETTMANN

Daily News Sports Editor

GERMANTOWN — Germantown sophomore Juwan McCloud wasn’t nervous with his situation heading into the Warhawks’ boys basketball game against Whitefish Bay on Friday.

He was motivated.

Thrust into the starting point guard role in a tough situation, McCloud rose to the occasion, scoring 14 points to lead Germantown to a 65-49 victory over Whitefish Bay.

McCloud, a Menomonee Falls transfer, made his first start for Germantown at point guard. McCloud started for Lamonte Bearden, who was inactive for the game after he and three other players were taken into custody Thursday morning for possession of marijuana. The other players were Lamont Christian, Dearionte Hudson and Brian Bearden.

Germantown coach Steve Showalter was hesitant when asked about the situation, only saying afterward he was instructed not to comment by school administration.

When asked about the game, he breathed a sigh of relief.

“It’s a lot easier to talk about basketball,” he said. The Beardens and Christian were at the game and sat with the team on the bench. Hudson has been charged with a crime. The Beardens and Christian have yet to be charged, if at all.

In a season that began with such promise, the Warhawks have had to deal with adversity in the last week and a half.

On Jan. 14, the Warhawks had their nation-leading 69-game winning streak snapped by Brookfield Central.

Then this happened.

“Last week was really tough after Brookfield Central,” Showalter said. “It was tough to rally the guys back into it.

“This week was a great week of practice. It was a lot better week of practice than I normally would’ve expected.”

With the team marred in hardship, McCloud, along with a cast of others, was ready for the challenge.

“I was more motivated,” McCloud said. “I just had to step up to the plate, perform and do what I do best.”

Senior Jake Showalter, who had a game-high 22 points, called the game a must-win for the Warhawks now with the spotlight on the team, but for a negative reason.

Lamonte Bearden is the team’s leading scorer (15.6 points per game), while Brian Bearden is third on the team in scoring (11.8). From a basketball standpoint, not having the Beardens in the lineup leaves the Warhawks with two holes that needed to be filled quickly.

McCloud provided a lift. So did Brian Studer and Dwayne Lawhorn Jr. They were three of the top-four scorers for Germantown against Whitefish Bay.

Studer made three 3-pointers during a key stretch in the fourth quarter to blow open a close game and finished with nine points.

Lawhorn finished with 10 points, all in the first half.

“There’s always going to be people that don’t want to see you succeed, always looking for you to fail, giving you reasons to fail,” Jake Showalter said. “We just push all that aside and come in every day and work hard to be the best.”

“We’re really proud of what Juwan did,” he added. “We’re going to be expecting him to step up like this in every game now, which we all have confidence he can do.”

Steve Showalter was proud of how McCloud stepped up in a tough situation.

“He’s been hurt most of the year,” Showalter said. “But he’s been playing basketball for 15 years. He knows how to play. He’s only going to get better for us.”

The last time out between these teams, Whitefish Bay challenged Germantown, only losing by eight points. It was Germantown’s first test of the season.

“Whitefish Bay plays us tough all the time,” Showalter said. “They play hard; they play tough.

“The first half was a war.”

Whitefish Bay was led by Isaiah Johnson with 19 points, Joe Sherburne had 13 points, 11 in the first half.

For most of the game, the Blue Dukes appeared they were ready to send a shockwave through the state.

Germantown hasn’t lost a North Shore Conference since the 2009-10 season, a span of 54 games. Plus, the Warhawks haven’t lost a home game since losing to Middleton in the 2009-10 season, a span of 49 games.

Germantown led 32-29 at halftime and it was a 41-36 advantage heading into the fourth quarter.

“I kept subbing, trying to find combinations,” Showalter said.

“We’ve got three senior captains that know this is their team and that they have to step up,” he added.