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TENNIS: Perfect combo

Daily News (West Bend, Wis.)
Published: Oct. 1, 2014

Perfect combo

Hartford Union duo finishes undefeated in WLT

By NICHOLAS DETTMANN

Daily News

HARTFORD — Hartford Union’s Maddy Knight and Courtney Lindemann have something that can’t be taught: camaraderie.

They’ve had that well before they walked onto the tennis courts as wide-eyed freshmen hoping for a spot on the Orioles’ girls tennis team in 2011.

Their bond started as preschoolers and continued when they joined a summer recreation tennis league as third-graders.

They’ve been inseparable ever since.

On a chilly Tuesday afternoon, Knight and Lindemann defeated Oconomowoc’s Gabby Brucker and Lexi Miller, 6-2, 6-1, to finish a threeyear Wisconsin Little Ten run undefeated. That’s 21-0. It’s a mark that left Hartford coach Andy Andress a bit envious of the seniors.

“The mental mindset and the makeup to not drop a conference match against a rival or against another team that is maybe a better team, that really is impressive,” he said.

The Orioles swept the three doubles flights, and Sierra Neu won a hardfought match at No. 3 singles (6-4, 7-5) to give Hartford a 4-3 dual meet victory to close the regular season.

The Orioles also secured a secondplace finish in the WLT, behind West Bend East.

“West Bend East is a better team,” Andress said. “They’re a better team than anybody else in the conference. They’re solid from top to bottom.”

“But I’m very pleased with finishing second,” he added. “It was a real solid performance for the season.”

It’s been a solid season for the Orioles’ doubles teams. The three flights consist of all seniors and they went a combined 20-1 this season.

For Knight and Lindemann, who are 22-4 overall this season, it was a bittersweet day and the red eyes indicated it.

“It’s our last home match,” Knight said, holding back some emotion.

Lindemann was a bit tougher in holding back some emotions as she wasn’t as red in the eyes as her partner. But the thought of playing her last match at Hartford did rattle some of her emotions.

“I’ve never been without Maddy. We can’t not be together,” Lindemann said.

Their three-year run through the WLT almost never happened.

As freshmen, they didn’t believe they were good enough to compete with the upperclassmen on the team. The Orioles won the WLT in 2009 and were in position to win the WLT again in 2011, which they did.

The Orioles won conference again in 2012.

So after an early-season practice, Knight and Lindemann were ready to hang up their rackets.

“We were intimidated,” Lindemann said.

“Really close,” she added when asked how close they were from not returning to practice.

They did go back and they didn’t leave any doubt behind them.

They played on varsity reserve as freshmen, then moved to No. 3 varsity doubles as sophomores. They’ve been perfect in the WLT ever since.

They only played two three-set matches in three years of WLT matches and won 80 percent of games played in conference.

“It’s kind of crazy,” Knight said. “We’ve been playing together for nine years. We never thought anything of it freshman year and now here we are. It’s such an accomplishment.”

“It means so much,” she added. “All the hard work and effort we put into it is paying off. I can’t believe it really.”

And because their bond started at a young age, they always had an advantage over their opponents. They knew each other’s strengths and weaknesses, and how they handled every situation within a match.

“Courtney and I always had so much fun playing it together,” Knight said. “It started as a kind of goofing off thing and we had a lot of fun.

“Then we realized we weren’t that bad at it.”

They’ve never thought about playing anything other than doubles together. They were joined at the hip on the hard court.

They will not likely play tennis in college so when the WIAA state tournament series is done, which starts Tuesday with the subsectional, that’ll be it, at least on the tennis court.

BASEBALL: Finding comfort

Daily News (West Bend, Wis.)
Published: Sept. 26, 2014

Finding comfort

Hartford Hawks’ Drew Palmer named inaugural Daily News Amateur Baseball Player of the Year

By NICHOLAS DETTMANN

Daily News

Drew Palmer was a bit out of his comfort zone when he joined the Hartford Hawks baseball team this summer. He’d grown up using mostly aluminum bats or something similar, but never had he used a wooden bat, at least not in a competitive environment.

He had no choice if he wanted to stick around.

“The game of baseball is about adjustments,” Palmer said. “It was just a little adjustment I had to make.”

The adjustment?

“You have to be more selective at the plate,” Palmer said.

That one adjustment paid big dividends for the Hawks this summer.

Palmer, a 2013 Hartford Union graduate, was selected as the inaugural Daily News Area Amateur Baseball Player of the Year.

The area teams include the Hawks, the West Bend 7 UP, the West Bend Benders, the Slinger Stingers and the Kewaskum A’s.

“I’m definitely really excited,” Palmer said. “To get this honor, it means so much.”

Palmer batted .372 for the season, his first in a wood bat league, with 19 extra-base hits, including five home runs and 35 RBIs. He also batted .395 in Rock River League games with a .417 on-base percentage. He led the league in extra-base hits (16) and slugging percentage (.679).

Palmer made the Tri-County All-League team.

“You could tell he learned from each at-bat and would take constructive criticism very easily,” Hawks manager Ben Kluck said. “He would even apply things he’d see and you could see him make the changes from each at-bat to the next at-bat.

“He always had drive to be better.”

Kluck coached Palmer during Palmer’s sophomore year at Hartford.

“He was pretty small yet,” Kluck recalled. “He hadn’t really built up yet, but he had a very nice swing and was able to go the other way with the outside pitch, which at an early age is rare to see.”

Palmer admitted it was an odd feeling using the wood bat. But he worked at it. And the easiest solution he discovered was he found a wood bat that had a similar feeling to the aluminum bats he was accustomed to using.

“I realized they were different the first time I used them,” Palmer said. “It took a couple weeks. That’s when I realized that my approach had to be a little different.”

Kluck believed Palmer got into the swing of using a wood bat sooner than Palmer realized it.

“We knew he had a nice bat,” Kluck said. “We didn’t know how quickly he would adjust to this level. I think he surprised us and maybe he surprised himself with how quickly he was able to be successful.”

Once he got used to it, Palmer was one of the most consistent hitters in the Rock River, a plus for the Hawks.

“We had always struggled with our power position, the 3-4-5 spots,” Kluck said. “We never really had a big stick on the team. Watching him in (American) Legion the year before and just seeing how much he bulked up, we thought he could really help us in one of those spots. He filled one of our biggest weaknesses.”

By the third or fourth game of the season, Kluck said you could notice Palmer was catching on.

“The wood bat is a lot less forgiving,” Kluck said. “You can miss on a pitch with aluminum bat and still be rewarded whereas the wood it’s not as forgiving. You’ve got to hit it on the sweet spot. It’s a big adjustment for players. It’s rare you find someone who’s able to do it right away.”

The Hawks went into the 2014 season defending a league championship. Palmer knew it was going to be a challenge to work his way into the regular rotation.

“I was hoping to get some playing time,” Palmer said. “I just made the most of the opportunities at the start and I’m glad I did.

“I knew coming in it was going to be difficult, playing time wasn’t going to be guaranteed,” he added. “I wanted to help as much I could.”

Palmer is a member of the baseball team at Trine University in Angola, Indiana. Going into the summer, Palmer said he wanted to reduce the length of hitting slumps. The slumps he had, which are common in baseball, came around once or twice a season, but they were long, which hurt his confidence at times.

But his no-quit attitude at the plate has transformed him into a consistent hitter.

“If he can come back and pick up where he left off, that’s all we can ask for,” Kluck said. “He’s an MVP candidate going into the banquet.

“He’s one of the top hitters in the league, but there are still things he can improve on. He’s going to get better.”

Palmer added, “I always knew I was capable of being a .400 hitter. I just didn’t take advantage of the opportunities like I did this summer.”

AUTO RACING: Late driver’s family grateful of support

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

Late driver’s family grateful of support

Beaver Dam Raceway donates $9K

By NICHOLAS DETTMANN

Daily News

HARTFORD — For the first time in days, Brian Semmelmann was able to smile, albeit a small one.

There were also tears.

On Wednesday night, Semmelmann, the older brother of Scott Semmelmann who died Saturday in a sprint car crash at Beaver Dam Raceway, spoke to onlookers and radio listeners during 92.5 WBWI FM’s “The Drivers Meeting” program at the Mineshaft. He thanked all who have supported the family in its time of need.

“I have no idea how to respond properly to the race family, I like to call it, for the gratitude that happened that night,” Brian Semmelmann said. “It was the worst evening of my life.”

The interview lasted almost 15 minutes. At the end of the segment, Beaver Dam Raceway General Manager Carolyn Mueller presented a check to Semmelmann and the family for more than $9,000, which came from donations by drivers, fans, crew members and others at the track Saturday and in the days since the accident.

The moment was touching.

Mueller, with tears falling, shared a long hug with Semmelmann.

Mueller said earlier Wednesday the events of Saturday’s tragedy are still hard.

“I don’t know if you can move on from this,” she said.

Scott Semmelmann of Brookfield died when his winged sprint car made contact with another car during a practice session for the Bumper to Bumper IRA Outlaw Sprint Car Series. Semmelmann flipped a couple times and crashed into the concrete wall. Police said he died instantly from his injuries. He was 47.

Since Semmelmann’s death, a memorial fund has been established in his honor. In just days, the fund has received more than $10,000 in donations, not counting the $9,000 Beaver Dam donated Wednesday or the in-house donations taken Wednesday at The Mineshaft.

“There was people I don’t know who they are, who they were, there’s somebody I know, there’s somebody I never talked to before that have reached out,” Brian Semmelmann said.

“My phone hasn’t stopped ringing in days,” he added.

That night, Scott Semmelmann’s wife and three children were on-hand.

Brian Semmelmann said he couldn’t have been more grateful for the people who helped the family that evening.

“I would never ask anyone to stand by me through this,” he said.

Brian Semmelmann drove his brother’s truck and trailer home that night.

“It was the longest ride home I’ve ever had,” he said. “I couldn’t have gotten that far without all these people.”

When asked about what kind of person his brother was, Semmelmann called him a talented race car driver without a bad bone in his body.

“I hope they’re hearing this or they’re here because it’ll really bother me if they don’t know how grateful I am to help my family through this.”

Scott Semmelmann’s funeral is today with visitation from 4-7:30 p.m. at Becker-Ritter Funeral Home in Brookfield, followed by a private final rest service.

“He was my champion,” Brian Semmelmann said.

To donate to the fund, visit www.giveforward.com.

AUTO RACING: Area drivers coping with fatal crash

Daily News (West Bend, Wis.)
Published: Sept. 23, 2014

Area drivers coping with fatal crash

Saturday’s events too close to home

By NICHOLAS DETTMANN

Daily News

Joe Bongiorno’s favorite place to be is at a race track.

It’s noisy with drivers revving their engines. It’s busy, with plenty of commotion by drivers and crews to get ready for the evening. And it reeks of racing fuel.

In a matter seconds, those sounds came to a sudden stop and the smells disappeared. Beaver Dam Raceway was silent, stunned.

At about 6 p.m. Saturday, winged sprint car driver Scott Semmelmann of Brookfield was killed during a practice session for the Bumper to Bumper IRA Outlaw Sprint Car Series.

He was 47.

Bongiorno, the track’s legends division champion this season, was at the track Saturday preparing for one of the evening’s support races.

“After what happened, it was the quietest I had ever heard any race track,” Bongiorno said. “It was kind of spooky. It was very quiet. It wasn’t peaceful because there’d been a death.”

The crash has sent a shock wave throughout a close-knit community of short-track racers, crew members and fans just one month after Kevin Ward Jr. was struck and killed by NASCAR star Tony Stewart in upstate New York. Ward died after he got out of his car and confronted Stewart, upset of an on-track incident, while cars were still circulating the track.

“I just hope it doesn’t shed a bad light on motorsports,” said D.J. Ross, a legends driver at Beaver Dam. “As drivers, we know there’s a risk. It just sucks that it had to happen.”

During what is called the “hot laps” session or practice, Semmelmann made contact with another car, flipped a couple times and crashed into the concrete wall at the end of the back straightaway. He was traveling in excess of 100 mph when he made contact with the other car.

Police said Semmelmann, a veteran racer, died instantly. The accident has been deemed a racing accident. “We didn’t hear any cars on the track for five or 10 minutes and qualifying was supposed to start,” Ross said.

“I didn’t see the accident,” he added. “But when I saw they weren’t moving anything, that’s when you knew something was wrong.”

The rest of the racing program was canceled. Beaver Dam Raceway General Manager Carolyn Mueller and Bumper to Bumper IRA Outlaw Sprint Car Series President Steve Sinclair canceled the event “out of respect for the family and friends of Semmelmann,” according to a news release from the track after the crash.

Fans, drivers and crew members were offered an opportunity for a refund, but had the option to donate the money to the family, which most did.

Mueller and Sinclair have declined further comment out of respect for the family.

“I didn’t want to race that night and I’m glad we didn’t,” Ross said.

“It’s almost a surreal feeling,” he added. “You didn’t want to believe it.”

Semmelmann is the first race car driver to lose his life on a Wisconsin race track since Thomas Nevoso in 2011 at Columbus 151 Speedway. However, it was determined Nevoso died from natural causes (heart attack).

The last driver in Wisconsin to die because of injuries suffered in a race was Bill Grant on July 19, 2009, while racing a go-kart at Road America in Elkhart Lake.

It was the first time Semmelmann had competed with the series this season and the first time since July 20, 2013, at Wilmot Raceway.

It was the third-to-last race of the season for the series, which travels throughout the Midwest.

The series has announced it plans to race its final two events as scheduled. The first will be Friday at Luxemburg Speedway, followed by Saturday at Dodge County Fairgrounds, which is about three miles east of Beaver Dam Raceway.

Accidents are a part of racing. Unfortunately, so are fatal accidents. However, for area drivers, having a fatal crash occur at their home track was an eerie feeling, instead of hearing about the incidents from afar.

“When you’re there and you see all the events that take place during this time, you look at it completely different,” Bongiorno said. “You think about all the people there. After I saw the family and seeing what they were going through, it put a whole new spin on things.”

To make matters more depressing around the tragedy, Nelson Stewart, Tony Stewart’s father, was at the track Saturday to race his legends car.

Bongiorno, who wants to race sprint cars someday, was scheduled to do a test Oct. 13. That plan has been aborted.

“It’s always been my dream to race sprint cars; it still is,” Bongiorno said.

“I’m not doing that anymore,” he added about his test session. My parents don’t feel comfortable with me driving sprint cars at this point in my life.”

“As a race car driver, you have to accept things like this can happen. I don’t have a fear of driving sprint cars.”

As for the race track, it is done for the season, which makes the timing all that much worse.

“That’s where the healing process can start; get back in the race car,” Ross said.

The 2015 season won’t start at Beaver Dam until late April.

“There’s never a good time for things like this to happen,” Bongiorno said. “We will have to think about this; it’s going to be hard for us to move on.”