Published: June 22, 2013
By NICHOLAS DETTMANN
Daily News Sports Editor
Even after the gender equality law Title IX was passed in 1972, women had to fight for respect and relevancy, especially in sports.
In West Bend, that meant the young women playing basketball in the Skygarden, which could be the equivalent of an attic, far from a regulation-size basketball court.
That was just one problem the women of the 1970s who wanted to play sports had to overcome.
The girls also had to put down temporary lines on the floor for volleyball games and put the numbers on their own jerseys.
So as Cathy Spies, nee Johnson, held her Wall of Fame plaque May 22, all those memories were rekindled. On Sunday, it will be the 41st anniversary of Title IX, a law that allowed her and many girls after her a chance to be respected.
“We would just get together just to play,” Spies said. “Not because we had a tournament this weekend.”
“The guys’ time slots were established,” she added. “If we wanted something, we had to do it ourselves. Title IX made it that, legally, we had to have equal opportunities, but it took a while to get there; maybe prove ourselves a little bit; show we deserve it.”
Spies, along with Megan (Duwell) Herrick, Janet (Koenig) Montgomery and Carl Kuss, were honored during the annual West Bend High School’s Senior Student-Athlete awards ceremony. Each inductee received a plaque detailing their accomplishments.
Spies had no idea she was even worthy of being a member of the Wall of Fame because she didn’t have a lot of accolades to back it up. That shouldn’t come as a surprise because that was something else women had to battle, getting recognition.
She has her daughter, Heidi, to thank for getting the recognition that may have otherwise gone unnoticed, never appreciated.
Heidi Spies, who graduated from East in 2011, was a star on the Suns’ volleyball and basketball teams, but was also the one who played an instrumental role in getting her mom into the Wall of Fame. The elder Spies had no idea it was coming.
The younger Spies was doing a research project on women in sports for her psychology class at St. Norbert College in DePere. That’s what she told her mom. But how could she get all of her mom’s information without her being suspicious?
“It was difficult that I didn’t want to her to know what I was doing,” Spies said. “I’m not very good with surprises.”
Spies was introduced to the idea by East athletic director Jeff Rondorf. He contacted Spies to ask her if she’d like to nominate her mom for the Wall of Fame as her mom’s name came up in a discussion as a former student-athlete who should be honored by the school.
“I was really excited about it,” Spies said. “I thought it was a neat idea for me to look at her accomplishments. I learned a lot about her career.”
At East, Cathy Spies played volleyball, basketball and track.
In volleyball, she was on the Suns’ first state-qualifying team. In her senior year, she helped the Suns win a conference championship, the first year that a conference champion was declared.
In track and field, Spies set school records in the high jump (5-2) and long jump (16-11), and qualified for state in both events.
She went on to the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse where she excelled in volleyball and basketball, being named all-conference in both sports multiple years. She was inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame in 1996.
In 1984, Spies returned to West Bend to teach and coach. She coached the West volleyball team for 10 seasons, winning four conference championships and finishing in the top four at state twice.
Heidi Spies knew about her mom’s basketball and volleyball accomplishments. But what her mom did in track was new.
“I did not know she excelled at the level she did,” Heidi Spies said.
To get this information, Cathy Spies drove to visit Heidi at school and gave her daughter a large scrapbook of her accomplishments, motivational quotes and poems.
“I got to see her life from her point of view,” Heidi Spies said. “It was neat to see everything she had done.”
Once armed with the information, Spies went to work in putting together the nomination packet. Then the hard part was keeping it a secret from her mom as she was admittedly nervous about lying to her mom.
“What made me the most nervous was when she wanted to see the paper,” Heidi Spies said.
Cathy Spies said, “I couldn’t understand why she wanted specifics. I’m like, ‘Nobody’s going to know the difference. Just make things up.’”
“Having her nominate me really meant a great deal,” she added.
Heidi Spies was in the crowd to watch her mom accept her latest honor.
“It was really exciting for me to see her get the award knowing I was a part in her getting that,” she said. “I was really happy for her.
“I’m so proud of everything that she’s done and I’m happy I got to be a part of it,” she added.
Lynn LaPorte, who Cathy Spies said was the true pioneer for women sports in West Bend, was also in attendance.
Going through the information and to hear of the struggles women had during the 1970s as they fought for equality was an inspiring moment for Spies. Her mom was one of the biggest reasons she was able to compete in sports 30 years later.
And in the past 30 years, Cathy Spies is in awe to see how far women in sports has evolved and how quickly it has done so.
“It also makes you feel really old,” she joked.
“There are so many more opportunities out there for young ladies today,” she added.
Once she discovered what everybody was up to, specifically her daughter, Cathy Spies was a bit sassy, Heidi said. But she quickly became appreciative and thankful. It was worth the secret.
“She was really appreciative that I did that for her,” Heidi Spies said.
And by the way, there was never a paper.
Thursday, July 4, 2013
Sport battling scrutiny
Published: June 22, 2013
By NICHOLAS DETTMANN
Daily News Sports Editor
ELKHART LAKE — In a sport where you’re always trying to get the edge on the competition, trying to do the same with safety presents challenges for all levels of racing.
Is it even possible to be proactive instead of reactive?
"It’s been that way all along," said Tony Raines, who will drive the No. 70 car in today’s NASCAR Nationwide Series race, the Johnsville Sausage 200 at Road America.
"Too many people died too quick before they addressed it and got it fixed. But sometimes you can’t fix something unless you know what’s going on."
If it isn’t broke, how do you know it’s broken?
"If nobody’s getting hurt, they kind of don’t get concerned about it, then all of a sudden somebody gets hurt and then they’re like, ‘Well, we’ve got to do something about this,’" Raines said.
The concern of safety around auto racing resurfaced June 12 when NASCAR driver Jason Leffler, 37, died in a winged sprint car crash at a New Jersey dirt track.
"I’d like to know what happened so we can make it safer," said Richfield’s Bill Prietzel, who raced with the Nationwide Series last year at Road America.
"We can’t fix what happened. But hopefully we can prevent it from happening again."
On Wednesday, more than 800 people attended Leffler’s funeral, including NASCAR Nationwide drivers Landon Cassill and Kyle Larson, who will compete today.
"It was like losing a friend," Cassill said Thursday. "It’s a time for grieving."
Cassill knew Leffler for about seven years.
"He was a good racer," Cassill said. "I had a lot of respect for how he made a living and made a career of it. He was in our sport for a long time."
According to The Associated Press, the New Jersey state police said a mechanical problem was the reason for Leffler’s crash. His cause of death was blunt-force neck injury.
Leffler leaves a 5-year-old son, Charlie.
"It’s real sad," said Tony Raines, who will drive the No. 70 car today. "I feel bad for the family. It’s a heavy loss, a hard loss."
In the days after Leffler’s death, the concern of safety has been pushed forward, especially at the short-track level.
"Some brave souls crawl into those cars," Raines said about sprint car drivers, adding that he’s been blown away by what some drivers and tracks try to get away with, only because they don’t have the money to enhance potential safety hazards.
"There’s got to be ways to address it that’s affordable," Raines added. "You can’t measure a life. But it’s a lot when it’s not there. You’d trade everything to have it back. It’s something that needs to be looked at."
The reactions to Leffler’s death mirrors the ones after two-time Indianapolis 500 champion Dan Wheldon died in a crash at Las Vegas in 2011.
When Dale Earnhardt died in a crash in 2001 at Daytona, the head-and-neck restraint system was introduced.
"Earnhardt’s death was a tragedy," Prietzel said. "But I think a lot of people have lived because of his death."
"We all know this sport is dangerous," he added.
The HANS device doesn’t prevent side-to-side movement, which some believe is what killed Leffler.
"(Prietzel’s wife) Jan (Prietzel) and I don’t dwell on it," Prietzel said when asked if he has second thoughts about racing after a tragedy such as Leffler’s. "But we talk about it. She realizes each time I get in the car, I may not come back."
To race car drivers, it irks them when people who have little knowledge of their sport or even care to learn about it, criticize it because of its danger.
"My wife and I went to an Admirals game one year and just before the end of the period, a guy wound up and let (the puck) go, trying to get a quick goal," Prietzel said. "It went 10 rows up in the stands and you watched the guy’s head snap back and he hits the ground. There’s blood everywhere. Twenty minutes later, he’s back watching the game and you never heard a word about that."
Fans have died from incidents at other sporting events, such as baseball and hockey games, yet no push is made to outlaw those sports because of the danger element. That angers a lot of drivers.
"You’d like to be proactive, but almost everything in racing is reactive because you’ve never seen it before," Prietzel said. "I don’t know how we can more proactive. I don’t know what we do next to be proactive and stop the next fatality."
By NICHOLAS DETTMANN
Daily News Sports Editor
ELKHART LAKE — In a sport where you’re always trying to get the edge on the competition, trying to do the same with safety presents challenges for all levels of racing.
Is it even possible to be proactive instead of reactive?
"It’s been that way all along," said Tony Raines, who will drive the No. 70 car in today’s NASCAR Nationwide Series race, the Johnsville Sausage 200 at Road America.
"Too many people died too quick before they addressed it and got it fixed. But sometimes you can’t fix something unless you know what’s going on."
If it isn’t broke, how do you know it’s broken?
"If nobody’s getting hurt, they kind of don’t get concerned about it, then all of a sudden somebody gets hurt and then they’re like, ‘Well, we’ve got to do something about this,’" Raines said.
The concern of safety around auto racing resurfaced June 12 when NASCAR driver Jason Leffler, 37, died in a winged sprint car crash at a New Jersey dirt track.
"I’d like to know what happened so we can make it safer," said Richfield’s Bill Prietzel, who raced with the Nationwide Series last year at Road America.
"We can’t fix what happened. But hopefully we can prevent it from happening again."
On Wednesday, more than 800 people attended Leffler’s funeral, including NASCAR Nationwide drivers Landon Cassill and Kyle Larson, who will compete today.
"It was like losing a friend," Cassill said Thursday. "It’s a time for grieving."
Cassill knew Leffler for about seven years.
"He was a good racer," Cassill said. "I had a lot of respect for how he made a living and made a career of it. He was in our sport for a long time."
According to The Associated Press, the New Jersey state police said a mechanical problem was the reason for Leffler’s crash. His cause of death was blunt-force neck injury.
Leffler leaves a 5-year-old son, Charlie.
"It’s real sad," said Tony Raines, who will drive the No. 70 car today. "I feel bad for the family. It’s a heavy loss, a hard loss."
In the days after Leffler’s death, the concern of safety has been pushed forward, especially at the short-track level.
"Some brave souls crawl into those cars," Raines said about sprint car drivers, adding that he’s been blown away by what some drivers and tracks try to get away with, only because they don’t have the money to enhance potential safety hazards.
"There’s got to be ways to address it that’s affordable," Raines added. "You can’t measure a life. But it’s a lot when it’s not there. You’d trade everything to have it back. It’s something that needs to be looked at."
The reactions to Leffler’s death mirrors the ones after two-time Indianapolis 500 champion Dan Wheldon died in a crash at Las Vegas in 2011.
When Dale Earnhardt died in a crash in 2001 at Daytona, the head-and-neck restraint system was introduced.
"Earnhardt’s death was a tragedy," Prietzel said. "But I think a lot of people have lived because of his death."
"We all know this sport is dangerous," he added.
The HANS device doesn’t prevent side-to-side movement, which some believe is what killed Leffler.
"(Prietzel’s wife) Jan (Prietzel) and I don’t dwell on it," Prietzel said when asked if he has second thoughts about racing after a tragedy such as Leffler’s. "But we talk about it. She realizes each time I get in the car, I may not come back."
To race car drivers, it irks them when people who have little knowledge of their sport or even care to learn about it, criticize it because of its danger.
"My wife and I went to an Admirals game one year and just before the end of the period, a guy wound up and let (the puck) go, trying to get a quick goal," Prietzel said. "It went 10 rows up in the stands and you watched the guy’s head snap back and he hits the ground. There’s blood everywhere. Twenty minutes later, he’s back watching the game and you never heard a word about that."
Fans have died from incidents at other sporting events, such as baseball and hockey games, yet no push is made to outlaw those sports because of the danger element. That angers a lot of drivers.
"You’d like to be proactive, but almost everything in racing is reactive because you’ve never seen it before," Prietzel said. "I don’t know how we can more proactive. I don’t know what we do next to be proactive and stop the next fatality."
Hunter-Reay repeats at Mile
Published: June 18, 2013
By NICHOLAS DETTMANN
Daily News Sports Editor
WEST ALLIS — It’ll likely be a couple years before Ryan Hunter-Reay’s son realizes what kind of first Father’s Day gift he gave his dad.
On his first Father’s Day weekend as a dad, Hunter-Reay made two aggressive moves on consecutive laps to move from third to first with 52 laps to go in Saturday’s Milwaukee IndyFest 250 at the Milwaukee Mile. And once he was first, he stayed there, winning for the second year in a row at the Mile.
In victory lane, Hunter-Reay’s wife, Beccy, held the couple’s 6-month old son, Ryden.
”I did it for that little guy,” Ryan Hunter-Reay said in victory lane. “He’s 6 months old and I couldn’t be happier.”
It was a sweet and a bit of a tear-jerking moment for the Hunter-Reays as Ryan’s wife and son were unable to be at his other victory this season at Barber Motorsports Park. So the family missed out on the photo-op to have the family pose in victory lane together.
“I felt bad because we didn’t have the pictures of him in victory lane,” Hunter-Reay said. “This is even better, to do it on Father’s Day.”
They didn’t wait long to make sure they didn’t miss out on a second chance at what will forever be a priceless family treasure.
“He’s a lot of fun,” Hunter-Reay said of his little boy. “I’m sure we’ll have a big spot for (the picture), because that’s a special win. Not that many where you get to hold your son on Father’s Day weekend in victory circle.”
Finding that perfect spot is going to be a challenge, though. The Hunter-Reay household has become quite the collection yard for toys and baby pictures.
“He’s 6 months old and has stuff all over the house and can’t even pick it up or play with it yet,” Hunter-Reay said. “There’s just stuff everywhere.
“I’m leaning on my wife to help me sort it out a little bit, get some method to the madness. But he’s a lot of fun.”
Helio Castroneves, the series points leader going into the race, finished second and retained his points lead by 16 over Hunter-Reay. Castroneves’ Penske teammate, Will Power, finished a season-best third, while EJ Viso and James Hinchcliffe rounded out the top five.
“Great result,” said Castroneves, who started 17th in the 24-car field. “Extremely excited, to be honest.”
Hunter-Reay became the first driver to win back-to-back races at the Mile since Tony Kanaan in 2006 and 2007. It was also his second victory of the season, a season where he is defending his series championship.
And it was at this very track one year ago that got Hunter-Reay going toward his first championship.
Starting at the Mile last year, Hunter-Reay won three straight races, which moved him from seventh in the points to first.
“In sports, when you get momentum, a rhythm, it’s not something you can put a price tag on or finger on, it just happens,” Hunter-Reay said. “It kind of saturates the team with this feeling that, ‘Hey, we can get it done. If we perform our best, to our potential, we can absolutely win races.’
“That carried over week in, week out. We were able to win four races, more than anybody else last year. It all started here last year.”
The last two winners at the Mile have gone on to win the championship as Dario Franchitti won the 2011 race and eventually the series championship.
Michael Andretti, Hunter-Reay’s car owner and the event promoter, saw a change in Hunter-Reay’s demeanor a year before last year’s surge.
“He needed to have races where he didn’t have mistakes,” Andretti said. “I’d say in the middle of 2011, from then on it just clicked for him. I think those are things that happen with experience. ... He just started to see the bigger picture better.”
The big picture is the championship as the series moves into the second-half of its schedule.
The series will race at Iowa Speedway on Sunday. After Castroneves and Hunter-Reay in the standings is Marco Andretti, who finished 20th Sunday, 74 laps behind Hunter-Reay because of electrical problems. Takuma Sato is fourth and Scott Dixon is fifth.
Andretti Autosport has three of its four cars in the top nine of the points standings.
“I feel good about where we are,” Michael Andretti said. “I think we’re coming up to a lot of strong tracks for us.
“Hopefully history will repeat itself.”
By NICHOLAS DETTMANN
Daily News Sports Editor
WEST ALLIS — It’ll likely be a couple years before Ryan Hunter-Reay’s son realizes what kind of first Father’s Day gift he gave his dad.
On his first Father’s Day weekend as a dad, Hunter-Reay made two aggressive moves on consecutive laps to move from third to first with 52 laps to go in Saturday’s Milwaukee IndyFest 250 at the Milwaukee Mile. And once he was first, he stayed there, winning for the second year in a row at the Mile.
In victory lane, Hunter-Reay’s wife, Beccy, held the couple’s 6-month old son, Ryden.
”I did it for that little guy,” Ryan Hunter-Reay said in victory lane. “He’s 6 months old and I couldn’t be happier.”
It was a sweet and a bit of a tear-jerking moment for the Hunter-Reays as Ryan’s wife and son were unable to be at his other victory this season at Barber Motorsports Park. So the family missed out on the photo-op to have the family pose in victory lane together.
“I felt bad because we didn’t have the pictures of him in victory lane,” Hunter-Reay said. “This is even better, to do it on Father’s Day.”
They didn’t wait long to make sure they didn’t miss out on a second chance at what will forever be a priceless family treasure.
“He’s a lot of fun,” Hunter-Reay said of his little boy. “I’m sure we’ll have a big spot for (the picture), because that’s a special win. Not that many where you get to hold your son on Father’s Day weekend in victory circle.”
Finding that perfect spot is going to be a challenge, though. The Hunter-Reay household has become quite the collection yard for toys and baby pictures.
“He’s 6 months old and has stuff all over the house and can’t even pick it up or play with it yet,” Hunter-Reay said. “There’s just stuff everywhere.
“I’m leaning on my wife to help me sort it out a little bit, get some method to the madness. But he’s a lot of fun.”
Helio Castroneves, the series points leader going into the race, finished second and retained his points lead by 16 over Hunter-Reay. Castroneves’ Penske teammate, Will Power, finished a season-best third, while EJ Viso and James Hinchcliffe rounded out the top five.
“Great result,” said Castroneves, who started 17th in the 24-car field. “Extremely excited, to be honest.”
Hunter-Reay became the first driver to win back-to-back races at the Mile since Tony Kanaan in 2006 and 2007. It was also his second victory of the season, a season where he is defending his series championship.
And it was at this very track one year ago that got Hunter-Reay going toward his first championship.
Starting at the Mile last year, Hunter-Reay won three straight races, which moved him from seventh in the points to first.
“In sports, when you get momentum, a rhythm, it’s not something you can put a price tag on or finger on, it just happens,” Hunter-Reay said. “It kind of saturates the team with this feeling that, ‘Hey, we can get it done. If we perform our best, to our potential, we can absolutely win races.’
“That carried over week in, week out. We were able to win four races, more than anybody else last year. It all started here last year.”
The last two winners at the Mile have gone on to win the championship as Dario Franchitti won the 2011 race and eventually the series championship.
Michael Andretti, Hunter-Reay’s car owner and the event promoter, saw a change in Hunter-Reay’s demeanor a year before last year’s surge.
“He needed to have races where he didn’t have mistakes,” Andretti said. “I’d say in the middle of 2011, from then on it just clicked for him. I think those are things that happen with experience. ... He just started to see the bigger picture better.”
The big picture is the championship as the series moves into the second-half of its schedule.
The series will race at Iowa Speedway on Sunday. After Castroneves and Hunter-Reay in the standings is Marco Andretti, who finished 20th Sunday, 74 laps behind Hunter-Reay because of electrical problems. Takuma Sato is fourth and Scott Dixon is fifth.
Andretti Autosport has three of its four cars in the top nine of the points standings.
“I feel good about where we are,” Michael Andretti said. “I think we’re coming up to a lot of strong tracks for us.
“Hopefully history will repeat itself.”
Erin Hills awaits U.S. Open
Published: June 18, 2013
By NICHOLAS DETTMANN
Daily News Sports Editor
TOWN OF ERIN — While it’s another four years before Erin Hills Golf Course hosts the U.S. Open, that doesn’t mean steps aren’t being made to keep the course in top shape.
A day after Justin Rose won the U.S. Open at Merion Golf Club in Pennsylvania, Erin Hills hosted a Media Day on Monday to re-introduce the media to the course that hosted the 2011 USGA Men’s Amateur Championship and go over preliminary details about the U.S. Open, which will be in Wisconsin for the first time in 2017.
"One of the intriguing aspects of our national championship is the fact it moves around the country," said John Morrissett, Erin Hills’ competitions director. "You can go from Merion Golf Club, which is nine miles outside of Philadelphia to, in a few years, the farmland of Wisconsin."
The U.S. Open is the second-oldest golf tournament in the world, behind only the Amateur.
"This is a site the USGA is really excited about," 2017 U.S. Open general chairman Jim Reinhart said.
Even with the tournament four year away, workers are not relaxing.
This time of the year is important for Erin Hills. This is the time the course will host the U.S. Open, so the biggest thing they’re looking for is how the course responds to the weather.
The U.S. Men’s Amateur was in late August, which course superintendent Zach Reineking said is far drier than the middle of June.
"We’re in the time where we want to be at the peak," he added.
Morrissett went over potential ticket availability, course information and volunteer opportunities.
For the Amateur, the course measured at close to 7,800 yards, the longest USGA event in history. And there is room for more. The course can stretch to more than 8,300 yards. It’s that flexibility in the course that has the USGA excited about having the U.S. Open at Erin Hills in 2017.
In contrast, Merion measured to less than 7,000 yards, but Rose finished the tournament 1-over par.
"The course more than held its own against the world’s best players," Morrissett said.
In May, Erin Hills hosted a U.S. Open qualifier and was set up differently than two years ago for the Amateur.
In October, Marquette University will host a college tournament, and in 2015, the course will host the 2015 Wisconsin State Golf Association’s Amateur Championship.
The course opened in 2006; it hosted the U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links in 2008, which was won by Tiffany Joh, who turned pro in 2009. The course was awarded that event based solely on pictures and speculation about the course, which is rare. And it didn’t take long for the USGA to award Erin Hills the Men’s Amateur, which Kelly Kraft won.
In February 2010, the USGA announced the 2017 U.S. Open will go to Erin Hills, which will be, at that time, the first time a U.S. Open will be played in the Midwest in 14 years (Olympia Fields Country Club in suburban Chicago).
Tickets won’t go on sale for the U.S. Open at Erin Hills until 2016, which will be a crucial year in terms of course prep, according to Reineking.
The course must be ready by fall 2016.
"The problem sometimes is where you have superintendents at courses where you try to push it and peak it a little bit too early," Reineking said. "And then they’re scrambling for the remainder of the tournament just to hold even."
The Amateur was a crash course for Reineking and his staff to see what limitations they may or may not have with the course maintenance.
Morrissett said ticket prices likely won’t be determined until 2015. A U.S. Open usually costs $50 per day for the practice rounds and $75 per day during the championship rounds. Fans will be able to buy a week-long pass.
Morrissett said the USGA will likely cap ticket sales per day at 40,000 for 2017, where it was set at 25,000 at Merion.
"Knowing the enthusiasm of golfers and residents of Wisconsin and the Midwest, we’re sure that whatever the ticket limit is it’ll be a sellout," Morrissett said. "Wisconsin and the Midwest certainly doesn’t lack enthusiasm for sporting events.
"We’re very much looking forward to that."
In addition, more than 4,000 volunteers will be needed for the Open, compared to just about 400 for the Amateur combined between Erin Hills and Bluemound Country Club, which helped host two rounds of the stroke-play format.
"It’s coming soon," Reinhart said.
By NICHOLAS DETTMANN
Daily News Sports Editor
TOWN OF ERIN — While it’s another four years before Erin Hills Golf Course hosts the U.S. Open, that doesn’t mean steps aren’t being made to keep the course in top shape.
A day after Justin Rose won the U.S. Open at Merion Golf Club in Pennsylvania, Erin Hills hosted a Media Day on Monday to re-introduce the media to the course that hosted the 2011 USGA Men’s Amateur Championship and go over preliminary details about the U.S. Open, which will be in Wisconsin for the first time in 2017.
"One of the intriguing aspects of our national championship is the fact it moves around the country," said John Morrissett, Erin Hills’ competitions director. "You can go from Merion Golf Club, which is nine miles outside of Philadelphia to, in a few years, the farmland of Wisconsin."
The U.S. Open is the second-oldest golf tournament in the world, behind only the Amateur.
"This is a site the USGA is really excited about," 2017 U.S. Open general chairman Jim Reinhart said.
Even with the tournament four year away, workers are not relaxing.
This time of the year is important for Erin Hills. This is the time the course will host the U.S. Open, so the biggest thing they’re looking for is how the course responds to the weather.
The U.S. Men’s Amateur was in late August, which course superintendent Zach Reineking said is far drier than the middle of June.
"We’re in the time where we want to be at the peak," he added.
Morrissett went over potential ticket availability, course information and volunteer opportunities.
For the Amateur, the course measured at close to 7,800 yards, the longest USGA event in history. And there is room for more. The course can stretch to more than 8,300 yards. It’s that flexibility in the course that has the USGA excited about having the U.S. Open at Erin Hills in 2017.
In contrast, Merion measured to less than 7,000 yards, but Rose finished the tournament 1-over par.
"The course more than held its own against the world’s best players," Morrissett said.
In May, Erin Hills hosted a U.S. Open qualifier and was set up differently than two years ago for the Amateur.
In October, Marquette University will host a college tournament, and in 2015, the course will host the 2015 Wisconsin State Golf Association’s Amateur Championship.
The course opened in 2006; it hosted the U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links in 2008, which was won by Tiffany Joh, who turned pro in 2009. The course was awarded that event based solely on pictures and speculation about the course, which is rare. And it didn’t take long for the USGA to award Erin Hills the Men’s Amateur, which Kelly Kraft won.
In February 2010, the USGA announced the 2017 U.S. Open will go to Erin Hills, which will be, at that time, the first time a U.S. Open will be played in the Midwest in 14 years (Olympia Fields Country Club in suburban Chicago).
Tickets won’t go on sale for the U.S. Open at Erin Hills until 2016, which will be a crucial year in terms of course prep, according to Reineking.
The course must be ready by fall 2016.
"The problem sometimes is where you have superintendents at courses where you try to push it and peak it a little bit too early," Reineking said. "And then they’re scrambling for the remainder of the tournament just to hold even."
The Amateur was a crash course for Reineking and his staff to see what limitations they may or may not have with the course maintenance.
Morrissett said ticket prices likely won’t be determined until 2015. A U.S. Open usually costs $50 per day for the practice rounds and $75 per day during the championship rounds. Fans will be able to buy a week-long pass.
Morrissett said the USGA will likely cap ticket sales per day at 40,000 for 2017, where it was set at 25,000 at Merion.
"Knowing the enthusiasm of golfers and residents of Wisconsin and the Midwest, we’re sure that whatever the ticket limit is it’ll be a sellout," Morrissett said. "Wisconsin and the Midwest certainly doesn’t lack enthusiasm for sporting events.
"We’re very much looking forward to that."
In addition, more than 4,000 volunteers will be needed for the Open, compared to just about 400 for the Amateur combined between Erin Hills and Bluemound Country Club, which helped host two rounds of the stroke-play format.
"It’s coming soon," Reinhart said.
Prunty honors dad, wins limited late model race at Slinger
Published: June 18, 2013
By NICHOLAS DETTMANN
Daily News Sports Editor
SLINGER — First or last, Dan Prunty will still love his son, Alex Prunty, just the same.
But finishing first is a lot more enjoyable, especially on Father’s Day.
Alex Prunty won Sunday’s limited late model feature at Slinger Superspeedway, his second of the season, but first since the season opener April 28.
“It’s sweet,” said Dan Prunty, Alex’s father. “We spend a lot of time in the garage working on (the car). It’s nice to see him win; it makes me proud.
“But I’d love him the same even if we were running in the back. Just to be able to enjoy doing the same thing is cool in itself. A victory just makes it a lot more fun.”
James Swan won his division-leading third super late model feature, while Kyle Chwala, Steve Dickson and Ron Schmitt won the area sportsman, Slinger Bees and Figure 8 division features, respectively.
Prunty won his race after taking the lead from Al Stippich on lap 2 of 40. Prunty led the rest of the race for his ninth career late model victory, tying him for the most all-time with Jon Reynolds Jr. And Prunty won with his father’s number on his race car, No. 39.
“To be able to share interests with people you love, that’s always cool,” Dan Prunty said.
Prunty is among a collection of brothers who have enjoyed great success at Slinger in more than 25 years of racing.
Prunty won two track championships in the Slinger Stingers division (1991 and 1992). During his brief racing career, Prunty had the No. 39 on his car. In 1990, Prunty was the division Rookie of the Year. After the 1992 season, Prunty stopped racing as his son, Alex, was born, and decided to help his brothers, Dale, David and Dennis, while also raising a family.
Alex Prunty is a two-time track champion at Slinger (Slinger Bees in 2010 and limited late models in 2012). Dennis Prunty is the defending track champion in the super late model division. The Pruntys is the only family to win more than one track championship in a season and have done so twice. In all, the Pruntys have 13 championships at Slinger. Track announcer Todd Behling called the Pruntys, “The First Family of Slinger.”
“It’s a big deal,” said Alex Prunty about winning on Father’s Day with his dad’s number on his car. “I’ve never won on Father’s Day. It’s really cool to win with the 39 on the door. Everything today was about him.”
On the lettering of the 39 was a phrase, “Thanks Dad.”
Doug Prunty, Alex’s grandfather, started this chain of success and the brothers were there to learn all they could about racing. Not long after Alex Prunty was born, he was introduced to racing and what it meant to the entire Prunty family.
“It’s not me, it’s them,” Doug Prunty said when asked about the family’s success at Slinger. “We’ve learned so much over the years.”
During an interview in the stands, he joked that Alex Prunty has had it easy because of the knowledge he was inheriting.
“I don’t know if I’d say if I had it easy, but I definitely had an advantage over everybody else,” Alex said. “From the moment I was born, I was in the race shop.”
Alex Prunty struggled with his car for most of the day in preparation for Sunday’s race. At one point, he and his father, who is on his pit crew, were working on the car, together. At the time, they didn’t know they were sharing a special father-son moment. It was more about getting the darn car fixed.
“This morning was the Father’s Day deal,” Alex said. “We shook hands and hugged this morning.
“Once we got here, we were focused on trying to get this going.”
That kind of focus has been a big part in the Pruntys’ success at Slinger. Dan Prunty had so much focus on last year that he didn’t even know his old car number was on Alex’s car last season, despite that it was in big lettering on the roof. When he realized it, he smiled.
This year, it was still neat to see his number on the car, especially in victory lane of a late model race.
“I didn’t notice it last year until they showed it to me after qualifying,” Dan Prunty said with a smile.
“They must’ve put it on right before we came to the track. I never noticed it.”
The No. 39 has a significance, too. Doug Prunty was born in 1939, which is why Dan Prunty had the No. 39 during his career.
“That was really cool,” Dan Prunty said of Alex’s dedication. “I’ve got to say the car looks really good with 39 on it.”
Last year on Father’s Day, Prunty was the fast qualifier in the limited late model division and finished third. Dan Prunty got to drive the car for the honorary parade lap during the National Anthem.
“That was really, really cool,” Prunty said.
“Today, it’s not as special only because it’s happened before.”
Alex Prunty was in contention to win last year on Father’s Day, but a late-race caution prevented him from the victory.
“To be able to figure the car out, for all this to come together today was pretty cool,” Alex Prunty said.
When Prunty was looking for his dad, he got the response he expected, kind of.
“He was watching Dennis drive his Firebird on the track,” Alex said with a big smile. “I came by to give him a hug and he ignored me.
“He’s more of a tough love kind of guy,” he added. “It’s like, ‘You won by a half a lap, why not three-quarters?’”
PMF TRUCKING AND LANDSCAPE SUPPLY 60
Results
Feature winners
Super late model — James Swan
Limited late model — Alex Prunty
Area sportsman — Kyle Chwala
Slinger Bees — Steve Dickson
Figure 8 — Ron Schmitt
Fast qualifiers
Super late model — James Swan (11.458 seconds)
Limited late model — Danny Church (12.673)
Area sportsman — Kyle Chwala (13.453)
Slinger Bees — Brandon Tackes (15.004)
Point standings
Super late model — 1, Rob Braun 612; 2, Steve Apel 539; 3, James Swan 535; 4, Lowell Bennett 507; 5, Conrad Morgan 505.
Limited late model — 1, Alex Prunty 662; 2, Ryan DeStefano 605; 3, Mike Lichtfeld 570; 4, Danny Church 560; 5, Braison Bennett 496.
Area sportsman — 1, Kyle Chwala 658; 2, Kody Hubred 616; 3, Joe Shelby 525; 4, Nick Egan 446; 5, Ken Schraufnagel 405.
Slinger Bees — 1, Nick Schmidt 688; 2, Steve Dickson 658; 3, Brandon Tackes 513; 4, Marty Tackes 480; 5, Russ Davison 478.
Figure 8 — 1, Willy Van Camp 735; 2, Scott Goetzke 705; 3, Shane Becker 670; 4, Ron Schmitt 625; 5, Ryan Lovald 615.
By NICHOLAS DETTMANN
Daily News Sports Editor
SLINGER — First or last, Dan Prunty will still love his son, Alex Prunty, just the same.
But finishing first is a lot more enjoyable, especially on Father’s Day.
Alex Prunty won Sunday’s limited late model feature at Slinger Superspeedway, his second of the season, but first since the season opener April 28.
“It’s sweet,” said Dan Prunty, Alex’s father. “We spend a lot of time in the garage working on (the car). It’s nice to see him win; it makes me proud.
“But I’d love him the same even if we were running in the back. Just to be able to enjoy doing the same thing is cool in itself. A victory just makes it a lot more fun.”
James Swan won his division-leading third super late model feature, while Kyle Chwala, Steve Dickson and Ron Schmitt won the area sportsman, Slinger Bees and Figure 8 division features, respectively.
Prunty won his race after taking the lead from Al Stippich on lap 2 of 40. Prunty led the rest of the race for his ninth career late model victory, tying him for the most all-time with Jon Reynolds Jr. And Prunty won with his father’s number on his race car, No. 39.
“To be able to share interests with people you love, that’s always cool,” Dan Prunty said.
Prunty is among a collection of brothers who have enjoyed great success at Slinger in more than 25 years of racing.
Prunty won two track championships in the Slinger Stingers division (1991 and 1992). During his brief racing career, Prunty had the No. 39 on his car. In 1990, Prunty was the division Rookie of the Year. After the 1992 season, Prunty stopped racing as his son, Alex, was born, and decided to help his brothers, Dale, David and Dennis, while also raising a family.
Alex Prunty is a two-time track champion at Slinger (Slinger Bees in 2010 and limited late models in 2012). Dennis Prunty is the defending track champion in the super late model division. The Pruntys is the only family to win more than one track championship in a season and have done so twice. In all, the Pruntys have 13 championships at Slinger. Track announcer Todd Behling called the Pruntys, “The First Family of Slinger.”
“It’s a big deal,” said Alex Prunty about winning on Father’s Day with his dad’s number on his car. “I’ve never won on Father’s Day. It’s really cool to win with the 39 on the door. Everything today was about him.”
On the lettering of the 39 was a phrase, “Thanks Dad.”
Doug Prunty, Alex’s grandfather, started this chain of success and the brothers were there to learn all they could about racing. Not long after Alex Prunty was born, he was introduced to racing and what it meant to the entire Prunty family.
“It’s not me, it’s them,” Doug Prunty said when asked about the family’s success at Slinger. “We’ve learned so much over the years.”
During an interview in the stands, he joked that Alex Prunty has had it easy because of the knowledge he was inheriting.
“I don’t know if I’d say if I had it easy, but I definitely had an advantage over everybody else,” Alex said. “From the moment I was born, I was in the race shop.”
Alex Prunty struggled with his car for most of the day in preparation for Sunday’s race. At one point, he and his father, who is on his pit crew, were working on the car, together. At the time, they didn’t know they were sharing a special father-son moment. It was more about getting the darn car fixed.
“This morning was the Father’s Day deal,” Alex said. “We shook hands and hugged this morning.
“Once we got here, we were focused on trying to get this going.”
That kind of focus has been a big part in the Pruntys’ success at Slinger. Dan Prunty had so much focus on last year that he didn’t even know his old car number was on Alex’s car last season, despite that it was in big lettering on the roof. When he realized it, he smiled.
This year, it was still neat to see his number on the car, especially in victory lane of a late model race.
“I didn’t notice it last year until they showed it to me after qualifying,” Dan Prunty said with a smile.
“They must’ve put it on right before we came to the track. I never noticed it.”
The No. 39 has a significance, too. Doug Prunty was born in 1939, which is why Dan Prunty had the No. 39 during his career.
“That was really cool,” Dan Prunty said of Alex’s dedication. “I’ve got to say the car looks really good with 39 on it.”
Last year on Father’s Day, Prunty was the fast qualifier in the limited late model division and finished third. Dan Prunty got to drive the car for the honorary parade lap during the National Anthem.
“That was really, really cool,” Prunty said.
“Today, it’s not as special only because it’s happened before.”
Alex Prunty was in contention to win last year on Father’s Day, but a late-race caution prevented him from the victory.
“To be able to figure the car out, for all this to come together today was pretty cool,” Alex Prunty said.
When Prunty was looking for his dad, he got the response he expected, kind of.
“He was watching Dennis drive his Firebird on the track,” Alex said with a big smile. “I came by to give him a hug and he ignored me.
“He’s more of a tough love kind of guy,” he added. “It’s like, ‘You won by a half a lap, why not three-quarters?’”
PMF TRUCKING AND LANDSCAPE SUPPLY 60
Results
Feature winners
Super late model — James Swan
Limited late model — Alex Prunty
Area sportsman — Kyle Chwala
Slinger Bees — Steve Dickson
Figure 8 — Ron Schmitt
Fast qualifiers
Super late model — James Swan (11.458 seconds)
Limited late model — Danny Church (12.673)
Area sportsman — Kyle Chwala (13.453)
Slinger Bees — Brandon Tackes (15.004)
Point standings
Super late model — 1, Rob Braun 612; 2, Steve Apel 539; 3, James Swan 535; 4, Lowell Bennett 507; 5, Conrad Morgan 505.
Limited late model — 1, Alex Prunty 662; 2, Ryan DeStefano 605; 3, Mike Lichtfeld 570; 4, Danny Church 560; 5, Braison Bennett 496.
Area sportsman — 1, Kyle Chwala 658; 2, Kody Hubred 616; 3, Joe Shelby 525; 4, Nick Egan 446; 5, Ken Schraufnagel 405.
Slinger Bees — 1, Nick Schmidt 688; 2, Steve Dickson 658; 3, Brandon Tackes 513; 4, Marty Tackes 480; 5, Russ Davison 478.
Figure 8 — 1, Willy Van Camp 735; 2, Scott Goetzke 705; 3, Shane Becker 670; 4, Ron Schmitt 625; 5, Ryan Lovald 615.
3-time NASCAR champion preps for dirt race at Plymouth
Published: June 14, 2013
By NICHOLAS DETTMANN
Daily News Sports Editor
Tony Stewart isn't married and doesn't have kids, and most of the time that's OK.
"I have a German shepherd (dog) who doesn't care where we go," Stewart said. "He's just happy to go with us."
"I have the flexibility a lot of these other drivers don't. But even if they had the time, I'm not sure they'd want to go run 70 dirt races on top of a 38-race Cup schedule. It's just what I enjoy."
Stewart, a three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion, will add to his hectic schedule this weekend as he will compete with the Bumper-to-Bumper IRA Sprint Car Series on Saturday at the Plymouth Dirt Track at Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth.
Stewart will compete in the event while preparing for the Quicken Loans 400 in Brooklyn, Mich.
"I like my downtime, but I like being busy on the weekends," he said. "I enjoy being able to go run dirt races and Cup races. Being busy with all of that keeps me sharp."
Stewart will go into the race at Michigan on a bit of a hot streak. He has three straight top-10 finishes, including a victory June 2 at Dover. This run has moved Stewart up to 13th in the points standings from 21st.
Last year, Stewart finished ninth in the points after winning his third championship in 2011. Also in 2012, he ran the most dirt car races he's run in his career (46) since joining NASCAR.
"I probably had the most fun years of my life, even though it wasn't my best year in cup," Stewart said.
Stewart won nine dirt races in his sprint car.
"It's a balancing act for me," he added. "That's what I'm into. Other people are into golf, but going racing on Friday night and Saturday night and during the week is my golf.
"Until I can't do it anymore, this is what I want to do."
Stewart will compete in a dirt track special July 3 in South Dakota.
In addition to being an avid dirt racer, Stewart also owns a World of Outlaws sprint car team. Steve Kinser, one of the greatest dirt track racers in history with more than 570 career victories, drives for Stewart. Donny Schatz, who's won 124 races with the World of Outlaws, also drives for Stewart.
Stewart likes to race his dirt car to help fine-tune what he may be struggling with in NASCAR.
"I think it helps on restarts, for sure," he said. "I'm definitely more aggressive on the restarts.
"In sprint car racing, you have to get a lot done at the start and on restarts, and I think that part has really been a positive and really been a help in making me more aggressive."
And being aggressive was how he developed his nickname, "Smoke."
Stewart will have his hands full with the IRA drivers.
Bill Balog is coming off his fifth victory in seven races, including fourth in a row, Saturday at Beaver Dam Raceway. Mike Kertscher will be another strong contender as he's won the other two races in the IRA season and that's not a surprise.
Lately, the series has been dominated by Balog and Kertscher.
The past 16 races, dating back to last season, have been won either by Balog (12) or Kertscher (four). The last driver in the series to win a race, not named Balog or Kertscher, was Paul May on Aug. 18 at Wilmot Speedway.
"It's like hitting a reset button for me," Stewart said about why he continues to race during his spare time. "It's a lot of effort, a lot of money and a lot of time involved to do all this, but it's worth it.
"It's worthwhile because it's something not everybody can do."
The show will also include the 360 Sprints. Between the two open-wheeled divisions nearly 60 sprint cars should be on hand for the program.
Pit gates will open at 3 p.m. and main gates open at 4:30 p.m. Racing starts at 7 p.m.
General admission is $20 for adults, with a youth ticket being sold for $5 to fans age 6 through 12. Children age 5 and younger are free with a paid adult.
By NICHOLAS DETTMANN
Daily News Sports Editor
Tony Stewart isn't married and doesn't have kids, and most of the time that's OK.
"I have a German shepherd (dog) who doesn't care where we go," Stewart said. "He's just happy to go with us."
"I have the flexibility a lot of these other drivers don't. But even if they had the time, I'm not sure they'd want to go run 70 dirt races on top of a 38-race Cup schedule. It's just what I enjoy."
Stewart, a three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion, will add to his hectic schedule this weekend as he will compete with the Bumper-to-Bumper IRA Sprint Car Series on Saturday at the Plymouth Dirt Track at Sheboygan County Fairgrounds in Plymouth.
Stewart will compete in the event while preparing for the Quicken Loans 400 in Brooklyn, Mich.
"I like my downtime, but I like being busy on the weekends," he said. "I enjoy being able to go run dirt races and Cup races. Being busy with all of that keeps me sharp."
Stewart will go into the race at Michigan on a bit of a hot streak. He has three straight top-10 finishes, including a victory June 2 at Dover. This run has moved Stewart up to 13th in the points standings from 21st.
Last year, Stewart finished ninth in the points after winning his third championship in 2011. Also in 2012, he ran the most dirt car races he's run in his career (46) since joining NASCAR.
"I probably had the most fun years of my life, even though it wasn't my best year in cup," Stewart said.
Stewart won nine dirt races in his sprint car.
"It's a balancing act for me," he added. "That's what I'm into. Other people are into golf, but going racing on Friday night and Saturday night and during the week is my golf.
"Until I can't do it anymore, this is what I want to do."
Stewart will compete in a dirt track special July 3 in South Dakota.
In addition to being an avid dirt racer, Stewart also owns a World of Outlaws sprint car team. Steve Kinser, one of the greatest dirt track racers in history with more than 570 career victories, drives for Stewart. Donny Schatz, who's won 124 races with the World of Outlaws, also drives for Stewart.
Stewart likes to race his dirt car to help fine-tune what he may be struggling with in NASCAR.
"I think it helps on restarts, for sure," he said. "I'm definitely more aggressive on the restarts.
"In sprint car racing, you have to get a lot done at the start and on restarts, and I think that part has really been a positive and really been a help in making me more aggressive."
And being aggressive was how he developed his nickname, "Smoke."
Stewart will have his hands full with the IRA drivers.
Bill Balog is coming off his fifth victory in seven races, including fourth in a row, Saturday at Beaver Dam Raceway. Mike Kertscher will be another strong contender as he's won the other two races in the IRA season and that's not a surprise.
Lately, the series has been dominated by Balog and Kertscher.
The past 16 races, dating back to last season, have been won either by Balog (12) or Kertscher (four). The last driver in the series to win a race, not named Balog or Kertscher, was Paul May on Aug. 18 at Wilmot Speedway.
"It's like hitting a reset button for me," Stewart said about why he continues to race during his spare time. "It's a lot of effort, a lot of money and a lot of time involved to do all this, but it's worth it.
"It's worthwhile because it's something not everybody can do."
The show will also include the 360 Sprints. Between the two open-wheeled divisions nearly 60 sprint cars should be on hand for the program.
Pit gates will open at 3 p.m. and main gates open at 4:30 p.m. Racing starts at 7 p.m.
General admission is $20 for adults, with a youth ticket being sold for $5 to fans age 6 through 12. Children age 5 and younger are free with a paid adult.
Janto solidifies legacy
Published: June 4, 2013
By NICHOLAS DETTMANN
Daily News Sports Editor
LA CROSSE — Four years ago, it seemed this day would never come for West Bend West's Kayla Janto.
On Saturday evening, a day four years in the making has come and gone with a state medal hanging from her neck.
Janto capped one of the most decorated careers in West Bend West history at the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association state track and field championship at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.
She, along with Ife Ekunsanmi, Erica Wanie and Amanda Wanie, finished fourth in the 1,600-meter run at Saturday's state meet.
With tears running down her cheeks, a realization hit her: This was it.
"It's been an incredible ride and an incredible four years with the best teammates I could've asked for with the most amazing coaches," she said. "They really pushed me to my full potential. I couldn't have asked for anything better."
For four years, Janto assembled what will surely be a future Wall of Fame induction.
Since the fall sports season of her sophomore year, Janto has qualified for state in cross-country, gymnastics and track and field — nine consecutive seasons of reaching the state tournament. Most student-athletes dream of getting to once and many never get a chance at state-tournament competition.
Here are some of the highlights of her career:
n In cross-country, she was All-Wisconsin Little Ten three times, owns the sixth-fastest 4k time in school history and won a conference championship her senior year.
n In gymnastics, she was first- or second-team All-Conference in multiple events, was WLT champion on the balance beam and in the all-around her junior year and was on team that set a WLT team score record at conference championship meet.
n In track and field, she is has four conference records and led West to back-to-back WLT titles her junior and senior seasons, with the first ending a 25-year drought. She was on the state runner-up team in the 1,600 last season.
She is one of a few West Bend student-athletes to captain three conference championship teams in three sports, and is one of only two girls in West history to qualify for state in four events in one season.
Her accolades earned so much respect from her teammates, but with each accolade she was humble.
"Kayla's the best teammate I've ever had," Erica Wanie said. "She's my biggest supporter."
Wanie said she learned from Janto that it was about the team, never yourself.
"I loved Kayla right away," said Ekunsanmi, a freshman. "She made me feel right at home."
Janto hated to talk about her accomplishments without making sure her teammates got equal credit.
"I looked up to a lot of girls on my team when I was a freshman," Janto said. "I tried to emulate how they came off and, as a freshman, I always felt welcome and I wanted to give off that same vibe to my other teammates. I want girls to look up to me. It means the world to me that they do."
Before the WLT championship meet, Janto got to meet one of her idols, a girl she looked up to: Megan Duwell Herrick.
At West, the time period between 2002-05 is known as the "Duwell Era."
Duwell was a state champion at West and went on to be an All-American at the University of Minnesota.
"It was pretty inspiring for me," said Janto about meeting Herrick. "She's been an idol for me. My dad has talked about her."
"She's just so humble, so I think that really touched me," Janto added. "It was just so awesome to hear from an athlete from our school that made it so far and she's so down-to-earth and humble. It was really inspiring."
Janto will move on to St. Thomas University, which is just outside of Minneapolis, and compete on the school's cross-country and track and field teams.
"I'm so excited," she said. "Although it's sad to finish my high school career, it makes me really excited to know that I'm not done and there's still more to come."
By NICHOLAS DETTMANN
Daily News Sports Editor
LA CROSSE — Four years ago, it seemed this day would never come for West Bend West's Kayla Janto.
On Saturday evening, a day four years in the making has come and gone with a state medal hanging from her neck.
Janto capped one of the most decorated careers in West Bend West history at the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association state track and field championship at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.
She, along with Ife Ekunsanmi, Erica Wanie and Amanda Wanie, finished fourth in the 1,600-meter run at Saturday's state meet.
With tears running down her cheeks, a realization hit her: This was it.
"It's been an incredible ride and an incredible four years with the best teammates I could've asked for with the most amazing coaches," she said. "They really pushed me to my full potential. I couldn't have asked for anything better."
For four years, Janto assembled what will surely be a future Wall of Fame induction.
Since the fall sports season of her sophomore year, Janto has qualified for state in cross-country, gymnastics and track and field — nine consecutive seasons of reaching the state tournament. Most student-athletes dream of getting to once and many never get a chance at state-tournament competition.
Here are some of the highlights of her career:
n In cross-country, she was All-Wisconsin Little Ten three times, owns the sixth-fastest 4k time in school history and won a conference championship her senior year.
n In gymnastics, she was first- or second-team All-Conference in multiple events, was WLT champion on the balance beam and in the all-around her junior year and was on team that set a WLT team score record at conference championship meet.
n In track and field, she is has four conference records and led West to back-to-back WLT titles her junior and senior seasons, with the first ending a 25-year drought. She was on the state runner-up team in the 1,600 last season.
She is one of a few West Bend student-athletes to captain three conference championship teams in three sports, and is one of only two girls in West history to qualify for state in four events in one season.
Her accolades earned so much respect from her teammates, but with each accolade she was humble.
"Kayla's the best teammate I've ever had," Erica Wanie said. "She's my biggest supporter."
Wanie said she learned from Janto that it was about the team, never yourself.
"I loved Kayla right away," said Ekunsanmi, a freshman. "She made me feel right at home."
Janto hated to talk about her accomplishments without making sure her teammates got equal credit.
"I looked up to a lot of girls on my team when I was a freshman," Janto said. "I tried to emulate how they came off and, as a freshman, I always felt welcome and I wanted to give off that same vibe to my other teammates. I want girls to look up to me. It means the world to me that they do."
Before the WLT championship meet, Janto got to meet one of her idols, a girl she looked up to: Megan Duwell Herrick.
At West, the time period between 2002-05 is known as the "Duwell Era."
Duwell was a state champion at West and went on to be an All-American at the University of Minnesota.
"It was pretty inspiring for me," said Janto about meeting Herrick. "She's been an idol for me. My dad has talked about her."
"She's just so humble, so I think that really touched me," Janto added. "It was just so awesome to hear from an athlete from our school that made it so far and she's so down-to-earth and humble. It was really inspiring."
Janto will move on to St. Thomas University, which is just outside of Minneapolis, and compete on the school's cross-country and track and field teams.
"I'm so excited," she said. "Although it's sad to finish my high school career, it makes me really excited to know that I'm not done and there's still more to come."
Kanaan finally captures elusive Indy 500
Published: May 28, 2013
By NICHOLAS DETTMANN
Daily News Sports Editor
INDIANAPOLIS — Tony Kanaan proved nice guys can finish first.
By doing so, he hopes it will prolong his career for at least another couple of seasons.
Kanaan, a fan favorite throughout his career, won Sunday's 97th running of the Indianapolis 500. It was his first victory at Indianapolis in his 12th try, which was another reason why more than 200,000 fans were ecstatic to see Kanaan win. Even fellow competitors, along with track safety workers and fans around the 2.5-mile oval, saluted Kanaan well after the race was over.
If they could've, the fans would've stayed a lot longer.
In recent years, Kanaan was widely regarded as being one of the best drivers to never win the Indy 500.
"I was afraid to go to bed yesterday and wake up this morning and it'd be race day again," Kanaan said Monday. "I think it's slowly getting there. I haven't gotten to sleep yet. I guess that's the price for when you win such a great race."
Within minutes after the race ended, Kanaan's cellphone and email filled up with congratulatory messages.
Kanaan got the jump on a restart with three laps to go against then-race leader Ryan Hunter-Reay and rookie Carlos Munoz to take the lead, the last of a record 68 lead changes, doubling last year's record. Moments later, Dario Franchitti crashed to bring out the caution, ultimately ending the race and giving Kanaan, 38, the long-awaited trip to victory lane.
Munoz finished second, Hunter-Reay took third. Marco Andretti finished fourth, and Justin Wilson rounded out the top-five.
"I never had a doubt I could win this thing," Kanaan said. "I talked about it many times that I could do it.
"It's a huge, remarkable achievement for me. That proves that I can still race for a few more years."
Kanaan's contract with his team, KV Racing Technology, expires at the end of this season. There was skepticism before Sunday's race as to whether this low-budget team had enough financial backing to race the entire 2013 season, even with a former series champion behind the wheel. Just over two years ago, he was in a similar position.
In the week leading up to the 2011 season, Kanaan still didn't have a team to drive for after his eight-year run with Andretti Autosport ended. He got a team just days before that season's first race at St. Petersburg. It was a struggle at the time for Kanaan, a series champion.
Former IndyCar driver Jimmy Vasser was the one that saved Kanaan's career. On Sunday, Vasser, who never won the Indy 500 as a driver, may have done it again.
"It shows that if you never give up, many good things might happen for you," Kanaan said.
For the final two laps under caution, Kanaan basked in the glory of winning the Indianapolis 500.
"Looking into the stands, it was unbelievable," he said in victory lane.
The excitement surrounding one victory mirrored Dale Earnhardt's 1998 triumph at the Daytona 500. It took the late-Hall of Famer 20 tries before he won NASCAR's biggest race.
For years, Kanaan had tried and tried and tried. Before Sunday's race, Kanaan had completed more than 1,800 laps, leading 221 of them, and had five top-five finishes, including the past two Indy 500s.
Among his close calls were in 2004 when he led 28 laps and was running second with 20 laps to go, but the race was called because of rain. In 2005, he started on the pole, led 54 laps and finished eighth. In 2007, he led a race-high 83 laps, but finished 12th in a rain-shortened race after 166 laps.
"I'm very happy, well-deserved for him," said Helio Castroneves, a three-time winner at Indianapolis, who finished sixth. "Well-deserved for his team."
"I'm very happy for Tony Kanaan," Hunter-Reay said. "He's done such a great job. He's a great champion. He's done a great job here his whole career."
Kanaan didn't think about all the bad luck until the end.
"I started to check everything on my car," he said. "Do we have enough fuel, four wheels? You kind of go crazy."
As if he didn't need any more motivation, he got it in the days, even hours, before the drop of the green flag.
Nine years ago, he gave his lucky charm to the mother of a teen-aged girl, Andrea Braun, in an Indianapolis hospital. She was there after suffering a stroke and was about to undergo life-threatening surgery the next day.
The girl survived and they stayed in touch. She recently got married.
Just a couple days before the race, Kanaan received an envelope from Braun with the lucky charm inside and a note, which told him that he could have it back and he needs the luck now. "Go win the Indy 500."
Then hours before the race, his friend Alex Zanardi, who lost his legs in a horrific crash in 2001, gave him the gold medal that he won at the 2012 London Paralympic Games in hand cycling.
"It's fantastic, it's a dream come true to see Tony win," Zanardi said. "I'm so happy, so happy."
A pair of checkered flags high above the yard of bricks never silenced so much criticism than Kanaan's victory Sunday.
"We did it," Kanaan said.
By NICHOLAS DETTMANN
Daily News Sports Editor
INDIANAPOLIS — Tony Kanaan proved nice guys can finish first.
By doing so, he hopes it will prolong his career for at least another couple of seasons.
Kanaan, a fan favorite throughout his career, won Sunday's 97th running of the Indianapolis 500. It was his first victory at Indianapolis in his 12th try, which was another reason why more than 200,000 fans were ecstatic to see Kanaan win. Even fellow competitors, along with track safety workers and fans around the 2.5-mile oval, saluted Kanaan well after the race was over.
If they could've, the fans would've stayed a lot longer.
In recent years, Kanaan was widely regarded as being one of the best drivers to never win the Indy 500.
"I was afraid to go to bed yesterday and wake up this morning and it'd be race day again," Kanaan said Monday. "I think it's slowly getting there. I haven't gotten to sleep yet. I guess that's the price for when you win such a great race."
Within minutes after the race ended, Kanaan's cellphone and email filled up with congratulatory messages.
Kanaan got the jump on a restart with three laps to go against then-race leader Ryan Hunter-Reay and rookie Carlos Munoz to take the lead, the last of a record 68 lead changes, doubling last year's record. Moments later, Dario Franchitti crashed to bring out the caution, ultimately ending the race and giving Kanaan, 38, the long-awaited trip to victory lane.
Munoz finished second, Hunter-Reay took third. Marco Andretti finished fourth, and Justin Wilson rounded out the top-five.
"I never had a doubt I could win this thing," Kanaan said. "I talked about it many times that I could do it.
"It's a huge, remarkable achievement for me. That proves that I can still race for a few more years."
Kanaan's contract with his team, KV Racing Technology, expires at the end of this season. There was skepticism before Sunday's race as to whether this low-budget team had enough financial backing to race the entire 2013 season, even with a former series champion behind the wheel. Just over two years ago, he was in a similar position.
In the week leading up to the 2011 season, Kanaan still didn't have a team to drive for after his eight-year run with Andretti Autosport ended. He got a team just days before that season's first race at St. Petersburg. It was a struggle at the time for Kanaan, a series champion.
Former IndyCar driver Jimmy Vasser was the one that saved Kanaan's career. On Sunday, Vasser, who never won the Indy 500 as a driver, may have done it again.
"It shows that if you never give up, many good things might happen for you," Kanaan said.
For the final two laps under caution, Kanaan basked in the glory of winning the Indianapolis 500.
"Looking into the stands, it was unbelievable," he said in victory lane.
The excitement surrounding one victory mirrored Dale Earnhardt's 1998 triumph at the Daytona 500. It took the late-Hall of Famer 20 tries before he won NASCAR's biggest race.
For years, Kanaan had tried and tried and tried. Before Sunday's race, Kanaan had completed more than 1,800 laps, leading 221 of them, and had five top-five finishes, including the past two Indy 500s.
Among his close calls were in 2004 when he led 28 laps and was running second with 20 laps to go, but the race was called because of rain. In 2005, he started on the pole, led 54 laps and finished eighth. In 2007, he led a race-high 83 laps, but finished 12th in a rain-shortened race after 166 laps.
"I'm very happy, well-deserved for him," said Helio Castroneves, a three-time winner at Indianapolis, who finished sixth. "Well-deserved for his team."
"I'm very happy for Tony Kanaan," Hunter-Reay said. "He's done such a great job. He's a great champion. He's done a great job here his whole career."
Kanaan didn't think about all the bad luck until the end.
"I started to check everything on my car," he said. "Do we have enough fuel, four wheels? You kind of go crazy."
As if he didn't need any more motivation, he got it in the days, even hours, before the drop of the green flag.
Nine years ago, he gave his lucky charm to the mother of a teen-aged girl, Andrea Braun, in an Indianapolis hospital. She was there after suffering a stroke and was about to undergo life-threatening surgery the next day.
The girl survived and they stayed in touch. She recently got married.
Just a couple days before the race, Kanaan received an envelope from Braun with the lucky charm inside and a note, which told him that he could have it back and he needs the luck now. "Go win the Indy 500."
Then hours before the race, his friend Alex Zanardi, who lost his legs in a horrific crash in 2001, gave him the gold medal that he won at the 2012 London Paralympic Games in hand cycling.
"It's fantastic, it's a dream come true to see Tony win," Zanardi said. "I'm so happy, so happy."
A pair of checkered flags high above the yard of bricks never silenced so much criticism than Kanaan's victory Sunday.
"We did it," Kanaan said.
Herrick takes break, inducted into high schools Wall of Fame
Published: May 28, 2013
By NICHOLAS DETTMANN
Daily News Sports Editor
Even an elite athlete needs a break from time-to-time. That's what West Bend's Megan Herrick, formerly Duwell, is doing.
Riddled with foot injury problems the past couple of years, Herrick is taking a break from competitive running as she recently had her sixth stress fracture, three on both feet.
"It was kind of the straw that broke my back," Herrick said.
Herrick, a 2005 West Bend West graduate, was in West Bend on Wednesday night as she was one of three former West Bend high schools student-atheltes to be inducted into the Wall of Fame. Joining her was Cathy (Johnson) Spies, Janet (Koenig) Montgomery and Carl Kuss.
"It means so much," Herrick said about the honor. "This is really where it all began; so to be able to come back my roots and see all the coaches and important people (in my life) and be able to thank you.
"It's really as much of an honor for me as it is for them."
At West, Herrick earned 12 varsity letters in cross-country, basketball and track and field. She was a four-time All-Conference performer and state qualifier. She was also a four-year starter in basketball, helping lead the Spartans to a conference championship in the 2004-05 season.
In track, Herrick won two state titles in the 800-meter run (2003 and 2004).
After a decorated career at the University of Minnesota, where she was a two-time Big Ten Conference champion and an All-American, Herrick turned pro, joining McMillian Elite, an Adidas Olympic-training team in Flagstaff, Ariz.
In 2011, she qualified for the North America Central America and Carribean Athletic Association Championship in Trinidad. There she won a silver medal and helped lead the United States to a gold medal.
Her training regiment had her running about 80-90 miles per week.
Foot injuries have always been around for Herrick, who in 2011 worked with a performance lab to try and correct her nagging foot problems. After those tests, she said she believed she was a different runner, a stronger one. But that was until those recurring foot injuries came back. So before the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials, she decided to put off her Olympic dream, get some rest and focus on the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro.
She was diagnosed with her latest stress fracture in October.
"I was doing everything in my power (to stay healthy) and nothing was working," Herrick said.
In the past couple of months, Herrick has gone through a lot of changes away from running as well.
She recently moved to Madison with her husband Paul and began to be more active with her profession, not running. She was also glad to move back closer to home after spending the past three years in Arizona.
"I kind of needed a change for a while," Herrick said. "It was just a smart move for now to kind of distance myself and take that mental break for a little bit."
Herrick works at CUNA Mutual Group in Madison, where she specializes in sourcing and vendor management.
"I'm advancing my business career which is great," Herrick said. "It's something I've always wanted to do, while in the meantime running is still a huge part of my life."
Herrick can't give up running. She won't give up running. She still dreams of competing in the Olympics, but 2016 may be her only shot, which is why it is so important to her that she's at full strength.
If she likes where her health and training is going by the end of 2014, she will go for the Olympics.
"Whatever happens will happen naturally," Herrick said.
"You never know what can happen," she added, still hopeful to make the Olympics. "I'm not closing out that opportunity. I'm keeping an open mind about it. If it happens, I'll ride that wave and go for it. If it's not there, I have my business career, my family."
And the way she plans to find out if she'll be ready to pursue the Olympics is she'll compete in local races as test runs. For now, she still runs about 40-50 miles per week, just to stay in shape.
"If my feet can stay healthy, that'll be a huge indicator," Herrick said.
By NICHOLAS DETTMANN
Daily News Sports Editor
Even an elite athlete needs a break from time-to-time. That's what West Bend's Megan Herrick, formerly Duwell, is doing.
Riddled with foot injury problems the past couple of years, Herrick is taking a break from competitive running as she recently had her sixth stress fracture, three on both feet.
"It was kind of the straw that broke my back," Herrick said.
Herrick, a 2005 West Bend West graduate, was in West Bend on Wednesday night as she was one of three former West Bend high schools student-atheltes to be inducted into the Wall of Fame. Joining her was Cathy (Johnson) Spies, Janet (Koenig) Montgomery and Carl Kuss.
"It means so much," Herrick said about the honor. "This is really where it all began; so to be able to come back my roots and see all the coaches and important people (in my life) and be able to thank you.
"It's really as much of an honor for me as it is for them."
At West, Herrick earned 12 varsity letters in cross-country, basketball and track and field. She was a four-time All-Conference performer and state qualifier. She was also a four-year starter in basketball, helping lead the Spartans to a conference championship in the 2004-05 season.
In track, Herrick won two state titles in the 800-meter run (2003 and 2004).
After a decorated career at the University of Minnesota, where she was a two-time Big Ten Conference champion and an All-American, Herrick turned pro, joining McMillian Elite, an Adidas Olympic-training team in Flagstaff, Ariz.
In 2011, she qualified for the North America Central America and Carribean Athletic Association Championship in Trinidad. There she won a silver medal and helped lead the United States to a gold medal.
Her training regiment had her running about 80-90 miles per week.
Foot injuries have always been around for Herrick, who in 2011 worked with a performance lab to try and correct her nagging foot problems. After those tests, she said she believed she was a different runner, a stronger one. But that was until those recurring foot injuries came back. So before the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials, she decided to put off her Olympic dream, get some rest and focus on the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro.
She was diagnosed with her latest stress fracture in October.
"I was doing everything in my power (to stay healthy) and nothing was working," Herrick said.
In the past couple of months, Herrick has gone through a lot of changes away from running as well.
She recently moved to Madison with her husband Paul and began to be more active with her profession, not running. She was also glad to move back closer to home after spending the past three years in Arizona.
"I kind of needed a change for a while," Herrick said. "It was just a smart move for now to kind of distance myself and take that mental break for a little bit."
Herrick works at CUNA Mutual Group in Madison, where she specializes in sourcing and vendor management.
"I'm advancing my business career which is great," Herrick said. "It's something I've always wanted to do, while in the meantime running is still a huge part of my life."
Herrick can't give up running. She won't give up running. She still dreams of competing in the Olympics, but 2016 may be her only shot, which is why it is so important to her that she's at full strength.
If she likes where her health and training is going by the end of 2014, she will go for the Olympics.
"Whatever happens will happen naturally," Herrick said.
"You never know what can happen," she added, still hopeful to make the Olympics. "I'm not closing out that opportunity. I'm keeping an open mind about it. If it happens, I'll ride that wave and go for it. If it's not there, I have my business career, my family."
And the way she plans to find out if she'll be ready to pursue the Olympics is she'll compete in local races as test runs. For now, she still runs about 40-50 miles per week, just to stay in shape.
"If my feet can stay healthy, that'll be a huge indicator," Herrick said.
Dick Trickle: 1941-2013
Daily News Sports Editor
SLINGER — Stories of Dick Trickle were heard in the pit area Sunday at Slinger Superspeedway. In a way, it was a battle for who had the best one.
Was it Conrad Morgan? Across from Morgan's pit box was the crew for Curt Tillman working on the car, sitting on jacks and a crew member sprawled underneath it.
"If he saw that going on right there," Morgan said, pointing at Tillman's crew. "He'd walk over and tell that kid he should not be under that race car without a jack stand. I gotta do it for him."
Was it Jerry Eckhardt?
"One time at Madison he was a lap down," Eckhardt said. "He let me go by, but he ran the hell out of me. I'll never forget that. I asked him about it after the race, he said, 'Well, I was just trying to keep you going faster.'"
Was it John DeAngelis, who won the Slinger Nationals limited late model division two years ago, then reminisced about it on the radio days later?
"He was making fun of me because I couldn't legally drink beer," DeAngelis said, who was 17 at the time. "At first he put it in front of me and said, 'Here you go.' He took it back a couple minutes later and said, 'Wait. You're not old enough.'"
In any case, that's what Dick Trickle meant to every driver at Slinger and beyond, an old-fashioned guy with a big heart, sense of humor and passion for racing. Kathy Eckhardt, Jerry's wife, said Trickle was the Richard Petty of short-track racing.
On the night another Slinger Superspeedway legend was honored — Alan Kulwicki — almost every driver thought about Trickle, who died Thursday of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound in a North Carolina cemetery. He was 71.
"I was stunned just like everybody else," said Morgan. "I've known Dick for 30 years and I never thought he'd so something like that. The pain must've been a lot more severe than he'd let on."
Morgan and Brad Mueller were two drivers to change their car numbers to 99 to honor Trickle.
"It wasn't even a decision. It was whether I could get it done on time," Morgan said about honoring Trickle.
Morgan, whose other car is driven by his son Donovan Morgan, has the No. 99 mostly because of Trickle and plans to keep it on his car through at least Nationals.
"The guy was an absolute icon," Mueller said.
Mueller and his family went way back with Trickle as Mueller's dad used to race against Trickle. Mueller watched Trickle build his legendary profile almost from Day 1. At Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill., a group of tailgaters often have a sign at their spot that labels them the Dick Trickle Fan Club.
Mueller didn't know Trickle as well as Morgan or Eckhardt, but he knew Trickle loved his beer and Mueller had Pabst Blue Ribbon, Trickle's favorite, in his cooler Sunday night.
Trickle was also honored with a moment of silence before the invocation at Slinger. During the driver's meeting before Sunday's races, a prayer was said for Trickle and his family, and Southeastern Wisconsin Short Track Hall of Fame board member Dick Melius reflected about his friend.
"Dick Trickle meant a lot to us," Melius said. "It was both a pleasure and a privilege that I knew the man.”
Trickle's death ends the glory years of short-track racing in the upper Midwest. Trickle, with the late Larry Detjens and Joe Shear, dominated the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s. Between them, there are an estimated 2,000 feature victories. If you wanted to win a short-track race in the upper Midwest, you had to beat one of those three.
"He was clean, smooth and didn't fight with anybody,” Eckhardt said.
Morgan, a six-time track champion at Slinger and Slinger Nationals champion, said he hadn't spoken with Trickle in about a year.
When Slinger Nationals come around July 2, many drivers wonder about the mood that night, an evening created for Trickle more than 30 years ago. It was an event he cherished, along with dear friend and longtime track owner Wayne Erickson.
Trickle won the event four times in his career, along with Shear. It's an event that brings in the elite stock-car drivers in the country — Dale Earnhardt, Bobby Allison, Rusty Wallace, Mark Martin, Darrell Waltrip, Matt Kenseth and Kyle Busch. It's all because of Trickle.
"There are going to be a lot of Dick Trickle fans here for that Slinger Nationals," Mueller said. "You're going to see people at the race track that you haven't seen in 10 years."
Trickle's oldest granddaughter, Nicole Bowman, died in 2001 when she was 16 years old because of injuries suffered in a car crash. Trickle was was teaching Nicole how to drive. Trickle’s friends said he believed he was responsible for her death and it was hard for him to move on.
Add that to growing intense physical pain, friends started to put the elements together as to why a guy who had a lust for life would commit suicide.
"He could stay out all night; come to the race track late; he'd have fast time and win the feature and he'd act like he got as much sleep as everybody else," Morgan said.
For most of Eckhardt's racing career, he has shown up well after everybody else had done so. It was a practice Trickle was known for.
For Eckhardt, it is the way his schedule works out. After all, he races three times per week. On Sunday, he raced in the early afternoon at Columbus Speedway. He was running second six laps into the feature until rain wiped out the rest of the day. So, Eckhardt quickly packed up his stuff and made the one-hour drive to Slinger to compete in the night race.
Eckhardt said he wouldn't be surprised if the rain at Columbus wasn't a mean joke played on him by Trickle. It probably was.
With Trickle arriving late, it wasn't arrogance, far from it. Once at the track, he'd hop out of his truck, took a couple drags of the cigarette hanging out of his mouth, drink a cup of coffee, get in the car and set fast time.
To fellow competitors, it was frustrating. But they knew he wasn't doing it to show off or rub it in with how good he was. They already knew it.
"I don't think it irritated (other drivers). Frustrate them? Yes," Morgan said. "But the guy was so good."
Morgan's best memory of Trickle was when Trickle twice drove Morgan's car during the Slinger Nationals.
"He bounced it off the front straight wall," Morgan recalled. "After the race, he finished fourth or fifth and he came over and said, 'You know. The only thing wrong with that car was the nut behind the wheel.'"
There are a lot of stories about that nut and they won't be forgotten.
"A lot of young drivers like myself looked up to him," DeAngelis said.
Mueller said, "We all dreamed of being Dick Trickle."
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