SPORTS WRAP
What’s cool at the new school? I’ve asked many students for their impressions of the new Owatonna High School. Considering I’ve spoken mainly with athletes, the weight room frequently comes up as a top feature.
“It is so nice. It is top of the line. We’re very blessed to have that,” gushed Carter Quam.
Its uses aren’t limited to student-athletes. Cast members of the play “Newsies” made regular use of the fitness center for strength and conditioning.
Sophomore Abby Shornock enjoyed the first varsity basketball game on Federated Court.
“It was really exciting to have a whole bunch of people in the stands. We also had our video playing on the big screen which was super cool to see,” she said.
“The scoreboard is probably my favorite thing about it, with how much stuff is on it…The floor is really nice,” said Ashton Kraus on the Owatonna Live Coaches Show.
“The facility is obviously quite incredible, from practice standpoint to game night. It’s a whole different atmosphere, a whole different feel. To me, it’s got even almost a college feel,” said boys’ basketball head coach Josh Williams.
Of course, it’s not all about athletics.
“I love the lighting, and it’s not moldy anymore. The bathrooms are really nice. And the classrooms, I like how open they are and how much light comes in,” said Zoie Roush.
“There’s so much better use of space and everything just makes a lot more sense as to where it’s at,” said Matthew Larson.
“It’s amazing. It looks real nice. All the classes. All the electives that are coming in…I love it,” said Zach Knott.
Olivia Flores likes “the openness. The cafeteria is huge, and I love that it’s more open. We can see more people now. I like the science rooms. They’re really cool. We’re fortunate to have this entire building and being able to come out of high school with nursing degrees.”
“It’s a lot more hands-on than it used to be. Because we have all the supplies at the high school, we don’t have to travel as much. I like that we do have those full days of where we just practice on the mannequins and it’s all hands-on work,” said Kaelyn Smith.
Jace Forcelle is on the Magnet staff and has written about the new school.
“A lot of the articles are about the enthusiasm the community has about the new high school… Trying to find people to talk about the new high school is relatively easy. That enthusiasm allows us to drive articles about the new high school rapidly,” he said.
The rave reviews spill over to the fine arts wing, although not without a little reminiscing.
“I miss the old OHS theater,” Newsies’ actor Sady Fox said. “The new one has a lot of cool things that we get to play with now. We have projectors on the sides of the stage. We have lights that can light up. And we also have some fun sound equipment that we get to utilize now. And that’s really cool along with our in-pit pit.”
After the first concert in the fall, Director of Bands Peter Guenther wrote in an email, “Not only does the new Wenger Performing Arts Center look spectacular, its acoustics are simply fantastic. I can honestly say the students were as excited as the audience to experience a concert. We can provide our audiences with a multi-sensory experience.”
“The floors in the orchestra and band rooms are solid cherry wood. There are lockers for every instrument in the program with room to spare. We are so fortunate. We have practice rooms, instrument storage, uniform storage, and access to the auditorium, gymnasium and bus loading with ease. It is nothing short of amazing,” said Guenther.
Spring sports will bring with them more newness and first-time happenings. Varsity softball moves to campus to play on an artificial surface and under the lights. Muddy games will be a thing of the past for lacrosse with matches on Federated Field at OHS Stadium.
Glitz and Glam
The last ice event at Four Seasons Centre is the Owatonna Figure Skating Club’s “Glitz and Glam” on Saturday, March 9, at 2 p.m. The show features more than 50 skaters.
Kathryn Walsh told the Owatonna Live Coaches Show she gets energized on performance day. “The nervousness really gets you going. I think my favorite part about the show, and what makes it really fun, is what all the people can come together and do. When the chips are down, everyone does such a great job during the show,” she said.
Walsh started skating when she was three.
“Hanging around all the kids and playing tag on the ice. That was a really big one. I remember just really enjoying it when I was a kid because my older sister did it,” said Walsh.
Hannah McNett moved to Minnesota from Arizona seven years ago.
“My mom just put us in ‘Learn to Skate’ to start getting us on the ice and then I just took off from there,” she said.
“I love getting to perform. It’s one of my favorite things. And also, show season and competition season brings everyone closer together, with a lot of stress involved, but it still brings everyone together very quickly. So, I love that,” said McNett.
McNett helped design the show.
“Making sure everyone learns the right choreography and helping everyone learn it together… It’s a lot of award-winning musicals, movies, and songs or artists,” she said.
Walsh assisted on the creation.
“I feel like we’re doing a lot of different choreography this year as opposed to last year’s show. And I really like the outfits we picked out,” said Walsh.
Nora Sletten appreciates the time spent with people she loves. She’ll have a solo on Saturday and feels a few butterflies.
“Once I get on the ice, it’s like it all just goes away. I have jumps, spins, footwork, fun stuff like that,” she said.
She’s been skating at least twice a week to prepare.
Sletten helps encourage the younger performers.
“We always say smile, sparkle, shine. And then when they get off the ice we say, ‘Good job’ and cheer them on as they go,” said Sletten.
Owatonna Skate School and Figure Skating Club coach and director Jen Anderson says this year has been a little different.
“This year we actually have a lot of our older girls teaching some of the programs for the little kids. So, it’s seeing them mentoring, picking that up and also taking what they’ve learned from us and starting their coaching journey,” said Anderson.
Tickets will be available on the day of the show or through their website. The price is $10 with kids five years old and under getting free admission.
Jumping at nationals
OHS grad Justin Gleason (class of 2023) didn’t waste any time creating highlights in his college jumping career at Northwestern College in Iowa. In his first indoor meet in December, he had a long jump of 7.26 meters, qualifying for the NAIA Nationals just held in Brookings, South Dakota.
He finished 14th with a leap of 6.97 meters.
“I had a decent jump to start off with. And then I had a pretty big one that would probably have gotten me top-10 in the nation, but I scratched it by just a little bit. It’s like a ‘what-if’ moment,” said Gleason.
“Just being there and seeing all the top jumpers in the NAIA. Everyone’s just amazing there. Even though we’ve seen some great jumpers this whole year, seeing everyone so consistent was really cool. I think this experience will help me a lot in future meets, like for outdoors. Hopefully I can make it to nationals again,” he said.
Gleason, who won the state long jump title his junior year at OHS, has surpassed his high school bests in long jump and triple jump. He likes the college schedule of one meet a week, which allows for recovery time.
“I’m just grateful that I was able to compete and keep my body healthy through it all and also for having a teammate there in Braden Kalvelage. He was ranked No. 1. He scratched a couple of big jumps that would have probably won him the meet, but it was just awesome having him there by my side this entire season, kind of pushed me along the way, kind of a mentor that I can look up to,” he said.
Top defensive player
Medford graduate Emma Kniefel, a senior on the Gustavus women’s basketball team, was named the MIAC Defensive Player of the Year this season. It’s her third consecutive all-conference honor. She led the team in points and steals. The conference champion Gusties held opponents to just 50 points per game – 12th best in all of Division III.
Gustavus reached the NCAA Tournament for the third straight year. They lost in double overtime last week to Michigan’s Trine University.
Blades season ends
Steele County Blades junior hockey jumped out to a 2-0 lead Sunday night against the Hudson Havoc with goals by Brody Ward and Noah LaFleur. The Havoc responded with three goals in the second period of the clinching game of their best-of-three playoff series. They added an insurance marker in the third for a 4-2 final, ending the Blades’ season.
Steele County rallied themselves on Saturday for a 4-2 win to force Sunday’s matchup. Steven Pribula and Dylan Carlson each had two assists. In Friday’s opener, the Blades were ahead 1-0 and 2-1. Hudson scored a pair of power-play goals to pull out a 4-3 win. Eight Blades’ players finished their junior careers this winter.
