Average Joe 2019

AVERAGE JOE DAVE HARMAN: “ONE HECK OF AN ATHLETE” | JON PRATT: “OVERALL GOOD GUY”

2019

FEATHER AND FUR

RYAN SWANSON HAS FOUND THE PERFECT HUNTING DOG IN HIS RARE GERMAN BREED, BERDA

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AVERAGE JOE Contents

06 A Breed Apart: Ryan Swanson has found the perfect hunting companion — and happy family dog — in his rare German breed, the Kleine Münsterländer 10 “All My Roots Are Here”: Jon Pratt: Detroit Lakes City Engineer, family man and active volunteer is all about community 14 “I’ve Been Blessed”: Baseball player, coach, youth programming director … no matter what road his career has taken, Dave Harman has enjoyed it all 20 Gifts for Guys: Must-have gear and other goodies for men 21 Did you Know?: The origins of basketball

10 Published September 26, 2019

DETROIT LAKES NEWSPAPERS 511 Washington Avenue | Detroit Lakes, MN 56501 | 218-847-3151 | Fax 218-847-9409 | www.DL-Online.com Melissa Swenson, Publisher Vicki Matzke, Magazine Coordinator Marie Johnson, Magazine Editor Jamie Hoyem, Magazine Designer PAGE 4 | AVERAGE JOE 2019

Dave

Tricia

Jess

Torey

Chris

Joan

Jude

Ilene

Jamie

Carol

Jason

Erica

Melissa

Rochella

Terri

Julie

Detroit Lakes Office: 1110 Highway 59 South • Detroit Lakes, Minnesota Office: 218-844-8008 Fax: 218-844-8010

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MARIE JOHNSON / AVERAGE JOE TALK ABOUT A TRIPLE THREAT: RYAN SWANSON’S DOG BERDA, AT LEFT, IS FRIENDS WITH TWO OTHER KLEINE MÜNSTERLÄNDERS IN TOWN — KUNI, MIDDLE, AND KIRA, OWNED BY DONNA DUSTIN OF DETROIT LAKES.

A Breed Apart Ryan Swanson has found the perfect hunting companion — and happy family dog — in his rare German breed, the Kleine Münsterländer

BY NATHAN BOWE

nbowe@dlnewspapers.com

R

yan Swanson is a big fan of a rare kind of hunting dog, known in its native Germany as the Kleine Münsterländer.

While that name may raise images of some sort of monster dog, Kleine actually means small in German, and Münsterländer means the breed originated around the western German city of Münster.

They are skilled hunting dogs that also have the temperament of good family dogs, Swanson says: “They have a light switch. They can turn it on and turn it off.”

PAGE 6 | AVERAGE JOE 2019

The breed is obedient, and not at all aggressive.

Swanson says his dog is loved by his wife, Karla, and their girls, Grace, 8, and Katie, 6.

By comparison, his English Pointer “was wound tight, and never turned it off,” he says. That dog threw up every single day: “It drove my wife nuts.”

In the hunting world, different breeds have different ways to shine. Labrador retrievers are known for using their eyes, and Münsterländers are known for using their noses, or sense of smell. Some can follow a quarter-mile blood trail that is 40 hours old.

MARIE JOHNSON / AVERAGE JOE BERDA, THE MIGHTY KLEINE MÜNSTERLÄNDER HUNTING DOG, WILL TRAVEL TO THE GREEN FIELDS OF GERMANY IN SEPTEMBER FOR AN INVITATIONAL SKILLS TEST

MARIE JOHNSON / AVERAGE JOE ONCE YOU’VE OWNED A KLEINE MÜNSTERLÄNDER, YOU TEND TO GET HOOKED ON THE BREED. THAT’S WHAT HAPPENED WITH DONNA DUSTIN, WHO NOW OWNS TWO OF THEM: KUNI, AT LEFT, AND KIRA

SWANSON’S NOT THE ONLY ONE IN TOWN WHO’S FOUND A LOVE FOR MÜNSTERLÄNDERS

“

SHE’LL BE THE ONLY DOG FROM NORTH AMERICA THAT WILL BE THERE - RYAN SWANSON, ON AN UPCOMING INVITATIONAL SKILLS TEST IN GERMANY

The German breed also easily won over Donna Dustin, another Kleine Münsterländer Group North America club member and an avid hunter who previously owned other types of hunting dogs.

She started hunting with an English Setter when she moved to Detroit Lakes in her late 20s.

Hunting was a natural fit with her friends at the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, where she is a fisheries research biologist.

“I was looking for a versatile dog, a new breed that had some hobbies (other than fixating on hunting),” she says.

She did some research, narrowed it down to two or three breeds, and picked Münsterländers because they are on the smaller side (usually about 41 to 61 pounds) and have a good reputation for hunting skills.

Her first Münsterländer, Annie, hunted with her, but also did therapy dog work and loved to hang out with little kids, who would read to her at the public library.

“The only problem is that she’d move her head over and bonk the book shut so that they could pet her easier,” she says with a laugh.

Now she has two Münsterländers, a big (70 pound) male with the Japanese name Kuni, age 2, and a smaller female named Kira, age 5.

She plans to have Kuni sire two litters, which is all the Kleine Münsterländer Group North America club will allow because he’s so big.

“They want to keep the breed the way they are,” she says. Dogs on the small end and large end of the size spectrum are given limited breeding opportunities.

AVERAGE JOE 2019 | PAGE 7

Swanson loves hunting, and he spends hours training Berda, his 3½-year-old female Münsterländer, whose job is to flush out game birds along the trail and retrieve them after they’re shot down.

“I go hunting as much as possible,” Swanson says.

“Watching the dogs work is more fun than the hunt.

We do pheasant hunts and we don’t take a bird unless it’s pointed by a dog.”

If a hunter flushes a bird, they let it go.

Swanson’s dog recently had her first litter of 13 puppies. Ten of those survived, and when they were old enough they went on to new owners in Alabama, New Jersey, Virginia, and of course Minnesota and the Dakotas, Swanson says.

Those puppies can go for $1,500 and up, depending on the parents, but “you don’t just buy a dog and breed them,” Swanson says.

Not if you’re a member of the (100-member strong) Kleine Münsterländer Group North America — which just formed four years ago and is the first chapter outside of Germany.

Only about one in 10 dogs are found suitable for breeding under the strict guidelines of the group’s German parent organization, Verband für

Kleine Münsterländer.

Dogs under 18 months have to pass both a puppy and later a breed test, and some go on to pass a hunting performance test. Those dogs don’t just have excellent health and a strong pedigree, but have also passed a stringent course where they have been found to have excellent hunting skills, including nose, retrieving, obedience, desire, tracking, “a bunch of things,” Swanson says.

Karla Swanson, who is now the secretary of the Kleine Münsterländer Group North America club, first read about the breed online and encouraged Ryan to get one. Eventually, he did, buying a puppy from a serious South Dakota breeder.

“It’s been crazy ever since then,” he says with a laugh. Just recently, “I left at 7 a.m. to Nimrod to dog train with three other guys.”

Swanson has a busy life: He is the Assistant Fire Chief for the Detroit Lakes Fire Department, and if elected by the membership (he is running unopposed) will become the Fire Chief in January. He is also co-owner and manager of Swanson Repair and Rental Center, also owned by his father, Jeff, who was a longtime local Fire Chief in his own right.

SUBMITTED PHOTO RYAN AND BERDA, AFTER A SUCCESSFUL HUNT.

PAGE 8 | AVERAGE JOE 2019

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MARIE JOHNSON / AVERAGE JOE RYAN AND BERDA SHARE A MOMENT AT HOME.

Ryan Swanson likes to spend time training Berda, and he wants the dog to do well when the Swansons and Berda fly to Germany next month for an invitational skills test. They will travel around Germany and France, meeting with club members, including the stud owner that will provide the DNA for Berda’s next (artificially inseminated) litter.

“They speak English,” he says of the Europeans.

“We’ve talked to them on the phone ... Everyone we’ve talked with is more than happy to meet us and help us train.”

The Swansons will arrive a week early to give the dog time to adjust to the water, plants and new smells of Europe prior to the skills test.

“She’ll be the only dog from North America that will be there,” he says.

The dogs are trained to track both “feather and fur,” so in addition to game birds, Berda will be asked to find and retrieve a 12-pound fox fur that had been dragged along the ground earlier and left 400 meters away.

Swanson has only been working with Münsterländers for a few years, but he is 100 percent sold on the breed.

“If anybody is ever looking for a good hunting dog, check them out,” he says. “They’ve been around since the 1800s over in Germany.”

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MARIE JOHNSON / AVERAGE JOE JON PRATT HAS BEEN THE CITY ENGINEER IN DETROIT LAKES FOR THE PAST 10 YEARS. A LAKER ALUM AND ACTIVE COMMUNITY VOLUNTEER, HE SAYS HE FEELS FORTUNATE TO BE ABLE TO BE CLOSELY INVOLVED IN THE CITY THROUGH HIS PROFESSIONAL WORK, AS WELL.

“All My Roots Are Here” Jon Pratt: Detroit Lakes City Engineer, family man and active volunteer is all about community

BY MARIE JOHNSON

mtjohnson@dlnewspapers.com

J

on Pratt is a Detroit Lakes guy, through and through.

Born and raised here, with family and friends all around, his personal roots in the community run deep. He’s grown strong professional roots here, as well, working his way up from a starter engineering role at a small firm in town to a leadership role as City Engineer, which he’s held for the past 10 years.

He loves Detroit Lakes, he says, and feels fortunate to be able to be a part of it in all aspects of his life — at work, at home, and at play.

PAGE 10 | AVERAGE JOE 2019

“Being born and raised here, and being involved in the community, it’s a privilege to be entrenched professionally, too,” he says. “All my roots are here.”

A 1998 Laker grad, Pratt played golf, football and — his favorite sport — hockey, as a youth, playing in two state football tournaments and a state hockey tournament while in high school. It was also during high school that he met the girl who would eventually become his wife, Lisa. The two have been together since their junior year.

After graduation, Pratt left town to attend the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks. He earned his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, he says, and after five years there, “I couldn’t have been more excited to move back.”

ENGINEERING A CAREER Gary Nansen, a former Detroit Lakes City Engineer and the man that Pratt calls his mentor, says it was Pratt’s own determination that landed him his first gig.

Pratt had a job offer with a firm in Bismarck, Nansen recalls, but the young college grad’s goal was to live and work in Detroit Lakes. Nansen was working for a small firm in town at the time, Larson-Peterson & Associates, and Pratt showed up at their door to apply for a job. There were no open positions, however, so he was turned away.

Days later, Pratt showed up at their door again. With an optimistic enthusiasm, he inquired for a second time about applying for a job.

There still wasn’t an opening, of course, but Nansen was impressed with Pratt’s persistence, and decided to create a position for him. He warned Pratt that the job might only be a temporary gig to help get the firm through a busy summer, but they ended up staying busy well beyond that summer, and Pratt stayed on.

“He was a very effective employee,” says Nansen.

“He’s intelligent, and a hard worker. He can be very serious if he needs to be, but he’s got a sense of humor, also.”

Nansen describes Pratt as a “very social guy” who’s good at giving public presentations and working through the various issues that inevitably arise in the world of civil engineering. He says Pratt has the skills to successfully navigate a city council meeting one night, and then go out the next day and meet with multiple residents who are affected by — and sometimes upset about — city projects and construction work near their property.

“He’s just an overall good guy,” says Nansen.

“Socially, he does real well in developing relationships with people. He’s very thoughtful.”

Pratt describes himself as “a pretty easygoing guy,” and says, “I have a tendency to want to like people.”

When Nansen left his nearly 17-year post as City Engineer in 2009, he thought Pratt was just the right person to fill his shoes. Pratt was, and is, incredibly familiar with Detroit Lakes, loves the community, and has a true talent for the work, Nansen says.

So, Pratt took over. By then, Larson-Peterson & Associates had been bought out by Ulteig Engineers, and then later, in 2012, Pratt moved over to Apex Engineering Group, where he remains today.

JACK OF ALL TRADES No matter what firm he’s been with, Pratt has never strayed out of the realm of municipal engineering. It’s a broad profession that’s allowed him to wear a lot of different hats, he says, and he likes that.

SUBMITTED PHOTO JON JOKES ABOUT HAVING “TOO MANY HOBBIES,” BUT FISHING IS ONE OF HIS FAVORITES..

AVERAGE JOE 2019 | PAGE 11

Many different elements of a city’s infrastructure are the work of city engineers, including streets, sanitary sewer, water and wastewater treatment systems, parking lots, water towers and more.

“You kind of get to be a jack of all trades, which keeps the job interesting,” he says. “Your job changes daily. And you get lots of interaction with people.”

At this stage in his career, Pratt spends most of his time on project management and administration, as opposed to drafting up plans or doing other detailed engineering work like he did in his earlier days.

As City Engineer, he speaks at a lot of local government and public meetings, and works with other key agencies and entities to get projects done, like the county, state and railroad authorities. It’s a lot of phone calls, emails, meetings and paperwork, he says. He’s also a primary point of communication for business owners and homeowners affected by city projects.

People in town commonly view him as, “that guy who’s been ripping up my street all summer and now I can’t get in my driveway,” he says, but he just chuckles about that characterization.

“That’s just part of the job,” he says. “I hear people say they’d never want to be ‘that’ guy, but I like trying to work through things and finding solutions to some of the inconveniences that come with construction.”

As a consultant with Apex, he gets to wear even more hats — or hardhats, as they may be — working on projects for other cities outside of Detroit Lakes, such as Mahnomen, Waubun, Frazee, Perham, Park

Rapids and New York Mills.

“I love it,” he says of his job. “It’s a great company that I get to be a part of. I’ve been fortunate, I think, in that I’ve gotten to do what I set out to do… and I haven’t had to move! My colleagues in Fargo joke that they couldn’t pry me out of Detroit Lakes.”

Pratt believes every city project is important, whether it’s one of high visibility or not. The projects he’s most proud of are those that have gone well despite some initial apprehension. When Washington Avenue was redone a few years ago, for example, there were a lot of concerns because of the construction’s impact on downtown businesses.

“It was a somewhat contentious project,” Pratt recalls. “But I feel like it was a successful project, in the sense that it went from being contentious to getting everybody on board… And I think the project made a nice improvement. I look at our downtown and I feel like it’s had a lot of positive changes.”

He’s hoping that other potentially contentious projects coming up in the future, such as proposed changes to West Lake Drive, around the City Beach area, will end up going over just as well in the end.

“They’ll come with their challenges,” he says of those types of projects, “but I try to come up with ideas that everybody can get behind and get excited about… I try and find a middle ground between the folks who want no change and those who want radical change. My position isn’t to decide on those changes, but rather to work as part of a team with the city, the public and other entities. There’s just a lot of moving pieces.”

SUBMITTED PHOTO JON WITH HIS KIDS, FINN AND MARLOWE. HE SAYS FAMILY IS VERY IMPORTANT TO HIM, AND HE LOVES TO SPEND TIME WITH THEM.

PAGE 12 | AVERAGE JOE 2019

FAMILY MAN, COMMUNITY MAN, OUTDOORSMAN An avid downhill skier, Pratt was on the building committee for the Detroit Mountain Recreation Area while that project was being planned several years ago. More recently, he was on the building committee for the Boys and Girls Club of Detroit Lakes, which just opened its new facility this fall.

Pratt also helped with the creation of the first Ice Palace two winters ago, a community effort that proved to be wildly popular. He’s the current President of the Oak Grove Cemetery Association, the Vice President of the local noon Rotary Club, and helps coach youth hockey, which his son plays.

He was also in the Jaycees for many years, serving as president for a time. Involvement in that organization, he says, led to many solid, lasting friendships.

One of those is with Nick Omberg, who volunteered side-by-side with Pratt at Jaycees events like the Water Carnival, and served with him on the board for a few years.

“I got to know him pretty well,” says Omberg. “You can really count on him to be there … It just seems like he jumps in with both feet. He’s very knowledgeable about a lot of different things, and if you have a question, he’s one you can go to for an answer. If he doesn’t have the right answer, he’ll either find it for you, or make one up!”

Pratt doesn’t like to take a lot of credit for his volunteer efforts, saying, “There are a lot of people

who do a lot more than me. For a community of this size, we do a really great job of having community spirit and stepping up to the plate… But I do think it’s fun and exciting to be involved in different things.”

In fact, he adds with a laugh, his wife Lisa will say he’s involved in far too many different things.

Pratt admits he has “a lot” of hobbies: hunting, fishing, camping, skiing, snowmobiling, 4-wheeling, pontooning on the lake — “anything outdoors” — plus working on home improvement projects and just generally puttering around the house and garage.

He and Lisa and their two kids, Finn and Marlowe, take family ski trips out west just about every winter, and Pratt also likes to take a fishing trip with his dad out to Lake of the Woods every year.

“I like to stay pretty busy doing stuff, to get the most out of life and take as many opportunities as I can,” he says. “‘Work hard, play hard.’ I like trying new experiences.”

All that said, his top priority is always family. His own parents, siblings, etc., as well as his wife’s, still live close by, and they spend a lot of time together.

“It’s a blessing,” Pratt says. “Family’s really important to me.” Pratt plays an influential role in Detroit Lakes as City Engineer, but people who know him say he makes a major impact during his personal time, too. He has been, and continues to be, an active volunteer for several local nonprofit organizations and efforts.

SUBMITTED PHOTO JON AND HIS DAD, DAVID, TAKE AN ANNUAL FISHING TRIP AT LAKE OF THE WOODS.

water  transportation  municipal  facilities Apex Ap e EngG ex En ngG Group ro ou up p.c p.ccom AVERAGE JOE 2019 | PAGE 13

VICKI GERDES / AVERAGE JOE FORMER TEXAS RANGERS PITCHER DAVE HARMAN HAS LIVED IN DETROIT LAKES FOR ALMOST 20 YEARS NOW. HE STARTED WORKING AT THE DETROIT LAKES COMMUNITY AND CULTURAL CENTER IN 2013.

“I’ve Been Blessed”

Baseball player, coach, youth programming director … no matter what road his career has taken, Dave Harman has enjoyed it all

BY VICKI GERDES

vgerdes@dlnewspapers.com

D

o what you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life.”

While this statement is most often credited to the Chinese philosopher Confucius, it’s also something of a personal motto for Dave Harman, the youth and adult sports programming director at the Detroit Lakes Community & Cultural Center.

“I’ve been blessed,” says Harman. “Between my baseball career, the YMCA and now, the community center, I’ve always had a career I love.”

Harman, a native of Morgan, Minn., was “one of PAGE 14 | AVERAGE JOE 2019

those lucky people who was talented enough to get a baseball scholarship from the University of New Orleans.”

In fact, he was a good enough pitcher to be drafted by the Texas Rangers in the 20th round of the Major League Baseball draft, in 1983.

“I spent 5½ years in their (the Rangers’) farm system,” Harman says. “I was married for 4½ of those years.”

He says he and his wife, Elizabeth, grew closer through the experience of traveling all over the country

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as he pursued his Major League pitching dreams, and even though he narrowly missed being called up to play for the Rangers, he did get to do a lot of traveling with Liz. “I was still under contract with the Rangers when I went to play in Mexico,” he recalls. “We got to see a lot of different places during those years, and it made our relationship stronger.”

“Dave is one heck of an athlete,” says his wife. “That is a story in and of itself, and includes a multitude of accomplishments in a variety of sports over the course of his lifetime.”

“We met on May 30, 1980 in Eau Claire, Wis., right after I graduated high school and after Dave’s freshman year of college,” she continued. “The Eau Claire Cavaliers Baseball Club had recruited him to play summer ball, and I was there visiting friends. He finished his sophomore year at Council Bluffs, Iowa (a well-known junior college for those on the baseball career path), and I spent my freshman year at the College of St. Catherine (now St. Catherine University) in St. Paul, Minn.

“Then we both transferred to the University of New Orleans because he had a full ride to play his junior and senior year of baseball there, and I wanted an adventure! He was drafted by the Texas Rangers after his senior year … and I graduated early in December of that same year so we could get married before spring training 1984. Then baseball life called us here

and there, which included a season of winter ball in Cartagena, Colombia, and a season in the Mexican Major Leagues. Our first child was born while in Mexico.”

Liz added that she had “so many stories” from her years as a baseball wife. Now married 35 years, Dave and Liz have two children, Kevin and Annie, who have started families of their own.

Spending time with his kids and grandkids is one of Dave’s true joys in life, along with pursuing his passion for fishing and hunting. He also gets a great deal of joy and satisfaction from his work.

“I found out a long time ago that I really enjoy working with kids, from three years old up through high school and college,” he says. “I just enjoy the job across the board, and I’m very hands-on. I don’t like to delegate a lot.”

“Dave is passionate about everything … his relationships, his favorite pastimes of hunting and fishing, and his work,” says Liz. “He gives 110% — 110% of the time.

He is extremely focused, detail oriented and strives for excellence, and I know the programming under his umbrella at the DLCCC has benefited greatly as a result. ”He is extremely focused, detail oriented and strives for excellence, and I know the programming under his umbrella at the DLCCC has benefited greatly as a result.”

SUBMITTED PHOTO DAVE WITH HIS WIFE, LIZ, AND THEIR GRANDCHILDREN (FROM LEFT) OLIVIA, BRYNN AND GARRET.

PAGE 16 | AVERAGE JOE 2019

SUBMITTED PHOTO DAVE HARMAN, CENTER, HIS DAD ROD, LEFT, AND BROTHER DAN DURING DAVE’S TIME AS A PITCHER WITH THE TULSA DRILLERS BASEBALL TEAM IN THE 1980S

“

BETWEEN MY BASEBALL CAREER, THE YMCA AND NOW, THE COMMUNITY CENTER, I’VE ALWAYS HAD A CAREER I LOVE. - DAVE HARMAN

So how did he go from pitching on the mound to coaching and working behind the scenes of so many different sports? After hanging up his glove and cleats for good, Dave went back to school at the University of Wisconsin in Eau Claire, where Liz had taken a job as an insurance agent with State Farm.

“I got a degree in corporate exercise management,” says Dave, adding that this was during the height of the trend toward corporations hiring their own exercise specialists to keep their employees fit and healthy.

Unfortunately, he adds, that trend didn’t really survive more than a handful of years — but before he graduated, Dave was able to obtain an internship at the YMCA in Eau Claire, where he had been a member since he and Liz moved to the community.

“They ended up creating a position there for me, working with both youth and adult sports,” Dave says.

“That’s how I got my start. I was there for 10-plus years.”

After about a decade in Wisconsin, Liz wanted to be closer to her family, and her parents had retired to the Lakes Area, so she and Dave moved to Detroit Lakes, where she began working as a claims adjuster for MetLife and he found a job with the YMCA in FargoMoorhead.

SUBMITTED PHOTO WHEN HE’S NOT WORKING AT THE COMMUNITY CENTER, ONE OF DAVE’S FAVORITE PASTIMES IS FISHING ON THE LAKE. AVERAGE JOE 2019 | PAGE 17

“Dave is first and foremost a family man, which extends to his in-laws, as well,” says Liz. “He is a big guy with a scary looking furrowed brow, but he has a great big heart!”

After getting the job at the YMCA, “I commuted back and forth from Detroit Lakes to Fargo,” Dave says. “I was at Fargo for about 12 years. During the last 6 to 7 years I worked there, I was also the YMCA Camp Director at Camp Cormorant.”

Though he didn’t really mind the commute, Dave says, when there was an opening at the Detroit Lakes Community & Cultural Center in early 2013 for a new programming director, he decided to apply for a job that was a little closer to home.

“I’ve been there seven years now,” he says.

Besides running the community center’s summer recreation programs and all the after-school sports activities for kids that start each fall, Dave also runs the adult volleyball and softball leagues. In addition, he is heavily involved with the Detroit Lakes Pickleball

program. He plays the game himself whenever he gets a chance.

“It’s a fun and growing sport,” he says. “When they’re done playing outside in the fall, we have four courts at the community center where they play. They’re busy all the time during the winter.”

And when he is a little short on volunteer coaches, he tries his hand at coaching some of the kids at the community center, or Washington Park, or Snappy Park — whether it’s baseball, flag football, basketball, or something else.

“I’m out at the ballpark all the time in the summer, and on the basketball court in the winter,” he says.

“I work a lot of Saturdays, but I enjoy it.”

So did the younger generation of Harmans inherit their dad’s love of sports? Basically, yes, Dave says, though Annie gravitated more toward theater and dance in high school, and ended up becoming a journalist in Owatonna, Minn.

Kevin has coached high school baseball in Faribault,

SUBMITTED PHOTO DAVE, FAR RIGHT, WITH HIS FAMILY, INCLUDING (FROM LEFT) SON-IN-LAW AND DAUGHTER, DAVID AND ANNIE GRANLUND; SON KEVIN AND DAUGHTER-IN-LAW ERYN HARMAN; AND WIFE LIZ.

PAGE 18 | AVERAGE JOE 2019

Minn., for the past four years; he and his wife Eryn are both teachers and coaches there.

They live in nearby Medford.

“We always had the philosophy of letting our kids try whatever they liked to do when they were growing up,” says Dave.

Since coming to live, and eventually work, in Detroit Lakes, Dave says he’s come to appreciate both the town and the people who live, work and play here — especially at the community center, which he says is “a great place to work. My coworkers, the members, and of course the building … it’s a fantastic facility for a community this size, or any size, really.

“The atmosphere, working with kids, creating my own programs … it’s just been a blessing to be able to do that,” he adds.

As for when he and Liz eventually retire, Dave says, they hope to spend more time traveling.

“In fact, we’re heading back to New Orleans soon, to visit some friends,” he says. “It will be fun to go back and see how much has changed … We both love to travel, and we’d love to explore the United States more, as well as Europe.”

But for now, they’re both pretty content to be right where they are.

FILE PHOTO DAVE JOINED THE STAFF OF THE DETROIT LAKES COMMUNITY & CULTURAL CENTER BACK IN THE SPRING OF 2013, ALONG WITH FELLOW NEWBIES SALLIE EIKREN, LEFT, AND HEIDI MASON (THOUGH MASON HAS SINCE MOVED ON).

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AVERAGE JOE 2019 | PAGE 19

Gifts for guys

Gear and other goodies that any man can appreciate FOR THE CAMPER or those guys who prefer to sleep under the stars, state park passes make great gifts. Or, Kampgrounds of America offers gift cards that are accepted at any of their many campsites, which can help cover the fees for the site and camp store purchases. In addition, any new camping gear, whether it be sleeping bags/pads, water filtration devices, tents, fuel or cooking supplies, is sure to be a hit. A high-quality cast-iron skillet or Dutch oven is a gift that can last for years. For year-round adventurers, consider purchasing an all-season tent, rated to withstand various temperatures and conditions.

FOR THE HIKER The right gear can make a hike even more enjoyable.

A durable hiking pack, compass or GPS tracker, comfortable hiking shoes, polarizing sunglasses, collapsible hammock, and/or hiking food packs make great gifts for seasoned or even novice hikers. Tickets for transportation to notable trailheads across the country can also be fitting gifts.

F

FOR THE HUNTER AND ANGLER For hunters, a new set of durable binoculars can help give them an edge when scoping out territory and looking for game. A climbing stand makes a nice gift, too, whether it’s a stationary tree stand that stays put all season, or a lightweight stand that folds up and can be transported from place to place.

Anglers might appreciate a sturdy pair of new, breathable waders, or a water-resistant pouch for storing phones, cameras, keys and other necessities.

Since hunting and fishing can require long waits in cold weather, heated shoe insoles and hand warmers are always useful. Along those same lines, sweatwicking wool socks are always a comfy way to keep feet warm and dry on outdoor excursions.

And if he doesn’t have one already, get your guy a folding knife. They’re ideal for cutting fishing line, twigs for campfires and much more, making them a musthave for any outdoorsman.

For those who already have all the basics, consider PAGE 20 | AVERAGE JOE 2019

a GPS/digital watch. Although many smartphones tell time and offer GPS services, lightweight watches may be more convenient than phones. For example, the Garmin Fenex Watch is waterproof and offers such functions as GPS, an altimeter, barometer and a digital compass.

FOR THE CYCLER Cycling can be a recreational pursuit, a means of commuting or a great way to shed a few pounds.

Research from Breakaway Research Group for People for Bikes found that 100 million Americans bike each year. Gifts can include cleaning and lube kits, a mini tire inflater, portable repair tools, a bike phone mount, a wearable bicycle cable lock, or a bicycle storage rack.

FOR THE MODERN DAD  Cool duds: If you know a store where Dad loves to shop, stop in for some inspiration. Or if you want to play it safe, grab a gift card.  Pampering products: Mom isn’t the only one who likes to indulge in some pampering from time to time.

Buy a gift certificate for a stress-relieving massage for Dad, or put together a carefully curated basket of men’s grooming products.  Fitness finds: If you haven’t already gifted the special man in your life with a fitness tracker watch, now is the time to do so. Such a watch will tap into his love of gadgets and provide some utility as he tries to be as healthy as possible.  Cookbooks: Dads always appreciate having some new recipes to try. Combine the cookbook with a new culinary tool, like a cast-iron skillet or a mandoline slicer, so he can try out his skills right away.  Fandom: If Dad is a sports fan, find a cap, jersey or signed memorabilia of his favorite team or player.  Craft beers: The craft beer movement has exploded in recent years. Visit with a local brewer and purchase bottles or growlers of a favorite brew. If you know the flavor profile that Dad favors, find a beer that suits that preference while also giving some new varieties so he can put together his own flight.

Did you know?

The origins of basketball

B

asketball is a popular winter sport that has been ingrained in North American culture since its inception in the late 19th century.

Basketball is believed to have originated at Springfield College (once known as the International YMCA Training School) in Massachusetts. Male students were restless once football season ended and needed a sport that could provide exercise and help them work off steam.

A physical activity instructor named James Naismith was tasked with coming up with a game that students could play indoors under artificial light without the roughness of football, soccer or rugby.

Naismith came up with a game that employed peach baskets nailed to the lower rail of the gymnasium balcony — one at each end. He then came up with the initial 13 rules of moving a ball across the court and getting the ball in the baskets and what constituted fouls, according to Springfield College.

The first game consisted of nine players on each team because Naismith’s class included just 18

students. The final score of the inaugural basketball game was just 1-0, but over time players began to excel at the sport, and the game gradually became more popular.

Basketball is now popular across the globe. The National Basketball Association has 12 international offices and broadcasts games to more than 200 countries and territories.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in 2018 that he believes basketball could be the No. 1 sport in the world (soccer currently holds that ranking).

Young people are increasingly playing the sport, and rapid growth in China and India also has fueled its popularity.

Total NBA revenue hit $8 billion last season, according to Forbes, and it shows no signs of slowing down.

Little did James Naismith know when he put up peach baskets and tossed a soccer ball that his sport would one day become a global phenomenon.

FILE PHOTO AVERAGE JOE 2019 | PAGE 21

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