June 2016
TABLE OF CONTENTS
FEATURE
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BISON TRAITS Do you have what it takes to be a Bison student-athlete? With the help of five Bison, we break down the attributes you need to play for NDSU. From training to nutrition to helping in the community, these five Bison definitely have what it takes, do you?
46 RECRUITING WITH HANK JACOBS The recruiting process in college football is very unpredictable. Director of Football Recruiting Hank Jacobs tells us all about it.
54 YOUNG, WILD & FREE
WHAT’S INSIDE 16
Bison Shots
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Where Are They Now
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Alex Schmid
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Making the Grade
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Josh Rodriguez
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Name That Football Player
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Dexter Werner
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Head Coach Mash-Up
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Brendan Skime
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Bison From ND
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Lizzie Lukas
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Bison Word Search
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Dynasty Training
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Spot the Diff.
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SCHEELS Gear Up
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Bison Crossing
The Bison football team took a minute out of their tedious spring practices to have some fun. They put their best selfie forward and answered questions for us to get to know them better.
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FOLLOW US
THE AMAZING CALI CAIN
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info@spotlightmediafargo.com
@bisonmag
bisonillustrated.com
facebook.com/bisonillustrated
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NDSU football defensive ends coach Jamar Cain’s daughter Cali is only 7 years old and is already surprising her dad.
MIKE
BRENT
NICOLE
JOE
MICHAEL
JENNY 10
RYAN
AUSTIN
TRACY
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HEATHER
ERICA
ANDREW
TANK
BOUGIE
SARAH
HAILEY
NATE
SAM
JESSE
SODA
PAUL
PAUL
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BISON SHOTS
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BISON SHOTS
BISON SHOTS
Why are Bison fans the best college football supporters in the country? It’s because of you! Week in and week out, Bison fans bring the energy to the Fargodome. The players and coaches feed off it. “The crowd affects what we do a lot,” said defensive end Brad Ambrosius after the Richmond playoff game. “There’s a lot of times where the snap count is really easy to tell, and that’s how we’re able to get a lot of sack and get pressure on the quarterback.”
? DID WE MISS SOMETHING? Let us know and send us your pictures: joe@bisonillustrated.com
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S W & L A TTORNEYS Attorneys Lee Grossman Attorney
Luke Heck Attorney
Kirby Graff Attorney
Jennifer Albaugh Attorney
SEVERSON, WOGSLAND &LIEBL Greg Liebl Attorney
Nathan Severson Attorney
Adam Wogsland Attorney
ATTORNEYS AT LAW 701.297.2890 | 4627 44TH AVE S. SUITE #108, FARGO WWW.SWLATTORNEYS.COM
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girls
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WHERE ARE THEY NOW MELISSA CHMIELEWSKI
NOTABLE CHMIELEWSKI CAREER ACCOLADES NCAA Woman of the Year Nominee 2010 Summit League Player of the Year 2008, 2010 Louisville Slugger/NFCA AllMidwest Region First Team 2009 Louisville Slugger/NFCA AllMidwest Region Second Team 2008, 2010 All-Summit League First Team 2008, 2009, 2010 Division I Independent Newcomer of the Year 2007 Division I All-Independent First Team 2007
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S WORD D TO FIN
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Bison Crossing
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SWANY SAYS
swany says THERE ARE NO PARTICIPATION TROPHIES IN LIFE: WHY YOU SHOULD ENCOURAGE YOUR CHILD TO PLAY SPORTS FOLLOW @swany8
hances are that your son or daughter will never receive a scholarship to play college athletics. According to the NCAA, there are eight million students participating in high school sports in our country. Of those, only 480,000 will compete at the NCAA level. That means just six percent of high school athletes will continue their playing career after high school.
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While you should support your child’s dream of playing for North Dakota State or being President of the United States, if that’s their goal, at a more practical level, you should encourage them to play sports for reasons going far beyond receiving a college scholarship. Kids that play sports gain valuable life skills lasting years after they can shoot a free throw, turn a double play, spike a volleyball, make a textbook form tackle – or even if they do end up playing for the Bison, after they’ve raised a national championship trophy in Frisco, Texas or cut down the nets in Sioux Falls, S.D., at the Summit League Tournament. In the real world, like competitive sports, there are no participation ribbons or trophies. Being friends with dozens of educators and coaches, and frequently discussing this topic with them, I hear an increasing amount of alarm in
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BY JOSHUA A. SWANSON *Swanson is a native of Maddock, N.D., a proud NDSU alum and a lifelong Bison fan.
their voices. We’re seeing a digital generation where too many, including parents and school administrators think – even promote – the idea that showing up is good enough. It isn’t. One of the dumbest things I’ve ever heard is the quote that goes something like, “90 percent of life is showing up.” You know who never said that? Anybody that has achieved any sort of success in life. The idea that life is the act of merely showing up is lazy and threatens the fabric of our society. It sends a dangerous message to our youth – show up and you will be rewarded, life will be good, and you can live the American dream with your participation trophies on the mantle of your fireplace. Nothing could be further from the truth. Case in point: our championship teams at NDSU don’t just show up in the weight room, for conditioning, or for games and voila, the trophies and successes flow. We don’t get to Frisco by simply showing up. “When a student is part of a team, that student learns how to converge all parts of the whole to achieve common goals,” explained Patrick Thiel, an NDSU alum that teaches and coaches in the Fargo South school system. “There are few lessons more powerful than selfsacrifice for the greater good. Great achievement is the result of great sacrifice, not selfishness.” To be successful in today’s interconnected world where change happens faster than you can update
SWANY SAYS
your Facebook or Twitter, our youth must learn to compete. They must be allowed to fail without a safety net and, most importantly, to learn how to get back up after being knocked down. Your child will not get a pass if they turn their college term paper in late because there was a binge marathon of House of Cards on Netflix. Don’t even think about calling your child’s employer asking if Sammy can miss work for a family event, making excuses for Alex’s subpar effort, or explaining that Johnny is late because his girlfriend recently broke up with him. Instead, you should encourage them to pick up a football, volleyball, baseball, track shoes, softball – any sort of ball – and be part of a team, to engage in an activity where they’ll learn the skills needed to not only succeed, but survive and thrive in our global economy. These skills include accountability, dependability, resilience, teamwork, learning to take coaching and criticism, commitment, adaptability, and embracing a competitive challenge. And yes, even physical fitness and taking care of themselves. “Besides the obvious benefits of getting regular exercise and developing a strong work ethic, being part of a team gets students ready to be leaders past high school and college,” said Thiel. Your son or daughter won’t be the next Carson Wentz, but that doesn’t mean they can’t acquire the same life skills Wentz and hundreds of other Bison have gained by playing competitive sports. I know because I gained these critical skills in tiny Maddock, N.D., especially on our football field. Outside of my parents and grandparents, one of the men that most shaped who I am was my high school coach. He yelled at us when we screwed up, was tough when he needed to be, but had the respect of everyone that played for him, which included several decades of tough farm and
ranch kids. Our parents had zero tolerance if we complained about how tough practice was, or how bad we got beat up as freshmen by the juniors and seniors (we literally had so many bruises we’d be limping to class). I remember coming to the sideline after throwing an interception and coach saying, “You know, you could see a lot better if you pulled your head out of your .” I didn’t respond by crying or defending my bad decision. I knew how to take his coaching and use it to improve my performance as opposed to shutting down. Like life, during the course of a game, not everything goes according to plan. When that happens now, because I played sports, I don’t panic. I adjust and move on. “Parents should encourage their child to play sports, as it is a way for the child to interact with many different individuals, along with forming relationships with their peers and coaches,” said Tommy Kirchoffner, the head boy’s basketball coach at Sheyenne High
School in West Fargo. “Your child will also learn how to compete and how to deal with success and failure. Children will learn what resiliency is and how important it is in life. They will learn how to take risks and then learn from their failure – it doesn’t get any better than that because that is how you grow as a person.” By the time I became a lawyer and was serving clients, I had already internalized all of the skills Thiel and Kirchoffner talked about. It wasn’t because of anything I learned in the classrooms at the Creighton University School of Law. I’ve succeeded as a lawyer, in large part, because of the skills I learned playing sports when growing up. One of the greatest lessons you can instill in your child is that life isn’t just showing up. You can do that by encouraging them to play sports. It’s one of the best investments in their future you can make.
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POP QUIZ
POPQUIZ
WITH NDSU ATHLETES
What was your favorite summer activity as a kid?
What was your favorite sports movie growing up?
If you could have one superpower, what would it be?
I really just enjoyed anything outdoors; whether it was going for bike rides or swimming and tubing at the lake.
Since I was in gymnastics up until middle school, my favorite sports movie growing up would have to be “Stick It.”
Superhuman endurance. That way I could exert myself in pretty much anything and not get tired (I would love this because I am a terrible long-distance runner).
Going out for bike rides with my parents and having picnics.
I have never really been into sports movies, but it would have to be “Space Jam.”
Favorite summer activity as a kid was camping.
Favorite sports movie growing up was “Remember the Titans.”
If I could have one superpower it would be to be invisible.
With the neighbor kids in my home town, we used to build jumps and ride our bikes for hours.
“Juwanna Mann” is a classic in my family.
I would definitely want to have Spider Man’s “Spidy Senses.”
My favorite summer activity was playing golf with my sisters.
“The Sandlot” (still is my favorite)
If I had a superpower, it would be time travel!
Brittany Stangl
Pole vaulter Brittany Stangl was a three-time South Dakota state champion in high school. The senior placed fifth at the Summit League Indoor Championship meet this winter. Her best finish was fourth during the 2014 and 2015 outdoor championships.
Track & Field
Matti Mortimore
Track & Field
Junior javelin thrower Matti Mortimore is from Ipswich, England. Ipswich is around 80 miles northeast of London, on the East Coast of the United Kingdom. Mortimore transferred to NDSU last year and owns the Bison javelin record with a toss of 248 feet and eight inches.
The ability to stop time.
Jenna Isbel
SOFTBALL
Senior outfielder Jenna Isbel has logged over 150 games played during her Bison career. The left-handed swinging Isbel is from Fontana, Calif., and started every game this season. She’s an outstanding defensive player, making only four errors in her career.
Taylor Sanders
BASEBALL
Senior Taylor Sanders is a thick 200-pounder who slugged .432 for the Bison last year. He transferred from ChandlerGilbert Community College in Chandler, Ariz., where he hit .359. Sanders was second on the team last year with a .344 batting average.
Maggie Crippen
Maggie Crippen is a junior golfer from Missoula, Montana. She’s improved her round-score average by two strokes every year since arriving at NDSU. She’s averaging a 79 this season and finished a season-best fifth at the NDSU Fall Kickoff.
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Who was your sports hero growing up?
When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Yelena Isinbayeva, she is a two-time Olympic gold medalist pole vaulter from Russia. Right when I started pole vaulting in middle school, my coach showed me video after video of her vaulting. I wanted to be just like her.
When I was a kid, I really wanted to be a physical education teacher.
Jan Zelezny
A Philosopher
My sports hero growing up was Jennie Finch.
When I was a kid, I wanted to be a teacher, like my mom. And I am now getting my degree in education.
Ricky Carmichael, he’s arguably the best motocross racer of all time.
I always wanted to be a professional baseball player.
My sports hero was a junior golf lesson instructor, Jasi. She golfed in college and that inspired me to play golf.
For a long time I wanted to be a dentist or a teacher.