"Ski U Mah" Magazine: Fall 2013 Issue

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SKI-U-MAH WELCOME TO THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE OF SKI-U-MAH!

W

e are constantly reminded that athletics are about more than competition. They are certainly a great deal about competition and we as a University and Athletic Department are committed to competing at the highest levels and a renewed tradition of winning and success

in all areas.

But it is always important to remember that athletics encompass so much more than what is seen on the field, court, pitch, pool, track and any other field of play. This issue of Ski-U-Mah tells some of those stories better than a letter from me ever could.

From a young man who persevered after Hurricane Katrina decimated his hometown of New Orleans, to a former women’s basketball player and high jumper who took what she learned in the classroom and on the hardwood to teach life skills to children in Southeast Asia.

We celebrate a coach that has been guiding student-athletes at the University for fifty years, teaching them the lessons he learned as a young GI in the Asian Theater of World War II, at precisely the same

time we watch a football squad comprised mainly of 18, 19 and 20 year olds adapt and take in stride events that men and women twice their age can’t seem to get their heads around.

And these are just a few of the many stories we see unfolding in this athletic department each and every day. You will also read about how these student-athletes give back to the community and how athletics can teach even younger members of our community lessons in overcoming barriers, personal responsibility, physical fitness and just having fun.

This is college athletics at its finest. It is building character and developing the life skills that young student-athletes will take back to their communities, many in the great state of Minnesota, and share them with their neighbors and co-workers as they become the backbones of these same communities.

Every day we celebrate the student-athlete and what athletics can do. In this issue, we invite you to do the same.

GO GOPHERS!

Norwood Teague Director of Athletics

The new Siebert Field opened on April 5.

SEPTEMBER 2013

4 SKI- U - M A H S EPT EM B ER

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magazine

of f ic ial

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GOPHER SPORTS

ISSUE of

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Gopher

VOL.

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Athletics

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features 10

ROY GRIAK

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ON THE HORIZON

18

SARAH HOPKINS

20

HAROLD LEGANIA

24

TORI DIXON & ASHLEY WITTMAN

28

ROD WALLACE

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KATIE LOBERG

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additional content 3

NEWSWORTHY

4

OPENING NIGHT

6

PHOTO FEATURE

8

CREDITS

30

GOPHER ROAD TRIP

38

WHERE ARE THEY NOW:

14

MARK DUSBABEK 40

BEHIND THE SCENES: MARTY BUSSMAN

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GIVING BACK

42

‘M’ CLUB HALL OF FAME

20

for these stories and much more, visit the home of Gopher Sports at gophersports.com.

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{ Gopher Athletics announced on September 3 that the Hockey City Classic will be held at TCF Bank Stadium on January 17. The men’s team will face Ohio State while the women will take on Minnesota State. It will be the first outdoor college game in Minnesota. }

NEWSWORTHY Gopher Swimming alum David Plummer [‘08] won national titles in the 50 and 100-meter backstroke and earned a berth on the U.S. National team for the World Championships in Barcelona where he won a silver medal in the 100 backstroke.

Bronson La’Cassie [‘07], a Gopher golf alum, earned a PGA Tour card for the 2013-14 season after finishing sixth on the Web.com Tour money list. He becomes the fifth Gopher in history to earn full-time playing status on Tour.

Kaitlyn Richardson became Minnesota’s first softball All-American since 1998, earning Third Team honors from the NFCA. The sophomore third baseman hit .430 to lead Minnesota to a 36-19 record and an NCAA Regional bid.

Gopher Swimming alum Christine Jennings [‘09] won the U.S. National title in the 10K Open Water event to earn a berth at the 2013 FINA World Championships. She finished sixth the 25K and 10th in the 10K at Worlds.

Freshman golfer Jose Mendez won the 2013 Callaway Junior World Golf Championships at Torrey Pines in July. The Costa Rican finished the three-day tournament with a 5-under overall score.

In his first international track and field competition, Wally Ellenson captured gold in the high jump at the 2013 Pan American Junior Championships in Colombia.

Ellenson, who also plays basketball at the U of M, cleared 2.16 meters (7-1 ft.) on his first attempt.

In June, Minnesota reported five athletic programs with perfect multi-year Academic Progress Rates (APR) in 2011-12 while 22 of Minnesota’s 25 teams maintained or improved their multi-year scores, according to the NCAA.

Men’s hockey coach Don Lucia was named the head coach of the 2014 U.S. Junior National Team

by USA Hockey.

OPENING NIGHT

PHOTO: ERIC MILLER

PHOTO: BRACE HEMMELGARN

PHOTO: BRACE HEMMELGARN

PHOTO: BRACE HEMMELGARN

PHOTO: ERIC MILLER

PHOTO: ERIC MILLER

PHOTO: ERIC MILLER

PHOTO: ERIC MILLER

PHOTO: CHRIS MITCHELL

{ Katie Thyken goes high over a North Dakota State defender, 8/25/13 }

PHOTO: JERRY LEE

{ Carmen Laguna at the Minnesota Invitational, 9/16/13 }

{ Gopher runners take off at the season-opening Oz Memorial, 9/6/13 }

{ Shot from the roof of TCF Bank Stadium on Gopher Football opening night, the sun sets over Williams Arena on the , 8/29/13 }

PHOTO: ERIC MILLER

{ Gopher golfers traverse Windsong Farm Golf Club in the first round of the Gopher Invitational, 9/8/13 }

PHOTO: JERRY LEE

PHOTO: JIM ROSVOLD

{ Steve Sulkin pulls away to win the season-opening Oz Memorial, 9/6/13 } PHOTO: GREG SMITH

{ Lindsey Lawmaster celebrates during Minnesota’s 3-0 win over Duke, 9/7/13 }

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SKI-U-MAH Issue

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DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS Norwood Teague DEPUTY ATHLETICS DIRECTOR David Benedict SENIOR ASSOCIATE ATHLETICS DIRECTOR FOR STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS Chris Werle

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF / ASSISTANT ATHLETICS DIRECTOR FOR CREATIVE SERVICES Jeff Keiser CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Rick Moore, Joel Rippel, Justine Buerkle, Brian Deutsch, Sarah Turcotte CONTRIBUTING DESIGNER Chris Lagasse CONTRIBUTORS Paul Rovnak, Matt Slieter, Michelle Traen, Laura Foote DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Eric Miller

SKI-U-MAH

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Jerry Lee, Christopher Mitchell, Jim Rosvold, Courtney Anderson, Brace Hemmelgarn, Craig Lassig, Greg Smith Advertising: 612.626.2300 GOPHERSPORTS.com

Ski-U-Mah is written and designed by University of Minnesota Athletics and is provided as a courtesy to our fans and may be used for personal and editorial purposes only. Any commercial use of this information is prohibited without the consent of University of Minnesota Athletics. for questions about the editorial content in this issue of Ski-U-Mah, please email keiser@umn.edu.

SKI - U - M A H PHOTO: JIM ROSVOLD

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LEGEND

CONTINUES D The one constant figure in Gopher Athletics since the 1960s has been legendary track and cross country coach Roy Griak. The coaching icon remains an important daily figure in the athletic department.

uring his tenure as the athletic director at the University of Minnesota, Ike Armstrong hired Golden Gophers coaching legends Murray Warmath (football), John Kundla (basketball), John Mariucci (hockey) and Wally Johnson (wrestling).

In the spring of 1963, Armstrong retired after 13 years as the Gophers athletic director. One of his last acts as the athletic director was to hire a replacement for retiring Golden Gophers cross country and track coach Jim Kelly. Fifty years later, Kelly’s successor is still having a daily impact on the Gopher men’s cross country and track programs.

Roy Griak, who lettered in cross country and track for the Gophers, coached Golden Gophers track and field for 32 years and cross country for 33 years after succeeding Kelly. Since 1996, Griak has been an administrative assistant for both programs.

Griak, who is beginning his 51st year with the Golden Gophers athletic department, handles budgets, equipment and scheduling. Griak also plans special events and projects and serves as a liaison to the administration.

On Thursday, September 26, the University athletic department and the “M” Club will honor Griak for his service to the University with a celebration at TCF Bank Stadium.

Griak, who will turn 90 on October 5, said recently, “All I ever wanted to

do was be a teacher and coach.”

Griak took a cut in pay – from $12,000 to $8,500 – when he left his teaching and coaching position at St. Louis Park High School to accept Armstrong’s offer to succeed Kelly, who had coached the Gophers for 27 years. Kelly, who coached the Gophers to the 1948 NCAA title and coached the 1956 U.S. Olympic Track Team, praised the selection of Griak.

“Roy has done outstanding work in the past and he’ll continue to do it in the future,” Kelly told the Minneapolis Tribune after Griak’s hire. “When new men are appointed to positions, people always say flowery things. But this isn’t lip service – I’m very happy. I know my job will be in the hands of an outstanding young man. It makes everything seem worthwhile.”

In the 10 years prior to accepting the Golden Gophers job, Griak had coached St. Louis Park to two state titles in cross country and three state titles in track and field. Prior to his position at St. Louis Park, he coached and taught at Nicollet High School and a junior high in Mankato.

“I had a wonderful time and experiences at St. Louis Park High School,” Griak said. “But this (University) job was something I wanted to do. I was just a high school coach. I was a far cry from a college coach, but I thought the University job was a challenge. I wanted to see what I could do at the University level.”

Griak credited former Golden Gophers sports information director Otis Dypwick for his hiring at the University.

by Joel Rippel

PHOTOS: ERIC MILLER

“I have never regretted a day of coaching. I’ve never felt this is a job.

This hasn’t been work. I’ve learned from the student-athletes. They gave me more than I gave to them.

A few years ago, we had a reunion of the championship team from 1968. Of the 30 there, there were doctors, lawyers, stock market analysts. It was very enlightening.”

– ROY GRIAK

Griak is carried around the track by his athletes following the 1968 Big Ten Championship.

14

“Otis (the Golden Gophers sports information from 1944 to 1975) followed our track program at St. Louis Park,” Griak said. “His kids were at St. Louis Park. I think he was the one who drummed up support for me. I can’t say for sure, but nobody else knew about me. I owe a debt of gratitude to Otis.”

Griak, who was born in Butte, Montana, was raised in Duluth, Minnesota. At Stowe Junior High in Duluth, Griak was influenced by Glenn Card, the school’s principal.

“He had such a nice way with kids,” said Griak.

“He taught us the fundamentals.”

After graduating from high school, Griak served three years in the Army during World War II. After the war, Griak returned to Duluth and enrolled in the Duluth branch of the University of Minnesota. He eventually transferred to the Twin Cities campus where he lettered two years in cross country and track while earning his B.A. degree.

He also earned a Master’s Degree.

While competing for Kelly and the Golden Gophers, Griak ran the half-mile.

“My best time was in a relay – 1:56.9 – but I was just another pumpkin,” Griak told the Minneapolis Tribune when he was hired by the University.

Kelly disagreed with Griak, telling the newspaper, “Roy was a competitor and a good one – that’s what made him a successful coach.”

From the outset at the University, Griak was successful. He directed the Golden Gophers to Big Ten cross country titles in 1964 and 1969. The 1968 cross country team finished second at the Big Ten meet and placed fourth at the NCAA Championships. The Gophers won the Big Ten outdoor track and field meet in 1968. That meet was hosted by the University of Minnesota at Memorial Stadium. The Gophers’ 50 points edged runner-up Michigan (49 points) and third-place Wisconsin (48 points).

Griak’s cross country squads finished in second-

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THE BIG RACE GRIAK INVITATIONAL

In 1986, Golden Gophers men’s cross country coach Roy Griak and Golden Gophers women’s cross country coach Gary Wilson combined efforts to have their programs play host to a mid-season home meet.

That meet – originally called the Minnesota Invitational before being renamed the Roy Griak Invitational – has grown into one of the largest cross country meets in the country.

“When I was at Wisconsin-La Crosse,” said Wilson, who became the Golden Gophers coach in 1985 after eight years as the WisconsinLa Crosse coach, “We had a big (home) meet. We wanted to have a big meet here.”

The meet became an annual event. High school teams were invited to compete in the meet for the first time in 1994.

“Obviously adding the high school races has helped the meet grow,” said Wilson. “I never envisioned it becoming as big as it has. There are a lot of different factors in the growth. We put a lot of effort into the meet. I think it’s grown out of respect to Roy. He has a great reputation and everybody loves him. He’s always pooh-poohed that as the reason for the growth.”

Griak credits several factors in the event’s growth: “I think we do it

right. It’s on a good course (Les Bolstad University Golf Course). It’s a good time on the schedule. For college teams it’s a good mid-season tune-up. It’s become an event.”

After Griak retired as coach in the spring of 1996, the meet was renamed in his honor.

“When we changed the name, he didn’t like it,” said Wilson. “He asked me to form a committee to decide the name. I said ‘we did’ and he said ‘who?’ And I said it was the perfect committee – me. I didn’t have to worry about the committee deadlocking on the decision. I think he was a little ticked.”

The 2012 meet drew 341 teams and more than 3,500 runners to the 10-race meet. The Golden Gophers men’s team won a Griak team title for the first time, while the Golden Gophers women’s team finished third.

This year’s meet – the 28th annual – is scheduled for Saturday, September 28, at Les Bolstad/University Golf Course in Falcon Heights.

The meet has six college and four high school races. The first race is scheduled for 9 a.m.

50 BY THE33NUMBERS 60 341 years working at the University of Minnesota

seasons as the head men’s cross country coach

teams that competed at the 2012 Griak Invitational

Big Ten individual champions coached by Griak as a head coach

“He didn’t just send me over to get a physical,” said Timm. “He took me downstairs to get me equipment.

It’s easy to roll out the red carpet for exceptional athletes like Garry Bjorklund and Steve Plasencia, but for someone like me … especially after the team had been practicing twice a day for a month and I walk in and ask for a tryout.”

Timm went on to become a Big Ten champion in the steeplechase and has enjoyed a long, successful career as a high school cross country coach.

Griak said, “Don is unbelievable.

He worked hard. His high school superintendent told me a couple of years ago that Don was the best classroom teacher he’s ever had. He’s a tremendous coach. He calls me up once a week and asks ‘what can I do for you?’ He comes over and mows my lawn.”

Timm said he is the one benefitting: “I always take away more from him than I give to him. I’ve known Roy 46 years and he is still a major influence in my life. He makes each individual feel like he is the most important person in the world. He always told us to go past the finish line. There is no finish line to his friendship.”

Griak said the personal relationships are the highlight of his career.

“Winning the Big Ten title at Memorial Stadium in 1968 is a great memory,” said Griak, “It was cold and wet.

There was water on the track. But what I remember the most is the rapport and friendships that last forever. The bond and kinship. Something that you can’t put your finger on.

“I have never regretted a day of coaching. I’ve never felt this is a job. This hasn’t been work. I’ve learned from the student-athletes. They gave me more than I gave to them. A few years ago, we had a reunion of the championship team from 1968. Of the 30 there, there were doctors, lawyers, stock market analysts. It was very enlightening.”

Through the years, Griak’s message to student-athletes hasn’t changed.

“We told the kids to stay in school and work hard. Going to school is learning what life is all about,” said Griak. “We always told the kids, you have to go beyond the finish line. You don’t stop five yards short of the finish line. Not succeeding at something doesn’t mean you’re a failure. Giving up is failure.”

After 50 years at the University of Minnesota, Griak adheres to that philosophy daily.

place three times and third-place seven times in Big Ten Conference meets. During his Golden Gophers coaching career, he mentored 47 cross country and track and field All-Americans, including three NCAA champions. Golden Gophers athletes won 60 Big Ten conference individual titles during Griak’s tenure.

Griak’s coaching resume includes extensive international experience. He was the coach of the U.S. Track and Field teams for the 1975 Pan American Games. He was on the coaching staff for the 1972, Griak overlooking the Bierman Track & Field Stadium in 1981.

1980 and 1984 U.S. Olympic squads, and the 1987 World Championships.

Current Golden Gophers men’s track and field and cross country coach Steve Plasencia, who was an AllAmerican in both sports for the Gophers and a two-time Olympian, said he has benefitted from Griak’s experience.

“Roy was helpful to me as I started out,” said Plasencia, who replaced Griak as the cross country coach in 1996 and added the head track and field coaching duties in 2008. “Initially, Roy, (former track and field coach) Phil Lundin, and I all shared the same office. I remember Roy asking me repeatedly, have you called the guys (runners) yet? I was pretty green in coaching at that point. With many people it might have felt they were looking over your shoulder, but Roy has always had a great understanding of people and it never felt overbearing.”

Former Golden Gophers said the key to Griak’s success is how he treated people.

“I arrived at the U almost at the same time as Roy,” said Tom Stuart, a high jumper from Breckenridge, Minn., who was part of Griak’s first recruiting class. “He was very involved with all of the athletes. He was a major influence in my development. He believed you could do anything on the track – be a Big Ten champion or go to the NCAA meet – and in life. He instilled that in each athlete. “ Stuart, who won the Big Ten Conference Indoor high jump title in 1966, added, “when someone believes in you, you want to live up to their faith. He had such an impact on my life. (Teammate) Hubie Bryant called him ‘Papa Roy.’ He was a surrogate father to all of us.”

In 1967, Don Timm was an unheralded athlete who walked into Griak’s office hoping for a tryout.

“I was probably sitting in my office and I probably told him ‘go get a physical and come back and get a uniform,” Griak said. “We didn’t have a roster limit at the time and I thought every kid deserved a chance.”

Timm said Griak went out of his way to help him.

Joel Rippel is the author of seven books on Minnesota sports history, including “Game of My Life Minnesota Gophers: Memorable Stories of Gopher Football.” An updated second edition of that book was published in July.

16 SKI-U-MAH

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HORIZON Norwood Teague revealed a $190 million dollar facilities improvement plan aimed at improving the academic and competitive experience of Gopher student-athletes.

his summer Norwood Teague and the Athletic Department unveiled a University of Minnesota Athletics Facilities Assessment Needs and Plan to the Board of Regents and later, local media. With the overwhelming backing of the Regents and President Eric Kaler, the Athletic Department has embarked on the next phases of the plan, including a feasibility study and more than 30 listening sessions with key community leaders and University supporters.

T

other concurrent projects, the $190 million dollar facility improvements and Athletic Village it would create are a major step in the University’s continued progress in building nationally relevant revenue programs will meeting the academic, training and competitive needs of all of the University’s Student-Athletes.

While stressing that this first step will meet the University’s greatest current needs and will in not impede

As pictured on these pages, the new facilities will include a greatly expanded and updated Academic Center, Training Table complete with Nutrition Kiosks, Football Complex, Women’s Gymnastics Facility, Olympic Sport Indoor Practice Facility, Men’s/Women’s Basketball Training Center, Wrestling Facilities and an

Outdoor Olympic Sport Track.

The current reality facing our student-athletes are overcrowded indoor training facilities, with up to four teams occupying the current indoor football complex at one time this past spring; buildings and equipment that are on average 3035 years old; and a Big Ten Conference far ahead of what we provide our student-athletes when it comes to academic resources, nutritional support and the tools to be successful in competition.

These facilities will vastly improve the student-athlete experience, attract and retain the most talented recruits and staff and change the course of Gopher Athletics for years to come.

“We have developed an overall vision which will develop the facilities in a phased approach to allow us to reap the benefits as facilities are completed over the life of the project. We foresee an athletes village anchoring an overall athletics district.”

– NORWOOD TEAGUE

FOOTBALL FACILITY

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A FEW DETAILS OLYMPIC SPORTS • Indoor 80 x 60 yd turf practice area for Olympic sports. The facility will have an elevated jogging track, state-of-the art netting and partition systems to allow for full swing practices.

• 53,000 Sq Ft. Indoor Practice Area • New state-of-the-art practice facilities for wrestling and women’s gymnastics.

ACADEMIC CENTER

TRAINING TABLE

• Academic support areas for all student-athletes. Areas included are large group study areas, small group/individual study areas, large and small lecture class rooms, study lounge, large and small computer work areas, large entry to display academic achievements/success.

• 28,000 Square Feet dedicated to student athlete academic needs (study, computer areas, class rooms)

TRAINING TABLE

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• Full-service dining facility for all student-athletes with at least two full-time nutrionists on staff, a class room for food/nutrition instruction and a teaching kitchen for hands on instruction/learning.

• 15,600 Total Sq. Ft.

BASKETBALL FACILITY

ACADEMIC CENTER

• A men’s and women’s basketball practice facility with separate one-and-a-half dedicated courts for each program. Each court will have 6-8 baskets with three-point and free throw shooting stations outside of the full court area.

• The facility will include the latest technology available for coaching needs, providing instant practice feedback to both the coaches and student athletes. Also included are player locker room/lounge/film room for both teams and office suites for both programs. In addition an entry will built where program successes can be displayed year round.

• 56,500 Total Sq. Ft.

FOOTBALL FACILITY

OLYMPIC SPORTS INDOOR FACILITY

• New football complex with player lounge and locker room, equipment room, football specific sports medicine room, strength training area, team and player position meeting rooms, video staff offices, latest technology, and coaches offices.

• 113,000 Total Sq. Ft. office space • Indoor and Outdoor Practice Fields-full field indoors with an additional 30 yards on the south end for individual work, full field outdoors with an additional half field adjacent to the full field.

• 240,000 Sq. Ft. of indoor/outdoor practice fields

The Athletes village will serve as the training, nutrition and academic heart of Gopher athletics; a hub where time is used efficiently and meets the various needs of our student-athletes, providing a stable and first-rate athletics and academic experience.

BASKETBALL PRACTICE FACILITY

20 SKI-U-MAH

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UNFAMILAR

FAMILIAR

by Mandy Hansen

A walk-on runner in 2001 at the U of M, Sarah Hopkins stuck with the program for eight seasons as an assistant with the women’s cross country program under mentor Gary Wilson. In 2013, she took the reins of the program. arah Hopkins has to occasionally remind herself to “look back down the mountain” to remember how she got where she is today – leading the Minnesota women’s cross country team in her first season as head coach.

“Because they’re so goal-oriented, I tell my studentathletes all the time that they need to look back down the mountain to see how far they’ve come,” Hopkins said. “I have to remind myself of that every now and again, too.”

The 2013-14 season marks Hopkins’ first year at the helm of the Gopher women’s cross country program, but she is far from entering unfamiliar territory.

Hopkins, then Sarah Hesser, ran for former Minnesota head coach Gary Wilson as a student-athlete and served as a volunteer assistant for the past eight seasons.

When Wilson retired last spring, he passed the reins to Hopkins.

S

“There are so many things I want to accomplish that are so exciting, but it’s important to look back every now and again,” Hopkins said. “When I walked in the door in 2001 as a walk-on – a walk-on who probably belonged at a Division III school in terms of the time I had run – it’s crazy.”

After a college career during which Hopkins captained both the cross country and track squads, the Minneapolis native had a planned fifth year of school to finish her honors thesis in child psychology. Wilson invited her to remain with the program as a volunteer assistant student-coach for the 2005-06 season, and she eagerly accepted – unaware she was beginning a coaching journey that would evolve into her dream job less than a decade later.

“I still have a poster of my senior year team in my office,” Hopkins said. “I feel like that year was sort of a turning point for our program. We had a bunch of freshmen and sophomores that we really gung-ho, and the attitude and at-

mosphere were great. I could just tell that something cool was going to happen, and I didn’t want to leave at that point. I stayed for that first year not really knowing where it was going, but I loved it. Really, until then, I hadn’t thought about coaching as a career.”

Hopkins remained at the U to complete her master’s degree in sport management and kinesiology and stuck with the program as Wilson’s assistant. Despite opportunities to build her career elsewhere, Hopkins always knew there was no other place for her. She and Wilson worked out a six-year plan for her to succeed him as head coach once he retired.

“Wilson was great about handing off more and more responsibilities to me as my career went on,” Hopkins said. “The best thing is that I think it’s been a great transition for the girls. I tell them all the time, I came here partially because of Coach Wilson myself. Knowing that I’ve been here for their whole careers has really made it easier.”

Hopkins could not say enough positive things about Wilson as a mentor, coach, friend and person.

“Wilson is one of those coaches that everyone has a huge amount of respect for,” Hopkins

“I could just tell that something cool was going to happen, and I didn’t want to leave at that point. I stayed for that first year not really knowing where it was going, but I loved it. Really, until then, I hadn’t thought about coaching as a career.” – SARAH HOPKINS

The Hopkins File Hometown: Minneapolis, Minn.

Bachelor’s Degree: University of Minnesota, ’06 Master’s Degree: University of Minnesota, ’08 Athletic Career: 2001-06: University of Minnesota cross country/track & field Family: Husband: Chris

Mandy Hansen is an assistant athletic communications director at the University of Minnesota. Contact her at hans1758@umn.edu.

PHOTOS: ERIC MILLER

said. “He does things the right way. He looks at coaching from a personal level, not just the wins and losses, x’s and o’s. He’s kind of a warm fuzzy guy.

“Letting me do more and more over the past eight years was a natural thing for him. He is the epitome of a mentor, always willing to bend over backwards to help someone succeed.”

Last fall, as Hopkins navigated her final season as an assistant coach, another element was added to what would undoubtedly be a whirlwind year.

“I got engaged the week before the Griak last year,” Hopkins said. “September was kind of a fun month with a lot of good, positive things happening. The pieces were falling into place.”

Hopkins’ self-described type-A personality helped her successfully plan her wedding during the coaching transition. The former Sarah Hesser married Chris Hopkins, a former men’s basketball coach at Hamline University, in downtown Saint Paul, on August 2, 2013.

“There are a lot of little details that go into wedding planning, but having the job that I have, it was sort-of just another thing,” Hopkins said. “I spend my life planning events and travel. It wasn’t as stressful as I thought it would be.”

Hopkins’ coaching duties and wedding planning collided this summer when Matt Bingle, Minnesota’s director of women’s cross country and track and field, sent Hopkins to North Carolina to watch the USATF National Junior Olympic Track & Field Championships.

“The meet was literally the week before the wedding,” Hopkins said. “I ran into a friend of mine who coaches at Oregon, and he said, ‘aren’t you supposed to be reading wedding magazines or something?!’ Everyone gave me a little grief for being on double-duty. The worlds collided at that point.”

Naturally, the couple shared their wedding day with members of the Gopher cross country and track and field teams. About 25 student-athletes attended the Hopkins’ wedding ceremony.

Hopkins is happy and grateful to have Chris by her side as she embarks on her new role as head coach. Chris will undoubtedly be an asset to the program as Hopkins knows she will lean on him for support and bounce ideas off him.

“Not a lot of people really have an intimate knowledge of the daily operations of college athletics,” Hopkins said. “It’s really nice to have Chris around. It’s obviously not all about running because he comes from a different sport angle, but it’s nice to know he has an understanding of what’s going on because he’s been there.”

Ultimately, Hopkins is certain she is exactly where she belongs. Next time she reminds herself to look back down the mountain, she’ll see even more great memories and proud moments. However, the view ahead and up the mountain is even more exciting.

"This has always been my dream job," Hopkins said. "I'm very excited to continue what Coach Wilson has built.”

22

through the

STORM

BY JUSTINE BUERKLE

I

n his fourth year at the University of Minnesota, defensive lineman Harold Legania has seen limited game action for the Gopher football team. He has dealt with injuries and vied with tough competition for playing time. But this is not even close to the most difficult adversity Legania has faced.

SKI-U-MAH

Tragedy struck twice during Legania’s eighth grade year. First, he watched as a devastating storm pounded his home city. Just months later, he was in the eye of an emotional storm as his father died of cancer.

Despite these hardships, or perhaps because of them, Legania has grown into a Division I athlete and a son his family is proud to have.

Chaos before the storm Legania grew up in New Orleans, a city known for its distinct foods, lively jazz and extravagant Mardi Gras festivities. But no one was celebrating in late August of 2005 as Hurricane Katrina made its way toward the Gulf Coast.

As Katrina spun closer, Legania’s family had to decide what to do. His father, Harold Sr., did not originally want to evacuate. But two days before landfall, they chose to do so.

“Eventually we left,” Legania said. “I remember packing for three days -- three pairs of undershirts, three pairs of everything. We were gone for almost three months.”

The family made the drive to Baton Rouge, a trip that normally takes about one hour. With paths leading inland clogged as the storm loomed, it lasted about 17 or 18 hours.

On top of the frustrating traffic, the family also dealt with uncertainty. What would happen to their home? Were their friends and family safe? Where would Legania’s grandmother, who was in the hospital, end up during the storm?

The eye of the storm The Leganias safely made it to Baton Rouge, where they stayed with family. Harold’s older sister, attending Southern University, and a cousin were in Baton Rouge.

Thirteen-year-old Harold Legania

watched on TV as the rain, wind and waves from Hurricane Katrina bore down on his home town. The storm arrived in full force on August 29. In her brief stay in New Orleans, Katrina caused destruction that still has lingering effects eight years later.

Legania remembers seeing images of high water levels, and the faces of President George W. Bush and New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin. The damage in their city was so bad that the Leganias stayed in Baton Rouge for a few months until Harold’s school reopened.

Soon after the storm, the family found out where Harold’s grandmother had been moved from her New Orleans hospital. But she was not the only one in the family whose medical care was disrupted by the disaster. Harold’s father, Harold Sr., had been battling cancer for about six years before the storm. When the hurricane hit, his treatment was changed because of evacuation and the influx of storm survivors.

Harold Legania Jr. watched his father die about four months after the storm. Although they escaped the flooding, Hurricane Katrina still took a terrible toll on the Leganias.

Sorting through the debris The Leganias had returned to New Orleans shortly before Harold Sr.’s death. They had seen images of their city before they came back, but did not know exactly what to expect.

“I personally thought my house was going to be gone, but it wasn’t,” Harold Jr. said. “We only had floor damage, and a piece of our roof came off. But everything I expected to see, except my house being damaged, happened.”

While cleaning up the physical damage left by Katrina, the family dealt with waves of grief after losing Harold Sr. It was hard on everyone, but Harold Jr. also began using his family’s situation to motivate himself.

PHOTOS: ERIC MILLER

24 SKI-U-MAH

“Once my daddy died, I wanted to step up,” he said. “Even at 14, 15 I wanted to try to be the man in the family. My family is a lot of women, so I wanted to step up and be the man of the family.”

His mother, Joy, said that Harold has never caused any trouble for her.

“He’s very protective of his sister and me,” she said. “I think he believes that he is that man.”

Rebuilding and expanding In addition to growing up emotionally, Legania also grew physically. After his father’s death, he got about four inches taller and put on 20 to 30 pounds. He became an all-state football player at Edna Karr High School and received scholarship offers in the double digits.

Rather than stay closer to home, he chose to tackle yet another challenge and join the Gophers on the other end of the Mississippi River. Legania visited the University of Minnesota campus twice before committing. He attended a football camp once, and returned later for an official visit with his mother.

“When Harold chose Minnesota, I was not sure that I wanted him to go so far away from home,” Joy said. “Minnesota was the school that he chose, and I supported it. I didn’t at first because I didn’t want him to go so far away from home, but as parents, we watch our children grow and we’ve got to be able to give them their wings. They have to be able to fly.”

Legania had to learn to take care of himself without his mom always being there. The move away from home also brought the coldest weather he had experienced. Prior to his arrival in Minnesota, he had only seen snow twice in New Or-

“He always did pretty well in school, but now I find that he’s more focused. He has truly matured a lot. I think that had a lot to do with the loss of his father.”

– JOY LEGANIA

leans, and it did not stick to the ground.

“It was a big transition my freshman year, dealing with the cold weather,” he said. “And I guess with my New Orleans language, people couldn’t always understand me.”

Originally, Legania had a high school teammate, Dwayne Mitchell, with him on the team. But Mitchell transferred last year. After the 2010 season, Jerry Kill replaced the coach and staff who recruited Legania. But even after the departure of these familiar faces, Legania chose to stick it out.

“First of all, I love this school. I have great school pride,” he said. “I just wanted to stick it out

for (Mitchell). Even though he left, I wanted to still be here for him and to finish my college degree.”

Justine Buerkle is an athletic communications assistant at the University of Min-

PHOTO: CHRIS MITCHELL

“Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass. It’s learning to dance in the rain.”

Legania has seen limited playing time on the football field, partially due to injury, but that has not deterred him.

He wants “to be known to have done the very best that I can do, to put my all in everything,” and to be ready to step into a bigger role if needed.

Though he has not played as much as he would like, Joy said that she has never heard her son complain about the times he walked through wind, rain and snow to go to class and practice. Legania’s work ethic is part of what endears him to his teammates.

“Even though he has every right to feel like the world owes him something, he is such a giver,” Gophers senior safety Brock Vereen said. “He can get through anything.

When it’s a long, tired, hot practice, he’s the first guy I’ll go to on the sidelines. I’ll just talk to him for about 30 seconds, and then I’ve got all the energy in the world. We are very close, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Of course Legania hopes to play more this season, but no matter how much or how little time he spends in games, he is still a valuable team member. He has also made personal progress in and out of football in his time at Minnesota. Both his mother and Vereen said that Legania has become less shy and more confident.

“He always did pretty well in school, but now I find that he’s more focused,” Joy said. “He has truly matured a lot. I think that had a lot to do with the loss of his father.”

In a fitting tribute, Legania’s education is linked to his father. Legania, a business and marketing education major, is the recipient of Minnesota’s Bill Crumley Endowed Scholarship, which is designated for a student-athlete who has lost a parent.

“That also means a lot, because I’m being rewarded for not only my athletic talents, but someone’s reaching out to me, showing me that they care, that I love my dad,” he said.

Legania still thinks of his dad every day. When the team takes a few quiet moments on the field before practice begins, Harold says a prayer hoping that his dad is watching.

“He has grown to be every bit of a young man my husband would want him to be,” Joy said. “I want everyone to know how proud I am of my son.”

The feeling is mutual.

“My mom is my world,” he said. “I love my mom so much. She’s one of the strongest women I know.”

She is one of the reasons Legania returns to New Orleans every chance he gets. He also enjoys watching the city’s continued revival from the storm.

“People always said it would never be the way it was before, but I think it’s coming back,” he said.

People may have said that the young Legania would never be the same after Hurricane Katrina and after his father died. And they would be right. Harold Legania is not the same as he was before. He is stronger, more confident and ready to take on whatever life throws at him next, rain or shine.

“Even though he has every right to feel like the world owes him something, he is such a giver. He can get through anything. When it’s a long, tired, hot practice, he’s the first guy I’ll go to on the sidelines. I’ll just talk to him for about 30 seconds, and then I’ve got all the energy in the world. We are very close, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.” – BROCK VEREEN

nesota. Contact her at buer0034@umn.edu.

26 SKI-U-MAH

by Rick Moore

HALF A LIFE TOGETHER

Senior volleyball stars Tori Dixon and Ashley Wittman have been playing together for 10 years.

eading into this season, Gopher seniors Ashley Wittman and Tori Dixon had combined for 2,477 kills and 549 blocks, as well as four All-American and five All-Big Ten awards and two selections to the conference All-Freshman Team.

PHOTOS: ERIC MILLER

H

But they’ve been combining talents for a lot longer than that. Dixon and Wittman also played five years together for their Northern Lights AAU team, and have lived together since they first arrived on campus.

In other words, they’ve spent roughly half of their lives practicing and playing volleyball and hanging out together.

And it shows. On the last day of preseason camp, they sat across a table from each other at the Sports Pavilion taking turns reflecting on their shared history and, yes, completing each other’s sentences.

“We know what helps the other person—what they are comfortable with. We know each other’s goals, aspirations and everything,” says Dixon, a 6-foot-3 middle blocker from Burnsville, Minnesota, and the daughter of David Dixon, former offensive lineman for the Minnesota Vikings. “We’re teammates, we’re friends and we’ve known each other’s life history.

We’ve grown up together.”

Wittman, a six-foot outside hitter from Shakopee, Minnesota, nods in agreement. “We’re not afraid to let each other know what we’re really feeling and to have those hard conversations and fight about things, because we’ve been together for so long, we’re able to talk about things that need to be talked about,” she says. “It’s been fun, for sure. It’s going to be weird not playing with each other, I think.”

“I don’t like talking about that,” Dixon pipes in.

PHOTO: COURTNEY ANDERSON

The long road to ‘right up the road’ Dixon and Wittman tasted success, and lots of it, at an early age, winning three AAU national championships in a row in the age groupings of 15s, 16s, and 17s. They also played for the USA Youth National Team for a couple years and were able to travel extensively, including to Puerto Rico and Italy.

But there was no overt or secret LeBron James/Dwyane Wade/Chris Bosh–style agreement to come to the University of Minnesota in lockstep. In fact, it was quite the opposite.

Although they traveled together to visit a couple of other Big Ten schools, namely Wisconsin and Illinois, they explored other colleges on their own.

“I honestly don’t think we ever talked about coming to the same place together,” adds Wittman. “When we both decided to come to Minnesota it was like, ‘Sweet, we’re going together.’”

“Minnesota was the best mix of pretty much everything I wanted, a good volleyball program, lots of [academic] options, a good school, and it just worked out that it was right up the road from me,” she Dixon. “I can see my parents when I want and my friends from high school are around, so it’s just comfortable. I loved it here and I still do.”

“Walking around campus, I could see myself actually going here, rather than when I walked around the other places,” adds Wittman. “And like Tori said, it was nice that I’m not too far

away and my family can come support me and watch me, and I can see them and get off campus if I need to.”

Continuity in times of change Throughout their first three years, Dixon and Wittman have been consistently excellent. Both earned spots on the Big Ten’s All-Freshmen Team in 2010. Wittman was a unanimous AllBig Ten and second-team All-American selection as a sophomore, and Dixon claimed those same honors as a junior.

Still, they’ve experienced more than their share of coaching changes.

They played their first year in 2010 under legendary coach Mike Hebert in his final season before retiring. Although Hugh McCutcheon was announced to be Hebert’s successor, Laura Bush took over as interim head coach the following year while McCutcheon fulfilled his commitment to coach the U.S. women’s team in the 2012 Olympics. Now, as McCutcheon enters his second full season as head coach, Dixon and

28 SKI-U-MAH

PHOTO: COURTNEY ANDERSON

Wittman are feeling, well… a strange and delightful sense of continuity.

“I think we’ve adapted really well to all the changes that have gone on the past four years,” says Wittman.

Dixon agrees. “At least for the seniors, it helps us learn to adjust because we’ve had a different coach all three years,” she says. “Each coach has different philosophies and things that the team focuses on. Hugh’s [philosophy] is not just being a good volleyball player, but being a good teammate, being a good friend, being a good person.

“In terms of getting to know our teammates and those relationships, I’d say this year is by far the best. Everyone is working together and on the same page.

Not saying that other years we haven’t, but it just feels different this year, in a good way.”

Big Ten, big names, big expectations Of course, the page everyone is on involves a deep resolve to make it even deeper into the post-season. The Gophers were ranked No. 6 in the nation heading into the season, and trailed only perennial power Penn State, which was ranked No. 2. That’s the good news. The bad news? No less than seven Big Ten teams were ranked in the top 25.

Which could be discouraging… if it wasn’t so much fun.

“I love this conference,” says Wittman. “Every night you have to go into battle. Whether you’re playing No. 1 in the Big Ten or last in the Big Ten it’s going to be a fight that night, and you have to be ready for every single weekend, every single match. And that prepares us for our post-season; it can only help.”

“It is the powerhouse conference,” says Dixon. “It’s very evident in the polls and even the post-season—how far everyone gets. We have to go out and play on Friday night and be good, and then we have to go out and play on Saturday night and be good. Some conferences I think you can maybe slack off one of the two nights if one of the opponents is stronger than the other. But in the Big Ten, literally, anyone can beat anyone.”

“Any time,” adds Wittman. “You have to be ready every night. There are no off days in the Big Ten.” And the Gophers, by virtue of their three Final Four appearances in the last decade, know that opposing teams are aiming for them every bit as much as Penn State.

“Yeah, [the coaches] always say everyone’s always gunning for us. We’re Minnesota and people want to beat us. And that’s fine with us. We’ve just gotta play.”

And play they will—together—at least for one last year.

Rick Moore is a writer and editor in University Relations and a long-time follower of Gopher Athletics. Contact him at moore112@umn.edu.

To learn more about our upcoming marketing seminar, please visit: www.dpicrossmedia.com or scan the QR code.

2333 Niagara Lane - Plymouth MN 55447 - www.dailyprinting.com - 763.475.2333

30 SKI-U-MAH

od Wallace remembers attending Golden Gopher football games was equipped with sirens and all those things,” Wallace said, wearing the Rose with his uncle before World War II. Sometimes it got so cold at Bowl ring the team gave him after the victory.

In 1991, Wallace had another idea he brought to the Gophers. He recalled Memorial Stadium that he stood on the radiator in the men’s that the ROTC used to fire off a howitzer whenever the Gophers scored, but room trying to get warm.

Since those days, Wallace’s dedication to the University of the tradition had died out around the middle of the century. Wallace sought to bring it back.

Minnesota has grown beyond braving the cold at “I’ve done a lot of sailing overseas and what have football games. He has given generously of his time Since those days, Wallace’s dediyou, and then I belonged to Wayzata Yacht Club,” he and resources to improve both athletic and acacation to the University of Min- said. “We used a starting cannon. I thought it would demic facets of the school.

“It’s my second love,” Wallace said. “First is my nesota has grown beyond braving be appropriate to get that and use that for Gopher the cold at football games. He has games.” wife. Secondly, the Gophers.”

The Goal Line Club, in which Wallace is a memWallace, a Golden Gopher Fund donor since given generously of his time and re1973, received an honorary degree from the Uni- sources to improve both athletic ber, purchased a starting cannon. Wallace became the versity of Minnesota, but neither he nor Julie, a St. and academic facets of the school. “Cannon Man,” firing it near the end zone whenever Minnesota put points on the board. This particular Catherine University graduate, ever attended the cannon can take 4-, 6-, or 8-gram shells. Wallace and school. Rod, a Washburn High School graduate, joined the military on his 18th birthday in December of 1942. He served as a his cannon crew usually use the 8-gram shells at Gopher games. The cannon paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division, making it through the war with no shoots out a wad of cardboard, along with smoke and a booming sound. The cannon tradition, which began at the Metrodome, continued when the Gophers injuries aside from a bullet grazing the top of his head.

Once Wallace left the service in 1945, he started going to Gopher games moved outdoors to TCF Bank Stadium.

“Well, I enjoyed the Dome because the weather was always nice,” Wallace again and hasn’t stopped since. He said he has only missed one football game said. “There was no problem. It was much easier to control what we were doing. since 1946. Until recent years, he also had season tickets for basketball.

“When the Gophers’ season starts, that changes everything,” he said. “That’s But I was one of the first to contribute towards TCF Bank Stadium. I was glad to do it. That was exciting.” my first priority.”

Wallace has gotten his family involved in the operation. Grandson Joe Dainty In the post-war years, Wallace got into the contracting business. In the 1960s, he built the Thunderbird Hotel in Bloomington. With its live music and its lo- fires the cannon now. The rest of the crew, Connor and John Dainty, help to cation near Met Stadium and the Met Center, and later the Mall of America, move it and make sure that the area around it is clear of people when it fires.

Rod and Julie Wallace have a stadium entry arch named for them in recogthe Thunderbird was a hot spot that Wallace owned until selling it in 2005.

Throughout his different business ventures, his support for the Gophers has nition of their contributions to its construction. Their generosity was instrumental in putting new turf in the Gophers’ indoor and outdoor practice fields, now named Rod Wallace Field. The Wallace name is also on a scholarship awarded annually to a member of the Gopher football team.

Wallace’s interests and giving are not limited to athletics. The name of the Thunderbird, and the Native American pieces in the Wallaces’ art collection, are more evidence that Native American culture has held a special place in Wallace’s heart since he was young. He used to travel to reservations with a friend, bringing along presents for the people there.

In the 1980s, he created the Rodney Wallace Endowment in Education for Native Americans or other minorities working toward teaching degrees in the university’s College of Education and Human Development.

Also within CEHD, Wallace endowed the Rodney Wallace Professorship for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning, and helped fund the remodeling of Burton Hall’s atrium.

“I don’t look at myself for just football,” Wallace said. “It’s wellrounded activity where we’ve given our money. I wouldn’t consider myself to be a rich man.”

Wallace’s Gopher football experience has made him richer in friendships.

1960s quarterback Sandy Stephens, who passed away in 2000, Rod and Julie Wallace was his closest friend on the team. Bobby Bell, another of the Gophers’ been a constant. And that support has not been limited to home games. Wallace all-time greats, always says hello to Wallace when he comes to games.

Now 88 years old, Wallace says that his hearing is not as sharp as it used to and his wife, Julie, enjoy traveling to watch the team on the road.

One of Wallace’s most memorable road trips came when the Gophers earned be -- “not from the cannon, just old age” -- but that has not affected his ability a berth in the 1961 Rose Bowl. Wallace worked with athletic director Ike Arm- to follow along with his favorite team. No matter the weather, he is on the sidestrong and the sheriff ’s office for approval and funding to send representatives lines with the cannon. He loves and gives generously to a school he did not attend. As he describes it, Rod Wallace truly bleeds Maroon and Gold. of his volunteer group with the team to Pasadena.

“We got to the Rose Bowl and we escorted the team everywhere they went with the Hennepin County Sheriff ’s Rescue Squad, in a personal vehicle, but it Justine Buerkle is an athletic communications assistant at the University of Minnesota. Contact her at

R

buer0034@umn.edu.

the CANNON MAN The Profile of Rod Wallace

by Justine Buerkle

PHOTO: JERRY LEE

32

REDWOOD FALLS.5/16

1,755

MILES

143

SPEECHES

154

INTERVIEWS

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JACKSON.5/16

MANKATO.5/17

NEW ULM.5/17

ROCHESTER.6/3

2,473

AUSTIN.6/3

GOPHER FANS ATTENDED RED WING.6/4

OWATONNA.6/4

34 WILLMAR.6/17

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MOORHEAD.6/18

ALEXANDRIA.6/17

ST. CLOUD.6/18

DULUTH.6/19

HIBBING.6/19

COLERAINE.6/20

WALKER.6/20

36

THE

SKI-U-MAH

COMPLETE

EXPERIENCE

After a solid four-year career on the Gopher women’s basketball team, Katie Loberg returned to the high jump for the first time since high school and then embarked on a service learning program that took her to Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand.

by Sarah Turcotte

S

ome are elite athletes. Some are excellent students. Some thrive on making an impact in the community. However, there are few that can strike a near-perfect balance between the three components. Katie Loberg not only exemplifies the term, but exceeds its expectations.

Standing at 6-foot-4, Loberg made an immediate impact on the Golden Gopher women’s basketball team upon her arrival in 2009, and concluded her career ranked sixth on the Gophers’ all-time list with 93 blocks, including 33 as a senior. Loberg then made the decision to extend her career as a Minnesota student-athlete by joining the women’s track and field team as a high jumper last spring. Not having competed in the event since high school, Loberg proved there wasn’t any rust to shake off when she placed third at the Big Ten Women’s Track and Field Championships with a jump of 5-8½ and qualified for the NCAA West Preliminaries in Austin, Texas.

In the classroom, Loberg maintained at least a 3.0 grade-point average, was a three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree and graduated in May 2013 with a degree in journalism. She is set to return to the University of Minnesota in the fall to further advance her education and continue competing for the Gophers in the high jump.

That is just the beginning. Loberg made a point to volunteer and give back to the Twin Cities community, donating more than 200 hours of her time to organizations such as the Children’s Hospital of Minnesota, Feed My Starving Children, Urban Ventures, MN Hands and Voices and Camp Odayin, among others.

But, it was in the spring of 2013 that Loberg extended her studentathlete status to a global level with Coach for College, a service learning program that brings together U.S. student-athletes and Vietnamese university students to teach academics, sports and life skills at summer camps to children in rural Vietnam.

Formerly an opportunity limited to student-athletes at ACC and Ivy League institutions, Coach for College founder Parker Goyer, a 2007 graduate of Duke University and former Blue Devil women’s tennis player, reached out to Minnesota Director of Athletics Norwood Teague about the possibility of Gopher student-athletes getting involved in the initiative. From there, the idea was brought to Director of Student-Athlete Affairs, Peyton N. Owens III, and it was collectively decided that Minnesota would send five student-athletes to Vietnam.

An email blast to the Gophers returned 15 interested responses, including that of Loberg. Following a few initial talks with Owens and

close family and friends, Loberg jumped on board rather quickly.

“I didn't need much coercing. Traveling and giving back to the community are two things that I value greatly,” Loberg said. “At the time I applied in February, I was just finishing up the last course in my leadership minor, and we had focused a lot on becoming a global citizen. I had never had the opportunity to study abroad in my four years at Minnesota, so I found this to be a perfect opportunity, especially since it was for something greater than my own education.”

Coach for College left the selection process up to Owens and Assistant Director of Student-Athlete Affairs, Anissa Lightner, who both thought that Loberg was a perfect fit for numerous reasons.

“I thought that Katie was a really good fit because of her overall involvement here with our community service efforts, her leadership being part of our Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), her leadership within her respective sport and the way that she actually just carries herself,” Owens said. “Her commitment toward making sure that we continue to address areas of opportunity for global change and awareness, and our conversations in the past were also factors. And, when she answered the questions with regard to the essays, that really just further drove home the point that, yes, she would be an ideal fit for this.”

The planning process for Loberg was extensive, from securing a Visa to coordinating flights into Vietnam to doing research on her own. But, the Princeton, Minn., native wanted to make sure she entered the experience with an open mind.

“I researched as much as I could about the history of Vietnam, but I didn't want to know too much going into the experience,” Loberg said.

“I wanted to make sure I was going into the community and school with the right intentions; I wasn't there to change or disrespect their culture.

I just wanted to be someone the kids could look up to if they wanted, but I also wanted to let them teach me things, as well.”

Finally, June 6 arrived. She was set to board the plane at MSP for her 36-hour trek to Da Nang, Vietnam. The trip took her from Minneapolis to New Jersey and she then hopped on a 16-hour flight to Hong Kong.

From there, Loberg flew to Ho Chi Minh City, before finally arriving in Da Nang.

Once in Da Nang, Loberg was finally able to begin teaching English and coaching volleyball to middle-school children at Tran Quang Khai.

38

LOBERG’S TRAVELS Length of trip 5 1/2 Weeks Countries visited Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand Travel Timeline June 7-June 30 July 1-3 July 4-5 July 6 July 7-8 July 9-11 July 12 July 13-15 July 15

Coach For College Nha Trang, Vietnam Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam Phenom Penh, Cambodia Siemreab, Cambodia Bangkok, Thailand Pai, Thailand Chiang Mai, Thailand Return to Twin Cities

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Coach For College Job Duties Coach Volleyball & life skills Teach English

PHOTOS: ERIC MILLER

A typical day began around 5:30 a.m., where Loberg and six additional American studentathletes, or “coaches,” ate breakfast and caught the bus for the school. The 20-30 minute bus ride included immaculate views – mountains wrapped around the city limits and nestled in small farms and quarry mines. But once on campus, the real fun began.

“Upon arriving at camp in the morning, we would teach two sport sessions, two academic sessions and one life skills session to our eighth grade team colors. We would repeat that schedule in the afternoon with seventh grade,” Loberg said. “I was with the Team Green Dragons, coaching volleyball and teaching English. The days were always long and hot, and sometimes took a toll on the body and mind, but we had to push through it for the kids.

And we always did. On weekends we would travel by bus to nearby temples, markets and beaches. The first weekend we visited the imperial city of Huể, and the second weekend we traveled to Hoi An; both of which took around 2-3 hours of travel time. The imperial tombs and many temples we saw were beautiful and unreal. There is so much history to be seen in Vietnam, along with countless deserted beaches!”

After three weeks of coaching and sight-seeing, it was finally time for Loberg to say goodbye to the students in which she had grown so fond. Though it was a hard day, it remains one of Loberg’s greatest highlights of her experience.

“My favorite highlight from this entire experience was the last day of camp when we had our award ceremony,” Loberg said. “My eighth grade team captured the overall Championship, and the seventh graders had two people make the academic team. I couldn't have been more proud! Soon after, we had to say our goodbyes, and there wasn't a dry eye in the classroom. I felt my heart break 1,000 times over seeing the kids so distraught. I reminded them to smile because we were lucky to have met each other and to have had the experience.

It took everything in me to put on a reassuring smile for them and to promise it would be okay. This wasn't goodbye, simply “see you again.”

With her time in Da Nang behind her, Loberg took time to reflect on her experience and shared three lessons that she was able to take away from her involvement with Coach for College.

“First, if you openly throw your heart into something, you will be amazed at the results,” Loberg said. “So, although it broke my heart to say goodbye I knew that it meant we had done something right by being there.

“The second lesson I learned is that empathy is essential. Teaching English to children who have really no idea what you are saying requires you to take a walk in their shoes. They

“The second lesson I learned is that empathy is essential.

Teaching English to children who have really no idea what you are saying requires you to take a walk in their shoes. They are the ones who are willing and desiring to learn the language you speak.” are the ones who are willing and desiring to learn the language you speak. Imagine if you were being taught Vietnamese the same way. I had to ask myself: 'how would I want to be taught?' and try my best to stick to that plan. I also did my best to quickly learn small Vietnamese phrases so I could communicate better with the children.

“And last, mother always knows best. I rolled my eyes when my mom and dad gave me two different sets of flashlights to bring with on my trip. I thought to myself, what do I need a flashlight for? But, multiple times throughout my stay the power had gone out, and usually at less-than-convenient times, such as in the shower or brushing my teeth. So thanks mom and dad, even halfway around the world you still prove that I need you!”

These invaluable lessons have not only effected Loberg during her time in Vietnam, but she forsees the lessons, as well as her experience abroad, as something that will make a significant impact on her future as not only a student-athlete, but as she enters her professional life, as well.

“I think the experience has taught me the importance of being resourceful in hectic times. It has also increased my ability to be empathic and to keep the peace, because let's be real, it doesn't matter where you are in the world, middle schoolers love drama and fighting, and I feel like that can be said for work colleagues as well, at times,” Loberg said.

“This experience has also taught me that it doesn't take much to make a change, so long as you have people backing you that believe in your dream!”

Though her Coach for College experience had come to a close, Loberg and five other Americans remained in Asia for two additional weeks to explore the continent and expand their horizons. A few mishaps happened along their journey, which included a stolen passport, phone and camera, but, needless to say, the good times outweighed the bad.

As for advice for student-athletes contemplating getting involved with Coach for College, Loberg does not hesitate in encouraging the experience that gave her so much joy.

“Do it. Seriously, do it! This has been the most impactful thing I have ever done,” Loberg said. “The program Coach For College is the best, and they do everything in their power to take care of you and make your trip unforgettable. The Vietnamese "coaches" are wonderful and patient, and so fun to hang out with. The kids are silly, wild, kind, ridiculous and everything amazing. And, the friendships I made throughout this program I hope will last my lifetime. I dream to come back and visit everyone again some day!”

Sarah Turcotte is an assistant athletic communications director at the U of M. Contact her at starasew@umn.edu.

SKI-U-MAH

40

PHOTO: CHRIS CONDON/PGA TOUR

where are they now

MARK DUSBABEK Former Gopher linebacker Mark Dusbabek is a rules official on the PGA Tour.

From 1983-86, Mark Dusbabek was one of the key defensive players for the Golden Gophers, helping Minnesota to two bowl appearances. As an outside linebacker, the Faribault, Minn. native racked up 207 career tackles and was named a team captain his senior season. The 6-3, 230-pound Dusbabek earned the Carl Eller Award as the team’s top defensive player in 1986 and was Q: How did you become a rules official on the PGA Tour?

A: It all started because I was in between jobs after I had retired from football. I moved out to California and I was looking to change up my life, and I realized that my life had always seemed to focus around golf.

I called my pro in Minnesota and asked him about what possible careers were out there. I didn’t have any experience so I started as a volunteer, helping with the Southern California Golf Association. I took various jobs all over the country and slowly made my way up the hierarchy.

Q: How did you end up where you are now on the PGA Tour?

A: I realized that I enjoyed being around the professional golf atmosphere. The best advice anyone gave

drafted in the fourth round of the NFL Draft by the Houston Oilers before finishing his career with the Minnesota Vikings. Since his retirement from professional football, Dusbabek has ventured into a career in golf and currently serves as a rules official on the PGA Tour. Dusbabek recently did an interview with Ski-U-Mah to discuss his career. me was to learn the rules of golf and that will give you instant credibility with your peers. I started studying the rules on the side and I really got into golf. I applied for a job in New York where I ran a junior golf program for the Metropolitan PGA of New York. I kept learning from there and worked junior tournaments as well as professional championships. Then another job opportunity opened up in California, where I already had a house, so I was anxious to go back to the west coast. Now I’m working all of the junior events throughout Southern California as well as 50 to 70 tournaments per year. The more I worked, the more I learned and I became more entrenched in the rules of golf. From that period onward, I was put on a USGA Rules Committee where I worked as a referee for Michelle Wie’s first match. When I was out at Riviera for the Northern Trust Open, I ran into Mark

Russell on the PGA and he asked if I would ever be interested in working with them. At first I said no, but I changed my mind later on.

Q: What’s your favorite destination to go to around the world?

A: I think that it’s wherever I am that week. There are positive aspects of every place I’ve lived or worked.

I’ve physically lived in nine different states, so I know I can find good in any place I live. As far as traveling is concerned, I’ve been to New Zealand and Australia and I’ll be going to Malaysia in a few weeks. I’ve been to China, Puerto Rico and they’re all great. I still love coming back to the Midwest and Canada. Having grown up in Minnesota, Canada feels like home. My favorite spot is wherever I am, though.

Q: Do you have memorable ruling that sticks out in your mind?

A: Nothing in particular really jumps out at me. Anytime you do a ruling with one of the major players it’s always a bit more high profile just because you are critiqued in every way. You’re critiqued by the thousands of spectators watching you live in addition to the spectators at home watching your every move.

These millions of people are going to wonder how I rule on something and the wording I use. The year Bill Haas won (the FedEx Cup by winning the Tour Championship), he had a ruling on the 18th hole and I happened to be sitting with the linebackers coach of the Gophers at the time. We’re watching the round and I realize that I may have to make a ruling that decides the tournament. It could be a $10 million ruling depending on how things go, but I had to just go in and do my job. I’ve made some very difficult rulings where I’ve had to evaluate everything, but it’s no different than football where I have to concentrate on what my job is and not get caught up in the moment.

Q: Were you an avid golfer growing up?

A: My father had us become members of Faribault Golf Club. It was a low key membership, but my family grew up there and it gave us a chance to go outside and play golf and even swim in the pool. I took up junior golf and caddying for any tournament that happened to be there. I was always around the course and whenever I go back home to visit family or friends we always go out golfing. Our trips are centered around golf whether competitively or recreationally. We got into a schedule of going out for a round of golf in the morning and rejoining the family in the evening. I always grew up around golf, and when I got to college I played a little bit with Ray Hitchcock and Donny Carlton, but it wasn’t so much competitive as staying active. When I started playing for the Vikings, we’d try and go out and play some golf on Tuesdays. In the offseason I would go on at least one golf trip, where I’d go to Las Vegas or San Diego and get away from the game of football. It was a great opportunity to relax and rejuvenate.

Q: What golf course would you play over and over again if you could?

A: Augusta National Course.

Q: What makes Augusta so special, besides the fact that it hosts the Masters?

A: The way that the Augusta group runs their golf tournaments is one of my favorite aspects of the course. Nobody runs around the golf course, or walks barefoot around the course. The etiquette and respect for the game is unparalleled by any other course. The hospitality is impeccable; people smile at you and wish you a good morning, it is such a pleasant atmosphere. How everything is run there and the cleanliness of every aspect of the course is impeccable.

Q: What are some of your fondest memories from playing with the Gophers?

A: The thing I miss the most from my years at Minnesota is the camaraderie. I’m going to be in Minnesota for the Homecoming game against Iowa. I’ll be there for the pregame ceremonies. My nephew plays football for St. Cloud State, so I’ll fly in for his game and visit both venues. I’ll meet up with some old teammates and head up to Saint Cloud. I do miss my teammates and the good times we had together.

They are my best friends whom I’ve experienced so much with. The games were memorable, but the team was most memorable.

PHOTO: HUNTER MARTIN/GETTY IMAGES

Q: Do you still follow the Gopher sports teams?

A: Absolutely. I have the app on my phone and iPad, so I keep track of their progress. We’ve been hearing for 20 or 30 years about the Gopher Football team making a turnaround that never seems to happen. I got a chance to meet Coach Kill a few years ago and I really like him and his coaching method. He’s a great addition and I like the way he approaches the game.

My sister always keeps my posted on recruits and the status of the team from football to basketball to hockey. I try to keep in touch with the athletic department and keep track of scores.

Q: What is the hardest golf rule for even a golf official to understand?

A: It’s different from my standpoint versus the guys I play with recreationally. Sometimes they think they can pick up their ball and identify it and try to put it in a more favorable position, but you can never touch your ball. For us on the PGA Tour, the hardest rule is one concerning whether or not a player can get relief. We have to decide whether or not it’s reasonable for him to play that shot. It’s hard to tell one of the best players in the world that I can’t give him relief because I don’t think he can play the shot. That’s hard to say and I’ve had to say it, but sometimes it’s necessary.

Q: When you play golf recreationally, do you still follow the rules seriously?

A: They don’t like playing with me. They’ll joke around with me because I called a two-stroke penalty on my dad once. The rules of golf are there so that the game can be equitable and golf is a game of honor. In football, we tried to cheat as much as we could while getting away with it, but golf is the opposite. With most people the rules are no big deal, but I can’t bring myself to break the rules. interview by Paul Rovnak

PHOTO: HARRY HOW/GETTY IMAGES

42 BEHIND THE SCENES

SKI-U-MAH

AUDIO/VIDEO COORDINATOR MARTY BUSSMAN

M

arty Bussman has seen just about every exciting event on campus during his tenure. In his 40th year as a university employee, Bussman has worked as the sound engineer for thousands of incredible shows and concerts at Northrop Auditorium, attended every Board of Regents meeting and worked nearly every big Gopher Athletics event on campus. But, his job isn’t over at events.

When you walk through every Gopher Sports venue, chances are the audio/video wiring and televisions were installed by Bussman. Every coach and staff member leans on him to provide the latest and greatest A/V products, whether its assembling a state-of-the-art sound system in a practice space or hanging a television on the wall in an office. The quality of his work and his friendly personality have made Bussman an unsung hero and a favorite across the U of M campus.

Q: Marty, you have been integral part of the campus community for many years. Walk us through your career at the U of M. A: I have worked full-time for athletics for seven years and its my 40th year working at the University. I previously worked for media resources.

I spent 20 years doing all the shows at Northrop (Auditorium) as the sound engineer and that’s where all the fun was for me. I had the chance to watch Baryshnikov dance when he could still jump with the ballet. I have probably done about a thousand Nutcrackers. Going through the mall, I can usually tell you exactly where they are in the Nutcracker series within two notes. I also did all of the Broadway shows at Northrop. There was a year where we had a lot of comedy shows, so I got to work with Bill Cosby, Red Skelton, Bob Hope and Howie Mandel and the list went on and on. It was just a ball. Then the events business kinda fell apart and no one was booking shows. The market collapsed. But, my favorite thing was sports. There would be a men’s basketball game on and all I wanted to do was go over there. Finally I had an opportunity after talking to (associate athletics director) Scott Ellison...I told him you need to hire me over there. One of my biggest employers also was athletics. I was working all the volleyball, football and basketball games at the time doing the sound

The Bussman File Hometown: Spring Valley, Minn.

Family: Wife: Joann Sons: Kristopher, Brett, Ryan Grandchildren: Alli, Bryant, Henry

Among Bussman’s many duties is providing sound support at Gopher Football games and coordinating the audio for all athletics press conferences. On the right, Bussman helps the television cameramen set their white balance.

so it made sense to work full-time in athletics. The transition took place from there.

Q: Describe what your role is during games.

A: I help out with the A/V. I am usually the sound engineer. I facilitate the sound part of things. These days with the new video boards, it’s a total production. In the old days, you showed up, put a microphone on the announcer and played some music. The marching band takes over and things like that. Nowadays, its non-stop production. We have to get commercials in there. It’s more intense. The game against Indiana last year, I had to go back and watch it. At the time, we were beating the No. 1 team in the country. I was so focused on what I was doing, I didn’t really get a chance to see the end of the game. We were planning all the different scenarios.

If we win. If we lose. If we storm the court. The music that we will play. So, I had to go back and watch what actually happened.

Q: If you had to pick a favorite game that you have worked, what would it be?

A: The Marquette basketball game in which we had a chance to go to New York for the (NIT) Final Four.

Right after that, we were playing ‘New York, New York’ and the fans stormed the floor. (Ellison) came over and unplugged the speakers because he was afraid we were going to break the floor. People were dancing. It was an absolute riot.

Q: On the Northrop Auditorium side, what were some of your favorite events?

A: ‘Cats’ was probably the best musical. I love the Andrew Lloyd Webber stuff. People say its modern musical type of stuff but it was great. I couldn’t wait to do each show. The music was so good. ‘Phantom’ was good. And working with Mickey Rooney on ‘Sugar Babies.’ He was a riot. He would sit with us in the loading dock all the time. He would sit there and tell stories and jokes. They would have to come say “Mister Rooney, you need to get ready.” He would be sitting there five minutes before the show just telling us jokes.

Q: The other thing people don’t know about your position is how many audio/visual things you are doing in the department. You are doing television and A/V installations all over the place. Do you like this part of the job?

A: I’ve always done the A/V installs as well as working the shows. That was happening when I was at Northrop as well. That’s what I do here. It’s the other part of it. I was the one that probably pulled all the wiring initially.

With the new technology, it’s getting interesting. Its really cool stuff.

Q: Your job is very physically demanding.

A: You have to work out. Those 70-80 inch TV’s...they weight a couple hundred pounds. They are heavy.

Q: You have a very unique job. You are seen all over campus and you work with so many different people.

Is that something you enjoy?

A: Absolutely. One of the things I have enjoyed is the Board of Regents meetings. I have been doing them for nearly 40 years. They come to me now. And during the breaks, they ask me what were we doing 20 years ago. It just seems just one big circle. The same things are happening. We’ve fired presidents, we’ve ousted Regents. It’s just kind of fun to rub elbows with people. They are just really good people. They want to do what’s right for the U. It’s fun to spend time with them.

Q: How do you manage your busy schedule?

A: I try to prioritize. Whatever sport that is in season, they get priority. If football needs something right now or if volleyball needs something now, they get priority.

The other sports, I have tried to keep them happy and haven’t had to delay too much on their projects. I just try to stay on top of it.

Q: You must have a few complete disaster stories, whether it was working an event or doing a television or audio install?

A: I have a really one good one. It was at the old Memorial Stadium. My job was to run a hard-wired microphone out out to the referee to do the coin flip. My cue

to do that is when the 350-person marching band comes off the field is to run out there. Well, I got talking to Wendell, the staff photographer at the time, and we are jawing around and things like that. Next thing I know, the refs are walking off the field. What I am hearing from my boss, who was listening on the radio, somebody on WCCO saying that here is the coin flip, no I guess we won’t have the coin flip. Then he saw me running on the field and say, I guess here’s the coin flip now. So, I missed it. They wouldn’t redo the coin flip. All 350-piece marching band is my cue and I just blew it big time. Must have been in 1976 or 1977. That was the biggest. Missing the coin toss. There’s times when large televisions have fallen out of the ceilings, but that is just breakage.

Q: Give an example of a time when you totally surprised yourself. When you did something you didn’t think you could, but you did.

A: When I was younger, I would just take things on my shoulders and make it happen. I had no fear whatsoever.

As I get older and older, what I think of now is how many things can go wrong. When I was younger, I never thought of that. It was a challenge and just go for it from there. The challenge was always there. The sound at Memorial Stadium....60,000 people in an old rickety sound system that was held together with wire it seemed. All the shows at Northrop, these production companies come in from New York and they don’t think we have running water and electricity. We had to demonstrate that we aren’t as dumb as we look out here. We know what we are doing.

Q: Where does your work ethic come from?

A: It comes from my dad. My wife always says I have the most screwed up work ethic ever, working 50-60-70 hour weeks. That is from being a farm boy. That is what you do. I grew up on small dairy farm outside Rochester.

My father would wake us up at five o’clock in the morning, twisting our toes. Sending us out. One of his comments was ‘the cows aren’t going to milk themselves.’

Out you go. When you are a farm boy, work means a lot.

Probably too much. I still have that today. I’ve tried to pass that on to my boys. interview by Jeff Keiser

44

GIVING BACK SKI-U-MAH

Gopher student-athletes are making a difference in the community through the Maroon and Gold Impacting the Community (MAGIC) program.

BY JUSTINE BUERKLE

B

etween athletic and academic responsibilities, free time can be hard to come by for busy student-athletes. Yet 84.5 percent of Minnesota Golden Gophers spent at least some of their rare free time this past year volunteering through Maroon and Gold Impacting the Community.

Anissa Lightner, the assistant director of Student-Athlete affairs, said that MAGIC’s main goals are to help student-athletes give back and to allow community members to see beyond the maroon and gold uniforms and into the off-the-field side of the Gophers.

Continuing relationships play an important role in MAGIC’s success. StudentAthlete Affairs organized 242 events in the past year, and many of them are annual and/or parts of larger initiatives.

The Hope Day Festival, held for children with life-threatening illnesses, was the seventh annual. Four student-athletes were on the planning board for the event, and Lightner said it “just keeps getting bigger and better.” Additions to the 2013 event included increased student group involvement and a “game-and-ride” trailer that simulated the conditions and motions shown in video games as the kids played.

Create a Memory is another of the largest volunteer events involving Minnesota student-athletes. They serve as celebrities during a day of fun at Target Field with a group of 500 kids.

Camp Odayin is one of the longest events, as the volunteer group is gone for about 14 hours. The camp gives kids with heart disease a chance to be outdoors and have fun in a safe place where they can get emergency care if they need it.

A few campaigns with some of the greatest visibility are annual collection drives for Toys for Tots and Second Harvest. Student-athletes attend other Gopher teams’ sporting events to collect donations at entrances or in the concourses.

MAGIC also runs several ongoing educational campaigns. In the upcoming year, it will add anti-bullying and dental hygiene programs. MAGIC will also look to go more in-depth with its existing programs, including “Exercise Your Heart and Mind” and “Eat Smart Play Hard,” promoting healthy lifestyles and dedication in the classroom. Exercise Your Heart and Mind focuses on fostering girls’ interest in math and science.

MAGIC’s community partners will notice another new addition soon: a new MAGIC bus. The bus brings Gopher volunteers to and from many MAGIC events, and is decorated with photos of Gopher student-athletes who volunteer through the program. The program’s sponsor, St. Jude Medical Foundation, made the new bus possible.

Whether on the MAGIC bus or by their own transportation, Gopher studentathletes made it out into the community for 11,764.4 recorded volunteer hours from April 2012 to April 2013. Many of them were repeat volunteers, as 205 Gophers logged more than 10 hours, 101 more than 25 hours and 40 more than 50 hours during that time.

“When you don’t have a requirement for it, but we still gave around 12,000 hours back to the community, to me that’s just incredible,” Lightner said. “It really shows the passion that our student-athletes have.”

GOPHER

SUITES Teresa Grim 612-626-1064 tgrim@gophersportsproperties.com

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