Ski-U-Mah: Spring 2013 by University of Minnesota Athletics

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

Being the University of Minnesota, much is expected of our winter sports teams. Never mind that they are all played indoors, Minnesota is synonymous with winter and our student-athletes are no diﬀerent. In 2012-13, we have not disappointed. Our Women’s Hockey team, gracing the cover of this edition of Ski-U-Mah, continued its dominance with a second straight national championship and a 49-game winning streak. Our Women’s Gymnastics team capped an amazing season with an eighth-place finish at the NCAA Championships. Our Men’s Hockey team won a share of the MacNaughton Cup for the second straight year and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the 34th time in program history. Our Men’s Gymnastics team also earned a berth to the NCAA Championships while the Men’s Indoor Track & Field team placed 12th at NCAAs. Men’s and Women’s Basketball teams each played in postseason tournaments. The men in the NCAA and women in the NIT. After

much discussion and contemplation, the difficult decision was made to dismiss Coach Tubby Smith and begin a new chapter of Golden Gopher Men’s Basketball with Richard Pitino. Coach Pitino has hit the ground running and has already assembled a top flight staff; they are working with the team and are in full-on recruiting mode. Both our Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving teams had extraordinary seasons. The women captured the Big Ten title for the second consecutive season and placed 10th nationally while the men took 18th at NCAAs. There is much to be excited about as we move into spring. A new Siebert Field and Coach John Anderson’s 500th Big Ten win, a softball team off to its strongest start in some time and many of the most dedicated track and field student-athletes in the Big Ten. How do I know this? I watched them practice every day in the snow and ice. As we move from one season to the next, it’s important to once again thank our many fans and supporters who continue to play such an important part in University of Minnesota Athletics. Thank you and we’ll see you in the sunshine. GO GOPHERS!

Norwood Teague Director of Athletics

The new Siebert Field opened on April 5.

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2 SKI-U - M A H M AY t he

2013 of f ic ial

ISSUE

magazine

GOPHER SPORTS /

VOL .

Gopher

Athletics

SKI-U-MAH

features 10

CONVERSATION WITH PRESIDENT KALER

FROM THE ISLANDS

ELLIS MANNON

TODD OAKES

JOHN & NANCY LINDAHL

BAND OF BROTHERS

49 & COUNTING

A NEW CHAPTER: RICHARD PITINO

additional content 2

NEWSWORTHY

CHAMPIONSHIPS

PHOTO FEATURE

MEET THE GOLDEN GOPHER FUND STAFF

FAST START PROGRAM

NEW LEADERSHIP

GOPHER ROAD TRIP

BEHIND THE SCENES: MIA ERICKSON

20 34

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

PHOTO: COURTNEY ANDERSON

PHOTO: ERIC MILLER

The Gophers opened the new Siebert Field on Friday, April 5. The first pitch (far right), was thrown by Tom Windle, who threw five scoreless innings, allowing just one hit, before the game was suspended due to snow. The Gophers completed a 1-0 victory on Saturday afternoon.

NEWSWORTHY Gopher Women’s Swimming and Diving racked up 831.5 points at the Big Ten Championships, the most points scored at the meet since 1996. It was Minnesota’s second straight title and fifth overall.

Tom Windle threw Minnesota’s first complete-game no-hitter since 1931 on March 8 against Western Illinois at the Metrodome. Windle struck out eight and walked one in the 3-0 win.

Rachel Banham surpassed Lindsay Whalen for the program record for points scored through her sophomore year. Banham will head into her junior season with 1,243 career points. She also led the Big Ten in scoring with an average of 21.0 ppg.

Laura Docherty broke a 25-year old school record in the 10,000 meters. Her time of 33:24.93 at the Stanford Invitational broke the second-oldest standing school record set by Eileen Donaghy.

Gopher Women’s Gymnastics reached the NCAA Championships for the first time since 2002. The Gophers earned the berth with a second-place finish at the NCAA Gainesville Regional. After completing their seasons with football and basketball, Devin Crawford-Tufts and Wally Ellenson are key members on the track and field team. Crawford-Tufts finished fourth in the 60 meters at Big Ten Indoors while Ellenson won his first college high jump event with a personalbest 7-1 3/4 leap.

An impressive 69 percent of Minnesota student-athletes carried a term GPA of 3.0 or better in the Fall of 2012. In that term, 31 student-athletes achieved a perfect 4.0 GPA. Also, 22 of the 25 teams earned 3.0 team GPAs.

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

PHOTO: ERIC MILLER

PHOTO: JIM ROSVOLD

{ The Gophers defeated Boston University to win their second straight NCAA title and extend the longest winning streak in the sport’s history to 46 }

CHAMPIONSHIPS

{ The Gophers earned the Big Ten women’s gymnastics regular season title with a victory over Ohio State on March 16. } GYMNASTICS PHOTOS: CHRIS MITCHELL

WRESTLING PHOTOS: JERRY LEE

{ Gopher Wrestling clinched the National Duals title with a 28-9 win over Oklahoma State in the championship match on February 23. } SWIMMING & DIVING PHOTOS: ERIC MILLER

{ The Gophers crushed the field at the Big Ten womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s swimming and diving championships to score the most points at the meet since 1996 and win a second straight championship. }

{ Kelsey Kimminau vs. South Dakota State, 10/20/12 } PHOTO: ERIC MILLER

{ Nate Schmidt vs. North Dakota, 1/18/13 }

PHOTO: BRUCE KLUCKHOHN

{ Jack Johnson Classic, 1/18/13 } PHOTO: ERIC MILLER

{ The Gophers upset top-ranked Indiana at Williams Arena, 77-73, 2/26/13 } PHOTO: COURTNEY ANDERSON

{ Cody Yohn vs. Michigan State, 2/3/13 }

PHOTO: JERRY LEE

SKI-U-MAH Issue

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

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF / CREATIVE DIRECTOR Jeff Keiser CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Kevin Kurtt, Rick Moore, Justine Buerkle, Cory Hall, Michael Molde, Kate Wadman, Brian Deutsch, Chelsea White

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CONTRIBUTING DESIGNER Chris Lagasse CONTRIBUTORS Randy Handel, Kristin Scott, Laura Halldorson, Joe Quinn, Jessica Fleischmann, Paul Rovnak, Matt Slieter, Michelle Traen DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Eric Miller CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Jerry Lee, Christopher Mitchell, Jim Rosvold, Courtney Anderson, Craig Lassig, Bruce Kluckhohn, Greg Smith, Chris Cooper, Walt Middleton 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.

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Discovery is illumination. It shines a light into problems’ dark alleys, revealing the be er we always knew existed. Dim our lights and the state of Minnesota becomes less brilliant. But with all our campuses beaming, the darkest of challenges will be no match for the greatest light — the light of discovery.

umn.edu

MORE THAN A CASUAL FAN ‘U’ president Eric Kaler talks Gopher Sports

rowing up, Eric Kaler was no more interested in collegiate athletics than he was in surfactant and colloid science. Such was life as a high school student in Alamogorda, New Mexico, where news—much less sports news—came via one of three TV channels tuned in by rabbit ears. But things changed as Kaler began a path that led him to become a chemical engineer and now the 16th president of the University of Minnesota. As a student at the California Institute of Technology, he grew to love baseball and became a Dodgers fan. When he came to the U for graduate school he took to basketball while Trent Tucker was draining NBA-length three-pointers at the Barn. Now he has an appreciation for the full array of college sports, and you’ll often find him at venues around campus clad in maroon and gold and wearing an “M” hat.

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Two other things of note: One of Kaler’s biggest thrills during his inauguration week was throwing out the first pitch at a Twins game to his personal catcher, ‘U’ alum Glen Perkins. And the U sporting scene isn’t all fun and games and glad-handing. Says Dr. K: “I’m a very competitive person and I don’t like to lose.” Q: How involved are you with Gopher Athletics? Do you visit regularly with Norwood Teague? Kaler: Norwood is one of my direct reports, so we certainly stay in touch. But he’s the athletics director and that’s his department to run. When he needs some advice or a point of view on important decisions, we talk. Obviously, I’m involved with the final decision about renewing coaches, but it’s Norwood’s department to run. Q: You’ve worked with Norwood for close to a year now. What impresses you the most about him? Kaler: His energy level and his ability to make new friends. He has hit the ground running, and brings great connectivity with the community and a lot of passion, which are things that I was looking for when he came. He’s fulfilled that promise very well. Q: Much of the success in Gopher Athletics comes from the nonrevenue sports, which seem to shine year in and year out. Do you think fans have an appreciation for that? Kaler: I think they do. But there’s just no getting around the fact that the big spotlight shines on football, men’s and women’s basketball, and in Minnesota, men’s and women’s hockey. Until you have success, principally in football, your general athletic reputation isn’t going to be where it needs to be. Q: How successful do those revenue sports need to be? Kaler: I think we need an athletics program that’s at the level of the rest of the university, and this is an excellent university. My expecta-

President Kaler speaks at the grand opening of Siebert Field on April 2. The Gophers played their first game at the new stadium on April 5.

PHOTO: ERIC MILLER

Goldy is one of President Kaler's closest personal friends.

PHOTO: CHRIS COOPER

tion is that over time—clearly you’re going to have up years and down years, that’s part of the deal—but over time, we should have very competitive programs in all the sports we compete in, and in the Big Ten Conference that’s a very high bar. Q: The focus keeps coming back to football. Is there anything keeping us from making a leap forward there? Kaler: I don’t think so. There’s always a chance to improve from a facilities point of view; I know there’s some things that Coach [ Jerry Kill] would like to do there. But we clearly have a magnificent venue for the game itself. TCF Bank Stadium is an A-plus facility. And I think that the ability to recruit to the Twin Cities should be high. This is a great environment, a great university. A young person can come here, have a great athletic career, get a great education, and make connections in a large metropolitan area which open doors to a great career. We have a lot of geographical advantages over some of our competitors, I think, to bring elite athletes to Minnesota. Q: What are your thoughts on Big Ten expansion? Kaler: It makes sense for us, from a business perspective, to move to the east coast—to bring the Washington, D.C. and New York markets into the Big Ten. We’re not giving up our traditions, and it’s a chance to build new traditions with Rutgers and Maryland. When the presidents and chancellors considered expansion, we worried about two things: the impact it would have on the student-athlete in terms of additional travel or larger championship tournaments, and the academic quality of the schools that we added. We wanted them to be AAU schools—Rutgers and Maryland are— at an academic par with the other schools. Fortunately, that

all added up with the addition of these two new members. Q: We have a new football stadium and a new baseball field and yet there’s still a facilities wish list. How does the administration balance those desires with other needs, and is everything at this point from private fundraising? Kaler: The first thing to do is to have a facilities master plan. Norwood and his team have been working on that. And it really is a matter of setting priorities, and there aren’t going to be enough resources in any environment to do everything everybody wants right now, and so we need to set priorities in terms of what we do and when we do it. It is clear that private fundraising will be an important part of that—really, the principal part of it—and I think we have friends and donors who can make that happen. Q: The media and certain hard-core fans in this state seem diﬃcult to please, to say the least. Do you dream of a day where everyone is content? Kaler: That would be a remarkable day. … As for the way the media treats us, it’s a professional market and our teams get held to the same standards as the pro teams, which is in many ways not fair. The criticism sometimes I would say is vicious, and compared to the media in some of the markets of teams we compete against, it’s very rough-and-tumble here. Q: What do you think is the biggest challenge facing Gopher athletics? Kaler: I think it’s the arms race. When you look at what Ohio State pays their football coach, when you look at the facilities that are being built at Nebraska, when you

look at the resources Michigan has, it’s an arms race. So to compete with those schools we need to be very smart with how we allocate our resources, and recognize that if we’re going to be in this league there’s a certain amount of money and eﬀort that has to be spent. Q: There are a lot of great, unheralded things happening in Gopher Athletics, like the number of AllBig Ten student-athletes in the fall. What would you like people to know about some of our athletes? Kaler: It’s really important to realize that these are student-athletes, they’re here to get a great education, and they’re succeeding really well. Graduation rates are strong [among all athletes] and better than the general student population. These are successful young people who also happen to be terrific athletes. Q: What’s been your favorite trip to see a game? Kaler: I’d say the opener at Las Vegas in football this year—that three-overtime win. That was fun. Seeing the team after that was exciting. And the tailgate/pregame for the alums in Chicago [at the Hockey City Classic] was very fun—a lot of people, very energized. And of course, I didn’t have to travel too far to see our women’s hockey team win back-to-back national titles—an extraordinary accomplishment. Q: What excites you the most about collegiate athletics? Kaler: I think the thing that distinguishes collegiate athletes from professional ones is the passion and the pride and the enthusiasm that you see. And that’s fun to watch. — interview by Rick Moore

12 SKI-U-MAH

by Justine Buerkle

FROM THE

ISLANDS Four Gopher track and field student-athletes traveled great distances from their tropic homes to become Golden Gophers.

odea-Kay Willis marvels at the support the Golden Gophers receive at competitions all over the country. She hears people say, “Go, Gophers!” on planes or at track and field meets far from Minnesota, and she wonders, “How are you here?”

But people probably wonder the same thing about Willis. The native of rural Mavis Bank, Jamaica, goes to school and competes in the sprints and long jump thousands of miles from her island home. Willis is not the only Caribbean athlete to flourish up north at Minnesota. Alena Brooks of Trinidad and Te’Shon Adderley of the Bahamas currently compete for the Gopher women, and Jamaican Titania Markland recently signed a National Letter of Intent to join the team. Another Jamaican, Emmanuel Onyia Jr., is a freshman on the Gopher men’s team.

PHOTOS: ERIC MILLER

The National Pastime “Track and field in Jamaica is like the NFL here,” Onyia said. Children in Jamaica are exposed to the sport at a young age, from spur-of-the-moment races between friends to organized school sports days. Jamaica’s grassroots programs and Olympic success grab kids’ attention early. When they reach their teen years, they may compete for their schools within four diﬀerent age groups at the annual Boys and Girls Championships at the National Stadium in Kingston. “Even before you walk into the stadium, when the lights hit you, the sound of the horns hits you, it’s indescribable,” Willis said. “I’m kind of getting goose bumps thinking about it. You feel like it’s a mini-Olympics.” The competition draws capacity crowds of 30,000. The atmosphere rivals the national Olympic Trials. “Sometimes the meet has to stop because the walkways are blocked,” Willis said. “So they have to stop to make sure the police can clear the walkway just so in case anything happens, people can exit safely. People are outside, can’t get in. You have to get your ticket early. It’s a big deal.” Willis won gold in the long jump as a senior, surpassing the 20-foot mark for the first time and beating the girl favored to win the event. Onyia took silver in the shot put his last year at “the Champs.” In both Trinidad and the Bahamas, club sports are more prominent than school sports. Brooks’ first love was netball, a sport similar to basketball that is played with two teams of seven players, where she represented Trinidad in international competition. A club coach convinced her to join his track club in addition to netball, and she eventually chose track over netball when forced to pick one, because she was motivated to beat the girls she had been racing. Adderley started track in fifth grade and was competing internationally by the next year. She

started in the short sprints, but another coach convinced her to try the 400. She would practice with the mid-distance coach at 5 a.m. and then go to her regular practice in the afternoon. Adderley chose the 400 (and eventually 800) in the end. On The Recruiting Trail The framework for recruiting the Gophers’ current crop of Island athletes started coming together before any of them got to high school. It started when Matt Bingle, now Gophers’ director of women’s track and field/cross country, had a Jamaican track teammate during his undergraduate days at Ball State. As an assistant coach, Bingle started recruiting Caribbean athletes before his arrival at Minnesota in 2002. He was at Eastern Michigan in 1997 when he got an important phone number: that of Leacroft Bolt, who eventually coached Willis at St. Andrew High School. “We have stayed friends,” Bingle said. “I’ve watched his kids grow up. We’re really, really close. We’re like family. He’s just a really good person.” Before Willis and company, Bingle recruited the likes of Kadian Douglas ( Jamaica) and Bianca Dougan (British Virgin Islands). Nyoka Giles (Trinidad) came in at the same time as Willis and graduated last year. One of the greatest obstacles Bingle faces in his attempts to sign islanders is the weather. In a place where indoor track is not necessary, the thought of a long winter can intimidate recruits. So Bingle highlights the people and the opportunities the University of Minnesota and its athletics program can oﬀer. “It’s all based on relationships and knowing what they’re going to get from me,” he said. One way that Bingle sets himself apart from other coaches is simply by showing up. Not only does he keep in contact with recruits, but he actually makes the long trip down to the Caribbean to meet them in person. “I think I was the only coach to go visit Titania twice,” he said. “I was the only coach to go visit Alena, if I remember correctly.” “It meant a lot to me just because it made me feel special,” Brooks said. “My friends back home also made me feel special. They made it a big deal.” Brooks was impressed that Bingle came to her practices and met her family, rather than just watching meets. He and his wife also met Willis’ family. “It meant a lot, because I didn’t get to come (to Minnesota to visit),” Willis said. “(Bingle) taking the trip to Jamaica to see me really showed character and it showed the level of commitment that he was willing to make to me.”

THE ISLANDERS

Te’Shon Adderley

Nassau, Bahamas / junior 400, 800 meters

>> Alena

Brooks

Diego Martin, Trinidad / senior 200, 400 meters

>> Todea-Kay

Willis

Mavis Bank, Jamaica / senior long jump / 100 meters

>> Emmanuel

Onyia

Montego Bay, Jamaica / freshman shot put PHOTOS: JERRY LEE

Willis, pictured at the 2011 Big Ten Outdoor Championships is Minnesota’s all-time record holder in the long jump.

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PHOTO: JERRY LEE

MUSIC IS THE COMMON LANGUAGE aribbean music genres, including soca, reggae, calypso and more, contain elements from all over the world. The different forms of music hop from island to island. The Caribbean Gophers can relate to each other through music, as well as share their music with their teammates. One day, Willis was listening to a soca song called “Wine to the Side,” by Benjai, through her headphones. “I put them in (teammate Megan Geyen’s) ears, and she just started moving,” Willis said. “I was like,

‘When you hear this music, how will you move? Just don’t think about it. Just move.’ I kind of did it to random people from cross country and the throws, even the coaches. It was hilarious.” During indoor practice in Minnesota’s fieldhouse, the Gophers can plug their music devices into the sound system. One practice while Geyen was running timed sprints, some of Willis’ music came on over the speakers. “She was all happy and dancing, and she actually ran faster,” Willis said. “Coach was asking her, ‘Why

Bingle generally hires someone to help him navigate and drive him around, with traﬃc flowing on the left side of the road on the islands. Bolt, other coaching contacts and recruits’ families help Bingle to feel at home. “The people are unbelievable,” he said. “Their outlook on life, the way they treat people—the United States could learn a lot from Jamaica or from any island.” Men’s throws coach Lynden Reder traveled with Bingle on a recruiting trip to visit Onyia. Bingle’s coaching connections and knowledge of the area helped Reder’s first trip to Jamaica go smoothly. “This was a pretty new endeavor for us, to recruit Jamaica,” Reder said. “Matt Bingle was a big part of that, having been there and brought some really talented female athletes back. I think it made that path a little bit clearer for us.” Unlike the other islanders, the Gophers did not recruit Adderley until she was already in the U.S., but she received the same level of attention when they did. Distance coach Gary Wilson went to see her in Iowa, at out-of-state meets and even at international meets. The two meshed well, and Adderley appreciated Wilson’s dedication. “It was as if, ‘I have to go (to Minnesota),’” she said.

did you run faster that time?’ and she was like, ‘I listened to some of TK’s music.’” Willis and Geyen ended up as roommates at the Big Ten Indoor Championships in February. Naturally, they listened to “Wine to the Side.” That weekend, Geyen ran a personal-record time in the 400 meters. Perhaps the Gophers are on to something here. “I don’t know how much that contributed, but I love it,” Willis said.

The Transition When Adderley arrived in Iowa to start junior college, she was wearing a big coat. It was August. She quickly discovered that it actually does get hot in the summer, even in the northern U.S. Brooks had thought the winter might just feel like the air conditioning in Trinidadian movie theaters. But realistic expectations of weather actually helped draw Onyia to Minnesota. “If I want sunlight, if I want warmth, I can always go back home,” he said. “It’s always good to experience something new.” Sometimes the islanders miss the food from back home, especially if the ingredients (like fresh ackee or certain types of fish) are hard to find in Minnesota. But Brooks can still make roti and Adderley can still make soup and dumplings, among other dishes. Onyia frequently visits Willis to share her cooking. On the track, the island Gophers’ impressive track backgrounds helped them adjust to college sports. Willis said that indoor track took some getting used to, but her experience at the Jamaica Boys and Girls Championships made it easier to handle the intensity of the Big Ten meet.

Willis is the school record holder in both indoor and outdoor long jump, and she won the event at the 2010 Big Ten outdoor meet. She also led oﬀ last season’s Second-Team All-America 4x100-meter relay. She and Bingle have not always seen eye-to-eye, especially when Willis needed to make initial changes in how she trained, but, “I had to butt heads with him so I could grow,” Willis said. “She’s continued to grow,” Bingle said. “She’s a great worker. She’s a great communicator. She’s learned to practice very well. She’s a great teammate. She’s a captain. She’s respected by everybody. Her path was really rough in the beginning, especially with me. Every now and then, there’s a kid who comes through the program that you don’t want to leave. She’s one of those ones you’d like to keep around.” Bingle traveled back to Jamaica with Willis for the

2012 Olympic Trials. The same day that Usain Bolt ran the 100 meters, Willis won the long jump, but did not record a high enough mark to qualify for the Olympics. Onyia, who moved from Nigeria at age six, also chose to represent Jamaica in international competition. He and Adderley initially met each other at World Juniors before either came to Minnesota. All four islanders have competed in the Trials, Juniors, CARIFTA Games and/or CAC Games. “For me, this is why I run, to put on my country’s colors—red, white and black,” Brooks said. “It just means the world to me.” Their athletic, academic and personal development as Gophers has helped better equip the islanders to compete for their country. All have noted caring coaches and helpful, friendly people of Minnesota as important factors in their growth. In the same way that

the islanders gain from Minnesota, Minnesota gains from the diﬀerent cultural perspectives, hard work and talent they give to the team. In the end, good relationships and a common vision unite all in the Maroon and Gold. “I think what connects all these guys, regardless of if they’re from Jamaica or Europe or Minnesota or Iowa, is that they take a lot of pride in what we do as a program and work really hard together as a collective group and have a real positive culture,” Reder said. “It’s neat to see so many guys from diﬀerent walks of life come in and have a shared purpose.” Justine Buerkle is an athletic communications assistant at the University of Minnesota. She traveled just a few miles from her hometown in Roseville to attend the University of Minnesota.

TOP TRAVELERS Te’Shon Adderley, Alena Brooks, Todea-Kay Willis and Emmanuel Onyia certainly traveled a long way to become Golden Gophers. However, there are many current Gophers that logged far more miles to arrive on the campus of the University of Minnesota. Below is a list of the ones that trekked the furthest (based on 2012-13 team rosters):

THE TOP 8 Sport Football Golf (M) Golf (W) Golf (W) Golf (M) Tennis (W) Tennis (W) Tennis (W)

Student-Athlete Christian Eldred Erik Van Rooyen Banchalee Theinthong Sarinee Thitiratanakorn Genki Hirayama Doron Muravnik Natallia Pintusava Tereza Brichacova

Miles 9,455 9,000 8,297 8,297 6,431 6,212 5,231 5,025

Hometown Melbourne, Australia Oudtshoorn, South Africa Bangkok, Thailand Bangkok, Thailand Nagasaki, Japan Yavne, Israel Minsk, Belarus Prague, Czech Republic

1,532 4,528 4,256 9,455 9,000 8,297 8,297 1,384 1,194 4,250 4,381 1,521 293 1,537 4,256 1,513 4,766 6,212 4,218 3,024 2,411 2,810

San Diego, Calif. Riga, Latvia Stockholm, Sweden Melbourne, Australia Oudtshoorn, South Africa Bangkok, Thailand Bangkok, Thailand Woodinville, Wash. Jacksonville, Fla. Pori, Finland Espoo, Finland Laguna Niguel, Calif. Omaha, Neb. Harbor City, Calif. Stockholm, Sweden Foothill Ranch, Calif. Koper, Slovenia Yavne, Israel Chelles, France Diego Martin, Trinidad Corozal, P.R. Dillingham, Alaska

THE TOP TRAVELERS BY SPORT Baseball Basketball (M) Basketball (W) Football Golf (M) Golf (W) Gymnastics (M) Gymnastics (W) Hockey (M) Hockey (W) Rowing Soccer Softball Swimming & Diving (M) Swimming & Diving (W) Tennis (M) Tennis (W) Track / Cross Country (M) Track / Cross Country (W) Volleyball Wrestling

Alex Tukey Oto Osenieks Amanda Zahui B. Christian Eldred Erik Van Rooyen Banchalee Theinthong Sarinee Thitiratanakorn Zack Chase Cierra Tomson Erik Haula Noora Raty Tabitha Andelin Nicole Baier Alex Davis Viktor Bjork Marina Spadoni Rok Bonin Doron Muravnik Quentin Mege Alena Brooks Daly Santana Wesley Richard

PUNTER FROM DOWN UNDER

uick, name the Gopher who traveled the furthest to become a student-athlete at Minnesota. Did you come up with football player Christian Eldred? No? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. “A lot of people think I am British,” said the leftfooted punter from Melbourne, Australia. Eldred edges out South African golfer Erik Van Rooyen as the Gopher with the longest commute, 9,455 miles to 9,000. Although he has traveled further than any other student-athlete, Eldred feels right at home. “A lot of things are quite similar,” said Eldred in his distinct accent. “There are not a lot of things that are that much different. I had visited twice before and knew what things would be like before coming over on a permanent basis.” There is one distinct difference though: the weather. Snow in Minnesota can be found in abundance in winter and sometimes, begrudgingly, in the spring. There is snow in Australia too, but it is just harder to find. “I had seen snow before,” said Eldred. “But you have to go to the mountain peaks in Australia to see it. Here is on a whole different level. It definitely took some getting used to.” — Paul Rovnak

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PHOTO: ERIC MILLER

RHYTHMIC

GYMNAST by Michael Molde

Sophomore Ellis Mannon is among the top collegiate gymnasts on pommel horse, but heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also a concert violinist and a double major in chemical engineering and economics.

iolin is considered by many to be among the rector. Kitterman raves about Ellis, who was such a talented viomost difficult instruments to master. It can linist that he advanced to the orchestra’s first chair and became a take years of dedicated practice to perfect the leader among his peers. numerous techniques required to progress to “During his senior year, Ellis was my concertmaster, I suppose the type of accomplished violinist who has the equivalent of a team captain, but it is really so much more,” the ability to play in an orchestra. Kitterman said. “In addition to occupying the first chair and havIn the sport of gymnastics, pommel ing all the solos written for violin, he would communicate directly horse is considered one of the most difficult with the conductor and back to the orchestra.” events. The gymnast must perform skills with a circular movement Still, it wasn’t until he had been a member of the orchestra for in a horizontal plane, often balancing on one arm and needing several years that Kitterman realized her star violinist was equally both brute strength and quick, precise placement of the hands in as talented as a gymnast. order to stay on the horse for the full routine. “I always knew that Ellis was a gymnast, but it wasn't until midUniversity of Minnesota sophomore gymnast Ellis Mannon high school that I looked him up on YouTube and was astounded is accomplished at both disciplines, but very few students he attends classes PHOTO: CHRIS MITCHELL with in Minneapolis would have any idea the double major in chemical engineering and economics is also a concert violinist. “I do have my violin with me in Minnesota, and I frequently play it in my apartment, but most people here know me more as a gymnast because athletes get all the apparel, and I’m wearing that stuff all the time,” he said. “So, they know I’m a gymnast, but it usually takes a little while for them to get to know me before they realize I play the violin, as well.” Mannon grew up in Indianapolis, where he attended North Central High School. Most of his friends there were well aware of his musical talents, and less so of his abilities inside the gym. “I had a lot of musical friends in high school, but gymnastics is no longer a sport at the high school level in Indiana, where it’s exclusively club teams,” he said. “So, as far as being a gymnast, I was a little bit of an oddity to my friends. They didn’t really understand gymnas- “Every so often, you run into a kid like Ellis, who tics, but they appreciated it for what it seems to excel at whatever he does. Most kids is -- a difficult sport.” Ellis’s father, James, was the first to would shudder at the idea of doing a double major develop his son’s interest in learning to in chemical engineering and economics, being a varplay the violin. “My dad’s a pretty musical guy. The sity gymnast, and oh yeah, he’s a concert violinist, choir director at our church was in- too. Are you kidding me?!” – MIKE BURNS volved with the Indianapolis Opera, and my dad sings in the choir for the church and enjoys music,” Ellis said. “I think we were at an Indi- to see what he was accomplishing in a venue as different from what anapolis Symphony Orchestra concert, and I decided I liked vio- I was accustomed to seeing him as could possibly be,” Kitterman lin, so he signed me up for lessons.” remarked. “Still, that same strength that I witnessed in his playing, Those first lessons took place when he was six years old. It that same drive and focus was equally evident whether as an athbegan with private lessons in the music studios of his childhood lete, a scholar or a musician. As he continued to develop into a nachurch, and he recalls going to a music camp in Quebec when he tionally-ranked gymnast, his commitment to the orchestra never was 12 or 13 years old. When he was in fifth grade, he auditioned wavered.” for and was invited to join the New World Youth Orchestra For Ellis, the introduction to gymnastics came a few years after (NWYO) in Indianapolis. beginning his violin lessons. Mannon was a member of NWYO’s top orchestra for seven “I started gymnastics when I was nine, so I think I was in third years after being accepted as a sixth grader, a very rare feat accord- grade. My mom had been a gymnast in high school and was kind ing to Susan R. Kitterman, New World’s founder and artistic di- of a multi-sport athlete,” he said. “But it was my mom’s sister, my

PHOTO: ERIC MILLER

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PHOTO: ERIC MILLER

THE ROUTINE Ellis Mannon takes you inside his pommel horse routine “Depending on where we are, pommel horse is one of the first events we do. At home, it’s the second event, so I’ll watch all the tumblers. When we get to pommel horse, we have a warm-up. When people start competing, many of the guys on our team like to cheer – a lot. But I just kind of stand there and watch the routines and think about myself performing the skills that I’m about to do. When it’s my turn, I make sure the pommels are adjusted, chalk up my hands, and then I stand at one corner of the mat – the same corner every time, facing the judges -- and I kind of watch them and think about what I’m about to do. And I get pretty excited, you know, because pommel horse is my specialty and I can show off a lot of big skills with a high degree of difficulty. Then, when they raise their hand for me to salute, I salute, and I take two breaths – it’s very exact – and I start off with the easiest skill of my routine and it starts to flow from there. By the time I get about half way through it, I start thinking to myself, ‘I’m going to make this pommel horse set, and I’m going to win this meet.’ That’s the way I think about it. By the time I get to my dismount, which is probably the weakest part of my routine, I’m thinking about really pushing through it. And, if I’m able to do that, then I know that I’ve done my job for the team, and that’s the best I can hope for. And then I usually celebrate. (laughs) I get pretty wild when I finish my pommel horse routine.”

aunt, who decided to send me to gymnastics camp one year, and I enjoyed it. So we kept doing it, and eventually I committed to it.” Due to the lack of a team at the high school level, Mannon trained at the Indy School of Gymnastics in nearby Carmel, Ind., where he became regional champion on pommel horse during 2011 and also captured the pommel horse title at the 2011 Visa Championships. His skills in the gym gained the interest of collegiate programs, and he had plenty of options to choose from. “My dad was really big on keeping my options open, so he persuaded me to apply to a lot of schools, and I applied to almost every Big Ten program that offered gymnastics and a few outside the Big Ten,” he said. So, what were the deciding factors in choosing Minnesota? “Being from Indiana, Minnesota wasn’t exactly a school many people were considering. So I wasn’t thinking too much about it until I started talking with the coaches,” he said. “It became even more attractive when I learned of the scholarships they could offer and I got to know some of the guys on the team. It wound up being a good fit.” Minnesota head coach Mike Burns couldn’t be happier with the way things have worked out for his talented sophomore. Mannon earned All-America honors after finishing as the runner-up on the pommel horse at the 2013 NCAA Championships in April. “Every so often, you run into a kid like Ellis, who seems to excel at whatever he does,” Burns said. “Most kids would shudder at the idea of doing a double major in chemical engineering and economics, being a varsity gymnast, and oh yeah, he’s a concert violinist, too. Are you kidding me?!” Burns said he once knew of a competitor on pommel horse who would place a piano metronome under the apparatus to help him keep his rhythm going, placing his hands down in time with the clickclick-click sound that it made. Burns thinks Mannon’s musical background allows him to keep his rhythm going on pommel horse. “Pommel horse is an event where you either get it, or you don’t, and Ellis gets it,” Burns said. “I think there’s a parallel between music and gymnastics, in that both require participants to maintain a rhythm.” “Ellis kind of has that mental metronome in his brain,” Burns added. “His rhythm on pommel horse is consistent, and he doesn’t get thrown off that rhythm, which is what makes him so solid. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if that’s how his mind works when he’s competing.” Mannon agrees that there are similarities between the two. Performing a solo on the violin, however, seems to create more angst. “They’re both similar in that you practice one thing over and over again, and you have one shot to perform it well,” Mannon said. “Obviously, violin requires a much finer accuracy with your fingering and needing to have exact placements. It’s a little more stressful, because if you make the smallest mistake, everyone can hear it immediately. But I’ve had nerves performing both violin and gymnastics.” Mannon still has time to finish making his mark as a collegiate gymnast for the Golden Gophers, and with a ranking of third in the nation on pommel horse as a sophomore, the sky is the limit. Kitterman has seen his potential for years. “I work with exceptional young people as a rule. Many of them are quite active in a sport while they are younger- almost all give up the sport to pursue music or the other way around by the time they reach high school age,” Kitterman said. “Ellis is the exception to the rule in that he has pursued, maintained and achieved a tremendously high standard in all three arenas where his passions live -- sport, music and academia.” Pommel horse is easily his favorite event. He also has favorites as far as a musical piece and violinists. “I haven’t performed it in public, but there’s a Bach partita No. 2 that I really enjoy playing,” he said. “I have a book of partitas and sonatas, and I play those more frequently than any other piece. If I had the opportunity to perform that, I would do it in a heartbeat.” “As for violinists, Joshua Bell is my favorite. He’s pretty well-renowned, and I had the opportunity to see him perform a couple times in Indianapolis, and those are two unforgettable performances,” he said. “One I haven’t seen in concert, but is probably my second-favorite, is Hilary Hahn. But I don’t think she comes to the United States very often.” Asked whether he envisions himself joining an orchestra or a quartet after graduation, he doesn’t rule it out. “I haven’t performed (on violin) in a while, probably not since high school. I held a senior recital after I graduated from high school, so that was the last time I performed in a major way,” he said. “But, when I go back home, I’ve played at church over the Christmas break. I still practice, but I no longer take private lessons. I just don’t have the time for it.” “It’d be great to play in some sort of chamber group after college, but I don’t really know what I’m going to do. I do intend to keep practicing and playing and keeping that up as a skill,” he said. “There’s kind of a limited time period that you’re able to do gymnastics, but playing violin is something that you can enjoy for a lifetime.” Michael Molde is an athletic communications assistant at the University of Minnesota.

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A00145-0112

F76216-18 1-2013 DOFU 1-2012

20 SKI-U-MAH

by Rick Moore

a bridge to

RECOVERY

U pitching coach Todd Oakes — aided by family, friends, faith and an inspirational Caring Bridge site — takes on leukemia

T PHOTO: CRAIG LASSIG

here’s little doubt that Todd Oakes is a fierce competitor who loves the game of baseball. You get that from talking to him for a few minutes and glancing at his resume from the last three decades, which includes playing ball in

the San Francisco Giants’ minor league organization (3 1/2 years), coaching for them (12 years), then switching to the collegiate ranks to become the pitching coach of the Gophers (15 years and counting).

PHOTO: ERIC MILLER

Oakes spent 80 total days in the hospital for various treatments of leukemia but amazingly did not miss a Gopher Baseball game. Oakes’ leukemia is in remission as he coaches his 15th season at the U of M.

Along the way he’s raised three sons who are ballplayers themselves, Tyler, T.J., and Tanner. (More on Tyler to come.) You can blame the competitiveness—and the love of the game—for Oakes choosing to overlook some health symptoms that would lead to a dire diagnosis. And you can credit that same competitive fire, plus a host of other factors, for his return to relative health. _________________ Oakes’ ordeal began last spring in the middle of the Gophers’ baseball season. He started feeling extreme fatigue in April and May but wrote it off to the rigors and travel inherent in coaching. There were times when he felt an accelerated heartbeat and had trouble breathing after walking up a flight of stairs, but he chose to ignore those symptoms. He wanted to get through the season and help son T.J., then a junior pitcher for the Gophers, finish strong before the June Major League draft. Finally, in mid-June, he drove over to Boynton Health Clinic for a visit with Dr. Richard Feist, who once worked with Gopher teams. Oakes had to stop to catch his breath more than once walking between the parking ramp and the clinic. “By the time I left his office late that Thursday afternoon, I could tell by his body language and the look on his face that something was going on,” he says. Feist called early the next day telling Oakes to come to the emergency room and to “pack a bag.” After more tests, Oakes learned he had acute myeloid leukemia—a shock for anyone to digest. But the second thing he heard was, “it is treatable.” “Of course, that’s what you want to hear,” he says. “Treatable is a good word. It was obviously bad news and adversity, but it certainly wasn’t the end-all; there was still hope. And when you’re a cancer victim, that’s the biggest thing you need is hope.” Head coach John Anderson had a chance to reflect on Oakes’ ordeal from last spring. “He wasn’t himself and there was some evidence of that,” Anderson says. “But it’s shocking news, and then [you have] the unknown of what’s going to transpire over the next three or four or five months. But it surely puts things in perspective. If you don’t have your health, what do you have?” Two long stays in the hospital Oakes spent 50 straight days in the hospital—the first time—and endured two different rounds of chemotherapy. The first didn’t do too much and the second was “a bit more intense,” he says. “That one worked and did what they wanted to do as far as wiping out the majority of the leukemia cells.” He was able to go home for five weeks—“Home is a good word, home is a good place,” he says—and was readmitted the second week of September for a bone marrow transplant… from his brother, Jerald.

Oakes says the procedure is relatively painless and non-invasive for the donor. His brother was hooked up to a machine for five to six hours that filtered his blood, separated out the stem cells, and returned the blood to his body. An hour after he was off the machine, “he and his wife walked into my hospital room like they just got done walking in a park,” Oakes says. “Two hours after that they bring in the bag of 5.1 million stem cells and they hook it up to my IV. And an hour later I’ve got a whole brand new stem cell immune system. That was the transplant. Amazing. … Okay, what’s next?” Transitions at home… and on campus Oakes is now about 10 months removed from his initial diagnosis, and his recovery continues to move along, albeit occasionally like an 18-inning baseball game. He’s heard that for every day you spend in the hospital you need three or four days to recover, and he spent 80 days in the hospital. Most recently he’s been battling chronic graft versus host disease (GVHD), where his body (the host) is still treating his brother’s stems cells as foreign objects. That lowered his energy greatly, but treatment is helping. When he’s running low on gas, he spends the day at home, working through charts and stats on the computer. “I’ve come to actually enjoy my days when I keep my flannels on and my sweats on and watch ‘MeTV,’” he says. Along the way, he’s found strength from his faith, family, and friends, and he’s acutely aware of his particular blessings and twists of fate. Like his brother being a transplant match. And his son Tyler being… well, being his “replacement” on the coaching staff. Tyler had spent the last two years as a graduate assistant and pitching coach at South Dakota State University. When that term ended, he was looking for a new coaching job, and it so happened that a volunteer coaching position came open when Robb Quinlan left the Gophers. So Tyler, in essence, took over for Todd in the off-season, and continues to work side-by-side with him now. “I thought it was a good opportunity for me to help the program I played with and at the same time help out my dad and my family a little bit by staying in the area,” Tyler says. “I learned everything, pitching-wise, from him for the most part, and from watching games in general, so our philosophies are very similar. It just seemed like an easy transition, instead of bringing in someone who wasn’t affiliated with the program or not familiar with his philosophies.” Anderson, now in his 32nd year as head coach of the Gophers, couldn’t be more pleased with how he’s been able to cover for Todd’s absence. “Tyler was a perfect match for a couple of reasons,” he says. “He played

in the program; he was coached by his father. I didn’t know when Todd was going to come back; nobody knew, so I felt like at least they could do it together if he was able to come back in some capacity…Todd could be a consultant wherever he was. If there were days when Todd couldn’t be here, I thought we’d have some continuity, and that’s exactly what happened. “I’ve enjoyed watching them work together. We’ve been really fortunate. It’s been an easy transition, and there haven’t been any bumps in the road. Tyler’s done a wonderful job and I couldn’t be more pleased with how we’ve been able to bridge the gap in Todd’s absence with his own son, so it’s been pretty neat.” News and views from Caring Bridge While in the hospital, Oakes began chronicling his trials and tribulations with leukemia on the popular Caring Bridge website. His entries gave updates on his condition, displayed his deep faith, and gave him a chance to flash some wit along with the poignancy. You know…with laughter being the best medicine. 9/28/12 entry: … It kind of came to a head last weekend when I told the nurse that I was going to jump out the window if I didn't get something for my headache— and SOON!! Expected them to bring me up to the psych ward next for an evaluation.

SKI-U-MAH

10/6/12 entry: There is no place like home . . . there is no place like home! I was discharged from the hospital yesterday and got home in the afternoon. Another long bridge to cross and we made it. … Like many people have told me—"home is where the real healing takes place." The whole transplant experience and the 30 days in the hospital went right by the textbook according to the doctors—they were very happy and even called me a "model patient"—I wonder if that gets you a discount on the final bill? One doctor said it went "perfect"—I quickly reminded her that I was a coach and we really don't believe in that word. As lousy as I felt a lot of the days and as well as they said I did through it all, it made me wonder how miserable it is for a lot of people to go through cancer treatment—it's hard to imagine and even tougher to explain.

Oakes visiting his son, T.J. on the mound against Northwestern on Target Field on April 15, 2011. T.J. was drafted in the 11th round of the 2011 Major League Baseball draft by the Colorado Rockies. T.J. was a First Team All-Big Ten pick as a junior.

Oakes says the Caring Bridge site gave him a chance to show his broadening perspective on life, and he thinks people appreciated his openness and honesty in addition to his deep faith and humor. “As a coach I think you always have a platform—even above and beyond the team you’re coaching—and all of a sudden going through this battle with leukemia and being on the Caring Bridge site, my platform went from

Gopher baseball program, Todd says that the “most valuable player” of the family is his wife, Terri. “She’s the MVP,” he says. “Always has been and always will be.” And in this case, that baseball analogy is most appropriate. In fact, it’s almost mandatory. The two married when they were both 21, between Todd’s junior and senior years at Nebraska, and “the

“I threw one pitch that went off her glove and started rolling down the hill,” he says. “And she busted her tail to get that ball before it went in the water. And that’s when I knew I married the right woman.” – TODD OAKES this (he holds his hands close together) to floodgates.” The MVP of Team Oakes As invaluable as Tyler has been to his father, and to the

Oakes visits Tyler on the mound on April 30, 2008 against South Dakota State. Tyler joined the Gopher coaching staff in the summer of 2012.

poor lady has known nothing but baseball ever since,” he says. “One of my standing jokes is that diamonds are a girl’s best friend; she just didn’t realize it would be a baseball diamond.” For their honeymoon they rented a cabin by a lake near Spicer, Minnesota, and while they were there Oakes returned a message via pay phone to find out he had been drafted in the 21st round by the Chicago White Sox. That wasn’t the only baseball flavoring to the Oakes honeymoon. Knowing he had a chance of getting drafted, Todd packed a couple gloves and a baseball in the car on the chance he’d want to warm up his arm a bit with his new wife—herself a good athlete and softball player. They got out the gloves one day and started playing catch on the side of a fairly steep hill by the cabin, with the lake down below. “I threw one pitch that went oﬀ her glove and started rolling down the hill,” he says. “And she busted her tail to get that ball before it went in the water. And that’s when I knew I married the right woman.” Terri was there through the long summers of baseball, taking care of the boys during Todd’s journey PHOTOS: ERIC MILLER

A MATCH IS MADE

through “on the minor league merry-go-round”—Clinton, Iowa; Fresno and San Jose; Shreveport; Phoenix… “Long story short, she’s known nothing but baseball, and she’s always supported me,” he adds. “She’s never once said, ‘It’s me or baseball.’ And she could have. She could have kicked me to the curb more than once and moved on, but she didn’t.” “Even our dog has got a baseball name—Slider. So, she’s been bombarded, and through it all she’s simply been the MVP.” Around and through the potholes Now that the baseball season is in full swing and Todd is feeling better—the steroid treatment has been very eﬀective in treating his GVHD and he has more energy—his entries on Caring Bridge have been sparser, but that’s a good thing. His six-month, posttransplant biopsy was clean, and other than that, no news is good news. “It’s still nice to hear the word ‘remission;’ that’s where I’m at now,” Oakes says. “Remission, when you’re a cancer patient, is a real, real good word to hear.” Still, he adds, “there’s always that shadow of a doubt, you know? That’s kind of what you deal with.” But he had a chance to share his thoughts after a long drive on the first day of spring about slowing down, at least on the road, and about another rite of spring: 3/20/13: … The second reflection I had came to me as I was hitting the variety of potholes all over the road. That's how our lives go sometimes. You might just hit the little ones that give you a little shake and sometimes we hit the big, deep ones that really give us a jolt. Sometimes you see the potholes coming and you swerve around them and try to avoid the jolt. But you regroup and keep driving on and looking ahead. … “A lot of people tell me that they waited for his post every day because it inspired them; it was uplifting,” says Anderson. “He’s a wonderful writer, a gifted writer. He always told me that with some of the crazy travels [he’s gone through] in his sport and coaching, he said someday I want to write about all the travels and baseball. I think he got some practice there, no question about it. He got a good start on his novel he’s going to write someday.” For now, though, the novel will have to wait. There are more chapters to live and more games to coach. And Oakes has the good feeling of knowing there’s family to call on in the bullpen. Rick Moore is a writer and editor in University Relations and a long-time follower of Gopher Athletics. Contact him at moore112@umn.edu.

Everyone wants to do their part. You check the box saying you will be a donor on your driver’s license, you get a haircut and contribute to Locks of Love, or even spend the afternoon waiting to get a cookie after donating at a local blood drive. You do a small deed hoping that you are making a difference, while never really knowing exactly when or if you are actually helping. When sophomore pitcher Jordan Jess and his three roommates walked around on the University of Minnesota’s annual HopeDay Festival, they entered with the same intention, however little did Jess know that on that day he would begin a journey that would eventually end up saving a life. The booth that caught the eye of Jess as he walked around the festival that day was joining the marrow registry. Be The Match is an organization that strives to find bone marrow and stem cell donors for patients who are struggling with blood cancers such as leukemia and lymphoma. Diseases such as those hit home for Jess and the Minnesota baseball team earlier in the year when their very own coach Todd Oakes battled acute myeloid leukemia. Knowing what his coach had been through, and knowing how devastating that illness can be, Jess put his name down, got his mouth swabbed, and signed up to be a potential life changing match. Little did he know then that at the moment he made that decision to join Be The Match, there was a person out there in the world who was battling for their life, just waiting for their personal savior to come swooping in. "I was extremely proud of Jordan and how he embraced the opportunity to be a donor,” Oakes said. “Finding a donor match is very difficult and it's a blessing that he was a match for somebody and can help save a life." The chances of being a donor are surprisingly not that significant. Many individuals who join Be The Match can have their name on the donor list for years before someone needs them to contribute. In fact only about one for every 540 people is found to be a blood match for a patient. So the natural emotion of pure shock came as no surprise when Jess received an e-mail after only two months of being on the official match list. “I got an e-mail that was sent in the morning around 10 a.m. but I never checked my account until that night. The e-mail said “you are a match!” I was shocked; I could not believe it. I told my roommates and they were shocked as well. So the next day I called the organization and they reassured me that I was indeed a match and needed to start doing physicals to see if I was 100 percent a fit,” Jess said. "I got tingles and a warm feeling up and down my body when Jordan called and told me he was a match for somebody,” Oakes said. “It was an awesome feeling for me and I felt a great sense of gratitude having been through the transplant situation myself." And so the process began. It takes a lot of time and preparation to completely fulfill the transplant. Although someone can be informed that they are an initial match, further testing must be done to ensure that the recipient is getting the best possible donation. “I just kept in touch with a contact from the organization once about every two weeks. I had a ton of paperwork to fill out, had blood tests, physicals that would test my vitals,” Jess said. “Then a couple weeks passed and they gave me a call and told me the results: they looked good. From there I was in a complete waiting period, waiting for the moment when it was best for the recipient to receive the stem cells.” It was not until late January that he was contacted and told when the official donation day would be...the patient was ready for the transplant. “I was very nervous in anticipation for when they were going to call me for the donation,” he said. “The call eventually came and told me early February, which was a perfect time because the baseball team had not started the season yet. I gave the donation and the recipient got the transplant the very next day.” When opting to be a stem cell donor, there are two ways in which the transplant can be received. The more invasive approach is to give bone marrow taken from the spine. The other option, the one that the Ripon, Wis., native was asked to provide, was by peripheral blood stem cell donation. This process involved getting shots of fligrastim leading up to the procedure which stimulates blood cells. Then on the day of the donation, blood is pumped through needles in and out of your arms to a machine that separates out the blood-forming cells. Enduring a treatment like that can often be uncomfortable and cause soreness. “I felt pretty good,” Jess said. “The morning after I was a little light headed because your body has on average 5.6 liters of blood and they ran a total of 24 liters of blood in and out of my body that day. You are not completely right after going through that ordeal,” Jess said. “My arms were so heavy, but it is nothing compared to what the patient goes through. That was my mentality, sitting in the tiny room is so small compared to what TO and the recipient deals with.” It took Jess six hours of sitting in the hospital with needles in his arms to complete the transplant procedure. Luckily for him, he had his parents there for the process and were very supportive. A recipient would never need a transplant if their life did not depend on it. Millions suffer from diseases such as leukemia and other blood related illnesses, and the fate sight of hope that comes from a donor like Jess makes the entire world. Unfortunately, Jess knows very little about the patient that his donation went to. For privacy and safety reasons, the Be The Match organization does not release information on the recipient. But with or without the details, Jess is very thankful that he was able to make a difference in a stranger’s life. If Jess had not passed by the tent that day, he could not say in certainty whether or not he would have reached out to join the registration. Luckily for him and his recipient, Jordan Jess definitely did his part. — story by Chelsea White

24 SKI-U-MAH

assion is defined as feeling strong about something and barely being get tired of going to games,” Nancy said. “But that wasn’t the case because we’ve beable to control emotion, and that is exactly the word you would use come more passionate about the University and Gopher Athletics every single day.” Nancy wasn’t always sure that this love for Gopher Athletics would carry on as to describe what John and Nancy Lindahl feel for Gopher Athletics. Both grew up in Minnesota and attended the university but neither she and John made a pact when they first got married. The deal was that for every John nor Nancy represented the Maroon and Gold on the playing five Gopher games Nancy attended with John, he would go to one symphony with field. They grew up cheering from the stands and developing a con- Nancy. That agreement was made 45-years ago and is somenection second to none, which has left them forever what still intact, but both feel that Gopher Athletics may cherishing the University of Minnesota. “I feel that the average season have the advantage, even though John has now become “I don’t think there was ever a doubt in my mind or ticket holder is just as important as a fan of the symphony and will attend willingly now. my parents’ minds that I would go to Minnesota,” said As the years passed, the Lindahls were very active Nancy Lindahl. “Not only did my parents work at the someone who can donate a major U, but my father also was a football and basketball sea- gift because at the end of the day all across campus as they volunteered their time and son ticket holder. So I remember going to games when they are both supporting the stu- money to various departments and boards, but despite all the much appreciated efforts they put in, it wasn’t I was five-years old and falling in love with the univerdent-athletes, the program and the until the late 1990’s that the Lindahls truly put the Unisity. It was the best thing that ever happened to me.” versity’s wants and needs above their own. Having a quality education from a standout univer- university.”– JOHN LINDAHL “We attended a fundraising event for the McNamara sity like Minnesota was only part of the reason why Alumni Center, and Dale Olseth really encouraged John going to school there was the best thing to happen to Nancy because midway through her time at the U, she met her future husband. John and I to step out of the box and give a six-figure donation, which was a big deal bewas similar to Nancy in many ways because he too knew Minnesota was where he cause we had never done anything like that before,” Nancy recalled about their first major gift to the University. “We ended up doing it, and we walked away feeling so wanted to be. “My mom graduated from the U of M and then ran the Child Development good because we had given our capital to something that was bigger than us and Study at the University hospital,” said John. “Then my dad ran a small tire shop on something that we truly believed in. I would say it was a magic moment for us becampus. So I was able to go to class during the day and then work at my dad’s shop.” cause it changed our view on our philanthropy.” The gracious donation to the construction of the McNamara Alumni Center was Even though both were highly active on campus, especially in their Greek life, it not the end as it catapulted the Lindhals into becoming co-chairs of the TCF Bank took two years for their paths to cross at a fraternity and sorority exchange. “I don’t think either one of us really wanted to go to the exchange, but we did Stadium campaign. “[Former University President] Bob Bruininks approached us one night and anyway,” said John. “I remember walking around collecting bets on the big boxing match that was on TV that night, when I ran into Nancy. We hit it off, and I ended said that they were going to bring the football stadium back to campus,” said John. “We were thrilled, and then he asked if we would be co-chairs for the campaign. We up walking her home that night. I have seen her every day since then.” The couple’s love grew for one another, but there was a third party that lingered were puzzled at why we were approached. Neither one of us were athletes, but we looked at one another and thought this would be a great opportunity for us to work deep in each of their hearts…Gopher sports. together. And most importantly, it was a chance to put the football stadium back on campus where it belongs.” “It was also an excellent time for us to put John’s for-profit knowledge and my not-for-profit skills together to get this accomplished because it was all about marketing and relationships,” added Nancy. “We felt that we could reach out and attract other Minnesotans that felt as passionate about Gopher Athletics as we did and still do.” When asked what their favorite aspect of the stadium is, Nancy takes pride in having all the county names circle the outside of TCF because she doesn’t feel the stadium would have been built without all the help and support from Minnesotans all over the state. John is just happy to bring the stadium back to campus, where he states it should be. Since it opened in 2009, he feels that a sense of pride has returned to campus but expects that to grow in the coming years. That passion and drive the Lindahls had in fundraising for TCF Bank Stadium has not diminished but blossomed into something bigger. They have continued to give to the university and improve various facilities on campus and in the athletic world, including a large donation to the new Siebert Field. When asked about what differentiates them, as major gift donors, from the common Minnesota fan, they both waved off the notion that they are John and Nancy Lindahl pictured with Steph Brandt (soccer), the 2013 recipient of their endowed scholarship. entitled to anything more than that fan. “It takes a lot of people to build a nation, and we can’t do it without “The two years that we were on campus together as a couple, we rarely missed everyone chipping in,” explained John. “There are three types of people: doers, donors and door openers. I feel that the average season ticket holder is just as imhockey, basketball or football games,” stated Nancy. “We would park cars at my dad’s shop before games,” added John. “Nancy would portant as someone who can donate a major gift because at the end of the day they stand out front wearing her gold boots and wave cars in, while I collected one dollar are both supporting the student-athletes, the program and the university.” “You can’t make a difference unless you are there,” Nancy added. “We want to a car. We would make $30-40 a night, which was a lot since tuition was around $100 encourage people to give. We never expected to get to this point in our life where a quarter, and then we would make our way into the games.” Their days as parking attendants passed, and the two graduated from college and we would be this tied to Minnesota Athletics. It is a great time to be a Gopher, and entered the working world. But their passion and devotion to Gopher athletics did we need believers. The urgency is right now because we are building the future today in our student-athletes, so we need to show our support.” not change as they continued to regularly attend games. “I remember when I was a teacher; a co-worker told me that we would eventually

Cory Hall is an assistant athletic communications director at the University of Minnesota. PHOTO: CRAIG LASSIG

passion BEGAN WITH A DOLLAR The Profile of John and Nancy Lindahl

by Cory Hall

PHOTO: JERRY LEE

MEET OUR STAFF GOLDEN GOPHER FUND The mission of the Golden Gopher Fund is to provide opportunities for our 750 student-athletes by seeking philanthropic support from individuals, families and corporations. When you support the Golden Gopher Fund, you ensure the ongoing success and continued tradition of excellence for Golden Gopher Athletics. Your gifts are crucial to oﬀering a world-class academic and athletic environment for our student-athletes.

RANDY HANDEL

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Associate Athletics Director Randy joined the Golden Gopher Fund as a major gift oﬃcer in June, 2010. In January 2013, Randy was named Associate Athletics Director for Development. He will lead the GGF unit and focus on principal gifts. Randy earned his undergraduate degree in health and physical education at the University of Wisconsin – La Crosse where he played basketball and baseball. He received his masters degree from Colorado State University in Education and his Ph.D. in Educational Administration from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. He served as the Senior Director of Development for Athletics at the University of Wisconsin – Madison for four years and led eﬀorts with the Kohl Center and Goodman Diamond capital campaign along with an endowment campaign involving total gifts of over $85 million. Randy coached college basketball for 12 years and college baseball for two years. He brings 13 years of private sector experience, three as a financial broker at Merrill Lynch and 10 years as VP of McGann Construction. Randy and his wife Kathy have two children, Lauren and Michael. They reside in Woodbury, MN. Email Randy at rmhandel@umn.edu.

DEB NOLL Assistant Athletics Director Deb Noll joined the Golden Gopher Fund in March of 2013 as the Assistant Athletics Director for Development. Prior to joining the GGF, Deb worked at the University of Minnesota Foundation for more than 11 years. During her time at the Foundation, she served as regional development oﬃcer and director of the regional program. Most recently, she guided the regional engagement of President and Karen Kaler. During her years of service in the Arizona region, Deb has engaged many benefactors, and her work has resulted in many significant gifts to the University, including support for Intercollegiate Athletics. In addition, Deb was the Executive Director of the Minnesota 4-H Foundation before she joined the University of Minnesota Foundation. Deb is a graduate of the University of Minnesota and received her BA and MA in Education and BA in Journalism. Email Deb at nollx003@umn.edu.

MIKE HALLORAN Assistant Athletics Director Mike Halloran joined the Golden Gopher Fund in April of 2013 as the Assistant Athletics Director for Development. This is his second stint with Gopher Athletics, serving as Associate Athletics Director for Development from 2000-07. In that capacity, he secured $65 million in support for the university and led the athletic department’s development eﬀorts for a new on-campus football stadium. Prior to returning to the U of M, Halloran served as the director of the Oﬃce of Development and Stewardship with the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, overseeing all fundraising. A graduate of St. John’s University, Halloran has more than 22 years experience in management, strategic planning and development for non-profit religious and educational organizations as well as for-profit organizations.

JOYCE GUELICH Assistant to the Director Joyce has been Executive Assistant to the Associate Athletics Director for Development for 15 years. Previous professional experience includes five years with a Minneapolis law firm before coming to the University of Minnesota. Originally hailing from the east coast and intermittent moves to Seattle, Chicago and L. A., she has long been proud to call Minnesota home. Joyce is the mother of three, one of whom played baseball for the University of Minnesota. Her four young grandchildren have already joined the ranks of enthusiastic Golden Gopher fans. Email Joyce at gueli001@umn.edu.

JOE QUINN Major Gifts Officer Joe graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2003 and was a member of the Golden Gopher Football team, playing in three bowl games. He then went on to play for the Green Bay Packers for two years. Joe's main focus is on raising money for capital campaigns and endowed scholarships. Joe and his wife, Beth, have two daughters and they reside in Hastings, MN. Email Joe at quin0144@umn.edu.

QUINCY LEWIS Associate Development Officer Quincy L. Lewis is a University of Minnesota alummus and former Gopher basketball letterwinner. He earned his undergraduate degree from the College of Food, Agriculture and Nature Sciences (CFANS) and his master's degree in Sports Management from the College of Education and Human Development (CEHD). Following retirement from a 10-year professional basketball career in the NBA and Europe, Quincy joined the Golden Gopher Fund as an Associate Development Oﬃcer after a two-year internship. His main responsibility is the identification, cultivation an stewardship of donors and potential donors. Email Quincy at quincylewis@umn.edu.

KRISTIN SCOTT Director of Annual Fund Kristin Scott is in her second year as the Director of Annual Giving. In her role, she has direct oversight of the annual giving program and sport booster clubs. She will be responsible for stewarding, cultivating, and soliciting donors to the Golden Gopher Fund (GGF). Prior to joining GGF staﬀ, she served as the Associate Director of Development for four years in the University of Missouri Athletics Department. While at Mizzou she oversaw all aspects of the annual fund program of over 7,600 donor and $7.5 million annually. Duties included oversight of priority seating and parking for men’s basketball and football, management of gift-in-kind program, served as liaison to booster clubs and management of TSF website. Prior to Scott’s appointment at Mizzou, she served as the Assistant Marketing Director in the Department of Athletics at Illinois State University for three years. A native of Bloomington, Ill., Kristin attended Illinois Wesleyan lettering in varsity basketball and softball all four years, graduating in 2003 with a Bachelor's of Arts Degree in Business Administrations. In 2006, Kristin continued her education at Illinois State University, earning a Master's in Sports Management. Email Kristin at klscott@umn.edu.

MEET OUR STAFF GOLDEN GOPHER FUND

LAURA HALLDORSON

Assistant Director of Annual Fund, Special Projects Laura joined the Golden Gopher Fund staﬀ in 2007 after serving as the head women's hockey coach of the Gophers from 1996-2007. Under her leadership, the Gopher Women's Hockey Team won three national championships, including back-to-back titles in 2004 and 2005. As part of the Annual Fund, Laura assists with the management and distribution of donor benefits, coordinates internal communications, and works on special, donor-related projects. Laura grew up in Plymouth, MN, and graduated from Wayzata High School and Princeton University. Email Laura at halld002@umn.edu.

KERRY LENGELING Assistant Director of Development Kerry began her career in the Golden Gopher Fund as Assistant Director of Development in May 2012. After graduating from Iowa State University in 2007 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Advertising, she went on to get her Master’s Degree in Sport Management from the University of Tennessee. While at the University of Tennessee, she worked in the Tennessee Fund as a Development Assistant for two years before moving back to the Midwest. In October 2010, Kerry began working in the University of Minnesota Ticket Oﬃce as a Web and Email Marketing Coordinator. Transitioning into the Golden Gopher Fund, Kerry will responsible for planning and overseeing donor recognition activities, assisting in the planning of Golden Gopher Fund renewals and website development and management. Email Kerry at kbierl@umn.edu.

TANESHA WADE

Director of Premium Seating Stewardship & Events Tanesha joined the Golden Gopher Fund in May 2009 as Director of Premium Seating Stewardship and Events. In addition to overseeing premium seating services for the department, Tanesha manages the sales, marketing and coordination eﬀorts for non-game day premium space rentals in multiple Gopher Athletics venues, including TCF Bank Stadium. Other duties consist of coordination and execution of annual fundraising events. Prior to joining the University of Minnesota Athletics department, Tanesha served as the Director of Operations for Chicago Rush Arena Football where her responsibilities included game operations and production, retail management, marketing and client services. Tanesha, a former student-athlete at Oregon State University, received her undergraduate degree in 2000. Email Tanesha at trwade@umn.edu.

JESSICA FLEISCHMANN Associate Director, Stewardship & Events Jessica is in her tenth year in the Golden Gopher Fund. After graduating from the University of Minnesota in December of 2003 with a degree in Strategic Communications through the School of Journalism and Mass Communications, Jessica began her work with University of Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletics as a student assistant in Athletic Communications. Jessica has worked in several capacities in the Golden Gopher Fund and recently transitioned her focus on fundraising and stewardship events and special projects. Jessica is responsible for planning the Golden Gopher Fund Annual Wine Dinner, Annual Scholarship Banquet, Gopher Road Trip, golf outings and various other stewardship events in athletics. Prior to her recent transition, Jessica's primary responsibilities were in the Annual Fund on special initiatives and donor services which included strategic planning, website development, donor benefits, communications and coordinating annual fundraising events. In June of 2010 she completed her Professional M.A. in Strategic Communications at the school of Journalism and Mass Communications here at the University of Minnesota. Email Jessica at flei0031@umn.edu.

MEGAN APPELL

Special Events Sales Coordinator Megan returned to Gopher Athletics in October of 2010 after working with the Minnesota Twins. In the role of Special Events Sales Coordinator, Megan is responsible for meeting with clients in regards to renting a premium space at TCF Bank Stadium, Mariucci Arena, Williams Arena or the Sports Pavilion. Megan graduated from the university in 2008 and is a former letterwinner. She is currently pursuing her master's degree in sports management. Email Megan at megana@umn.edu.

DANA NELSON Premium Services & Special Events Coordinator Dana joined the University of Minnesota Athletics Department in 2009 as a Gopher Points Representative. When Gopher Points concluded, she started her current position as Premium Services and Special Events Coordinator. Her roles include executing service elements in the club rooms and suites and coordinating special event logistics. Nelson, a native of Chatfield, Minnesota, received her bachelor's degree in Physical Education and Health from Hamline University, where she competed in volleyball and track and field. She recently finished her master's degree in Athletic and Activities Administration at the University of St. Thomas. Email Dana at luike009@umn.edu.

LINDSAY SCHUTTER Stewardship & Events Coordinator Lindsay, in her third year with the Golden Gopher Fund, assists with the planning and implementation of the sales and marketing initiatives for the premium spaces at TCF Bank Stadium and Williams and Mariucci Arenas, as well as with the coordination and execution of non-game day events held in the premium spaces. She also assists in the facilitation of service elements for premium seat holders on game days at Gopher athletics events. A 2010 graduate of the business school at the George Washington University, Lindsay received her Bachelor of Business Administration with a dual concentration in Sport and Event Management and International Business. Email Lindsay at schut076@umn.edu.

A GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY

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With the costs of college tuition rising every year, it can be hard for students to gain the required funding to attend school while limiting the accumulation of debt, but the University of Minnesota has found a minor solution that makes a big diﬀerence for its student-athletes, the Fast Start 4 Impact program. “My wife, Bridget, and I have been supporters of the University for years, and I also serve as the treasurer of the Minneapolis Foundation Board,” said Ross Levin, a Gopher alum and the Founding Principal and President of Accredited Investor, Inc. “So when the Fast Start 4 Impact program began last fall, we were really excited about the concept because it allows you to make your contribution towards a scholarship over a four-year period.” The Fast Start 4 Impact program began this past fall and allows gifts to have an immediate impact. With the Fast Start 4 Impact program, each gift or pledge of $50,000 or more will result in four years of funding of at least $2,500 per year to a Minnesota student-athlete. A normal endowment can take years to generate payouts that large, but with the Fast Start 4 Impact program, a new endowment fund has time to get fully established before payout begins. Also,

award amounts increase with the size of the pledge. Levin, who also serves on Minnesota’s Board of Trustees, and his wife, were blown away by this concept on two accounts. “The big thing for us was that our contribution was going to be matched 20 percent by the University of Minnesota in the form of new money going out to scholarships,” Levin said. “So we were getting more bang for the dollar that we were donating. Secondly, it resulted in an immediate benefit to the student-athletes rather than waiting until the funding of the endowment was complete.” The Levins have yet to have their scholarship begin, but they highly anticipate finding a recipient in the near future. “One of the most exciting things about this program is that we can designate a particular sport or type of student-athlete that we want this scholarship to benefit,” Levin said. “Currently, my wife and I won’t know who the recipient of our scholarship is because we just made our first gift in the fall, but we have designated that it goes to a female. So it will be exciting to find out who that is in the coming months.” — Cory Hall

PHOTO: COURTNEY ANDERSON

Ross Levin is one of many donors to take part in a new giving opportunity that can provide both immediate financial assistance and long term endowed support for U of M students.

Levin recenlty gave a seminar on the basics of finances and money mangement to Gopher senior student-athletes.

for information on the Fast Start 4 Impact program and how to donate, please contact the Golden Gopher Fund at 612-626-4653 or at goldengopherfund.com.

LINDSEY LAWMASTER freshman / volleyball Los Alamitos, Calif. biology major PHOTO: ERIC MILLER

We have $10 million to give to deserving students. This is a unique opportunity, specifically created by the University of Minnesota Foundation to increase the power of your endowment giving.

Fast

Your gift helps deserving students right away. Your gift triggers four years of Fast Start awards to deserving University of Minnesota students. There’s no waiting for your gift to grow.

Four years

Your gift can be made over 4 years. You do need to act fast on this unique program, making your commitment before December 2014, pledging to pay the full amount immediately – or in equal payments over four years. Either way, taking advantage of this unique giving program now helps more students, faster.

Financially wise

Your gift gets more help to students, faster. When compared with typical endowment starts, Fast Start 4 Impact significantly increases the power of your gift for students. Investment earning are reinvesting into your new fund for the first four years, allowing the principal to grow. Meanwhile, Fast Start funds your choice of an undergraduate scholarship, a graduate fellowship or a professional school award.

Forever

Your investment continues to help students for generations to come. Your gift funds a permanent endowment for student support. You are making a long-term investment in the University of Minnesota that provides benefits to students far into the future.

Fast Start 4 Impact amounts increase as the size of the gift increases.

Fast Start 4 Impact significantly increases the benefit for students when compared with typical endowment starts.

Gifts or pledges in these ranges

$ 50,000 – $ 100,000 – $ 150,000 – $ 200,000 – $ 250,000 +

$ 99,999 $ 149,999 $ 199,999 $ 249,999

Receive scholarships in these amounts*

$2,500

$ 10,000 $ 20,000 $ 30,000 $ 40,000 $ 50,000

*Scholarship awards are paid out over 4 years in equal amounts.

Fast Start 4 Impact Typical endowment start

YEAR 1

YEAR 2

YEAR 3

YEAR 4

Illustration for a gift or pledge of $50,000.

30 SKI-U-MAH

The bond within the Gopher Wrestling program begins during early morning practices in the gym but lives long beyond competitive careers.

J Robinsonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s current staff (left to right) of Brandon Eggum, Jayson Ness and Luke Becker combined for 11 All-America awards, two national titles and six Big Ten titles during their wrestling careers at the U of M. PHOTO: ERIC MILLER

by Kevin Kurtt

“We few, we happy few, we band of brothers. For he today that sheds his blood with me shall be my brother.” — William Shakespeare

he University of Minnesota wrestling program is a perennial contender for Big Ten and NCAA championships for several reasons — the Golden Gophers’ winning tradition, the leadership of head coach J Robinson, Minnesota’s deep pool of talented recruits and the Gophers’ relentless style of wrestling. But there may be one reason for the program’s place among the elite — brotherhood. It begins with the Gopher wrestlers living, training, practicing and competing together for five years, bonding the entire team together with the common goal of winning a national championship. The brotherhood continues to grow at Minnesota through a simple process that is somewhat unique to the sport of college wrestling. When wrestlers complete their eligibility as a competitor, a select few remain on staff as “administrative assistants.” They perform certain tasks in the wrestling office, from assisting with marketing efforts to leading fundraising campaigns, but their real duty is to provide each season’s crop of Minnesota wrestlers with a seasoned veteran in and out of the wrestling room to occasionally spar with, to mentor, to show the Minnesota way. An even more select few get the opportunity to become full-time assistant coaches (like current assistants Brandon Eggum, Luke Becker and Jayson Ness), advancing the legacy of Gopher wrestling and furthering the brotherhood that has been created in Dinkytown. But why? After five years of conditioning, drilling and wrestling in the bowels of the Bierman Field Athletic Building, would these accomplished wrestlers want to work some more, all for a glorified internship or a relatively low-paying coaching gig with the Gopher wrestling program? “When you get done with such a fun experience — even though it’s hard, it’s grueling — you still want to be a part of it,” Ness said. “You don’t want it to be done. You have so much success that you want to keep helping out. I had people that helped me through my five years. I kind of wanted to pay that forward and help some other people through their five years. The environment here is something that you don’t want to leave.” “You shed blood, sweat and tears with these guys for five years,” Becker said. “The relationships you build with those guys, they’re your best friends and you don’t want to leave them.” It’s that brotherhood that draws elite high school wrestlers to Minnesota and induces graduating Gophers to want to stick around. It’s a tradition that Robinson has fostered during his 29 seasons at the University of Minnesota.

“You shed blood, sweat and tears with these guys for five years. The relationships you build with those guys, they’re your best friends and you don’t want to leave them.” – LUKE BECKER “We try to build an environment that people want to be a part of,” Robinson said. “I truly believe everybody wants to belong to something special. They want to feel good about what they do. They want to feel they matter and that they can contribute. Being a part of something special is very unique.” That “something special” includes Big Ten and NCAA Championships, but it also includes an environment that Robinson has created in an eﬀort to bond his student-athletes together to reach a common goal: more Big Ten and NCAA Championships.

“To become truly great, one has to stand with people, not above them.” -Charles de Montesquieu About 15 years ago at the U of M, wrestlers from Minnesota lived in diﬀerent apartments than their out-of-state teammates. “They were never together,” Robinson said. “If you’re never together, you can’t bond. A commonality welds people together.” In an eﬀort to create a bond within his team, Robinson instituted a system where all of his wrestlers were required to live in the dorms for two years. “The key is to artificially create an environment where the guys are bonded,” Robinson said. “The freshmen come in and they’re lost, but the sophomores are there to take care of them. And the sophomores know the juniors. When the sophomores go to see the juniors, they take the freshmen with them, so the freshmen Eggum (left) is in his 12th year on the Minnesota staff and second as head assistant coach. Becker (right) is in his 11th season overall and third as a full-time assistant on the Gopher staff.

know the juniors. And so on, year after year. There’s a continuation, artificially, of bonding them together — instead of just expecting or hoping that it will happen.” “Everybody is together almost all the time,” Ness said. “When guys do something away from wrestling, it’s almost always at least 20 of them going together. Most teams aren’t that close. Our team is extremely close.”

“Above all things let us never forget that mankind constitutes one great brotherhood; all born to encounter suﬀering and sorrow, and therefore bound to sympathize with each other.” -- Albert Pike The bonding continues to form as the wrestlers train, practice and compete together. Close relationships are developed by going through similar mentally- and physically-draining conditions. For the Gophers, that means long stints as summer camp counselors, brutal in-season and oﬀseason workouts, and cutting weight and still competing as if fully hydrated and fully fed. “When you go through those circumstances with other guys, you really develop a bond because they’re going through the same thing,” Ness said. “The brotherhood comes about because our team is so close-knit.” Developing that bond is a core concept of Robinson’s recipe for success at the University of Minnesota. It’s a process that the long-time head coach likens to the Fatal Sequence, a quotation attributed to a 1943 speech by Henning Webb Prentis, Jr.: “The historical cycle seems to be: From bondage to spiritual faith; from spiritual faith to courage; from courage to liberty; from liberty to abundance; from abundance to selfishness; from selfishness to apathy; from apathy to dependency; and from dependency back to bondage once more.” “You start out trying and believing you can win the national tournament (bondage, spiritual faith); then you finally win the championship (liberty, abun-

32 Becker joined the Gopher staff in 2003 after a career that included the 2002 NCAA title at 157 pounds, four All-America awards and two Big Ten titles. He was a part of two NCAA championship teams in 2001 and 2002.

Eggum won two Big Ten titles and earned three All-America awards from Ness was a four-time All-American and was the 2010 NCAA Champion at 1997-2000. His teams finished no worse than third at the NCAA Cham- 133 pounds prior to joining the Gopher coaching staff. pionships and won the 1999 Big Ten title, Minnesota’s first since 1959.

REPEAT CHAMPION hen Tony Nelson first stepped onto the mat in Des Moines, Iowa, he had a target on his back. Even though he was the No. 2 seed in the heavyweight bracket of the 2013 NCAA Wrestling Tournament, he was still the defending national champion. The truth is the target was placed a full year ago. The minute Nelson won his first national title he became the guy to beat in 2013, making the road to glory much harder for the Cambridge, Minn. native. “It's different. Coming in as the defending champ; all those guys against you, they wrestle different. They want to keep things close and they want to be the guy to beat you.” The hype proved true. Thirty-two wins and only one loss later, Nelson was back on the raised platform stage, donning the iconic gold singlet, for the chance to defend his title. Nelson would go on to capture the crown over Northwestern’s Mike McMullan in a rematch of the 2013 Big Ten Championship bout. Late in the third period, Nelson defended a low ankle grab and converted for a takedown to put the match to sleep for a 6-2 decision. With the win, Nelson chiseled his name into Minnesota Wrestling’s illustrious history, becoming the fifth Gopher wrestler to win back-to-back titles; the second from the heavyweight class. “Looking at last year, I told Coach Robinson that I couldn’t stand the feeling to not win it again. Brock [Lesnar] won it once; Cole [Konrad] won it twice. I'm right up there with him and he [Konrad] is a guy I always looked up to. To be there with him is a big accomplishment." And he’s not done yet. As a junior, Nelson has another year with the Maroon and Gold. After a short break, he’ll be back at work, striving for individual glory that no other Minnesota wrestler has achieved before him. “My ultimate goal is to be a three-time national champ, so this is the step I needed to keep going.” – Kate Wadman

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dance),” Robinson said. “So the guys that won the title, they paid the price (courage). But the new guys coming in haven’t paid the price yet. They haven’t made the sacrifice yet. So you have to artificially create an environment where they have to pay the price. Then they can get the abundance. But if they don’t ever pay the price, they won’t understand what abundance is. So then selfishness, apathy and dependence set in and the whole cycle starts over again. The key is to artificially create an environment where the guys are bonded.”

“As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” -- Proverbs 27:17 The artificially-created environment isn’t for the faint of heart. Minnesota wrestling workouts and practices are legendary for their brutal nature, from carrying weightlifting plates up and down the stairs in the Bierman Field Athletic Building, to long runs around campus, to drilling with former champions in the wrestling room. It’s all part of the giving Gopher wrestlers a common goal to bind them together for the benefit of the program. “Greek general Thucydides said 2,500 years ago, ‘We must remember that one man is much the same as another, and that he is best who is trained in the severest school.’ Why were the Spartans the best? Why are Army Rangers an elite fighting force? They were trained in the severest school. So why make Minnesota wrestling any different?” Robinson said. It’s that idea that encourages graduating seniors to stay on campus to give back to the Gopher wrestling program by training with and mentoring the next generation of Minnesota wrestlers. “We keep these guys around so steel sharpens steel,” Robinson said. “Cole Konrad comes in and he beats up on Tony Nelson, so that it’s easier for Tony to go out and wrestle a college kid than it is to wrestle the guys in the Minnesota wrestling room.” “As a student-athlete, you look up to the coaching staﬀ and the just-graduated wrestlers who are trying to make a World or Olympic team,” Eggum said “They’re passing on their knowledge like older brothers. As guys continue to move on through the program, a lot of them want to give back. They look at the athletes that continue to be a part of this team as their younger brothers. They want to help them achieve a goal that they may not have been able to achieve themselves.”

“In union there is strength.” -- Aesop The Gophers who have stayed on at Minnesota after their eligibility has expired have some impressive credentials. There’s Olympic silver medalist Brandon Paulson. There are NCAA Champions in Marty Morgan, Tim Hartung, Jared Lawrence, Becker, Damion Hahn, Cole Konrad, Dustin Schlatter and Ness. There are multiple-time All-Americans in Chad Kraft, Eggum, Leroy Vega, Chad Erikson, Ryan Lewis and Zach Sanders. The accomplishments of these recent wrestlers-turned-administrative assistants after their time at Minnesota are no less impressive. There are college wrestling head coaches in Joe Russell (George Mason) and Roger Kish (North Dakota State). There are club wrestling directors (Lawrence, Paulson), high school coaches (Hartung, Vega) and college assistant coaches (Hahn, Manny Rivera). There are current and former MMA athletes (Konrad, Jacob Volkmann). There’s a pilot (Kraft), a former MMA coach (Morgan) and a chiropractor (Volkmann). Through the adversity as well as the success, a brotherhood forms. It’s a symbiotic relationship between wrestler and coach and program that inspires many to contribute to their Golden Gopher family after they’ve hung up their maroon singlet for the last time. “The program gave a lot to me. When I finished wrestling, the experience I had as a studentathlete was overwhelmingly positive,” Eggum said. “I had opportunities to go other places after competing, but I wanted to give back to a program that had given so much to me and at the same time continue to experience these things and help these other student-athletes achieve their goals.” Those that come through the program get to experience what it feels like to be a part of something special, to chase a goal together, to become a member of a happy few, a band of brothers. “You come here as a student-athlete, you train, you give everything you can to win a team title and to help this program continue its greatness,” Eggum said. “Through that, you develop the relationships. Through the wins, the losses and the struggles, you develop that bond like a family.

"There is a destiny that makes us brothers, No one goes his way alone; All that we send into the lives of others, Comes back into our own." -- Edwin Markham

Kevin Kurtt is the editor of Let’s Play Hockey. He is a former assistant athletic communications director at the University of Minnesota where he handled the public relations for the Gopher wrestling team during its run to the 2001 and 2002 NCAA titles.

GOPHER

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

VARIETY OF VENUES

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by Cory Hall

A behind the scenes look at Minnesota’s run to a second straight NCAA crown and the nation’s alltime longest winning streak.

& COUNTING

Looking back on the historic run that the women's hockey team made is amazing, but there is so much more to the story than just what fans witnessed at Ridder Arena. As the communications contact for the team, I am privileged to spend countless hours with the team, so I took a look back on the playoﬀ run as a whole and highlighted some moments that didn't necessarily reach Gophersports.com or any media outlets. Some of these moments include coaches and studentathletes, while others are just my observations from my perch in the press box. But all in all, this blog should give you an insight into what I consider "The Best Kept Secret in America."

February 26 – Let the Playoff Beard Begin After the lengthy yet successful regular season, the playoffs were finally here! And accompanying the playoffs was a hockey tradition that I was excited to partake in, ‘the playoff beard’. I had waited all season for an excuse to not shave and for the first time let my beard grow. Coach Frost and the rest of the staff didn’t quite have the built up excitement that I had, but I know Frosty was looking forward to redemption after being disgruntled with his facial hair growing last season.

Minnesota captured the WCHA Final Face-off title with a 2-0 win over North Dakota.

4.27 :

Average scoring margin for games this season

March 1 – Shout-Outs and Shutouts The team had its typical pregame meal in the Ridder Club Room. During the meal each player shared one good thing and one bad thing about their day, while myself and the rest of the staff crowded around a container full of an unhealthy yet delicious chicken concoction named “Alice”. Following the meal, freshman Brook Garzone lingered around the club room chatting with various players and staff. As I got up to leave, Brook asked if she could get a shout-out on Twitter from our team account, @MNWomensHockey. I agreed, but stated only if she could shoot her empty Powerade bottle into a trash can about 20 feet away. Needless to say, it’s a good thing she plays hockey not basketball because she missed at least five times before I took the offer of the table. I expect @brooklyyn18 to practice that shot in the offseason, in hopes of getting Twitter shout-outs in the future. Brook was not the only thing that got shutout as Bemidji State was held scoreless in the game that night by Noora Räty. The shutout was a historic one for Noora as she became the NCAA’s career shutout record holder with 40. The senior received a standing ovation in the locker room before awarding classmate Megan Bozek the ‘Hard Hat Player of the Game Award.’

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March 2 – Shine Bright Like A Diamond

The following day, Noora garnered another NCAA record by shutting BSU out again for her 15th of the season, and Baylee Gillanders notched her first goal of the season, which I think Megan

PHOTOS: JIM ROSVOLD

answers, “Because I want to shine bright like a diamond.” Arlan and I looked at one another in awe of the response, and that was the end of the interview. As Brook and I walked back to the locker room, I asked her why she quoted a Rihanna song. She said she was nervous and that was what popped in her head. I can’t say Brook’s answer was a bad one, but definitely, it was one of the funniest interview responses I have heard.

March 7 – The Pressure Builds

Kelly Terry scored the game-winner to end a 4-hour, 27-minute battle with North Dakota in the NCAA Quarters.

Bozek was more excited to see than Baylee. Each of those things were great, but neither compared to possibly the funniest response I have ever heard in a postgame press conference… A number of players scored a goal in the game, so USCHO.com writer Arlan Marttila wanted to chat with Brook Garzone since she netted her first goal at Ridder Arena. Brook is a very outgoing and chatty person, but she was beyond nervous to talk to the media. I remember standing by her when Arlan began interviewing her, and I just crossed my fingers and hoped she would stay composed and get through the interview. After a few good responses by Brook, I came to ease, but little did I know, the best was yet to come…With his last question, Arlan asked why Brook wears earrings when she plays, and without any hesitation, Brook

Goals scored by Minnesota this season, the third-most in NCAA history

Not only had the pressure on the team built over the season with going undefeated, but things increased on Thursday before the WCHA Final Face-Oﬀ. The USA Hockey Foundation announced that we had all three finalists for the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, which is given annually to the nation’s best player, in Megan Bozek, Amanda Kessel and Noora Räty. It was exciting because this had never happened before, but then again a lot more pressure had been placed on us to win the national title, because according to the selection process for the Patty Kaz, we had the three best players in the country. Not only had the pressure been put on the team, but those three players were now looked at to carry the load and lead the team to another championship. The one thing that didn’t shock me at all about this was that these three players got together and chatted about what this meant for them and their team. I was not surprised to hear that they all would put their egos aside and remain focused on the main task at hand, and that was to repeat.

March 8 – Free Tickets, Another Shutout and an Injured Photographer On the morning of the first day of the Final FaceOﬀ, I took Megan Bozek and Katie Frischmann on campus with about 30 free tickets and 30 t-shirts. Our initiative was to get Minnesota students to the game that night versus Ohio State. Boz and Frisch are some of our most outgoing players, but it took them a little time to get into the soliciting mindset.

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Shutouts by Noora Räty during the season

After a pep talk and a little tutorial from Gopher swimmer Josh Hall, the two seniors fell into a comfort zone and had a swarm of students asking for tickets. I don’t know if the majority of those students showed up to the game, but either way, the crowd was exceptional that night versus OSU. We put together another good performance on the ice and posted a shutout. After the postgame press conference, I made my way up to the press box to find our photographer Eric Miller with a huge gash across the bridge of his nose, so I asked what happened. During the second period, he was in the photo box down in between the two benches, and a battle for the puck happened right in front of him. I guess he was inches away taking photos of the players when all of a sudden Bozek’s stick came in to play and slashed him across the nose. If it was me, I would have called it quits and been done for the day, but not Eric. He kept shooting with blood dripping down his face! Now that is what I call dedication.

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March 9 – Final Face-Oﬀ Champions In the championship game of the WCHA Tournament, we played one of the best games of the year and defeated North Dakota, 2-0. The team tossed their gloves into the air and accomplished another goal that they made in September. After the postgame press conference, Frosty and I headed to the concourse for a satellite interview with one of the local TV stations. While we were waiting, a little boy came and tugged on my suit asking for an autograph. I was baﬄed be-

Goals allowed by Minnesota in 2012-13, matching the NCAA record for fewest in a season

cause I am no one important. But I agreed and had a conversation with him and found out his favorite player was Lee Stecklein. Frosty chuckled as he saw me sign my name to a hat full of Gopher players, and then he did the same like it was just another day.

March 16 – The Marathon We drew North Dakota in the NCAA Quarterfinal to face them for a sixth time during the year. I knew early on in the week that the game would be tough but little did I know that it would be the longest game in program history. We jumped on UND right away with scoring a goal just 52 seconds into the game, but they responded with a goal of their own later in the period. The scoring flipped in the second period as North Dakota took a 2-1 lead before we tied it back up with four minutes re-

maining. Both teams remained scoreless in the third, and we headed into overtime for just the second time this season. At this point, we had generated enough buzz to attract people from the men’s game being played next door. The men’s coaches and the Fox Sports North announcers ventured over to watch the big game. But for those that didn’t have the luxury of getting to Ridder, they followed on Twitter. From what I have been told by numerous people, they were refreshing their feed every five seconds to keep up-to-date. Because I am a social media nerd, I was, and still am, shocked that we gained over 600 followers that night. One overtime went by, and we were still tied. A second flew by, and it was still 2-2 and headed to a third. I was told that Mike Ramsey, Rachel’s father, gets antsy during close games, so I can only imagine how he and many other parents felt watching that game. I was pacing around the suite level with a stress ball in hand and adding to my already existing grey hairs. We were able to net a goal with just over one minute remaining in the third overtime to end the longest game in program history — four hours and 27 minutes. The game went so long that the men’s game, which started two hours after ours, had five minutes remaining in its game when we finished.

March 19 – Playoﬀ Beards, Pt. 2 It’s the week of the Frozen Four, and I’m watching the start of practice since a couple TV stations are there getting footage. The girls start taking the ice, and I start to hear a few of them chuckle as the captains, Megan Bozek and Bethany Brausen hit the sheet. I take a glance over at the two, and what do I find? They had taken a black marker to each other’s faces and given themselves playoﬀ beards. I couldn’t help but laugh a little about it either, especially since Brausen’s “beard” looked a little better than Frosty’s. Amanda Kessel became Minnesota’s second winner of the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, recognizing the nation’s best women’s college hockey player. Kessel joins Krissy Wendell (2005) as Minnesota’s winners. All three of the finalists for the 2013 award were Gophers. Kessel joined defenseman Megan Bozek and goaltender Noora Raty.

March 23 – Patty Kazmaier Award Banquet Spirits were high as the Patty Kazmaier Banquet began on Saturday. The team was coming off an overtime win over Boston College to advance to the national championship, and no matter what, the Patty Kaz was going to a Gopher. It didn’t take long for the light mood to get lighter as the fire alarms at the McNamara Center went off during the program. We had to exit the building and a quartet of fire trucks arrived on site. While waiting outside, I see the three Patty Kaz Finalists (Bozek, Kessel and Räty) posing for a picture with a handful of firemen! Just like the playoff beards, I chuckled a little and was not surprised at all by their entertaining actions. The McNamara Center didn’t burn down, so we entered back in and began eating brunch. Another hiccup came while we watched a highlight video showcasing all the Patty Kaz nominees, when the laptop decided to shut down for system updates. That short intermission was followed by a phenomenal speech by former Gopher head coach Laura Halldorson on her relationship with the Kazmaier family. The award announcement followed, and Amanda Kessel was crowned the 16th winner of the award. After she gave her acceptance speech, it was time for the media to rush the junior forward and for me to get back to work. I felt like a servant for the next hour or so as I followed Amanda around and carried the Patty Kaz trophy. Photos from NCAA Frozen Four include Milica McMillen’s goal against Boston University (bottom), Mira Jalusuo’s tally in the title game (top left) and Sarah Davis’ overtime game-winner against Boston College in the Semifinals (middle right).

March 21 – Frozen Four Banquet All four teams attended the Frozen Four Banquet the night before games started and little did they all know, that former Gopher great Natalie Darwitz would give an inspirational but hilarious speech. Darwitz’s speech centered on what she felt a team needs to win a championship. The four things she listed were: studs, role players, a goalie and benchwarmers. She went down the list and explained why each piece is important to the puzzle while poking fun at all facets.

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My favorite was when she said a team needs one or two studs. She then went on to say, “If you are thinking to yourself right now that I could be the stud, well sorry, but you’re not.” This comment caught junior Sarah Davis oﬀ-guard... Davis was taking a drink of her water at that point but quickly spit out her drink and broke out laughing hysterically. Darwitz’s speech wasn’t all comical and actually made valid points. Every team needs people to fill their roles; otherwise, it would be tough to mold a championship team.

PHOTOS: JIM ROSVOLD

Fans that packed Ridder Arena for the first-ever sold out Frozen Four

March 24 – Back-to-Back! The girls saved me form going completely grey at the ripe age of 25 by grabbing a multiple-goal lead and holding on to win back-to-back titles! After the awards ceremony, the girls relished in the moment by skating the trophy around the ice and showcasing their dance moves to the sold-out crowd. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Bozek and Brausen sneak away from the sea of players. They ran oﬀ the ice, and I was unsure what they were doing until they hopped back on with the water cooler. At that moment, assistant coach Joel Johnson grabbed Frosty’s attention and muttered nonsense to him, so the covert operation would not be derailed. The captains quickly skated up on Frosty and doused him as everyone in the arena roared with joy. The onice celebration went on for about 45 minutes before we went into the locker room and had emotional speeches by all the coaches, the captains and the seniors. I think everyone was still in shock of what they actually did by going undefeated on the year. I know it didn’t hit me until after the press conference wrapped up, and I was in the club room chatting with a few media members. The moment hit me when Patrick Reusse walked towards the door to leave after watching a men’s basketball team get eliminated from the NCAA Tournament and stated “Well, you can’t win them all”. Immediately, another reporter quickly corrected him by saying, “Actually, you can.” Cory Hall is an assistant athletic communications director at the University of Minnesota. You can reach Cory at cdhall@umn.edu.

NEW LEADERSHIP Meet Beth Goetz and Chris Werle, two new hires to Norwood Teague’s senior management team with Gopher Athletics

CHRIS WERLE

BETH GOETZ

Associate Athletics Director for Strategic Communications

Senior Associate Athletics Director / SWA

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Q: You have very extensive experience leading communications and branding efforts with multiple large organizations….what was the draw to this position in college athletics? A: The challenge and the people drew me here. I truly never saw myself working directly in college athletics. I have experience with NCAA athletics from the sponsor side with Coca-Cola, Allstate, General Motors and others, but never considered working on the academic side. Now that I'm here, I have no idea why it never occurred to me sooner. There is an opportunity here to take the work being done, at the University as a whole and in the Athletic Department and build overall positioning that will aid in recruiting, fundraising, studentathlete development and many other areas that lead to successful and winning programs. From a staff perspective, the energy and single-minded focus on moving the overall department forward was electric and has remained so in my first few weeks. Q: As someone that grew up in Minnesota, what are some of your top moments watching Gopher sports? A: Some of the earliest lasting memories are Tony Dungy and Kent Kitzmann at Memorial Stadium and Mychal Thompson's pooka shell necklace that I may or may not have tried to emulate as an elementary school kid depending on whether any photos survive. After that, it's the Tucker, Holmes, Breuer, Hall, Mitchell teams. Other highlights include the Women's Basketball Final Four Run, the Men's Hockey program under all of the coaches from Brooks to Lucia, the Women's Hockey dominance and all of J Robinson's All-Americans. But by far, the moment I best recall was a long time ago when a guy broke out to the front of the Twin Cities Marathon early wearing a sweatshirt with a mildly risqué message. Midway through the marathon he strips off the sweatshirt to reveal his Minnesota Track jersey. It was a cat named Lloyd Ness. He didn't win and I don't know why I remember it so vividly, but it's truly one of my favorite memories. [editor’s note: Ness was an All-American in cross country in 1981 and the 10,000 meters in 1982 at the U of M.] Q: What is your early take on the Gopher Athletics community? A: Community is exactly the right word to describe it. I'm blown away by the level of teamwork and shared commitment to this Athletic Department. Something that hinders and slows any organization is a selfish attitude and that is something I just haven't encountered here relative to other organizations I've touched. When the first thought of everyone working on a shared task is, "is it good for the program" or "is it in the best interests of the department and university," it keeps everyone on track and tied to the objectives. Q: Your career has taken you around the country and the world. Talk about a few of your favorite places you have visited. A: I loved living in the Pacific Northwest and Seattle. Living and working in New York was also fun, for different reasons. But I always seem to end up back in Minneapolis. As far as business travel, few things are as educational as getting out of your comfort zone and experiencing other cultures; the challenge of quickly learning the different audiences to whom you're marketing and how to best reach and persuade them. You can certainly read mountains of research, but until you land in a specific region of Asia, Europe or anywhere else you can't truly feel it. Q: What do you like to do most in your time away from work? A: I enjoy being outside. I run, cycle, mountain bike, kayak, water/snow ski, etc., none of which as much as I'd like. I'll catch a band somewhere if it doesn't keep me up too far past my bedtime.

Q. What were the key determining factors for you to accept the job at the University of Minnesota after spending the last five years at Butler as an associate athletics director? A: The opportunity to be a part of a first-class University with such a rich history and a passionate fan base is what got me excited. But the key was really the people. The chance to work with Norwood Teague and his staﬀ along with such a tremendous group of coaches is really what made the decision an easy one. I wanted to be a part of the future vision of Gopher Athletics, and couldn’t wait to get started. Q: What was it like being a part of Butler's back-to-back runs to the NCAA Championship Games in 2010 and 2011? A: It was an incredible experience for our student-athletes, coaches and fans to have a run like that in two consecutive years. Absolutely one of the most amazing things I have had an opportunity to be involved in during my career. Playing for a national championship is always the goal, and I was grateful to be a part of that. I can’t tell you how excited I was to get my first taste of that as a Gopher watching the Women’s Hockey team capture their second national title this year. Q: . You were a head soccer coach for a decade…how did that experience prepare you for being a top collegiate athletics administrator? A: There is no doubt that it is a priority to ensure that our student-athletes have an incredible experience, and working as a coach gives you the day to day perspective as to what the keys are to making that happen. It has also been an asset as an administrator to have been in the same shoes as our coaches, so that I know how to best support them. You have first-hand experience in regards to the commitment and challenges they face as they work to build successful teams and programs, and I think they appreciate that you understand what they are trying to do. Q: What do you miss about coaching? A: I’m not sure I realized when I first made the decision to work on the administration side that I would have to dress for the business world, so I really do miss my Nike tennis shoes and sweats. But seriously, I miss the daily interaction with the student-athletes. As an administrator you are able to engage with athletes from all sports, but the bond you develop over a four-year period with those you have the privilege to coach is very special. Q: What is your early take on the Gopher Athletics community? A: I knew that there was a passionate community surrounding the Gophers throughout the state, but it has been unbelievable to see how deep it runs. With such a prestigious academic reputation, a great history of success, and incredible people I really believe that the sky’s the limit as far as what can be accomplished here. Q: What do you like to do most in your time away from work? A: I truly love sport, so I usually find a way to be involved even when I am away from the oﬃce. I like to be outdoors running, hiking, or hacking my way through a golf course. I am also really excited to get to know the campus and Minneapolis community so I can invest some time outside of athletics as well.

GOPHER ROAD TRIP: CHALK TALK

Join your Director of Athletics Norwood Teague, select Gopher head coaches, staff and Goldy as they travel across the State of Minnesota. Proudly wear your Maroon and Gold to support the Gophers as they visit your community. Road Trip Events include: • Appearances by Norwood Teague and select coaches • Photo opportunities with coaches and Goldy • Prizes and giveaways • Food and beverages • Brief program featuring emcee Mike Grimm, Norwood Teague and select coaches Registration is free and open to the public (not including Golf Outings) Pre-registration available online or by calling 1-800-846-7437 For more information and to register for each stop, visit MYGOPHERSPORTS.com

Event details are subject to change. For more information contact Gopher Fan Relations at fans@gopherfanrelations.com or 1-800-846-7437.

40 SKI-U-MAH

A NEW CHAPTER Richard Pitino becomes Minnesota’s 17th men’s basketball coach

t has been quite a whirlwind since the University of Minnesota decided to make a change in the basketball program. Former Florida International head coach Richard Pitino was chosen to lead the Golden Gopher program and will soon be walking the raised sidelines of historic Williams Arena. If you are a college basketball fan you are aware of what the Pitino name means to the sport. Although most of that comes from Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino, not only the father of Richard, but also one of his mentors, Richard is well on his way to adding to that legacy. Pitino won 18 games last season at FIU and came within one basket of qualifying for the NCAA Tournament. Below are a couple of things you may not know about your new head coach.

Q: Was there ever a day when you felt that basketball wasn't the avenue you wanted to go down in your career? A: I always felt that I wanted to be in basketball, but I wasn’t sure in what capacity. I wasn’t sure if it was going to be high school, college or pro but growing up I knew that I loved being around basketball. I loved the relationships that were developed as a result of it. Q: Your father mentioned that he has driven you hard in your coaching career. What does that mean? A: He put a lot on my shoulders. When you have a son working for a father, it’s a little diﬀerent. I think he recognized that. He put a lot on my plate. I loved it. It made me such a better coach. I probably would not be where I am in if he didn’t push me the way he did. Q: You have worked for two great coaches in Rick Pitino and Billy Donovan. You mentioned it’s a bit of a hybrid in how you coach. A: When I grew up, I thought Rick Pitino is the only guy that knows basketball. Then I went and worked under Billy (Donovan). What it taught

me is that you have to take bits and pieces from them and pick what you like. We want to play fast. That’s our brand and our style. It doesn’t mean that a diﬀerent style is right or wrong. You have to do what you believe in and what you practice every single day and that’s what’s going to be our identity. Q: When you get to take a breath away from basketball, what are some things you like to do the most? A: Be around my family. Hanging around with my wife, daughter and dog. Just taking it easy. In Miami we would spend a lot of time at the beach. Now that we are in Minnesota I am looking forward to being around the lakes. Q: Aside from the basketball aspect, what are you looking to most about living in the Twin Cities? A: What I have been impressed with is just how welcoming the people of Minnesota are. I am looking forward to getting to know as many people as I can here. Everyone has been so friendly and so inviting…so continuing

to develop those relationships. Q: You became a father recently… how has that changed your life? A: Having a daughter has drastically changed my life. People just don’t understand it until you become a parent. Your whole life revolves around your children. Just seeing my daughter smile could be the greatest thing in the world. Seeing her play with other kids…you really don’t need to do anything else. That is what becoming a parent did to me. Q: What was it like moving around when you were young while your dad coached for Providence, Kentucky, the Knicks, the Celtics, etc? A: The hardest move to me was when we relocated to Boston from Lexington because I developed a lot of relationships in Lexington. Leaving high school was the toughest part of that move. When you are younger, it is what it is.

Although the Boston move was tough, I was also excited about it. Q: Your job has taken you all over the country and world. What are some of your favorite places to visit? A: I have been able to go to Italy a couple of times and going to the Amalfi Coast and Rome. Those have been my favorite trips. Q: Who are a few people that you have looked up to in basketball and outside of basketball in your career? A: My mother for sure. A lot of people talk about my father because he is very visible in sports but my mother is such a strong woman. She has been through so much in her life and continues to stay positive. She has been as big of a role model to me as my father. She always has a smile on her face; is always laughing. Always making the best of a situation.

PITINO’S COACHING CAREER Years Position School 2013Head Coach University of Minnesota Named 17th head coach in U of M history on April 5, 2013 2012-13 Head Coach Florida International University Led FIU to first winning season since 1999-2000 Guided Panthers to 18 wins, its highest total since 1997-98 2011-12 Associate Head Coach University of Louisville Louisville finished 30-10 and advanced to the NCAA Final Four 2009-11 Assistant Coach University of Florida Florida advanced to two NCAA Tournaments, including the 2010 Elite Eight 2007-09 Assistant Coach University of Louisville Cardinals advanced to back-to-back NCAA Elite Eights 2006-07

Assistant Coach

Duquesne University

2005-06

Assistant Coach

Northeastern University

Pitino is a 2005 graduate of Providence College.

PHOTOS: ERIC MILLER

42 BEHIND THE SCENES STRENGTH & CONDITIONING COACH MIA ERICKSON

SKI-U-MAH

ia Erickson’s love of sports is multi-faceted. The Gopher strength and conditioning coach competed in track and field at South Florida before winning an America’s Cup title and competing in the Europa Cup and World Cup circuits in bobsledding, and winning a national title in Olympic weightlifting after college. Erickson works with track and field, cross country, tennis and gymnastics athletes at Minnesota. Q: How did you get involved in bobsledding? A: I ran track at the University of South Florida. I was out running and (the bobsled federation) had a recruitment tour that they did all over the U.S., and one of their stops was at South Florida. A friend of mine came up to me and said, “Come on! I’m trying out for the bobsled team!” I’m like, “Not in Florida, you’re not. No way.” I went over there and I saw all of the signs up and the people were there, so it was legitimate. I was over talking to one of the coaches and I couldn’t try out at that point, but he invited me up to camp. I went up to camp that summer and did the five-item testing and went from there. Q: What are some of you favorite bobsled memories from your run to the America’s Cup championship? A: Just getting into the sport, there are different avenues that you have to take, especially as a driver. I started off as a brakeman and then the coach approached me about driving. I spent a lot of time in Lake Placid just driving the track. Then we did the America’s Cup, because that’s usually the path the drivers take. It’s pretty much a North American circuit. You go to Lake Placid, N.Y.; Park City, Utah and Calgary, Alberta. Vancouver wasn’t built yet at that time, so those were the three. We did several races there. One of my favorite memories was my first trip down. I was going down with a pilot named Jean Racine and she was taking a whole bunch of the newbies down. The girl before me, who’s one of my best friends now, she’s 6-1. She went down in the sled before me, and then it was my turn. The handles were still set to her 6-foot-1 frame. So I go to hop in the back of the sled, and I’m feeling for the handles, and they’re nowhere to be found. The way the seat was, I couldn’t reach with my feet either to push my butt in the back. So I’m back there just free as a bird, and I’m like, “Oh, gosh.” I’m praying, “Please don’t let us go over,” because if we go over I’m totally falling out of the sled because I have nothing to hang onto, I have nothing to push against. I was just freaking out the whole way down. Then we make it down, and they’re like, “Are you okay?” I couldn’t feel my fingers because it was cold. I had a mouthpiece in, so I couldn’t talk and I was drooling. Then I had the helmet on, so I couldn’t breathe. The whole time, they’re asking how I feel and I’m just shaking my head like, “I’m fine. I’m fine. I’ve got to get this helmet off.” Then they ask, “You ready to go again?” I’m like, “Yeah. Let’s go. Let’s go.” I still remember that feeling of panic to excitement to just wanting to breathe and get the helmet off to, “Hey, let’s go again.” I was hooked from that moment.

The Erickson File Hometown: Lake City, Fla. Bachelor’s Degree: University of South Florida Master’s Degree: Virginia Commonwealth, ’03 At University of Minnesota since 2010 Athletic Career: 2000-03: South Florida Track & Field 2004-09: U.S. Women’s Bobsled National Team 2006-pres.: U.S. Olympic Weightlifting Family: Husband: Karl

Q: After that initial moment, is it kind of exhilarating going down? A: Yes, because when you first do it, you don’t know what to expect. People tell you, “Oh, it’s this, it’s that,” and then you look at it on TV or on some sort of video and it looks like it’s a smooth ride. But it is not a smooth ride. The whole time you’re just shaking in the back. It’s not the rollercoaster ride that people think it is, but it’s definitely a lot of fun. I have a lot of fond memories my first year or two learning. It’s a learning process, getting a feel for the track, because every track is diﬀerent. Q: Did your track and field career help you with bobsledding? A: The training for bobsled is similar to that of a track and field athlete. Just add in the sliding. Then of course, add more weight, because you’ve got to get a 400-plus-pound sled moving fast from the very beginning. There’s no time for error. You only have a certain window to get the speed, and then you’ve got to get in and pull. I did weight training in college, so that was a pretty easy transition, and then just

doing all the sprint work and sleds. It was a pretty easy transition. Weather-wise, it was not an easy transition, being from Florida up there in the snow and ice I was not prepared. I learned how to dress for it, which has prepared me for my position here. Q: How did you take the step from regular weight training to competitive weightlifting? A: When I was training at the Olympic Training Center in Lake Placid, the strength coach there saw me lifting and he was like, “You should try Olympic lifting. You already do it for training. You might as well just try it out for the competition.” I said, “Yeah, okay,” because I do a lot of cleans. At that point I didn’t do as much snatch, so I wasn’t as comfortable with snatch. He worked with me and taught me how to do the snatch and I entered a competition or two here and there. It sucks you in. You start competing and then you want to go heavier and heavier. It’s kind of a pressure situation, too, because you only get three attempts. You get three and that’s it, so you’ve got to make them count. It kind of just sucked me in and I’ve been doing it ever since. Q: Does your national championship give you extra credibility when you’re training people for your job? A: I think it gives me a little something because they know I’m not afraid to throw around some weight. Then it also lets them know that I know how to do it technically, so I can teach them the proper technique. Q: A lot of times when guys see a woman carrying something, they oﬀer to help. Does anyone oﬀer to help you, not knowing how strong you are? A: Not really. They usually don’t, and I don’t even think that PHOTOS: ERIC MILLER

my stature is that big, but I guess they look at me and they’re like, “No, she doesn’t need any help. I think she’s got it.” I don’t usually get that. I get the whole, “Do you work out?” I look at people and I’m like, “No, I don’t, not at all. I’ve never even been to a gym before. I kind of wake up like this every day.” Q: How did you end up in Minnesota? A: Whenever I was doing summer training at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, I ran into a Gopher alum named Karl Erickson, who was on the men’s track team. We hit it oﬀ. Next thing you know, we’re dating. Next thing you know, we’re engaged. We were dating for a long time. We knew we wanted to be close to either my family or his family—mine in Florida, his in Minnesota. This position came open first, so here I am. I still remember telling him my first partial winter up here, “You’d better be worth it! I’m freezing my butt oﬀ. You’d better be worth this move.” But he is. Q: Do you two lift together? A: We do. But everything with us is so competitive. At one

point in time, we would throw darts to see who cooked breakfast. I mean, random stuff. We’d have our little weight wars where he’d have to be 100 pounds heavier than me. We’d get on the scale. “It looks like I’ve got you today.” We are a very competitive couple. It is actually fun working out with him. He pushes me and he does give me good coaching cues as well. He knows when to just tell me something and then kind of walk away. But he’s also seen me whenever I’ve been very angry during a workout because I’m making stupid mistakes. He knows to kind of back off and let me be angry, because him saying anything is not going to help the situation. It’s nice that he knows me and knows my personality and knows when to step in and when to back off. He’s my husband/coach. Q: What is your work schedule like? A: I get here at six. Depending on the day, I’m done at five. I have women’s track and field, cross country, tennis and gymnastics, which are all pretty much spring sports. The fall can be very busy because during the offseason you can get a lot more work done than you can during the spring when they’re competing. I have multiple groups of track and field athletes come in three days a week. I’ll have cross (country) come in two days a week, sometimes 800-meter people three times a week. It just depends on the time of year, but there are girls in every day. I’ve got tennis coming in three days a week. Gymnastics coming in twice a week. It’s pretty much trying to work around schedules. It gets pretty busy in the morning, and then there’s that low during lunch time, then it gets busy again in the afternoon when we have people coming from practice, trying to get a lift in. I like having them in groups because then I can be more hands-on with them.

Q: How hard is it to tailor workouts to different sports and different specialties? A: I probably write about 14 workouts minimum every cycle. Gymnastics has their program, but then they also have little things that need to be tweaked for certain girls. Then you have the tennis girls. Then there’s the cross girls and the mid-distance girls. Then you have the long jumpers and triple jumpers versus the short sprints and long sprints. You’ve got the javelin. The pole vaulters need a bit more than this person. It’s just knowing the needs of their particular sport and the demands of their event, and then just trying to make sure that’s incorporated into their workout. It takes time, but it is necessary. I’m not going to have a thrower doing the same thing that a distance girl is doing. There are different needs for the sports, and different systems, working different types of muscles. Q: Is it nice to work with the sport that you did in college? A: Yes, it is, because I know what they’re going through, especially when you’re working with a long jumper or triple

jumper. Their knees are bothering them. It’s like, “Yep, I know.” Triple especially. The walking wounded. Your knees will always be swelling up. Or you have the throwers out there and they’re taking throw after throw after throw. I know what they’re going through. On that note, it’s nice to have my husband who’s a thrower, because I can always bounce things off of him. He was in that position. He was an elite level thrower. So that’s nice. It’s also fun to work with sports that I didn’t compete in. It’s nice to work with different sports, because you have to find different ways to get the result that you want. The track model program doesn’t work for every team. Every team isn’t able to do those types of exercises, or it just doesn’t work with what they’re doing over in their actual sport practice. Working with something outside of track challenges me. Q: What are some of the most rewarding things about your job? A: Seeing improvement and seeing the girls get what they put in. As far as competitions go, I’m very vocal and visible at their competitions…I try and make it to as many as I can. They always hear me because I am the loudmouth always. At this past Big Ten meet for track and field, a Nebraska parent came up to me and offered me money to cheer for her kid. She was like, “You are so loud, and I can’t be that loud. I will pay you to cheer for my son.” I’m like, “I have on Minnesota full-on gear. Do you think I’m about to cheer for Nebraska?” My voice carries, and the girls always tell me they can hear me. I like the fact that they can hear me, because I truly believe in them, and I want the best for them. I love to see it all come together for them. I think I get more excited in the stands than they do themselves. I’m a big athletic person. I love going to athletic events and supporting athletes, period. interview by Justine Buerkle, athletic communications assistant

Sophomore Dusti Russell competes on the balance beam against Ohio State on March 16, 2013 at the Sports Pavilion. PHOTO: CHRIS MITCHELL

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