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A magazine focusing on all things sports in northwest Kansas

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INK.

November 2013

mode Striking fear

into the hearts of their opponents

The Hays Daily News

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They’re off

Runners take off from the starting line at the Fort Hays State University Tiger Open on Oct. 12, at Sand Plum Nature Trail in Victoria.

Jolie Green, Sports Ink.

What’s up?

16

Are you fit enough?

A look inside this issue

SouthWind CrossFit offers a unique

training experience.

6

18

Tame the beast

Injury bug

Area athletes at the top

of their game.

15

Getting ready

Natoma senior preparing herself

for jump to the United States Air Force

Conor Nicholl

explores the various injuries from this football season.

Sports Ink. contributors: Nick McQueen nmcqueen@dailynews.net Conor Nicholl cnicholl@dailynews.net Everett Royer sportsink@dailynews.net Jolie Green jgreen@dailynews.net Chad Pilster cpilster@dailynews.net Austin Colbert acolbert@dailynews.net Nicole Hester nhester@dailynews.net On the cover - Ellis sophomore Alexcia Deutscher. Photo by Chad Pilster. Special thanks to Dax McLoughlin with Body & Soul and Kathryn Mayes with Everyday You Photography.

Volume 3, Issue 9 Sports Ink. is published and distributed by The Hays Daily News. Copyright © 2013 Harris Enterprises. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. Sports Ink. is a registered trademark of The Hays Daily News, 507 Main, Hays, KS 67601 (785) 628-1081.

Good opportunity for HHS T

here are probably high school football fans who thought the longer has to contend with Hutchinson.

Hays High School football team being placed in Class 4A But in 4A, it seems there is more balance from top to botDivision I next season was going to be a drop off in competitom. It’s not necessarily tougher, but it seems deeper — starting tion. with the two teams in Hays High’s first 4A district assignment, Then the Indians 2014 schedule was released. It’s anything but Buhler and McPherson. Between the two programs, there are 16 “easy,” as some “haters” have said. playoffs appearances since 2004. Then, Abilene has been in the Not only will Hays High still be the smallest school in the playoffs every time in that same span except 2006.

Western Athletic Conference, a title the Indians have held for So Hays High’s schedule certainly did not get “easier” as some quite some time, but now they have the drop in classification to have said. If anything, it got more difficult, a welcomed chalprove it. lenge for a Cornelsen-coached program that For starters Plus, the Indians are traveling to face Olathe has risen to the challenge — for the most part Northwest, a mid-sized Class 6A school. The — since he came to Hays.

Indians will not play a single 4A school until The biggest challenge I believe Hays High they begin district play in Week 7. Then, if poswill face now is it seems to be on that bubble sible, the schedule gets even more difficult with where every two years, things might change. perennial contenders Buhler and McPherson, Programs like Russell and Goodland, which and wild card Abilene. have seemed to shift back-and-forth every time realignment But this whole move is a positive one for Hays High. In Ryan rolls around, can attest to how much of a struggle it can be to Cornelsen’s fifth season as head coach, the Indians were in the gain some consistency. mix this year for their third straight Western Athletic Conference And while I think this move will benefit Hays High in the next championship. And Hays High has made back-to-back trips to couple of years, I admit I have never been a big fan of how clasthe Class 5A state playoffs. But in the next two years, I feel Hays sifications are divided up. However, there doesn’t seem to be a High is in a far more competitive classification — from top to better way of doing it at this point — not without changing the bottom. In the past in Class 5A, it has seemed like it was one way teams qualify for the postseason. team, then everyone else. In Hutchinson’s dominant run, no 5A But that’s an entirely different argument. Just remember a school outside of Bishop Carroll could even come close. Now move to Class 4A in no way gets easier for a program that is the same could be said for that same Carroll program, which no continuing its improvement.

nick

McQUEEN

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Who’s That?

Notable performances in northwest Kansas Clint Rogers

Rogers, a senior running back/defensive back for the Smith Center Redmen, was big in the Redmen’s first two Class 2-1A, District 6 games. In 57-0 and 43-8 wins against Washington County and Ell-Saline, Rogers amassed 483 total yards of offense. The bulk came against Washington County, where Rogers rushed for 332 yards and six touchdowns. Against Ell-Saline, he rushed for 91 yards and two TDs, plus had 60 receiving yards.

The two wins pushed Smith Center’s season record to 4-2 with three games left in the regular season.

Alex Ptacek

The Russell High School senior helped the Russell girls’ golf team to a second-place finish in the Thomas More Prep-Marian Invitational by winning in a scorecard playoff against teammate Megan Boxberger.

Ptacek finished with a 96, the low round for the day at Smoky Hill Country Club.

The following week, Ptacek placed second in the Class 4A regional at Colby to qualify for the 4A state finale. She shot a 90. Boxberger also qualified for the 4A state meet.

Cameron Owens

The Fort Hays State University punter played a key role in the Tigers’ second straight win, a 31-17 victory in their first trip to St. Charles, Mo., to face Lindenwood. Owens averaged 51.2 yards per punt, and was named the MIAA Special Teams Player of the Week.

He had a 65-yard punt to the opponent’s 19-yard line.

Owens also took over kickoff duties as normal kicker Drew O’Brien battled a groin injury. Owens averaged 56.8 yards on six kickoffs.

Drew Mahin

A former Fort Hays State University hurdler, track and field assistant coach at Thomas More Prep-Marian High School, and head cross country coach at Phillipsburg High School, Mahin just wrapped up his first regular season as the head cross country coach at Cloud County Community College.

Mahin also volunteered as a coach for the Hays Striders from 2009 to 2012. He coached at TMP from 2010 to 2011 and was a student assistant at FHSU, and was at Phillipsburg for one cross country and one track and field season as an assistant.

Got an idea of someone who you think should be included in Who’s That?

Send it to sportsink@dailynews.net with Who’s that? in the subject line, or call (800) 657-6017.

Bring out the

Beast Photo by Chad Pilster

Page 6

November 2013

SPORTS INK.

t E

It

might take more than your best effort to tame these animals

Beast: Alexcia Deutscher, Ellis

llis High School sophomore Alexcia Deutscher was already well-known for her all-around talent when she entered her freshman year. Then, she delivered a dominant three-sport season and even surprised some people, including Railroader girls’ basketball coach Perry Mick.

The 5-foot-9 Deutscher is already the Sports Ink.

area’s best overall athlete after she was first team all-state Class 2A in basketball, all-state in three track events and first team all-conference in volleyball.

Deutscher remains humble, but her Twitter feed motto shows her confidence: “The best feeling in the world is walking into an athletic atmosphere November 2013

and knowing the other athletes are scared to death to compete against you,” it reads.

Deutscher isn’t sure where the quote came from – a Google search credits multiple sources, including former Baltimore Ravens standout linebacker PAGE 8 Ray Lewis.

Page 7

“I just like walking in and knowing that people are afraid of us. We are that team.”

Alexcia Deutscher, Ellis sophomore

Everett Royer, Sports Ink Ellis sophomore Alexcia Deutscher goes up for a hit in a match against Plainville at the La Crosse Invitational earlier this season.

“I just like walking in and knowing that people are afraid of us,” she said. “We are that team.”

Deutscher has impressed since a young age. A well-known story came when she was 9 years old. Deutscher was thrown out of a Hays recreation soccer game because she accidentally kicked a girl when she was “too aggressive” on a ball in the air.

A year ago, Deutscher entered her high school career full of potential. Railer volleyball coach Ellen Dreyer, a former Fort Hays State University player, immediately noticed talent. None of the Ellis players had ever run quick sets or 1-sets out of the middle, a common play at the collegiate level, but hard to execute well at high

school. Deutscher immediately did well on the plays.

“When she swings from the outside, she is also a big force and sometimes when we run slide plays, we would see it a little bit,” Dreyer said. “You see it a little bit in other teams, it just doesn’t seem like it’s the same intensity or hit that Alexcia does. There are times when she puts the ball away and the other team doesn’t even see it coming.”

Ellis, a strong contender for league and sub-state titles, has used Deutscher’s talent often on a team that has five seniors, but needed to replace standout leader and setter Bailey Hensley.

“Now after my freshman year, (opponents) are like, ‘We have to watch her. She is

probably like the best one of their team,’ or stuff like that,” Deutscher said. “It’s just nice to know that they are watching — that I am like their main focus.”

Dreyer has worked often on Deutscher’s blocking, an area of improvement this season. On overpasses or free balls, Deutscher slams the ball down and sometimes lands it beyond the opponent’s 10-foot line.

“Just whenever I hit blocks in someone’s face or hit a ball in someone’s face, it’s just like a big moment for our team, I think,” Deutscher said.

“Overpasses, whoever is playing defense on the other side, I feel sorry for them,” Dreyer added.

Conor Nicholl, Sports Ink

Beast: Devon Ghumm, Trego

Photo by Chad Pilster

D

uring the summer and when he has free time, WaKeeney-Trego Community High School senior Devon Ghumm works with Starr Construction in WaKeeney.

So, the 6-foot-2, 210-pounder knows a little something about working with steel.

The same could be said for what the Golden Eagles’ quarterback/ linebacker/utility does as he prepares to take his game to the next level. He will do whatever it takes to make himself more solid. That and helping his team improve by any means necessary.

It didn’t show up in the win col-

umn against a tough first six games in eight-man as Trego started 1-5, but Ghumm is part of a senior class that is paving the way for a Trego program that hopes to improve along the way, and take that leap into a playoff competitor in the PAGE 10 coming years.

“We’ve played hard and we work together real well as a group,” said Ghumm, who has been used as a quarterback and a running back through the start. “We’re lacking a bit of size and some speed.”

But that’s something new coach Pat Haxton has hoped to change. Ghumm immediately noticed a change in the Golden Eagles’ summer conditioning and he said it helped not only him, but the rest of the team.

“He works our butts off, hardcore,” said Ghumm, whop hopes to play at the junior college level in 2014. “It’s been tough, but good for us, I think.”

Last season, Ghumm played fullback and was mainly there to bulldoze past defenders out of the I-formation, and supplement the running style of the since-graduated Cameron Staples.

Ghumm utilized his opportunities to garner 89 carries for 601 yards and 12 scores.

However with the graduation of several key players from a 5-4 team that just missed the playoffs, plus a late summer transfer by Clayon Riedel to Hays High School, Ghumm knew he might be stepping into a bigger role.

“I really wasn’t thinking about it at all, or realizing how much I was going

to have to do,” Ghumm said. “I am kind of glad it happened. It’s helped me mature a lot — makes you realize a lot of the guys actually might look up to me. I enjoy being a leader with this group.”

Haxton, a former coach at GypsumSoutheast of Saline and Valley Center High School, told Ghumm he would be playing some quarterback this fall. He was a little shocked at first, but realized his offseason training probably prepared him for the role he was to fill. “(Weights) was something different every day the whole week,” Ghumm said. “Mondays would be dumbbells and power cleans. Tuesday would be bursts and stuff in the gym, then clean, squat and bench. Wednesdays were quick feet.

“It was a lot of work, but you can definitely tell many of us got a lot stronger and faster from it.”

Ghumm said he especially noticed it in his burst. He no longer had to rely on just sheer size and strength to run over people, but still gets his lumps in.

“I enjoy it,” he said. “I’ll do whatever I have to do to help the team as much as possible.”

In the Golden Eagles’ 1-5 start with five losses against teams that were

ranked or receiving votes in Eight-Man Division I or II at some point in the season, Ghumm was an all-purpose player.

Entering Week 7, Ghumm was 19 of 38 passing for 237 yards and four touchdowns. He had 87 carries for 455 yards and four scores. He also recorded 11.5 tackles per game from his linebacker spot with 45 solos and seven tackles-forloss, two interceptions, with one sack for a loss of 10 yards. All were team-highs.

Arguably his best outings came against perennial contender Jetmore-Hodgeman County and unbeaten Atwood-Rawlins County, then ranked No. 5 in Eight-Man Division I. “A lot of these teams at the beginning have been real tough matches,” Ghumm said. “Hope to get some redemption in the (last three).”

Ghumm also looks to be one of the Golden Eagles’ top players on the basketball court this winter, and will use his experience from the football season to carry over.

“I try to get guys pumped up as much as I can, maybe even talk a little crap to them now and them, try to get them made,” he said. “But at the same time, help us all get better.”

Nick McQueen, Sports Ink.

“I enjoy it. I’ll do whatever I have to do to help the team as much as possible..”

Devon Ghumm, Trego senior

Camaro Enough said.

Beast: Kelsey hale, Weskan L

ast season, Weskan middle hitter Kelsey Hale collected first team all-state honors for a Coyote team that finished fourth in Class 1A, Division II. In the winter, the 6-foot-2 Hale averaged 12.2 points and 11.5 rebounds, both team-bests, for a 14-6 squad.

This fall, Hale is one-third of a tall front line. Junior Grace Purvis is 6-foot and has improved on the right side. Freshman Alivia McKinney, sister of Weskan standout Samuel McKinney, is also 6-foot.

“It’s very intimidating to the other team for us to have three 6-foot players and it helps with our blocking a lot to have people who can get over the net,” Hale said.

The trio helped Weskan to a 16-5 start and No. 6 ranking a week before sub-state.

First-year Coyote coach Brynne Wright, the former junior high coach, has noticed Weskan’s blocking has increased from 2012.

“We get quite a few blocks,” Wright said.

“I think the only disadvantage to being that tall was that our back row just expects that our blockers are going to stop the ball and are not always prepared for that ball to get through, but it does.”

Hale, the daughter of Weskan superintendent Dave Hale, remembers going to her father’s practices in the first grade and looking up to the high school players who her dad coached. Dave coached Weskan

volleyball for more than 20 years, but stepped aside to watch as a father when Hale’s older sister, Brynne, entered high school.

“Definitely more in love with volleyball,” Kelsey said. “Basketball is fun, but I think it’s mainly fun because I am tall. But for volleyball, it’s really what I love to do. I think I have always loved volleyball. I think the main reason is because my dad was a volleyball coach.”

Dave Hale is around 6-foot-3 and his wife, Julie, is 6-foot. Brynne is around 5-6/5-7, while McKenna, Kelsey’s younger sister and a starter on the back row, is in the 5-8/5-9 range. Kelsey was always one of the tallest in her class and then grew several inches her freshman and sophomore years.

This season, her coach recalled several massive hits and blocks from Hale on the front line. Hale, who wants to go into nursing and has received interest from multiple junior colleges, played very well at the Gove County Classic against St. Francis.

“She pretty much dominated,” Wright said.

A big hit during the Dighton tournament especially stood out.

“The other team overpassed the ball right on the net and she hit that ball straight down and I think it landed on the 10-foot line,” Wright said. “It was pretty.”

Wright credited Purvis and McKinney for helping Hale on the front row. McKinney has passed well for a six-footer, while Purvis blocks effectively, is smart and reads the ball well.

“There have been times when we really need a stop and then we get a block, and those are the ones that I remember the most,” Hale said.

Conor Nicholl, Sports Ink.

2917 Vine, Hays (785) 625-4830

Beast: Sheldon schmidt, La Crosse A

rguably the best defensive player on one of the best defensive teams around, La Crosse junior Sheldon Schmidt earned a reputation as a hard-nosed defensive end.

Coming off a sophomore season where he collected 72 tackles (nine for loss) and seven sacks for the Class 2-1A sub-state runner up Leopards, Schmidt expected to do more of the same after the hard work he put in during the offseason.

But in Week 4, after recording 17 tackles and four sacks through the first three games, Schmidt suffered a season-ending knee injury, tearing his anterior cruciate ligament, and miniscus.

He was scheduled to have surgery to repair the injury in mid-October, but don’t worry — La Crosse’s 6-foot-3, 215-pound monster defensive end knows he’ll come back stronger.

“It just kind of seemed like I didn’t know if it was real or not,” Schmidt said of the injury he sustained in the game against Plainville.

“At first my trainer didn’t know if it was an ACL or not. It felt pretty good to me. I thought I would be back in a week or so.”

The injury, combined with surgery, will keep Schmidt out for the upcoming basketbll season and could keep him out for the entire track and field season. Schmidt qualified and finished fourth at state in the shot put for La Crosse’s Class 1A state championship team. “(The injury) just boosts the mentality,” Schmidt said. “You just have to look at it in a positive way. You have to overcome this and come out stronger.”

He pointed out examples in teammates Lucas Moeder and Alex Jay, who are back from similar injuries. Moeder, the team’s starting fullback, leads the team in rushing yards with 583 through a 6-0 start and Jay, a sophomore, is working his way into more playing time.

“Both said they came back stronger and faster,” Schmidt said. “Even though it’s a tragedy.”

He spent the first two games after the injury and prior to the surgery on the sideline, where he got a view he hadn’t seen since his freshman year.

“Everyone has room for improvement. This gives me a bit more time to see what I need

to improve on,” he said.

The setback might change his offseason workout plans just a bit, but he still knows it’s just an opportunity to make himself better, therefore coming back to keep a strong defensive tradition in La Crosse going.

“If not for the other 10 guys, I wouldn’t be (at the level) I was,” he said. “We just try our best to keep that mentality all the time. You have to go out and work your butt off.”

Nick McQueen, Sports Ink.

W

than anything to finally be able to beat Conn in a foot race.

“I’ve raced against him since freshman year.

Haven’t beat him yet. Hoping I can change that because this is his senior year,” Ratzlaff said. “I like to race against all these good people. It gives you better competition to help you get better.”

Ratzlaff is hardly an intimidating figure in person, but his reputation on the track is growing. He spent the summer training harder than in any previous year, and used a heart rate monitor to help him find his peak heart rate to maximize his training.

Prior to the start of a race, Ratzlaff has as much nerves as anyone. But once the race gets underway, he turns into a confident machine that few can keep up with.

“If you don’t have enough confidence and say you aren’t going to do very good, then you probably won’t,” Ratzlaff said. “First, it’s kind of nerve racking. When the race starts, it’s not nerve racking anymore. You just go

with the flow.”

Ratzlaff didn’t start running competitively until seventh grade. He played football when he was much younger, but found the sport just wasn’t for him. Once he started running, the success came quickly.

Ratzlaff comes from a family full of athletes. He has a second brother, Tristan, a senior who plays football and basketball at Phillipsburg. His sister Orianna, a sophomore, plays tennis and basketball.

And if Ratzlaff has his way, he hopes to find more success at his sport than any of his siblings at theirs. He wants to turn running into a college scholarship and is set on catching the few that stand between him and a Class 3A state title.

“I’m hoping to do better this year,” Ratzlaff said. “Running is an intensity. It’s a mind game … when you pass someone it gets their confidence lower.

“I’ve never really had anybody pass me before.”

Austin Colbert, Sports Ink.

Everett Royer, Sports Ink. Sheldon Schmidt makes a tackle against Hoisington in an early-season game.

Beast: Wyatt Ratzlaff, Phillipsburg hen Wyatt Ratzlaff started running competitively, his first goal wasn’t determined by a time. What he wanted more than anything was to be able to beat Brendan, his older brother by two years.

“My freshman year I raced against him, but I didn’t really beat him at all,” Ratzlaff said. “But then as the year went on I started doing better and started beating him. And he was the best one on the team at the time.”

Brendan is now in the Marines and Wyatt, a junior at Phillipsburg High School, has run his way to the top of the area’s cross country food chain.

Other than his nemesis, Alex Conn of Beloit, Ratzlaff rarely runs into many obstacles he can’t handle. He took seventh in Class 3A at state last season for cross country, running what remains a personal best time of 16 minutes, 45.70 seconds in the 5K race.

Expectations are much higher this season.

Ratzlaff hopes to push his time into the low 16s, if not the high 15s, and wants more Page 12

November 2013

SPORTS INK.

Beast: Preston Weigel, Hays H

ays High School senior Preston Weigel works on his grip every day during wrestling season. After all, a strong grip in wrestling “pretty much kills.”

And Weigel’s opponents are aware of what happens when he gets them into his death grip.

“They are more worried about his grip than they are about anything else,” Hays High wrestling coach John Hafliger said. “There are a lot of guys that don’t even want to tie up with him. They just circle away from him because they know if Preston gets ahold of you he’s got you. He’s got the grip and you aren’t going to break lose of that.”

This grip has led Weigel to back-to-back state titles in wrestling, the first at 170 pounds as a sophomore and the second at 195 pounds as a junior. He was also the state runner-up at 145 pounds as a freshman.

In three years of high school wrestling, Weigel has only four losses, none of which came as a junior. Losing isn’t something Weigel is accustomed to, and when it does happen, it just motivates him to come back even harder.

“I remember the guys because I don’t lose that much,” Weigel said. “When I was younger, if I lost to a kid I always went right back at him. And usually came back and beat them. I wasn’t one of those kids that ran. I’m not like that.”

Weigel started wrestling around the age of five after his cousin introduced him to the sport. It was instant love for Weigel. By the time he reached high school, he was already one of the most experienced wrestlers in the state.

Still, few expected Weigel to turn into the fearsome predator he is today.

“Looking back, why would I ever doubt him?” Hafliger said. “I didn’t have that crystal ball. I knew that Preston had a lot of talent.

But there is such a huge jump from what you can do in junior high versus taking that up to the high school level. I was a little surprised his freshman year about how dominant he was.”

And it’s not just the wrestling mat. Weigel’s reputation has spilled over to the football field where he is the Indians star running back. A former fullback, Weigel has become known for his ability — and desire — to run 1020 Washington 785-726-2433

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over players.

“If they get in my way, that’s what you got to do,” Weigel said about lowering his shoulder pad and delivering the blow. “If the hole is there, I cut it out and give them a little juke or something. But if there is nothing open, what else are you going to do?”

And what ultimately sets Weigel apart isn’t his athleticism or his grip, but his unwillingness to lose.

“It’s that fear of losing, those losses that he has had, that drives him to never want to have that feeling again,” Hafliger said. “I just think his reputation — when people look at him they see a strong, dominating athlete, and I think that in and of itself is frightening.”

Austin Colbert, Sports Ink.

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month in

Sports Ink.

The Hoxie High School boys’ basketball team, led by Chase Kennedy, left, and Kade Spresser, is looking good in 2013-14.

Sky’s the limit N

“Y

atoma High ou have got to have School senior motivation to not get Marcy Barth follows a nightly stressed out and just pattern. Before Barth goes want to quit to bed, she gets down on Marcy Barth the floor, uses Natoma senior her phone as a stopwatch and does pushups and situps.

The 5-foot-6 Barth has followed the habit since June to prepare for a career in the Air Force.

Barth’s best is 56 pushups and 67 situps.

“Every day,” she said.

“That’s the key is just doing them over and over.”

Barth’s repetition and career choice is part of a long journey through the last several years. Barth’s back started to hurt as an eighth grader, but she managed to qualify for state and finish ninth in Class 1A in the high jump as a freshman. Then, Barth had problems her sophomore volleyball and basketball season. Barth reached the point where she had to walk slowly and felt pain whenever she did anything.

Barth went through several At the beginning of basketball season, months of therapy in Hays and gradudoctors discovered Barth had a stress ally worked her way back. She played in reaction in her lumbar spine on the left side on the L4 and L5 vertebrae. She was just three basketball games and was hurt for one of them. Barth returned a few out for three months and in a brace for weeks into track. two of them.

.”

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“A lot of hard work and determination mainly,” Barth said. “You have got to have motivation to not get stressed out and just want to quit.”

Barth had contemplated a career in the military for awhile, but wasn’t for sure. At Christmas last year, Barth talked to her parents. Barth and her mother took a trip to Salina during Christmas break and went to a recruiting office. The Air Force was the only one present. Barth is currently part of the Delayed Entry Program where juniors can enlist in the military. As part of the program, Barth calls her recruiter each Monday and is expected to not get into trouble.

Every third Thursday, Barth travels to Salina for a meeting to talk about different aspects of the Air Force. She also does physical training where they run and do pushups and situps. On Aug. 26, Barth will attend basic training in San Antonio and go straight into active duty.

Barth will attend technical school and will became a dental assistant for the Air Force.

Once school ended last June, Barth started to focus on improving her health and fitness. When she first started, Barth could do around maybe 30 pushups and 45 situps. Now, she has already passed the Air Force physical test. According to the Army Push-Up Score Chart, Barth has already scored above 100 percent in pushups. On the Air Force requirements, females have to meet 50 situps and 27 pushups in a two-minute time.

“Kind of built it up, doing them every day,” she said.

Conor Nicholl, Sports Ink.

CrossFit Getting

Austin Colbert, Sports Ink. Southwind CrossFit trainers and owners Sharlie Staab, Jill Mall, Tucker Mall, and Josh Beiker.

Unique workout at Hays fitness center Page 16

J

osh Beiker, a 2002 Palco High School graduate and Plainville native, was introduced to CrossFit by a friend.

She was so energetic and enthusiastic about the popular exercise program it almost rubbed Beiker the wrong way.

“It annoyed me to the point where I didn’t want to do CrossFit,” Beiker said.

But the enthusiasm became infectious, so Beiker decided to check out SouthWind Fitness in Hays, which had just opened at the time and focused on CrossFit. “I heard about it and walked over to the November 2013

little wooden doors and opened them up and it was pretty creepy,” Beiker said. “It was just this little shack of a place. But the crazy thing about it was no matter how terrible the building looked, the people were awesome.”

This was in September 2012. As of May of this year, SouthWind Fitness is now SouthWind CrossFit, after it became an official CrossFit affiliate. And Beiker isn’t just one of its most dedicated athletes, but since June has been a part owner.

SPORTS INK.

The gym, or box as they are called in the CrossFit circle, now has a new — and much larger — home at 2005 General Custer, near 22nd and Vine. Beiker manages the gym alongside the husband and wife team of Tucker and Jill Mall, both Hays natives.

The origin of the box goes back to 2006 Thomas More Prep-Marian graduate Sharlie Staab, a former Monarch softball player who went on to play collegiately at The University of Dallas in Irving and at Southeastern Oklahoma State University.

Jill Mall introduced Staab to CrossFit in the summer of 2011 when Jill was working at the Hays Recreation Commission. Staab was instantly hooked, but soon moved to Dallas for softball. The first thing she did was seek out a CrossFit gym in the area and when she returned it was her goal to start something similar in Hays.

“I missed having a big community and a big area like this where we could lift and do all the stuff we need to,” Staab said. “So I threw a chunk of change at some equipment and I found a little spot by Gella’s downtown and started renting that. No heat, no air. Hardcore little back alley gym.”

She brought in Jill and Tucker Mall, who were already certified to teach CrossFit, and the gym grew from there. The Malls took

Athletes get hungry.

You need a place to store food.

Horizon Appliance and Electronics 1501 E. 27th, Hays 785-628-6131

SouthWind CrossFit instructor Sharlie Staab shows two members how to use the sit-up machine during an afternoon class.

ownership alongside Staab in April. In June, Staab sold her share of the gym to Beiker to focus on her career where she is a safety consultant for the Kansas Department of Labor.

Staab has been certified to teach CrossFit since October 2012 and still teaches classes at SouthWind CrossFit despite no longer having a stake in the business.

“Before Sharlie opened up SouthWind Fitness (Tucker and I) always had the dream of opening up our own CrossFit box,” Jill Mall said. “We went and got certified a year before Sharlie did. We had money in the bank and we were ready to get the ball rolling. But then we found a house that we wanted. We bought the house and put the CrossFit box on hold for a while.”

Jill Mall left her job at the HRC around the same time her daughter, Sperry, was born back in March. It just happened it was around this same time that Staab, who is a childhood friend of Jill’s, decided to bring on help in running the gym.

Before she introduced it to Staab, Jill learned about it from her former boss at the HRC and started doing CrossFit workouts there.

“I was constantly being challenged during every work out,” Jill Mall said. “I was getting stronger, but it was still tough. I felt like I was improving all the time instead of hitting a plateau and dropping like I was before.”

CrossFit, a fitness company founded in 2000 by Greg Glassman, now has thousands of affiliate gyms worldwide. Every workout varies, but most are built around the idea of a WOD, or Workout of the Day. Activities include everything from Olympic weight lifting and gymnastics to simple push-ups and

sprints.

While the exercises themselves are nothing new, what makes CrossFit unique is the way it is approached and the community feeling that comes with being part of a CrossFit box.

“I loved the workouts and I loved the results I was seeing, but the community was what kept me going,” Staab said. “To have people there that become like family to you, who keep you accountable. If you don’t show up and you said you were going to be there at 6 a.m. you are going to get a text or tweet or something. That community is invaluable. You can’t find that at a regular gym.”

The most difficult challenge the SouthWind CrossFit instructors face is getting people in the door. They see the CrossFit games on television and become intimidated by the great feats of strength shown by the elite athletes. But this represents just the smallest percent of the CrossFit world, and they want everyone to know that CrossFit is made to be universally scalable and shouldn’t be feared.

“We can scale everything for you,” Staab said. “We are here to take care of you. We don’t want you to get hurt. We want you to get better and find confidence and strength and have faith in yourself that you can accomplish things you never thought you’d be able to do.

“You are going to gain physical strength, mental strength. You are going to meet a lot of great people and like-minded individuals and have fun while you are doing it.”

Austin Colbert, Sports Ink.

Bad injury bug strikes D

ave Ottley is the Victoria Elementa- larbone injury. Natoma senior Jacknights. ry School principal and has served son Stull Meiers has fought knee pain Before the Week 6 contest between for several decades in the Knights’ throughout the season and had a bad Northern Valley and Natoma, I sat at a school system as a teacher and a coach. concussion in a Week 6 loss to Northpicnic table in the middle of Northern Ottley and his wife, Andrea, watched ern Valley.

Valley’s Homecoming festivities with all three of their sons, Jordan, Brett and “He said, ‘Coach, I feel like I’m about an assortment of Husky supporters.

Sam, enjoy all-state careers in at least to throw up,’” Natoma coach Aaron Several mothers and grandmothers one sport for the Knights. Ottley knows Homburg said. talked about Vincent’s injury from the injuries are part of the game.

Multiple other players have suffered week prior. One grandmother said, “I He saw Jordan suffer several concusbig injuries, too. St. Francis, a 2-3 team hate football” and wished her grandson sions; his career eventualentering Week 7, had wouldn’t play.

THE CLOSER ly ended midway through several starters out, For the Ottleys, Andrea has served in his freshman season at including 6-foot, 280the medical field for many years. The Fort Hays State University pound junior ShakoOttleys never watched their sons anbecause of a concussion. tah Blanka, who sufticipating an injury. The boys and their Brett broke his leg and fered a season-ending teammates trained hard. The coaches missed nearly all of his pelvic injury on a hit provided an avenue for success and junior year of football. in practice. opportunity to stay healthy through the In Week 4 this season, Sam, Victoria’s Football is certainly the No. 1 most weight program and extra training. standout quarterback, had his football watched sport nationwide and receives “I think that takes you a long way and career close against Claflin-Central more attention than any other prep helps keep you from getting injured,” Plains. He likely will miss most, if not sport in Northwest Kansas.

Dave Ottley said. “It’s just one of those all, of basketball season. Ottley’s kneeHowever, it’s a fine line that every fam- things. It happens. It’s the negative side cap broke on a sideline hit. ily has to straddle between the short of sports that you always hope to avoid.

A few days after the injury, Dave Otand long-term health risks of the game It just happens, whether it’s my son or tley spoke for about four minutes about with the enjoyment and memories a somebody else’s son, you hate to see it his son’s career. Then, Ottley couldn’t boy receives from playing on Friday happen.” hold back the tears.

“For her and I, the hardest part is ACIDIZING CEMENT TOOL RENTAL knowing that after all of these years of Jordan, Brett and now Sam, an Ottley running out on the football field, or the basketball court…”

Ottley paused for a few seconds to compose himself.

“After a lot of years, it won’t happen again,” he said. “Just tough. It’s tough.

It’s a lot of years of enjoyment and always seeing one of our boys run out there, and it just won’t happen again.”

Sam Ottley’s kneecap is one of several KENTON UBELAKER major injuries from top area players Osborne senior this season. La Crosse junior defensive Ubelaker was an offensive catalyst for the Osborne Bulldog football end Sheldon Schmidt (knee), Almenateam, which started the season with Northern Valley senior lineman Ian six straight wins and was the highest scoring team in Eight-Man Division I. Vincent (ankle) are done for the year, Through six games, Ubelaker had 59 and Hays High School junior quartercarries for 705 yards (11.95 average) and 15 rushing touchdowns. He had back Alex Delton (groin) was signifi1,164 total all-purpose yards, includcantly hobbled in one and missed two ing receiving, kick returns and punt returns with 22 total TDs. of the first six games.

“Football is a dangerous sport,” Northern Valley senior quarterback Hunter Chandler said. “You don’t like to see other people get hurt, but it just makes you think about the game a little more.” swiftinc@gbta.net Office: 785.798.2300 P.O. Box 466, Victoria defensive back Clayton Roth, Cell: 785-798-5341 Ness City, KS 67560 a four-year starter, is done with a col-

conor

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