Siouxland Life - February 2018

Meet Siouxland’s Olympic medalist

It’s great to grill in the winter

Ice shacks are really, really warm

A GUIDE FOR LIVING IN SIOUXLAND

OUTDOORS …

AND OLYMPICS

CHANNEL YOUR INNER ATHLETE THIS CHILLY MONTH SAVOR THE TASTES OF KOREA

FEBRUARY 2018

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February 2018

SIOUXLAND LIFE

CONTENTS February

2018

We’ve got fun for you inside and outside this month. If you like to watch others, tune into the Olympic Games and revel with the Siouxlanders who know the competition up close and personal. We talk with an Olympic champ, an Olympic family, contenders and a Siouxland food pro who knows Korean food. Then, if you’re adventurous, head outside and enjoy skiing, tubing, snowshoeing or any number of outdoor sports.

(And, if you’re like us, you’ll really warm to bowling, another “great for winter” activity.) This isn’t a month for sitting still. It’s a time for action.

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THE EXTRA MILE Meet Derek Miles, the Siouxlander who boasts an Olympic medal for his skills at the summer games. Where does he keep it?

We’ll reveal.

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INSIDE ACTION HEATS UP Bowling is often seen as a winter sport. But it isn’t accompanied by cold winds and biting temperatures.

It’s a hot one for Morningside College.

23 ON THE COVER Caitlin Renson, 13, tubes down the hill at Cone Park in Sioux City. She’s one of the first to use the new city park, a winter getaway for Siouxlanders. Learn more about it on page 23.

Photograph by Tim Hynds

FEATURES 4 HOME a great move 13 OLYMPICS the medalist 16 OLYMPICS family affair 18 OLYMPICS Muskie power 20 OLYMPICS tastes of Korea 23 OUTDOORS slide like a champ 26 OUTDOORS skis, shoes, snow

29 32 35 39 42 44 47

OUTDOORS inside action OUTDOORS ice, ice baby OUTDOORS kids, survival OUTDOORS hockey rules OUTDOORS grilling!

HEALTH medical answers PARTING SHOT

PUBLISHER Cynthia Donovan EDITOR Bruce Miller EDITORIAL Dolly A. Butz, Tim Gallagher, Earl Horlyk, Mason Dockter PHOTOGRAPHY Tim Hynds, Jim Lee, Justin Wan DESIGN April Burford and Sara Harvey ADVERTISING SALES Kaylee Betterton ADVERTISING DESIGN Kayla Fleming

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©2018 The Sioux City Journal. Siouxland Life is published monthly by The Sioux City Journal.

For advertising information, please call (712) 224-6279. For editorial information, please call (712) 293-4218.

HOW N’ICE Ice shacks don’t have to be a bother. Now you can travel just about anywhere and enjoy the best fishing.

SIOUXLAND LIFE

February 2018

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HOME

fits to a tee

Eric Hanson and Christina Kjar-Hanson sit in the living room of their home at Holstein, Iowa. The home is located on Benning Drive, part of Holstein’s East Ridge Development on the east side of Holstein Country Club.

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FEBRUARY 2018

SIOUXLAND LIFE

COUPLE HAS

AN ‘ACE’ IN HOME ON HOLSTEIN GOLF COURSE

h

Text by Tim Gallagher Photographs by Tim Hynds

HOLSTEIN, IOWA | Eric Hanson occasionally steps outside to his back yard and hits an 8- or a 9-iron 150 yards to the No. 8 green at the Holstein Country Club.

He’s got his father-in-law to thank.

“Christina’s dad, Marc Kjar, leveled a spot in our back yard,” Hanson said. “It’s our tee box.”

Aaron Nedved, superintendent at the course, added to the fun by placing an old ball washer and its connected trash container to the site. Christina Kjar-Hanson, the landscaper of the family, plants flowers in the wastebasket to let golfers know it’s not there for trash.

The true No. 8 tee box is located on the course, of course, 100 yards or so west, but still barely a short chip from the back yard that services this 4-year-old home the couple had built on Benning Drive, a street that’s helped Holstein realize an uptick in new home construction since it rose from a field of corn only a handful of years ago.

“There are two homes being built right now,” said Hanson, a Holstein native who returned home 11 years ago to work for the community’s largest employer, the homegrown VT Industries.

“Another three homes will start in the spring. There’s a lot of activity here.”

H&H Builders if Kingsley, Iowa, served as general contractor for the home of Eric Hanson and Christina Kjar-Hanson on the east side of Holstein Country Club in Holstein, Iowa.

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SIOUXLAND LIFE

Holstein City Clerk Kay Hanson disclosed that of 39 lots in Phase 1 of the East Ridge Subdivision located east of the golf course, 22 have been sold.

Another 14 lots can be developed in a second phase, a cul de sac as Benning Drive extends north in the future, growing ever closer to Russ Kraai Field on the southeast edge of the Ridge View High School complex. “Much of the building has taken place here in the past couple of years,� said Christina Kjar-Hanson, a native of nearby Ida Grove, Iowa, and a photographer for 15 years.

She recently purchased and worked with H&H Builders of Kingsley, Iowa, to remodel the old McGuire Auction Co. site on Main Street for her office and photography studio, Christina Kjar Photography.

Choosing H&H Builders, she said, was a

“We love the wood and the white subway tile between cabinets and counter tops.”

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A subway tile backsplash helps add light in the kitchen.

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The kitchen, highlighting a subway white tile back splash, helps brighten the home.

pretty easy selection, since that was the firm she and Eric chose as general contractor for their 3-bedroom home four years ago.

“My dad (Marc Kjar) dug the basement and H&H Builders did everything else,” Christina said, noting how the construction process began in March 2014 and was completed for their move-in just six months later.

The couple had lived in Eric’s home on Main Street, the home in which he was raised, since they wed on June 29, 2013. They sold that home to Eric’s brother, Gavin Hanson, and moved east to the golf course.

“I do like to golf,” Eric said. “On the weekends in the summer, that’s what I do.”

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Photographer Christina Kjar-Hanson sometimes edits photos for Christina Kjar Photography in her home on Benning Drive, part of the East Ridge Development that helps fuel residential growth in Holstein, Iowa.

“We liked the location,” Christina added. “Plus, we wanted to build something new.”

The spacious home with its open concept boasts 2,400 square feet of living space on the main floor. The basement, which will be finished in a matter of months, has just about that much space.

The main floor is comprised of three bedrooms, an office and 2.5 baths. The great room, which opens to expansive windows on the west side of the home, allows easy viewing of the golf course

Christina Kjar-Hanson stands in the entry while looking into the home office space at the home she shares with husband, Eric Hanson.

PreParing to Buy in 2018 Check Your Credit Score Credit requirements have become more strict in recent years, making it challenging for some buyers to find home loans. Having a favorable credit score can make a huge difference in getting approved for a loan.

Even if you think nothing has changed on your credit report, it’s smart to check anyway. Ideally you should strive for scores in the mid-to upper-700s to land the best rate, but some lenders will borrow Prioritize Your Must-Haves If you’re if it’s in the 500-600 range. Also, refrain a first-time home buyer, it’s crucial to from opening any new credit cards in the sit down and think through what your months leading up to your purchase. needs and wants really are, particularly Set a Realistic Budget Don’t let your regarding size, location, and amenities. maximum loan approval amount dictate Even seasoned home owners will find that what your home-buying budget should be. setting aside the time to write down what You are the best and only judge of what you need in a new home will save you a ton you can safely, realistically afford. Many of time in the long run. Instead of sorting experts advise that your total monthly through listing after listing, you can home expenses should not exceed more narrow it down significantly by knowing than one-third of your gross monthly income. Don’t forget you’ll need extra to what your must-haves are.

Here it is, 2018 and you’ve decided this Darrel Bullock is the year you’re President Sioux City Building Inspections going to purchase a new home. Whether you’re a first-time buyer or a move-up buyer, the sooner you start preparing, the better. By following these simple tips, you’ll feel confident and ready to get out there and find the perfect home for you.

cover any loan fees and closing costs and include that in your final budget.

Sell Your Current Home If buying a new home is contingent on selling your current one, it’s a good idea to start by reaching out and consulting with your realtor. You probably want to sell your home quickly, but keep in mind that if you want to get the best price possible, it’s critical to wait and put it on the market at just the right time.

In the meantime, you can work on any maintenance issues your home may have and make a plan for when, how, and if each one will be addressed. Find the help you need to sell the old and plan for the new at the Siouxland Home Show, March 1-4 at the Sioux City Convention Center. Before you go, check out this website for the latest information and a list of exhibitors that will be showcasing their products and services at siouxlanhba.com/home-show.

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February 2018

SIOUXLAND LIFE

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February 2018

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A Jacuzzi tub is near the master bathroom. Christina, left, talks about the design of the home’s master bedroom.

and patio, where the couple loves to spend time eight to nine months of the year.

“Our outdoor space in the back has a covered patio with a couch and table,” Christina said. “Eric has a smoker and he loves to cook.”

The kitchen has a two-tiered island/ bar that runs 12 feet from end to end.

Its lighter colored top, which comes from VT, naturally, matches that found throughout the house, adding to the airiness.

“We love the natural light,” Christina said.

Wood cabinets, a railing and wood components on the front of the home have a Craftsman bent.

“We love the wood and the white subway tile between cabinets and counter tops,” Christina said, adding that the most-used place in the home, thus far, is the kitchen/great room area.

The couple selected laminate wood flooring throughout the living area, save for the three bedrooms, which have

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February 2018

SIOUXLAND LIFE

carpet. “We wanted something nice and durable,” she said of their flooring option.

The master bedroom, situated with yet another view of the golf course, has the space the couple likens to a motel suite. Amish furniture, custom made, comes from Matt Furniture in Spencer, Iowa.

“We picked the wood, the color and designing, then it was built and delivered,” said Christina, motioning toward the bed and its matching night-stands and dressers.

A Jacuzzi soaker (no jets), shower and double vanity highlight the master bathroom, which, like the other bathrooms, has dura-ceramic flooring. The master bathroom also features a walk-in closet.

The home ideas came together through a couple of floor-plans. While Christina searched online for components she sought, Eric had floor plans crossing his desk at VT almost daily.

“We copied-and-pasted from two different plans and presented it to H&H Builders,” said Christina, who noted that H&H Builders also constructed current

The dining room.

SIOUXLAND LIFE

February 2018

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A display of photos helps chronicle their shared life. Eric works for VT Industries in Holstein, while Christina owns and operates Christian Kjar Photography in downtown Holstein.

residences for her parents and Eric’s parents. “The process went so smoothly. It really went well.”

In a matter of months, the plans and construction fell into place, ultimately landing this couple in a place they hadn’t considered years before. “I never thought I’d live in Ida County,” said Christina, who lived in Cedar Falls, Iowa, for five years after her days at the University of Northern Iowa.

Initially, she came back to work with Don Knop of Knop Photography in Ida Grove, then branched out to Storm Lake, Iowa, for three years. She ended up moving to Holstein, where many of her 12

February 2018

friends resided.

Eric, who matriculated to Iowa State University following his graduation from Galva-Holstein High School, had worked and resided in Hills, Minnesota, for a few years and then at Citibank before moving back to Holstein for the job at VT Industries.

And while the couple met at a Halloween party in Holstein in 2006, Christina said Eric was at her 21st birthday party in Cedar Falls a few years before that. “He was at my party and I didn’t know it,” she said with a laugh.

The couple said they enjoy everything about life in Holstein, including

SIOUXLAND LIFE

their employment opportunities and the chance to work on behalf of the community with a number of young professionals.

“Lots of people have come back to Holstein in the past decade, to work, or to farm, or to start businesses and families,” she said. “Holstein has a lot going for it.”

And what it doesn’t have, Eric said, can easily be found in nearby cities such as Sioux City, Des Moines, Omaha, Sioux Falls, the Twin Cities and the Iowa Great Lakes. Other sites such as Storm Lake, Denison and Ida Grove are all within a 30- to 45-minute drive.

OLYMPICS the

medalist

SIOUXLAND AND THE OLYMPICS As teams from around the world head to South Korea, we look at Siouxlanders with a special connection to the Olympic games.

OLYMPIC MEDALIST

v

‘I still could have beat him’: Derek Miles talks about 2008 bronze Text by Mason Dockter Photographs by Justin Wan

VERMILLION, S.D. | Where does Derek Miles store his Olympic bronze medal – in a special case glorifying its greatness?

In a frame at his office? In a safe deposit box?

None of the above. Not yet, anyway.

“I think it’s in my wife’s nightstand,” Miles said with a laugh. “I think.”

Not that it will reside in a drawer forever, like grandma’s wedding ring – Miles said he plans to put it on display in his house at some point, along with photos and mementos from his pole vaulting career and three Olympic games.

“An Olympic medal probably deserves more than just sitting in your nightstand,” he said.

Miles, who won a bronze medal for the pole vault in the 2008 Beijing games, didn’t receive his medal until April 2017.

That’s because he originally came in fourth – until Ukrainian Denys Yurchenko, the original bronze winner, was disqualified for doping.

Chatter of possible doping had circulated since about a year after the 2008 games, Miles said, but with each passing year he figured the odds decreased that anything would come of it.

Olympics officials tried repeatedly to get Yurchenko to cooperate with the doping investigation, but to no avail, Miles said. While he was finally stripped of his medal in 2016, he never actually gave it back.

So instead, Miles was given one of the original 2008 bronze medals that had

For Derek Miles, Olympic greatness didn’t come overnight. It took more than a decade of work before he competed at his first Olympics, in 2004.

SIOUXLAND LIFE

FEBRUARY 2018

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Derek Miles, three-time Olympian and University of South Dakota’s associate director of track and field/jumps, keeps some of his track mementos in his Vermillion, S.D., office.

been kept as a spare.

While Miles called Yurchenko’s unwillingness to relinquish the medal “kind of unfortunate,” there is a bright side.

“It’s 50-50, I mean, do you want the medal that’s been sitting in the Ukrainian’s sock drawer for, you know, 10 years?”

Miles said. “And who knows what he’s done with it, and how he’s taken care of it?

“I think having the medal that was given on that day would be kind of cool, but at the same time, having my medal – you know, this medal is specially given to me – I think was kind of maybe equally, if not more, interesting.”

Oddly enough, if Miles had doping suspicions about any of his 2008 competitors, Yurchenko wasn’t necessarily one of them.

“To be honest, there was another person in the competition that I thought, if there was a ban to come out, I thought it would have been that person,” he said.

The athlete in Miles has mixed feelings about getting a medal the way he did.

“I think the biggest disappointment for me is I was capable of jumping higher than I did,” Miles said.

“To be honest, he could have been dirty or not, I still could have beat him.”

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February 2018

Derek Miles is now an associate director of track and field/jumps at the University of South Dakota. He is shown here instructing student Kenneth McMahan.

‘I WANT TO TAKE IT ALL IN’ It took a long time for Miles to get to the Olympics. He began pole vaulting in high school in California, but never even made it to state.

In college at the University of South Dakota in the 1990s, Miles continued pole vaulting, but his performance was

SIOUXLAND LIFE

pretty unremarkable. Still, he said he was lucky to have been at USD, where coaches Lucky Huber and Dave Gottsleben nurtured his skill.

“Had I gone anywhere else, I don’t think I would have had the same experience or the same career,” he said.

After college, he kept on practicing.

Miles parlayed his years of pole vaulting expertise into a coaching gig at the University of South Dakota, his alma mater.

“It was just a long, developmental process, just sticking with it because I love doing it,” he said.

By 2000, Miles qualified for the Olympic trials and was an alternate on the team. Four years later, he was a pole vaulter on Team USA. Miles said each of his experiences at the Summer Olympics was different. In Athens in 2004, he was mostly awestruck by the opportunity to be there.

“My first Olympic experience was kind of like, ‘Wow, this is my first Olympic team, I don’t know if I’ll ever make another one, I want to enjoy it, I want to take it all in,’” Miles said. He came in seventh in the pole vault that year.

At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, Miles had hit his stride.

2008 “was a little bit of a different experience, it was a little bit more focused, a little bit more, ‘This is my chance to medal. This is kind of what I’m coming in to do,’” he said. “As opposed to ’04, I was kind of just this kid-in-a-candy-store, trying to take it all in.”

To be a great pole vaulter, Miles said, requires a combination of expertise and youth. If you haven’t been at it long enough, you won’t have the required finesse and technical skill – but if you’ve been at it too long, your age will be a millstone around your neck.

Derek Miles, three-time Olympian and University of South Dakota’s associate director of track and field/ jumps, shows his 2008 Olympics bronze medal in pole vaulting. He won the medal after Ukrainian Denys Yurchenko became ensnared in doping allegations.

By 2008, Miles was in the sweet spot – he had been pole vaulting for about 20 years, yet at age 35, he was still young enough to compete seriously.

Yet like anything else, pole vaulters’ performances can also vary greatly depending on the day. His performance that August day in Beijing was not exactly perfect.

“Pole vault’s like that. Some days it’s clicking and some days it’s not,” Miles said.

He and Yurchenko jumped at the same height, but Yurchenko got over the bar in fewer tries and beat Miles.

By the time of the London Olympics in 2012, Miles’ Achilles’ tendon was causing problems, and he didn’t make the finals.

He was nearly 40 by then, and it would be his last entry into the games as a competitor. All he really hoped for was to make the Olympic team.

“It was just kind of trying to hang on and go out with a bang kind of a thing,” Miles said. “It was more of a pop than a bang.”

Today, Miles is a track and field coach at USD. He retired from pole vaulting in 2012.

Does he ever pole vault for old time’s sake?

“Maybe once a year I pick up a pole and just run down and goof off for a couple jumps,” Miles said. “But I wouldn’t call that pole vaulting. I would call that screwing around.”

SIOUXLAND LIFE

February 2018

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OLYMPICS

family affair

OLYMPIC FANS

SET THE ALARM

g

TO CATCH NEPHEW IN ACTION Text and photos by Tim Gallagher

Beth and Jeff Bunkers, of Granville, Iowa, wear lanyards with event passes and credentials from the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. The lanyards were decorated with Olympic pins Beth Bunkers collected as a three-time Olympic Games spectator. Her nephew, Brian Hansen, is a member of the U.S. speedskating team.

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FEBRUARY 2018

SIOUXLAND LIFE

GRANVILLE, IOWA | Beth and Jeff Bunkers may set the alarm for a few wacky times this month.

It happens when a nephew competes halfway around the world, crossing a multitude of time zones, to get to the Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

The Bunkerses, though, have been there before. Literally, they’ve been there before. Beth and Jeff attended the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia, the last time nephew Brian Hansen competed on the world’s biggest stage.

They also attended the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver, British Columbia, when Brian, then 19, won a silver medal as part of the team pursuit competition for the U.S. Olympic Long Track Speedskating Team.

“We upset the Dutch team in the 2010 Olympics and earned the silver medal,” Hansen said. “That’s my Olympic highlight to this point.”

Hansen, who resides in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, keeps the silver medal in a bag, getting it out every once in a while to show someone who asks.

With ardent supporters in family members who reside in Sioux County, Hansen may represent one of the closest ties Northwest Iowa has to the 2018 Olympic Games. Jeff and Beth Bunkers, who supported him at the last two Olympic venues, chose this year to attend races in Salt Lake City, Utah, precursors to the Olympic Trials. Getting all the way to South Korea, Beth Bunkers said, wouldn’t work with their schedules this time around.

“We’ll be up watching him compete when that happens,” said Beth Bunkers, a three-time Olympic Games spectator, who witnessed her first Olympics in person when they were held in Montreal, Canada, in 1976. Bunkers has a collection of Olympic pins she added to during subsequent visits while cheering on Hansen.

Brian Hansen, left, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, takes a selfie with his friends and family members who cheered him on at the Olympic Trials at the Pettit National Ice Center, in Milwaukee. Hansen, who has relatives in Granville, Iowa, competes this month in his third Olympic Winter Games. Provided

Will he get a pin or two from Pyeongchang for her? “I hope so,” she said.

Jeff Bunkers, incidentally, began preparing for their 2014 trip to Sochi by studying Russian some four years earlier. He learned enough to be able to read signs and ask for directions. The couple spent one week there and got to pal around with Hansen as he showed them the Olympic Village. Jeff and Beth met U.S. speed skating legend Bonnie Blair on that trip.

“We had our picture taken a few times by Russians just because we were American,” she recalled.

This time around, though, they’ll be home and glued to their computer or TV screen, hoping to catch one of Hansen’s races. The 27-year-old said he’s feeling fine, physically, and is quite excited for his first competition, one that takes place four or five days following the opening ceremonies.

Hansen’s training regimen is robust, as one would expect. The University of Colorado graduate trains 10.5 months per year for this sport. When he’s not working out on the ice, or lifting, he can be found doing additional core work and physical therapy. Away from training, Hansen likes to cycle and surf on Lake Michigan. He’s even done some winter surfing on the lake.

“I’ve also cycled all over Wisconsin in the summer and we did a five-day camp in Yellowstone (National Park),” Hansen said. “I think I’ve done 2,500 to 3,000 miles on the bike over a fivemonth period.”

Hansen earned second place in the

Beth Bunkers, of Granville, Iowa, shows some of the Olympic pins she purchased and traded for during her time at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, and four years ago at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada.

“We can’t wait to watch.

It’s very exciting for Brian and the whole family.”

BETH BUNKERS Olympic Trials to secure a berth in his third straight Winter Olympics. The team fields three 1,500-meter competitors, so his landing a spot in the team came without a lot of suspense.

“There’s always some pressure with the Olympic Trials,” he said. “But, going

into the 1,500 meters, it was looking like I could be the favorite. However, there were two other guys who were really skating well.”

Hansen finished second, touching off a family celebration that included his aunt and uncle, his biggest Northwest Iowa fans.

“We can’t wait to watch,” said Beth Bunkers. “It’s very exciting for Brian and the whole family.”

Brian Hansen said the Olympic venue won’t take much getting used to as he skated there one year ago in World Cup competition.

SIOUXLAND LIFE

FEBRUARY 2018

17

OLYMPICS

Muskie power

Ruslan Fedotenko, a Ukrainianborn former Musketeers player, took part in a Winter Olympic preliminary for Team Ukraine in 2002. In this 2004 photo, Fedotenko (by then playing with the Tampa Bay Lightning) brought the Stanley Cup to Sioux City.

Jim Lee photo

GOAL:

PLAYING

s

Former Musketeer Ruslan Fedotenko on his 2002 Olympic hockey journey Text by Mason Dockter

SIOUX CITY | Ruslan Fedotenko didn’t feel cheated about having his appearance at the 2002 Winter Olympics cut short by obligations to his National Hockey League team.

In fact, the very idea of being bitter about it seems foreign to him.

“That’s just a part of life – I was under contract,” Fedotenko said.

Fedotenko, who played with the Sioux City Musketeers in the 1998-99 season, competed in one preliminary round at the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics, but was unable to play in more, partly due to obligations to his NHL team at the time.

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FEBRUARY 2018

THEY LIKED ME AND THEY KEPT ME’ A native of Kiev, Ukraine, Fedotenko came to Sioux City after playing in a junior hockey league in Saskatchewan.

“After that year, I had offers to go to college, but I needed to play one more year in juniors and pass my SATs, so that’s how I ended up in USHL,” he said.

“Actually was an interesting story, because I was having tryouts in Des Moines, and they already had two Europeans who they liked better. So they picked them and so I ended up getting, I guess, offered to Sioux City, and Sioux City decided to take me, give me a shot.

So then I went to training camp there, and they liked me and they kept me.”

SIOUXLAND LIFE

What does Fedotenko remember of Sioux City?

“It was honestly, a bigger town than I was playing in Saskatchewan, but it’s still a pretty small city. I mean, I was from a four million-people city, from Kiev, so to me is a little bit of a change,” he said.

But there was one change that Fedotenko found challenging.

“The only thing I was having a tough time to adjust to in the beginning, is the smaller rink, auditorium rink,” he said. “It was an older arena, and the ice surfaces are much smaller than currently right now.

“As a European, I was coming from Olympic-size ice. So for me it was

OTHER OLYMPIC CONTENDERS

SKETEERS SIOUX CITY MU

(s) played Ukraine Year From: Kiev, ers: 1998-99 te ity Muske C ux o Si h it w preliminary layed in one Olympics: P Winter aine in 2002 for Team Ukr y it lt Lake C Olympics, Sa

– double adjustments needed to be made, to play in the smaller rink.”

Fedotenko only stayed parked in Sioux City for a year. By 2000, he was in Philadelphia, first playing with the Phantoms before moving up to the NHL, joining the Philadelphia Flyers.

NO CHANCES TO QUALIFY’ It was while he was with the Flyers that Fedotenko was invited to participate in preliminary rounds at the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics, to represent his home country.

“At the time, I was one of the top (Ukrainian) players in the country,” he said.

“However, I was playing in the NHL.” He had to ask permission from his club to take part in the preliminary games – but the scheduling just didn’t work out. In fact, making it to just one preliminary round was a breakneck feat in itself.

“I played with the Flyers in St. Louis, one game, one day, and they went home, and I flew to Salt Lake City, played that night a preliminary game, and then jumped on a redeye and flew overnight back to Philly because we had another game there,” Fedotenko said.

If he had wanted to, Fedotenko said he still

SIOUX CITY MUSKETEER S

SIOUX CITY MUSKETEERS

From: Un ited State s Year(s) p with Siou layed x City Mu sketeers: 2006-07 Olympics : Played w ith Team 2014 Win USA in ter Olymp ics, Sochi

From: France Year(s) played with Sioux City Musketeers: 2007-09 Olympics: Took part in the qualifying round for the 2018 Winter Olympics for Team France

could have returned to the preliminaries after the game in Philadelphia – but by that time, Team Ukraine had already lost another game, and “so they had no chances to qualify.” And since the Flyers still needed him (he was under contract), he didn’t return to the games.

Which didn’t seem to upset him too much.

“You always would like to represent your country,” he said.

But -“I’ll be honest – when I was a kid, I never thought I would be playing in the Olympics and playing to represent the country. Never thought about that... The culture, how we grew up there, we didn’t really emphasize the Olympics and everything.”

SIOUXLAND LIFE

FEBRUARY 2018

19

OLYMPICS

tastes of Korea

SEOUL FOOD

Hyunji Lee is shown at her Dakota Dunes, South Dakota home with a cookbook she authored in 2005 in Korea. A native of Seoul, Lee has cooked on several Korean television shows and worked as a food stylist.

South Korean native sheds light on the country’s cuisine

d

Text by Earl Horlyk | Photographs by Tim Hynds

DAKOTA DUNES, S.D. | Hyunji Lee said she is excited that the 23rd Winter Olympics will be coming from Pyeongchang, South Korea, on Feb. 9.

A Seoul, South Korea, native now living in Dakota Dunes, she wants more people to be aware of Eastern Asian culture.

“For many people, Korean culture is still a bit of a mystery,” Lee said. “Hopefully, the Olympic Games will bring more attention to everything the country has to offer.”

Specifically, she’d like more Americans to become aware of South Korea’s increasingly important role in world cuisine.

A classically trained chef and food stylist, Lee was a well-known television personality and food writer for newspapers and magazines in South Korea. She even wrote “Everyday Delicious,” which puts a new spin on traditional cuisine.

“I specialize in fusion cuisine,” Lee said, inside her home kitchen. “I’ll take a recipe that is very common in a Korean home and give it a Western twist with a few new ingredients.”

Or she will re-imagine a dish, making it healthier with fresh ingredients.

Which isn’t to say that Korean isn’t already very healthy.

“Korean food uses plenty of vegetables and herbs,” Lee said. “It is already low in calories and cholesterol.”

Indeed, she said, her fusion style of cooking is merely updating tried-andtrue dishes.

Considered a pioneering voice in the

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FEBRUARY 2018

The back cover of Hyunji Lee’s Korean-language cookbook, “Everyday Delicious” is shown in this photograph. Lee, a native of Seoul, South Korea, now lives in Dakota Dunes, South Dakota, and has cooked on several Korean television shows and worked as a food stylist.

Modern South Korean food scene, Lee has seen Korean fusion cuisine take off in Western Europe, as well as in major cities across the United States.

However, the Midwest has proven slightly less receptive to her unique take on Seoul cooking.

“Some Korean foods are becoming better-known,” Lee said, mentioning that Korean-style barbecue and kimchi (a traditional side dish made with fermented vegetables) can be found on many

SIOUXLAND LIFE

restaurant menus.

With the Winter Olympics bringing more attention to Korea, she predicts Americans will become more aware of such legendary dishes as galbi (barbecue ribs cooked on a metal plate over charcoal) and japchae (a sweet and savory dish of stir-fried noodles, meats and veggies that is seasoned with sesame and soy sauce).

Lee also said bibimbap (a very popular

Korean meal in which warm white rice is topped with sauteed vegetables, a spicy chili paste called gochujang, meat and an egg are served in the same bowl) is a very popular dish.

“Everything in bibimbap is stirred together,” she said, noting this is a variation of Korean fast food.

In fact, a typical Korean meal is made up of small plates of a multitude of different foods.

Lee said a meal may be made up of as many as seven to 10 banchans – or tiny bowls.

“I think that’s the biggest difference between American food and Korean food,” she acknowledged. “Americans like big plates of meat and potatoes while Korean prefer plates of smaller portion representing different types of foods.”

This also sets Korean cuisine apart from other cuisines in Asia.

“In taste as well as ingredients, Chinese food is somewhat similar to Thai and Vietnamese cuisine,” Lee suggested.

“Korean cuisine is different as is Japanese cuisine.”

Still, Korean cuisine is as delicious as it is healthy. She simply wants her native cuisine to become less exotic to western tastes.

“Once you taste Korean food, you’ll be hooked,” Lee said.

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February 2018

21

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OUTDOORS slide

like a champion

People wait for the start of their tubing session at Cone Park in Sioux City.

THE HILL IS ALIVE

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Tubing hill packs fun, speed for Cone Park visitors

People tube down the hill at Cone Park in Sioux City.

Text by Dolly A. Butz | Photographs by Jim Lee

SIOUX CITY | While growing up on a farm in the country, Phil Choquette recalled hooking a washing machine lid to a truck and “sledding.”

One could argue that the Salix, Iowa, man will get a much safer and smoother experience flying down Cone Park’s 83-foot-tall hill on a snow tube.

“We figured they got something new, we better try it out,” Choquette said

while dozens of children, teens and adults began forming a line at the base of the hill on a sunny but frigid December afternoon. Choquette, who like many other park-goers was visiting Sioux City’s new winter attraction for the first time, flashed a thumbs up before grabbing a red snow tube and heading for the carpet lift with daughter, Jacey, 17, and son Colton, 15.

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23

People tube down the hill at Cone Park in Sioux City. The winter attraction opened to the public on Dec. 21.

People keep warm inside the day lodge while watching others tube down the hill at Cone Park in Sioux City.

Besides an impressive sledding hill, Cone Park, 3800 Line Drive, boasts a day lodge, a refrigerated skating rink that will be converted into a splash pad in the summer, and a 2-mile trail loop that connects with Sertoma Park to the east.

Cone Park, which was built in honor of the late philanthropist Ruth Cone whose bequest in 1981 grew to $2.9 million, opened to the public on Dec. 21.

The hill can accommodate 300 users at a time, who must be at least 5 years old.

Tubing sessions are divided into fourhour increments and range in cost from $7 to $10.

Matt Salvatore, Sioux City Parks and Recreation director, said consistent cool temperatures in the upper 20s make for ideal sledding conditions on the hill, where snow is made with automated equipment.

24

February 2018

IF YOU GO Cone Park, 3800 Line Drive, is open from 5 to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Saturday and Sunday. Admission prices range from $7 to $10. Visit sioux-city.org for more information or to register online for tubing.

“It’s better to groom the hill when it’s a little cooler. When it gets warm, it gets soggy and slushy. When it gets cold at night, that slush just turns to ice,” he explained. “We’re looking for consistent cooler temperatures. The colder it is, the more snow we make.”

“Fun and fast” was Cael Johnson’s review of the sledding hill. After the 10-year-old Wakefield, Nebraska, boy’s

SIOUXLAND LIFE

tube jerked to a halt somewhere between the end of a lane and a high berm of snow, he jumped up and began dragging the tube back to the carpet lift for Round 2, as the latest pop hits blared from speakers.

Arlene Ummach, who was sledding with her twin grandsons, had a look of shock mixed with glee plastered across her face as she slid to a stop.

“It was great!” the 67-year-old Sioux City woman said wide-eyed and slightly out of breath. “It scared the devil out of me when I went backwards.”

Abbi Gerholdt, who said she had been eagerly awaiting Cone Park’s opening for some time, wasn’t disappointed either.

“It was super fun! I went backwards the whole time. It was crazy!” the 20-year-old Sioux City woman said.

Salvatore doesn’t have any additional advice for first-time park-goers, other than making sure they follow the rules.

He said only one person is allowed on a tube at a time and they are to go down the hill feet first.

“Pay attention to our attendants at the top and the bottom of the hill and you’ll be in good shape,” he said.

When park-goers need a break from the snow-covered slope, they can warm themselves while sitting on benches positioned around a brick fire pit or walk a few extra feet to the day lodge. Sunlight spills through the modern-looking building’s floor to ceiling windows. The lodge, which features a flat-screen TV and LED fireplace, is furnished with picnic and pub tables. The building also has a row of lockers and a concession area where

CONE PARK BY THE NUMBERS The 83-foot-tall hill has

10 TO 15 INDIVIDUAL tubing lanes.

The tubing run is

700 FEET LONG and 126 FEET WIDE. The carpet lift that takes park-goers up the hill is 450 FEET LONG.

THE HILL HAS A SNOW BASE OF 18-24 INCHES, Phil Choquette, of Salix, right, and his son Colton, 15, and daughter Jacey, 17, keep warm by the fire pit as they wait for the afternoon snow tubing session to begin at Cone Park, Sioux City’s new winter attraction.

food and hot and cold beverages can be purchased.

Having recently undergone knee surgery, Cindy Spenner, of Sioux City, was playing it safe lurking by the fire pit. In the past, Spenner, who was at the park with her son and five grandchildren, said the kids only lasted about an hour sledding on the Sertoma Park hills just west of Cone Park.

“It was that trekking up hill that made them tired,” said Spenner, who was

skeptical whether her crew, even with lift assistance, would last the full four hours at Cone Park. Spenner’s 13-year-old granddaughter, Caitlin Renson, of Muncy, Pennsylvania, said Cone Park’s hill is bigger and faster than a snow tubing hill she visited at a park in Lake George, New York.

“It was good. Fun and fast,” she said of Cone Park.

Although Spenner sat on the sidelines this time, she’ll likely return to Cone

which will be increased throughout the season as the weather permits.

Source: Sioux City Parks and Recreation Park and maybe even try cosmic tubing sessions, which are held Fridays and Saturdays from 9 to 11 p.m. The sessions, sponsored by Sioux City Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, allow users to tube through a laser light show set to music.

“This is nice,” Spenner said gazing up at the white mound. “It looks pretty fun.”

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February 2018

25

OUTDOORS skis,

shoes, snow

s awn Snyder, D education program director at Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center, said today’s snowshoes are more lightweight and versatile in contrast to traditional snowshoes.

26

February 2018

SIOUXLAND LIFE

SKI?

DO!

s

Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center rents snowshoes and hosts snowshoeing events.

Skiing, snowshoeing are great ways to exercise during the winter

SIOUX CITY | Some people pick up cross country skiing right away. For others, it’s a bit of a struggle, according to Jody Moats, Adams Homestead and Nature Preserve park manager.

“Sometimes, when we’re skiing, we don’t look ahead. We look at our skis.

That’s one of those things that makes people fall over sometimes. They think too much about the kicking and gliding,” she said.

Spanning 1,500 acres along the Missouri River, the nature preserve offers a picturesque place to get some physical

Dawn Snyder demonstrates wears a pair of snowshoes. Snowshoeing events are held at the nature center during the winter when there are at least 4 inches of snow on the ground.

Photographs by Justin Wan | Text by Dolly A. Butz

activity year-round on its more than 10 miles of limestone trails. In the winter, Adams Homestead and Nature Preserve rents cross country skis and offers beginner classes, snow cover permitting.

“A lot of people got excited when it did snow about a week or so ago, but it was such a dry, fluffy snow that it didn’t pack very well,” Moats said in early January.

“You want a good snow to pack down, not too wet, but wet enough that when we roll it and groom it it can make a nice base so you can easily ski.”

Having the proper boot and ski size is

essential for the cross country ski novice or professional. Moats said skis need to be able to grip and glide on the snow. Ski poles, she said, should come up to your armpits.

Although Moats recommends taking a beginning cross country skiing class to see if you like the activity before hitting the trails yourself, when you do decide to venture off on your own, she also advises dressing in layers and bringing a backpack and water bottle along on your route. Aim for a mile. If you’re feeling good, go a little farther.

IF YOU GO ■ Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center, 4500 Sioux River Road, is open Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Sunday from 1 to 4:30 p.m. For more information about upcoming events, visit woodburyparks.org/ dorothy-pecaut-nature-center or call 712-258-0838.

■ Adams Homestead and Nature Preserve, 272 Westshore Drive, McCook Lake, features close to 10 miles of trails that wind through prairie, forest and along the riverbank.

For more information about upcoming events, visit gfp. sd.gov. Call 605-232-0873 to reserve cross country skis or register for lessons.

SIOUXLAND LIFE

FEBRUARY 2018

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People hike up a hill in snowshoes at Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center in Sioux City. The activity offers participants a chance to learn snowshoeing basics.

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SIOUXLAND LIFE

“When you cross country ski, it’s a great exercise. You’re probably going to use about every muscles in your body and probably muscle you didn’t even know you had,” Moats said. “Figure out how far you’re going to go and realize that you’re going to have to make it all the way back again. Let somebody know where you’re going to be and what time you plan on being back.”

Scared of snapping on a pair of skis, even if you don’t plan on flying downhill?

Snowshoeing might be the perfect way to extend walking, running and hiking into the winter.

If you can walk, Dawn Snyder, education program director at Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center, said you can snowshoe.

Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center rents snowshoes in adult sizes and offers snowshoeing events. To snowshoe, Snyder said there has to be at least a 4-inch base of snow on the ground. She said people sometimes stop at the nature center to rent a pair of snowshoes before heading to South Dakota’s Black Hills for a vacation.

Traditionally, snowshoes were made of wood bent frames and leather lacing for the decking. While you can still buy or even make your own traditionalstyle snowshoes, Snyder said today’s snowshoes are constructed with aluminum frames and synthetic decking made of cold-resistant rubber, such as neoprene, or a plastic-type material.

She said modern snowshoes can be purchased at most sporting goods stores.

“The modern ones are vastly different,” said Snyder, who said you should think of snowshoes as “extensions of your feet” when wearing them. “They’re more versatile and lightweight.”

When snowshoeing, walk a little wider so you don’t step on your snowshoes. Snyder said the duck walk or herringbone technique that cross country skiers use is often adopted for snowshoeing.

When ascending a slope, which Stone State Park has a lot of, kick the front of your snowshoe into the snow and press down firmly to compact it. To avoid collapse, make sure each step is above the last. When descending a slope, with your knees slightly bent, lean back, keeping your weight on the heel cleats to maintain control.

And like Moats, Snyder suggests layering up your clothes before heading out in the elements.

“You’re moving and working up a sweat. Be conscious of that and be dressing in layers,” she said.

OUTDOORS

taking the action inside

To be tournament-ready, the Morningside College bowling team practices at Rush Lanes in Sioux City.

SPORT OF BOWLING

CATCHES FIRE AT MORNINGSIDE COLLEGE

s

SIOUX CITY | Ten years ago when she was 8, Mari Pizzini’s mother signed her up for youth bowling league on Saturday mornings and said, “Have fun.”

“My mom used to bowl before I was born. She thought that I would be good at it,” said Pizzini, who said six years passed before she actually began to enjoy the sport. “I didn’t start liking bowling at all until I was 14.”

Pizzini made friends through her participation in bowling and the sport helped her travel to competitions in 15 different states. Now, the freshman from Helena, Montana, is bowling at the collegiate level for Morningside College.

The Sioux City college has had a competitive bowling program for five years.

Text by Dolly A. Butz | Photographs by Tim Hynds

Over that period of time, head coach Steve Gonshorowski, better known as “Coach G” to his athletes, said interest in the scholarship sport has grown immensely.

“The first year we started, we had seven bowlers and we had a mixed team.

Now, we have about 30,” he said. “They’ve all been part of high school bowling.

We have state medal winners and kids who have come off state championship teams.”

The Mustangs, who now have enough bowlers for two men’s and two women’s teams, practice three to four times a week. Practice starts with stretching, followed by drill work. Gonshorowski said the teams scrimmage for a while, warm

down and then participate in a “fun activity” before calling it a day.

“We have injuries just like the other sports – knees and elbows more so than anything,” he said. “When we bowl an actual event, it’s grueling. These kids are bowling for like seven hours on a Saturday and they’re standing the whole time.”

The teams travel to 10 bowling meets a year. The regular competitive season begins in early October and runs through early February. Post-season competition kicks off in March with

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February 2018

29

Morningside College bowling team member Alexandra Gluck bowls during a team practice.

Pins fall as a Morningside College bowling team member rolls a strike during an team practice at Rush Lanes.

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February 2018

SIOUXLAND LIFE

sectionals. In week 13 of play, the men were ranked 51st among 173 collegiate teams in the men’s division and the women 47th among 139 collegiate teams in the women’s division.

“They’ve gotten better and better and better every year,” Gonshorowski said. “They’ve come a long way. They’ve learned how to deal and adjust with each other.”

In December, the Mustangs competed in a tournament in Las Vegas that had 64 men’s and women’s teams. This month, they’ll travel to a tournament in Chicago that Gonshorowski said will draw in the neighborhood of 140 men’s and women’s teams. He said each bowler is allowed to bring five bowling balls to competitions.

Bowling ball coverstocks, which include plastic, urethane, reactive resin and particle, affect the ball’s performance on the lane.

“If we take two men’s and two women’s teams, we’re probably taking close to 120 bowling balls,” Gonshorowski said.

“That’s a lot of weight.”

Ally Dudley, a freshman from Andover, Minnesota, who bowls with a 14-pound ball, said a lot of practice is needed to be a successful college bowler.

She said tournament play is both physically and mentally demanding. As she bowled at Rush Lanes during a team practice, pieces of blue kinesiology tape were fixed to her right arm. Dudley, who has had tendinitis, said the tape provides support.

“There’s a lot of endurance needed, because you’re standing for seven hours cheering on your teammates,” said Dudley who used to play softball and basketball and participate in cheerleading. “I think bowling is less recognized as a sport. The more people know about it, the more rewarding it can be.”

Alex Eukovich, a senior, started bowling when he was 4. His family partially owns a bowling alley in Chicago.

“I was always involved and always around the bowling alley,” he said. “(Bowling) takes not only a lot of physical skill and ability, but also mental ability, probably even more so.”

Making the move from high school to college competition, Eukovich said wasn’t easy because of the difficulty oil patterns can pose. Bowling lanes are coated with oil to protect the wood. The way the oil is applied to the wood, or the oil pattern, has an effect on the bowling ball’s speed and direction.

“The patterns are definitely more challenging than they were in high school. Just the atmosphere in general has a lot to do with your play,” he said.

“You’re going to encounter a lot of bad

Above: Morningside College bowling team member Tanner Hansel rolls the ball during a team practice at Rush Lanes. Right: Emma Sonier is a member of the Morningside College bowling team.

habits. You have to make sure that you stay on top of your game and that you’re ready to make those necessary changes.”

Eukovich said his most memorable experience bowling in college so far was last year’s tournament at the University of Wisconsin-Stout. The Mustangs were down by two in a best-of-five series, but they came back to win three straight and the tournament.

“I’ll never forget that one out of my four years,” he said. “It’s a fun sport that does require a lot of work and practice, but, at the end of the day, bowling is a sport that you can do all your life.”

Kyle Kommes, a junior from Le Mars, Iowa, got his start bowling for fun in leagues when he was in fourth grade.

Soon, he developed a passion for the sport.

“Every single year it got bigger and bigger,” said Kommes, who was recruited to bowl for the Mustangs.

His freshman year, the team made the sectional tournament for the first time.

“I got to bowl with that team. Just being a part of Morningside history by being part of that team was incredible,” said Kommes whose goal has been to improve each year. “I started out with a really low average my freshman year and I got it up last year. I just want to keep it up this year.”

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31

OUTDOORS

ice, ice baby

John Fuerst, of Rushmore, Minnesota, fishes at Emerson Bay, south of Wahpeton, in the Iowa Great Lakes. Fuerst said he’d “practically die” were it not for his portable ice shack, a unit that allows him to move from place to place on the lake each winter.

w SHACKS PORTABLE GIVE ANGLERS MORE ANGLES

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February 2018

SIOUXLAND LIFE

Text and photos by Tim Gallagher

WAHPETON, IOWA | Retiree Doug Eddy soaked up the good life on a January afternoon at Emerson Bay, in the heart of the Iowa Great Lakes.

Eddy sat atop his Portable Fish Trap, a lighter-weight, synthetic “shack” built around a plastic tub. Eddy hauled the unit in the back of his Chevy pickup, which he drove to a spot on Emerson Bay, then augured a couple of holes through 12 inches of ice and dropped his line.

“It’s a little slow this afternoon,” Eddy said.

Dozens of anglers hit the ice on this day, searching for crappies, bluegills, perch and more. Many had “traditional” ice units, fashioned from wood, the kind

Doug Eddy, of Sibley, Iowa, shows how the canvas in his one-man fishing shack can move with ease as he fishes on Emerson Bay in the Iowa Great Lakes.

you might remember from the Minnesota lake scenes in “Grumpy Old Men.” Others, however, had taken up with the new age of ice houses, these units you drag yourself.

“I got this one from a bait shop two years ago,” Eddy said. “I’ve had other ones besides this. I think this one weighs 70 pounds. I can pull it wherever I want when I’m done here.”

Eddy, who worked at the same site in Sibley, Iowa, for 43 years, retired one year ago. He whiles away his days golfing, when the weather is nice, or fishing, when the weather turns.

“I decided it was time to retire,” he said. “It was a good decision. It was time to start enjoying things. I like to ice fish in the winter and play golf in the summer.”

John Fuerst, of Rushmore, Minnesota, sank his lines just east of Eddy on Emerson Bay. The avid fisherman had started his day at Miller’s Bay, but couldn’t seem to find any activity below the ice.

“It’s like pulling teeth,” he said with a chuckle. “And pulling them without novocaine!”

Fuerst said he’d practically die without the benefit of his portable fish shack. The ease of transport allowed the veteran angler to hop from hole to hole as the sun shone down on this alleged hot spot.

“I’d take this portable anywhere,” he said. “You have to go where the fish are.”

Travis Harman, of Stan’s Bait & Tackle at Milford, Iowa, said he was sold out of the portable fishing shacks in midJanuary. The lightest these days weigh around 50 pounds and allow anglers to be mobile as they search across the ice for what’s hitting.

“The one-man shacks might even be a little lighter than that,” said Harman, who noted that the earliest examples of these synthetic shacks began dotting the Iowa Great Lakes two decades ago.

“People really like them.”

Riley Partridge, an employee at

Kabele’s Trading Post on Big Spirit Lake, concurred. Partridge fishes each winter in a flip-over portable shack made by the Clam company, one of three firms who have shacks featured at Kabele’s. (Otter and Eskimo represent the other versions.)

“Ice fishing is all about the experience,” Partridge said. “If you’re sitting on a 5-gallon bucket and you’re not catching fish, chances are you’re cold AND you’re not catching fish.

“When you have a thermal shack and you don’t catch any fish, at least you’re warm while you’re not catching fish,” he said with a laugh.

On days where the mercury dips and the wind whips, anglers can see their ice holes freeze over while they attempt to land walleye and the like. Having a thermal ice shack with a heater keeps the hole thawed and the fish accessible.

Shacks at Kabele’s range from a 60-pound one-man unit to the Otter Resort, a three- to four-person shack with a bench.

“The Otter Resort can basically fit a family,” Partridge said. “It’s probably 150 pounds.”

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February 2018

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OUTDOORS

kids and survival

Teagan Meyer of North Sioux City, 8, stays warm inside a temporary shelter made of sticks, tree limbs and found material at the Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center in Sioux City.

GIMME SHELTER

s

Kids learn to survive harsh winter conditions at the Nature Center

Text by Earl Horlyk Photographs by Justin Wan

SIOUX CITY | Teagan Meyer may have been sitting inside a structure made entirely out of twigs and tree limbs, but the 8-year-old North Sioux City girl said she felt pretty comfortable on a cold winter day.

“You can’t feel the wind underneath these sticks,” she said. “That makes it nice.”

Teagan was one of several kids learning to survive the winter elements during a class held at the Dorothy

Pecaut Nature Center.

“Even someone with plenty of experience can become disoriented in cold, treacherous conditions,” naturalist Tyler Flammang, the instructor of the class, explained. “With some found objects, a person can create his own makeshift shelter.”

That is if the person comes equipped with what Flammang calls his “E.D.C.” “It stands for my Every Day Carry, the stuff I take with me on a daily basis,” he said. “At a bare minimum, that can include a paracord, a knife and a

lighter. But it can also include tarps, blankets, even food items.”

This is common sense for an experienced outdoors man like Flammang.

“I love to go kayaking in the summertime but I make sure to tell people when I go,” he noted. “If they don’t hear from me, they’ll know I’m in trouble.”

Keeping connected to family and friends is even more important during the winter.

“You do not want to be alone in the middle of nowhere in frigid conditions,” Flammang warned.

But if you do find yourself in danger,

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February 2018

35

Naturalist Tyler Flammang, far left, gives children instructions on building a makeshift shelter at the Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center. The program taught kids on ways to keep warm, dry and out of the elements, even in the middle of nowhere.

a shelter may keep you safe for a while.

Flammang said a good shelter can protect you from the elements, be easily built to conserve energy as well as being adequately ventilated.

A naturalist in the making, Liam Wilson dragged a cut pine tree that will act as the roof for the shelter.

“I love being outside in the winter,” the 9-year-old Sioux City boy said. “It gets really annoying to be inside all of the time.”

Carter Klene, 4, of Sioux City, nodded his head in agreement.

“I like going camping with my 36

FEBRUARY 2018

family,” he said. “I don’t even mind the cold weather.”

While Liam and Carter were concentrating on large limbs and trunks, Carter’s 9-year-old sister Mya Klene was snapping twigs that will line the bottom of the shelter.

“Nobody wants to sit on top on snow,” Mya said. “That’s why having a blanket or, at least, twigs and leaves can keep you warm and dry.”

Obviously, it was Teagan Meyer who benefited from Mya’s attention to detail.

“I like this place,” Teagan said, inside her pine tree-lined hut. “I’d rather be

SIOUXLAND LIFE

here than outside in the cold.”

Even though Liam took this survival class to stay active, he actually learned something.

“When I heard we’d be building shelters out of sticks and stuff, I thought the class would be boring,” he admitted. “Actually, this turned our to be a lot of fun.”

Would Liam ever again try to build a tent in the middle of the woods in the dead of winter again?

“Nope,” he said without any hesitation. “But at least now, I’ll know how to do it.”

From left, Carter Klene, 4, of Sergeant Bluff, and Liam Wilson, 9, of Sioux City drag a pine tree to build a makeshift shelter at the Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center.

“Even someone with plenty of experience can become disoriented in cold, treacherous conditions.

With some found objects, a person can create his own makeshift shelter.”

TYLER FLAMMANG naturalist

Mya Klene of Sergeant Bluff, 9, breaks apart tree branches to build a hut at Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center.

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February 2018

37

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February 2018

SIOUXLAND LIFE

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OUTDOORS

hockey rules

THE GAME GOES ON

s

league Hockey continues for adults in Sioux City

Text and photos by Mason Dockter

SIOUX CITY | On a recent Wednesday night at the IBP Ice Center, about a dozen wives, girlfriends, children and assorted others watched as team CocaCola did battle with team Trattoria Fresco.

Wait, what? Were there legions of soft-drink supporters fighting a faction

of Italian restaurant fans at a Sioux City ice rink?

No, of course not. Coca-Cola and Trattoria Fresco are teams in the Intermediate League of the Sioux City Adult Hockey League.

Wesley Orr, the commissioner of the league, said they have room for all ages and skill levels – beginners, intermediate and advanced players.

“Anybody 18 years of age or older, (who wants to play) recreational hockey at a competitive level” is welcome to take part, Orr said.

And don’t worry about getting hurt by an overly aggressive player – it’s a no-checking league. So there shouldn’t be any broken teeth or internal bleeding after a game.

There are actually two separate

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Members of the Coca-Cola and Trattoria Fresco teams race to the goal during a meet of the Siouxland Intermediate Hockey League.

“They’d been talking to me, wanting me to start playing, and you know, saying how much I’d love it. Because I’ve always been a hockey fan but never really got into playing.

And they talked me into it and I decided to play. And I regret not playing before.”

BRENT FOXWORTHY

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leagues within Sioux City Adult Hockey: a beginner/intermediate league of four teams and up to 60 players, and an “open” league, also composed of four teams and up to 60 players.

The beginner/intermediate league is designed for players of varied, but perhaps more laid-back, skill level. The age of the players on these teams vary, with some in their 40s and 50s.

There was even a 73-year-old player in the intermediate league a few seasons back.

“It’s a slower-paced game,” Orr said.

Players whose skill level is quite a bit above the intermediate league don’t play in those teams. Instead, they are referred to the open or “A” league.

That league is, in a word, intense.

“The A league would be more of a faster pace, you know, guys know where to be, how to play the game,” he said.

All teams are named for sponsors, such as JT’s Pub and Pioneer Auto, as well as the aforementioned Coca-Cola and Trattoria Fresco.

Brent Foxworthy is a first-year forward and center with the Coca-Cola team. He had glowing words for the hockey club.

“Oh, I love it,” Foxworthy said. “It’s a really good group of guys, they’re all really welcoming and they don’t have any drama. It’s good physical activity and the sport is just fun.”

Foxworthy said he got involved partly at the behest of his brother-in-law – who happens to be Wesley Orr. “They’d been talking to me, wanting me to start playing, and you know, saying how much I’d love it. Because I’ve always been a hockey fan but never really got into playing,” he said. “And they talked me into it and I decided to play. And I regret not playing before.”

But when he joined the league,

Foxworthy was no Wayne Gretzky.

“I could barely skate,” he said.

But his teammates provided the guidance he needed.

“Everybody tells me how far I’ve come,” he said.

Perhaps most important, Foxworthy said a whole new social circle opens for players when they join.

“I’ve created awesome relationships just playing hockey, and that’ll probably last forever,” he said. “After the games, a lot of the time we’ll go to the bar, have a beer and whatnot.”

Kyle Lierman has been the captain of the JT’s Pub team in the A league for the last four or five years. He normally plays as a center – but of course positions on the teams aren’t all set in stone.

“I guess it just of depends, too – just whatever you want to play, and feel comfortable playing,” he said.

When Lierman first joined the league, he said the competition wasn’t too fierce.

“It was more laid-back, I guess. It wasn’t as competitive,” he said.

But as the years went on, the league has become more heated.

“It’s just a lot more competitive now,” he said. “It seems to be a little more fast-paced as well.”

Lierman has been playing hockey since he was 10 years old. He played for the Metros in high school, and played when he was in the University of Nebraska, Lincoln.

It didn’t take much convincing to get Lierman to join the league.

“When I got back from Lincoln, I didn’t want to quit playing, so this was really the only option around here, was the adult league,” he said. “So I just signed up and ever since then, I haven’t stopped playing.”

Wesley Foster, captain of the Siouxland Intermediate Hockey League’s Coca-Cola team, skates during a match with the Trattoria Fresco team on Jan. 10.

HOW TO JOIN Visit http://scadulthockey.com/join/ to join the open or the intermediate league, and for more information.

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OUTDOORS

grilling!

s GRILLER

Chad Peterson, a competitive barbecue cook, tends to a pair of New York strip steaks on a charcoal grill at his northside Sioux City home. For Peterson, winter weather doesn’t signal the end of grilling season.

NATURAL BORN Sioux City man said BBQ knows no season Text by Earl Horlyk | Photographs by Tim Hynds

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SIOUXLAND LIFE

SIOUX CITY | Neither snow nor rain nor heat will keep Chad Peterson from grilling championship-ready ribs, steaks and chicken.

“The cold doesn’t bother me one bit,” the W.A. Klinger heavy machinery operator said, manning his grill in early January. “If I could grill 365 days out of the year, I would.”

To be honest, Peterson is getting close in his desire of becoming a year-round griller.

“I’ve done Thanksgiving dinner and Christmas dinner on my grill,” he said.

“Even if I have to shovel a path to my grill, I’ll do it.”

In fact, Peterson comes from a family of grillers.

“My dad is a griller and I guess I

Chad Peterson, a competitive barbecue cook, pulls a rack of baby back ribs out of a smoker and onto a tray held by his stepson, David Collins, 12, at their Sioux City home. Peterson said he’s grilled everything from ribs to chicken to, even, tofu on his charcoal grill.

inherited the grilling gene,” he said with a smile. “It’s probably been in the past 10 years that I started taking it seriously.”

As a member of Mad Chad’s BBQ, Peterson has entered competitions in Sioux City as well as Jackson, Nebraska, Vermillion, South Dakota and Hawarden, Iowa.

Even though he has had his share of victories, Peterson said it’s more rewarding to be a part of the barbecue community.

“I learn so much from these competitions,” he noted. “While we’re competitors, we’re also friends with a similar interest.”

And that similar interest involves massive amounts of meat.

“Becoming a griller is all about control,” Peterson said. “It’s all about controlling the heat and creating the perfect sear.”

He does this by using pear tree wood on a charcoal grill.

“While apple and mulberry wood also produces a sweet, mild heat,” Peterson said, “my preferred wood has always been pear tree wood.”

Plus he prefers to grill his steaks with a simple dusting of salt and pepper.

“When you’re grilling a good-quality steak, you want to be able to taste the meat,” Peterson advised. “If you slather on barbecue sauce, that’s all you’ll taste.”

However, he doesn’t harbor trepidation in covering pineapple slices with a mix of cinnamon, rum and sugar.

“I love getting great grill marks on the pineapple,” Peterson said. “A large part of grilling is making food visually appealing.”

But if you ask Peterson’s 12-year-old stepson David Collins, the best part of grilling is the smell.

“You can’t beat the smell of charcoal,”

Chad Peterson, a competitive barbecue cook, loves to use pear tree wood when he grills foods like New York strip steaks and grilled pineapple.

David said. “It smells really good in the wintertime.”

David said he likes assisting Peterson at various barbecue competitions.

“I enjoys them because everyone is so competitive,” he said.

However, Peterson is convinced that David is just in it for the perks.

“I think you love eating more than you do cooking,” Peterson said with a smile.

Over the years, Peterson said he has grilled everything from fruits, veggies and seafood to desserts.

“Everything tastes good when it comes off a grill,” he said.

OK, so what’s the most unusual food Peterson has ever grilled?

“I’ve cooked for a few vegetarians and have experimented with grilled tofu,” Peterson recalled.

And how did that turn out?

“Actually, it wasn’t bad at all,” Peterson said. “Not bad at all.”

Grilling aficionado Chad Peterson flips a New York strip steak at his Sioux City home. A griller throughout the year, Peterson prefers a simple dash of salt and pepper to his steaks.

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ADVICE Medical

Answers

DOC, I’VE GOT A QUESTION: DRUGS, LATE-NIGHT BATHROOM VISITS AND WEIGHT answers to your medical questions How many times are “too many” times to get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom? I know if I cut out beverages before I go to bed, I’ll reduce this, but I wonder if it’s abnormal to get up at all.

How many times are bothersome to you? Nocturia is the medical term for getting up to urinate overnight. It is very common for many people to get up a time or two overnight, especially as we get older. It is true that many people can go through the entire night without the need to urinate. Needing to urinate at night can be caused by many issues, including: excess fluid intake especially before bedtime, poorly controlled diabetes, certain medications like diuretics, bladder obstruction/over activity, benign prostate hypertrophy or urinary tract infections. Sleep problems such as sleep apnea can also lead someone to get up to urinate. Limiting fluids two to three hours before bed can be very beneficial.

Particularly bothersome are alcohol and caffeinated drinks. Those with diabetes will benefit from tighter control of their blood sugars. If fluid restriction and

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treating other underlying conditions do not help, there are medications available to help.

Why is it so difficult to get Sudafed at a pharmacy? You practically have to sign your life away.

Sudafed, generic name pseudoephedrine, is a popular over-the-counter decongestant. In 2005, the Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act reclassified pseudoephedrine as a scheduled medication, which is why it must be purchased from behind the pharmacy counter. The reason for this is because pseudoephedrine is a main ingredient used in the manufacturing of methamphetamine. Because of this there are drugs marketed under the “Sudafed” brand that actually contain a different decongestant called phenylephrine. This can be purchased from the shelf without a signature, but if you want actual pseudoephedrine, you must sign.

SIOUXLAND LIFE

MEET THE DOC Dr. Chris Wolf is a native of Sioux City and graduate of East High. He completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Iowa in integrative physiology and medical school at Des Moines University College of Osteopathic Medicine. He is a resident Family Practice physician at Siouxland Medical Education Foundation. He resides in Sioux City with his wife and young daughter.

What’s the difference between a name-brand drug and a generic equivalent? My insurance company wants me to get a generic but I’m skeptical.

Is it OK? Generally speaking, generic equivalents are just as effective and safe as their name brand counterparts and are subject to the same FDA scrutiny. Once a drug goes off patent, generic drug manufacturers can begin producing the same molecule, but without all the research and development money that was spent by the original drug maker, allowing them to sell it for far cheaper generally. There can be small differences in concentration between the same drug from different manufacturers, however, this is usually negligible. With certain meds however,

such as levothyroxine for hypothyroidism, this difference can make a clinical difference and is why we recommend checking with your pharmacy that it is getting its stock from a consistent manufacturer. Some patients do swear that the name brand works better for them vs. the generic. If this is true for you, remember that your insurance may not pay for the name brand without proving the generic does not work well for you. But, in general, most prescribed drugs are generics, and do an equal job to the name-brand med.

When you gain weight, where does it go first? Do you always get a big stomach or could it go somewhere else?

Where we put weight on is actually a fairly complex interplay between genetics, hormone levels, receptor sensitivities and habits. Excess fat in our bodies are stored in something called adipose tissue, which can be located mostly in two places: under the skin (subcutaneously) or around our internal organs (visceral). It is known that high amounts of visceral fat, aka a big belly, is associated with cardiovascular risks such as diabetes, sleep apnea, dyslipidemia and high blood pressure. This increased risk is not as pronounced with increased subcutaneous fat.

Genetics play a huge role in where we tend to add pounds, but increased alcohol intake, cigarette smoking, and childhood obesity is associated with increased visceral fat distribution. You have likely noticed that there seems to be a difference between women and men in where they store fat. While men tend to put weight on around the middle primarily and can have their arms/ legs relatively thin, women will put weight on in the hips, thighs, butt and upper arms more than men do.

There is differences in hormone levels, as well as receptor and enzyme concentrations that help to explain this difference. In general, low testosterone in males leads to increased central fat accumulation, as does high levels of cortisol. The important thing to remember is that increased fat in the midsection is the more dangerous type and, unfortunately, we don’t get much of say in where it goes.

Is there an advantage to using cloth diapers over disposable ones?

From a medical perspective, there is usually no advantage to cloth or disposable diapers. All you have to do is Google this topic to find plenty of blogs and opinion pieces on why you should utilize one vs. the other. There are certain advantages of cloth, including cost (although initial costs are higher), less environmental impact, and are less likely to cause any skin irritation. Disadvantages include: less convenient than disposable, they need to be changed more often, and they need to be laundered properly.

Travel with cloth diapers can be challenging. As a doctor, all I ask is that you change them with enough frequency to protect their skin and utilize clean diapers, whether cloth or disposable.

WHAT KINDS OF HEALTH QUESTIONS DO YOU HAVE? Submit your questions and they may be used in this monthly feature. Write to Siouxland Life at 515 Pavonia St., Sioux City, Iowa 51102.

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Home Healthcare Available.

“Professionals with Pride” We can provide health care & compassion in the home.

Call today and let us help.

800-727-1912

To advertise on this page call Kaylee Betterton at 712-224-6279 or email KayleeBetterton@SiouxCityJournal.com

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SIOUXLAND LIFE

PARTING SHOT By

Bruce Miller

WERE WINTERS ALWAYS THIS BAD?

h

HAVE WINTERS GOTTEN worse or have we gotten weaker?

We used to be able to scrape our windshields with a credit card. Now, if we’re not taking a blowtorch to them we’ll never get the ice sheet off before our cars’ butt warmers kick in.

Sidewalks are slipperier, too, largely because our dads aren’t scraping them down to the concrete.

Driveways don’t have a thick coat of salt, either, because, well, we’re not our dads and who wants to stand outside in minus temperatures throwing out salt like so much chicken feed?

Schools rarely declared snow days when we were kids. We parked by the television waiting to read the scroll of those that were.

Schools in Hawaii shut down before ours did. Still, we held out hope and begrudgingly put on overshoes, three scarves and a parka two sizes too big before heading out.

We walked to school, too, and deposited a mountain of clothes in the school’s entry before stomping our way into class. Today, terms like “late start” and “early out” are learned before “mama” and “dada.”

The hint of snow didn’t prompt a mad dash to the supermarket, either. Instead, mom opened a second can of soup and said if we got close to running out, she’d “thin” it with more water. Campbell’s Bean with Bacon couldn’t have been more aptly named.

Now, we can’t take a temperature shift of five degrees. We adjust the heat in our homes through our smartphones, so we don’t have to suffer too much as we go from the car to (egads!) the unheated garage.

Once inside, a toasty home awaits.

The heat is uniform, thank god.

During those kinder, gentler winters of the past, we had to turn on the oven and open its door just to make the kitchen warmer than the inside of the refrigerator.

A mountain of blankets helped us with the wind that slipped through the poorly insulated walls; a stocking cap could handle the breeze that came off the bed at night.

And the bathroom?

It didn’t have heated floors, just a series of scatter rugs that made a late-night run more of a game than a task.

In these colder, crueler times we can’t leave restroom visits to chance. Towel warmers? Check.

Steam showers? Check. Toilet seat heaters? Check.

We now have large water heaters so we don’t have to worry about baths that might be lukewarm.

In the Mesozoic era, we made do, occasionally adding a boiling pot of water from the stove – when the water heater appeared to have run out.

We didn’t whine when the wi-fi wasn’t working. We were just grateful the antenna could pick up one channel – even if it did play the same three Popeye cartoons on a loop.

Now with every program available at the swipe of a phone, we’re quick to say, “I’m bored.”

Yes, we took pictures of ourselves in the snow, but we didn’t make sure the lighting was perfect or the pose was inviting. We were either standing in front of our snow forts or licking an icicle. One shot. Eyes closed? So what?

Today, we think too much before we do.

We haven’t wimped out. We’ve become too selfconscious.

Sometimes, you just need to press ahead.

And if you do, make sure you wear a hat and gloves.

More Wheels, More Fun

Win either a 2018 Chevrolet Spark or a 2018 Chevrolet Sonic LT on Friday, March 2. However, you can’t win without a key that opens one of the two cars. It so happens we will be awarding 100 car keys in a series of drawings every Saturday night in February from 5:00 to 10:00pm and on Friday, March 2 from 5:00 to 9:00pm. Get into the drawings to win one or more keys by visiting a kiosk to claim one free entry daily. Plus, earn additional entries whenever you play slots, electronic table games, or live blackjack.

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