Siouxland Life - March 2017

The dream began as a spectator

How to handle sports injuries

The cookie contest that bakes winners

A GUIDE FOR LIVING IN SIOUXLAND

THE NAIA EFFECT TOURNEY BRINGS COUPLE TOGETHER

EVENT HAS BIG IMPACT ON LOCAL ECONOMY

MARCH 2017

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CONTENTS March

2017

This year marks the 20th time the NAIA Division II Women’s National Basketball Championships have called Sioux City home. To provide insight into the event, we talked with those involved to see what makes it click. Before heading out to the games, check out our look at one of the biggest annual draws in Sioux City. It’s a slam dunk.

4 INSPIRATION

To craft their dream home, Dax and Randi Weaver kept a drawer of ideas – ones they wanted to see around them. Take a look at what they were able to accomplish.

24 ON THE COVER Corey and Anne Westra met 17 years ago at a NAIA Division II Women’s National Basketball Championships planning meeting. The two began dating and eventually married. Today, they’re still an active part of the tournament. Meet them on page 24.

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GETTING INVOLVED Organizers say volunteers make the NAIA tournament tick. Find out why they do it and what they’ve learned over 20 years.

Photograph by Tim Hynds

FEATURES 4 HOME: Inspiration 14 THE NAIA EFFECT: Impact 18 THE NAIA EFFECT: Food 24 THE NAIA EFFECT: Pairing off 26 THE NAIA EFFECT: Sponsor loyalty 28 THE NAIA EFFECT: Volunteer tradition 32 THE NAIA EFFECT: Friendships

34 35 40 41 42 45 47

THE NAIA EFFECT: Memories THE NAIA EFFECT: Cookie contest HEALTH: Volunteering HEALTH: Eating right HEALTH: Dealing with injury ADVICE: Medical answers PARTING SHOT

PUBLISHER Steve Griffith EDITOR Bruce Miller EDITORIAL Dolly A. Butz, Tim Gallagher, Earl Horlyk, Lindsey Nelson PHOTOGRAPHY Tim Hynds, Jim Lee, Justin Wan PAGE DESIGN Mary Garrison, Sara Harvey, April Burford ADVERTISING SALES Nancy Todd ADVERTISING DESIGN Kayla Fleming ©2017 The Sioux City Journal. Siouxland Life is published monthly by The Sioux City Journal.

For advertising information, please call (712) 224-6281. For editorial information, please call (712) 293-4218.

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SPORTS INJURIES How do you handle those bumps, bruises and other woes that come from an athletic lifestyle? We’ve got answers.

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MARCH 2017

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The living room’s light fixture is an old welded piece of iron the couple found at West End Architectural Salvage in Omaha. The mantle is another salvage project – a piece of yellow pine that once served as a rafter beam.

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SIOUXLAND LIFE

Randi and Dax Weaver bought 1 1/2 lots at The Ridge in Moville, Iowa, to build their dream home.

‘IDEA DRAWER’ SERVES RIDGE HOMEOWNERS WELL

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MOVILLE, IOWA | DAX AND RANDI Weaver kept an “idea drawer” for years during their lives together. One of them might see a magazine photo or spread and wonder if such an idea, collection or decoration might work in their dream home.

Then, in 2015, they constructed a new five-bedroom, three-bathroom home at The Ridge, a burgeoning residential development at the northern end of Terrtam Drive in Moville. The effort by H&H Builders, for whom Dax had worked years ago, allowed them to pick and choose ideas from that drawer.

“We searched different building plans online and we’d email each other about ideas and things we were seeing,” said Randi, a marketing specialist

at Wiatel, the communications cooperative based in nearby Lawton, Iowa, and the development force behind The Ridge.

“We’d always thought about building a home.”

The Weavers, who had lived in Moville since October 2005, put their existing home on Jackson Street up for sale.

The home sold in three days, prompting the couple and their young son, Julian, to move in with Dax’s folks, Kelly and Susi Weaver, in Moville, while their twostory home was under construction.

“Our timing with the housing market here was great,” said Dax, who has worked for the past 10 years in sales at Wilson Trailer Co., in Sioux City.

The Weavers bought 1 1/2 lots at The

Ridge, splitting an adjacent lot with a neighboring couple who began construction when they did. The Weavers sought a walk-out basement, a floor plan that maybe didn’t have possibilities elsewhere in Moville.

Construction began in July 2015 and ended that December. The home, which features 2,000 square feet on both levels, has an expansive front porch, an offset garage, three bathrooms, a home office and a basement painted in “Cyclone Cardinal” red and decked out in all sorts of Iowa State University mementos, perfect for this pair of ISU graduates.

The basement game-room and open kitchenette/bar area invite activity and high-fives after Cyclone baskets and

SIOUXLAND LIFE

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Clockwise from top: A spacious enclosed shower and bathtub are a focus of the Weavers’ bathroom. Dax and Randi are pictured with their son, Julian. Randi and Dax Weaver’s bedroom is light and airy.

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SIOUXLAND LIFE

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Dax Weaver built this dining table from wood he salvaged from an old barn that belongs to his dad.

refinished two to three times.

“Finding the right flooring was tough, because we weren’t seeking something trendy,” Dax said. “We wanted a timeless look that will last forever.”

The fireplace is stocked with wood Dax cuts at the Weaver farm outside Moville.

The living room’s light fixture is an old welded piece of iron the couple found at West End Architectural Salvage in Omaha. The mantel is another salvage project – a piece of yellow pine that once served as a rafter beam.

“That mantelpiece was filthy,” Dax said. “We cleaned it, but then left it rough.”

A similar piece of wood serves as a shelf in the master bathroom, supported by industrial pipe, per Dax’s creative hands and mind.

A cowhide covers a portion of the floor in the living room, and a similar painting hangs above Dax’s desk in his office. Nearby, there’s an end-table supporting a small collection of pipes and tobacco. Like his late grandfather, Willard Countryman, Dax on occasion fires up a pipe. There’s also a stained glass window hanging whose frame was built and fitted by Willard, a man whom Dax helped on construction projects years ago.

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The Weaver family of Moville, Iowa: Dax, The bar/kitchenette Randi and was constructed Julian. in an open way, allowing guests to serve themselves whenever they wish.

A foosball table is ready for the Weavers’ guests to enjoy.

The Weavers’ home office is decked out in all sorts of Iowa State university mementos.

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SIOUXLAND LIFE

Above: The Weaver family of Moville, Iowa: Dax, Randi and Julian. Below: The master bathroom.

“We knew what we wanted when we built the house.

I don’t think we’d do anything different.”

Randi Weaver Willard, as he did for every woman who entered the family, presented a hand-made wooden chest to Randi after their wedding. It has a place at the foot of their bed, a bed whose matching nightstands were created by the couple, taken from an old desk that had been in Randi’s family since its days in Ocheyedan, Iowa.

Dax built an entry table and the dining room table from wood he salvaged from an old barn that belongs to his dad.

There’s even a chair in the main floor living room that Randi found and recovered herself. “Call it ‘shabby-chic,’” she said with a laugh.

Pictures from Hilton Coliseum

and Jack Trice Stadium lead guests to the family room in the basement, one dressed in an ISU “Cardinal red” matched by the paint pros at Sherwin Williams. The bar/kitchenette was constructed in an open way, allowing guests to serve themselves whenever they wish.

And while the living room ceiling peak upstairs reaches about 15 feet, the basement ceiling still exceeds 8 1/2 feet, allowing lots of room for Dax (he stands 6 feet, 3 inches tall) and the games he and Julian play.

Two bedrooms and an impressive toy room for Julian give the family all sorts of room to move and yet stay active.

There are two gathering areas off Siouxland Life

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Randi Weaver is reflected in a mirror above shelves built by her husband Dax Weaver in their home.

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SIOUXLAND LIFE

both levels on the north side of the home, one for grilling (on the covered composite deck) and one for sitting by the fire pit, with a nearly unlimited view of stars, crops and pasture.

Just around the corner stands a playground, a spot for the public, one utilized primarily by homeowners at The Ridge. The Weavers, who built the seventh house on this tract, are very happy with a mix of young families and retirees making their home in this new neighborhood. As of now, there are 15 lots sold, enough to help trigger the second of a three-phase development.

“This was also the first place in town with fiber capabilities,” Randi said, noting how the technological advancements put in place by her employer allow the family to stream Cyclone games. Other state-of-the-art bells and whistles surround motion senors and thermostats/door locks accessed with a touch from a smartphone.

“Since we were building a new house, we decided to go with all those ‘smart’ apps,” Randi said.

“We knew what we wanted when we built the house,” she concluded. “I don’t think we’d do anything different.”

The “idea drawer” and their builders, obviously, served the Weavers well.

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THE NAIA EFFECT

impact

THE BIG BOUNCE

NAIA MEANS A ‘SLAM DUNK’ FOR LOCAL ECONOMY

s

Text by Earl Horlyk Photographs by Tim Hynds

SIOUX CITY | LILA Plambeck is a big believer in “girl power.”

When the 26th National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Division II Women’s Basketball National Championship comes to Sioux City March 8-14, the Stoney Creek Hotel & Conference Center general manager said approximately 80 percent of the hotel’s occupancy will come from the female athletes and their families.

“I think it’s the families that appreciate us the most,” Plambeck said. “Tyson Events Center (the site of the championship games) is literally our next door neighbor.”

The office of Chris McGowan is also just a stone’s throw away from the Tyson Events Center. As president of the Siouxland Chamber of Commerce, McGowan MCGOWAN said Siouxland gets an economic shot in the arm from the annual tournament. “(It) draws 32 different teams from across the country,” he said. “The teams will be spending money in our restaurants, NEWTON stores, gas stations – you name it. All types of businesses seem to benefit.”

But just how much of a slam dunk is it for the local economy?

According to Erika Newton, executive director of Sioux City’s Events & Facilities Department, the area can see an estimated $16 million boost during the seven-day basketball tournament.

“A person spends an average of $120 per day,” she said. “That’s pretty significant.”

However, it isn’t just businesses that find value in the NAIA, Newton pointed out. Cultural venues like the Sioux City Art Center, Sioux City Public Museum and Trinity Heights Queen of Peace will

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Above: Lila Plambeck, general manager, left, and Tori O’Connell, sales manager are shown at Stoney Creek Hotel & Conference Center in downtown Sioux City.

The hotel is across a street from the Tyson Events Center and during the NAIA Division II Women’s National Basketball Championships 80 percent of the hotel’s rooms will be occupied by athletes and their families.

Right: Director Marcia Poole hangs out with an animated Thomas Jefferson exhibit at the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center in Sioux City.

also see an increase in attendance.

Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center director Marcia Poole said she enjoys the foot traffic.

“We see the moms and the dads, the grandparents, brothers and sisters but we also see the athletes,” Poole said of

SIOUXLAND LIFE

CONTINUED ON PAGE 39

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• Custom nooks provide your pet with a quiet retreat to nap or play. Look for opportunities to incorporate these nooks beneath bay windows, or convert a cluttered crawl space beneath stairs into your pet’s private refuge.

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SIOUXLAND LIFE

• Hardwood floors have long been among the most desirable options, though many different types of wood and finishes are highly prone to showing wear over time.

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THE NAIA EFFECT

food

FOOD THAT SCORES NAIA PLAYERS GET A TASTE OF SIOUXLAND FROM UPSCALE TO DOWN-HOME FARE

s

Text by Earl Horlyk Photograph by Justin Wan

SIOUX CITY | IN the days leading up to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Division II Women’s Basketball Championship, Centerplate executive chef Bob Dowd said his role is part gourmet and part Army general.

“My staff and I will be feeding up to 900 athletes, coaches and sponsors during the NAIA banquet as well as VIP lunches and dinners throughout the week,” said the veteran chef. “So yeah, that’s quite an undertaking.”

Luckily, Dowd has it down to a science.

“Originally, our NAIA banquets were sit-down affairs,” he said, inside the office of his Sioux City Convention Center kitchen. “But we discovered (the athletes) wanted to get up and talk with another.”

This is why the banquet has progressed into more of a buffet that has between four and five dedicated stations.

“It’s easier because no one has to wait long for their food,” Dowd said. “It also gives people a chance to socialize with one another.”

In addition, he said buffets provide more freedom for guests who are vegetarians or who may have special dietary restrictions.

But Dowd isn’t restricted when it comes to the creativity of his cuisine, which can be called “upscale Midwestern fare.”

That’s especially true for the sit-down lunches and dinners Centerplate will prepare during the week.

Some of the meals Dowd may be serving include a Balsamic-glazed chicken breast as well as Sriracha-bourbon pulled pork.

“Whenever the NAIA comes around, we always put our best foot forward,” he said. “It may seem like controlled chaos but we love it.”

Terri Rexius also loves it when the NAIA Championship comes to Sioux City. The owner of Bob Roe’s Point After said she and her dad Bob Roe have been

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Centerplate executive chef Robert Dowd said preparing food for the NAIA Division II Women’s Basketball National Championship is fun and challenging.

sponsors of the event for years.

“We’re a sports restaurant and it makes sense for us to be supportive of athletes,” she said at the 2320 Transit Ave. eatery. “But more importantly, we want to be good community members. That’s always been my dad’s philosophy.”

This is why Rexius goes all out to provide NAIA athletes and coaches with plenty of Bob Roe’s signature pizza and wings.

“You know, it’s kind of nice feeding people who don’t have to worry that much about their diets,” she said. “These girls need plenty of protein and they’ll be working off plenty of calories on the basketball court.”

Over the years, Rexius said a visit to

SIOUXLAND LIFE

Bob Roe’s Point After has become an annual ritual for some teams.

“Who knows? We might be considered a lucky charm, I guess,” she said.

But it’s the athletes who return long after their athletic glory that touches Rexius’ heart the most.

“We’ve had people who’ve stopped in years after they played in a championship game,” she said. “They’ll come in for some pizza and some wings just because we represented a nice memory for them.

“Larger cities may host NAIA tournaments but I think Sioux City does it best,” Rexius said. “It may have to do with some sense of Midwestern friendliness.

Still, it feels good knowing we’re making a lasting impression on our guests.”

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SIOUXLAND LIFE

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A MATCH MADE AT NAIA TOURNEY

THE NAIA EFFECT

pairing off

Corey and Anne Westra met 17 years ago at a NAIA Division II Women’s National Basketball Championships planning meeting. The two began dating and eventually married.

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s

s

Left: Aiden Westra, son of Corey and Anne Westra, warms up before a youth basketball game at North Middle School. Right: From left, Meredith Westra, 11, and Mallory Westra, 6, share a moment with their mother, Anne Westra, at a game.

Text by Tim Gallagher | Photographs by Tim Hynds and Justin Wan

SIOUX CITY | THE NAIA Division II Women’s National Basketball Tournament is known in Sioux City for many things: It is a welcome mat for several thousand visitors each March.It is the year-end destination point for teams that play in the NAIA Division II. It is a time and place where volunteers and basketball fans renew acquaintances annually. Did you know, the tournament also played matchmaker? It did for Corey and Anne Westra.

The two met at a tournament planning meeting on Groundhog Day some 17 years ago.

The former Anne Borchert was on her second day on the job with the Sioux City Convention Center, where she’d landed work as an administrative assistant. An East High and Colorado State University student, Borchert had moved back to Iowa after working for one year in New York City.

Corey Westra, a Unity Christian High School and Dordt College graduate, was serving as the sports information director at Dordt and the sports director at KDCR in Sioux Center, Iowa, at the time.

Jerry Hansen, then the sports information director at Briar Cliff College, and Tim Seaman, of KCAU-TV, had asked Westra to serve as public address announcer for many of the NAIA tourney games at Municipal Auditorium in 1998 and 1999.

Westra headed south to take part in the planning meeting that day.

“Roger Schultz introduced us before the meeting,” Corey said.

“Corey sat a few chairs down to my right,” Anne recalled.

He was 26 at the time; she was 25.

Though Anne was only in her second

day on the job, her job searches in Minneapolis and Omaha pretty much stopped at that point.

“After the meeting, I walked over to JCPenney and she was there,” Corey said.

“So we did some small talk.”

In the weekly planning meetings that followed, the two continued to talk. Anne then watched as Corey worked his enthusiasm behind the microphone, trying to do what he could to make the national tournament shine.

“During the tournament, I was kind of smitten with his announcing,” she said.

Anne even tapped her mother’s recipe file for a cupcake creation and brought them to the tournament. She gave Corey a cupcake and said, “Here’s a homemade treat.”

“We began talking a lot more and people were picking up on it,” Corey said.

“On Tuesday night, after the last game of the tournament, a big group of us went to Tom Foolery’s. I walked her to her car and asked her out.”

The two emailed dozens of times in the following two weeks, but didn’t get together until early April. Corey drove to Sioux City and took Anne to Garfield’s.

Then, they did something romantic: They went to Menard’s.

“I had to shop for a grill,” Corey said with a laugh. “Actually, I almost burned down our house with that grill!”

After buying the grill, the two walked on the riverfront, braving the cool temperatures often associated with an early spring evening in Sioux City. They would see each other on weekends and became engaged on the Friday following Thanksgiving that fall.

The couple exchanged vows on May 19, 2001, at Morningside Reformed Church.

Corey resigned from his duties at Dordt in the summer of 2001 and has been in Sioux City ever since. He became commissioner of the Great Plains Athletic Conference in 2003 and now helps oversee much of the NAIA national tourney.

Anne worked at the Convention Center until 2007 and then joined the City of Sioux City in its Economic Development Office.

And, they keep plenty busy raising, transporting, coaching and cheering on three children. Son Aiden, 13, is a seventhgrader who has a passion for basketball, playing on a team his dad coaches.

Daughter Meredith, 11, is a sixth-grader who leans toward volleyball. Daughter Mallory, 7, a first-grader, is into gymnastics, but just a few weeks ago asked her dad if she could try basketball.

“The kids also do one instrument apiece,” said Anne, who was always involved in choir and show choir at East.

“Aiden plays trumpet and Meredith has two instruments, violin and trombone.”

It’s a juggling act this family knows well. If you want something done, the saying goes, give the task to a busy person.

The tournament that brought Anne and Corey Westra together keeps the family hopping, especially during a “mad” week of March.

“Our kids know the NAIA tournament,” Corey said. “We eat together at the Tyson during the tournament. The kids have grown up around it. And now they’re to the age where I can put them on a project and they’ll get it done.”

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25

THE NAIA EFFECT

sponsor loyalty

Above: Great West Casaulty Company CEO Jim Jensen, far left, is shown with the College of the Ozarks women’s basketball team. The company has sponsored the team during the NAIA Division II Women’s Basketball Nation Championship since 2004. Below: The Lady Bobcats eat lunch at Great West Casualty in South Sioux City.

GREAT WEST CASUALTY BASKS IN

NAIA SPONSORSHIP

s

Text by Dolly A. Butz

SOUTH SIOUX CITY | Julie Gilbert regularly texts the College of the Ozarks women’s basketball coach to see how the team is faring throughout the season.

A few years ago, the manager of executive support services was on a work trip for her employer Great West Casualty Company and had to miss a crucial game for the Lady Bobcats during the NAIA Division GILBERT II Women’s Basketball National Championship in Sioux City.

“I was getting texts and phone calls from my co-workers. I hated missing it,” she said. “That’s just how exciting it is.”

Since 2004, Great West Casualty

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SIOUXLAND LIFE

The Lady Bobcats attend a banquet at the NAIA Division II Women’s Basketball National Championship in Sioux City.

Company has sponsored College of the Ozarks during the tournament. The Christian liberal arts college in Point Lookout, an unincorporated community in Taney County, Missouri, is unique. Instead of paying tuition, students work at an on-campus work station. They graduate debt-free.

Even making it to the NAIA tournament doesn’t give the women’s basketball players a pass on their work hours.

When they return to campus, Gilbert said they have to make up the work they’ve missed.

“They’re pretty focused. They’re studying while they’re here,” she said.

“It’s pretty amazing.”

Gilbert’s employer, Great West Casualty, which specializes in providing truck insurance products and services, has been sponsoring teams since Sioux City first hosted the tournament in 1998.

She said the tournament is good for both the community and the economy, while sponsoring a team is a rewarding experience for Great West Casualty.

“It’s been fun just to get to meet the teams

from all over the country and just be involved in the tournament,” she said. “It’s satisfying to see students come and play hard and work hard and still have fun.”

The very first team Great West Casualty sponsored was Minot State University. The team’s name was assigned to the company after being drawn out of a hat during a luncheon.

Today, Gilbert said if a sponsor’s team from the previous year returns to the tournament, they can keep that team or draw another. In 1999, Great West Casualty hosted Urbana University from Urbana, Ohio. Dakota State University followed in 2000 and 2001. In 2002 and 2003, the company hosted the University of Maine at Farmington.

“It’s interesting to see all of the different teams that come in and how they all interact,” she said. “We love having them come over here so we can show them what we do.”

Gilbert said sponsors meet their teams at the tournament’s opening banquet, cheer them on

during their games and buy their teams a gift.

Staff at Great West Casualty have delivered a breakfast of bagels to the Lady Bobcats, served them lunch at the office and given them items such as warm-up shirts, sunglasses and bathrobes.

She said Great West Casualty CEO Jim Jensen spends time with the team as they huddle around his desk in his office. Although they’ve gotten to know the women well over the years, Gilbert admits it’s hard to remember all of their names.

“We like to spoil them and make them feel important,” she said. “We’ve got a really good relationship with the coach. She was actually the assistant coach when we started hosting them. It’s kind of nice to have the same team coming back every year because you do get to know the girls.”

Gilbert said the Lady Bobcats are a favorite team at the tournament because the college brings a couple of bus loads of students and cheerleaders to the game, who get the crowd going. She said the students are very respectful, cleaning up the stands after the game.

“I think they really appreciate what we do for them,” she said.

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THE NAIA EFFECT

volunteer tradition

Kathy and Al Wilke recruited their first batch of volunteers by placing an ad on the sports pages of the Sioux City Journal.

Past volunteer leaders

reflect on NAIA start

o

in Sioux City

Text and photographs by Tim Gallagher

ODEBOLT, Iowa | The year before Sioux City landed the NAIA Division II Women’s National Basketball Championships, Al and Kathy Wilke traveled to Angola, Indiana, to watch the Briar Cliff Chargers compete in the tournament.

Their daughter, Katie Wilke, was a sophomore playing for Coach Mike Power’s squad, which was ranked No. 1 and sporting a 35-0 record heading into the 1997 national classic. The Wilkes never missed a game.

“We’d gone to Angola for Katie’s freshman year, when she played at Huron College (in Huron, South Dakota),

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and then went back for her sophomore year at Briar Cliff,” said Kathy Wilke. “We stayed in a beautiful state park lodge.”

The tournament venue, though, wasn’t nearly as spacious as Municipal Auditorium, nor as glitzy or modern as the Tyson Events Center. The practice site for the team? It was in a church basement.

Power had told the Wilkes that he sensed Sioux City leaders were making a pitch to host the tournament. The couple took notes about the host site and Al made a list of things he thought folks in and around the Woodbury County seat could improve upon if they were to host the tournament in 1998.

Siouxland Life

“I think it was announced in the 1997 tournament that the 1998 tourney would be in Sioux City,” Al recalled.

“Coach Power recommended Kathy and I serve on the volunteer committee.”

Al took a list of ideas and recommendations to the first steering committee prior to the March 1998 national tournament at old Municipal Auditorium. He quickly learned he’d barely need that list. All the topics he wanted to address were already being tackled by someone, people like Tim Seaman, Roger Schultz, Dennis Gann and Corey Westra.

Wilke didn’t fold up his list and go away, however. He and Kathy agreed to coordinate the efforts of dozens of

Kathy and Al Wilke began their support of the NAIA Division II Women’s National Basketball Championships when their daughter Katie was a sophomore at Briar Cliff University.

volunteers. It was a position they held for the next seven years.

“The first three or four tournaments we helped with were in the old Auditorium,” said Kathy, who remembered having people on the stage, including trainers, as games unfolded on the floor below. “We stayed on as we wanted to help as the tournament in 2004 moved into the new facility, the Tyson Events Center.”

Al laughed and talked about giving up a week of work at Swanson Insurance & Real Estate back in Odebolt, where they reside.

“We weren’t always the best delegators, so we stayed in Sioux City the whole tournament week,” he said. “In the end, I guess you could say it kind of wore us out.”

Exhaustion? Maybe. But the best kind of tired. The kind of tired that comes with rolling up one’s sleeves and rolling out the welcome mats over the course of a six-day, 31-game, 32-team national classic.

The Wilkes recruited their first batch of volunteers by placing an ad on the sports pages of the Sioux City Journal. Responses flowed in. Nobody was turned away.

“People wanted to help in any way they could,” Al said, disclosing how volunteers were awarded free admission to

“Many of the volunteers worked year after year and it kind of became its own little community.”

Kathy Wilke the tournament for their work.

Plus, workers received a free shirt they were asked to wear throughout the run of the event. Those shirts transitioned from a green short-sleeved T-shirt in the early years to brightly colored long-sleeve shirts, often in orange, light blue or yellow.

“People could pick the volunteers out pretty easily,” Kathy said.

Volunteers could also dine for free at the Auditorium, and later at the Tyson Events Center, during the week of the tourney.

“I remember Dave Van Wechel, of Orange City, coming in to volunteer

one year,” Al said. “Dave had a clipboard and attached to it was the letter about being a volunteer. I had him assigned to the stage in the old Auditorium, because I sensed he could be a take-charge guy.”

When a group of students, including one fan who chewed tobacco, elected to sit on the old stage, it was Van Wechel who got them corralled.

Other volunteers met coaches and teams at the entrance and directed them to their lockers. Others handed out towels or made sure officials had what they needed during games. Some just stood by in case fans or participants had questions about the venue or the host city.

“Many of the volunteers worked year after year and it kind of became its own little community,” Kathy said.

The Wilkes still receive Christmas cards from some of the friends they met while working together at the NAIA Division II Women’s National Basketball Tournament in Sioux City.

When the men’s basketball tournament site was about to change several years ago, a committee formed at Point Lookout, Missouri, the new host. And what did committee members do?

“They came to Sioux City,” Al Wilke said with a smile. “And they looked at our blueprint.”

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THE NAIA EFFECT

local pride

NAIA

VOLUNTEERS REPRESENT THE BEST OF SIOUX CITY

s

Text by Lindsey Nelson Photographs by Tim Hynds

SIOUX CITY | The volunteers at this year’s NAIA Women’s Basketball National Championship will be wearing emerald green T-shirts. Not for the luck of the Irish, but in honor of the tournament’s 20th year in Sioux City.

“Emerald green and white are the traditional colors of a 20th anniversary,” said John Mansfield, a member of the NAIA Volunteer Committee. He and the rest of the volunteer committee will be wearing white, he said.

“It’s a simple way for us to celebrate 20 years, but also an easy way for people to know where to point blame,” Mansfield said with a laugh.

Each year the committee orders between 110-120 volunteer T-shirts.

One of those shirts will be going to Miles Patton, adding to his vast collection of NAIA swag.

Patton, 85, will be volunteering in the hospitality area for his 15th year.

“I’m the door keeper,” he said. “Nobody is getting through me.”

Though Patton admits he’s not “that big of a sports fan,” he comes back each year because he enjoys taking care of the VIPs and feels he owes it to Sioux City to give back.

“I’ve met people through volunteering that I would have never met before,” he

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said. “The fellowship and camaraderie that I get is what means the most.”

Bill Hays, 69, has 16 years experience in the heat of the action, volunteering on the sidelines, fetching balls and making sure the players have water.

In 2012, Hays was asked to step out on the court after a day of ball games, and was presented with the Cheryl K. Brown Meritorious Service Award.

“I wasn’t expecting that. I’m not much for being the center of attention, I just enjoy watching the ball games and yakking with the fans,” said Hays.

A night of all-you-can-eat shrimp, known as “shrimp night,” is one way the

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tournament shows its appreciation to the volunteers.

“One year I helped myself to the shrimp one too many times and got gout,” said Patton.

“I’ve had to pace myself the last few years.”

Longtime NAIA committee member and volunteer Cheryl Gamble says it’s great to see Sioux City come together to give the teams a proper Midwest welcome.

Gamble, 60, has been involved with the tournament for 19 years, mostly spending her days in the locker rooms.

“We’re there to make sure players and

Bill Hays, Cheryl Gamble and Miles Patton will be on hand March 8-14 during the NAIA Division II Women’s National Basketball Championships at the Tyson Events Center.

coaches have whatever they need,” she said. “One year, a team had a disco ball they loved and the batteries ran out. A volunteer walked over to Walgreens and grabbed some batteries.”

Gamble adds her personal touch to the locker room by writing words of encouragement on an easel for each team.

“It’s the little things that the players remember,” she said.

Every year the tournament provides the players with a souvenir to remember their time in Sioux City.

“We switch it up each year, but always have the year printed somewhere on the souvenir to remind the girls of their time

at the tournament,” she said.

Gamble fondly remembers the days in March when it would snow, recalling players from warmer climates experiencing snow for the first time.

“It’s so fun to witness those special moments.”

Calling the tournament “well-oiled,” Gamble chalks up its success to the individuals who dedicate their time and energy every year.

“It just shows how great Sioux City is,” she said. “We usually have way more volunteers than jobs for them to do.

“That’s a good problem to have.”

“It just shows how great Sioux City is.

We usually have way more volunteers than jobs for them to do. That’s a good problem to have.”

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CHERYL GAMBLE MARCH 2017

31

THE NAIA EFFECT

friendships

Northwestern’s Becca Hurley is guarded

by Davenport’s Kallie Benike during NAIA championship basketball action at the Tyson Events Center in 2011.

Northwestern player Kami Kuhlmann (21) celebrates with teammate Becca Hurley as Alli Dunkelberger (25) looks on after the Red Raiders won the NAIA Division II Women’s Basketball Championship.

Northwestern players Kendra DeJong and Becca Hurley celebrate their victory over Davenport during NAIA championship basketball action at the Tyson Events Center in 2011.

MVP SAVORS FRIENDSHIPS,

d

Northwestern star now coaching, raising her children

Text by Tim Gallagher Photographs by Jim Lee

DES MOINES | Becca Hurley Kramer has two Most Valuable Player trophies from her days leading Northwestern College to NAIA Division II Women’s Basketball titles.

Where are they? In storage, next to the washer and dryer, in her basement in Des Moines.

The detail is something Kramer hesitates to admit. It also makes her chuckle.

“When Jonathan (Kramer) and I got married and had an apartment, there was a wall with pictures of us and several plaques,” she said. “As we moved and our family has grown, we’ve gotten a little more picky with our space. We do have a new bookshelf, but I just haven’t put it up yet.”

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Those tasks sometimes have to wait, even for a former two-time national Most Valuable Player and three-time champ. Parenthood gets in the way, you realize.

The former Becca Hurley and Jonathan Kramer are parents to Titus, 4, and Isabella, 2. The couple is expecting their third child on April 8. They don’t know if No. 3 will be a boy or a girl.

“It’ll be a surprise,” Becca said. “I do feel good and everything is healthy.”

She then added, “Titus wants a boy pretty bad.”

Whether the newborn, or his/her older siblings will be proficient with a basketball in their hands remains to be seen. If they’re anything like Mom or Dad, however, chances are pretty good they’ll handle the ball and score. Jonathan Kramer, a native of North Dakota, played

SIOUXLAND LIFE

at Northwestern. It’s where he met Becca, the Des Moines East High School phenom who helped claim three NAIA Division II women’s national basketball titles for the Red Raiders, capping off her freshman, junior and senior seasons with triumphs in the championship contest.

She even helped direct NWC to a national crown, doing so as an assistant coach for Chris Yaw, one year after her 2011 graduation.

“I have three national title rings, but did not get one for being a coach,” she said.

Becca also earned a pair of national MVP trophies, earning those prizes at the end of her junior and senior seasons.

Someday, she indicated, the hardware will find a better spot in their home, better than the one next to the washer and dryer, that is.

Northwestern’s Becca Hurley shoots during the team’s game against Morningside at Tyson Events Center.

Northwestern players Becca Hurley, left, and Kami Kuhlmann celebrate their victory over Davenport in 2011.

LAUGHS OVER HARDWARE When she’s not playing with and watching over her growing family, Becca can be found teaching and coaching. She teaches physical education part-time at Joshua Christian Academy in Des Moines.

“I’ve taught here for five years and it seems like they’re adding a grade about every year,” she said. “I also substitute teach some in the Des Moines schools.”

Her work comes primarily when her mother can help watch Titus and Isabella. Jonathan teaches science at Des Moines Christian High School.

In 2013-14, Becca served as the assistant girls basketball coach at Des Moines East, where she played as a prep. Then, she had Isabella and she put down the high school coaching clipboard for a while and took up coaching third- through eighth-graders. It’s a better fit, personally, for Becca, who seeks to be at home each evening with her children. You really can’t do that as a high school coach.

“Working with middle school students is nice as the season is shorter,” she said.

“And I’m teaching these third-graders the fundamentals. I’m actually doing a lot of the drills we did in college. It reminds me that you cannot skip steps.”

Not skipping steps was a bit of a mantra shared by her Red Raider coaches Earl Woudstra and Chris Yaw. It must have resonated as Northwestern knew nothing but success in Becca’s time on campus. When pressed to mention a specific on-court memory, she hesitates and does what amounts to a change-of-pace move with the conversation.

“I’d say the best memories are the overall enjoyment of being on a team and sharing so many laughs in the locker room,” she says. “Now, when I’m coaching, phrases they had will come back to me and I’ll use them. The moment will bring them out.”

They’re sayings such as, “Run the floor

for your teammates,” and “The small things lead to big things.”

The small things in her house, toddlers really, are the big things. And even though she and Jonathan were connected by a ball, hoops and fundamental drills in the gym, this 27-year-old former MVP assures they won’t pressure their children to chase a hoop dream, or any sports passion, at all costs.

“We know what a blessing it is to develop relationships and a work ethic, things you can do in sports,” she said.

“But we also don’t want to pressure them into it and we don’t want it to become too much of a priority. It can become something you worship or spend all your time on. We both have a good perspective on that.”

And that might also help explain why the MVP hardware, collected nearly a decade ago, has its place in the laundry room right now.

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THE NAIA EFFECT

memories

SHE’S GOT GAME FORMER MORNINGSIDE POWER FORWARD EXPLORES LIFE AFTER BASKETBALL

s

Text by Earl Horlyk | Photograph by Jim Lee

SIOUX CITY | Jessica Tietz didn’t realized how much she missed basketball until the summer of 2016 was coming to a close.

“I graduated from Morningside College with a biology degree in May,” said the Bancroft, Nebraska native. “It wasn’t until August that it hit me that my days of balancing practices with classes were over.”

You can’t really blame Tietz.

After all, the 6-foot, 2-inch forward was the top scorer for the Morningside Mustangs and played in three National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Division II Women’s Basketball National Championship tournaments.

Not only did Tietz win NAIA Division II All-American honors, she graduated cum laude in her class.

In other words, she’s had her share of accomplishments both on and off the basketball court.

Tietz credits her competitiveness and hard work ethic to her family.

“Everybody in my family is pretty athletic, and growing up on a farm you learned the value of hard work at an early age,” she said. “Just because you’re a girl didn’t mean you couldn’t move that bale of hay.”

However, Tietz admitted to experiencing a bit of culture shock after leaving her hometown of 4,845 people for life on an urban college campus.

“Believe me, Sioux City is a big city when you compare it to Bancroft, Nebraska,” she said, laughing.

After making the move, Tietz said her life changed dramatically in college.

“I began working with organizations like Opportunities Unlimited (a Sioux City-based organization that provides residential rehabilitation services for people with disabilities) and STARS,” she said. Siouxland Troopers Adaptive Riding School utilizes horseback riding as a form of rehabilitative therapy.

“Both organizations are close to my heart since my sister gave birth to a baby with Down syndrome,” she said.

Sharing both the highs and lows

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Morningside’s Jessica Tietz shoots as College of Saint Mary’s Deaundra Young defends during basketball action at Morningside College in Sioux City last February.

in her life were Tietz’s Mustang teammates.

“As soon as I entered college, I discovered my second family,” she said. “The girls have become like sisters to me.”

Tietz continues to make periodic trips to Sioux City from her home in Bancroft.

“Catching up with my teammates while we eat wings from Bob Roe’s Point After and discuss what’s going on in ABC’s ‘The Bachelor.’ That alone makes the 50-mile trip worthwhile,” she said with a warm chuckle.

Such simple pleasures are sometimes hard to plan because Tietz currently has a job back home.

SIOUXLAND LIFE

“Right now, I’m a rural mail carrier with the U.S. Post Office,” she said. “I like it a lot.”

Yet Tietz will soon be relinquishing her “mail lady” duties to go back to school.

“I’ve enrolled in the occupational therapy master’s program at Rockhurst University in Kansas City, Missouri,” she said.

So, let’s get this straight. Tietz thought Sioux City was a big city in comparison to Bancroft. Yet Kansas City is even bigger.

“Am I worried about culture shock?

Nah,” she said. “I need a new challenge and this is it. To be honest, I can’t wait!”

THE NAIA EFFECT the

cookie contest

Chef Rodney Mongan holds a tray of Chocolate Chip Pudding cookies made from a recipe submitted by Mount Marty College in Yankton, South Dakota. The cookie was named the winner of the 2016 NAIA Cookie Challenge.

s Contest Victory is sweet in NAIA

Text by Lindsey Nelson Photographs by Tim Hynds

Cookie

SIOUX CITY | While it takes grit and discipline to win the NAIA championship title, it takes a crisp outer shell and a soft middle to make a championship cookie, at least according to Chef Rodney Mongan.

For the last four years, Mongan has baked all of the cookie recipes competing teams have submitted, varying from classics like the Monster Cookie, to unique entries like the Hillbilly Bar submitted by the University of Rio Grande in 2015.

Why cookies?

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35

“It was old-fashioned, and it used simple ingredients you would have on hand in your pantry. It kind of hearkened back to old pioneer days.”

CHEF RODNEY MONGAN

The Brown Sugar Oatmeal cookie submitted by College of Saint Mary was the taste test winner in 2014.

“There are so many variations you can make, plus some people are so diet conscious they feel better having one cookie than a slice of cake,” said Mongan. “And I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like a cookie.”

Sioux City Journal editor Bruce Miller said he’s a fan of the idea.

“We thought having a cookie contest would be a great way to get all the schools involved,” he said. “It’s another way fans can show support for their school.”

Online voting is open the week of the tournament and there is no limit to the number of votes a person can cast. Goshen College’s Monster Cookie recipe from 2016 is the reigning champion with 65,050 votes.

The cookie with the most votes is recognized along with the taste test winner, which is selected by Mongan and a taste test panel.

So what are judges looking for?

“Taste, texture and color – the holy trinity,” Mongan said. “A lot of recipes are similar, but it’s the one that has all

BROWN SUGAR OATMEAL COOKIE 2014 taste test winner by College of Saint Mary

• 2 cups brown sugar • 2 cups flour • 2 teaspoons vanilla • 1 teaspoon salt • 1 cup quick oats • 1 cup Crisco shortening • 2 eggs • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda • 1 cup of granulated sugar Mix brown sugar, vanilla, Crisco all-vegetable shortening and eggs into mixing bowl. Then add flour, salt, baking soda and quick oats.

Mix all ingredients together. Pour cup of granulated sugar into a separate bowl.

March 16 • 7:30pm | Orpheum Theatre – Sioux City BroadwayAtTheOrpheum.com | 800-514Presented by:

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Prepare cookie dough into 1-inch balls, roll into granulated sugar and place 1 inch apart on greased cookie sheet.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 10-12 minutes.

SIOUXLAND LIFE

VOTER’S CHOICE WINNERS • 2016: Monster Cookies by Goshen College (65,050 votes) • 2015: Famous Chocolate Chip Cookies

by Asbury University (46,635 votes) • 2014: Mad Malicious Mayville Monsters

by Mayville State University (55,717 votes) • 2013: Comet Chocolate Chippers by Mayville State University (8,100 votes) • 2012: Potato Chip Cookies by Valley City State University (6,500 votes)

University of Rio Grande’s recipe for Hillbilly Bars was the surprise taster’s choice cookie in 2015.

three components we tend to favor.

“One cookie that sticks out in my mind was a very simple brown sugar cookie,” he said. “It was old-fashioned, and it used simple ingredients you would have on hand in your pantry. It kind of hearkened back to old pioneer days.”

But of course, “every college thinks their cookie is the best.”

The Brown Sugar Oatmeal cookie submitted by College of Saint Mary was the taste test winner in 2014.

Mongan’s tip for baking a winning cookie is to make sure all ingredients are properly mixed.

“An improperly mixed cookie is obvious to spot,” he cautioned.

Though Mongan and the other Convention Center chefs are working around the clock to keep up with tournament, keeping up with the cookie demand is one of the easier tasks.

“Cookies are the easiest dessert to bake,” he said. “You can bake a much bigger volume, plus they’re so easy to clean up because everything is in one mixing bowl.”

Mongan said he has yet to encounter a cookie recipe he’s never baked ... but “there’s always next year,” he said.

TASTE TEST WINNERS • 2016: Chocolate Chip Pudding Cookies by Mount Mary College • 2015: Hillbilly Bars by University of Rio Grande • 2014: Brown Sugar Oatmeal Cookies by College of Saint Mary • 2013: Raider Monster Cookies by Northwestern College • 2012: Potato Chip Cookies by Valley City State University

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SIOUXLAND LIFE

Continued from page 14 the 900 Larsen Park Road facilities.

So, what are the “must see’s” at the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center?

Poole said it’s the animatronic statues of Meriwether Lewis, William Clark, President Thomas Jefferson and even Seaman the Newfoundland that generate the most interest.

“The girls love taking selfies in front of the animatronics,” she said. “After all, you can’t get your picture taken with a member of the Corps of Discovery at just any old place.”

Since her office is at the Tyson Events Center, Newton said she doesn’t mind indulging in a bit of people watching come tournament time.

“I’m always amazed at the number of local people who have no connection with any team,” she said. “These people just stay all day because they want to show their support while watching championship-level basketball.

“These people “They’re proud of their comjust stay all day munity and this because they becomes a source of pride for them,” want to show Newton said.

McGowan their support agreed. while watching “That shows the caliber and the championshipcharacter of our communities,” he level basketball.” said. “Call it a MidErika Newton, execuwestern sense of tive director of Sioux hospitality, but we City’s Events & Faciliwant to bring out ties Department the red carpet for the NAIA.” McGowan said the NAIA has shown its appreciation by bringing the national volleyball and softball tournaments to town.

“Over the past 20 years, we’ve been able to develop the relationship of trust,” he said. “They know we will always treat them well in Sioux City.”

Indeed, Newton said Sioux City has acquired an almost epic quality in the minds of the student athletes.

“The players spend their athletic careers dreaming of making it to Sioux City and the national championships,” she said.

“We are their World Series and we are their Super Bowl.”

Which means Plambeck and her staff at Stoney Creek Hotel & Conference Center had better make sure they have plenty of yogurt, bagels and bananas on hand.

“Some of the students have had to travel a great distance,” she said. “It’s our job to show how hospitable Sioux City can be.”

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Health volunteering

Volunteering as an older adult How to find the right fit for your new lifestyle

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Text and photograph by Metro

Many parents feel involving their children in volunteering at an early age can have a profound, long-lasting impact on their kids.

But youngsters are not the only ones who can reap great rewards from volunteering, as studies show that men and women at, beyond or approaching retirement age also benefit greatly from volunteer work.

Research from the Corporation for National and Community Service found that more than 20 million older adults contributed in excess of three billion hours of community service time each year from 2011 to 2013.

The reasons why older adults volunteer are varied, but in its 2014 survey the AARP’s Experience Corps found that 97 percent of its volunteers indicated that their volunteer work with the organization gave them a sense of purpose.

Older adults who want to volunteer but have little or no history with volunteering might not know where to begin with regard to finding the right opportunity.

The right fit can make all the difference for volunteers and the people they help, and the following tips might help older adults as they look for an opportunity that best utilizes their skills and experience.

• Know your schedule. Older adults who are still working but want to volunteer may have a firm grasp on their schedules, but even retirees should not overestimate how much time they have to volunteer.

Before you begin to look for an opportunity, write down your commitments and daily schedule, using this list to determine how much free time you have to volunteer. Some opportunities require greater time commitments than others, so make sure you know just how much

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Finding the right volunteer opportunity can make all the difference for older men and women who want to give back to their communities.

time you can devote to an opportunity before signing up.

• Give due consideration to your experience. Older adults who have retired or are on the cusp of retirement have a lifetime of experience they can use to help others.

Imparting wisdom learned in your professional life can provide a sense of purpose and even make you feel as though you are still actively involved in the industry where you built your professional reputation. But life experience can also prove invaluable in volunteering opportunities.

Mentoring programs give volunteers the chance to help young people, and such opportunities can involve more than just offering professional advice.

• Don’t downplay the significance of certain opportunities. Volunteering opportunities come in many variations, and each is significant in its own right.

Coaching a grandchild’s soccer team

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can have as significant an impact on the people you help as other volunteering opportunities. Volunteers offer their time because they have a passion to help others, and that help can be given in a myriad of ways.

• Leave time for the rest of your life.

Volunteering is a selfless act, and volunteers are the backbone of many successful charitable organizations. But older men and women should leave time for the rest of their lives as well.

Retirement should be fulfilling but also include time for recreation, so don’t downplay how important hobbies are to you in an attempt to find more time to volunteer.

No retiree wants to grow resentful of his or her volunteer work because it leaves little time for other pursuits, so do your best to balance your charitable endeavors with the other things in life that matter to you.

Health eating

right

Eat healthy at 50 and beyond

a

Text and Photograph by Metro

A balanced diet is an integral element of a healthy lifestyle for men, women and children alike. But while kids and young adults might be able to get away with an extra cheeseburger here or there, men and women approaching 50 have less leeway.

According to the National Institute on Aging, simply counting calories without regard for the foods being consumed is not enough for men and women 50 and older to maintain their long-term health.

Rather, the NIA emphasizes the importance of choosing low-calorie foods that have a lot of the nutrients the body needs.

But counting calories can be an effective and simple way to maintain a healthy weight, provided those calories are coming from nutrient-rich foods.

The NIA advises men and women over 50 adhere to the following daily calorie intake recommendations as they attempt to stay healthy into their golden years.

Women • Not physically active: 1,600 calories • Somewhat active: 1,800 calories • Active lifestyle: between 2,000 and 2,200 calories Men • Not physically active: 2,000 calories • Somewhat active: between 2,200 and 2,400 calories • Active lifestyle: between 2,400 and 2,800 calories When choosing foods to eat, the NIA recommends eating many different colors and types of vegetables and fruits.

Phytochemicals are substances that occur naturally in plants, and there are thousands of these substances offering various benefits.

The Produce for Better Health Foundation notes that a varied, colorful diet incorporates lots of different types of phytochemicals, which the PBH says have disease-preventing properties.

Maintaining a healthy diet after 50 may require some hard work and discipline. But the long-term benefits of a healthy diet make the extra effort well worth it.

The NIA also advises that men and women over 50 make sure at least half the grains in their diets are whole grains.

Numerous studies have discovered the various benefits of whole grains, which are loaded with protein, fiber, antioxidants and other nutrients. Whole grains have been shown to reduce the risk for diseases such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease and some types of cancer.

Another potential hurdle men and women over 50 may encounter is a change in their sense of smell and taste.

A person’s sense of smell may fade with age, and because smell and taste are so closely related, foods enjoyed for years may no longer tantalize the taste

buds. That can be problematic, as many people instinctively add more salt to foods they find bland.

According to the U.S. Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, older adults should consume no more than 1,500 milligrams of sodium per day. That equates to roughly 3/4 teaspoon of salt.

Older men and women should resist the temptation to use salt to add flavor to foods, instead opting for healthy foods that they can still smell and taste. In addition, men and women should mention any loss of their sense of smell to their physicians, as such a loss may indicate the presence of Parkinson’s disease or Alzheimer’s disease.

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Health dealing

with injury

Dr. Valerie Tallerico, a foot and ankle specialist at UnityPoint Clinic Podiatry, talks about the types of foot and ankle injuries that are common among basketball players..

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Siouxland Life

Foot injuries can sideline NAIA athletes

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Text by Dolly A. Butz | Photographs by Tim Hynds

SIOUX CITY | Foot and ankle injuries are among the most common suffered by basketball players.

Valerie Tallerico, a podiatrist at UnityPoint Clinic Podiatry, said landing hard, cutting action and colliding with another player can result in a sprained ankle. She said overuse injuries, such as stress fractures, also plague basketball players. The running and jumping associated with the game takes its toll.

“Basketball is a very demanding sport, so sometimes it’s from colliding with another player,” she said. “That one-to-one contact can lead to injuries, but when it comes to basketball there’s many things that can lead to injuries besides accidents.”

Tallerico sees her share of basketball players with turf toe – a sprain of the main joint of the big toe – Achilles tendon injuries and generalized foot pain.

Apophysitis, a painful inflammation of the heel’s growth plate, can strike middle school athletes just beginning their competitive careers.

“It’s a different type of heel pain that we see in the youth versus that plantar facial pain you see in adults,” she said.

“It’s basically that overuse or that pulling on the growth plate.”

The key to preventing many injuries, Tallerico said, is stretching, an activity often forgotten or minimized by athletes of all ages. She said tight Achilles tendons could lead to a lot of foot problems.

“Many times we see kids coming in who are tremendously tight, and they shouldn’t be at this age,” she said. “A lot of times they quickly go through things and get into practice and they’re not warmed up.”

Dr. Tallerico talks about the braces used to treat foot and ankle injuries.

Performing exercises that strengthen the muscles, tendons and ligaments of the foot and ankle and increase flexibility can prevent injuries.

Tallerico recommends pulling the toes back to stretch the arch and using elastic bands to push down, pull up, push in and push out with your toes. She said even standing on one foot to improve balance while brushing your teeth can be beneficial.

“Individuals who chronically roll their ankle, they lose confidence in their ankle, so they lose that sense of balance,” she said. “We do a lot of exercises with them where we have them stand on one foot or those half wobble balls to get that sense of balance back.”

When injuries do occur, Tallerico said

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MARCH 2017

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it’s important to be seen by a medical professional as soon as possible. If the ankle isn’t braced or rehabilitated appropriately, she said long-term problems, such as tendon injuries and chronic instability can develop.

“They may need orthotics for that adequate support while playing. Sometimes it’s a brace,” she said. “If they definitely have a history of ankle issues, we want to make sure that we’re supporting them through taping or bracing. Sometimes we put different lifts in their shoes to accommodate them.”

Besides physical therapy, braces and stretching exercises, rest may be ordered.

Tallerico said taking time off is a remedy athletes and their parents usually don’t like to hear. She said training programs can be overhauled, replacing high impact cardio with more strength training exercises.

The worst possible outcome of a foot or ankle injury is the development of a fracture, repeated ankle sprains that can lead to tendon injuries or chronic instability and pain. At this point, Tallerico said surgery might be the only solution to correct the problem.

“It could actually make them stop playing basketball unfortunately shortterm or long-term,” she said.

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advice Medical

Answers

‘Doc, i’ve got a question …’

Kelly Ryder, M.D. Kelly Ryder is an Omaha, Nebraska, native who grew up in Omaha, attending Creighton University for her undergraduate and medical degrees. She then moved to Sioux City to complete her residency in Family Medicine at the Siouxland Medical Education Foundation. She is currently in her third and final year of residency.

She enjoys spending most of her free time with her fun and loving husband, Dylan, and two wild and wonderful children, Luke and Hallie.

answers to your medical questions

How should you clean your ears, if it’s not recommended to put anything in them?

Ideally you should not need to clean your ears unless you are having difficulty hearing, feeling fullness in your ears, have ringing in your ears or if your ears are itching a lot. Ear wax is actually a natural lubricant made by your ears which helps to protect your inner ear from infection. It acts like a “self-cleaner” of sorts with its antibacterial advantages.

Despite what many people believe, ear wax is actually produced in the outer third of the ear canal. This is the case so that the ear wax can provide its protective properties to the very fragile inner ear, and keep it out of the way of harm from bacteria and foreign bodies. This is why ENTs, or Ear, Nose and Throat physicians, strongly advise that patients do not put cotton-tipped applicators in the ear. When this is done, the ear wax is pushed in to the inner ear canal and can irritate or even perforate the ear drum, and make the ear more susceptible to infection. This is turn can cause temporary or even permanent damage to one’s hearing. Physical trauma and damage from infections can cause scarring on the ear drum, which can permanently impair your ability to hear.

That being said, there are some people who produce too much ear wax, which can in itself cause irritation of the inner ear. If you believe this to be the case, the first step I would recommend would be to visit your primary care physician so he or she can look inside your ear. A physician will be able to tell you if over-production of ear wax is the problem or if it may be something else, such as an infection causing you discomfort.

If it is found that there is too much wax in your inner ear, your physician may attempt to clean out your ears using warm water flushes, ear softening drops or using small tools to pluck out the pieces of wax without pushing it further in your ear. The physician then may suggest you use wax softening drops at home,

ear to migraine headaches, medication side effects and head or neck injuries. If the vertigo persists for too long or recurs frequently, you should consider making an appointment with your primary care physician.

or use a few drops of a natural softener such as mineral oil, baby oil or glycerin. These can all break down ear wax enough that it will fall out of your ear on its own. I cannot stress enough to never insert cotton-tipped applicators into your ears, for the aforementioned reasons.

It is also not recommended to use ear candles to remove ear wax. There have been many instances of burning and perforation of the ear drum, or further obstruction with candle wax. If you have any further questions or concerns, do not hesitate your primary care physician.

What is the best way to deal with vertigo? Do you stay still or move around?

Vertigo is often described as a sense of dizziness or unsteadiness with the room spinning around you. Quite often vertigo is a transient feeling that comes and goes on its own within seconds or minutes. However it can persist for hours, depending on the cause of the vertigo.

Since many people experience symptoms of unbalance, swaying, nausea and lightheadedness, in addition to other symptoms, it is often best to stay still until the spinning sensation resolves.

This can help protect you from injuring yourself from a fall. There are many different causes of vertigo, ranging from infection, fluid build-up in your inner ear and displacement of crystals inside your

When should you do something about your teen’s acne? Should you just let it run its course?

Teen acne is unfortunately a very common factor of life during adolescence. However, this does not mean there is not a solution to this bothersome, and sometimes embarrassing, problem. In approaching this question, you should first determine the severity of your teen’s acne and how much emotional distress it is causing them, if any. First of all, there are two different types of acne: non-inflammatory and inflammatory. Non-inflammatory acne is also known as whiteheads and blackheads. Inflammatory acne consists more of nodules that may or may not have pustular material inside. Inflammatory acne also ranges in severity from mild to moderate to severe. The higher the severity, the more likely the acne is to cause scarring of the skin. Depending on the extent of the scarring, it can have long term physical and emotional sequelae.

No matter the severity of the acne, if it is causing any emotional distress to the patient, treatment is recommended.

There are treatment options for every type of acne. If your teen has more of the non-inflammatory acne or mild inflammatory acne, you could start with trying an over the counter face wash and/or body wash that contains the ingredient benzoyl peroxide. If used regularly, this treatment could completely clear up the acne. If you have found that the over the counter washes are not doing the trick, or if the acne is more severe, you should consider paying a visit to your primary care physician. There are several

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prescription options for treating acne and your physician would be happy to discuss these options with you.

Is there a problem with a child chewing his fingernails? What should you do?

Nail biting is a common “bad habit” among children, similar to thumb sucking, nose picking and cuticle picking.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), these habits tend to be self-comforting and tension reducing, and children are not often conscious of the habit. Although these actions tend to be quite bothersome to parents, they will not affect the development

of the child significantly. Children will often outgrow the habit by the time they reach early school age, ages 6 to 8 years, when they become more perceptive of the awareness of their peers.

Although some children may persist in the habit a few years longer, most will be habit-free by the time they reach adulthood. While it is always a parent’s impulse to fix things they see as wrong with their children, the AAP recommends that the best management of nail biting is to ignore the habit. If you call negative attention to the action, the child will in turn development more tension and thus will bite their

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nails more often. Another effective approach is positive reinforcement. When you have noticed an extended period of time during which your child has not been biting his or her nails, reward them. Although there may be times when the nail biting may cause mild bleeding, this will likely be a deterrent for the child to the behavior. If this does happen, be sure to encourage proper hand hygiene and apply bandages as needed to prevent infection. If you have any further questions regarding nail biting or similar habits in your child, please don’t hesitate to contact your primary care physician.

I’ve had a lump behind my ear, but I don’t notice any other problems. I don’t think it’s anything, but is it? Should I have it checked?

There are many kinds of lumps and bumps that we feel from time to time on our bodies. These lumps could be a wide variety of things, such as lymph nodes, fatty masses, clogged sweat glands or hair follicles or different kinds of tumors.

Lumps behind the ear are most often lymph nodes. Lymph nodes are present throughout your body and their primary function is to help fight infection. It is normal for lymph nodes to enlarge when our bodies are infected with a viral, bacterial or fungal infection. If encounter with an infection of some sort, lymph can enlarge and can become somewhat tender. However, this enlargement should resolved within a few weeks after the infection has run its course or has been properly treated. If a lymph node remains enlarged beyond about 4 weeks, it is a good idea to have it evaluated by your primary care physician. Other reasons to have it checked out if it has been less than four weeks include if you’ve experienced unexplained weight loss, night sweat or persistent fevers, or if the lymph node is firm and seems to be fixed to the skin. Also if the lymph node is enlarged without any apparent cause or infection. These could all be signs that the enlargement could be due to a more serious event, such as cancer. Do keep in mind that even minor colds that one may see as insignificant can cause lymph node enlargement. Thus, depending on the time frame that this lump has been present and any other symptoms that may be present, it would likely be a good idea to be evaluated by your primary care physician.

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.

PARTING SHOT By

Bruce Miller

WHEN SOCIAL MEDIA BECOMES ANTI-SOCIAL,

TROUBLE HAPPENS

i

I USED TO LIKE TO COME HOME, check out social media and find out what my friends were doing.

Not anymore. Thanks to all the bickering that floods just about every platform, I’ve become disillusioned. All the puppies and cute kids can’t mask the meanness that doesn’t need to be.

Politics may have fueled it, but if we want a better world, someone has to end it. Saying snarky things about people who disagree with you only alienates.

To limit my exposure to that kind of conversation, I’ve backed away from posts that look political.

And that’s unlike me. Usually, I like to hear what people think. But posts these days don’t stop with the poster’s opinion.

They often include someone disagreeing vehemently, a “fake news” attachment that supports the first position and a long back-and-forth that drifts off into another lane. Before long, there’s name-calling, a Hillary/Donald reference and a rash prediction of what’s to come.

Why? The “conversation” never goes anywhere, but it takes those involved plenty of time – and blood pressure – to spout. It’s polarizing. It’s aggravating. It’s frightening. And it’s unnecessary.

The United States has always been filled with people who disagree. But they’ve never been this nasty. And why? Does it make them feel better because they voice their opinion without fear of consequence?

I’ve read vile posts from people who I once thought were loving, patriotic God-fearing people. Seeing how mean they can get makes my heart sink and makes me question if I misjudged them from the start.

Is this the happy grandmother who supports her grandchildren in everything they do? Or was she a lifelong hater who

just reached a boiling point and decided to blow?

Does fear fuel the anger?

I shake my head and wonder.

Before we entered the last election year, there wasn’t this level of vitriol. The divisiveness – and pointed speech – somehow made it acceptable.

But why?

There shouldn’t be open hunting on anyone. As my mom used to say, “Be better than that.”

I now know what she meant: Don’t get dragged into the conversation.

It’s fine to disagree. We need to hear all viewpoints to make decisions that are right for us. But to conclude that someone who isn’t on the same page is idiotic, greedy, racist, lazy, insane – you name it – is wrong.

Poet Maya Angelou nailed it: “We are more alike than unalike.” We need to build on those differences, learn from others and accept that few ideas have total support.

While those cute babies and pets on Facebook have largely been spared the criticism, it’s probably just a matter of time.

I know social media empowers people, makes them feel like they’re experts on a multitude of things. But I’d rather learn from their positive moves.

On my birthday, I got dozens of greetings from people and that made me feel like the richest man in the world. If you’ve gotten them, too, you know what I mean. It’s exhilarating.

And that’s what I’d like to see – a positive movement, not a negative one.

I think we’d be amazed at the kind of results it could achieve.

It just takes one person to get it going.

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Win $10,000!

Friday, March 17th 6-10pm

May the luck of the Irish be with you when you join us on Friday, March 17 for a big St. Patrick’s Day Party at Blackbird Bend. Every 15 minutes from 6:00 to 10:00pm, we will draw the name of one lucky guest who will have a chance to randomly draw an envelope containing a four-digit code. Then, at 10:00pm, all of our finalists will try their codes on the keypad of our cash vault. Whoever is lucky enough to open the vault will win the $10,000 in cash inside! Starting at 8:00am on March 1, get into the drawing by claiming one free entry daily at Player Services. Earn additional entries playing slots and table games, too.

We’ll be adding Corned Beef and Cabbage and Irish Stew to our luncheon buffet in the Upstream Café from 11:00am – 2:00pm on St. Paddy’s Day. Or, join us for our Friday night Seafood Buffet when our dessert table “goes Brogue” with a special array of tasty treats. Earn 25 free drawing slips (per person) in the Leprechaun Loot drawings when you have our dinner buffet that evening, too. Plus, our bar will feature plenty of drink and food specials throughout the night.

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Some restrictions apply. Management reserves the right to alter or cancel this promotion at any time without prior notice.

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