Star-Herald Pride 2013: Healthy Lifestyle

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PRIDE Healthy Lifestyle

Saturday, March 23, 2013

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Life lessons Judy Johns enjoys her involvement at the Splash Arena Page 7

W W W. S TA R H E R A L D . C O M

A S TA R - H E R A L D P U B L I C AT I O N

Living life to the fullest

Helping people to heal

Ties to the Olympics

Staying healthy and loving it

Rising up to the challenges

Matt Heaton no longer takes life for granted

Sidney Angel of Hope marks fifth year

Regional West physicians share links with Olympians

Fitness isn’t just a job for Y official

Local neurosurgeon triumphs despite early language barriers

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Making life a little less stressful

By JOE DUTTON Staff Reporter

Courtesy photo

Todd Holcomb and Carolyn Nading stop for a picture before riding in the Registers Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa in 2009.

Pedaling toward a healthier life

By JOE DUTTON Staff Reporter

A local executive has found a way to stay in shape without letting a past injury get him down, ultimately taking him to new places all across the county on his bicycle.

Western Nebraska Community College President Todd Holcomb came to the Panhandle with his partner Carolyn Nading four years ago and quickly fell in love with the area. Both have enjoyed the many cycling opportunities that it has provided.

Holcomb’s cycling career started after he suffered a knee injury in high school wrestling. It led him to quit the sport in college after practices were taking a toll on his knee. Holcomb said he was looking for an activity that didn’t have bone-onbone jarring in order to take the stress off his leg.

His brother Tim suggested he get into cycling.

He found it was a great activity and a way to stay in shape.

“I was looking for something to keep me active and help control my weight, and

cycling is a low-impact activity. I also loved being outdoors,” Holcomb said. “It was kind of a combination of both factors.”

At one point after a career move, he quit for 10 years. Over time he started to notice he was gaining weight and then decided to get back into working out by doing a combination of walking and riding his bike.

“I got to the point where I could get back on my bike.

The first time I rode my bike 10 miles, and that was it. I tried to add two miles a week after that.”

After his first year, he could ride 25 miles at a time.

“It took me 10 years to gain that weight and I slowly worked at it,” he said.

“You have to do slow, incremental changes in your eating habits, your workout, to get yourself back to that spot.”

Eight months after he started walking and riding again, he added weight lifting. He’s become a firm believer in holistic medicine and wellness, examining his diet and eating healthier when he is training in order See HOLCOMB, page 4

Western Nebraska Community College foreign language and physical education instructor Stacy Wilson doesn’t have a lot of time on her hands.

But life seems to slow down when she conducts her yoga classes at The Warehouse Fitness Center in Scottsbluff. The soothing sounds of relaxing music quickly fill the air and greet students once they step into the intimate room where Wilson conducts her yoga classes.

Her class size ranges from eight to 16 people. She has instructed students every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon and every Saturday morning for the past two years.

She has confidence that anybody can try yoga and has only one rule: listen to your body.

“I stress the fact that everybody goes at their own pace and everyone can modify (poses) to what fits their body,” Wilson said.

Wilson said there are different philosophies in yoga, but she sticks to the Hatha yoga style. The five main points of Hatha yoga are poses, meditation, breathing, chanting, (her students listen to music and don’t actually chant) and enjoying the process.

“I think people have the wrong idea of yoga,” she said. “It’s a whole lot more than stretching.”

Wilson graduated from Scottsbluff High School and left the Panhandle to live in Paris for a couple years while seeking her bachelor’s degree in French. She later moved to Kansas City, Mo., and then Fort Collins, Colo. She said she came back to the Panhandle 17 years ago to raise her sons and be closer to family. She started teaching at WNCC a year later through a stroke of luck and timing.

“I ended up coming home about a year before Paul Jacobson at the college wanted to retire from teaching and move into (information technology),” Wilson said. “I was in the right place at the right time.”

Her interest in yoga began eight years ago while she was studying belly dancing. She went to a lot of conferences and workshops where participants would always warm-up with yoga. She said the more yoga she did, the more it overshadowed her in-

Photo by Joe Dutton

The Warehouse Fitness Center yoga instructor Stacy Wilson performs the tree position after a yoga class at The Warehouse. Wilson also teaches yoga and foreign languages at Western Nebraska Community College in Scottsbluff.

terest in belly dancing.

Four years later she was involved in a car accident that did serious damage to her neck, restricting her from most vigorous exercises.

“I couldn’t even do yoga for a while after the accident, but I slowly started getting back into yoga because it stretched and helped the pain,” Wilson said. “After that, I realized what a difference it was making for me and then I decided that I was really going to get back into it.”

She decided to pursue a yoga teaching certification in Seattle. She said she feels the most successful teaching yoga when people stick with it and are able to find their niche.

She said some people often find it to be too slow, even though in her class she mixes up the moves every time. Within traditional yoga there

are a limited number of poses. She said it can seem like too much repetition, but she recommends sticking with it.

“They feel stronger. They feel more balance. They feel more flexible and they feel less pain. That’s really my goal.”

Wilson said the more people do yoga, the easier it gets. The poses involve stretching and using strength to maintain balance. Lack of flexibility often holds people back in the beginning.

“Some people are naturally flexible and some people aren’t,” Wilson said.

“Everything looks easy when you see professionals do it, and then when you try it, you realize how difficult it can actually be.”

See WILSON, page 2

Helping people stay healthy one county at a time

By MARY WERNKE For the Star-Herald

Health and health care topics have expanded exponentially in the last decade, but one topic that seems to evade the nonprofessional is the idea of “public health.”

While traditional health care is focused on the diagnosis and treatment of individual health problems over the course of a lifetime, public health “treats” the entire community, state and nation through populationbased programs, such as dr ug abuse prevention, worksite wellness and suppor t for br eastfeeding mothers.

Panhandle Public Health District Director Kim Engel said public health professionals think in terms of generations. She cites the Community Health Improvement Plan as an example. The first priority for the CHIP is healthy living, defined as healthy eating, active living and breastfeeding.

PPHD serves 10 of the 11 counties in the Panhandle.

Scotts Bluff County has a separate public health de-

Photo by Mary Wernke

Lil’ Ladybug Greenhouse employees harvest fresh vegetables for their shareholders.

partment, but the two agencies cooperate to create the CHIP plan and coordinate programming.

Engel and her staff of 14 individuals in three offices (Hemingford, Bridgepor t and Scottsbluff), operate on a budget of $1.69 million in

four primary areas: protection, prevention, promotion and administration.

“Prevention works and is cost ef fective,” Engel said. “For example, the return is $5.60 for every dollar spent on evidence based strategies to increase activi-

ty, improve nutrition and reduce smoking.”

Examples of public health at work include: Box Butte County Box Butte General Hospital’s worksite wellness program has expanded into the

hospital’s cafeteria, a spot where visitors and patients join employees in a quest to eat healthier. Dan Newhoff, wellness coordinator at BBGH, said the cafeteria has always offered healthier options, but they were not promoted.

Since fall of 2012, a light menu option is featured prominently on the menu board, the salad bar features primarily fresh fruit and vegetables (no chocolate pudding), and the “grab ‘n go” and vending machines also have healthier options with nutritional information for each item listed.

The cafeteria staff said they have noticed the change. “More people are ordering off the Eat Right menu,” he said. “We are getting a lot of comments about the change in culture.”

Newhoff said challenges among employees lead staff to make the healthier choices. Incentives include personal time off from work, a discount on health insurance, the popular “Calorie King” books and gift cards for workout shoes.

BBGH also offers onsite

fitness classes, a 24/7 fitness center, educational opportunities for wellness and pr evention scr eenings, such as annual physicals, mammograms and prostrate checkups on an annual basis.

Dawes County A comprehensive planning process in Chadron brought city, county and college leaders together with residents to develop an ongoing plan to improve the health of their community and the neighboring village of Crawford. The plan included economic development, agriculture and business, as well.

Sandy Roes, director of We s t e r n C o m m u n i t y Health Resources, is also a school board member and active in other community ventures. She said a participator y strategic planning process two years ago involved more than 100 participants and continues with committees meeting individually on a monthly and quarterly basis to create grassroots activities to enhance the community.

“Walking and biking See PPHD, page 6

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Photos by Joe Dutton

ABOVE: Yoga class members and Stacy Wilson, right, rear, stretch their legs and arms at The Warehouse Fitness Center, helping develop and strengthen their core.

RIGHT: Stacy Wilson leads her yoga class at The Warehouse Fitness Center in Scottsbluff to help them relax and exercise using multiple components of the body at the same time.

Stacy Wilson leads her Saturday yoga class at The Warehouse Fitness Center in Scottsbluff.

Wilson’s Tuesday yoga class members relax and stretch at the end of their session to help cool down their bodies.

WILSON: Making life a little less stressful through yoga Continued from page 1 Since yoga uses integrated muscle systems at the same time, it also builds core strength. Wilson said the first thing she learns from people who do yoga is that they hold a lot of stress within their bodies. Students tell her before class that they hurt in their neck, shoulders, upper and lower back and then after the class she said they feel release and relief.

She has also learned from her students that people have to go at their own pace in yoga. But some are not patient with themselves and they want to get results quicker.

She said patience is the key to achieving certain poses over time. It’s best to enjoy the process.

“I find that people eventually let go of comparing themselves to other people in the yoga class,” Wilson said. “I stress that ever ybody’s body is unique and different and will do dif ferent things and that you really have to go at your own pace and be patient with yourself and you will go where you will need to go.”

As people get deeper into yoga, they lear n about controlling their body movements, the way they move, their balance and what their muscles are doing. It points their concentration toward how to control their own minds.

“The movement part of yoga is really just an exercise performed in order to warm you up for meditation or deeper thought processes,” Wilson said.

“Having more control

over your emotion and over your mind chatter is a huge benefit to yoga and would benefit anybody.”

It occasionally relaxes some class members a little too much. A few have been known to fall asleep and even snore during the relaxation period.

She said she has people of all age groups in her classes, from teenagers to 70-year-olds.

Joy Greenwood, a retired teacher from Gering,

said yoga has lowered her blood pressure, increased her stamina and improved her breathing.

“I just like being more flexible and not getting sore so easy, being able to do things easier just with daily stuf f,” Greenwood said. “I’m a lot stronger than I was before I started.”

Teri Ritterbush of Gering said she was ver y over weight when she started, but was able to

work on her flexibility and strength.

Jim Mulcahy said people his age typically have joint pain and he thoroughly enjoys her class.

“She teaches the best class. I go to yoga ever y time I travel to another town, and believe me, it’s world class with this lady,” Mulcahy said.

“We should have done this years ago!”

That’s what our residents say over and over again!

Whether it’s making new friends and enjoying fun activities, or experiencing carefree retirement living in a secure, close-knit community, our residents “love” living at The Village. See for yourself. Call or stop by for a tour—you’re always welcome at The Village.

Do you have something to sell?

Call 308-632-9020 for assistance.

308.630.2010 | 320 East 42nd Street | Scottsbluff

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Matt Heaton no longer takes life for granted

By ROGER HOLSINGER Assistant Editor

There was a time in Matt Heaton’s life that he believed he was invincible, bulletproof and indestructible.

There was also a time, not that long ago, that he had a massive heart attack and was clinically dead for about five minutes. That neardeath experience had a lasting affect on him.

Born in Greeley, Colo., Heaton moved with his family to Sidney for a few years, and they relocated to Kimball in 1968. He graduated from Kimball County High School in 1983 and attended Nebraska Western College (now Western Nebraska Community College) on a music scholarship. Heaton was a talented trombone player and singer. He played in numerous bands at the college and sang as part of the 20 Plus Singers.

He said he had hopes of becoming a teacher, but when he looked at the cost associated with more college and saw that teachers were not making a lot of money in the 1980s, he decided to stay in the valley and work. He also married Shelly Steele in May 1987 and welcomed a son, Matthew, or “Junior” as his father refers to him.

Things looked good for Heaton, but then his past caught up with him.

Unfortunately, diabetes and related illnesses ran in Heaton’s family. His older brother, Barry, was diabetic and his grandfather, Nate Heaton, died of pancreatic cancer at 69. Cancer aggravated Barry’s diabetes and he lost his battle with cancer at 59. His other brother, Jim, also has a son who is diabetic. Heaton’s father died in 2004 of bone cancer.

When Heaton was 11 he was diagnosed with diabetes and began daily insulin injections.

“I was very slim and very active,” he said. “But all my classmates were eating candy and drinking pop and I wanted to do that, too. I was invincible and it (diabetes) was not going to hurt me.”

Part of his rituals included weekly visits to the doctor to check his blood sugar levels. He said the doctor would remind him that he needed to watch his levels and to make sure he didn’t eat and drink too many sugary items.

“But I didn’t listen. I was nine-feet tall and bulletproof.

I didn’t listen to anyone,” Heaton said.

He said a turning point in his life came with the birth of his son.

“That’s when I woke up,” he said, but unfortunately, the years of eating and drinking ever ything he wanted had taken a toll on his body.

“I was trying to be more responsible. I drank less and ate better and I was trying to be a better dad, but I wasn’t

®

regularly testing my blood sugar. I tested myself based on how I felt physically.”

In 1990, Heaton was 25, and as he put it, “things began to turn south.”

The diabetes caused Heaton to have vision problems. He began receiving laser treatments to burn or cauterize blood vessels because of micro aneurisms — one of the many affects of diabetes.

About three years later, he had to begin dialysis three times a week because both of his kidneys had shut down. The process took about three hours each time. At this point he went on a list for a new kidney and after a six-month wait, “my brother, Dave, gave me the gift of life.” The transplant was per formed at Presbyterian St. Luke’s Medical Center in Denver.

“This was a rough time in my life. Not only was I needing a kidney transplant, but my marriage failed and I was going through a divorce,” he said. “But after the transplant I totally changed my lifestyle.

“I was told that I would be lucky if the kidney would last for seven years, but it ended up lasting 12 years. I was back on dialysis in August of 2005,” Heaton said.

In order to make the dialysis easier, a fistula was implanted in Heaton’s left bicep. The implant made the dialysis easier for both Heaton and the nurses.

He spent the next five years having a machine clean his blood.

Then on Aug. 6, 2010, Heaton received his second kidney donation. As part of a different procedure, Heaton received a new kidney from a cadaver.

Three days after his transplant, Heaton was preparing to celebrate his birthday, but there wasn’t much celebration, as he had a massive heart attack because of a blood clot in his heart. He was clinically dead for more than five minutes.

“I don’t remember anything about the transplant or the heart attack. There are about two weeks there that I don’t remember anything. It was definitely not the way I had hoped to celebrate my birthday,” he said.

Luckily, he was in the hospital at the time and after a couple of shocks, he was back among the living.

He said he is not sure how long his new kidney will last, but it’s “awesome” and everything is working well.

“I’m hoping for more than 10 years with this one and after that, I don’t know. I do know that if they put anything else in me, they better take something out,” he said, adding that at this point he has four kidneys.

“Today, I have even more reasons to live. I have a beautiful granddaughter and Junior got married a while ago.

He and his wife, Tara, along with my granddaughter, live

with me. It works out great for both of us as I am able to help them save some money and they are there when I need some help,” Heaton said.

In addition, Heaton’s mother comes up on weekends from Kimball to help with meals and to spend time with her grandson and greatgranddaughter.

“I wouldn’t be here today had it not been for my family.

When my blood sugar gets too low, I can lose consciousness and Tara, Junior or mom are around. Knowing they’re here helps a lot.”

While the transplants have prolonged his life, the side affects of the medications, including anti-rejection medicines, have taken a toll on Heaton’s body. One of the side effects causes his bones to weaken, and he has foot problems.

“One day I was cleaning the bathtub and broke three ribs. I’ve also broken my back twice, but I’m still here, and that’s all that matters.”

Like many people, Heaton said he wishes he would have done things differently growing up.

“Even though Barry had diabetes when he was 18, both of his kidneys were functioning well until he died at 58. If I knew then what I know now, I would have taken better care of myself and would have been more conscious of what was going on,” he said.

Today, Heaton doesn’t take any day for granted. He works part time at ZM Lumber in Scottsbluff and spends the other part of the day with his daughter-in-law and granddaughter.

“If I was Morris the Cat, I’d probably be out of lives. I have so much to live for and I don’t want to miss any of it,” he said.

Heaton said he’d also encourage people to sign up to be an organ donor.

“You never know,” he said with a smile, “the life you save might just be mine.”

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ABOVE: Matt Heaton, right, works with his son, Matthew, or “Junior” as he’s called at ZM Lumber in Scottsbluff. The elder Heaton said he enjoys being able to work around his son even if it is just part time.

LEFT: Matt Heaton said that when he was young he believed he was invincible and lived a lifestyle that wasn’t the best for his diabetes. After having two kidney transplants, he said he now sees the importance of taking care of himself so he can be around for his son and granddaughter.

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Carr-Trumbull Lumber Your Local

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Courtesy photos

Holcomb and Nading enjoy the view at 11,990 feet, looking over the Continental Divide on Loveland Pass in Colorado during the Triple Bypass.

Dave Nash, Carolyn Nading, Todd Holcomb and Scott Schaub stop on the George S. Mickelson Trail in the Black Hills of South Dakota in 2012.

HOLCOMB: Pedaling toward a healthier life

HOLDS UP VERY WELL TO HAIL DAMAGE

Continued from page 1 to give himself the best fuel to be the most efficient cyclist he can be.

“Sometimes people think we’re crazy because you’re going to spend seven hours climbing a hill or mountain, but the views are beautiful, great endurance aerobic capacity for you and then you get to the top and you’re able to just fly on the way down,” Holcomb said. “Sometimes it’s fun to go 50 miles per hour down a hill and have that freedom to feel like you can go that fast.”

He also enjoys the fellowship he has with people in the sport.

“We met a lot of people here in the Panhandle who are cyclists and we enjoy being with them. We enjoy being outdoors and also the freedom of cycling,” Holcomb said.

Holcomb rides through the Panhandle with Nading and other cyclist acquaintances, who also travel together to other states, even in his home state of Iowa. He said he has been biking with a group there for six years by participating in the annual Register Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa, in July, a sevenday bike ride that is the oldest, largest and longest bicycle touring event in the world.

Holcomb said his cycling group for RAGBRAI was originally formed in 2007 with the American Cancer Society.

Their team name “Kick Butts” was picked to raise awareness for people to quit smoking. He said the group gets together for RAGBRAI every year and is made up of business professionals that include doctors, lawyers, bankers and engineers.

“We’re mostly professional people that come together.

There’s a core group of 15 of us, and others come and join some years and there are about 25 of us,” Holcomb said.

This year, Holcomb and Nading also plan to take part in the Bicycle Ride Across Nebraska for the first time.

He notes that the events are not a competition but are all about meeting people, having

Nading and Holcomb share a smile before their cycling journey to the top of the Scotts Bluff National Monument in Gering.

fun and getting exercise.

They also plan to do the 2013 Death Ride in California with Scott and Melissa Schaub. The route includes five mountain passes, 15,000 feet of climb and 129 miles of cycling. Holcomb said they try to throw in a challenge ride once a year, and in the past two years, they participated in the Triple Bypass ride in Colorado.

It’s a tough challenge. Holcomb completed one leg of the Triple Bypass before getting altitude sickness last year.

“The year before we got rained on, hailed on, snowed on and suffered hypothermia, and so we had to abandon the ride the first year we tried it,” Holcomb said. “Last year, we got rained on and snowed on again, which forced Nading to stop, but I was able to finish at least one leg and started the second day. It’s a hard ride.

Only about 40 percent of the people who start the ride finish mostly because of the weather.”

Last October when he and Nading finished the season, they went with a group of friends to the George S. Mickelson Trail in South Dakota on Labor Day. After looking at their mileage chart, they realized they were 300 miles from finishing 3,000 miles and decided to go for it even though their normal season had ended.

“We decided we were too close to 3,000 miles to not reach that milestone, and we rode our bicycles in November and December to get to

that goal,” Holcomb said.

Holcomb has even gained some help in his cycling from friends Roger Franklin and Scott Schaub, who encouraged him to have a higher cadence to help his struggles.

“You go in a lower gear, but spin your way up the hill, so you’re not aerobically exhausting yourself going up the hill,” Holcomb said. “I’ve really worked hard the last three years to have a higher cadence and it has been paying off for me in my training.”

At WNCC, he has inspired employees and students to take part in healthier events on campus and in the community. He said WNCC worked with the Scottsbluff YMCA to start the Y Not Ride. The goal of the event is to get people excited about cycling in the area, and he enjoys being known as the wellness president.

“I’ve seen a lot more activity from our faculty and staff around healthy eating, stress reduction, psychological wellness and being more physically healthier,” Holcomb said. “I think it’s good for individuals, but it’s also good for the college and it sets a great example for students to follow. … When you see people running and biking and swimming, then you’re more likely to do those activities and get out and enjoy the outdoors.”

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Sidney Angel of Hope marks fifth year ■ Project organizers believe it has helped people to heal

By ROGER HOLSINGER Assistant Editor

SIDNEY — It’s been said, “Behind every successful woman is a man who says, ‘I knew she could do it!”

That just might be the case with Lloyd Guggenmos and Steve Anest of Sidney.

The two men provided the support and often the brawn to help make the dreams of their wives become a reality.

The men are married to Carolyn Guggenmos and Rita Anest, who spearheaded the fundraising campaign to bring Nebraska’s first Angel of Hope to the Living Memorial Gardens in Sidney’s Legion Park.

The men said they told their wives they would be willing to help on the condition they didn’t give up. And there were times through the process that both women felt like calling it quits. But the women said the constant support they received from their husbands made them continue.

Both families not only lost daughters, but other family members at a young age.

For the Guggenmos, their 13-year-old daughter Jean was killed while walking to school in 1982 — struck by a hit-and-run driver.

Rita has experienced loss as her daughter was stillborn, her mother died at a young age and she lost a sister to breast cancer.

Both women said they had always wanted to do something special for their daughters in creating a place where the lives of lost ones could be celebrated instead of mourned.

Carolyn Guggenmos said fate intervened as they were traveling to Yuma, Colo., when they heard an inspirational message from Richard Paul Evans, author of “The Christmas Box.” He was being interviewed on a radio station. When they returned to Sidney, she ordered her

own copy of the book and began to research the angel sculptures.

The Angel of Hope Project started in Januar y 2008, when the Board of the Living Memorial Gardens and the City of Sidney gave permission for them to have an angel placed in an unused part of the gardens. Coincidently, the spot used to serve as the baby pool when the city pool was located in the park. The two said they couldn’t have found a better place.

When Rita began the work, Steve Anest said he was generally the muscle, hauling the 12-inch by 12inch granite squares around town.

“After her dad purchased the first one, things just seemed to take off after that.”

Steve Anest added that Lou Ann Herstead, monument designer for Herstead Monument Company, did a wonderful job of designing the memorial tiles.

“It’s a great place for me, as my dad and uncle are both listed and I don’t have to leave town to have a chat with them,” he said. “I wouldn’t have dreamed of doing anything else but standing next to Rita in this project.”

Lloyd said there were other key people who really helped get the project off the ground, including Orville Filsinger.

“I always considered him ‘Mr. Sidney,’ and to me he was remarkable. Then Tom (Birner) bought a whole bench for our two families.

That really meant a lot to us,” he said.

After months of work and preparation, Angel No. 87 was placed at its new home in Memorial Gardens on Oct. 25, 2008, and a year later it was officially dedicated.

Since its unveiling, more memor y tiles have been placed around the angel.

Two-thirds of the available

Two-thirds of the available space around the angel has been filled with the names of lost loved ones. Rita Anest said of the 380 tiles, 244 have been engraved — some with simple words, others with Bible passages. The Angel of Hope in Sidney was the first in the state.

space is filled with names of lost loved ones. Rita Anest said of the 380 tiles, 244 have been engraved.

Lloyd Guggenmos said he believes the angel has had a positive impact on the community.

“Most of the people we’ve talked to or taken out to see it are very impressed,” he said.

Rita Anest said just how powerful the angel is can’t be appreciated until a person sees it. Her husband added that he has always viewed it as a place of peace.

“I am really glad it’s not at the cemetery,” said Carolyn Guggenmos. “It’s a place where you celebrate their lives. That’s the way I think of it. Every day I stop and visit with Jean. At a cemetery you look down, but at the angel you are looking up,” added Lloyd Guggenmos.

“That’s something I really tried to emphasize,” said Rita Anest. “You can go to the cemetery to grieve, but we want you to come here to listen to the birds, watch the butterflies and think of the good times.”

Rita Anest said she knows there have been visitors to the angel who don’t have a loved one listed in the granite and that the area is used as a place for reflection.

The group agreed that while a lot of attention has been given to the angel and its placement, many people, especially visitors, are not aware that it exists. Rita Anest said the angel’s website is listed on the Cheyenne County Visitors Center website and that KSID Radio reminds people of it.

This year, the project marks its fifth year, and the group said it was well worth the long hours and all the work.

“Especially since Rita did most of the work,” Lloyd Guggenmos said jokingly.

They said they continue to be impressed by the design and layout of the project. The group said they also appreciate all the hard work of volunteers at the Living Memorial Gardens who keep the area so beautiful.

Rita Anest said their hope that began five years ago continues today and that the Angel of Hope opens the door to healing.

“It doesn’t matter if it was the loss of an infant, a teenager, someone 25 to 30 years old or an elderly loved one.

This is a place to remember them forever with their name carved into granite.

“A total of 118 Christmas Box Angels have been placed throughout the world. Of those, 117 are only for people who have lost children. Our

Photos by Roger Holsinger

Angel of Hope organizers, from left, Steve and Rita Anest and Carolyn and Lloyd Guggenmos, stand next to the monument in Sidney’s Living Memorial Gardens in Legion Park. Work on the project began in 2008 and was placed in the gardens later that year.

angel is for everyone who has experienced a loss,” she said.

While there are still orders being placed for tiles, Carolyn Guggenmos said she would like to see all the walls filled and added that she thought they would be filled by now.

“It has been a great thing in our lives, but it’s also been life consuming,” said Rita Anest. “You don’t know if some-

thing is going to work until you try it, and I’m pretty proud of the way it turned out,” she said.

“We really didn’t know what we were doing or how much work it would be when we started, but we learned along the way,” said Lloyd Guggenmos. “I found it ver y rewarding working with each family on their tiles,” added Car-

olyn Guggenmos. “But it was also one of the hardest par ts putting in words what that person meant to you. But today they have a place, a place of peace where they can remember their loved one.”

To find out more about the project, log on to the website at http://nebraskaangelofhope.info/si dneyangel.html.

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PPHD: Helping people stay healthy one county at a time Continued from page 1 paths were already in place, but riders needed a place to park their bikes. Using local bids to develop an ergonomic product that beautified the downtown, the committee purchased not only the racks, but also placed pods for exercise equipment along the walking trails for pedestrians to pause and stretch.

Another plan is to enclose the city pool to help provide year-round recreational activities. The city council has a vendor chosen, Roes said, and is developing a feasibility plan.

Garden County Garden County Schools have coordinated their school health plan to involve the community, including workers from the Volunteers of America. Rachel Sissel, executive director at VOA, said the school system received a grant from the Nebraska Department of Education to implement a three-part plan to involve the entire family and community in promoting student health and wellness, launch a community-wide walking program and develop a fitness/wellness break at all three Garden County Schools.

Sissel said a 5K r un/bike/walk event is planned for April, in conjunction with the Teammates Walk. The VOA is also modeling employee wellness and assisting in tracking programs for the school and the local hospital, Garden County Health Services. In addition, VOA staf f teach yoga at the schools and coordinate a local community health fair.

“I believe we were the first district in the Panhandle to complete a school health plan in coordination with the state requirements,” Sissel added. The school has also developed an underground greenhouse as part of the FFA program.

Morrill County The Prairie Winds Community Center is a jewel long admired by other communities of similar size as Bridgepor t (population 1.594). Darren Emerick is the new program director at the center, focusing on fitness and recreation for all of Morrill County.

Emerick said the center is funded by the city, but also relies on an extremely vigorous foundation, membership fees and limited program fees to fund programs.

The PWCC is also centrally located in the Panhandle, inviting many regional organizations to meet there and enjoy healthy event food services provided by local caterers.

In January, Emerick said, PWCC began a team fitness challenge. The challenge is not just for weight loss, he continued, but also includes a full slate of adult group activities like high intensity internal training, yoga and circuit training and a boot camp to get people started.

Just recently, it added a spinning class with exercise bikes in a group setting following routines set to music.

“We have 24 teams of four enrolled in the challenge and haven’t lost anyone yet,” Emerick reported in late February. Cumulative weight loss for the first six weeks was 566 pounds, with 2,300 hours of exercise and 300 fitness classes. Center staff members are planning a 5K for this spring.

The center has a large weight machine, free weights and cardio machines like an elliptical, treadmill, stair stepper and exercise bikes, including recumbent bikes that are easier on the joints. Senior and youth programs offer additional fitness and recreational opportunities for special age groups.

Scotts Bluff County Breastfeeding is also very important for a healthy nation, said Certified Lactation Consultant Cindy Francisco, a registered nurse at Regional West Medical Center.

“It is the baby’s first nutrition, but also offers benefits to the baby, mom, dad and society.”

Francisco said the mother and baby experience a special bonding during breastfeeding that is much different than that of the bottle-fed baby. While the mother knows her baby is receiving the proper nutrition, she also is assured she

is helping prevent allergies, asthma and diabetes.

Breastfed babies also experience fewer digestive problems, like upset stomachs and gas, she said.

An extra plus for the mom is the ability to lose weight quickly while breastfeeding, Francisco continued. If a woman is diabetic, breastfeeding will help control their blood sugar. It decreases the risk of breast cancer in women and helps build stronger bones.

The nurse said the American Academy of Pediatricians recommends mothers nurse their babies for one year, feeding the baby breast milk exclusively for six months. While the World Health Organization recommends breastfeeding for two years, Francisco said it’s a personal decision — often a “mutual agreement” between mother and baby.

Oftentimes, Francisco said, the father is more concerned with the costs involved in bringing up baby.

At $18 a can for formula, a family can save $2,200 in the first year of breastfeeding.

Mom will miss less work and, often, the father doesn’t have to get up at night to feed the newborn. While dad cannot feed the baby, his bonding time is during burping and tummy time, another important physical development for babies, as they learn to support their head and eventually to crawl.

Lastly, Francisco said society benefits from a healthier baby, child and adults.

Nationally, 75 percent of mothers initiate breastfeeding and locally the number is closer to 85 percent. It’s a cultural thing, she added, but more often a mother with higher education is more apt to breastfeed.

Today’s young mothers may not have been breastfed themselves. At one time, breastfeeding was a cultural taboo for some middle class moms. Their mothers were some of the first to enter the workforce. Lactation rooms were not par t of Rosie the Riveter’s daily work experience. Today’s federal law requires employers to provide reasonable break time and a place for nursing mothers to express breast milk for one year after the child’s birth.

Jessica Davies, worksite wellness coordinator with PPHD said companies successful at retaining valued employees after childbirth find that two components can make the difference: providing dedicated space (as small as 4 by 5 feet) for breastfeeding employees to express milk in privacy and providing worksite lactation support.

The payoff is significant: more satisfied, loyal employees and cost savings to the business, she added.

These savings are seen in such areas as: ■ Retention of experienced employees; ■ Reduction in sick time taken by both moms and dads for children’s illnesses; and ■ Lower health care and insurance costs.

Francisco and UNMC colleague Susan Wilhelm provide suppor t to new moms in the birth and infant care center, educate the staff at RWMC and assist in support from home visitors after mom and

baby go home from the hospital.

Sheridan County Community suppor ted agriculture is the name aptly given to a new breed of small plot farming becoming popular in Sheridan County. Karen Runkle with Ladybug Gardens south of Hay Springs provides boxes of fresh vegetables from May to September to “shareholders” at Gordon Memorial Hospital. She is looking at expanding the service into other nearby communities, but will require volunteer coordinators. The program is similar to the Bountiful Baskets, now becoming popular in the Panhandle, but includes only locally-grown produce.

Runkle said she learned about community supported agriculture at a fruit and vegetable growers conference. Other, more urban communities, offer CSA as part of a wellness program like Lil’ Ladybug Gardens, but some require shareholders to work in the garden and a select few literally buy the farm.

“In large cities, people want to connect with the food they are eating. They want to get their hands dirty,” Runkle said. They have no history with a farm and have probably never set foot on a farm. “Around here it’s dif ferent,” she continued. While many of Runkle’s shareholders may have been raised on a farm or continue to visit the family farm on vacations, they just don’t have time to raise their own garden, but want the fresh produce for their family.

Runkle delivers boxes of the freshest in-season vegetables to deliver to the hospital every other week during the spring and summer, selling the rest at farmers markets in Alliance, Chadron and Rushville. Included with the box is a newsletter outlining the benefits of the program and a flyer offering care and cooking tips for one particular veggie.

The latest flyer was “cool as a cucumber” — letting veggie lovers learn the vitamins packed into a cucumber, how to slice, dice and chill the cuke before eating and other health benefits. Cucumbers rehydrate the body, fight cancer, are a good source of B vitamins, promote joint health and aid in weight loss and digestion. On the flip side, Runkle of fers some favorite cucumber recipes, including salads and pickles.

Runkle said she also sells vegetable plants from the garden, but quit selling flowers and ornamental plants as she had in the past, because of transpor tation and labor issues. The couple includes four “high tunnels,” similar to a greenhouse with 1,200 tomato plants, 500 feet of cucumber plants and 300 feet of green pepper plants. In the two acres of outside gardens, she grows green beans (“a lot of green beans,” she emphasized), potatoes, onions and squash.

Lil’ Ladybug Gardens started growing tomatoes in two greenhouses in 2004. It is committed to growing vegetables with-

Photos by Mary Wernke

Karen Runkle plants tomatoes for the Lil’ Ladybug Gardens greenhouses, south of Hay Springs. The gardens supply twice-monthly baskets of fresh produce for shareholders at Gordon Memorial Hospital from May through September.

out chemicals, using oldfashioned practices like preser ving the micro-organisms in the soil, tilling, using beneficial insects, compost and hand-weeding to bring customers the healthiest, safest and besttasting produce available.

Lil’ Ladybug Gardens also includes gift certificates for additional produce to the shareholders.

The benefits also include a farm picnic and tour in June, half off for the October Pumpkin Patch and a food preser vation class each summer. Shares are available for $200 for a standard box and $120 for a smaller half box.

The Dawes County planning group added exercise stations along the walking/running path through Chadron, as an added incentive for walkers to stop and stretch. The fitness stops are part of a larger, comprehensive plan developed over two years in conjunction with city, county and college officials working with the community.

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SATURDAY, MARCH 23, 2013 7 Photos by Logan Allen

Life lessons at the Splash Arena

By LOGAN ALLEN Staff Reporter

“If you don’t come to my pool, I don’t see you,” said Judy Johns, head coach of the Torpedoes swim team at the Scottsbluff Splash Arena. “I’m here from quarter-to-six in the morning until eight o’clock at night, and everybody’s like, ‘Have you lived here your whole life?’ and I say, ‘Yeah, right here at this pool.’”

She said she’s worked at the arena so long, she doesn’t even know off the top of her head how long she’s been there. She paused to count back the years.

“It’s been about 14 or 15 years.”

She started out as the head custodian of the arena, and then she became a lifeguard, and, as she said, “It just evolved into being here all the time, so why not coach these wonderful little kids.”

Over the years, she’s coached softball, volleyball and gymnastics, but water sports have been a big part of her life. She recalls water skiing and swimming often with her family while growing up in Scottsbluff.

She said she’s had so many memorable moments over the years, because she works with kids from the time they are little and just learning to swim until they become seasoned young swimmers.

“Seeing the kids come at 5 years old, and seeing them grow through the program, and being able to see them go on to higher competitions, is so rewarding to me as a coach, because I see they got it.”

She recalled a 5-year-old girl recently who couldn’t quite swim the entire length of the pool.

“She was so determined,” said Johns. “It breaks my heart to tell the parents that they are not quite ready.”

The little swimmers practice only a couple times a

week, because she doesn’t want to overwork them. But she said the little girl was so vigilant. She came to practice on the weekends with her mother, and within a month, she was back in the pool making great strides.

Johns said seeing that kind of perseverance from a kid was inspiring.

A couple of weeks ago, she and the Torpedoes returned from the state meet in Laramie, Wyo. Five hundred swimmers gathered to compete, and out of the 26 swimmers she took to the meet, many went to the finals.

“We placed first in our division,” she said.

The team even had a couple athletes compete in the mile race, amounting to 32 laps and a total of 22 to 29 minutes of swimming.

Johns said that every four years, when the Olympic games roll around, she sees an influx of new swimmers.

Right now the team boasts about 65 regulars, and Splash Arena draws kids from all over the Panhandle.

“We have kids that come from Alliance. We have kids that come from Torrington, Bridgeport and Bayard,” she said. “We will take anybody who wants to travel to be with us.”

To handle the influx of new athletes, she’s hired two new assistant coaches, Audrey Garcia and Colin Murphy, affectionately called Coach G and Coach Murph.

“Coach Garcia is very athletic,” she said, “and she wants to do more dryland training. Just some different stuff, so they can have a little variety.”

Many of the swimmers play multiple sports. During the summer, many play baseball or softball in addition to swimming.

“We have kids who come right over from the middle school, from track or volleyball, or basketball after school, and then they come join us for another hour.”

LEFT: Judy Johns, coach of the Torpedoes swim team, poses with a few members of the team before practice. The Torpedoes faired well in the state meet a couple weeks ago, placing first in their division. Colin Murphy, far left, is one of the team’s new assistant coaches.

BELOW: Johns is always excited to see each child at practice. “I love them, or I wouldn’t be doing this,” she said.

While she loves the athletic and competitive spirit of her kids, she said she gives them the opportunity to play games during practice. “They all just want to be kids, and that’s the fun part about it. They just want to have fun, and if you make it fun, they’ll want to stay with it.”

And if the kids stay with it, swimming is a sport that could take them all over the country. She’s the assistant coach for the Scottsbluff High School team, as well, and said that they logged about 4,000 miles traveling to the various meets this past season.

Ian Galindo, an eighthgrader at Bluf fs Middle School and one of Johns’ top swimmers for the Torpedoes, has competed in California, Oregon and Washington. He and his freestyle relay team broke the record for their age group at the state meet a couple weeks ago.

Jennifer Galindo, Ian Galindo’s mother, said, “I think that’s one of Judy’s assets.

She teaches swimming, and the strokes, and the technique, but what they come away with is life.”

Johns laughed and said that swimming provides comical lessons in integrity and honesty for the kids.

When the kids try to fib about how many laps they’ve completed, she’ll tell them, “The stopwatch has only been going three minutes, and you’ve now set an Olympic record for that 500 you were supposed to do.”

“We all try to pull that,” she added. “But it’s comical to watch them try it, and see how long they think they can get away with it. It’s fun to watch them all grow up and grow through that stuff.”

“She’s ver y supportive, never negative,” said Ian Galindo “I love them,” said Johns, “or I wouldn’t be doing this.

Sometimes they drive you crazy, but they just become your family.”

She said swimming not only provides life lessons, it sets the foundation for a healthy lifestyle. Swimming and water exercise are activities that the kids can enjoy for the rest of their lives.

“It’s a wonderful opportuni- sportsmanship, and how to coaches, with other families. I ty for kids to become mature belong, and how to have rela- think we’re just one big, hapthrough sports and learn tionships with adults, with py family,” she said.

We are building a team for the future!

Regional West Physicians Clinic-Orthopaedics offers comprehensive orthopaedic and musculoskeletal care for arthritis, reconstructive surgery, hand disease, hand trauma, sports medicine, overuse disorders, arthroscopic surgery, pediatric musculoskeletal disease, and trauma.

Timothy Friedlein, MD, FAAOS

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To schedule an appointment please call 308.635.1414 or toll-free 888.635.1114.

No referral necessary.

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Two West 42nd Street | Suite 120 | Scottsbluff, NE 69361 | 308.635.1414 | www.PhysiciansClinic.net

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Regional West physicians share links with Olympians

By MAUNETTE LOEKS New Media Editor

Ties between medicine and sports are not readily apparent. However, a physician to an Olympic sports team, an Olympic-caliber skier and a gymnast would tell you that there are lots of similarities.

■ Dr. Andreas Sauerbrey, Olympic head team physician Orthopedic surgeon Dr. Andres Sauerbrey, a surgeon with the Regional West Medical Orthopaedic Clinic based out of Steamboat Springs, Colo., touts an impressive resume, having served as the head team physician to the U.S. Ski Team that competed in the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, Canada.

Sauerbrey specializes in sports medicine and orthopedics of the upper extremities and joint replacement.

Originally from Oregon, Sauerbrey moved to Steamboat Springs in 2001, where he practices with Orthopaedics of Steamboat, and where his own path toward being involved with Olympic-caliber athletes began.

As a physician in Steamboat Springs, he began working with the U.S. Freestyle Ski Team, which he describes as a natural progression in the ski-oriented community.

Working with ski teams, other winter sports teams or other competitors is a unique part of Steamboat, Sauerbrey said.

“It is part of who we are.

Sometimes I like to say that I had a ‘three-sport day’ because of the diversity of interests. And working with kids from 6 years on up, there is no question that there is a next Olympian in the group.”

Also, with Olympic competitors living in the same community, he said, it is not unusual to “go up against them, play against them.”

“It is ver y unique to Steamboat,” he said. “Unless you live in a ski hub like Steamboat, it’s hard to understand or explain, but it is very easy to want to be a part of it.”

As a doctor, Sauerbrey has an opportunity to be close to the action. Sauerbrey himself became involved in providing physician services in freestyle skiing “because (the sport and the competitors) are freer.

The people involved are hotdoggers. They are openminded and like to have fun.”

Freestyle skiing is a form of skiing which partners aerial skiing with mogul skiing, where skiers display tricks, jumps and turning abilities.

“It’s more like you are racing against the guy next to you than the clock,” Sauerbrey said.

As a member of the pool of physicians that serve the U.S. Ski Team, each doctor takes a week throughout the year and travel with the team to events, such as World Cup events.

“You take care of everything, from a team member’s runny nose to a broken leg,” he said.

Sauerbrey has traveled to the Czech Republic, Japan, China, Canada and Europe.

In 2007, he was picked to be the head team physician for the Olympic team, which began three-year focus on trainings and travels to competitions in anticipation of

Courtesy photo

Courtesy photo

Dr. Andreas Sauerbrey, pictured top left, is among the USA Olympic teammates celebrating the silver medal finish by Jeret “Speedy” Peterson. It was a great high, Sauerbrey said, saying that being a part of the Olympic events is filled with a lot of emotion.

As a high school and college student, Dr. Dan Williams competed in Nordic-combined skiing. The competition combines ski jumps with cross-country skiing, an interesting mix, Williams said.

Courtesy photo

Dr. Dan Williams describes the ski jumps in the Nordic-combined ski competition as leading one to feel like they are flying through air. In 1992 and 1994, Williams came close to qualifying for the 1994 Winter Olympics.

Courtesy photo

Dr. Andreas Sauerbrey, a Regional West Medical Center orthopedic surgeon, served as the USA Olympic Teams head physician in the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. It’s a stressful, but rewarding experience, he said.

accompanying the team to the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Olympic head team physicians serve their stints as physicians and return to the pool. However, as a member of the pool of physicians with the team and as an experienced Olympic head team physician, the chance for Sauerbrey to be called and attend the Olympics is greater.

Providing care for Olympians is not as easy as providing care for a regular patient, as there are a lot of rules and regulations that can affect the care of the competitor. For example, a doctor wouldn’t want to treat a patient with a prescription drug that could disqualify him or her.

“It is all voluntary,” Sauerbrey explained, saying that he would be gone from home for weeks at a time. In 2010, he said, he was gone for three months, away from his family and his practice without pay for his services.

However, for physicians like him, it’s about the experience of working with Olympians.

At the Olympics, he said, there are amazing medical facilities, with magnetic resonance imaging and other testing facilities on site. As the physician for 16 skiers and their coaches, he is responsible for all medical needs of the team.

“At the Olympics, every day is insanely stressful,” he said. “You are dealing with everything every day and

you do whatever is necessary. You do whatever is necessary to ensure that their performance is not affected. Because this is their shot. For some of them, it is their only shot, their only run at being an Olympian.”

At the Olympics, he said, a person is among 300 or more competitors, coaches and physicians. Being present for events such as the opening ceremonies and medaling ceremonies is a memorable experience.

“It just makes my spine tingle just thinking about it,” he said. “You are among all the athletes and it is just intense with emotion.”

With all the stress and the intense focus, there are benefits as well. Sauerbrey said he has made some really good friends among the members of the ski teams.

“It is fun to know the skiers on a personal level,” he said. He enjoys watching the skiers compete, and takes pride in their performances. For example, when skier Jeret “Speedy” Peterson won a silver medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics, Sauerbrey said, “It was one of my biggest highs. I was so thrilled for him.”

Unfor tunately, in July 2011, Peterson committed suicide, also resulting “in one of my biggest lows.

But, it’s the times of elation that you focus on.”

gional West Medical Center Growing up in Steamboat Springs, Colo., Dr. Dan Williams took to the slopes and found his love, Nordic combined skiing. The sport essentially combines ski jumping with cross-country skiing.

It’s an interesting sport, Williams said, with skiers competing one day in ski jumping, aiming to go the best distance they can as an individual. Then, they compete alongside 40 to 50 people racing to achieve the best time.

As a youth, when skiing, Williams said, “I just looked for the best jumps. When I was 10, I found out there was a sport where jumping was encouraged. You didn’t get in trouble. You didn’t get

your ski pass suspended. It was great.”

Nordic skiing is an interesting sport, he said, as cross country skiers tend to be dedicated, focused skiers t o achieve the endurance t h e y need to endure distance skiing.

Skiers that compete in DR. DAN jumping WILLIAMS are often more extroverted, showing off and performing to be the “craziest and the bravest.”

“It takes extroverts who are totally willing to be dedi-

cated,” he said.

When Williams was 14, he met a coach who encouraged him to go into pursuing an Olympic career in Nordic skiing. It’s a sport that the young pursue, he said, because of the wear and tear on the body. By 11 years of age, Williams said, he’d already been jumping Olympic-sized jumps — from 90 to 110 meters, depending on the location. He needed to work on building his endurance.

The jumps in Nordic-combined skiing are an adventure in itself, Williams said, as a jumper goes through different stages of the flight on the horizontal landing hills. As they focus on their See RWMC, page 15

■ Dr. Dan Williams, anesthesiologist at Re-

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Photos by Chabella Guzman

At the YMCA, Dean Behling will take time out of his day to walk the gym and chat with Y participants. Lou Kleager, left, and Nathaniel Olenick work out on the bikes and chat with Behling.

Fitness isn’t just a job for Y official

By CHABELLA GUZMAN Staff Reporter

Like many fitness-driven people, Dean Behling has set goals in health and achieved them.

“I had wanted to be a basketball player, but I was too slow and too short,” he said with a laugh.

Behling started his career as a game warden, working on his associate’s degree at Nebraska Western College.

He took up weight lifting, because he enjoyed the benefits and seeing the results from training his body.

“I’d been working out and a friend said, ‘Let’s get together at the Y and work out,’” he said. “From there, it kind of snowballed.”

It started him on a path to become the YMCA of Scotts Bluff’s executive director.

He earned his degree, then got married and started a family. He worked at several places, including a packing house where he carried in sides of beef.

Powerlifting became the focus of his life, along with youth sports and activities.

Behling decided his path was set.

“I got the chance to work out with kids and adults and see the impor tance and self confidence exercising made,” he said. “The kids would get stronger, see results and feel better about themselves.”

Behling continued to focus on his powerlifting, which included the squat, bench press and deadlift.

He converted his basement into a gym, where members of the Scottsbluf f High School football team would come over to train and lift.

His focus on his own weight training paid off. In 1981, Behling took home

Dean Behling works out whenever he has time. He has a weight lifting gym in his basement that has been used by his friends and youth from high school.

the National Competitive Powerlifting Championship, lifting 1,951 pounds.

“It was one of my goals to win the championship,” he said.

His focus turned to finishing college. He earned his bachelor’s in education at Chadron State College, taking night classes and later answering a blind ad in the Star-Herald for a business looking for a fitness and strength trainer.

Soon after, Behling was hired at the YMCA. He knew he had to make a decision on progressing at the Y or getting his teaching degree.

“I was just more into the Y,” he said. “I enjoyed working with the kids and seeing their faces as they improved at the sport.”

He switched to an interdisciplinar y degree program that allowed him to not declare a specific major. He could stay in Scottsbluf f and had to travel to CSC only twice — once for a test and then

for graduation.

He laughs, remembering that professors in the program sometimes were all alone in Chadron while all the students would be watching them on TV. Behling admits he was lucky to be able to earn his degree and be home for his family and work fulltime.

“It’s a neat major,” he said. “I still had all the requirements but I wasn’t locked into a narrow degree of business or education.”

Eventually, Behling became executive director at the Y, following Gordon Schaub’s retirement. He believes it was a natural transition. Their visions are similar: for the Y to be a big part of the community.

The Trails West Camp

was part of that vision.

“We thought about the impact it would have on kids and families,” Behling said. “We’d be able to do summer day camps, and it would be a platform where mom and dad who work would be able to have a place for their kids to go and have fun.”

The camp also teaches the Y’s four core values: respect, responsibility, honesty and caring. There are classes for infants, kids and adults. Behling said it’s more than a gym and swimming.

“The Y impacts families’ well-being,” he said. “The real vision is watching people walk in the front door and how they change for the better and how that impacts family dynamics.”

He added that one of

As executive director, Behling works closely with his staff. He and Lola Gonzalez discuss equipment purchases at her office. The Y has a staff of about 70 full- and part-time employees.

the goals of the Y is to continue to expand and collaborate with community organizations.

Behling said he has always been active. He still gets into the weight room when his schedule allows.

“Some people believe as you get older you need to back off on exercise,” he said. “But exercise gives you a better outlook on life. I believe it keeps you engaged and strong in body and mind.”

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Star-Herald

SATURDAY, MARCH 23, 2013 11

Gumption grows at greenhouse

By MAUNETTE LOEKS New Media Editor

When Jane Moran started her business, Jane’s Greenhouse, she had no idea that the greenhouse would reach its 30th anniversary — or that she’d be passing down the business to her daughter, Kethera.

Jane says her stor y is “pretty much a women’s lib story.”

As a young woman, Jane had little idea the career path she wanted to follow.

“I majored in art in college, but artists are always starving,” she said. After working on a Navajo reservation for a brief time, she returned to Scottsbluff, telling her father she had her sights on being an accountant.

“He said I should go into real estate,” she said. So, she went out into the world, looking to break into the business. At the time, there were not many women in real estate.

“I went on one job interview and the realtor said to me, “I will have to ask your dad before hiring you.’ Other realtors had questions like, ‘What will you do with your 2year-old?’”

She went into real estate — but hated it.

“They were very different times,” she said. “Men would make rude comments that would be considered sexual harassment today.”

Dejected, she decided that real estate wasn’t a career that she should pursue.

“I thought, ‘What can I do so people will not figure out what a failure I am,’” she said. “People think I like to grow flowers, so I’ll grow flowers.”

Actually, Jane said, she had taken horticulture in college and loved the class. As a child, she had watched her father, an avid gardener, and he had encouraged her interest.

“I loved to garden,” she said. “I always loved flowers.

My affinity for plants has just been passed down. It’s just a knack that I have.”

Jane worked for five years at a local greenhouse. However, she felt that her employer was giving her a much lower wage than her male counterpar ts. When she asked for more money, she was told that the men at the business “had families to support, like I didn’t.”

She left the business, determined to start her own greenhouse. However, she continued to butt heads with attitudes. When she went to apply for a loan, “the banker laughed me out of the bank,” she said.

She was bound and determined and attended a Women in Business seminar at the local library. She says she practically chased the presenter out of the library, asking questions about starting her own business. The presenter — a woman — worked with Moran to write a business plan and ended up giving her a loan.

“She told me it was the best business plan she had ever seen,” Jane said. “And, I was the first woman that she ever gave a commercial loan to. She really went to bat for me.”

When she set out to go on her own, she said, she experienced frustration when her brother and husband — well-intended, but misguided — went out without consulting her and “made a deal” with a local greenhouse operator for Jane to partner with.

“I felt like a mail order bride,” she said. “They didn’t get that I wanted to go into business for myself.”

However, with the help of her mother — who gave her the 20 acres of land that her business sits on and cosigned on her loan — Jane’s Greenhouse took seed. Jane credits her mom — who had her own tendency to take different paths, including beginning teaching at 50 years old and helping start two businesses in her later years — for her tenacity.

“My mom changed her life, twice, in her 50s. Watching her, she probably made me feel like I could do anything,” she said. “She taught me to be a strong, independent and, yes, stubborn, woman.”

At her previous employer, Jane said, she had asked a lot of questions and learned a lot. However, like most things in life, having a

greenhouse involves a lot of trial and error.

She’s had her mishaps, like the year that the potting soil hadn’t composted correctly and she lost 25 percent of her plants. There’s also the year that she didn’t “double” the veggies; planting gardens hadn’t been popular as more women worked outside of the home, and suddenly the demand for home-grown, organic produce exploded.

“Plants change. Generations change. It’s all trial and error,” Kethera Moran said.

“Even Jane learned that way.”

Of course, it’s a little more trial than error. Jane keeps studious notes in journals — she calls them her “brain.”

Anything and everything she wants to remember about her plants goes into writing, and she consults the journals every year, from January to June.

Construction on her new business began in 1983 and she opened the doors to her new business — then just one hoop house that she worked out of and waited on customers in.

Later, she added a small structure, which she calls the shade house, with a roof made ingeniously out of snow fencing because she decided to sell perennials.

Seven years after the start of the business, she had her first major expansion, adding the second hoophouse. Since then, a small quaint, houselike store has been added.

In the early years, work for the growing season would begin in her home, at the dining table. Seedlings to the plants would get their first glimpse of sunlight as they sat on the recycled brick floor in her home, under the solar windows.

“I would prop the plants on 2x4s and plant stands,” she said. “I would take the plants to the greenhouse when they were ready. At the time, I had a little Datsun, so it would take three or four trips a day.”

Kethera Moran has all sorts of fond stories from those early years, like the time she had a classmate stay over and Jane started planting seeds in the early morning. Jane uses a device, called a seeding wand, that makes an audible whirl. Of course, the sound of the device woke the friend and prompted questions.

“Why it’s my magic wand,” Jane answered, laughing as she recounts the story. “I start life with this thing.”

And, she does, and she has. Jane made $5,000 profit that first year — bucking the prediction she was given that she wouldn’t — and has seen the business blossom.

Over the last few years, the greenhouse has been taking on new life as Kethera has become a business partner. Kethera will take over the business when Jane retires.

It’s surprising to both of them — Kethera admits she had little interest in the business as a teen — but you

could say it’s grown on her.

“I’d help out, but I’d whine, ‘I hope you are not going to make me put dirt in pots again.’ I didn’t like the dirt underneath my fingernails.”

If you’d asked Kethera 10 years ago if she’d be taking over her mother’s business, she would have told you it was unlikely. However, like a flower in the spring, Kethera says she has had her own awakening and loves the business. She works side-byside her mother, trying to learn from her.

And, Jane admits, she has lear ned a little from Kethera, who brings her own youthful exuberance and ideas into the business.

“We have never advertised much,” Kethera said, with Jane relying on her weekly ads in the newspaper and word of mouth. However, Kethera wanted to boost advertising by promoting the business on Facebook.

Jane had reluctance, but admits it was a great idea.

“I have to admit, I was pleasantly surprised by it,” she said. “Facebook has brought a lot of attention to the business.”

Facebook reached young customers that Jane hadn’t been reaching. Now, the business has garnered 672 likes over a three-year-period and keeps Jane’s Greenhouse in the news feed of many of their customers throughout the planting season. Facebook also offers an area for visual promotions. This year, Jane’s Greenhouse will promote 30 days of Jane’s favorites, from classic plants to new takes on classics, Kethera said. The business also started a Pinterest page.

Kethera has also added some of her own whimsy side. In her own unconventional manner, Kethera had fun with last year’s opening weekend, making it a grand event with a “Wizard of the Oz” theme. Complete with a Dorothy costume, a yellow brick road to lead guests to the green-

Photo courtesy of Jessica Mikoloyck

TOP: Jane Moran and her daughter, Kethera, are pictured during the 2012 opening weekend. Kethera, who is transitioning to taking over the greenhouse, adds her own special touches, like a “Wizard of Oz” theme to opening weekend last year.

Courtesy photo

ABOVE: A photo from the early years at Jane’s Greenhouse shows Jane Moran among the geraniums. The geraniums, of which Moran grows an extensive variety, are among the most labor-intensive plants grown at the greenhouse.

house and Jane as the “plant wizard.”

During this year’s opening weekend — date to be announced — Kethera has more fun planned with an Audrey Hepburn-inspired “Breakfast at Tif fany’s” theme. Lucky customers

could win a bistro set in a raffle that will benefit the Panhandle Humane Society and other goodies, but you’ll have to show up opening weekend to find out more.

After all, Jane and Kethera can’t give away all their secrets — including how to

grow the best tomatoes.

If you follow Kethera’s thinking — a pearl anniversary and Audrey Hepburn go hand-in-hand to salute a classic and iconic greenhouse.

“I’m a classy woman in blue jeans,” Jane jokes.

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12 SATURDAY, MARCH 23, 2013

Star-Herald

California rancher takes on antiques in the Panhandle

By BRANDON NELSON Staff Reporter

Linnie MacMillen points to a pair of grainy, black and white photographs on the wall and lets out a small laugh.

Memories well up when she looks at them. The figures in the photos are dear to her.

One is of her grandfather and the other is her father.

Both were military men and ser ved in the Army Air Corps and Navy, respectively.

In World War II, her grandfather was a first lieutenant and flew 25 missions over Germany in the “Sherry’s Cherries� B-17 bomber with a 10-man crew. “They were thousands of feet in air. It was minus 20 degrees,� she said. “It was amazing stuff.�

Her father worked as an engineer before receiving an honorable medical discharge for a sleepwalking condition. He went on to serve as a firefighter for the remainder of his career. “When you put it in perspective, those were real men. We have the freedoms we have because of what they did for us,� she said. “The military teaches you hard work and respect. It was a good way to grow up and I was very blessed.�

MacMillen is the type of person who has “many irons in the fire� and many projects going at once.

Also, a variety of career fields fill her resume. She has sold hi-end cosmetics on the Internet, and for a time, she owned an avocado and organic citrus ranch on a 22-acre plot in San Diego, Calif.

Through the years and careers, however, one thing has always remained consistent — her love for history and antiques.

Her grandfather and father taught her many things, but they also instilled in MacMillen a passion for the past. To this day, her favorite collectibles include World War II and firefighter memorabilia. “They taught me the value of history and the importance of passing it on to future generations,� she said. “It became so enjoyable.�

Researching and amassing pieces of yesteryear has been a long-standing hobby, b u t l a t e l a s t y e a r, MacMillen received an opportunity to fashion a business out of her pastime.

After being convinced by a friend, she moved to the

Panhandle from California in December 2012 and started laying the groundwork for a new, antique business in downtown Scottsbluff. Her daughter, Ginnie, will arrive in town soon to partner with her in the business. “This is an ideal business for her,� she said.

The historic Marquis Opera House at 1601 Broadway will fittingly serve as the location for MacMillen’s Opera House Antiques, which is set to open in the next few weeks. “I want people to go ‘Wow!’ when they come into the store,� she said. “I’d rather delay than disappoint.�

Ambiance with a special emphasis on history will be an important aspect of the business, so MacMillen sought details on the old building’s background. She r ecently met with the granddaughter, Arlene Reitz, and great-granddaughter, Carol, of Lewis Cass Marquis, the original builder of the opera house.

Built around 1909, the opera house was one of the first buildings on Main Street, the spry 91-year old Reitz said. She went on to tell MacMillen of the many years she spent growing up in the opera house and living in the apartments at the back of the historic building. “She remembered every square inch of the place and told me of things I hadn’t even discovered yet,�

MacMillen said. “She was somewhat disappointed that the freight elevator had been removed. That was one of her favorite things as a child.�

Reitz also shared pictures of Lewis Cass Marquis with Opera House Antiques, where they are now displayed for customers to enjoy. The photos come from the early 1900s when Marquis rode from Canada to Nebraska on horseback and settled in Scottsbluff.

Marquis loved music, dance and acting and he wanted to bring culture to the town. He built the threestory opera house by hand, board by board and brick by brick, MacMillen said. “He was only 4 feet 6 inches,� she said, “A man of small stature physically, but large impressive ideas mentally.� “Mrs. Reitz is also very special,� she added. “I can’t thank her enough for sharing her life and stories with me.�

Photos by Brandon Nelson

Opera House Antiques Owner Linnie MacMillen flips through a stack of old LIFE magazines. The former avocado rancher from California is opening a new antique shop in downtown Scottsbluff.

MacMillen’s new store will specialize in antiques as well as homemade and handmade goods and artwork from Nebraska. She said she has been accepting consignments on antiques and local art.

So far, about 40 consignees from towns as far as Tor rington, Wyo., and Kearney have come in and dropped off stained glass, rustic signs, photos, paintings, quilts, carvings and candles. MacMillen said she wants to feature anything with a western Nebraska flavor and a one-of-akind flair. “I’d like to have all kinds of crafters, anything that’s unique and interesting,� she said.

Historic donations are also welcome. MacMillen said anyone who would like to share his or her treasures, antiques or items that are relevant to the Panhandle’s history is invited to call her. The items will not be put up for sale, just placed on display for the enjoyment of the customers. “Having original antiques

A traditional highland dress hangs on display in front of the historic Marquis Opera House’s vault. Built around 1909, the opera house was one of the first buildings on Main Street in downtown Scottsbluff.

on display for people to enjoy will really add to it,� she said.

To add to the shop’s atmosphere, which MacMillen is setting up a few tables, chairs and an

old-fashion coffee stand, so customers can relax and enjoy the many items on display. “There’s going to be a lot of atmosphere here,� she said. “I’ll try some different

things, but for now, I’ll just ride the wave and see where it takes me.�

For more information about Opera House Antiques, call MacMillen at 308-765-0331.

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Star-Herald

SATURDAY, MARCH 23, 2013 13

September Fest stomping right along Photos by Sandra Hansen

By SANDRA HANSEN

LEFT: Dozens of volunteers show up to help put on the annual September Fest in Torrington, Wyo. The event will celebrate its 20th anniversary this fall. Busy making cabbage burgers for the 2012 evening are from left, Teresa Henderson (back to camera), Matt Gordon, pastor of the First Congregational Church in Torrington, whose members do the cooking and baking, Stacy John with dough in hand, and Eva Hankins in the ball cap.

Ag Editor

TORRINGTON, Wyo. — What in the world do you do with 100 pounds of hamburger, 130 pounds of raw cabbage, 165 pounds of flour and 60-70 pounds of raw onions?

And don’t forget another 25 pounds of flour, plus buttermilk, powdered sugar and heavy sweet cream.

Well, you make hundreds of cabbage burgers and hundreds of grebel!

And while you’re building cabbage burgers, you’re also creating and strengthening the camaraderie that comes from spending eight to 12 hours a day, for two days, working elbow to elbow with friends and relatives preparing for the annual September Fest.

The whole celebration began in 1993 in Torrington, Wyo., as a harvest festival to celebrate the importance of agriculture in the leading agriculture producing county in Wyoming. The first six years were spearheaded by the Goshen County Chamber of Commerce, and then a separate September Fest committee was formed, consisting of Larry Hutchinson, Terry Lofink, Ron Wilhelm, and later Dar win and Glenn Miller, and Gary Maul. It has produced the event since 1999.

This year, 2013, will mark the 20th anniversary of the community celebration.

Since its beginning, the event has drawn followers from across the region, including Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska and South Dakota, in addition to Wyoming. They come to enjoy the “homemade” German food and Dutch Hop music provided by live polka bands, such as John Fritzler’s Polka Band.

According to Ron Wilhelm, one of the original committee members, “Our main goal is to keep alive as many as we can of the traditions of our heritage that are slowly disappearing from our children’s heritage.”

Wilhelm said the German/Russian customs that are being lost will hopefully be preserved through such events as the September Fest.

“Some of the difficulties we have encountered are trying to reach the younger generation and get them interested,” he said.

“We know young people like good food, and we have plenty of that,” Wilhelm said last year, standing in the kitchen of the Rendezvous Center on the Goshen County Fairgrounds in Torrington.

“They might be surprised that we also have a lot of

BELOW: Syliva Smith, one of the dozens of women who use the church kitchen to make grebel, rolls out a sheet of dough that will be cut, twisted, and deep fried before being dipped in glaze or powdered sugar.

The grebel and cabbage burgers are the major fundraising project for the First Congregational Church in Torrington.

good, fun music,” he added, with the food preparations buzzing around him.

The September Fest committee arranges for the band and concessions, while the food preparation is turned over to the capable hands of members of the First Congregational Church of Torrington. Sales of the cabbage burgers and grebel are the main fundraising event for the church.

Early on, polka lovers made Torrington a stop on their annual trek to visit friends and dance in communities throughout the region.

It took two bands to keep everyone busy from 4 p.m. until midnight. However, times have changed and not as many dancers show up, so only one band is required for the evening event that takes place in the Rendezvous Center. But there are still more than 400 hungry, energetic individuals on hand to enjoy the food, music and company.

The wooden floor, which is laid by members of the Southeast High School and Tor rington/Lingle High School FFA chapters, is still alive with dancers of all ages.

And each FFA chapter receives $,1,000 from the committee to use as it sees fit.

Last year, a new feature was added to the evening. A short PowerPoint program was presented that reviewed in old photographs the history and importance of the sugar beet industry to the North Platte Valley.

“I think everyone liked that

Three or four men line up at the commercial stove in the kitchen of the Rendezvous Center on the Goshen County Fairgrounds to fry the hamburger on Friday evening before the September Fest begins on Saturday evening. More than 400 people, ranging from babies to octogenarians, gather to enjoy the polka band, dancing, cabbage burgers, grebel, beverages, and an evening of fun and friends.

program,” Wilhelm said.

“And it gave the band a break.”

One thing that doesn’t show any sign of slowing down is the popularity of the food. In 2012, about 700 cab-

bage burgers and 300 grebel were made and sold. Demand was so great that preorder sales were cut off so there would be enough for See SEPTEMBER, page 14

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Pride

14 SATURDAY, MARCH 23, 2013

Star-Herald

Local neurosurgeon triumphs despite early language barriers

By MAUNETTE LOEKS New Media Editor

When Dr. Omar Jimenez immigrated to the United States as a young boy, the neurosurgeon was in unfamiliar territory.

“We didn’t speak a word of English,” he said, explaining that he was 9 years old when he emigrated from Columbia.

Jimenez’s father and mother had immigrated to the United States four years prior. His father, a physician, had come to America, first going to Florida. Later, his father did his residency in Philadelphia and the family settled in New York.

Jimenez and his 7-year-old brother were quickly put to task learning the English language.

“My mother was very strict,” he said. She would have us learn 50 words every day. Within a year, we had English mastered.”

His mother also wouldn’t allow him and his br other to be schooled in bilingual classes. She stressed that her children learn English, though Jimenez still fluently speaks Spanish.

Being unable to speak the language of those around him made the transition in the classroom difficult at first, Jimenez acknowledged.

“I remember sitting in the classroom, unable to understand the teacher,” he said. “It was like I was deaf. I was in a bubble.”

He spoke one universal language fluently — math. He remembers going up to the chalkboard and being able to work well.

Jimenez has fond memories of living in Columbia.

“I remember playing soccer and flying kites with my brother. Flying kites was our passion.”

He said he still appreciates the country’s music and culture.

However, his father wanted his family to come to the United States for better opportunities.

Once his family immigrated, Jimenez’s father focused on ensuring his children had those opportunities.

Photo courtesy of Regional West Medical Center

Dr. Omar Jimenez and his surgery team perform a surgery at Regional West Medical Center. Though he faced some initial language barriers after immigrating to the United States, Jimenez succeeded as a student, and now, as a doctor.

“My dad instilled in us that education came first,” he said. “It would pay off down the road.”

Jimenez, who attended a science-focused high school and attended a pre-medicine program and advanced placement courses, graduated at the age of 16.

“I look at my photos from freshman year of college and I look like a little kid,” he said, with a laugh.

As a young college student, he said, he was shy, but “eventually fit in.” Jimenez attended George Washington University School of Medicine, with an internship at the University of Massachusetts and a residency at Jackson Memorial Hospital. He has fellowships at Jackson Memorial Hospital and the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine among his credentials. He is also an author, having written one book titled “Skull Base Surgery: Anatomy and Approaches: Laboratory Dissection Manual” and written chapters for two textbooks. He

has authored and co-authored numerous research publications and projects.

Jimenez’s parents had two more sons. Jimenez’s father encouraged his sons to go into medicine.

“He said, ‘No matter where you go, you can always practice medicine,’” Jimenez remembers as his father’s encouraging words. “We saw our dad work hard and he was a great role model for us.”

All four of the Jimenez sons have followed in their father’s footsteps, going into medicine and becoming surgeons. One of Jimenez’s brothers, Dr. Andres Jimenez, has also used his medical background to start a successful electr onics medical records business, called Implement HIT. Today, Jimenez said, his beginnings help him in his medical practice, particularly with Spanish-speaking patients.

“It helps them,” he said. “It puts them at ease.”

Photo by Maunette Loeks

Dr. Omar Jimenez stands near a map displayed at Regional West Medical Center. The neurosurgeon immigrated to the United States as a boy.

Do you have something to sell?

Call 308-632-9020 for assistance.

Photo by Chabella Guzman

John Fritzler and his Polka Band have provided music for the September Fest from its beginning.

While younger generations of dancers join the ranks each year, plenty of experienced polka lovers enjoy the annual Dutch Hop. Four hours of dancing do a lot to wear off the effects of the “homemade” cabbage buns and grebel.

SEPTEMBER: Fest stomping right along Continued from page 13 the dance. All of the food preparation takes place on Friday and Saturday prior to the dance.

Friday finds the women cooking and cutting up the onions and cabbage at the church.

Also on Friday night, men on the hamburger cooking crew line up at the large commercial stoves in the Rendezvous Center to fry pounds and pounds of hamburger.

The two cooked products are combined and wrapped in the fresh bread dough when action begins again Saturday morning.

That is when the volunteers swarm into the Rendezvous Center and church kitchens for the final phase of production. At the church, more than a dozen women (not all are church members) pitch in to roll out and cut the grebel dough that is deep fat

fried before being dipped in glaze or powdered sugar.

At the same time, over at the fairgrounds, men and women make the bread dough, put it through a sheet making machine that replaces elbow grease and a rolling pin, and mold it into individual cabbage buns that are set on shelves to rise before they are baked in the large ovens.

When done, the buns are cooled before being placed in the refrigerator until the dancing and eating begin later in the afternoon.

No one is really sure how many volunteers lend their time and expertise to produce a great evening of neighborliness and entertainment. But one thing is certain. The community event is a wonderful way to nurture friendships and traditions so future generations can continue to enjoy their heritage.

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Photo by Sandra Hansen

The September Fest provides plenty of exercise and opportunities to visit with new and old friends.

Organizers believe the event is a way to continue the traditions of the German/Russian population of the North Platte River Valley, and to celebrate the importance of agriculture to the region.

Scottsbluff l Alliance 308 .630.1149 l 877. 69 9 .779 4

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Star-Herald

SATURDAY, MARCH 23, 2013 15

RWMC: Physicians share links with Olympians Continued from page 9 landing point, he said, they can go from feeling like the ground is right underneath their feet to feeling like they are flying right over the heads of the spectators.

“You go from feeling like you are falling off a cliff — which can be an alarming feeling — to feeling like you are flying. It is an exhilarating feeling. You get an extreme rush.”

As a teen, Williams competed with the local ski clubs until he earned his way to compete in national, international and junior Olympic competitions. After competing in his first Junior Nationals competition in 1980, he was hooked, and competed for nearly 15 more years.

He had quite the adventures competing in World Junior Championships, and qualified to compete in the World Cup and World National competitions. His career led him to a stint training with the Swiss National Team and training in East Germany shortly after the Berlin Wall fell. Williams had set his sights on competing in the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway, but didn’t qualify.

Leading up to the 1994 Olympics, he focused on competing and came close in both 1992 and 1994. It would be his last chance to qualify, he knew, as he had been putting off college in pursuit of the sport. He also knew that physically, he didn’t have much more time in the sport.

H o w e v e r, W i l l i a m s ’ dreams weren’t meant to be.

Though he had been topping out in his competitions, placing first for the eight months prior to the World Cup competitions to qualify for the event, when it literally failed to snow in Europe to allow him a last chance to compete for an automatic spot on the team, he was disappointed.

“All you can do is get yourself prepared and prepare for the luck,” he said.

It was a tough break, he said, and it was frustrating.

“I still struggle with it,” he said, admitting he was pretty miserable for a time.

“I wanted to make the Olympic team and achieve the top 15. It was not a goal of mine, it was an expectation.”

Growing up in Steamboat Springs, he said, Olympians are “put on a pedestal.” It’s a prestigious honor. There are no parades for nearOlympians, he said.

“When you really dedicate your whole life to something and you do not achieve it, it is a bummer,” he said, admitting that he had given up much of his youth — like attending school like a traditional student and hanging out with friends — to train in skiing.

However, he said, he learned a very important lesson.

“I believe your failures are more important than your successes,” he said, saying that he set his goals on becoming a doctor. He said he has seen other competitors wallow in the lack of their successes, but Williams hasn’t.

Fortunately for Williams, during his ski career, he never had severe injuries, though he knew friends, especially alpine skiers, who suffered serious injuries.

His interest in skiing did direct him toward an interest as an orthopedic surgeon.

However, when his wife, Wendy, who is also an anesthesiologist, told him about a rotation in the anesthesiology field, she encouraged him to try it as well.

“I have to admit that when I first went to watch anesthesiology, I didn’t find it that interesting,” he said, “When all of a sudden you are responsible for the care and the responses of a patient, monitoring their hearth rhythms, making sure they wake up when the procedure is finished, it becomes a lot more interesting.”

He said he found that anesthesiology and skiing have a lot in common.

Both ski jumping and anesthesiology is “serious business” because “you have to learn to prepare carefully. Things can go terribly wrong and you have to deal with it. You have to be able to react quickly when things go wrong.”

Aside from the occasional

regret, Williams said, he doesn’t lament his failure to qualify for the Olympics. After all, he said, everyone has more failures in life than successes. Currently, he and his wife are enjoying a wonderful career in Scottsbluff, where they home school their children and enjoy their hobbies.

“I am not looking back at all,” Williams said. “We really love it here.”

■ Dr. David Kanar, nephrologist, with Regional West Medical Center Physician’s Clinic Long before he was a nephr ologist — which means he specializes in treating patients with kidney disease and other kidneyrelated DR. DAVID condiKANAR tions, Dr. David Kanar balanced more than his daily patient schedule.

Kanar, who grew up in the suburbs of Chicago, had been a hyperactive child when he began competing in gymnastics.

“I was a hyperactive kid,” he explained. “My parents put me into gymnastics to give me an outlet for my energy and I took to it. I loved it.”

In the sixth grade, Kanar focused on competing in the gymnastics. As a young man, he would compete with his high school team and local clubs.

“It was a good social outlet, as well,” he said. “I would train at dif ferent high schools, and get to know the other gymnasts. I would get to know the other athletes and we would become friends.”

Through those friendships, he said, he learned a

lot about being a good competitor.

“You want to win, but you don’t want to win because the other person failed,” he said.

Kanar was an “all-around” gymnast — competing in floor exercises, rings, parallel bars, pommel horse and vault.

“I was very good on the floor,” Kanar said, saying that it was the area he set a University of Wisconsin record, which remains in place today. Kanar attended the University of Wisconsin on a gymnastics scholarship.

He achieved a 9.85 score in floor exercise, and no other gymnast has exceeded the record.

“I had this move where I would double back in a pick position, do a one-and-aquar ter front flip, and I would land on my stomach. I would land on my stomach because it was easier to stick than landing on my feet,” he said, with a small laugh.

Kanar’s gymnastics career took him to Israel in 1989 when he competed in the Maccabiah Games, also known as the Jewish Olympics. Every four years, the best Jewish athletes compete at the games.

To be a good gymnast, Kanar said, he had to train all year. On most days, he said he trained three to four hours a day, with training increasing to six to eight hours a day as competition or training camps neared.

“That is why it became such a social outlet,” he said.

“A large part of my time was spent in gymnastics.”

In many ways, he said, the lessons he learned in gymnastics benefit him in medicine.

Oftentimes, he said, he had to face his fears, such as performing double back, a tucked or piked backwards ariel in the air with two rotations.

“It was scary, but sometimes, you just had to do it,” he said.

All of these were good lessons when — at age 25 — Kanar decided to change

Courtesy photo

LEFT: Dr. David Kanar is pictured, as a college student, competing for the University of Wisconsin gymnastic team.

Photo by Maunette Loeks

BELOW: You can take the gymnast out of the gym — but you can’t take the gymnast out of the doctor. Dr. David Kanar throws in a quick handstand after an interview on his college gymnastic career that took him to Israel.

from a construction career to becoming a doctor.

“I always wanted to be a doctor, and my parents encouraged me,” he said.

Attention to detail is also a good trait for a doctor — and a gymnast. “The little details make you the best,” Kanar said, such as being out of place or having a foot in the wrong position. Dedication is also important, with a focus on solving the problems, because in medicine, the answers aren’t always readily available. Perseverance is key.

“In gymnastics, you have to accept both your successes and failures. A lot of the time, you crashed, but you just had to deal with it.”

These days, Kanar doesn’t do much gymnastics, he jokes that his wife Erica doesn’t allow it because he may injure himself.

“I used to do backflips in the office, but my wife reminds me that I’m getting older. I still do hand stands, though.”

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