ROWER: Skylar Dahl in top levels of D-1 at Virginia, and Paralympics

“Too much time was spent setting low expectations for me and my athletic future,” Dahl said in the Perseverance film. Such assessments “became fuel for me.”

Starting in second and third grade, she tried soccer, then basketball, but suffered broken bones in her feet competing in both sports.

X-rays showed her out-of-place bones rubbed together and eventually cracked. She played both sports for five years until “the pain came too great to enjoy those sports any longer.”

After reluctantly giving up the sports that “I had become pretty good at during my early years,” she found her true niche in the competitive world when she was a freshman — with an assist from her next-door neighbor in Circle Pines, Nancy Jannik.

“Nancy recommended I try a sport that doesn’t put so much pressure on my feet. She recommended rowing.”

Jannik grew up in South Carolina and her family was all involved in rowing, which is popular in the southeast. Dahl was intrigued.

With her parents Andy and Kari, she visited Jannik’s hometown in the summer of 2018 and checked out the rowing club, where she “hopped into a boat” and learned the basics. That was all it took. Back home, she joined Twin Cities Youth Rowing. Minnesota has a thriving rowing community, she said, despite the climate.

Rowing appears to be an upper body sport, but, the 5-foot-10 Dahl points out, most of the power is actually generated from the legs. Still, rowing took the strain off her vulnerable feet. The rowers’ feet, in both collegiate and para, are secured in built-in shoes on the angled footboard.

Dahl walks normally, which you can see in her film, but she had to give up running of any kind after her soccer and basketball ventures.

“I have learned to walk in a way that is comfortable for my feet. And in general, my walk looks basically like everyone else,” she said. Her doctors “strongly recommended” to avoid running due to the likelihood of re-injury.

While competing with Twin Cities Youth Rowing throughout her years at

Centennial — where she was Student Council president, and active in National Honor Society — Dahl and her team had enough success for her to be a good prospect for college rowing.

Aiming high, she enrolled at Virginia, a powerhouse under longtime coach Kevin Sauer. Virginia has won 21 of the last 22 Atlantic Coast Conference titles and has placed in the top 10 at nationals the last five years.

In this year’s nine-team ACC meet,

May 13 in North Carolina, Virginia won four of the five races. Dahl rowed on the Cavaliers’ No. 2 unit that came from behind to edge Duke for first place. At nationals, May 28 in New Jersey (won by Stanford), there were three races. Virginia’s top team placed fifth, Dahl’s foursome placed 10th and their third unit took 11th.

In Para rowing, the classes are PR1 (for rowers whose function is upper trunk only), PR2 (full trunk) and PR3 (full trunk and lower body). Rowers in PR1 and PR2 must use a fixed seat, In PR3, they use a sliding seat like in club and college rowing.

Dahl is assigned to PR3. She earned her spot on the PR3 mixed four plus coxswain team at a two-week selection camp in New Jersey.

The group placed first in the Para Rowing Regatta to Paris on July 9, comfortably ahead of teams from Italy and France, in two races at Vairessur-Marne, France.

Other members were Ben Washburne of Connecticut and Saige Harper, Alex Flynn and Emilie Eldracher, all of Massachusetts. They’re now gearing for the meet in Serbia, the first opportunity for crews to qualify for the 2024 Paralympic Games. Another opportunity will be held in May of 2024.

“Her college coaches have been extremely supportive,” said Andy Dahl, “of her dual ambition of being a top NCAA D-1 rower as well as an international Para rower.”

Dahl, who is majoring Psychology, with a minor in leadership, was named to the ACC All-Academic team.

Addressing what drives her, Dahl said, “Being a competitive athlete is special.” Her film’s purpose, she said, was “To ignite unlimited potential of all women and girls.”

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County Briefs

$30 million in funding secured for Highway 65 projects

A total of $30 million in Corridors of Commerce funding has been allocated to Anoka County, which will be used for improvements along Highway 65 in Blaine. The areas slated for construction are along 99th, 105th, 109th and 117th Avenues. Improvements will include adding frontage roads and overpasses, changing access, and improving facilities for people walking and bicycling. A total of four traffic lights along the thoroughfare will be removed, which will help address congestion issues along the corridor.

“Over the past three years, the project team has been focused, motivated, and tireless in our efforts of bringing over a dozen funding sources together for this nearly $163 million endeavor, and nearly all the funding for improvements at these intersections has been secured,” said District 6 Commissioner Julie Jeppson.

District 2 Commissioner Julie Braastad, chair of the county’s transportation committee, noted the pace of securing funding for these projects is impressive.

“Ten of our state’s 31 most dangerous intersections are on Highway 65, so improving this corridor is a high priority, but the short amount of time in which $160 million-plus in funding has been secured to pay for several of these improvements is breathtaking,” she said. “It’s really a testament to how several government entities can work together for the betterment of our residents and other motorists who travel our roads.”

Community Action Program Executive Director receives national award

Patrick McFarland, the longtime executive director of the Anoka County Community Action Program, was recently selected by the National Community Action Partnership to receive the national Lyndon Baines Johnson Leadership Award. The award will be presented to McFarland at the community partnership national convention Aug. 23-25 in Atlanta.

McFarland has served local community action program for more than 50 years and has been an instrumental leader in supporting and advancing programs that benefit the people of Anoka County.

Some of the ways in which he’s aided Anoka County over the years include:

1. Administering the Child Care Assistance Program for the county.

2. Partnering with Anoka County to provide an array of services to seniors, such as the Senior Outreach program, Chores and More, the Senior Information Line and the Senior Kinship program.

3. Developing and supporting specialized and affordable housing for the residents of Anoka County.

4. Connecting individuals and families to quality technology, which increases access to education, employment, health care, social connections and more.

5. Serving on the Anoka County Workforce Development Board for more than 25 years.

“Patrick is highly deserving of this award –– his leadership has been invaluable in fostering strong partnerships between Anoka County and the Community Action Program,” said Matt Look, chair, Anoka County Board of Commissioners. “His perseverance, innovative thinking, and tireless work ethic have inspired so many people. Simply put, there aren’t many people like Patrick. There are certainly those who give time, money, and resources to better their communities, but what Patrick does is at another level. He’s made it his life’s work to improve the world around him, and the positive change he’s been a part of is profound and far-reaching.”

City Brief

3.5M square-foot industrial development may come to Lino Lakes Scannell Properties, a nation development company, is considering the possible development of approximately 325 acres located in both Lino Lakes and the city of Columbus.

The project could include up to 3.5 million square feet of industrial development. The development of the industrial park requires an environmental review under state law. While the location is covered, in part, by the city’s I-35E Corridor Alternative Urban Area-wide Review environmental document, Scannell has chosen to prepare an environmental area wide review document specific to their site.

Community development director Michael Grochala explained that the AUAR environmental review process will likely take six to nine months.

Both cities have entered into a joint powers agreement, which establishes the process for joint review of the environmental study and responsibilities of each city. Both cities will be responsible for their individual review costs, which will be collected from the developer, and both cities will participate in a pro-rata share of review costs for the required five-year updates, again borne by the developer.

SADDER’S: Shop closing is hidden blessing

FROM PAGE 1 certified as a master technician.

The property he saw would be the perfect opportunity to combine his knowledge of both cars and hospitality. Because of his expertise, starting an automotive shop seemed like the natural choice.

Nowadays, Sadder’s Automotive is a thriving business with loyal customers who return for quality repairs and neighborly service.

According to Sadder, many customers don’t ask for a call before he moves forward with repairs, as many of them know how much he values honesty and fair-pricing. He usually does it anyway. “It’s important to have trust with your customers,” he said.

With the traffic increase in the area, the county has decided it will be expanding the road next to the shop. This means that the new construction will likely encroach on Sadder’s Automotive property. Because he is now 75, Sadder has decided that it is not worth looking for a new location and

CONTRIBUTED selling the business. Additionally, any potential lots are just too far away.

Although he will miss his customers, Sadder looks forward to being able to spend more time with his wife and five boys. For this reason, the shop’s closing has been a blessing. “Someone told me ‘If they don’t kick you out of here, Humberto, you will work the rest of your life,’” he said.

Merrina O’Malley can be reached by emailing intern2@presspubs.com or by calling 651-407-1200.

CONTRIBUTED