Star News

Royals say goodbye to nine seniors following 1-0 loss

Eric Oslund — Wed, 18 Oct 2017 19:19:56 +0000

by Eric Oslund

Sports Reporter

Unless your team is one of the lucky few to be crowned state champions, the end of the season is never easy. It’s filled with disappointment and heartbreak, but this year it was especially rough for the Rogers girls soccer team.

They have lost to St. Michael-Albertville in the section finals three of the last four seasons, and this was supposed to be the year they evened the score. They were the No. 1 seed, had nine seniors leading the way, and had already beaten STMA once this season, but that just made everything harder when STMA began celebrating on their field after a 1-0 victory.

Emily Kilby controls the ball during the Royals playoff loss to St. Michael Tuesday night in Rogers. (Photo by Erik Jacobson)

No one captured the heartbreak the team was feeling more than goaltender, and senior captain, Cassidy Lehrke. She was the first Royal to receive her second-place medal, and you could see the tears start to come the moment it was placed around her neck. She managed to make it back by her teammates, but, once she did, she bent over, put her hands on her knees, and began to weep.

Lehrke is the program’s leader in shutouts, and was named a Ms. Soccer finalist following a spectacular senior season, but none of that mattered in that moment.

“It’s tough when they’re freshmen and they lost. I don’t know if it meant as much to them then, I know they wanted it now,” head coach Aaron Lindquist said of his seniors.

Lehrke was quickly comforted by fellow senior captain Claire Swan. The two shared in a long embrace, likely feeling the same heartbreak as one another.

It’s not as though the Royals were blown out, they had their chances to win that game. STMA’s goaltender made a great save on a shot from Cailey Henderson from right in front of the net, just minutes before STMA would go down the field and score.

They Royals also had a good chance to match the goal when STMA was called for a hand ball right out in front of their own net, and another when their goal mishandled the ball and three Royals attackers over pursued right past it. But what likely would have been their best opportunity to score happened just 8:48 into the game.

Swan was tripped right in front of the opposing net and the sideline official waved for a penalty kick, but the official on the field called it off and awarded the ball to STMA. A moment of disbelief for the Royals, as some seemed to act as though their season was just robbed from them at that very moment.

Plays like that are hard to swallow, especially for the seniors whose high school soccer careers are now finished. It’s hard not to look back and wonder, ‘What if?’ But Lindquist hopes his girls don’t do that. He wants them to think about how hard they played and the effort they put forth.

It’s going to be hard to replace nine seniors next year, but that’s a long ways off. For now, the Royals are just looking to remember their time with those leaders and thanking them for everything they have done.

“11 players on the field, we lose nine players that have been very important for us for a long time,” Lindquist began. “Nine impactful players that have meant a lot to the program, they have played a lot together. It’s tough, and I don’t want to think about the underclassmen right now and what we have coming back, I want to think about the seniors. They will be missed.”

James “Jimmy” Heidelberger

ECM Publishers — Wed, 18 Oct 2017 22:45:06 +0000

Jimmy Heidelberger, age 54, of Elk River. Longtime member of Laborers Local #563.
Jimmy lost his fight with squamous cell carcinoma on Sept. 30, 2017 at North Memorial Hospital. He fought a long hard battle to try and beat this. He never once complained, gave up hope, or lost his sense of humor. He continued to amaze everyone with his strength and determination until the very end. He leaves behind many friends and family who loved him dearly and will miss him daily.
He is survived by fiancée, Karen Stenglein; mother, Donna Heidelberger; brother, Dean (Brenda) Heidelberger; sisters, Sandy (Roger) Lewandowski and Heidi; nephews, Ken Heidelberger, Ross and Reid Lewandowski; niece, Trina; three very special great-nieces, Kaylee, Alyssa and Caitlynn Kirk; many aunts, uncles, cousins, Karen’s family and many, many friends.
Jimmy is preceded in death by father, Kenneth; maternal grandparents, John and Bertha James; paternal grandparents, Wallace and Hazel Heidelberger; and Florian Stenglein (Karen’s father).
A Celebration of Jim’s life will be 1 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 28, 2017 at Dare’s Funeral Home, 805 Main St, Elk River, with visitation starting at 11 a.m.
Dare’s Funeral Home
763-441-1212 • www.daresfuneralservice.com

Elk Pride Craft Bazaar is Nov. 4

ECM Publishers — Wed, 18 Oct 2017 10:15:57 +0000

The Elk Pride Craft Bazaar will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 4, at Elk River High School, l900 School St.

All of the net proceeds benefit the Elk Pride Scholarship Fund.

Spooktacular event treats more than it tricks

ECM Publishers — Wed, 18 Oct 2017 09:28:38 +0000

Lion John Weicht Park in Elk River transformed into a Halloween celebration on Saturday, Oct. 7, at the 18th Annual Family Spooktacular. Families and children of all ages dressed in costumes, danced, played games, decorated pumpkins and took hayrides. The fall evening of fun also included a costume contest.

Photos by Sophia Khori Samantha and Ben Juntunen dressed up with their son, Jalylin, at the 18th Annual Family Spooktacular.

Elks show improvement in 2017

Eric Oslund — Tue, 17 Oct 2017 20:26:28 +0000

by Eric Oslund

Sports Reporter

The season certainly didn’t end the way the the Elk River girls soccer team was hoping it would when they suffered a 2-1 loss to Rogers in the Section 8AA semifinals on Saturday, Oct. 14. They were hoping to defeat their rivals, earn a trip to the section finals and hopefully to state.

But, even though their season has come to an end, it’s important to remember how far they came in the matter of a year.

The entire girls soccer team met Lauren Ives and Ciara Bailey out on the field to join in the celebrations after defeating St. Cloud Tech 1-0. (Photo by Erik Jacobson)

One season ago, the Elks’ season came to an end in the first round of sections without a single win. This season, the Elks finished with a 5-10-1 record, earned the No. 4 seed in their section, which came with a home playoff game, and then defeated St. Cloud Tech 1-0 in that game.

“They saw what it was like last year, an o-fer record, and our senior captains bought into it and pushed us, and helped those younger kids across, and that’s what’s most satisfying,” head coach Brian Steuter. “To let them see that they get something out of putting the effort in. Hopefully, what that does for the younger kids and the kids coming in, is they understand that and continue to want to strive for that.”

All the success the Elks had this season could be traced back to before they even played in their first game. Before class had even started, they came together on the field and in the gym to work on getting better.

“A lot of it came from our summer,” senior captain Ciara Bailey said. “We got a lot of girls to come out early in the morning and start lifting weights and doing conditioning. We went out on the soccer field every Tuesday and Thursday and we all just started to work together and get to know each other before the season even started.”

It’s something that the Elks have not done for a number of year, but something that Steuter felt was necessary after the way last season finished. He knew that it would be difficult to get everyone together in the summer, with so many players competing on club teams, but it was important.

And credit the girls, they were willing to put in the work. To wake up early in the morning, go lift weights and condition their bodies for the season that was fast approaching. Now, the hope is that carries over for years to come and the team only continues to improve each and every season.

Spectrum hosts free financial aid event

ECM Publishers — Tue, 17 Oct 2017 18:16:57 +0000

To assist students in preparing and applying for financial aid, Spectrum High School in Elk River will host a Minnesota College Goal event at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 14. A financial aid professional will present information regarding completion of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

Minnesota College Goal is a statewide volunteer program that provides free assistance to students and families applying for financial aid for postsecondary education. This event is free.

For more information, contact KellyAnn Lockrem at klockrem@spectrumhighschool.org or 763-450-9807.

Miller gets her 1,000th assist

Eric Oslund — Tue, 17 Oct 2017 17:56:51 +0000

by Eric Oslund

Sports Reporter

Natalie Miller has never been one to worry about personal accolades. She’s never thought about how far she could go playing volleyball, never worries about how well she has been doing, and prefers to see her teammates succeed.

The biggest thrill for her as a setter? Seeing the excitement on her teammates’ faces when they get a kill. She never thinks about how good of a set she gave them, and never really credits herself for doing a good job.

Natalie Miller celebrates with her teammates after recording her 1,000th assist. (Photo courtesy of Zimmerman Volleyball Twitter)

“Personally, I like setting just because I like watching the thrill on other people’s faces when they get the kill, and I like to know that I was a part of that,” Miller said. “When they get that kill and I see everyone get excited, I know setters don’t get a lot of credit, which is fine, I just love watching the hitters, especially. I think it’s even more exciting for me to watch them hit that ball and get that kill.”

Because of that selfless attitude, Miller has never been concerned about any personal accolades, so Thursday, Oct. 12, really just seemed like any other day to her. She went to class and then her teammates loaded on the bus to go play a game at Mora.

The only thing that seemed a little off was that her coach asked someone to make a poster, which Eilysha Rosario volunteered to do, nothing out of the ordinary there, the part that threw her off was no one would tell her what it was for.

“I didn’t know what the poster was for, I was just thinking something simple like maybe it was someone’s birthday or something,” Miller began. “So we got to Mora, where our game was, and then Eilysha took the poster and I was like, ‘Oh, what are you going to write on it?’ Everyone was asking her, but she wouldn’t tell anyone. I was like, ‘OK, that’s kind of weird, why wouldn’t you tell us?’ … I kept asking everyone, and everyone kept asking around about what it was for, but no one would tell us. Then people were just making up different stuff to me and I was like, ‘OK guys, what’s up with it?’”

But the poster quickly became an after thought as the game began. It was close throughout, but unfortunately the Thunder would fall in five sets.

Natalie Miller sets up one of her teammates for a kill. (Photo by Eric Oslund)

Then, after the game, Miller’s head coach was talking to the team about the game, what they did well and what they need to continue to improve on, as she always did, but then she had an announcement.

“All of a sudden she said, ‘One of our players have reached a huge milestone,’” Miller recalled. “I was just thinking, ‘Oh, probably someone else. Why would it be me? Don’t want to get my hopes up or anything.’ Then the poster came out and it said 1,000 assists and I was completely shocked.”

All her teammates began to cheer and congratulate her, and, at the time, she didn’t think it was that big of a deal. She smiled, said thanks, but really didn’t think anything of getting her 1,000th assist.

It wasn’t until later that night, after she got home, that she really began to understand the magnitude of her accomplishment.

“That night I literally stayed up in my bed thinking about it,” she said. “I was like, ‘Wow, that actually is a lot.’ I didn’t think it was when they were telling me and everyone was cheering, I was like, ‘Guys it’s OK. It’s not that much,’ but looking back on it, it actually is a lot, and it’s really crazy.”

It was a fun moment to celebrate with her teammates, but now Miller has turned back to the court. Working on improving and helping out her teammates in anyway possible, so they can try and make a run in the section tournament.

Sting set the foundation for years to come

Eric Oslund — Tue, 17 Oct 2017 16:37:25 +0000

by Eric Oslund

Sports Reporter

The first year under head coach Dana Gibson has officially come to an end for the Spectrum girls soccer team.

When the season started, he wasn’t sure what to expect. It was his first time coaching a varsity program, and when he first saw his team he knew there was plenty of work that needed to be done. But, to the girls’ credit, they worked hard and continued to get better each week.

The Spectrum girls soccer team comes together one last time during the 2017 season. (Photo by Eric Oslund)

“When we started this season, I was kind of thinking, ‘We have a lot of work to do,’” Gibson said. “The girls all, I told them they gave 110 percent. The players that could hardly dribble a ball are now some of the best ball handlers out there, fantastic. I am so, so proud of them all, how far from where we started to how far we got.”

The Sting ended up finishing the regular season with a 7-7 record and earned the No. 8 seed in the Section 7A tournament, which meant they would host Duluth Denfeld in the first round on Thursday, Oct. 12. It’s not always easy for Spectrum in games like that, as schools such as Denfeld are larger and have more players to pull from, but they went in believing they could win.

And, at halftime, it was still a competitive match. The Sting trailed 1-0, but a strong second half was all they needed to advance to the second round.

Unfortunately for the Sting, their opponents had another idea. Denfeld would use a physical style of play to wrack up three more goals, while also keeping the Sting on the defensive through those final 40 minutes, going on to win 4-0.

“That’s, honestly, nothing against the iron range but that’s how they play,” Gibson said of the physical style of play their opponents used. “Soccer is a tough sport, it is. Girls have to play more aggressive, play the body, not just the ball, and try to finesse.”

Even though it was not how the Sting were hoping to end the season, looking back, Gibson knows this was the type of year his team needed.

The girls worked hard, improved, and really set a foundation for this program moving forward for years to come.

“I mean, coming in not knowing them, them not knowing me, I think it’s a very solid base right now,” the head coach said. “People are excited, still. We’ve got people that didn’t come out this year – other things, burnt out on soccer – that have talked to me and that are probably going to come out again next year, so it’s good. I’m excited.”

Jorgensen joins Catholic Charities

ECM Publishers — Tue, 17 Oct 2017 12:21:14 +0000

Brian Jorgensen, Elk River, has joined Catholic Charities of the Diocese of St. Cloud as director of social concerns.

Jorgensen has spent the past three decades working with youth in the Diocese of St. Cloud and Archdiocese as a youth minister, teacher and director of faith formation.

“It’s a privilege to work with Catholic Charities as a way of truly practicing love of our neighbor,” he said.
Steve Pareja, executive director of Catholic Charities, said he’s thrilled to have Jorgensen join the leadership team, as social concerns are one of the threads that weave their way through the entire organization and beyond.

Catholic Charities is a nonprofit organization that advances the charitable and social mission of the Diocese of St. Cloud.

District 728 music programs rewarded for efforts

ECM Publishers — Tue, 17 Oct 2017 09:10:58 +0000

by Kurt Nesbitt
Contributing Writer
Elk River is one of seven school districts in Minnesota to win an award for its efforts to include music education in its curriculum, and it won that award for the second year in a row.

Submitted photos
Superintendent Dan Bittman and members of the Elk River Area School Board posed with music educators after the district’s music program was honored.

According to Keri Solitt, the district curriculum specialist who focuses on music education, the National Association of Music Merchants Foundation announced Elk River Area Schools is one of the seven school districts to receive its designation as a Best Community for Music Education for 2017.

“We also received this honor last year, and so we’re proud to receive this honor again this year,” Solitt told members of the Elk River Area School Boad at its meeting on Monday, Oct. 9.

Solitt said the award is meant to recognize outstanding efforts by teachers, administrators, parents, students and community leaders regarding demonstrated commitment to music education.

“Not only do they teach during the day, but many have jobs directing and performing in community music organizations. There’s even a concert going on tonight in one of our schools. So they extend a music-making influence beyond our schools as well,” Solitt said.

Representatives of Schmit Music, which belongs to NAMM, handed out plaques to the teachers.