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PrintSport Shorts: June 22
A TALE OF TWO COUNTRIES
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| Anna Rasmussen |
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| Jonny Giess |
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| Alyssa Kelly |
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| Alyson Youngdoff |
Blue Valley Southwest swimmer Anna Rasmussen has seen sports and school from two different viewpoints.
She started life in Denmark, and moved to the United States and Overland Park in the summer of 2007.
Rasmussen, who will be a senior at BV Southwest this fall, has been successful in swimming.
She had the top time in the 100-yard backstroke in 2011, but couldn’t swim at the state meet because of a family obligation in Denmark.
This year, she swam at the state Class 5A-1A state meet in Topeka. She raced to a 56.95 in the 100-yard backstroke. The mark makes All-American consideration. Swimmers who achieve a certain time in an event are All-American. If there are not enough swimmers who achieve the All-American mark, the All-American consideration swimmers are moved into All-American status.
“I just wanted to get some respect,” says Rasmussen. “The All-American consideration feels really good."
She has seen many differences between school life and sports in Denmark and the United States.
“In Denmark, you stay in the same classroom from kindergarten through ninth grade,” she says. “The last three years are like here.
“There are no sports in the schools, it is all in clubs.”
Any other differences?
“We are always taking tests here and I’m not good at taking tests,” says Rasmussen. “The drinking age is 16 in Denmark, but the driving age is 18. And you can’t get your own car until you are older.”
NEW COACHES AT BLUE VALLEY
There will be three new head coaches at Blue Valley when school opens in mid-August.
Baseball coach Matt Ortman moves up to take Bob Whitehead’s job as athletic director and assistant principal. Ortman won two state baseball titles and this year placed second at the 5A state tournament.
Replacing him is Blue Valley West varsity assistant Tony Scardino.
Varsity assistant David Johnson is moving up as head volleyball coach.
Mill Valley assistant wrestling coach Kale Mann is the new Tigers wrestling coach.
GIESS SETS ALL-TIME BEST
Recent Blue Valley Northwest graduate Jonny Giess leaped seven feet, one inch at the Class 6A regional at the Olathe District Activity Center.
The effort won the event and is the best ever by a Blue Valley athlete. In addition, it is the 14th best jump ever in the state of Kansas.
Giess says that changing the angle of his approach to the bar and speeding up his run were key factors in the improvement of six inches from his previous best of six feet, seven inches.
MINING STATE TRACK GOLD
A total of seven area individual high school athletes won gold medals at the state track meet.
Blue Valley West graduate Alyssa Kelly won two events. She leaped 18 feet, seven inches to win the long jump and had a mark of 39-11 ¼ in capturing the triple jump.
Two more recent Blue Valley West grads won state gold—Jeremy Bryan in the 1,600-meter run with a time of 4:21.2 and Brian Beckmann in the shot put with a distance of 55-7 ¾.
Jonny Giess of Blue Valley Northwest won the high jump at state with a clearance of six feet, 10 inches.
St. Thomas Aquinas senior Maddie Hopfinger won the 3200 meters in 11:03.98 and recent graduate Megan Teahan tossed the discus 132-9 for the gold medal.
Blue Valley Northwest senior Alyson Youngdoff was the winner in the 300-meter low hurdles with a time of 44.54.
CHARLIE’S FAVORITE QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“What's past is past. There is no undoing it. All that matters is what lies ahead.
- author Steve Berry “The Columbus Affair”
