It is so good to be back behind the microphone broadcasting high school sports. Recovering from heart surgery has been a longer, harder road than I anticipated, and while I’m not quite at 100% yet, I’m getting there step by step. When my voice finally felt strong enough, I couldn’t resist heading down to Marshall to call a few section volleyball matches. As always, Minneota dominated the section tournament and earning their well-deserved trip back to State.
But the highlight of my weekend wasn’t just the action on the court—it was a story shared with me after Saturday’s championship match.
The Minneota coaches talked to me about one of their seniors, Madison Minnehan. I was unaware of this. Madison tore her ACL last summer playing volleyball and was sidelined for her entire final season. Instead of stepping away, she chose to show up. She comes to practices and has spent every match bringing relentless energy to the bench, cheering her heart out for her teammates. That kind of selfless devotion is rare. I had the privilege of interviewing Madison on the postgame radio show and presented her with a Player of the Game shirt, and I can tell you firsthand that every bit of praise from her coaches was beyond earned.
On my drive home, my mind kept drifting to other student-athletes who have faced that same heartbreaking reality. I thought of LQPV’s Mya Sawatzky. I was actually calling the basketball game when Mya injured her knee. As soon as it happened, my heart sank—I knew immediately how serious it was, and I’ll admit I got emotional right there on the air. What broke my heart even more was learning later that the injury would also keep her off the softball field that spring. Mya is one of the finest young pitchers around, yet despite the setback, she spent the spring being the absolute heart and soul of her team from the dugout.
I also couldn’t help but think of my granddaughter, Adelyn. During her high school career at Montevideo, she endured two major knee surgeries and missed the majority of the sports she loved so much. Watching someone you love—or any of these hardworking kids—have their passions paused by an injury just breaks your heart.
It leaves me asking: what is going on? Why are we seeing so many severe knee injuries today? Back when I was in school in the 1970s, I honestly can’t recall a single teammate in any sport suffering a major knee injury—a sprained ankle was usually the worst of it. What has changed? And why does it seem to affect our female athletes more than the male athletes? I did some reading on the topic recently, and the insights were both fascinating and eye-opening. If you have a moment, I encourage you to look into it as well; it certainly gives you a whole new perspective on what these kids are up against. Google it.
More than anything, I just want to tip my hat to the resilient young athletes who sit on the bench week after week. It takes incredible strength of character to set aside your own heartbreak, show up for practice every single day, and remain the biggest champion for your team. You have my absolute admiration.
