State Track and Field was held last Thursday through Saturday, and the 14 Ram events which qualified kept the athletes on the run and jump and throwing. Their fellow teammates and families were left with much to cheer about.
    Jace Henderson had a great final competition. The grad not only took the gold in the Discus and the silver in the Shot Put, he earned a new personal record. The son of Jodi and Josh Henderson of Ute used his final discus throw to take first place in the event. The extra oomph also gave Jace a new personal record in the discus, 174' 1". But, before he threw that event, he had to hurl the shot put. His 54' 10.25 throw gave him the second place finish in that event.
    "Well, at first I was very nervous, but actually the night before, me and my coach found a ring around our area in Des Moines, and I had a very good practice the day before, so that really helped me have the confidence I needed," exclaimed Henderson. "I basically told myself that this is the last throw I will ever have in high school, and I have put so many hours into training and everything so I told myself to trust all of the work I have put into this and go out there and do me!"
    Throwing with all eyes on him, how did Jace stay focused on the task ahead of him?
    "I really stayed focused through music," he said. "I had a lot of music playing over the week, and that basically reminded me to stay locked in and don't forget your goals! After taking second in the shot, I knew I had what it takes to go out there and win. It gave me a boost heading into the discus the next day!"
    Tanner Dixon, son of Kristin and Lucas Dixon of Anthon had a busy meet, participating in four different events. His one individual event, the long jump, gave him a fifth place finish with a 21' 2.25" leap.
    "I was really excited about medaling at state," exclaimed Dixon. "Last year I didn't make it to the finals, and this year I was able to make it to the finals and medal. It was great to see my hard work paying off."
    Trista Ohlmeier, daughter of Mindi and Shawn Ohlmeier of Mapleton was in her final meet of her high school career. The grad made the 5' 2" jump with gusto to gather the sixth place medal.
    "My reaction was kind of bittersweet, because I am very happy with a 6th place finish but was a little disappointed that I know I could have done better," stated Ohlmeier. "Just having the opportunity to compete there is a great feeling, and it couldn't have been a better way to end high school."
    Irelynne McNamara, daughter of Heather McNamara and Cory Johnshoy both of Mapleton was the final Ram to reach the top 10 finishes. Irelynne made a 16' 9.75" leap in the long jump to capture eighth place.
    "I was in disbelief," commented McNamara, "I had wanted to place this year but was unsure I would be able to after my hamstring injury. I was beyond exited that I was able to place 8th. I couldn't have done it without Coach Burger and my parents supporting me throughout my season, making sure I eat right and am taken care of health wise."
    McNamara finished in ninth place in the 100 meter dash preliminaries, but only the top eight moved on to the finals. She missed reaching the finals by .003 second. Her 12.67 second run was a new personal record for Irelynne.
    Reagan Seuntjens, daughter of Hillary and Pete Seuntjens of Danbury also earned a new personal record, hers in the 400 meter dash. She ran it in 59.61 seconds to place 12th.
    The boys 4x800 ran a season best 8:16.67 to place 13th. Running the relay were Kael Hamann (son of Jana and Lance Hamann of Midway), Mason Kuhlmann (son of Ashley Kuhlmann of Soldier and Andrew Kuhlmann of Ute), Joey Koithan (son of Carol and Dan Koithan of Mapleton), and Charlie Forbes (son of Jessica and Tom Forbes of Mapleton).
    The boys 4x100 placed 19th in the preliminaries with a 44.02 time. The race was run by Luther Cameron (son of Lucy and Adam Cameron of Danbury), Peyton Gress (son of Deb and Aaron Gress of Charter Oak), Dixon, and Manny Cameron.
    The boys 4x400 ran their season best in the preliminaries, running in 3:29.64. The team consisted of Manny Cameron (son of Lucy and Adam Cameron), Dixon, Hamann, and Koithan. The team placed 19th.
    The boys sprint medley team of Evan Cowgill (son of Danielle and Doug Cowgill of Anthon), Bo Clausen (son of Jaclynn and Kevin Clausen of Anthon), Koithan, and Hamann also earned a season best with their 3:39.64 run. They earned 20th place.
    The girls sprint medley team also placed 20th, them with a 1:54.34 time. The team was made up of McNamara, Ohlmeier, Taya Ohlmeier (daughter of Mindi and Shawn Ohlmeier of Mapleton), and Seuntjens.
    Seuntjens also ran the 200 meter dash at State. Placing 23rd, she ran in 26.8 seconds.
    Finally, the boys 4x200 also took 23rd place, them with their 1:32.07 time. The team was Luther Cameron, Gress, Dixon, and Manny Cameron.
    Henderson concluded his comments with the perfect comment of the state meet run at Drake University.
    "All in all, it was a great week of state track," he said. "Having a bunch of teammates down there was so much fun, and it was a great way to cap off my senior year!"
    Congratulations to the athletes.

    In honor of Memorial Day, veterans from Carlson Frum Legion Post put on their Legion blues and processed through Otto Cemetery and the St. Mary's/St. Patrick's/Danbury cemeteries on Monday to remember the veterans who have passed away. The ceremony which includes the 21-gun salute and Taps helps others also remember those who took breaks from their lives for the country and have passed on. Also present at the cemeteries were loved ones visiting the graves of their deceased family members and friends.
    Following the ceremonies at the cemeteries, the Memorial Day program was held at Dana Hall. This year the guest speaker was Msgt. Greg Patten with the 185th Security Force in Sioux City.
    Above, Msgt. Patten, on the left and Steve Bauer, in the background, salute while Dennis Boyle and Ron Coyle in the front row and Irvin Oberreuter and Warren Dirksen in the back row stand at attention after being part of the 21-gun salute.
    The Roll Call of the Dead from the Carlson Frum Legion Post, a list of veterans given to us by readers, and photos from the morning are inside this Review.
    Photo by Annika Doty. Thanks, Annika!