Lady Alumni Track and Field Athletes:

Check it out!  Here is the link: Go to www.mccookbison.org – click athletics, then click track and field under women..

   Distance Coach Brent May has added the title of webmaster to his other

responsibilities.  Please check out the above site as it is very well done.  By request we now have a blog page. No one can post directly to the page, as they will need to email Coach May and then he will post it.  If you want something blogged, email to bmay@esu15.org

Ron Friehe ‘73 announced, “Starting this year, 2008, the golfing shootout — which took place during the John Mullen Pro-Am Golf Tournament on June 6-7 became officially known as the Ron Coleman Memorial Horse Race. This is our way of remembering Ron for all he did for the golf course, the community and the young people he served as a coach, teacher and mentor. He was a special man who left a wonderful legacy.”

“The Coleman Memorial Horse Race will be sponsored by Coleman’s many friends”, Friehe said. During his quarter century in McCook, Coleman became a favorite of golfers, friends, athletes and the youth he served while coaching and teaching physical education classes at McCook Public Schools.

Those wishing to become sponsors are invited to contact: Ron Coleman Memorial Horse Race, c/o Community Hospital Health Foundation, P.O. Box 1328, McCook, NE 69001. If you would like more information please, call Friehe at 308-345-5666.

“Our long-term goal for both the horse race and the tournament, is to grow the memorial fund to increase the purse, which in turn helps raise funds for the Community Hospital”, Friehe said. “Ron Coleman did a lot for the golf course and the youth of this community. We feel this is a good way to honor his memory.”

During the 2008 McCook Midget Baseball Association, Inc. (MMBA) Cubs Tournament on June 25th through June 29th, Don made the trip back to McCook from Bellevue, Washington with his son-in-law and two grandchildren to visit his childhood home and watch some baseball on the field that bore his last name. The trip was intended to share some history with his family, visit some of his childhood dreams, and to step on the field he once played on as a McCook Cat until he was “cut to support one of the paid guys coming to play from back east.”

Mr. Felling spent a great deal of time with multiple fans at Felling Field over the weekend, sharing stories that will be told again because of his visit. When visiting with MMBA past and present board members, he told stories of the grandstands and how the lumber was used from the old bridge planks and beams of the viaduct rebuilding in the 1930s. During the dust bowl he remembered being able to walk over the six foot hog wire fence after drifts of dust buried the fence so deep that it was not visible on the eastern side of the field.

On championship Sunday of the tournament, Don took the mound for the opening pitch. The accuracy and speed of the strike would have made his father proud. Almost everyone at the games that day enjoyed conversation with the man that remembered watching the field being built. For a few moments that day, the past and the present of McCook baseball were combined and everyone in attendance was richer for being part of the experience.

Editors note: Don Felling reads the newsletter religiously. McCook Little League is collecting a small fund to place a topper on the scoreboard that will read: Felling Field – Home of Little League since 1932. See www.mccookbaseball.org for more information.

Dramatic changes and transformations for the city of McCook came about in 1980. Prior to 1980, housing development had primarily been concentrated at the northern edges of the city. Business development was scattered along Q Street and North Highway 83. However, there was not one business located to the west of Hwy. 83 between Hwy. 6-34 and J Street. The east side of N. Hwy. 83 (which was inside the city limits) had such businesses as Burns Podiatric Lab, Recreation Unlimited, Real’s Bar, Bison Drive-In Theater, Boyd’s Body Shop, and Stevens 7-Up Bottling. It wasn’t until 1980, when Heritage Hills Golf Course was developed, that the west side of Hwy. 83 was annexed and this area became prime developmental property. Today the area along both sides of Hwy. 83 supports hotels, diversified businesses, a movie theater, restaurants, banking institutions. a pharmacy, and fast food franchises. The west edge of McCook, that prior to 1980 was home to motocross race paths, prairie dog towns, a graveyard of rusting car bodies, an asphalt mixing plant and a rendering plant, would now provide an aesthetic, breathtaking view for visitors entering our community.

Shortly after Heritage Hills opened for play in 1981, a newspaper article described the course as a “Diamond in the Rough”. The article emphasized the “Scottish Design” of the layout which utilized many of the existing wild prairie grasses. It was this dense vegetation being framed within its extreme topography that offered a new golfing challenge for McCookites. Heritage Hills was truly a futuristic golf course that provided the community much publicity from the state and national golfing media. Heritage Hills still carries a distinctiveness all of its own that humbles and leaves many of its guests awestruck.

1986 Maintenance Staff –
Greg Wiemers ‘85, Dale Malleck, Tom Friehe ‘83,
Dave Taylor ‘82, Mike Wilson ‘80 and Fred Backer ‘78

The development of the course created a new fascination in the game of golf within the community. McCook High School and Heritage Hills collaborated to instill a renewed interest into the high school golf program. The Bison golf teams have flourished since 1980. Much of their success should be credited to the coaches. Coach Ron Coleman was the first to acknowledge Heritage Hills in the development of his players. The late “RC” said, “An errant tee shot is a lot more severe than it is at other golf courses—so my players must learn to stay out of trouble.…the undulating greens are of great help to golfers in developing their game….you must learn to adjust to downhill, uphill, and side hill lies.”

The success of the Bison Golf Teams can be measured by its achievements in the Nebraska High School Activities Association. MHS has earned 9 state titles and 4 runner-up finishes in golf competition. All but one of these titles has been earned since 1981. The NSAA has crowned 8 McCook students as individual medalist champions and 4 runner-up medalists. The following is a few of the many awards and achievements of the Bison Golf Teams:

McCook High School Golf:

Boys State “A” Champions 1969 – John Nothnagel, John Pisar, Kevin Herrmann, Dennis Burns; Boys State “B” Champions 1990 – David Skinner, Corey Meisenbach, Jason Loop, Jason Smith, Chris Weimers; 1994 – Bob Wellman, Justin Coleman, Ryan Vlasin, Kevin Michaelis, Marcus Clapp, Brian Michaelis; 1995 – Bob Wellman, Justin Coleman, Todd Shield, Kevin Michaelis, Ryan Vlasin, Marcus Clapp; 1996 – Ryan Vlasin, Kevin Michaelis, Anthony Davis, Justin Coleman, Todd Shield; 2001 – Jim Loecker, Tyler Loop, Matt Serbousek, Nick Nothnagel, Tyler Lawson, Jesse Chmiel; 2003 – Bobby Gaulke, Tyler Lawson, Brandon Crick, Nick Nothnagel, Matt Serbousek; 2004 – Bobby Gaulke, Tyler Lawson, Brandon Crick, Kelly Maiden, Brett Chmiel; Boys State “B” Runners-Up 1997, 2000, 2006; Boys Individual Medalist 1990 – Jason Loop; 1996 – Ryan Vlasin; 2003 – Tyler Lawson; Boys Runner-Up Medalist 1996 – Kevin Michaelis; 1996 – Justin Coleman; 2003 – Brandon Crick; Girls State “B” Champion 1999 – Elizabeth Morell, Maggie Bass, Michelle Olson King, Julie Gumb, Karmon Nelson Coleman; Girls State”B” Runners-Up 2004; Girls Individual Medalist 1996 – Erin Gumb Schwenka; 1998 – Elizabeth Morell; 1999 – Elizabeth Morell; 2003 – Katherine Morell; 2004 – Katherine Morell; Girls Runner-Up Medalist 1997 – Elizabeth Morell.

The relationship between Heritage Hills and MHS goes beyond just a venue to learn, practice, and participate on the Bison Golf Teams. It is a little known fact that over 25 former employees have entered into the golf industry either as a course superintendent or golf professional. One past graduate is a golf course construction superintendent working with Landscapes Unlimited LLC which is the firm who built Heritage Hills and is now the premier Golf Course Builder in the country. Those graduates who have held and are in management positions as a head or assistant superintendent are: Josh Arterburn, Jeff Beideck, John Beideck, Brian Beyer, Rob Christie, Clint Coleman, Dick Rima, Chris Vontz, Pat Weigel, and Tim J. Wiemers. Golf professionals who have held head or assistant positions are: Justin Coleman, Anthony Davis, Chris Hall, Larry Meister, John Mullen, Tom Perkins, Ryan Vlasin, Chris Wiemers, and Greg Wiemers.

During the 27 years of Heritage Hills existence, nearly one student in every class has entered into the golf industry. Heritage Hills has provided part-time summer employment for literally hundreds of students through the years. Many of these employees have continued on to college and secured other golf course employment opportunities with the experience they’ve gained at the “Hills”. Others have earned positions on college golf teams to acquire athletic scholarships to help pay for college tuition.

Heritage Hills Golf Course values its relationship with the McCook Schools as well as the City of McCook. When we all support each other, pool our resources, and work in partnership towards a common goal, we will produce a synergistic energy for the betterment of our schools and entire community.

by William K. Bieck, CGCS Heritage Hills Superintendent (Father of Ryan’00, Tyler ’03, Anthony ’08)

http://www.dirkandsteve.com/

On the boys side, Dillon Goltl broke a 33-year-old record when he cleared 10 feet, 10 inches in the pole vault. He passed Ric Reinholzs ‘76 record of 10-9 set in 1972. Several days after this feat was reported in the Gazettes sport page, a letter from Ric appeared in the Open Forum of the paper. He said, That old record was mine and I was shocked to find out it still stood after all this time. Thank you for digging through the archives and writing the story. It was fun to read about it and the memories come flooding back to the good old days at MJHS. Congratulations to Dillon and I hope he goes on to win state as a high schooler.

Three records were broken by the swim team this year. Jessica Hall ‘05 broke her own six-dive record with a score of 196.4 at a triangular meet in McCook. She later broke her own 11-dive record with 343.10 points. The MHS 200-yard freestyle girls relay team of Kirstie Hiatt, Allyx Brown, Alyssa Cook and Cassie Olson set a new school record with a time of 1:57.04, breaking the previous record of 1:57.64. Amber Hiatt ‘02, Cinda Coleman ‘02, Katie Loghry ‘02 and Rose Stewart ‘00 set the previous record during the 1999-2000 season.