SPORTS WRAP

The first time I sat down with Todd Walkingstick we met in Scott Limberg’s garage in front of a green screen. Todd’s passion and joy for hosting a sports talk show were quite evident.

The Beyond the Game program moved downtown when Limberg opened his studio. Now Todd has real lockers for a backdrop. I’ve been his guest a couple of times. But we’ve spoken on countless occasions. I’ve interviewed him on the radio many times, frequently regarding another of his favorite teams, the Minnesota Vikings. His enthusiasm is always overflowing and his optimism for the local team is infectious.

Todd announced that June 5 will be his final show on Owatonna Live as he looks to spend more time with family and attend his grandkids events. In over 500 shows since 2015 he has interviewed hundreds of student-athletes, coaches, and parents from schools in Steele County. His approach of allowing his guests to tell their story is fun to watch.

More than a super fan, Todd is an influencer. He takes great photos of sporting events and nature scenes and willingly shares them. I get a smile when I see a beautiful sunrise he posts or bison wandering through Minneopa State Park.

His commitment to local athletes continues past high school. He keeps track of accomplishments and shares them through social media. I envy his research and marvel at the variety of feats he finds. I have used his leads as stories to follow up on myself.

An open house retirement party is on Monday, June 2 from 6-9 p.m. at the Zamboni Event Center in downtown Owatonna. Speakers will begin at 7 p.m.

Even as Todd hangs up the Beyond the Game microphone, I know we’ll still see him at local events doing what he loves: cheering on student athletes.

Season Derailed

Owatonna’s Tayte Berg was highly anticipating his senior season on the diamond. Then he broke his wrist. “I only play baseball. This is what I’ve been working on for the past eight months. After we had gotten beaten in sections last year, I was just looking forward to starting this year up and making a run like they’re doing right now. It sunk me into a hole,” said Berg.

He has made the most of the situation including accepting the role of captain. “I just need to be a leader. People still look up to me. Even if that’s being on the bench, talking to the pitchers, yelling, keeping everyone involved,” he said.

And he’s paying attention. “I’m by the coaches every single game. I’m listening in even if they don’t know it. Everything they’re saying.”

Owatonna Head Coach Tate Cummins is fine with that. “What are we looking at? What are the small things within the game? Whether it’s an at bat or moving an outfielder to a different position for a hitter that’s at the plate. He’s been very positive. I know he’s itching,” said Cummins.

Berg is a righty. He broke his left wrist. He’s been throwing. “We don’t know when I’m coming back or an exact date. We’re just playing it by how the wrist loosens up and when it starts coming back and moving. But I’m hoping in the next couple of weeks I can start pitching. Batting is going to be a little bit slower I think,” said Berg.

High school playoffs begin on Memorial Day. He expects to get a full summer of baseball in and intends to play in college.

Walk-up song

OHS players have the luxury of personalizing their plate appearances with walk-up music. There’s no mistake when it’s Blake Davison’s turn to bat. The strains of Ol’ Blue Eyes emerge from the Fuller Field speakers.

Davison was looking for something different and came upon Frank Sinatra.

The song “That’s Life” is apropos for baseball, he told the Owatonna Live Coaches Show. “I like the music and just the idea of that’s life. That’s baseball. You can be going great, get into a slump, get a great hit to someone and they just catch it. That’s life. It’s just something you deal with,” said Davison.

Junior Golf Day

Youth golfers are invited to Havana Hills Golf Course to meet and play with the high school teams on Saturday, May 17 from 9-10:30 a.m. There is no charge but you can make a free will donation to the Owatonna Golf Booster Club.

Kids will pair up with high schoolers for a round. Havana Hills Owner Mark Langlois says, “Starting kids young and getting them opportunities to golf is so important in their golf development. So often I hear adults say, ‘I wish I would have started golf sooner.’ If you played a sport, you always had athletes you looked up to and strived to be. Events like this allow the youth to interact and see how these golf team members play the game. It is a win-win situation. The older players are held accountable for their actions and attitudes and the youth get to learn,” said Langlois.

Anna Mollenhauer is looking forward to working with the young players. “Seeing them being able to start early is kind of cool, to watch them have so much fun here,” she said.

The OHS senior comments on her final high school season. “Every year you’ve watched yourself get better. So, this year just watching all of it come together. And watching the little girls start where you used to be. I’m just excited for them,” said Mollenhauer.

Junior Paige Thompson says, “My seventh-grade year I started on the middle school team and was looking up to the older girls wanting to be on the high school team. In eighth grade I got to be on the high school team. Seeing those seniors and the leadership on the team. It showed that maybe this was something for me,” said Thompson.

The golf boosters had a helping hand in creating the indoor practice area at the old high school. “There’s a simulator and a hitting bay, and a really big practice green so you can chip and putt,” said Thompson.

Huskies junior Carmen Jirele started playing with family when she was young and first played in the City Open when she was nine or 10 years old. “That also went up to older people so that brought the competitive game of golf to me,” said Jirele.

Jirele, the defending Class AAA state champion, works on her mental game too. “There’s a bunch of articles out there that are good. I know our coaches kind of focused on that this year,” she said.

Bye-bye beard

First-year boys golf coach Josh Woodrich looks at the Junior Golf Day as a chance “to give back to the community and get our young players interested in golf. It is also good for golf in Owatonna because it (allows) kids to try out golf in a fun way. I believe in strength in numbers and the competition within the team making for a more competitive and successful team. Golf is also a great sport to learn early because it is something you can continue to do long after high school and continue playing the rest of your life,” said Woodrich.

Woodrich shaved his beard early this month after his team won a bet of shooting better than 325. “Up until this week we had improved our team score in every meet, culminating with a 323 at the Northfield Invite on May 1.”

When I saw him about a week later, he appeared to be making good progress in growing it back.

OwatonnaLive.com play-by-play schedule

Thursday, May 15
OHS baseball vs. Albert Lea, 5 p.m.
OHS boys lacrosse vs. Northfield, 7:30 p.m.

Monday, May 19
OHS girls lacrosse vs. Rochester Mayo, 7:15 p.m.