Monthly Archives: May 2009

Karnazes on the adventure of a lifetime

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We had just teed off on No. 18 at Prairie View Golf Links in Worthington Friday as we hopped in our cart in an attempt to locate our golf balls.

His was in the fairway with a perfect approach to the green. Mine was off to the right, no doubt in trouble.

“What a beautiful finishing hole,” my partner said to me as we approached the crest of the fairway.

After he decided to go around the water which comes between the fairway and the No. 18 green, I found my ball, and hit one of the better shots of the day to the green.

We both bogeyed the hole, ending what has been one of the more memorable rounds of my life.

My partner for the day? Nick Karnazes, or “The Happy Golfer.”

Nick made a quick stop in Worthington on the tail end of his trip of a lifetime.

The Happy Golfer, who resides in San Clemente, Calif. is playing 96 rounds of golf in 96 days in the lower 48 states, and allowed me to tag along Friday afternoon.

At 73 years young, Nick is a very good golfer.

“I used to be a four handicap, but now I’m a 14,” he explained.

Friday, he was much better than a 14.

On a course he had never played, Nick finished with a 40 on each side for a 9-over 80.

“I’m so happy with an 80,” he said. “I’m probably going to go to the next course and shoot a 90.”

The Happy Golfer is playing two 18-hole rounds in each state in 96 days. Playing both his Minnesota rounds Friday, he started at Rose Lake Golf Club in Fairmont with a 7:30 a.m. tee time.

He then packed up and headed to Worthington, hitting the course a little after 1 p.m.

By sure luck, I had heard of Nick’s travels the night before, and decided I would try to see The Happy Golfer, even if it was for a few minutes.

I arrived at the course around the same time was about to hit his first shot. After a quick introduction, an invitation soon followed for me to join him. He already had a cart, so it was just a matter of being able to grab my clubs out of my car and hit the Links.

With virtually no warm-up, I was a little rusty. With 18 holes already under his belt, Nick was coming out swinging.

While neither of us had a great first hole, his game soon picked up.

Mine then followed, and by the time we were on the back nine, we were both playing pretty well.

But not only was the golf great, hearing his stories were even better.

Nick told of his wife, Fran, who he met on a Friday night, and by Saturday, had proposed. They have been married 47 years and renewed their vows five times.

He talked of his children. His son, Dean, had once run 50 marathons in 50 days in 50 states and is the “Ultramarathon Man.” He’s made appearances on many television shows, including the likes of David Letterman. He’s been on numerous magazine covers, and countless other articles and appearances in media outlets.

Nick is just beginning.

At last count, he had been in the newspaper 22 times on his trip, with numerous TV and radio appearances. Someday, he may also be on Letterman or with Jay Leno.

But for now, it’s on to South Dakota, were 36 holes of golf await him.

“I have nine states to finish,” Nick said. “I’ve done 39 states and I have nine more states. I’ve actually finished this state, Minnesota, in one day. I played two rounds, 36 holes. This is the 16th time I’ve played 36 holes. So by playing 36 holes, what that does is allow you to have days off where you don’t have to play at all. Of these 16 times I’ve played 36, I’ve taken seven days off.”

He figures he is about three days ahead of schedule, but he will still finish June 25, when the schedule dictates.

In all, he will travel more than 13,000 miles in his 24-foot Winnebago View. He first began his trip March 22, leaving from San Clemente, Calif.

“I left March 22 at 4:33 from my home in San Clemente, Calif. I drove for seven hours to Kingman, Ariz. and that was my first round,” Nick said. “It was 40 degrees with a 40 mile-per-hour wind, which combined the wind and the cold, it made the wind chill factor of 35. Normally, you don’t hear wind chill. You do in Minnesota and you do big time in Chicago. But in California, you just say the temperature, you never hear the words ‘wind chill’ because you never have a wind chill.

“In San Clemente, the bumper sticker says, ‘Best climate in the world.’ I love the best climate in the world because you play golf every day.”

When winds normally howl through Prairie View, Friday was calm. A slight breeze on a sunny, warm day provided a great day for golf.

“It was fabulous; absolutely beautiful,” Nick said of PVGL. “If you rate them one star, two star, three, four and five, with five being the top, this is a five-star course.”

While he enjoyed his time on the course, he was able to see all aspects of the Links.

On No. 14, he was in a bad spot on the green. On the upper level of the elevated green, Nick had a tough downhill putt.

After Nick, our photographer Brian Korthals and I all took a look at the putt, he finally approached his shot.

“This is so cool,” he said, rolling his ball toward the hole. He missed the putt, but not by much.

This was not a theme of the day. He had 33 putts in 18 holes, and perhaps none better than on No. 11.

Practically laying on the green, Nick had a good read on the putting surface.

“It’s downright embarrassing if you miss a putt after doing that,” Nick said as he arose and picked up his Odyssey putter.

He didn’t need to worry. Nick, who changed putters every time he putts poorly and owns 17, rolled in a beautiful putt as we moved to the next hole.

But Friday wasn’t about the score for either of us. It was about sharing his stories, hearing about his adventures, and most of all, enjoying the course.

“This might be the prettiest course I’ve played on this whole trip,” he said during our round.

Nick picked his courses randomly based on the route he wanted to take. Taking a map out of the U.S. out of “The Mother Ship,” he pointed out where he’s been, and where he’s going. There is a line which cuts the map in half. If the name of the state was written below the line, he played those courses heading East. If it’s above the line, he’ll hit in on the way back home.

So far, The Happy Golfer hasn’t had a negative experience, but that doesn’t mean it’s been all smooth sailing.

“I’ve had to do my laundry on five different occasions,” Nick said. “The first time I did my laundry, I was in hurry and I threw everything in a giant washer instead of the smaller ones. I neglected to think there’s white with reds and the red shirt bled on my white T-shirt. I had a long sleeve T-shirt I liked, it was from one of the races. Two days later I’m wearing the long-sleeve white T-shirt and I’m at a restaurant having a beer and watching sports on TV, and the waitress said to me, ‘Do you do your own laundry?’ It was pink.”

Other than having a few pink clothes, Nick has more stories than could fit into a few hours on the golf course. He told of his experience in Los Alamos, N.M., where there was so much snow on the ground he couldn’t play. A course he was going to play in Mississippi was no longer open in the aftermath of Katrina. He met a 10-year-old boy who only three weeks before, hit a hole-in-one. In Durango, Colo., he was offered elk jerky which his playing partner had shot and cured himself. Recently, in Ohio, Nick helped with a War Veterans golf outing. In all, he has seen and experienced more in the past 69 days than some do in a lifetime.

But that’s what the trip is about for The Happy Golfer. It’s about meeting people and experiencing new things, and for a few hours Friday, I was a part of his special journey.

It was finally time for Nick to leaving Worthington in his rearview mirror and head for the next state. We said our good-byes, and I wished him luck for the remaining part of his trip.

“Eat, Sleep, Drive, Play Golf, Repeat,” he said to me as he climbed into his camper.

And there’s no doubt he will. 

To follow Nick’s journey, visit his Web site, www.callawaygolf.com/96rounds
 

From ER to medalist: New Ulm’s McKeeth wins sub-section meet

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When Miranda McKeeth tapped in her par putt Monday, she received applause from everyone who watched the New Ulm golfer complete her round.

In part, those around the No. 18 green were acknowledging Miranda’s accomplishments on the course. Mostly, it was what the sophomore on the New Ulm girls’ golf team endured to even make it to the final hole of the sub-section meet.

Just hours before, it looked like Miranda might not finish her round.

Playing in the final girls’ group at Prairie View Golf Links, Miranda had just shot a 44 on the front nine and was making the turn.

After a bogey on No. 10, Miranda and her fellow golfers moved to the 11th hole.

It was then when Miranda’s round was changed.

“I just got done hitting my second shot on No. 11,” Miranda explained. “I was standing, waiting for another girl in my group to hit her ball, and out of the middle of nowhere, this ball comes and smacks me in the middle of the cheek. I was like, ‘Oh my God, I just got hit with a ball.’ Honest to God, it didn’t hurt right away.”

A stray tee shot from No. 12 had struck Miranda on the left side of her face.

“So I was like, ‘Oh my God, I just got hit with a ball in my face,’” Miranda said. “I was like, ‘Oh, jeez.’ And I got kind of dizzy and I had to sit down and then all the people around me were like, ‘It’s going to be OK.’ We got some ice and I felt like I had a golf ball on my face still because it was all swollen.”

A fellow golfer’s mother called for help. Ice was brought out to Miranda and an ambulance was called.

“Then we called the ambulance and the ambulance came and we got me on a golf cart and down here to the parking lot,” Miranda explained. “The police asked me a bunch of questions, basic, like how old are you and that type of thing.”

From there, the EMTs loaded Miranda into the ambulance and took her into Worthington to the emergency room. In the ER, all she was thinking about was her golf game.

“Then they got me onto the stretcher and into the ambulance and we got to the hospital and I sat there and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m really sad because now I can’t go to state,’” Miranda said. “There’s no chance.”

While she was thinking about a missed opportunity to advance to the section meet, her father and coach, Todd, had other things on his mind.

“My wife and I were both there, so we rode with,” Todd said. “They got ice out there and the police came out and picked her up in an ambulance and took her to the hospital. We didn’t think of anything else other than just making sure she was OK.”

Back in the ER, Miranda was still itching to get back to the course.

“I was like, ‘Dad, is there any way I can go back and finish my game?’” Miranda said. “He was like, ‘I’ll call back to the clubhouse and see if we can get it ruled on.’ So he called back and he said they were going to going to talk about it with the rules people. Then he came back here because he had to be with the rest of the girls for the team when they finished.”

Added Todd: “She had played well the first nine, and she was just sick about it in the hospital. The last thing I wanted to do was say, ‘Do you want to go back?’ She asked me. She said, ‘I’m going back to finish; I don’t care if the doctor says I can’t. I’m going back to finish that round.’”

Todd said he would try to get Miranda back on the course.

“Before we left, (another coach) said we were going to call the Minnesota State High School League and see if we can postpone her round and let her come back and finish,” Todd said. “When I got back they said they got the OK as long as she has the doctor’s excuse and she’s cleared, she can come back and finish if we don’t close the meet.”

After a call to the MSHSL, Todd had some good news to deliver to his daughter.

“So (Todd) called back to the hospital and he told us that I could still finish with a doctor’s approval,” Miranda said. “So I talked to the doctor and he said, ‘So far you don’t have any signs of a concussion, there’s no broken bones, no internal bleeding or anything,’ and I was pretty much free to go after a couple simple tests to make sure I didn’t have a concussion.”

After tests that included a CT scan, Miranda was released, and with doctor’s clearance, returned to Prairie View to complete her round.

“So I pretty much came back and I guess I had an applause when I was outside,” Miranda said. “I came back and I finally got to finish my round and I actually did really well considering I got pelted in the face with the golf ball.”

Miranda not only played well, she played nearly flawless.

Completing No. 11 and the rest of the back nine, Miranda played her final eight holes 4-over. She shot a 41 on the back nine, finishing with an 85 for the round.

“My dad came out and said, ‘Well, you could get 55 and still go on to sections,’” Miranda said. “I was like, ‘Really?’ I wasn’t expecting to shoot 41 on the back after a bogey on the first hole. I went out there and tried my best, and my best was good enough.”

It was better than that. She was the meet medalist.

“I went out there and my head was in the game and I felt like nobody else is here, nobody else can tell me I’m doing bad and I don’t have to deal with drama from other girls,” Miranda said. “I’ll just go out there and play my game, and I did.”

Todd couldn’t believe it.

“I didn’t expect her to be able to come back and play,” Miranda said. “I was so grateful that they made that call and said we’ll do it if she’s cleared and if she feels like it. She was just determined to do it. I couldn’t be prouder of her.”

After completing her round and signing her scorecard, Miranda went to find a mirror. She wanted to see what her face looked like.

“I wanted to go see how black it was because they were like, ‘It’s going to look really nasty in a few hours.’ It’s already gotten a lot worse, color-wise,” Miranda said. “At first I told my mom that I looked like Frankenstein, then I switched it over to Quasimodo. I look like a monster right now, but it’s OK.”

With the left side of her face badly swollen and her eye turning numerous shades of black and blue, the sophomore thought what could have been.

“It’s funny because I got hit right here instead of in my eye – I could have been blinded,” Miranda said. “Or I could have been hit in the temple and I could have died. It’s a good story to tell and I still have my medical bracelet on to prove it.”

Even though the golfer who hit the ball that struck Miranda didn’t yell to warn of the stray shot, she doesn’t hold anything against her fellow competitor.

“They could have yelled ‘Fore,’ but she said she didn’t see where the ball went at all, and who would expect it to go all the way in another fairway?” Miranda said. “She came up and apologized for it afterwards and I was fine with it. I’m not hurt that much. It’s bruised, but big deal, it’s a bruise.”

Miranda will play Friday at the Section 3AA meet at Eagle Creek Golf Club in Willmar.

“I don’t know a lot of the girls from the teams that are going to be at the second day of sections,” Miranda said. “I think, pressure-wise, it’s not going to be that bad because I really don’t get pressured as much. The worst pressure is probably from myself, honestly. If I don’t do good I get upset, but I’ll think I’ll go up there and try my best and we’ll see how it goes.

“That would be awesome to get to state this year as a sophomore. That would be really cool.”

But no matter what happens Friday, Monday is a day that the McKeeth family will always remember and be thankful for.

In a letter to the Daily Globe, Todd wrote, “… I would like to extend my sincere thank you to all who were involved in her care. The mother of another golfer, who happened to have some EMT experience, that held my daughter and kept her calm and conscious. Another mother who made the phone call to get help out to us quickly. The police and ambulance people that got her to the hospital quickly. The hospital staff that took care of her and made sure she was not in danger of any serious head trauma. And thank God for somehow making that ball hit where it did, rather than an inch higher.

To my surprise, when I returned to the golf course to check on the rest of my team, the coaches were not only asking how she was, but also were wondering if she thought she could return and continue to play. They had contacted the MSHSL to check, and had received permission to allow her to finish her round as long as the meet had not been completed. This outpouring of compassion and sportsmanship was overwhelming. Miranda was cleared by the doctor to play, and she wanted to finish. She was greeted by the players with an applause upon returning to the course.

Miranda did finish, and qualified to move on to the Section meet on Friday. This could not have happened had it not been for the assistance of so many people involved. It is a day our family will never forget. The golf was good – but the heartfelt compassion shown first for her well being, and secondly to her as a competitor is beyond my expression.”
 

From ER to medalist: McKeeth wins sub-section

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When Miranda McKeeth tapped in her par putt Monday, she received applause from her teammates, fellow golfers and everyone who watched the New Ulm golfer complete her round.

In part, those around the No. 18 green were acknowledging Miranda’s accomplishments on the course. Mostly, it was what the sophomore on the New Ulm girls’ golf team endured to even make it to the final hole of the sub-section meet.

Just hours before, it looked like Miranda might not finish her round.

Playing in the final girls’ group at Prairie View Golf Links, Miranda had just shot a 44 on the front nine and was making the turn.

After a bogey on No. 10, Miranda and her fellow golfers moved to the 11th hole.

It was then that Miranda’s round was changed.

“I just got done hitting my second shot on No. 11,” Miranda explained. “I was standing, waiting for another girl in my group to hit her ball and out of the middle of nowhere, and this ball comes and smacks me in the middle of the cheek. I was like, ‘Oh my God, I just got hit with a ball.’ Honest to God, it didn’t hurt right away.”

A stray tee shot from No. 12 had struck Miranda on the left side of her face.

“So I was like, ‘Oh my God, I just got hit with a ball in my face,’” Miranda said. “I was like, ‘Oh, jeez.’ And I got kind of dizzy and I had to sit down and then all the people around me were like, ‘It’s going to be OK.’ We got some ice and I felt like I had a golf ball on my face still because it was all swollen.”

A fellow golfer’s mother called for help. Ice was brought out to Miranda and an ambulance was called.

“Then we called the ambulance and the ambulance came and we got me on a golf cart and down here to the parking lot,” Miranda explained. “The police asked me a bunch of questions, basic, like how old are you and that type of thing.”

From there, the EMTs loaded Miranda into the ambulance and took her into Worthington to the emergency room. In the ER, all she was thinking about was her golf game.

“Then they got me on to the stretcher and into the ambulance and we got to the hospital and I sat there and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m really sad because now I can’t go to state,’” Miranda said. “There’s not chance.”

While she was thinking about a missed opportunity to advance to the section meet, her father and coach, Todd, had other things on his mind.

“My wife and I were both there, so we rode with,” Todd said. “They got ice out there and the police came out and picked her up in an ambulance and took her to the hospital. We didn’t think of anything else other than just making sure she was OK.”

Back in the ER, Miranda was still itching to get back to the course.

“I was like, ‘Dad, is there any way I can go back and finish my game?’” Miranda said. “He was like, ‘I’ll call back to the clubhouse and see if we can get it ruled in.’ So he called back and he said they were going to going to talk about it with the rules people. Then he came back here because he had to be with the rest of the girls for the team when they finished.”

Added Todd: “She had played well the first nine, and she was just sick about it in the hospital. The last thing I wanted to do was say, ‘Do you want to go back?’ She asked me. She said, ‘I’m going back to finish, I don’t care if the doctor says I can’t. I’m going back to finish that round.’”

Todd said he would try to get Miranda back on the course.

“Before we left (another coach) said we were going to call the Minnesota State High School League and see if we can postponed her round and let her come back and finish,” Todd said. “When I got back they said they got the OK as long as she has the doctor’s excuse and she’s cleared, she can come back and finish if we don’t close the meet.”

After a call to the MSHSL, Todd had some good news to deliver to his daughter.

“So (Todd) called back to the hospital and he told us that I could still finish with a doctor’s approval,” Miranda said. “So I talked to the doctor and he said, ‘So far you don’t have any signs of a concussion, there’s no broken bones, no internal bleeding or anything and I was pretty much free to go after a couple simple tests to make sure I didn’t have a concussion.”

After tests that included a CT scan, Miranda was released, and with doctor’s clearance, returned to Prairie View to complete her round.

“So I pretty much came back and I guess I had an applause when I was outside,” Miranda said. “I came back and I finally got to finish my round and I actually did really well considering I got pelted in the face with the golf ball.”

Miranda not only played well, she played nearly flawless.

Completing No. 11 and the rest of the back nine, Miranda played her final eight holes 4-over. She shot a 41 on the back nine, finishing with an 85 for the round.

“My dad came out and said, ‘Well, you could get 55 and still go on to sections,’” Miranda said. “I was like, ‘Really?’ I wasn’t expecting to shoot 41 on the back after a bogey on the first hole. I went out there and tried my best, and my best was good enough.”

Was it ever. She was the medalist.

“I went out there and my head was in the game and I felt like nobody else is here, nobody else can tell me I’m doing bad and I don’t have to deal with drama from other girls,” Miranda said. “I just go out there and play my game, and I did.”

Todd couldn’t believe it.

“I didn’t expect her to be able to come back and play,” Miranda said. “I was so grateful that they made that call and said we’ll do it if she’s cleared and if she feels like it. She was just determined to do it. I couldn’t be prouder of her.”

After completing her round, Miranda went to find a mirror. She wanted to see what her face looked like.

“I wanted to go see how black it was because they were like, ‘It’s going to look really nasty in a few hours.’ It’s already gotten a lot worse color-wise,” Miranda said. “At first I told my mom that I looked like Frankenstein, then I switched it over to Quasimodo. I look like a monster right now, but it’s OK.”

With the left side of her face badly swollen and her eye turning numerous shades of black and blue, the sophomore thought what could have been.

“It’s funny because I got hit right here instead of in my eye, I could have been blinded,” Miranda said. “Or I could have been hit in the temple and I could have died. It’s a good story to tell and I still have my medical bracelet on to prove it.”

Even though the golfer who hit the ball that struck Miranda didn’t yell to warn of the stray shot, she doesn’t hold anything against her fellow competitor.

“They could have yelled ‘fore,’ but she said she didn’t see where the ball went at all and who would expect it to go all the way in another fairway?” Miranda said. “She came up and apologized for it afterwards and I was fine with it. I’m not hurt that much. It’s bruised, but big deal, it’s a bruise.”

Miranda will play Friday at the Section 3AA meet at Eagle Creek Golf Club in Willmar.

“I don’t know a lot of the girls from the teams that are going to be at the second day of sections,” Miranda said. “I think pressure-wise it’s not going to be that bad because I really don’t get pressured as much. The worst pressure is probably from myself honestly. If I don’t do good I get upset, but I’ll think I’ll go up there and try my best and we’ll see how it goes.

“That would be awesome to get to state this year as a sophomore. That would be really cool.”

But no matter what happens Friday, Monday is a day that the McKeeth family will always remember and be thankful for.

In a letter to the Daily Globe, Todd wrote, “… I would like to extend my sincere thank you to all who were involved in her care. The mother of another golfer, who happened to have some EMT experience, that held my daughter and kept her calm and conscious. Another mother who made the phone call to get help out to us quickly. The police and ambulance people that got her to the hospital quickly. The hospital staff that took care of her and made sure she was not in danger of any serious head trauma. And thank God for somehow making that ball hit where it did, rather than an inch higher.

To my surprise, when I returned to the golf course to check on the rest of my team, the coaches were not only asking how she was, but also were wondering if she thought she could return and continue to play. They had contacted the MSHSL to check, and had received permission to allow her to finish her round as long as the meet had not been completed. This outpouring of compassion and sportsmanship was overwhelming. Miranda was cleared by the doctor to play, and she wanted to finish. She was greeted by the players with an applause upon returning to the course.

Miranda did finish, and qualified to move on to the Section meet on Friday. This could not have happened had it not been for the assistance of so many people involved. It is a day our family will never forget. The golf was good – but the heartfelt compassion shown first for her well being, and secondly to her as a competitor is beyond my expression.”
 

Excelling against all odds

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There hasn’t been a lot of feel-good news seeping from the world of sports recently.

News of steroids, outrageous ticket prices and empty seats have overshadowed the first two months of baseball season. And even NASCAR is dealing with a drug scandal.

Off-the-field arrests have dominated headlines in the NFL offseason. And who isn’t sick of the Brett Favre soap opera?

Rachel Alexandra became the first filly to win the Preakness since 1924, but she raced to the victory in front of a relatively small crowd. To restore civility and halt what had become an all-day party at the racetrack, Pimlico Race Course officials banned spectators from bringing their own alcoholic beverages. The result: 30 percent fewer spectators than last year.

Michael Phelps returned – from a drug suspension – to win his first race since the Beijing Olympics. And the NBA playoffs have been marred by suspensions, trash talk and a feud between a team’s owner, an opposing player, and the opposing player’s mother.

But…

For every Mark Cuban, there’s a Jeff Meyer.

For every Manny Ramirez, there’s a Riley Meester.

For every Bruce Smith, there’s an Emily Ebbers.

And whenever I find myself disgusted by the actions of professional athletes, questioning my love for sports and regretting that I’ve become so immersed in an aspect of American culture that breeds so much negativity, someone like Meghan Westendorf allows me to tell her story and helps me realize why I love my job and why I love sports.

A junior on Worthington’s girls’ golf team, Westendorf suffers from cystic fibrosis, a fatal genetic disorder that affects nearly 30,000 Americans.

The disease causes mucus to build up and clog the lungs and airways, making breathing difficult. The excess mucus also can block the pancreas, stopping digestive enzymes from getting to the intestines, where they break down food and provide important nutrients that help people grow, gain weight and stay healthy.

As a result of her affliction, Westendorf had "six or seven" surgeries before she turned 4 years old. She goes to the doctor at least 10 times per year, and she winds up in the hospital once or twice every year.
Meghan Westendorf
Her lungs typically function at approximately 60 percent of their full potential. And, right now, with the grueling golf season coming to an end, her lungs are working at about 47 to 49 percent.

She’s had blood drawn from her forearms so many times that a portacath was surgically inserted below her shoulder blades so doctors could more easily attach an IV feed and rest the veins in her forearms.

She takes 10 pills in the morning, six at lunch and 12 before bed. She takes aerosolized medication, a process that works much like an asthma inhaler, up to four times per day for 20 minutes at a time. She also undergoes "vest therapy," in which she wears a life-vest-like contraption that is connected to a machine by two hoses, which fill with air and vibrate the vest to loosen mucus in her chest so it can more easily be coughed out.

She coughs about 650 times per day, and she eats nearly as much – those suffering from cystic fibrosis find it very difficult to gain weight, and they often are advised to consume at least 3,000 calories per day. Meghan downs ice cream before she goes to bed and wakes up hoping that she’s added some weight to her 110-pound frame.

But there are two things Meghan never does:

She never complains.

She never quits.

Meghan truly is an inspiration; a light as bright as her smile in a sports world that sometimes is darker than the future of cystic fibrosis patients.

There is no cure for cystic fibrosis, and the average life expectancy is 38 years.

But Meghan doesn’t think about that; instead, she tries to live her life one day at time – just like the rest of us.

She doesn’t want anybody to know that she’s different, hiding her treatments, medication and diagnoses from others.

A starter on Worthington’s golf team since her ninth-grade year, Meghan refused to use a motorized cart – she didn’t want to stand out, to receive curious stares from her opponents, who must carry their bags.

She finally decided to file for an exemption and start using a cart after she had to quit a meet in Worthington last season because of soreness, fatigue and shortness of breath. Two days later, she was in the hospital. Later in the season, however, she was back on the course.

Meghan doesn’t dwell on the negatives; instead, she focuses on the positives.

I think I can learn something from her.

Meghan plans to go to college, earn a degree in business, and start a family. She said she doesn’t even think about the uncertain future that faces those with cystic fibrosis. She doesn’t let it affect her.

Meghan and her parents, Pam and Ty Westendorf, hope and pray that a cure will be found.
Scientists are getting closer. The current average age of survival is five years longer than the average in 2000.

"It’s very tough," Pam said. "My husband always says, ‘If you can’t change it, don’t worry about it; just do what you have to do.’

"They’ve made a lot of strides; since she was born with it, things have gotten a lot better and (doctors) have gotten a lot closer (to a cure). So there’s always hope that in 10 more years they’ll have made better strides or have been able to do more work to make it so (those with CF) can live longer and do better.

"They told us that, hopefully, by the time Meghan graduates from high school, the research would be where they would be closer to a cure than they were when she was born. So I keep hoping, ‘OK, that’s next year.’"

The rest of us also can hope. But we can do so much more to help.

If Meghan’s story has touched you, like it has touched me, please visit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation website and do what you can to help.

You can make a donation – “Money buys science and science buys life” – or even join a clinical trial.

If that isn’t feasible, you can contact your local Cystic Fibrosis Foundation chapter, volun-teer and "learn about the many special events that raise money to keep the science moving ahead." The nearest CFF chapter is located in St. Paul.

You also can become an advocate to help raise awareness and educate yourself and others, including elected officials, about cystic fibrosis.

Meghan wants to live a normal life. She doesn’t want any special attention. She doesn’t want to be treated any differently than "normal" girls her age. She doesn’t want any help.

But she needs help. And so do all the others suffering from cystic fibrosis.

Meghan doesn’t want or need assistance with her day-to-day life, but we can help to make sure she keeps that mindset for much, much longer.
 

High-five costs softball team walk-off victory

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UPDATE: The Rematch

Central Lakes and Rochester Community and Technical College met in a rematch Thursday in the NJCAA Division III national tournament.

RCTC earned a 5-2 victory, keeping its title hopes alive. Central Lakes will play in the seventh-place game today.

Both teams lost their first-round games in the tournament, setting up a showdown in the consolation bracket.

Trailing 5-2, Central Lakes loaded the bases with no outs in the top of the seventh inning, bringing the go-ahead run to the plate.

The batter? Ashly Erickson, the player who had her apparent walk-off home run disallowed after high-fiving a teammate on her way to home plate in the bottom of the seventh inning May 1 against RCTC in the state tournament.

Officials later ruled that the call was incorrect; Central Lakes should have received a warning, Erickson’s run should have counted, and Central Lake should have won the game. But, by the time Central Lakes coach Heidi Rogge learned that the ruling was made incorrectly, it was too late to appeal.

There was no such controversy Thursday.

Erickson, who suffered a torn hamstring in the regional tournament last week, hit a liner to RCTC’s second baseman, who caught the ball and fired to first base to complete a double play. The next Central Lakes batter grounded out, and RCTC advanced with a victory.

"I told my team that this was just another team," Rogge told the Rochester Post-Bulletin. "It doesn’t matter what happened before."

Said RCTC pitcher DeAnna Mock, speaking to a Post-Bulletin reporter: "It wasn’t really about that. It was about staying alive in the tournament."
 

Minnesota West softball coach Rosalie Hayenga-Hostikka couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

Just hours after the Lady Jays suffered a 9-1 loss against Central Lakes College (Brainerd) in the Minnesota Junior College Athletic Conference state tournament Friday, Hayenga-Hostikka and her players watched in disbelief as the team that eliminated them earlier in the afternoon had a potential game-winning run disallowed.

CLC’s Ashly Erickson hit an apparent walk-off home run in the bottom of the seventh inning, giving the Raiders a 1-0 victory over Rochester Community and Technical College.

Or so it seemed.

Erickson’s teammates exploded from the dugout and sprinted toward home plate, eager to greet the freshman infielder with a celebratory mosh pit. But some refused to wait.

As Erickson rounded third base and headed toward home, she high-fived several of her ecstatic teammates before reaching the plate.

As the celebration continued, RCTC coach Jean Musgjerd grabbed her rulebook and met with the umpires. She argued that Erickson’s high-five, which occurred before she touched home plate, violated the rules for "player interference/assistance."

The umpires eventually ruled Erickson out, and they disallowed the run. RCTC went on to win 4-0 in nine innings, eliminating CLC from the tournament.

"My whole team and I, we were sitting there like, ‘No way – you cannot do that,’" Hayenga-Hostikka said. "It’s turned into quite a fiasco."

The story has received significant local and national attention. The Minneapolis Star Tribune ran a story on its website Monday, and MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann railed against Musgjerd on his "Countdown" show Tuesday. But the story of CLC’s stunning loss hasn’t garnered so much attention just because the opposing coach cited a rather obscure rule, but because the ruling actually was wrong.

The Star Tribune reviewed the NCAA softball rules, which also govern the NJCAA, and found this:

"Offensive team personnel, other than base coaches and runner(s), shall not touch a batter or base runner (s) who is legally running the bases on a dead-ball award until the player(s) contacts home plate. For a first offensive, the umpires shall issue a warning to the offending team."

Translation: Erickson’s high-five was in violation of the rules, but, since it was their first offense, the Raiders should have been hit with a warning. The run should have counted, CLC’s starting pitcher should have finished with a no-hitter, and the Raiders should have continued celebrating a state tournament victory over the top-ranked team in the nation.

"The warning is down much farther (in the rule book), and I wasn’t aware of the warning until much later," Musgjerd told the Rochester Post-Bulletin. "It was left up to the umpires, and they (chose) to go with an out. I’ve never seen it as a warning. I’ve seen it called an out.

"The rule is plain, and I just asked for the rule to be interpreted. I was just trying to do everything I could to help the (RCTC) kids."

Hayenga-Hostikka was aware of the rule, and she had the opportunity to cite it earlier in the afternoon. CLC hit three home runs just hours earlier against the Lady Jays, and, as each player rounded the bases, Hayenga-Hostikka said the Raiders celebrated prematurely – according to the rulebook. But she refused to allow a technicality to take away from a player’s on-field accomplishment.

"We played Central Lakes the game before that, and they hit three home runs against us and did the same thing," the five-year Minnesota West coach said. "I didn’t even think about it. For one, I’m not going to protest it. And, two, I don’t care if the kids are giving someone a high-five when she just hit a home run. To me, it’s a dead ball.

"I hate that rule. I want to say that I just wouldn’t have done it, and I didn’t do it when they did it to us. And it wasn’t a walk-off situation, but maybe it shouldn’t matter. I just don’t agree with it. You can’t take away a kid’s home run because of (a technicality), especially in that situation. I mean, gosh, you’re excited – a walk-off home run in the state tournament, in a 0-0 ballgame. It’s kind of like in a basketball game and you hit a last-second shot and the kids storm the court with 0.8 seconds left and they end up getting a technical foul or something. It’s a ruling that has no bearing on the game whatsoever.

"I’d like to say that I don’t think I would have protested in a situation like (RCTC’s), but I wasn’t in that situation, either."

CLC coach Heidi Rogge was in that situation, on the losing side, and by the time she learned the ruling was incorrect, it was too late to appeal.

"Almost every other coach came up to me after the game and said they would have said, ‘Nice hit’ and shook hands," Rogge told the Star Tribune. "The girls have learned their lesson, and they kind of joke about it now. But it’s still bittersweet."

Hayenga-Hostikka said she may not have handled such a situation as gracefully as Rogge did.

"She took it pretty good, actually; I was amazed," Hayenga-Hostikka said. "I told my girls, ‘Thank goodness that didn’t happen to me, because I don’t think I would have taken it with as much grace as (Rogge) did.’ I know I wouldn’t have because that just drives me crazy when you take away what a kid did for other kids getting fired up."

Worthington softball coach Sam Baumgartner agreed.

"I think the rule is being taken a little too literally there," he said. "You’re applying a rule that really doesn’t have anything to do with the game. The girl hit a home run, fair and square. And, in a situation like that – a state tournament game, with a walk-off home run – they’re going to be excited and they’re going to be jumping up and down. And somebody gives them a high-five a couple steps before they touch home plate? Big deal. Heck, if they carried them around the bases I wouldn’t give a damn.

"You have to let the players play the game. I don’t understand why that’s even a rule. It’s a dead-ball situation, and a congratulatory high-five shouldn’t be an issue, no matter where it’s at."

Said Worthington baseball coach Pat Shaughnessy: "I would have trouble taking that away from them. If a kid hits a home run, I guess I’m not going to look for a technicality to get them out on the way to the plate."

But Musgjerd did, and she had every right to do so. The situation is outlined in the rulebook, and it wasn’t her fault the rule was interpreted incorrectly.

"You don’t want to win that way, but you have to play by the rules," Musgjerd told the Star Tribune. "You get schooled on the rulebook, and you find out really fast that you need to know it.

"I don’t care what the score is. You can’t call rules in certain ways sometimes and not other times."

Last year, in late April, two college softball teams drew national attention after they were involved in a similar dilemma.

Central Washington University hosted Western Oregon University in a Division II softball game. CWU entered the doubleheader one game behind WOU in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference standings, with a berth to the playoffs at stake. CWU lost the opener, putting extra importance on the nightcap.

In the second inning, WOU’s Sara Tucholsky belted her first career home run – a three-run blast over the center-field fence. She was so excited that she missed first base. And when she turned to go back to the bag, her knee gave out and she tore her ACL.

"I was in a lot of pain," Tucholsky told The Oregonian. "Our first-base coach was telling me I had to crawl back to first base. ‘I can’t touch you,’ she said, ‘or you’ll be out. I can’t help you.’"

WOU was preparing to send in a pinch runner to replace Tucholsky at first base when CWU’s all-time leader in home runs, Mallory Holtman, volunteered to carry her injured opponent around the bases.

The umpires said there was nothing in the rulebook against players helping opponents around the bases, so Holtman and teammate Liz Wallace picked up Tucholsky and helped her complete the four-bag trip.

All three runs counted, and WOU eventually earned a 4-2 victory.

"In the end, it is not about winning and losing so much," Holtman told The Oregonian. "It was about this girl. She hit it over the fence and was in pain and she deserved a home run.”

CWU didn’t make the national tournament, but Central Lakes did.

Both RCTC and the Raiders advanced to their respective regional tournaments, which begin this weekend. If both teams advance to the national tournament, they could meet again.

"At least Central Lakes didn’t get eliminated from their season," Hayenga-Hostikka said. "That’s the saving grace in this whole situation."