Richards Makes 6 Winners, Weinfurter Triples, and more…

Richards Makes 6 Winners, Weinfurter Triples, and Ben Capek Arrives at Golden Sands
by Mike Barrett

Kenny Richards pulled into Golden Sands Speedway with 2 dozen other Late Models Friday night and showed that absence slowed him down not one bit. Tim Sauter lined up for the start next to Dave Neitzke and led quickly, leading the field around for the first 38 laps. Almost exactly halfway through the show Jeremy Lepak finished picking off car after car and strongly passed Sauter on the outside. A yellow flag on lap 42 caused by lapped traffic bumping Neil Knoblock off the track re-set the field, and Lepak’s engine stumbled badly at the start. Sauter could not avoid the rear of Lepak’s car, and turned the leader, resulting in a re-aligned start since no laps had been run from the restart. Lepak again pulled up lame and Sauter whistled by, looking like he may just collect his 1st win of the year at Plover. Kenny Richards had other ideas, and lined up behind Sauter the next few laps to assess the leader, moving past with 3 laps to go. Richards makes it 6 different winners this year in the Element Mobile Late Model series. Fast time for Lepak was his only consolation, ending in 16th place. Sauter has finished in the top three 5 out of 6 races, and is still looking for that win. Cardell Potter ran strong again in 3rd, and Brandon Selle and Colin Reffner both had solid nights to finish 4th and 5th.

The Super Stocks had another great field, posting 17 cars for the start and the racing was close the whole 25 laps. Claire Decker lined up inside the #24 of Brian Weinfurter, who was looking to post his 3rd win on the year. Decker worked hard to stay next to Weinfurter, but could not gain any position, and followed Brian to his 3rd win. It looked like Team Decker was ganging up on the competition when Claire, Paige and Natalie Decker were all in the top 5. Unfortunately Natalie suffered from contact with lapped traffic and dropped from 4th to 14th on the final lap. Paige finished 6th, behind fast timer Ryan Hinner. 3rd place Matt Ciesielski is having a good year, and 4th runner Galen Manternach was fast all night.

Pure Stocks started 18 cars, Again with Cale Marzofka topping the field with a very fast time. Cale and Dean Ashbacker got tangled up halfway through because of lapped traffic, and Marzofka fought his way back to 7th by the end. Mark Kalata liked an early lead, but Ben and Jake Capek rolled up behind him and took the lead and 2nd place away in the final 5 laps. Kalata finished ahead of John Vanstedum, who edged Brent Weiland for 5th.

Next week Motorcycle Mania Weekend begins– Pig & Corn Roast – Racing Motorcycles, Cruisers, & 4CS, Trial Riders Performance & Free Style Biking (Gates Open 5pm)

K.B. Willett Arena is New Home of Central Wisconsin Women’s Hockey Club

K.B. Willett Arena is New Home of Central Wisconsin Women’s Hockey Club

The Central Wisconsin Women’s Hockey Club announces its first season in Stevens Point. The goal of the CWWHC is to provide an avenue for women over the age of 18 to play recreationally or competitively. Although the 2011-2012 season will not be an official season of any sort, they hope to find enough interest and commitment from women around the area to allow them to join the WCHL and play competitively in the 2012-2013 season.

CWWHC welcomes any woman over the age of 18 to skate with them. The ability of their skaters varies from first year skaters to women who have played hockey with collegiate club and varsity teams. It is the CWWHC’s belief that everyone should have a chance to enjoy the great sport called hockey.

Visit the CWWHC Website for More Info

Selle Heats up Element Points Race

by Mike Barrett

Brandon Selle wins the Element Mobile Late Model Class tonight, streaking to the front of a 75 lap race by halfway, and was never challenged. Selle’s decisive win was a cooling tonic for his team on a hot Friday night, and a dose of good cheer after bad luck took him out of contention not once, but twice in the last two appearances of the class at Golden Sands Speedway in Plover, WI. The early race saw a dust-up when several cars slowed, and drivers like Selle and Colin Reffner found breaks in traffic that helped them get huge moves right away. Reffner backed up his season-opening fast time with another one, and quickly mounted a run from 13th into the top 5 by lap 5. After Jeff Winfurter jumped out front, Frank Nitzke ran him down and led lap 13, passing Jeff Weinfurter dramatically, and leading the next 18 laps. Just as dramatically, Selle’s car was on rails and dispatched Nitzke just as easily, bringing Reffner with him. As lap 50 passed, Reffner settled into 2nd, and Nitzke saw Corey Jankowski and Jeremy Lepak gaining. Lapped traffic was thick, and Selle got sideways once avoiding slower cars, but maintained a good lead and made it to the end looking like the veteran racer he has become. The final laps saw Jankowski and Lepak battling until Jankowski’s car broke something and sparks flew as he went to the pits. That left Lepak to deal with a very hard-charging Cardell Potter who seemed to come from nowhere, slipping past Lepak and lining up behind Reffner for a run at 2nd. A frantic return to the race on lap 73 by Jankowski caused Reffner and Potter to take evasive action, but the pair avoided the lapped car finishing with Reffner 2nd, immediately followed by Potter. Lepak’s 4th was another top 5 run, and Frank Nitzke in 5th was a steady ending for him.

David Pagels lined up on the front row for the Super Stock feature alongside Matt Komatz, with Matt Raykowski on the 2nd row outside, which gave him a chance to follow Pagels past Komatz and then race side by side the first half of the race, as Matt only gave way to Brian Weinfurter by lap 20. Pagles saw everything in his mirror as he led every single lap, and finished what was in his mind “the longest race I have run” in 1st. Raykowski vied for 2nd with Weinfurter, and Ryan Hinner took most of the race to get to 4th after Matt Ciesielski set fast time. Lap 7 was nearly disastrous for Hinner, as he could not avoid piling into a spinning Galen Manternach and Dave Cabelka. Komatz also was involved, and 15 laps later it was Pagels, Raykowski, Weinfurter, Hinner and Mantelshelves.

Joachim Mangen had trouble keeping his car running early on, but got it fast and spent the final 5 laps leading a wild race in the 4 cylinder Stock class. Brandon Calderon was getting lapped and bounced off the side of the leader Adam Skibicki, who deftly saved the car but lost spots right before Calderon suffered a flat and brought out one of very few cautions of the night. Skibicki seemed to lose some speed and fought to stay in the top 5, but ended up 7th. The fast cars of Mangen, Keven Burris (the fast qualifier) Josh Klopotek, Dan Broton and Kelley Sankey proved a little quicker in the top 5.

Phil Malouf works 20+ hours a week on his 4 cylinder mod, along with driving as much as anyone to go racing from his home base of Manitowish Waters. The work is paying off, as Malouf spanked the field of 4 cylinder mod cars, performing a back-to-back sweep of fast time, heat win, and feature win. Malouf’s chief nemesis at Plover and Wausau Adam Eckes kept pace early, but faded, making 4th his finishing spot. Dale Louze raced doggedly into 2nd, Scott Scholze 3rd and John Lietz was right behind Eckes in 5th.

Next Friday is Kid’s Night – Monster Truck Rides – Super Stocks, Pure Stocks, 4 Cylinder Mods, and Cruisers.

Racing results are on www.gssraces.com, and Mike’s Monday racing blog is on Gorapids.com.

Rafters Add Highly Touted Pitcher, Outfielder to 2011 Squad

Kean University RHP Russo selected in 2008 MLB Draft by Phillies

Wisconsin Rapids, WI – February 18, 2011. The Wisconsin Rapids Rafters continued to piece together their 2011 roster by announcing the signings of right-handed pitcher Michael Russo (Kean University) and speedy outfielder Curtis Frisbie (University of Nevada-Reno).

RHP-Michael Russo, 6’6”, 220 lbs (R/R) Junior, Kean University

Michael Russo was selected in the 49^th round of the 2008 MLB draft by the Philadelphia Phillies out of high school, but opted to attend North Carolina State to begin his collegiate career. Russo spent his first two seasons as a member of the NC State Wolfpack, before transferring to Kean University in his home state of New Jersey, where he will begin his first season as a member of the Cougars this spring. In Thursday’s release of the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) pre-season poll, the Cougars were selected by the league’s coaches to finish first, with eight first-place votes. Russo has garnered pre-season All-American recognition while also being selected as the top 2011 Division III draft prospect by Baseball America, while former Rafter Ken Gregory has been tabbed as a D3baseball.com 2^nd Team Pre-Season All-American.

Last season, as a sophomore at NC State, Russo appeared in 9 games while making 3 starts. He recorded a 2-1 record with a 5.30 ERA while striking out 18 batters in 18 innings pitched. As a freshman, Russo appeared in 6 games, 3 starts, and struck out 13 batters in 14 innings of work.

He is no stranger to summer collegiate baseball, having played last summer with the Jersey Pilots of the Atlantic Collegiate Baseball League. In 8 games, 6 starts, for the Pilots, Russo posted a 4-1 record to go along with a stingy 2.83 ERA. He again showed his knack for the strikeout by fanning 39 batters in only 35 innings pitched.

Russo attended The Hun School during his prep career, where he helped lead his team to a state championship. He went 7-2 with a 1.58 ERA as a senior in 2008, striking out 78, walking just 29 batters and allowing only 38 hits. Russo went 6-1 with a 0.94 ERA, 57 strikeouts and 14 walks in 50 innings as a junior in 2007. His performance earned him an invitation to pitch on the 2007 USA Junior National Team as well as the 2007 Cape Cod Classic. Russo is a native of Hamilton, New Jersey.

OF-Curtis Frisbie, 6’1”, 190 lbs (R/R) Freshman, University of Nevada-Reno

Curtis Frisbie will begin his first season at the University of Nevada-Reno in 2011, after completing an outstanding prep career at Central Valley High School in California. A four-time baseball letter winner, Frisbie posted some outstanding numbers throughout his high school career. Showing tremendous skill at the plate, Frisbie posted a .506 batting average, .585 on-base percentage, and .876 slugging percentage during his senior season last spring. He displayed power by mashing 10 doubles, 7 home runs, with 43 RBI while walking 13 times versus only 4 strikeouts. He also showed why he was highly-recruited out of high school as a five tool talent, by going a perfect 19 for 19 in stolen base attempts.

As a junior, Frisbie batted .425 with a .480 on-base percentage and hit 12 doubles and 11 home runs, while leading the entire state of California with 55 RBI. The falcons finished the season with a 32-2 team record during his junior year. He again showed his flash of speed as he was a perfect 13 for 13 in stolen base attempts. Frisbie’s tremendous play earned him All-League (2007-2010), All-Section, All-State California (2008-2010), and League MVP honors during his outstanding high school career.

A native of Redding, California, Frisbie is studying Biology at the University of Nevada-Reno.

The Wisconsin Rapids Rafters are members of the 16-team summer collegiate Northwoods League. The Rafters will play a 70 game schedule with 35 home games in 2011. Opening Day at Historic Witter Field is scheduled for Wednesday, June 1 at 7:05pm vs. the Madison Mallards. The 2011 Marshfield Clinic Northwoods League All-Star Game will be held in Wisconsin Rapids. The All-Star festivities will begin on Sunday, July 17th with the Marshfield Clinic Home Run Health Fest beginning at 2pm. On Monday, July 18th the Northwoods League North Division All-Stars will take on the All-Stars from the South Division in the League’s 17th Annual All-Star contest beginning at 7:05pm.

Selle, Nowack post first wins; Conant & Anderson repeat at Golden Sands

by Mike Barrett

Plover– Brandon Selle put the power to the field Friday night at Golden Sands Speedway to take the feature event in the Super Late Model class. His impressive pass around Jason Weinkauf in the first 10 laps of racing showed a lot of talent as he led nearly the entire race, taking the checkered flag far ahead of 2nd place finisher Jeremy Lepak.

The start of the feature was a nightmare of tangled race cars after a couple of racers in the front got together, and spinning cars in the front were hit by accelerating cars coming for the green. Several top runners were heavily damaged, most notably Fast Qualifier Chris Weinkauf, and 2nd fastest timer Frank Nitzke. Nitzke’s car was hit repeatedly, once so hard the car was tipped sideways into the front straight barrels. Frank said afterwards “all the right stuff broke off” to keep him safe.

Dave Neitzke, Bernie Fritz Sr., and Mark Mackesy all suffered damage, as well as several other cars in the 19-car field. Lap 8 was a quick restart after Jim Duchow and Monte Gress brought out the yellow, and on lap 17 Gress and Rene Sheinoha were the reason for the final caution. The 23 remaining laps were all Selle, with some hard racing from Lepak, Jason Weinkauf, Jim Sauter Jr., and Jeff Weinfurter re-establishing positions in the top 5. Second through 5th changed hands, with Sauter fading a bit, and Lepak taking 2nd away early, but failing to catch Selle.

Weinkauf is considering options, the wrecked #99 he drove will not be able to continue racing anytime soon. Nitzke will roll a 2nd car out to race upcoming events.

Super Stocks began the features, with Roger Peterson and John Zuch in the front row, and fast qualifier Colin Reffner starting 8th. The track seemed to get away from many, but not Lyle Nowak, who brought his considerable experience in the Martinson Racing car to bear when he simply drove around the front starters and into the lead by lap 5. As Nowak waltzed along out front, John Zuch enjoyed the fortune of his good starting spot and stayed in 2nd until Brian Weinfurter closed in on and passed him with a few laps to go. Roger Peterson maintained 4th, and Kyle Andrich backed up his 2nd place qualifying time with a top 5.  It is already starting to look like a 2 car race between Colin Reffner and Brian Weinfurter as they enjoy a big point lead on the rest of the Super Stock class so far.

4 Cylinder Stock racers again put 20 cars on track for a feature, and lots of passing and 3 wide action behind front row starter Adam Skibicki was the norm for the 1st half of the race. Fast Qualifier Corey Stevens and Joachim Mangen along with Kelly Sankey raced their way to the top 5, with a caution brought out by Travis Lepak and Kevin Burris on lap 11. That allowed Tim Anderson to get past Skibicki, with Stevens, Sankey amd Lucas Betro following in the top 5. Joachim Mangen’s broken right front after the leaders took the white ended the race with Anderson winning his 2nd of the year.

The 4 Cylinder Mods are picking up steam, and Adam Eckes again posted Fast Time. Brad Conant was the first to get out front, and it proved the key to a win as he fended off a heavy challenge from both Eckes and Malouf, followed by Dale Robinson and Brad Scholze. Perennial front-runner Scott Sholze suffered a broken wheel, and a points hit as well. Racing will continue next week with Boat Races, SLM, SS, PS, Sport Trucks, and Cruisers.

Check www.gssraces.com for FAST race results, and Mike’s racing blog on www.gorapids.com every Monday.

Career nights for Schlough, Ciesielski, at Golden Sands Union Night

By Mike Barrett

Plover–Matt Ciesielski of Plover posted his very first career fast time Friday at Golden Sands Speedway in Plover, and backed it up with a hard-fought 4th place finish in the Super Stock class. Erin Schlough fended off Roger Peterson all race long while cautions threatened to delay the planned fireworks show. But, after a shaky start and major engine woes for Kyle Andrich, the super stocks raced the final half of the 25-lap feature with Schlough and Peterson leading the way. Third place finisher Ryan Hinner again steadily improved, and Ciesielski and Scott Hamel raced their way into the top five.

The pure stocks backed up their promise to bring more and more racers, and 18 started the feature led by Ben Capek. Ben took off and looked like green flag racing would help him win a feature, but a caution bunched the field, and Kyle Gennett, Jake Capek, Mike Kasperek and Eric Buchholz jockeyed for spots behind Capek. Ben Capek was the victim of the short track “freight train” about halfway, when several cars made their way past, including Jake Capek, the fast qualifier, who trailed Gennett the final few laps, but could never complete a pass. Gennett won, followed by Jake Capek, Mike Kasperek, Eric Buchholz, and Ben Capek.

Four cylinder stock racers suffered multiple cautions, and after the 2nd yellow flag in less than 10 laps, the race was shortened to 15 from the extended 20. Cory Stephens saw the field catch up after he built a big lead, and Joachim Mangen took advantage of speed to get past Stephens to pick up his 2nd win this year. Adam Akibicki, Lucas Betro, Stephens, and Kelley Sankey put on a thrilling show to complete the top 5. Fast timer Kevin Burris suffered a bunch of problems, and finished laps down.

The four cylinder mod class put it all on the track, when they went 4 wide for several laps to scramble for positions. Brandon Bender got an early lead, but teammate Brad Conant tracked him down and flew by, bringing the very fast qualifier Scott Scholze with him. Phil Malouf, Adam Eckes, and others lurked mid-pack, until Malouf amazingly caught and passed Conant for the top spot amidst heavy lapped traffic. Malouf led the final 2, Scott Scholze beat Conant for 2nd, and  Eckes and Austin McKeever filled out the top 5.

An amazing group of vintage racers showed up, and the field was split into late model and modified groups. About a dozen of the late model drivers piloted beautifully restored machines at race track speeds, with Gary Mitidiero besting the field followed by Pat Heany and Darrel Bassuener. The modifieds wowed the crowd with cars of the past, and Terry Pulver blasted out front, with no one getting anywhere near. The racing pair of Bill and Roger Schmitz finished 3-4. The well-maintained cars were a treat to watch at race speeds!

The two-man cruisers completed the night of racing, and Kalata and McIntee broke the winning streak of Berg and Berg, who finished 3rd. Wheelock and Helbach finished 2nd.

Plover’s Denise Hunt chosen as honorary Brewers bat girl, raises awareness for cancer

Contributed by Brian D. Kalish

Plover–For several years now, Major League Baseball has teamed with the Susan G. Komen for the Cure on Mother’s Day.  It has become something of a tradition to watch the ballgame on Mother’s Day and see the Brewers come to the plate wielding pink bats and wearing pink wrist bands (or, in the case of Prince Fielder, 5 or 6 pink necklaces) to raise awareness for breast cancer.  In addition to the pink accessories, each major league team selects a cancer survivor to serve as honorary bat girl.  The Brewers bestowed that honor upon Denise Hunt of Plover, who was treated to a memorable night in Milwaukee May 10.

Hunt’s son, Dustin, wrote a story for the MLB’s honorary bat girl contest about how Denise’s life has been affected by breast cancer, which was posted on the Internet.  Fans then voted for her story in droves, due in part to a campaign launched in support of Denise on Facebook.  Hunt was ecstatic when she received notification that she had been selected as a winner.

“A representative from the Major League Baseball Association called and said that I had been chosen for the Milwaukee Brewers,” Hunt says.  “Then we got a call from the Brewers’ public relations person.  We were given great seats to the game, we went onto the field and were introduced over the PA system.  The whole night was just awesome.  It was truly and awesome experience.”

Hunt says that as wonderful as the experience was for her personally, the fact that the night helped to raise awareness for breast cancer is far more important.

“Just to know why we were there and the reason we were doing it, which is to make sure that women go in for regular checkups and take some of the preventative measures, that means so much to me,” Hunt says.  “You know, women get so wrapped up in taking care of everyone else that sometimes they neglect their own check ups.  We want to remind them how important it is for women to take care of themselves.”

Being chosen as the bat girl has brought plenty of attention.  Hunt has appeared on local television did a live interview with Brewers’ TV reporter Telly Hughes during the game.

Hunt is currently being treated for cancer for the third time.  She says she has used her experience with the disease to help other women who have been diagnosed.

“I think it’s important for women to know how to handle some of the physical changes that come along–  things like losing your hair.  I’ve lost my hair.  Hair is overrated,” Hunt laughs.  “Doing your hair in the morning takes away from time you could be sleeping.”

Hunt expressed joy at being able to share the night at the game with her family.

“To be able to experience this with them was such a blessing,” Hunt says.

212 STORM Elite Cheer Wins Nationals

212 STORM Elite Cheer Wins Nationals
Branka Dudas, 212 STORM Elite Program Director

Junior First Place Award Winners

212 STORM Elite Cheer just returned from the U.S. Finals Destination National Cheer Competition.  The U.S. Finals competition series is sponsored by JAM companies.  Any all-star cheer team who made it to one of the U.S. Finals Destinations had to qualify at a regional event and be offered a bid to compete.  U.S. Finals is open to all United States all-star cheer teams who compete in Levels 1-6 ranging from the tiny teams through the senior teams.

Once a bid is offered, that team can choose one of six U.S. Destination cities:  Orlando, Las Vegas, Cincinnati, Baton Rouge, Kansas City, and Virginia Beach.  Those teams compete for the title of U.S. Finals Destination Champion.  After all the U.S. Destination Champions have been crowned, the teams are then ranked in order (much like a college level football ranking).  Those rankings will be announced via live webcast on   www.theusfinals.com on May 26th, 2010.  Thus, the ranking is a fair and accurate assessment of how your team stacks up against teams across the United States.

Junior Pyramid

For 2010, there are over 1,300 teams participating across all levels of cheerleading  at the U.S. Finals.  212 STORM Elite Cheer is housed in Adventure 212 Fitness located in Stevens Point, Wisconsin.  Our Junior Level 3 Hurricane team competed in the Small Gym Small Junior Division.  They qualified for the U.S. Finals by earning a second place finish and bid at the Champion Spirit Group National event in February.  Our Youth Level 2 Twister team competed in the Small Gym Small Youth Division.  They qualified for the event by not only winning the Champion Spirit Group National Event, but winning Grand Champions of said event and earned a paid bid to U.S. Finals.

At the U.S. Finals event, our teams got one chance to perform their routine in front of a panel of nationally ranked and recognized cheer judges.  Our Youth team placed 2nd overall, narrowly missing out on the title by only five points.  For their efforts they were awarded U.S. Finals pins, second place ribbons, and a second place trophy.   Our Junior team brought home the title!  For their efforts they were awards U.S. Finals pins, a first place trophy, individual athlete medals, a championship banner, and U.S. Finals Champion jackets.

Second place – Youth Category

It was the first time our teams have qualified and performed at such a prestigious event.  We were expecting our Youth team to do well in the competition and 2nd place was an outstanding accomplishment.  Our Junior team was our wild card and they exceeded everyone’s expectations.  Both teams represented our 212 STORM Elite Cheer program, Stevens Point, and the State of Wisconsin.  With a national ranking coming up in the end of May we are expecting our program to possibly double in size.

There are several factors that make our program unique and stand out.  First of all, our Head Coach, Niki Walters, choreographs our team’s routines.  The vast majority of teams hire out professionals.  Secondly, our program is still relatively in its infancy; this is only our third year with Adventure 212.  Thirdly, we are the only program in Wisconsin (and probably only one of a handful of programs across the entire country) that does not practice on a spring floor.  A spring floor is the standard for all-star cheer teams.  While we do practice on a cheer floor, a spring floor provides a huge advantage to teams for performance and tumbling training.  Even with the odds stacked against us, (a small program from a small town, without all the specialized equipment), our teams came shining through.  That speaks volumes for the dedication and athleticism on the part of our athletes and our Head Coach.

Youth Team perform the pyramid

We will be holding try-outs for our 2010-2011 212 STORM Elite Cheer teams in June.  We will, for the first time, be able to offer the full range of all star teams in our program: Tiny Thunder, Mini Blizzards, Youth Twisters, Junior Hurricanes, and Senior Tsunami.  We have already been fielding many inquiries from Wausau, Weston, Wisconsin Rapids, Kenosha, Amherst, our own Stevens Point/Plover area, and even as far as Florida for girls interested in joining our program.

For more information about 212 STORM Elite, you can contact one of the following members of our talented and award winning coaching staff:

Niki Walters-Head Coach Senior, Junior, and Youth teams
715-340-8099

Amanda Phillip-Head Coach Tiny and Assistant Coach Mini
715-252-4527

Branka Dudas-Program Director and Head Coach Mini team
715-340-1495