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Northfield

WINTER 2019 • ISSUE 1

now L I V E / W O R K / P L AY

Oleation, cre

worldwide sensation Northfield-born treat gaining an international audience

Beyond textbooks: Students learn life-long lessons by ‘making’ Light is photographer Joe Miller’s specialty Cozy up with sweet treats and tasty eats at Martha’s

$2.00

Northfield

now L I V E / W O R K / P L AY

NorthIeld

NOW- Winter 2019

publisher: CHAD HJELLMING

advertising manager: JAY PETSCHE

Volume 2, Issue 1

Northfield NOW Published Winter 2019 by: Northfield News 115 W Fifth Street, Northfield, MN 55057 northfieldnews.com ÂŠ

managing editor: Suzanne Rook

media consultant: KARI CLARK

Events & MAGAZINE director: Ginny Bergerson

designer: Kate Townsend-Noet

Regional Director of Sales: mark nelson

Send story ideas to: Suzanne Rook at Northfield NOW

srook@faribault.com

All advertising contained herein is the responsibility of the advertisers. This publication is copyrighted by the Northfield News and no content can be reproduced without permission.

contents

6 Northfield elementary,

middle school students learn by making.

10 Northfield-grown JonnyPops offers fresh take on frozen goodies. 14 Plow drivers clearing the way for the rest of us. 18 Joe Miller shares his passion for photograpy. 28 Martha’s Eats & Treats creates

special foods and experience.

32 Long Division:

The wartime odyssey of Mabel Jacobs.

36 Ole women’s soccer coach to lead Team USA at Maccabiah Games.

LEFT: The Fourth Street Bridge and storefronts along Bridge Square after a big snowstorm, downtown Northfield. (Joe Miller photo)

on the cover:

Photo by Dan Iverson/Anthologie JonnyPops frozen treats were first manufactured and sold by a group of four St. Olaf students in a Northfield kitchen. The Minnesota company now distributes its “smoothies on a stick” with all natural ingredients internationally while staying focused on encouraging acts of kindness. A portion of its profits are donated to help recovering addicts, a nod to their namesake, a cousin of founder Erik Brust.

This issue of Northfield NOW is delivered to all subscribers of Northfield News for the low cost of $1.00 per issue, deducted upon delivery from your account balance. If you decide it’s not for you, you can opt out of future issues by contacting customer service at 507-645-5615 or kmorrison@northfieldnews.com. Nonsubscribers can purchase copies of Northfield News for $2.00 each.

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Filled with local recipes submitted by our readers!

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NOW- Winter 2019

northfield now calendar

Planning a Gathering?

earn his help. This is a nonmusical version of the Frank Baum story, “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.” Tickets: $10 Visit: northfieldartsguild. org or call 507-645-8877

Candlelight ski High school 5:30–8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. choir concert 2, Nerstrand Big Woods Enjoy the outdoors after dark and listen for the barred owls and other night sounds while hiking, snowshoeing or skiing along 3-plus miles of lighted trails. Lengths vary to accommodate different age/ability levels. Families with children are asked to come earlier during the event and adults to come later to make the best use of parking space.

7:30 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Feb 23, Boe Memorial Chapel, St. Olaf College Enjoy an evening of musical performances by Northfield High School’s many choirs.

‘Wizard of Oz’ Feb. 22 to March 3, Northfield Arts Guild Theater, 411 Third St. W

6 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 23, Northfield Library A library after-hours event for teens middle-high school. Learn a new game or show off your mastery of an old favorite! Bring yourself, your friends, your own board game (the library will have a selection of games available, too), snack on some food, and compete in a Wii tournament. Game on! Email layna.mestad@ ci.northfield.mn.us or call 507-645-1813.

“Swede Hollow” 8 to 9:30 p.m. Thursday Feb. 28 and Friday, March 1, Weitz Theater, 320 Third St. E

Visit: dnr.state.mn.us/ state_parks/event

Teen game night

We can cater at your place or ours.

Journey over the rainbow to a magical kingdom in this Purple Door Youth Theater production where four unlikely friends discover wisdom, compassion, courage and the way home. When a tornado rips through Kansas, Dorothy and her dog, Toto, are whisked away in their house to the magical land of Oz. They follow the Yellow Brick Road toward the Emerald City to meet the Wizard, and en route they meet a Scarecrow who needs a brain, a Tinman who is missing a heart and a Cowardly Lion who wants courage. The wizard asks the group to extinguish the Wicked Witch of the West to

A joint opera performance with faculty and students from Carleton and St. Olaf. Based on historical research and interviews with former Swede Hollow residents, this poignant story that weaves back and forth through time following the lives of Swedish, Italian and Mexican immigrants who lived in Swede Hollow. Free

Under the Same Sky 7 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday, March 2, Lion’s Pause, St. Olaf College The stage will become a place for Latino expression through dance, poetry, vocal and dramatic performances. The school’s food services will provide a selection of Latin American food in the cafeteria.

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By ANNE KOPAS akopas@northfieldnews.com

At the Northfield Middle School, a sign on the woodshop door embraces the industrial technology department’s makerspace status. (Anne Kopas/ Northfield Now)

Northfield schools embrace makerspace movement 6

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n a school computer lab, students sit at tables in small groups, poring over laptops. They’re doing basic programming work by dragging digital blocks around their screens in a program designed to teach coding. It’s the kind of quiet and focus you might expect from a college-level programming class — except that these students are first graders. This isn’t an uncommon sight at Bridgewater Elementary, where for the past three years, a small group of dedicated teachers has worked to integrate STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, mathematics) into everyday curriculum. In today’s world, computer literacy and the ability to code rivals more traditional academic subjects in terms of real-world value, a trend that these teachers take seriously — even for students still learning to read. Dustee Phenow is the media specialist at Bridgewater. In her classroom, students use tools like Kodable and Code.org to learn the building blocks of coding through vocab lessons, videos and puzzle games. Once they learn the basics, they use gadgets like the Ozobot and Dash, robots that resemble miniature Star Wars sidekicks, that follow a hand-drawn path that students control with code. “They are so into it,” said Phenow, remarking on the students’ concentration and eagerness to learn.

MAKERSPACE FOR ADULTS While many makerspaces are in schools, the maker movement isn’t just for kids. Makers of all ages take part in Maker Faires around the world, events where engineers, artists, scientists and crafters share their projects with other enthusiasts. On the website Make.co, Maker Faire organizer, calls the events “the greatest show (and tell) on earth.” A Minneapolis/St. Paul Maker Faire is scheduled for June 1, 2019 at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds Grandstand. Others have been held all over the world — California, Bangkok, Vienna, Wellington, Moscow and more.

Beyond textbooks A few doors down, first-graders in Suzanne Lanza and Erin Hall’s classes are creating creatures with Play-Doh, building a tent with Tinker Toys, erecting Lego towers, snapping circuits together and making stop-motion animated videos. The atmosphere is a little louder, more animated than the coding lab. But as you walk the room, you hear one student asking another for a circuit piece. A boy and girl lean over an iPad, deciding how to pose a stuffed animal for the camera. It’s “makerspace time” or “STEAM time,” either a daily or weekly occurrence depending on the teacher and schedule. During a half-hour period, students can move freely between a variety of stations all focused on building and creating. Teachers troubleshoot and remind kids to clean up, but the students are otherwise in control of how they spend their time. Makerspace time isn’t recess. Hall, Lanza and other teachers design activities with learning in mind, mostly with the goal of teaching problem-solving, critical thinking and collaboration in a way that doesn’t involve textbooks. “It’s a different way of thinking, more hands-on,” said Lanza. “Instead of reading a book about circuits, they’re actually doing it, which is important for this age especially.” For students who may otherwise struggle in school, it’s an opportunity to shine. Children with a knack for building, who end up helping other students who get stuck on a problem, aren’t necessarily the ones with stellar

test scores. During makerspace time, students often discover an interest they didn’t know was a possibility. And if, on a particular day, students aren’t in the mood to problem-solve, makerspace time doubles as break time. Some kids, said Hall, come straight to school from stressful home environments and are expected to learn and work without time to regroup. “They have no control over what’s going on (at home),” said Hall. “Sometimes they just need an outlet of building, or using Play-Doh to build animals.” Bridgewater Principal Nancy Antoine sometimes uses makerspace supplies as calming activities for kids called into her office. If a student comes into the office seeing red, talking won’t do much good. But often, a few minutes of stacking blocks is enough to calm them to the point where they can work out a solution to whatever upset them in the first place. “You can’t stay angry and create at the same time,” said Antoine.

Growing the movement For now, it’s up to each Northfield Public School teacher to integrate makerspace or STEAM time into the rest of the curriculum. While some teachers jump in headfirst, others take longer or are reluctant to add yet another piece to their busy school day. CONTINUED ON PAGE 8

TOP LEFT: In this Bridgewater Elementary classroom during STEAM time, students huddle in small groups, intent on building and creating rather than sitting in chairs and reading textbooks. (Anne Kopas/Northfield Now) TOP RIGHT: A Bridgewater student builds with Kinex during STEAM time. (Anne Kopas/Northfield News) NorthIeld

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from the larger makerspace movement, an all-ages effort to get more people building and making with their own hands. It’s a movement that’s spawned makerspaces in schools, universities, libraries and museums, as well as worldwide “Maker Faires” that bring creators together on a bigger scale. The program has not only grown within Bridgewater, but has also popped up in the other Northfield elementary schools to varying degrees. Both Greenvale and Sibley elementary schools now have 3D printers and offer some coding lessons. Eventually, teachers at Bridgewater hope to develop the program to a point where they can trade carts with other schools, to give kids more choice and variety in their makerspaces — or even get younger students involved with similar programs (and get help from older students) at the middle school.

Middle school makers

TOP: A student snaps together plastic pieces to build a tent frame. Students worked together to construct the base and cover it with a sheet to build a makeshift tent in the classroom. (Anne Kopas/Northfield Now) ABOVE: A student creates a stop-motion animated video during STEAM time. (Anne Kopas/ Northfield Now)

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7

Hall and other makerspace enthusiasts are encouraging their colleagues at Bridgewater and the other schools to join the makerspace movement, but it’s not required. That said, Hall noted, that more teachers get involved each year, whether intentionally or not.

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“I bet that a lot of the teachers are doing things that we would consider STEAM, and have no idea that they’re doing it,” said Hall. The makerspace program started about three years ago, with carts of supplies like Legos, circuits or STEAM-themed activities funded by a Bridgewater parent group. The inspiration comes

Just a few blocks away, middle school teacher Steve Taggart is embracing the makerspace movement. But as an industrial technology teacher, it’s not a new concept. Shop classes have always been about giving students a chance to build with their hands. Many of Taggart’s updates have come within the structure of the classes — instead of doing what he called “canned projects,” he’s giving students more freedom to choose what they make. Northfield Middle School alumni might recall the tradition of building clocks in the woodshop. Students still use the shop, but they now learn to make designs on a computer-controlled woodcutting machine. “Once they learn the machine, kids can use their imagination and make whatever they want,” said Taggart. With the school’s laser cutter, 3D printer and other high-tech maker gadgets, students have made model airplanes, phone cases, key chains and fidget spinners. In a few cases, the projects aren’t assigned for class; some students just want to make things for the sake of creating. And with more students being exposed to makerspace activities at younger ages, Taggart expects this interest to only increase.

21st-century skills At the core, the makerspace movement is about more than teaching kids to use 3D printers, or to code, or to make Lego towers. It’s about teaching them to problem-solve and think in ways that textbooks and exams can’t. “If we want our kids to be engineers in the future, they have to be able to think,” said Antoine. After all, building a Tinker Toy tent helps kids learn to think structurally and cooperate as a team, valuable skills for a student who may be a future construction worker or architect. A student who lights a bulb with a snap circuit may be a future

electrician. A middle schooler with a knack for cutting wood designs may become an entrepreneur selling their own product designs. Regardless of whether a student goes to college, a technical school or takes another career path that may not even exist now — skills like critical thinking and creativity are valuable in any field. In today’s world of Googling, the ability to simply recite facts is far less useful than knowing what to do with the information. “Creativity is a thing that sets us apart from each other, and sets us apart from robots,” said Taggart. “The more creative we can get kids to be, and show them that they can be creative with these things… They just need more exposure to what they can do and what they’re capable of.” Reach Reporter Anne Kopas at 507-6451117. Follow her on Twitter @NFNanne.

First graders at Bridgewater Elementary create Play-Doh creatures for making stop-motion animated videos. It’s just one of the activities available to students during STEAM time (science, technology, engineering, arts and math). (Anne Kopas/Northfield Now)

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Stick-to-itiveness POPPIN’ So far, there are 11 flavors of JonnyPops: • Strawberries & Cream • Pineapple Coconut & Cream • Raspberries Blueberries & Cream • Mango & Cream • Banana Cinnamon & Cream • Strawberry Banana & Cream • Cold Press Coffee Chocolate & Cream • Vanilla Mint Chocolate & Cream • Dark Chocolate & Cream • Root Beer Float & Cream • Cherry Chocolate & Cream

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‘We believe that every act of kindness— no matter how big or small— goes a long way.’ - Erik Brust, co-founder and CEO of JonnyPops

Erik Brust, left, and Connor Wray were named to Forbes’ 2017 “30 Under 30” list of young entrepreneurs, the youngest winners in the Food and Drink category. (Photo courtesy of JohnnyPops)

By GRACE BRANDT editor@northfieldnews.com

rik Brust knows the value of a good pop. When he was growing up in St. Paul in a family that had nut and other food allergies, there weren’t many options to choose from. During high school, he visited his older cousin Jonathan Jeffrey on campus of Jeffrey’s university and the two of them began to really discuss what kind of market there might be for people looking for great-tasting frozen treats that weren’t full of sugar or artificial flavors — pops that anyone

could eat. “He and I were just excited about making a natural frozen food product and talked about it being a smoothie on a stick,” Brust explained. Tragically, Jeffrey died at 21 from a drug overdose before the two of them could move forward, but Brust was determined not to let the idea fall by the wayside. Instead, he founded JonnyPops, offering popsicles that are both delicious and nutritious — and that just might make the world a better place, too.

Starting small at St. Olaf Brust started working on his business while attending classes at St. Olaf College. There, he pitched his “smoothie on a stick” idea to four of his college friends — Connor Wray, Andrew Sather, Jamie Marshall and Kilian Wald. The five friends started in the basement kitchen of their college

dorm, using a blender and ice trays to experiment with different flavors. Their ingredients were surprisingly simple: real fruit, heavy cream, cane sugar, purified water and a pinch of salt. When they found flavor combinations they liked, they’d mix up a batch, and sell them around campus and at local farmers markets. Throughout their time at St. Olaf, the demand for their pops grew, which meant the friends had to make a choice. Once they graduated, would they go their separate ways, or would they try to stick it out in the business world? Eventually, Brust and Wray decided to stick with their product, officially launching their business in 2011 and naming it JonnyPops after Brust’s late cousin. “We drew up a business plan and named it after Jonathan,” Brust said. “[We wanted to] partner with nonprofits that were supporting drug addiction problems. That led to the social mission within this business.” After graduation, Brust and Wray moved the business to St. Louis Park and began working to expand their reach into grocery stores and other areas. Now, the treats can be found at stores such as Target, Cub Foods, Costco and Sam’s Club. All totaled, JonnyPops has 10,000 distribution points across the country. Another boon for the business was in 2017 when Brust and Wray were named to Forbes’ “30 Under 30” list of young entrepreneurs, as the youngest winners in the Food and Drink category. This was part of a competition that receives more than 15,000 nominations for just 600 spots. But despite the success he’s had in the seven years he’s overseen the business, Brust said he isn’t slowing down. CONTINUED ON PAGE 12

PREVIOUS PAGE: Cherry JonnyPops dipped in chocolate come off the production line. (Photo courtesy of JonnyPops)

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Three of JonnyPops’ 11 flavors. The “smoothies on a stick” are made with only natural ingredients. (Photo courtesy of JohnnyPops) CONTINUED FROM PAGE 11

“Growth is a major part of what we do here,” he said. “We’re excited about what the future holds in terms of more states or grocery stores. It feels like in a lot of ways, we’re just scratching the surface of place that sell us and schools that carry us.”

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According to Brust, JonnyPops’ success can be simply traced back to how good they taste while managing to stay healthy. “The product is a really great-tasting product,” Brust said. “People get really excited about it. We try to be genuine and fun and enthusiastic and kind. [Also], we’ve caught the wave of clean label, simple ingredients. It was all we knew; we used the ingredients we could find at a grocery store or farmers market. There’s that theme is resonating with consumers now.” JonnyPops is still expanding its flavors, which now include 11 offerings. In 2018, Brust and his development team branched out from their fruity flavors with five new “chocolatey” flavors, such as Root Beer Float & Cream. Every flavor clocks in at fewer than 200 calories per popsicle and is completely peanut, tree nut and gluten free, as well as kosher certified. “We have new flavors in the hopper,” he promised. “We’re very excited about some of the recent ones we’ve got tested.” And Brust’s favorite? That would be Raspberry Blueberry & Cream, one of the first flavors they came up with. “It’s one of the most refreshing,” he said.

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According to Brust, JonnyPops owes a lot of its initial success to how welcoming people in Northfield were about a new and unknown dessert that was being advertised as healthy — which was unusual at the time. “It’s fun how strong the Northfield community has been in supporting us from the beginning,” he said. “That was where the whole thing came out of. We’ll still hear people, when we’re at the State Fair or when we just run into someone, they’ll say, ‘I remember trying a JonnyPop during [Defeat of] Jesse James Days. We love JonnyPops!’ It’s pretty cool how the community down there was a huge factor in us being able to successfully launch the brand. There’s something to be said about the tight-knit nature of Northfield and how much they support health and wellness.”

TREATING ADDICTION According to Brust, one of JonnyPop’s greatest priorities is helping people find the support they need to work through addiction. JonnyPops donates a portion of its yearly profits to addiction treatment organizations such as the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation. “At the beginning, we wanted to figure out how to put out a positive message and combat addiction through anti-bullying while promoting positive mental health,” Brust said.

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Healthy community For Brust, JonnyPops is about much more than just physical health — it’s about working to create a healthier community overall. One of the most notable things about these pops are the random acts of kindness printed on each stick, which offer people ideas on how to reach out to others and make someone else’s day. Examples include “Make a thoughtful gift for someone” and “Take pride in your work.” “Building people up with encouragement and random acts was the idea,” Brust said. “At the beginning, it was just a whiteboard and pen, and [Connor and I] wrote down different ideas and themes. Now, we have fans who write in. We do contests online. We work with schools to come up with them. It’s a really authentic part of the work that we do on a daily basis. It’s super fun to interact with consumers and fans, and hear their reactions to the sticks.” These little suggestions can be especially meaningful in schools which have started carrying JonnyPops in their cafeterias more and more. In fact, more than 5 million students across 35 states have access to special JonnyPops during school lunches. (In order to ﬁt public school Smart Snacks regulations, the pops for these schools are made with skim milk instead of cream.) “At this point, I would say we’re probably most proud of what the brand has become a symbol for among K-12 kids,” Brust said. “We feel strongest about when a kid goes up to a teacher and asks, ‘What’s the stick say?’ Maybe the stick talks about encouragement, and the teacher gets to explain what that is. That’s the interaction we’re probably most proud of — how can we teach people at a young age some really important life values?” Grace Brandt is a Mankato-based freelance writer. NorthIeld

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Clearing the way Sometimes up all night, plow drivers get the roads ready for the rest of us

SNOW EMERGENCIES From Nov. 15 to March 15, there is no overnight parking allowed on Northfield streets unless the vehicles have permits. In addition, whenever a snow emergency is declared, cars must be moved from any street so that plows can come through. Snow emergencies are announced on the cityâ€™s website, as well as through Northfield News online and print. See more at www.ci.northfield.mn.us/708/ Winter-Parking.

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Steve Malecha works a snow plow shift in 2014. He’s been doing the job for 18 years now and is the most experienced member of the Northfield’s crew. (News file photo)

M By PHILIP WEYHE pweyhe@northfieldnews.com

aybe we take it for granted. We might forget to wonder how it is that snow’s piled up everywhere but the roads in front of us. Maybe we don’t consider what it was like for those people: up all hours, clearing paths for us. Maybe we’re a little too concerned with how the weather is affecting our own lives to recognize the service others are providing — sometimes on Thanksgiving, New Year’s Eve or a loved one’s birthday. In Northfield, a crew of five work the streets and parks full-time, and when the snow falls or tornadoes hit, they’re joined by five more city staffers in trucks and plows, clearing roads and making travel safe for area motorists. “We’re going to work when typically most people are either home or sleeping to make sure they’re able to get up in the morning and travel to

Plow drivers get regular training on safe plowing, use of salt and equipment. The simulator, pictured here, provided by the Minnesota Department of Transportation, allows plow drivers to experience a number of obstacles they would encounter while on the road. (News file photo)

work. We’re traveling during the storms, the rain, the snow. The roads aren’t clear when we’re traveling,” Streets and Parks Supervisor Jae Morrison said of the importance of his crew. “When we’re out plowing and salting, we’re on the road, trying to make it safe for everyone else. With training and experience, we’re able to do it safely and efficiently.” Generally, after a snow event, Northfield plows come out around midnight, making passes through the city’s most well-traveled roads. Then, after a bit of sleep, the drivers head back to the roads and start working on the remaining streets around 7 a.m. They can expect to be plowing for the next

10-12 hours. Of course, that’s just the schedule when forecasted snow falls during the day. If the snow hits unexpectedly or at inconvenient times, the crew is still expected to be on it quickly. “There are nights we’ll be here until 8 p.m. and be back at 3 a.m.,” said Steve Malecha, an 18-year driver and streets/parks worker for the city. “Sometimes, it does make it hard to maintain a schedule and life.” Malecha readily admits the job is sometimes thankless, difficult, draining. But it’s his career, and it’s been good to him, and he knows he is doCONTINUED ON PAGE 16

TOP LEFT: Malecha said the hardest part of the job sometimes is getting around traffic and parked cars. (News file photo) BOTTOM LEFT: Steve Malecha parks his plow truck in the garage at the city of Northfield’s maintenance facility. (Philip Weyhe/Northfield News) RIGHT: It typically takes 10-12 hours to plow the whole of Northfield after a snow event. (News file photo) NorthIeld

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TIPS FROM A SNOW PLOW DRIVER Steve Malecha has these tips when it comes to interacting with snow plows: • Wait to shovel your driveway until the snow plow comes around twice. Every plow driver makes two passes along his route, and it takes about four hours between passes. • Don’t pull your garbage cans into the road on garbage day; leave them on your driveway. • Give snow plow drivers space when they’re on the road. They often have to back up or turn around, and it can be difficult when a car is following too closely.

Steve Malecha has driven plows as a city of Northfield Streets and Parks worker for 18 years. Malecha said the odd and unpredictable hours can be tough with a family, but the job has been good to him overall. (Philip Weyhe/Northfield News) CONTINUED FROM PAGE 15

ing something important. “It’s my job and I’m doing a service for the community,” he said.

Born and raised Malecha, 45, grew up on a dairy farm just outside Northfield. He lived the typical life on the farm, growing up with chores and more chores. His dad decided to sell the cows in 1995, and Malecha didn’t have a desire at the time to take over the operation. “I maybe should’ve,” he said, pondering. “I wouldn’t mind farming again.” In 1995, he married Heather, and they’ve since had two sons, Luke, 19, and Adam, 15. They live on the original farm site in the house his grandfather previously owned. While still in high school, Malecha started working part-time at a landscaping company, Mulligan’s. After graduating, he took up a full-time job for the company. And years into it, he started snow plowing on a contract basis in parking lots and private properties. In 2001, he saw a help wanted ad from the city of Northfield and decided to give it a go. “I did like the landscape job, but it was time for a change — more steady year-round work,” he said. “It had to do with my family situation.”

The job What Malecha thought might be a nice transi-

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tion turned into a career. He’s now approaching two decades of service with the city, still trimming trees, fixing potholes and plowing roads as he was in 2001. “It’s kind of stayed pretty much the same job duties,” he said. He has seen some changes in his time, though. “I would say the equipment has changed and gotten better. The way we do things has changed to better serve the people — the way we maintain the streets and out plowing practices,” he said. “One thing I’ve seen is we used to used salt and sand on the streets and do more of it. Now, we use straight salt, and we’re using less and less per event. We’re trying to keep the streets safe but not waste material.” Streets and Parks workers attend occasional trainings to get updates on the latest equipment, practices and procedures, and regulations. One of the training topics is pollution, specifically how water is affected by salting. “In the past, it was the more (salt), the better; now, it’s use what you need to make it work. Before it was wanting to see instant melt; now, you come back to make sure it’s working a little while later. We also now pre-treat the streets with a salt and water mixture that leaves a little white residue that helps the snow melt when it contacts.” Malecha said. “I would say it does not really make the job harder. We’re very glad to do it.”

Fighting the storms While snow plowing may be the crew’s most

prominent job, they don’t stop working in the warmer months. Parks and roadside ditches need regular mowing and maintenance. Streets need patch jobs. Trees need trimming. And when tornadoes hit, like they did in the fall, someone needs to make the roads safe. “We were in that night, pushing trees off the road and making streets passable,” Malecha said. But the most challenging weather events, he said, are the winter storms, particularly when ice is involved. “I have seen a few nasty storms,” he said. “The worst is usually when it’s an ice storm when you have to go out and put salt down. You can’t drive the truck up the hill, so you turn around and drop salt as you go back up the hill. There are storms you can’t see 10 feet in front of you but you plow ahead. There is always a danger of running into vehicles and other things; the biggest thing is to be alert.” And while the adrenaline might be pumping, it’s not always fun. “It gets to a point where it’s not enjoyable,” Malecha said. “You just want to park and wait for the snow to stop and then go.”

Teamwork On a normal plowing day, things aren’t so grueling. The snow is settled on the streets, and the crew has the equipment to deal with it. From there, it’s just a commitment to sitting in a truck for 1012 hours. “It is a long time, but when you really need to,

Kelly Lynn Stanton-Nutt talks to some of the plow operators of the city of Northfield, who stopped by St. Dominic School in 2017 with their painted plow blades. The annual blade painting is a reminder from the community that the crew’s work is appreciated. (News file photo)

you get out and stop and stretch and take a break,” Malecha said. The whole crew will stop for breakfast after five or six hours on the road. Their favorite meeting place is the Quarterback Club, on Hwy. 3’s Q-block with plenty of room to park all the trucks. There, the team has something of a communications meeting, making sure everyone is getting along alright with their routes. Supervisor Morrison has only been in Northfield for a few months, but he has plenty experience in the field and has quickly seen the strength of the Northfield team. “It’s a great group; they are very aware of the weather and the time they can take off. Even if they have family things going on, they’re more than willing and ready to assist with snow removal if needed,” he said. “It’s crucial to the city and public safety for sure, making sure our roads are clean and clear of ice and snow.” Morrison noted that having someone like Malecha, who’s done the job so long, is a major bonus. “Steve has got some great experience; I think he’s been dealing with snow for 25-plus years in different capacities,” Morrison said. Malecha said he’s not planning on going anywhere in the near future. He may one day want to try farming out again, but he’s not anxious to leave a career that has served him well. “I must like something about it; I’m still here,” he said. And that’s a good thing for people in Northfield. Workers like Malecha and the rest of the city’s snowplowers ensure a little winter storm doesn’t become a big problem for us all. Just remember that those paths you’re traveling aren’t clearing themselves. “I don’t know if people think about it,” Malecha said. “They might not realize what we do.” Reach Associate Editor Philip Weyhe at 507-645-1115 or follow him on Twitter @nfnphilweyhe.

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Miller time NorthIeld

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By SUZANNE ROOK srook@northfieldnews.com

Joe Miller

BEHIND THE LENS Favorite place to photograph: Nerstrand Big Woods State Park. “You can get there quick and the images are just gorgeous.” Roadside attraction: It’s impossible for Joe Miller to count the number of times he’s pulled off the road to take photos of something he happens past. But even if he doesn’t have his camera with him, Miller still stops. “I look and ah … just enjoy it,” he said. His camera: Canon EOS 6D and 7D. His go-to lens is a 70-240 mm. “A good all-around lens,” he said. But Miller likes a wide-angle lens, too. “It puts you in the scene more. It gives you more depth.”

Social: joemillerphotography.com, Joe Miller on Facebook and @ joemillerphoto on Instagram.

oe Miller can pinpoint — almost to the exact second — the moment he fell head over heels for photography. In the darkroom his parents helped him build inside their home, he rocked the plastic tray from side to side, watching the liquid slosh across the slip of paper covered in developer. And as he watched, the image begin to

appear. Faint at first, it took only a few moments for the details to come into focus. It was almost like magic, he recalls, seeing his creation come to life right before his eyes. Miller, a St. Cloud native who works in communications for Dakota Electric, became interested in photography as an elemenCONTINUED ON PAGE 20

ABOVE: A beautiful August morning in the Boundary Waters on Wind Lake. UPPER RIGHT:Northfield’s Bridge Square at dusk. NorthIeld

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tary schooler. He began by making photograms, where objects are placed on photographic paper and the paper is then exposed. By sixth grade, his parents had built him that darkroom. Miller misses the darkroom, the hours spent perfecting an image — burning, dodging, cropping, assessing what you’ve done

well and what could have been done differently. Today’s young photographers will never know that feeling, he said, lamenting the downside of technological advances in photography. Not that Miller is opposed to digital photography or nearly every human having immediate access to a camera. His equipment is

CONTINUED ON PAGE 22

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TOP LEFT: Autumn trail, Nerstrand Woods State Park. ABOVE LEFT: Black-eyed Susans shine as day turns to night. ABOVE RIGHT: Water droplets sit on a blade of grass. RIGHT: Ferns at Nerstrand Big Woods State Park.

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digital and he appreciates the immediacy it offers, not to mention cutting the expense of film. But there was something so enchanting about the darkroom and the creative process, he said. Miller gravitates toward landscapes, but does some commercial work for clients like Northfieldâ€™s McLane Co. Light and the way it

trips across shorelines, treetops and in Northfieldâ€™s historic downtown is his specialty. Like so many photographers, Miller honed his skills by reading, and through trial and error. After graduating from Mankato State, his work in a photography studio/camera store allowed him to CONTINUED ON PAGE 24

TOP LEFT: Sandstone shoreline at sunrise, Big Bay State Park, Madeline Island, Apostle Islands, Wisconsin. FAR LEFT: The orange disc of the sun sets over the hills in The Great Smoky Mountain National Park, Tennessee. LEFT: These flowers bloom very early in the spring, usually around Easter. ABOVE RIGHT: The Milk Way.

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observe how others approached picture-taking. After a few years, he left the studio for a communications job with a Minnesota electric co-op. Twenty years ago, he landed in Northfield after taking a similar position with Dakota Electric. Among his favorite pastimes are camping trips â€” often to the

North Shore â€” or early morning jaunts to capture the beauty of his surroundings. Snowstorms often provide an excuse for him and his wife, LaDonna, to venture out with their cameras. When camping, he enjoys rising early and basking in the beauty of a sunrise. CONTINUED ON PAGE 26

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ABOVE LEFT: Hidden Falls after a fresh snow, Nerstrand Big Woods State Park, Minnesota. TOP RIGHT: Hidden Falls, Nerstrand Big Woods State Park. RIGHT: The bank reenactment during the Defeat of Jesse James Days in Northfield, Minnesota.

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ABOVE: A calm Nymph Lake reflects a peak as the sunlight hits the pine trees, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado. LEFT: Northfield after a large snowstorm. TOP RIGHT: Lone tree on island at Black Beach with Lake Superior in foreground. LOWER RIGHT: Winter on Division Street and Bridge Square.

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Frequently, he says, he’ll get back to camp just as his “neighbors” are stepping out to greet the day. Chuckling, he wonders if they realize what they’re missing. “Photography’s given me a reason to get out and explore,” he

said. “Oh the fun I’ve had.” Reach Regional Managing Editor Suzanne Rook at 507-333-3134. Follow her on Twitter @rooksuzy.

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Simply

delicious F Story & Photos By NICK GERHARDT editor@northfieldnews.com

MARTHA’S EAT & TREATS 236 Railway St, N, Dundas 507-645-2984 Facebook: Martha’s Eats & Treats Hours: 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays

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or Martha Schuetzle a bakery is a special place. There’s no doubt that her bakery, Martha’s Eats & Treats, has become a special place in the community. From the menu that changes weekly to the delectable sweets on display, there’s always something magical at Martha’s Eats & Treats. Schuetzle introduced her tasty creations nearly 15 years ago at the Northfield Farmers Market and then at the Riverwalk Market Fair on weekends. For the past five years she and her husband, Dan, have provided a place for customers to enjoy pastries, quiche, soup and sandwiches at 236 Railway Street N in Dundas. “I just always loved bakeries,” Schuetzle said. “I loved going to bakeries. I just think it’s so happy: people drinking coffee, eating something yummy, chitchatting or whatever. I loved them so I opened one.” Schuetzle rented spaces to prepare her baked goods for the farmer’s market and Riverwalk Market Fair but when Fermentations Wine Bar & Bistro closed in 2012, Schuetzle jumped at the opportunity to move into the space because it was already set up for a commercial kitchen. The dining space with the building became an added bonus and has since become a favorite dining spot for area residents. Martha’s Eats & Treats is open only from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, which makes a dining experience there a little more special. The hours of operation

Reyce Schaffer helps a customer at Martha’s Eats & Treats in Dundas. The bakery business has grown to become a special dining place in the community.

weren’t decided with exclusivity in mind, Schuetzle said, but it’s certainly helped build a devoted customer base where they’re often greeted by name. “We try to learn as many names as we can and we have so many regular customers,” Schuetzle said. “I have people who come twice a day every day.” Schuetzle only knew that she didn’t want to be open seven days a week when she started planning to open the restaurant. She’s still there nearly every day to prepare for Fridays and Saturdays. Opening twice a week also means CONTINUED ON PAGE 30

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ABOVE: Customers enjoy freshly made food at Martha’s Eats and Treats in Dundas. The bakery has operated for the past five years.

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she can operate with a smaller staff and have family help out. Dan often works alongside her on Fridays and Saturdays while her parents fill in as well. Schuetzle’s foray into baking and her recipes don’t stem from a family of bakers or an overflowing box of recipes. Instead, it comes from her passion for baking, which developed through the years. Schuetzle grew up in the restaurant business in Dennison where her parents ran a restaurant, but she diverted from that world and into baking by teaching herself. “It wasn’t until I was older and I feel like I was in any small town and I wanted to find the bakery when we were traveling,” Schuetzle said. “Still to this day when we travel, we still try to find bakeries. There aren’t that many good bakeries. We always look in the window and say, ‘PALE!’ If everything in the case is pale, it has no color, that’s the key to keep walking.”

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LEFT: Martha Schuetzle speaks with a customer at her bakery, Martha’s Eats and Treats in Dundas.

There’s a kaleidoscope of color with Schuetzle’s creations in terms of appearance and taste. Customers have long asked the secret to the tastiness of the pastries and it turns out the answer isn’t all that complicated. “People don’t ask a lot of questions,” Schuetzle said. “Someone at the farmers market asked Dan, ‘Why is it so good?’ Dan was like, ‘More butter.’ It’s clean around here, it’s butter, it’s flour, it’s water. There’s no junk.” The soups vary by season like recent offerings of Thai chicken and winter squash, along with conventional and exotic quiche selections like spinach ham or mushroom herb or sweet pepper goat cheese. Then there are the pies, cookies and pastries − all made from scratch. Date pinwheels,

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lemon coconut dainties, sugar cookies, peanut butter blossoms, Italian almond chewies, Russian tea cakes and ginger molasses were all on the menu during Christmas. Martha’s Eats & Treats has continued to add to its offerings and received a liquor license this fall. There are plans to increase the business’ online presence with a website and perhaps an expansion to host private events in the dining space. For now Schuetzle is sticking to providing an inviting space and making good food simply. Nick Gerhardt is a freelance writer based in Northfield.

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Long Division

Dug in on the German front opposing the Russians during World War I. Undated photo. (AP Photo)

‘A better American’ The wartime odyssey of

Mabel Jacobs

St. Olaf Choir members boating in Norway. (Photo courtesy of Jeff Sauve)

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A By JEFF M. SAUVE editor@northfieldnews.com

t the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, World War I – the Great War – ended. For one Northfielder, the tumultuous events a century ago provided a backdrop to her own experiences while stranded in Germany during the entirety of the war. Mabel Rosanne Jacobs, a Northfield resident and a member of St. Olaf College class of 1913, vowed not to say a single word while traveling in the unheated, bitterly cold fourth-class passenger Jeff Sauve train. Departing after 2 a.m. on Dec. 21, 1918, from Leipzig to Munich, Germany, Jacobs sat nervously. She was the only woman in the company of 65 war-weary German veterans who were returning home for good, following the Nov. 11 Armistice signing, which formally concluded the Great War among many nations. Jacobs recalled the extraordinary circum-

St. Olaf Choir, Norway, summer 1913, with Norwegian dignitaries at the magnificent ski resort Holmenkellen, near Oslo. (Image courtesy of the St. Olaf College Archives)

stances to secure a seat on the train: “We were in line since 9 o’clock, by we I mean the thousands, as it seemed, who wanted to go south on this the only train going in that direction until another 24 hours rolled by.” At midnight the gates were opened, and those with tickets were allowed on the platform. Jacobs noticed that some people without tickets bribed officials with cigarettes and flour. The train pulled in at 2 a.m. and in Jacobs’ words, “then commenced a fight for the survival of the fittest.” She added, “The crowd stormed the [train] doors and forced those who wished to get out to throw their baggage out thru Mabel Jacobs the windows and jump after it.” While she had purchased first-class accommodations, she was pushed away by the frenzied throng. Suddenly Jacobs found herself running with the mob in an attempt to reach an additional coach that had been added to the train. A gentle-

man, seeing her desperate situation, pulled Jacobs into a rail car for safety. She soon scrambled to an open seat, closed her eyes and exhaled a long sigh of relief. The initial leg of her journey to return home to Northfield — where her parents farmed three miles north of town — was underway. “We were just about to start when a bunch of weeping, swearing and scolding soldiers, with their bag and baggages, helped themselves to all the available standing room in the car,” Jacobs noted. Her train companions occupied every available space between the benches and aisle, from standing where possible to sitting on their luggage, and making walking about nearly impossible. As the sole female among them, Jacobs soon drew their attention and was peppered with questions. From the moment they learned she was an

American “my popularity was a sure thing and I was treated with the utmost courtesy and respect. … touching to note how the toughest of my companions tried to be gentlemanly and careful of their language.”

Soloist with an imposing personality The 28-year-old Jacobs recounted to her fellow passengers over the next 13 hours how she had become stranded in Deutschland for the past five years. Her odyssey began while touring in Norway in the summer of 1913 with the 50-member St. Olaf Choir. The contralto alto soloist performed in 30 concerts in front of tens of thousands in attendance. The trip holds the distinction as the first-ever American collegiate choir to tour abroad. A kind soul and an attentive soldier graciously shared a bottle of wine with Jacobs, which warmed her greatly considering their coach was unheated. Otherwise, “I would have frozen stiff,” she wrote. Jacobs, who had been a member of the choir since its establishment in January 1912, told those gathered around about her role, and CONTINUED ON PAGE 34 NorthIeld

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St..Olaf Choir members enjoying a day boating in a Norwegian fjord. (Photo courtesy of Jeff Sauve)

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the choir’s famed director F. Melius Christiansen and his accomplishments. Jacobs mused how her situation had drastically changed in the last few years since graduating with a music degree from the small Norwegian Lutheran college in the Midwest, to touring with the choir and performing in front of royalty, to now without food, funds and drearily clad in a threadbare dress. With a note of nostalgia, Jacobs mentioned that when she was in the choir, “the women members appeared at concerts in uniformly designed white satin dresses and long kid gloves. The men wore full evening dress.” As a soloist with an imposing personality, Jacobs scored ovations from the opening concert held on July 4, 1913, in Bergen, Norway. Her beautiful voice was described as immense, deep and mellow, with a range more than three octaves that could hit low-D. The choir rendered their concert to a packed house, not even standing room was available. A reviewer said of Jacobs: “...when Miss Mabel Jacobs sang her solo the house stormed. Miss Jacobs bowed her thanks, but that would not do. The audience cheered until she left her place in the chorus and came down to the front of the stage and signified her thanks again.” Through the next month, the choir captivated audiences throughout Norway. At the choir’s command appearance in Oslo, Jacobs sang before King Haakon VII and Queen Maude. She also sang a solo at the graveside of Rev. B.J. Muus, the founder of St. Olaf College, at Trondheim, Norway. Jacobs had come a long way both 34

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artistically and physically from Northfield. Singing from the age of 11, she had entertained Northfield audiences on a fairly regular basis at public functions, recitals, church gatherings, socials and weddings. Often cited as talented with a fine voice, but needing more development, Jacobs decided to pursue further training. After the choir gave its final concert on Aug. 6, 1913, in Copenhagen, Denmark, she journeyed to Berlin, Germany, with the intention of studying for a year.

Rutabagas three times a day In the early days of August 1914, the German Empire declared war on Russia and France, following the June 28 assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austrian throne. When the United States declared its neutrality, Jacobs decided to remain in the friendly and vibrant city of Berlin and continue her studies. In March the following year, she was awarded a scholarship to the Royal Conservatory of Leipzig, a true feather in her cap. Although the European war was raging with no end in sight, Jacobs at first was relatively unaffected. She could have made her way to neutral Switzerland, but decided to remain and pursue her studies — a regrettable decision once the U.S. declared war against Germany on April 6, 1917 — making her feel “trapped” and isolated. She was unable to leave Germany until the war ended. During her time in Leipzig from 1915 until war’s conclusion on Nov. 11, 1918, Jacobs experienced deprivation like nearly everyone

else within Germany. What was once taken for granted, such as a simple piece of fruit, soon became a fond memory. As her story unfolded to fellow passengers, the Bavarian countryside whisked by, and a joyous morning sunlight lifted over the horizon. The men about her took pity and insisted on offering her something to eat. One fellow presented a delicious orange — the first tasted in almost three years. Another handed over a thick slice of bread lathered in butter. Both were extraordinary treats considering the frightful diet she had endured in the war years. Her butter rations amounted to a tablespoon each week, and laughingly she remarked, “...it was not always butter. Some weeks it would turn out to be tallow, or perhaps fat.” During the winter of 1917 for instance, she ate rutabagas three times a day and went without meat altogether, becoming “a regular vegetarian,” in her words. When meat was had, she and her landlady tried to guess what it was, but could not. The landlady cut the mystery protein fine and boiled it with onions for hours, and they managed to eat it. Late in the war, a nice meal consisted of cornmeal mush and sour milk. “But I didn’t get fat,” she exclaimed. Of Norwegian descent, Jacobs was described as Junoesque. She lost 60 pounds during the war years, weighing a gaunt 135. Jacobs certainly did not go unnoticed with her distinctive looks and American passport. Initially German police required her to make twice-daily reports of her activities after learning she was teaching an English spy. Her belongings

were searched, but no further action was taken against her. To aid in the war effort, Jacobs visited hospitals singing at the bedsides of wounded soldiers. The frequency of her police reports were reduced to daily, then weekly, then monthly. Finally, she was permitted almost complete freedom, except that she was forbidden to leave Leipzig. Before the train arrived in Munich, a “grand old man” asked her how Christmas was celebrated in America. “He was almost wild with joy to get home to his wife and children for he had not seen them in 2½ years.” From joy to sorrow, as tears streamed down his cheeks, he told her how his two older sons were killed at the Battle of Verdun in 1916. He then pleaded, “Don’t go back to your country hating us, Fraulein. See it is Christmas and the Messiah has come to bring us peace.”

‘I’m still learning’ From Christmastime to March 1919, Jacobs remained with friends near Munich. During this period she gained 40 pounds on a diet of milk and pudding. In April she took a troop ship from Marseilles, France, to New York, where she remained until early June to recover from an illness. Her arrival in Northfield was noted in the June 13, 1919, Northfield News: “Miss Mabel Jacobs Home After Six Years in Europe. Returns A Better American.” Clarifying the headline, Jacobs said, “I never was a better American than I am now. … It took my European experiences to show me what people I belong.” Within a year Jacobs scored rave reviews from New York to Chicago. The Musical Courier (New York, June 3, 1920) exclaimed: “Mabel Jacobs, a contralto of imposing personality and beautiful voice, sang in a manner which demonstrated her depth of expression. The beauty of her voice and her lovely personality won all hearers.” Her musical career, spanning the greater part of the 20th century, was finally launched. She appeared in operas in both the United States and Europe, and for nearly two decades taught at Kansas State Teachers College and later Minnesota College of Music and the MacPhail Center for Performing Arts. In 1974 she was recognized by St. Olaf as a distinguished alumna. She never married and died at the age 86 in 1977, teaching until the last. When asked about retiring in 1976, she responded, “I can’t quit. I’m still learning.” Jeff Sauve served for many years as an archivist for St. Olaf College and the Norwegian-American Historical Association. He is an award-winning writer and is currently working on his latest book project, “Murder at Minnesota Point: The True Story of the Sensational Nationwide Manhunt for a Serial Killer.”

Members of the St. Olaf Choir at Hell, Norway. (Photo courtesy of Jeff Sauve)

IN HER HONOR Longtime Northfielders may have name of our historical series, “Long Division,” and remembered it as the name of a long-running column by former Northfield News Editor Maggie Lee. Lee, a true townie who worked for the News for 68 years, wasn’t just a Northfielder, she was a living, breathing advocate for all things Northfield. Her column, Long Division, which ran for years, started with a trip through downtown and included tidbits she picked up along the way. It was Lee, died in July 2013, who helped pushed for a historical society separate from the county, who urged Chip DeMann to make the James-Younger Gang more authentic and who, on a trip to San Antonio, decided that Northfield, too, should have a Riverwalk. A portion of the city’s Riverwalk is named in her honor. NorthIeld

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Rachael Sushner, the St. Olaf women’s soccer coach, will coach the U.S. team at the Pan American Maccabiah Games this summer. Sushner played in the Maccabiah Games, considered the Olympics for Jewish athletes, as an 18-year old. (Michael Hughes/Northfield News)

St. Olaf women’s soccer coach to lead Team USA at ‘Jewish Olympics’ 36

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By MICHAEL HUGHES editor@northfieldnews.com

he way Rachael Sushner describes it, it all sounds coincidental. The most recent instance of happenstance occurred while she was working at a soccer camp at Dartmouth, where her coaching led to one of the camp’s attendees to tell her father she thought Sushner, the women’s soccer coach at St. Olaf, might be a good fit for a position he was looking to fill. That player’s father was helping to lead the search for a new coach for Team USA at the Pan American Maccabiah Games this summer in Mexico City, and after the recommendation from his daughter, he reached out to Sushner. Now, Sushner is compiling a roster to make the trip to Mexico City this July. It will be 14 years after Sushner competed for Team USA as an incoming freshman at Skidmore College in 2005, when she only joined the team because a childhood friend was already making the

THE MACCABIAH GAMES The Maccabiah Games are held every two years and alternate between the Pan American Maccabi Games in either North or South America and a world-wide competition in Israel. The games, founded in 1932, have been coined the “Jewish Olympics,” since each country fills its teams with Jewish athletes. This year, the event will be held July 5-15 in Mexico City.

Rachael Sushner and Team USA earned a gold medal in 2005 at the Maccabiah Games in Israel. (Photo courtesy of Rachael Sushner)

While the purpose of the trip to Israel for the Maccabiah Games was centered around soccer, Rachael Sushner said the sight-seeing made it a particularly memorable experience. (Photo courtesy of Rachael Sushner)

trip to Florida for tryouts over winter break. Of course, this sequence of events wasn’t coincidental, certainly not according to her coach at Skidmore, Sarah Raymond. “Rachel was probably the most passionate and committed player that I’ve coached,” Raymond said. “It was 100 percent effort in everything and a truly inspiring teammate and leader. She’s probably one of the most loyal people I’ve ever come across and it was an awesome four years to have the opportunity to coach her and mentor her and get to know her.” Sushner started all four years at Skidmore and was a captain her senior year before playing a year professionally for the Boston Breakers. From there, she was an assistant coaching job at Wellesley College in Massachusetts for two years until in 2011 when she rejoined Raymond, who had just accepted the head coach job at Clarkson University and wanted to bring on Sushner as a graduate assistant. After two years in Potsdam, New York, Sushner accepted an assistant coach position at Washington and Lee University in Virginia, where she helped the Division III school to a 45-8-3 record over the course of three years before coming to St. Olaf prior to the 2016 season. All along the way, Sushner continued to leave a positive impression, like the one that eventually landed her the Team USA job.

Passionate about the game As a player, Raymond said there was no one more intense than Sushner. Joining a program Raymond said was in the process of rebuilding, Sushner wasn’t interested in a season of growth her freshman year. She wanted to win right away. “I remember one of the first games that we lost when she was a freshman, it was the bus trip back and other players had moved on from the loss and were just enjoying time together,” Raymond said. “Rachael couldn’t do that.” That stewing after losses continued all four years at Skidmore, although Raymond highlights the growth that allowed her to begin to see not every player needed that type of a reaction to losses. By her sophomore year, she had developed into one of the team’s foremost voices. “Certainly by the time she was a junior and

senior, she might have been the smallest player on the field but she played like she was 6-foot and played so tough every game,” Raymond said. Raymond says that passion has been the reason for Sushner’s success at every stop. For the Oles, Sushner has compiled a 27-21-4 record in her first three seasons in charge and qualified for the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference playoffs in consecutive seasons. Before Sushner arrived, St. Olaf hadn’t qualified for the “She’s just so into soccer it meant so much to her,” Raymond said. “She throws herself into it 100 percent. As a student-athlete, not so much of the coaching (when she was in college). You could see she would if she decided to go that way because she’s such a naturally inspirational person and just is so genuine.”

Culture shock In her first involvement with Team USA, the surrounding circumstances were a bit more highprofile than this summer. The Maccabiah Games, also spelled Maccabi, are held every two years and alternate between a regional competition and a world-wide gathering in Israel. Sushner competed during a year that meant a trip to Israel, which in 2005 was in the middle of a bloody conflict with Palestine. Four years before, the USA delegation made the decision to not send its entire delegation due to safety concerns. Then, in 2005, Sushner was an 18-year-old and part of the traveling group from the United NorthIeld

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In three season at St. Olaf, Rachael Sushner has compiled a 27-21-4 record and has qualified for the MIAC playoffs in consecutive seasons. (Photo courtesy of St. Olaf)

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 37

States. “We weren’t allowed to leave the hotel,” Sushner said. “When we would visit different places, whether it was Tel Aviv or some other cool little cities, there were a lot of rules. Part of it was because

we were younger, but there were a lot of rules of where you could and could not go.” Sushner grew up in Potomac, Maryland, an area she said allowed her a multitude of relationships with other people of Jewish faith. That meant she wasn’t going in blind to Israel that summer, and was well aware of the area’s conflict. Still, the imagery of having an armed guard assigned to the group wherever they went, and military personnel present on every block with guns in plain sight was a culture shock. “It is really different being in it and hearing about it, and

Rachael Sushner, front and center, said the Maccabiah Games felt like the Olympics when she was a player due to events like the opening ceremony. (Photo courtesy of Rachael Sushner)

NorthIeld

NOW - Winter 2019

understanding the last time the delegation didn’t even go,” Sushner said. Those details don’t define or color Sushner’s memory of that summer. The Maccabiah Games are referred to as the “Jewish Olympics,” and that’s evident from how much grandeur the event is provided, complete with an opening ceremony and a fireworks show each night. And even though Sushner does say she grew up in a Jewish community in Maryland, her experience in Israel trumped whatever she was expecting. “It’s just a really cool environment, because you’re never surrounded by all Jewish people, let alone all Jewish athletes,” Sushner said. “You don’t even realize there’s that many of you out there. Normally, you’re used to being the only Jewish player on your team or one of the only Jewish players on your team, so that part is amazing.” She hopes to bring those same experiences to the players she’s leading this summer and possibly beyond. While she says she would want to continue coaching Team USA past this summer, she also conceded that decision is primarily up to the United States delegation. Although, she might just be trying to make her success sound coincidental once again. Reach Sports Editor Michael Hughes at 645-1106. Follow him on Twitter @NFNSports.

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Winter 2019 -

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