Ed’s Word: Number 17 June 23, 2009
Ed’s Word: Number 17 June 23, 2009
1. Got back from my trip to Thailand and Cambodia area in time to enjoy a fishing trip to Wisconsin with my sons. Quite a bit of news awaiting me, some of it sorrowful.
2. Hall of Famer - Bert Kraus - Lyons - died on May 27th. His memorial will be held at the Corral in Western Springs on July 5 from 2 to 4. The address is 4900 S. Willow Springs Road in LaGrange. Bert was a long time Wrestling and tennis coach, plus being a counselor and ran the Corral.
3. Jack Callahan a Wrestler fromj Marist, died in his sleep the night before he was to graduate. No information as to the cause.
4. William Kottkamp of West Chicago died recently. He was the father of Elgin St. Edwards coach Shane Kottkamp.
5. By now most of know that Mike Powell, Division 3 Coach of the Year from Oak Park is battling a rare muscle disease called polymyositis - a lifetime autoimmune disease that eats away at your muscles, causes overwhelming fatigue and in some cases can be fatal. Mike has gone from 197 down to 159, but he is still continuing to fight - he recently was the coach of the Illinois National Cadet Greco-Roman team which won the National dual championships in Rochester, Minnesota. Donations can be made to help defray the enormous expenses by sending checks to In Relentless pursuit; Box 4226 Oak Park, Illinois 60304. For more informatin Email inrelentlesspursuit@gmail.com.
6. Jimmy Chase of Glenbard North made the Fila Team that will compete later on in Denmark.
7. There were no Illinois All Americans on the Wrestling USA team. nor were there any on the Academic Team. Tony Ramos of Glenbard North; Jon Morrison of Carl Sandburg and Bobby Barnhisel of Fenwick, made the All American grouping. Cameron Vance of Port Byron; Jimmy Chase of Glenbard North ; Seth Milks of Dakota; Elias Larson of Marion Catholic in Chicago Hts; Isaiah Gonzalez of Montini; Carl Foreside of Montini and Mario Gonzales of West Aurora were named to the Honorable mention team.
8. Congratulations to Jim and Connie Craig - they celebrated 50 years of wedded bliss.
9. Another family is carrying on the tradition. Bryan Stuart along with his father, Hall of Famer Ron run the Grizzly Grappling Program - Way to go.
1. Got back from my trip to Thailand and Cambodia area in time to enjoy a fishing trip to Wisconsin with my sons. Quite a bit of news awaiting me, some of it sorrowful.
2. Hall of Famer - Bert Kraus - Lyons - died on May 27th. His memorial will be held at the Corral in Western Springs on July 5 from 2 to 4. The address is 4900 S. Willow Springs Road in LaGrange. Bert was a long time Wrestling and tennis coach, plus being a counselor and ran the Corral.
3. Jack Callahan a Wrestler fromj Marist, died in his sleep the night before he was to graduate. No information as to the cause.
4. William Kottkamp of West Chicago died recently. He was the father of Elgin St. Edwards coach Shane Kottkamp.
5. By now most of know that Mike Powell, Division 3 Coach of the Year from Oak Park is battling a rare muscle disease called polymyositis - a lifetime autoimmune disease that eats away at your muscles, causes overwhelming fatigue and in some cases can be fatal. Mike has gone from 197 down to 159, but he is still continuing to fight - he recently was the coach of the Illinois National Cadet Greco-Roman team which won the National dual championships in Rochester, Minnesota. Donations can be made to help defray the enormous expenses by sending checks to In Relentless pursuit; Box 4226 Oak Park, Illinois 60304. For more informatin Email inrelentlesspursuit@gmail.com.
6. Jimmy Chase of Glenbard North made the Fila Team that will compete later on in Denmark.
7. There were no Illinois All Americans on the Wrestling USA team. nor were there any on the Academic Team. Tony Ramos of Glenbard North; Jon Morrison of Carl Sandburg and Bobby Barnhisel of Fenwick, made the All American grouping. Cameron Vance of Port Byron; Jimmy Chase of Glenbard North ; Seth Milks of Dakota; Elias Larson of Marion Catholic in Chicago Hts; Isaiah Gonzalez of Montini; Carl Foreside of Montini and Mario Gonzales of West Aurora were named to the Honorable mention team.
8. Congratulations to Jim and Connie Craig - they celebrated 50 years of wedded bliss.
9. Another family is carrying on the tradition. Bryan Stuart along with his father, Hall of Famer Ron run the Grizzly Grappling Program - Way to go.
10. Team Illinois Won the National Cadet GR Dual Championships held recently in Rochester, Minnesota. They defeated Minnesota 36-29 in the finals. Final placements were: 1. Illinois; 2. Minnesota 2; 3. Pennsylvania; 4. Washington; 5. Wisconsin; 6. Iowa; 7. Michigan; 8. New Jersey; 9. Minnesota 1; 10. Texas. Making the all tournament team were Zane Richards at 125 and Luke Smith at 135, both were undefeated. Team Coach was Mike Powell of Oak Park.
11. Illinois lost to New Jersey 33-40 in the Schoolboy Duals in Greco Roman, held at Indianapolis, Indiana recently. Placements were: 1. New Jersey; 2. Illinois; 3. Missouri; 4. Minnesota 1; 5. Pennsylvania Red; 6. Wisconsin; 7. Michigan 1; 8. Minnesota 2. Making the All Tournament Team were: Jaban Moody; Joe Cortese and Adrian Bolognani.
12. Illinois Cadets did the double trick by winning the National Dual Championships in Freestyle, in Rochester, Minnesota by defeating Minnesota 37-35; They also defeated Pennsylvania, Washington and Iowa in their pool. Team Placements were: 1. Illinois; 2. Minnesota; 3. Wisconsin; 4. Iowa; 5. Oklahoma; 6. Washington; 7. Pennsylvania and 8. Missouri. Those on the All Tournament team were Eddie Klimara; Steve Congenie and Gage Harrah.
13. The Junior Duals will be coming up this next week in Oklahoma City. The team is pretty well formed and ready for action. They are the defending National Champions.
14. Attended the Annual Ken Gerdes Memorial Golf Outing on Monday. Had a good turn out for golf and many extras for dinner. Profits from this outing go to helping wrestlers with their financial difficulties in going to International events, etc. Debbie Nason who heads up this event, has contributed over 100,000.00 to Wrestlers at the annual IWCOA Banquet - I believe about 106 have each received 1,000.00 each so far and Debbie has not intention of stopping this program. It appeared to me that all who attended enjoyed themselves.
15. The Pape Foundation golf outing - a fund raiser for Cleft lip children and for the National Hall of Fame, Illinois chapter will have their event on July 28th. This information has been circulated on email for some time. I do hope that you can attend this worthwhile event. If you cannot golf, attend the luncheon, if you cannot attend that, send a contribution. Visit http://www.thepapefoundation.org it is a 501 C 3 organization so your contributions are deductible as allowed by law.
16. Don’t forget the Midwest National championships to be held in Bloo mington on July 11th. Another great tournament and fund raiser for Wrestling. This tournament is a great opportunity for those wrestlers who did not make the National teams that will be going to Fargo. Wrestling is like school work - take too much time off, you fall behind when regular school begins.
We all basically go back to being children when we’re in a dentist’ s chair.
Money and success don’t change people; they merely amplify what is already there.
Love is what is left in a relationship after all the selfishness has been removed.
History, allthough sometimes made up of the few acts of the great, is more often shaped by the many acts of the small.
Every generation of Americans needs to know that freedom consists not in doing what we like, but in having the right to do what we ought.
Ed
