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Olympic Gymnastics Trials inspire young gymnasts in Minneapolis
Gymnasts of all ages will be able to meet their heroes in Minneapolis during the U.S. Olympic Trials.
MINNEAPOLIS — The Twin Cities is abuzz as the best gymnasts in the world congregate in Minneapolis to compete for a spot on the Olympic roster.
These trials are inspiring for many people watching, but especially for young athletes like the ones at Mini-Hops Gymnastics in Plymouth.
“That’s where dreams start is here,” James Letzring, facilities manager at Mini-Hops, said.
Starting June 27 at the Target Center, fans can watch elite gymnasts, like Suni Lee, Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles, work their way toward Paris.
“It’s the fact that they’re able to see their role models. To be able to experience that, to be able to get autographs,” Letzring said. “These kids have been looking up to these athletes for years, and to be able to have that in their backyard, it’s pretty incredible.”
Letzring is the parent of a 13-year-old gymnast, and the two have tickets to see the men’s events. The father-son duo will be cheering on Shane Wiskus, another Minnesotan – beside Lee – vying to represent the U.S.
“When Shane [Wiskus] was training here when he was younger and [to] see him on the stage that he has now, it’s been very inspiring for my son,” he said. “I’m hoping that [Shane] will get a big boost from us in the crowd that is for sure.”
Coach Joey Ray already sees glimpses of the big stage on the mats in front of him. Similarities are found in “the satisfaction in working through, planning it out,” he said. “Pushing through the hard things, that comes I think from being a little kid.”
Ray was a hall-of-fame gymnast at the University of Minnesota and a member of the U.S. National Team. He coaches toddlers, and emotions swell when he thinks about who they can grow up to be.
“My hope is that I can participate and contribute to their joy, to their passion for the sport, that it starts here,” he said. “That’s what sweeps them forward.”
The men’s team trials officially begin on June 27, while the women’s competition begins on June 28. The men will then wrap competition on Saturday, followed by the women on Sunday. Both teams will be announced in the hours following their respective competitions.
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Jacobsen suffers from dementia and may be disoriented, according to the Golden Valley Police Department.
GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. — Officials are asking the public to keep an eye out for 62-year-old Colin Jacobsen, who hasn’t been seen since leaving his group home on Saturday afternoon.
Jacobsen suffers from dementia and may be disoriented, according to the Golden Valley Police Department.
Jacobsen stands at 5’11” and weighs around 174 pounds. He was last seen wearing black Nike hoodie, black pants, glasses and a blue hat.
“We appreciate the community’s support and ask everyone to keep an eye out for Colin,” says Golden Valley Police Chief Virgil Green, in a statement. “Your help could be crucial in bringing him home safely.”
Anyone who sees Jacobsen or knows where he might be is asked to call the department at 763-593-8079.
“Brought back some really, really cool memories,” Ensign Donald McPherson said.
MINNESOTA, USA — Life has a funny way of putting people in your path when you least expect it. For Evan Fagen, that started with a search for inspiration.
“You never know, you know, where it’s going to go,” Fagen said. “Looking for paint schemes, and did some random internet searches and found Don McPherson’s paint scheme that he flew with in World War Two.”
That search led them to McPherson, a WWII veteran living in Nebraska. Fagen asked him for permission to paint their rebuilt Grummann F2F Hellcat, starting their friendship.
“Never thought in a million years that, you know, several years later, we’d have this great friend in Don,” Fagen said.
That friendship led them to this past Friday. Fagen is the chief pilot at the Fagen Fighters WWII Museum in Granite Falls, who’s hosted McPherson several times to talk about his time in the war.
Fagen has been trying to get the 102-year-old McPherson up to the museum again to fly in another WWII-era plane, and Friday was that day.
“I hadn’t been in a World War Two airplane until yesterday,” McPherson said.
It’s been decades since Ensign Don McPherson flew a Hellcat during the war, but even at 102, his memory of that time is sharp.
“The first of March of ’45 until the first of September,” McPherson said of his time in the Pacific theater.
Photos and videos of McPherson’s time in the sky show him riding with the canopy open, thumbs up in excitement.
“Brought back some really, really cool memories,” he said. “You know, what had happened in the past.”
McPherson spoke to a large crowd at the museum, including a school field trip. Fagen says kids sat front row, listening as McPherson passed along his story and history.
According to the release, deputies arrived at the scene and rescued all four of the hunters, who were treated for hypothermia exposure.
DOUGLAS COUNTY, Minn. — The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office is reminding all watercraft users about the importance of life jackets after a boat carrying two adults and two children capsized.
The group of four was rescued after the county’s water patrol boat and dive team airboat were sent to the scene near Bird Lake in Osaki Township on Saturday, according to a release from the office.
It was reported to responding units that the parties were having a “difficult time” staying afloat because their waders had filled with water.
According to the release, deputies arrived at the scene and rescued all four of the hunters, who were treated for hypothermia exposure.
None of the adults or children were wearing lifejackets and there were not enough life jackets for all of the craft’s occupants, according to the statement.
“Hopefully, this call will serve as a reminder for all watercraft users to wear life jackets (or have them immediately accessible), have all children wear life jackets, and to have a life jacket for each occupant. Please do not sacrifice safety when participating in outdoor activities such as waterfowl hunting. Drowning is the leading cause of death for waterfowl hunters,” said the statement.
