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Former Gopher wins silver medal at 2024 Summer Olympics
Sarah Bacon, a former University of Minnesota athlete, won silver at the Paris Olympics.
MINNEAPOLIS — Former Gopher Sarah Bacon winning a silver medal the 3-meter synchronized springboard competition has the University of Minnesota Swim & Dive team feeling golden.
“She has worked for that moment, and it was so awesome to see her achieve that,” said the Head Men’s Swimming Coach Mike Joyce.
Joyce didn’t coach Bacon, but he said everyone knows how hard she works. He said when she got to stand on the podium, it was a rewarding moment for the program
“Sarah is relentless,” Joyce said. “When she fell short of her Olympic dream the last time, I think that was really hard. Just witnessing from afar, but the perseverance she’s had she didn’t miss a beat, she trained all the time.”
The 5-time NCAA champion won Team USA’s first medal in the 2024 Summer Olympics. The U of M Head Men’s and Women’s Diving Coach Wenbo Chen is in Paris with her as an assistant coach on the U.S. Olympic Diving team. He coached Bacon when she was a student athlete.
“Wenbo Chen and Yu Zhou are some of the best people and coaches to help her kind of guide that process,” Joyce said.
He said the Gophers and the Olympics have a long history.
“We’ve always had representation every Olympics since 1992,” he said. “In the last four, we’ve had a medalist out of our program which is a really amazing accomplishment. I have no idea how many other programs can say that.”
Joyce said Kelci Bryant won a medal in 2012, David Plummer won two medals in 2016, Bowe Becker won a gold medal in 2021, and Bacon won silver in 2024. Chen coached Bryant in 2012.
“I think you can see the sustained success we’ve had,” Joyce said.
He said Bacon’s silver medal will hopefully make people want to dive into the swim and dive program at the University of Minnesota.
“Sarah, you know, she paved the way for the next four years for the Gophers to keep training and see where we can go,” he said. “I think people, recruiting-wise, it will kind of open their eyes and say ‘wow, it can be done in Minnesota, it continues to get done, let’s look in that direction.’”
Joyce said a new facility for divers should help springboard recruitment, offering new ways to train.
“It’s an opportunity to train outside of the pool, so not just in the weight room or the pool. They’ll having diving dry boards where they don’t have to go into the water each rep, they can get more reps in, they can have harnesses attached to their dive so they’re safe,” he said.
Bacon will next compete in the individual 3-meter springboard on Aug. 7.
MINNEAPOLIS — How much do you know about your grandma’s upbringing?
“The Stories From My Grandmother’s Hands” is a book that aims to show young Black children how their grandmas lived through beautiful illustrations and descriptions.
KARE 11 News at Noon shared more on Thursday about the impact that this book will have.
Gary Peterson and his friends are collecting donations to help people in their community.
ST. LOUIS PARK, Minn. — A St. Louis Park pumpkin display is raising money for their local food shelf.
Gary Peterson started carving and painting three pumpkins over a decade ago. It’s now grown to over 100.
“I’ve heard people say they’ve come from Hutchinson,” he said.
Peterson along with two of his neighbors have spent the last 14 years growing their display, turning it into a neighborhood event.
“It’s been incredible, I just can’t believe how much this has expanded,” he said. “We did it just because we like to and then people were asking to give us money to cover the cost.”
The trio refused to take people’s money, but then one of them had an idea.
“My neighbor, Steve Leensvaart, just mentioned how about we just do it for the STEP program and the STEP program is our local food shelf in St. Louis Park,” he said.
So, they started to collect donations to help families in need. They’ve raised hundreds of dollars and donated hundreds of pounds of food over the last few years, carving for a cause.
“It is more gratifying every year,” Peterson said.
He estimated they have over 100 unique pumpkins in their yard. They’ve created the displays and come up with new family-friendly concepts for people to enjoy. Peterson said about 30 of their neighbors carved their own pumpkins to be put on display, and it’s been a big hit.
“It’s great. In the last couple of years, it’s turned into more of a neighborhood event,” said Sarah Durch.
“We love this Halloween display, we come every year to see it. We love that the whole community gets involved to craft and carve the pumpkins,” said Jami Gordon-Smith.
“The shading and the details are unbelievable,” said Elizabeth Hanson.
Hanson hopes to take her 2-year-old son trick or treating for the first time but is worried the cold temperatures might keep them indoors.
“We’re going trick or treating hopefully,” she said. “He’s going to be a firefighter, but we’re probably going to have sweatshirts maybe like two pairs of sweatpants underneath. We’re going to be bundled up.”
Gordon-Smith said her family will be out Halloween night no matter the weather.
“Halloween only comes once a year, so you really have to take advantage and enjoy the evening no matter what the weather brings,” she said. “Guess it’s not totally unheard of in Minnesota to have a cold Halloween, but we are going to try and modify and do a lot of layers underneath our costumes and then we might add some hats and maybe some warmer socks.”
Durch also isn’t surprised they’re in for another chilly night.
“Well, what would Halloween be without Minnesota cold? I feel like every time you plan a costume you have to plan for how you can make this work if it’s snowing,” she said.
Peterson said they will have a bonfire and some hot chocolate and cider on Halloween to keep trick-or-treaters warm while they look at their pumpkins.
Click here to learn where you can see the pumpkins and how you can donate.
Jeremy Jourdain was 17 when he was last seen on Halloween 2016.
BEMIDJI, Minn. — The search for Jeremy Jourdain, who was last seen on Halloween in 2016, continues now eight years later.
Jourdain was last seen at a family member’s house in Bemidji, according to the U.S. Department of the Interior Indian Affairs. He left the residence near the 500 block of Wood Avenue after midnight and while people followed him, no one was able to find him.
Jourdain was 17 at the time.
Officials said he was wearing a blue and grey sweatshirt, and blue jeans when last seen. He is Native American and is described as 6 foot 5 and 175 pounds.
If you have any information on his whereabouts, you can contact the Bemidji Police Department at (218) 333-9111. Tips can also be sent to 1-833-560-2065, or you can email ojs_mmu@bia.gov.
