10/4/2006 – News
Volume 123, Number 35
County natives part of world masters team
Editor’s note: The following article by Roger Shellman, which appeared in the September 13 issue of the Oconto County Times-Herald in Octonto Falls, Wisc. concerns Benson County natives Steve Engelhardt and his wife, Paula Leier-Engelhardt. He is a 1978 graduate of Minnewaukan High School and is the son of Claire Engelhardt of Bismarck and the late Tony Engelhardt. She is a 1978 graduate of Esmond High School and is the daughter of Jerry and Marvelyn Leier of Esmond. They live in Little Suamico, Wisc.
The La Baie Verte Rowing Club of De Pere, Wisc.
won a gold medal at the FISA World Masters Regatta held September 7-10 at the US Olympic training site in Princeton, NJ.
FISA, "F?d?ration Internationale des Soci?t?s d’Aviron" in French, or the English equivalent International Federation of Rowing Associations, is the governing body of the sport of rowing. It is empowered by its 120-member National Rowing Federations, the National Olympic Committees and the International Olympic Committee to govern the sport of rowing. FISA sets the rules and regulations for the practice of the sport.
The La Baie Verte rowers took first place in the mixed D eight, meaning four men, four women in the D age category (50 to 54 boat average) in the eight-oared shell. They beat out five other crews in the hotly-contested race, over a 1,000 meter course.
Paula Leier-Engelhardt related, ". . . on the last day of the regatta, all eight of us, four men and four women, raced in the mixed D 8 with coxswain. We came off the line in front of all the other boats and never looked back. Actually, we were able to watch them the length of the course since we are sitting facing the stern. We knew we were in control the entire race, and any time that one of the boats tried to move on us, we were able to counter them. We finished 1.5 seconds or about half a boat length in front of the second place boat. We were thrilled!"
The crew was composed of masters rowers from Wisconsin, including the local core group. They include Laurie Walters of De Pere, Steve Engelhardt and Paula Leier-Engelhardt of Little Suamico and. Roger Shellman of Green Bay/Oconto Falls. Others were Noreen Warren and Pat Walsh of Madison, Deb Klingaman of Waterloo, Iowa and Roger Paine of Virginia (formerly of Wisconsin).
Steve Engelhardt and Roger Shellman raced the men’s D pair to second place, less than a length behind a pair from Dynamo Moscow, former Russian Olympic rowers.
Engelhardt and Shellman were also part of the men’s D four, which took second. Paula Leier-Engelhardt was the coxswain of the boat.
That same boat was third in the four without coxswain event. A coxswain is the person who steers the boat and is in charge of the crew.
The mixed double sculls of Shellman and Laurie Walters took third, while the woman’s D four, which included Walters and Leier-Engelhardt rowing, took fourth.
The mixed E eight with Steve Engelhardt and Paula Leier-Engelhardt was fourth, and the women’s D double sculls with Laurie Walters and Noreen Warren was sixth.
Walters, Leier-Engelhardt, Warren and Klingaman joined up to form an eight from Cambridge, Mass., which took third.
Just under 3,000 masters rowers competed, including former Olympic medal winners. They came from 36 countries, including the US, Japan, France, England, Scotland, Denmark, Russia, Mexico, Brazil, Germany and Italy, among other countries. Next year’s regatta will be held in Croatia.
The La Baie Verte Rowing Club of De Pere, Wisc.
took first place and a gold medal in the mixed 8 oared shell event September 10 at the FISA World Masters Regatta (FISA is the international governing body of rowing). The rowers all have ties to Wisconsin. One couple has ties to Benson County. Left to right, back row, are Roger Paine of Virginia; Pat Walsh of Madison; Roger Shellman of Oconto Falls/Green Bay; Steve Engelhardt amd Paula Leier-Englehardt of Little Suamico; Noreen Warren of Madison; Deb Klingaman of Iowa.
Standing in the middle is Laurie Walters of De Pere. Kneeling is coxswain Jana Rayfield of Cambridge Boat Club, Boston.
Waterfowl enjoy Round Lake
Waterfowl, mostly seagulls, rest on the abandoned railroad bed at Round Lake south of Minnewaukan.
The birds are in the vicinity of the state’s Devils Lake Outlet with its pressure tower on the hills in the background. Devils Lake has dropped almost two feet from its high in May.
Earns ribbons
Ben Backstrom, son of Mr. and Mrs. Dennis Backstrom of Maddock, received grand champion ribbons in both the FFA and 4-H division at the 2006 ND State Fair in Minot. He received a grand champion FFA ribbon in the educational division in displaying the parts of a four cycle small engine.
He received a grand champion 4-H ribbon in the educational division for his electrical wiring display.