01 SPL 09-20

A PUBLICATION FROM THE N’WEST IOWA REVIEW
SEPTEMBER 2020
PLAYING BALL:
LONGORIA CONTRIBUTES
TO CAUSE AFTER FANS WIN
COVID-19 DRAWING
NEW NORMAL:
KURTH MAKES SMOOTH
ADJUSTMENT TO LIFE WITH
LIMITED EYESIGHT
FISH TO
FRY
Van Ginkel has big
goals for second
year with Dolphins
GRANTED:
FOUNDATION FUNDS HELP
LYON COUNTY SCHOOLS
DEAL WITH PANDEMIC

BEFORE & AFTER
THE GAME
STOP IN FOR FUEL AND
GREAT THINGS TO EAT!
Fill your cart and fuel your car with Hy-Vee Fuel Saver TM Rewards Program!
GAS
712.324.9826 • www.hy-vee.com • 1999 Park Street, Sheldon
OPEN 5 AM TO 11 PM • 7 DAYS A WEEK
712.722-2620 • www.hy-vee.com • 1953 Main St., Sioux Center
OPEN MON - SAT 5 AM TO MIDNIGHT • SUN 8 AM - MIDNIGHT

“With God by my side, I have accepted this new way of life and I am
forever grateful to the administration at Gehlen Catholic for allowing me
to continue to be a part of the school system.”
ALSO INSIDE
MARTY KURTH FORMER GEHLEN CATHOLIC BASEBALL COACH
ALSO INSIDE
5
17
VOL. 13 • NO. 5 SEPTEMBER 2020
ON THE COVER
5 LONGORIA MAKES
DONATION
Quarantine turns into memorable time
for San Francisco Giants fans.
10 VAN GINKEL NEXT
MAN UP IN MIAMI
Rock Valley man hoping for better health
in second season with Dolphins.
14 LYON COUNTY
SCHOOL GRANTS
Foundation funds helping schools make
live streams available to their fans.
10
17 MARTY KURTH HAS
VISION FOR EDUCATION
Former baseball coach still making an
impact for Gehlen Catholic students.
SEPTEMBER 2020 | THE SPORTS LEADER 3

Schools receive
TIDBITS
support
THE PLAY
Year of big changes
If there is anything we should have learned by now in 2020, it’s that life doesn’t go by your
schedule — in terms of sports or otherwise.
We all had plans. We all have things we enjoy doing during the fall. Due to the coronavirus,
those plans have to be quite a bit more flexible.
Lyon County high schools are preparing for the possibility of even bigger change this winter.
That’s why the timing was good that Iowa legalized sports gambling last year. As a result, the
Lyon County Riverboat Foundation has earmarked some money to help the schools deal with
the ongoing pandemic.
And it could be worse. Marty Kurth reminds
himself of that every day as he keeps a positive
outlook on life despite the loss of his vision. The
former Gehlen Catholic coach no longer works
with the athletic teams, but he still has an impact
as a teacher at the school.
Kurth is still inspiring students, and he’s found
a way to minimize the disruption of his life in
general.
Sometimes the adversity we face is not due to
illness, but due to injury. Rock Valley’s Andrew
Van Ginkel didn’t play much football last year for
the first time in a long time. The Miami Dolphins
“We all had plans. Due to
the coronavirus, those plans
have to be more flexible.”
Scott Byers
SPORTS EDITOR
rookie spent his season on the injured reserve. Van Ginkel kept working through that time,
knowing he would eventually be rewarded. He had three tackles and a tackle for loss in the
National Football League season opener for the Dolphins this year.
Even if we’re stuck at home, we can still have a little fun. The Van Otterloo family of Sioux
Center, lifelong San Francisco Giants fans, were able to win a contest during the pandemic that
resulted in them receiving some autographed items from Evan Longoria and an even more
meaningful donation to one of the family’s favorite charities.
PIXELLOT AUTOMATED PRODUCTION
SOURCE: HTTPS://WWW.NFHSNETWORK.COM/PIXELLOT
READ MORE ON PAGE 14
No people required
Auto-tracking feature
enables cameras to follow
the action (panning and
zooming)
Use at indoor or outdoor
venues
“People love to be a part of
the atmosphere at a high
school game, but with the
pandemic not everybody
is able to. It’s also nice for
people who have family a long way away. It
should be a great benefit to our community,
our spectators, our students and our staff.”
Tyler Glanzer GEORGE-LITTLE ROCK ACTIVITIES DIRECTOR
THIS PUBLICATION IS SPONSORED BY
THE MANY BUSINESSES AND INSTITUTIONS LISTED THROUGHOUT.
The Sports Leader is published several times a year by Iowa Information Inc., Sheldon, IA.
For advertising rates and other questions, please contact us.
The Sports Leader, P.O. Box 160, Sheldon IA 51201
1-800-247-0186 • (712) 324-5347 • e-mail: sports@iowainformation.com
©2020 The Sports Leader. No material from this publication may be copied or
in any way reproduced without written permission from the publisher.
4 THE SPORTS LEADER | SEPTEMBER 2020

Snapshots
STORY BY CHARLIE HILDEBRAND | PHOTOS SUBMITTED
heard
the world
‘round
VAN OTTERLOOS
SEPTEMBER 2020 | THE SPORTS LEADER 5

Longoria’s sorting hat
chooses Van Otterloos
A
bored Major
League Baseball
player in quarantine
led to a Sioux
Center family
winning a Harry Potter Lego
set and a jersey.
Evan Longoria, a third baseman
for the San Francisco Giants,
assembled Harry Potter
Lego sets during quarantine.
On Aug. 1, he posted on Instagram
that he had signed the two sets and wanted to
give them to someone that loves the Giants and was
a Harry Potter fan.
“TO WIN: DM me 2 pictures, 1 of you at a Giants
game and the second of something you own from
the Wizarding World,” Longoria said on Instagram.
The winner would also have the option to make a
donation to the organization of their choosing and
Longoria would donate as well and send a special
signed item to the winner.
PICTURES WORTH 1,000 WORDS
Bonita Van Otterloo, the marketing director at
Peoples Bank in Rock Valley, married into a family
of Giants fans. Her husband, Bobby, is named after
Bobby Thomson, the Giants player that hit a walkoff
home run called “The shot heard ‘round the
world” to cap a miraculous run that won the team
the pennant in 1951.
She saw Longoria’s post and formulated some
ideas on pictures.
The Van Otterloos try to make it to a Giant’s game
each season. It was always an away game that’s
closer to N’West Iowa, like when San Francisco
plays the Colorado Rockies in Denver. Last year, the
Van Otterloos made it to San Francisco for the first
time and saw a game in Oracle Park. They thought
it might be Madison Bumgarner’s last year with the
Giants so they made the 27-hour drive.
“We wanted to go see him play one last time as
a Giant, so we did get to see him pitch last year
too,” Bonita said. “I chose a family picture
of us at one of those Giants
games last year when we’re
standing, basically
Peyton and Olivia Van Otterloo pose for a picture that their mother, Bonita,
took for Evan Longoria’s contest to win autographed Harry Potter Legos.
right by the field, right next to the
Giants’ dugout. It was a pretty cool
experience.”
For the second picture, Bonita’s
daughter, Olivia, is a big Harry Potter
fan. The family has even been to the
Harry Potter theme park at Universal
Orlando in Florida. So Bonita had
Olivia stand on one side for the picture
dressed in her wizarding robes with a
wand. On the other side was Bonita’s
other daughter, Peyton, in a Giants
jersey with a quill pen. In the middle
of the picture, was a television with a Giants game
on. Bonita then had an idea.
“We’re watching the game at the time and I
said, ‘Oh man, Evan’s up. Let’s just get him in
the background of this picture. How sweet would
that be?’ That’s kind of how we decided on that
one,”” she said.
Longoria singled during the at-bat.
WINNER WINNER
While the family was in the car the next day,
Bonita received a message from Longoria saying
she had won.
“I kind of freaked out,” Bonita said. “My husband
asked what was going on and I said, ‘Evan
Longoria just DMd me on Instagram.” He’s like,
“He did not.’ I said, ‘Yes he did!’ Then we’re messaging
all afternoon and stuff and Bobby was just
kind of blown away.”
In the mean time, Bonita was also texting her
father-in-law, Kevin Van Otterloo, about the situation.
6 THE SPORTS LEADER | SEPTEMBER 2020

“It was kind of a fun thing to be
able to share with her and say this
MLB player is plugging this organization
in Sioux Center, Iowa.”
Bonita Van Otterloo CONTEST WINNER
FIRST TRIP TO ORACLE PARK
Bobby, Bonita, Olivia and Peyton Van Otterloo pose for a picture
at Oracle Park in San Francisco, their first time there, for a
Giants baseball game in 2019 against the St. Louis Cardinals.
“He is a huge Giants fan as well,”
Bonita said. “He said, ‘That is so neat. I
think he just became my favorite player.’ I
almost didn’t believe it at first either, but
it was his verified account.”
On Aug. 3, Longoria posted the picture
of Olivia and Peyton on Instagram with
the comment, “These are my winners!
Congrats @bonitavanotterloo and her
family! The girls really sealed the deal
with watching the game live and getting a
picture while I’m hitting. Very creative.”
GIVING BACK
In addition to the signed Lego sets,
Bonita had the option to donate to a
charity or organization and Longoria
would match the donation and then add some
on top. Bonita picked the Hope Food Pantry
in Sioux Center, where she and Bobby volunteered
last winter.
“They’re doing great stuff over there and
we had just a blast volunteering and helping
those who came that day,” she said. “We saw
the good things that are going on there and
are very much appreciative of the things that
they’re doing for our community.”
Bonita then called Marianne Sjaarda, the coordinator
at the Hope Food Pantry, to explain
there could be a sizable donation on the way.
“I explained the whole giveaway with Evan
Longoria and then how we chose the Hope
Food Pantry and he also had donated to
them,” Bonita said. “She said, ‘OK, I’m so glad
you told me this because we got your donation
yesterday afternoon and then we got a pretty
sizable donation later on. It was from this
name I didn’t recognize.’”
Bonita said the Sjaarda was happy for the
donations.
“It was kind of a fun thing to be able to share
with her and say this MLB player is plugging
this organization in Sioux Center, Iowa,” Bonita
said. “I’m sure he’s never heard of Sioux
Center.”
Since the Van Otterloos donated, Longoria
sent them a signed Giants jersey. In a family
that already loved the Giants, this was another
reason for them to be fans.
“They’re really easy to cheer for and they’re
just a fun team to watch,” Bonita said.
SEPTEMBER 2020 | THE SPORTS LEADER 7

PROTECTION YOU
CAN TRUST.
• LIFE & HEALTH • COMMERCIAL INSURANCE
• PERSONAL INSURANCE • CROP & FARM
165 S Central Ave • Hartley, IA • 712-928-2720
OVER 130 YEARS OF SERVICE
With 200+ agents in 50+ N’West Iowa communities, we provide over
$2,650,000,000 insurance protection on area Farms and Homeowners.
Today, approximately 6,000 policyholders
own the mutual and we are still growing.
91 S. Central Ave.
Hartley, IA
712-928-2412
800-247-4072
centurymutualins.com
Ask your agent to place your
insurance with us or give us
a call and we will direct you
to an agent near you.
CMI
809 3rd Avenue
PO Box 430
Sheldon, IA 51201
877.324.4311
712.324.4311
fax 712.324.3532
www.prinsins.com
301 Main Street
PO Box 220
Sanborn, IA 51248
800.831.8545
712.729.3252
fax 712.729.5024
“ALWAYS AT YOUR SERVICE” Since 1976
We’re committed to providing
quality products and innovative,
industry-leading service solutions
with integrity, continuing to be
“Always at Your Service”.
www.denhartogindustries.com
8 THE SPORTS LEADER | SEPTEMBER 2020
712.752.8432 • Hospers, IA

THE LATEST IN
QUALITY HOME
FURNISHINGS
WE KNOW YOU’RE BUSY...
SCHEDULE A FREE
CONSULTATION.
WE WILL GO OVER EACH
ROOM IN YOUR HOME.
HOSPERS
FURNITURE
...your satisfaction is our passion!
104 6th Ave N l Hospers, IA l 712-752-8474
Will Vander Ploeg, Third Generation Owner l Monday-Friday 9:30-7 l Saturday 9:30-2
www.hospersfurniture.com
OFFICE
LIVING BEDROOM MATTRESSES FLOORING ACCENTS DINING

ANDREW VAN GINKEL
STORY BY CHARLIE HILDEBRAND | PHOTOS BY IOWA WESTERN ATHLETICS, MIAMI DOLPHINS, FILE PHOTOS
Swimming in the
BIG PON
After missing a large chunk of his rookie season in the National
Football League due to injury, former Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley
star Andrew Van Ginkel is ready for his second season with the
Miami Dolphins.
The 6-foot-4-inch, 242-pound linebacker was placed on injured
reserve on Sept. 6 of 2019 with a foot injury but returned to practice
later that season on Nov. 13. Van Ginkel said it was the first time he’d missed
serious time and was a tough experience.
“In ways, it feels like you’re not really connected with the team because
they’re all doing their own thing going to practice,” he said. “You’re on a
completely different schedule with rehab and just trying to get back out
there. It’s tough, but it’s something that is a unique challenge that you have
to push through and continue to grind to work your way back out there.”
ROAD WARRIOR
As a redshirt freshman at the University of South Dakota in Vermillion
in 2015, Van Ginkel notched 56 tackles, 18 tackles for loss and nine sacks.
He transferred to Iowa Western Community College in Council Bluffs and
played for the Reivers in 2016, where he totaled two sacks in eight games.
10 THE SPORTS LEADER | SEPTEMBER 2020

“It was a great experience. It’s something I’ve always
dreamed of. I didn’t realize that it would become a reality
but when it happened it was a dream come true and,
at the time, the greatest moment of my life.”
ND
Andrew Van Ginkel MIAMI DOLPHINS LINEBACKER
ANDREW VAN
GINKEL, a former star
at Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley,
recorded three tackles
and a tackle for loss for
the Miami Dolphins during
a 21-11 loss to the New
England Patriots to open
the 2020 season.
SEPTEMBER 2020 | THE SPORTS LEADER 11

Van Ginkel preps for second
National Football League season
Van Ginkel told The REVIEW in 2016 about leaving
USD, “I figured out that I wanted to leave. I’ve
always wanted to play at a higher level. I wanted to
see what I could do.”
The higher level he ended up at was the University
of Wisconsin in Madison. In Van Ginkel’s first year
with the Badgers in 2017, Wisconsin went 13-1 and
defeated the University of Miami in the Orange
Bowl. Van Ginkel finished the season with 39 tackles,
10 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks and two interceptions
for a Badgers’
team that ended
the season ranked
seventh in The Associated
Press Poll.
While the Badgers
could not
recapture the same
magic the next season,
finishing the
season 8-5 with a
win over Miami in
the Pinstripe Bowl,
VAN GINKEL’S
2019 NFL STATS:
Games played................. 5
Games started ................ 1
Tackles........................... 15
Tackles for loss................ 4
Sacks............................... 1
Fumbles recovered.......... 1
Van Ginkel had another strong season. He totaled
59 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks.
DREAM REALIZED
Van Ginkel was selected in the fifth round of the
2019 NFL Draft with the 151st overall pick.
“It was a great experience. It’s something I’ve
always dreamed of,” he said. “I didn’t realize that
it would become a reality but when it happened it
was a dream come true and, at the time, the greatest
moment of my life.”
Van Ginkel said his college experience of playing
for multiple teams helped him in the transition to
the NFL last season.
“Just being able to adapt to a new situation and
deal with the change and everything new around
me and meeting new people, I think it’s helped
me tremendously because I’ve lived through it,” he
said. “I understood the change from going from one
place to another to meeting all new people and still
playing to the best of my ability.”
STRONG FINISH
While the Dolphins finished below .500 last year,
FROM ROCK VALLEY TO MIAMI
Andrew Van Ginkel attempts to tackle Sioux Center’s Christian
Rozeboom during a Class 2A District 1 game in 2013.
they improved throughout the season. Miami started
0-7, but won five of its final nine games to end
the year at 5-11. The Dolphins won their last two
games of the season, including a 27-24 road win
over the New England Patriots to end the year.
Van Ginkel said it was awesome to see the team
improve over the year.
“It gave us a lot of hope just knowing that all the
hard work and dedication we put in throughout
the weeks,” he said. “We were a young and inexperienced
team, but just the fact that all of our hard
work continued to pay off and we started to see the
fruits of our labor. It’ll help us going forward into
this year as well just knowing that all the hard work
and dedication that it takes to be good and great
that you’ll see it work out in the end.”
Van Ginkel said he’s played against a lot of great
players in college and the NFL, but mentioned New
York Giants running back Saquon Barkley as a guy
that sticks out.
“When we played against the Giants, Saquon was
a guy that just jumps out on the tape and just watching
him when we played them,” he said. “The jump
cuts and the way he can move is just incredible with
how big and physical he is as well.”
The Giants beat the Dolphins 36-20 on Dec. 15,
the final loss of the season for Miami, while Barkley
rushed for 112 yards and two touchdowns.
Van Ginkel said the biggest thing he was looking
forward to this season was building on the end of
last year.
“Continue to improve and get better and keep
working hard to try to be the best that I can be,” he
said.
The Dolphins opened the season with a 21-11 loss
to the New England Patriots.
12 THE SPORTS LEADER | SEPTEMBER 2020

Bad Guys
Don’t Take
a Vacation
712-324-4519
615 2nd Ave
Leaving your home for a family
trip means everything from your
heirlooms to your gadgets are
unattended. Quality home insurance
will give you peace of mind, just
like a day on the beach. Trust in
Tomorrow.
Sheldon, IA
MONDAY - THURSDAY
9:30 am - 8:00 pm
FRIDAY - SATURDAY
9:30 am - 9:00 pm
GET YOUR DRINK AT
YOUR HOMETOWN
STAMMER
LIQUOR
WINE•BEER•SPIRITS
Contact your agent today.
AGENTS:
•Bank Midwest Insurance, Spirit Lake •Benz Insurance, Melvin
•Grinnell Specialty Agency, Grinnell, IA •Elgersma Agency, Sanborn
•Casualty Insurance Underwriters Inc., Orange City
•Sioux Valley Insurance, Larchwood, Hills, MN
•Four Seasons Insurance, Primghar •Frontier Insurance, Rock Rapids
•Gaarder Insurance, Sibley •Heidebrink & Associates, Luverne, Adrian, MN
•Hertz Insurance, Ocheyedan •ISB Insurance, Hull, Sheldon, Sanborn
•ISB/Reinking Insurance, Ireton •The Kelley Group Co. (Koele), Hull
•Otter Valley Insurance, George
•Perspective Insurance, Orange City, Sioux Center, Sheldon, Hospers
“Trust in Tomorrow.” and the
•Peoples Insurance Agency, Rock Valley, Sheldon, Sioux Center
“A Grinnell Mutual Member”
mark are property of Grinnell
•Sibley Insurance, Sibley •Sieperda/Foltz Insurance, Rock Rapids
Mutual Reinsurance Company.
•Van’s Insurance, Sioux Center
© Grinnell Mutual Reinsurance
Company, 2018.
COUPON•SEPTEMBER CHICKEN SPECIAL•COUPON
712-631-4118 • Sheldon, IA
TUESDAY-SUNDAY: 11AM-10:30PM
WE DELIVER UNTIL 9:30 P.M.
all day within 1 mile of Sheldon.
Minimum $5 order, $1.50 delivery charge.
Good thru Wednesday, September 30, 2020.
Must present coupon at time of purchase.
10-Piece Chicken
with Family Fries
$
15 95
SEPTEMBER 2020 | THE SPORTS LEADER 13

FOUNDATION GRANTS
Schools
support
receive
STORY BY SCOTT BYERS
PHOTOS BY SCOTT BYERS, FILE PHOTOS
Riverboat Foundation helps Lyon County schools during pandemic
Last August the Lyon County Riverboat
Foundation obtained a new revenue source
with Iowa deciding to allow sports wagering
at its casinos.
With everything that has happened in recent
months, it turned out that funding came just in
time.
The LCRF has awarded $3,000 to each Lyon
County school. While the activities directors and
other school officials were allowed to decide how to
best spend those revenues, there was an emphasis
on items related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
ACCESS TO ALL
Livestreaming of school events has been one
of the larger trends in recent years. Each of the
Lyon County schools has at least dabbled in it in
past years. West Lyon, and most likely George-Little
Rock, are going to have a much larger online
presence soon as they hope to take advantage of a
special offer from the National Federation of High
Schools Network to upgrade equipment.
West Lyon activities director Jeremy Childress said
the trend to more livestreaming was likely to happen
even if it weren’t for COVID, but the pandemic
has sped up the process.
14 THE SPORTS LEADER | SEPTEMBER 2020

“It was coming,” Childress said. “We have some
students who have a lot of family in other places
and some of them are far away. Plus if the weather
is bad it’s always an option. I do think that, especially
this winter with whatever restrictions they
are going to have for that, it will help with social
distancing and keeping the crowd numbers and all
of that at more manageable levels. I’m anticipating
our winter guidelines will be more strict.”
Childress said what was done before was not
extremely high tech.
“This is about our third year of streaming. Up
until this point, we’ve been trying our own channel
on YouTube, but what we’ve done isn’t as
elaborate as Central Lyon and some of the other
schools. We don’t do any adds. There is no commentary
or anything.”
There were several issues with the old system.
“One of the ongoing issues was who was going
to run it. We’ve been lucky in that Doug Wiltgen
has volunteered to do a number of the football
games,” Childress said. “Otherwise I usually set
up the camera in the gym and tear it down when
it is over. We only have been doing varsity. There is
also a problem where a lot of times we play music
at halftime or something. Even though we have
the licensing for it, YouTube will kick you off and
make you do the paperwork to prove it. I think
we’ve been kicked off three or four times already.”
As of Sept. 23-24, those problems will go away.
“We are going to this Pixellot system with the
NFHS and it is fully automated,” he said. “They are
going to mount cameras in the gym and one on
the crows nest at the football field. Their cameras
pan and give you about three different angles. We
can show the freshman and junior varsity levels
too. I basically just tell it to record the main gym
from 5:30 p.m. until 11 or whatever it is and it
does it.”
THE LYON COUNTY RIVERBOAT FOUNDATION recently gave a grant to each of the three high schools in Lyon County. The source of the money was from legalized
sports gambling in Iowa. The foundation let each school decide what to do with the funds, but requested a special emphasis on items that helped the schools deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.
SEPTEMBER 2020 | THE SPORTS LEADER 15

4 GENERATIONS OF SERVICE! 1 DYNAMIC COMPANY!
PRECAST PRODUCTS •Cattle Feed Bunks •Curbs and Lids •Hog Slats •T-Wall
PLEASE SEE US FOR YOUR •Ready Mix Concrete •Washed Sand •Gravel and Rock
Phone 712-476-5343 or 712-476-2063 • Rock Valley, IA
LARCHWOOD, IA • HOSPERS, IA • ROCK VALLEY, IA • ROCK RAPIDS, IA • BERESFORD, SD • CANTON, SD
SINCE 1922 SERVING YOU WITH THE BEST CONCRETE PRODUCTS AVAILABLE!
NEW DESIGNS
EVERYTHING CAN
BE CUSTOMIZED!
MUSTANGS TOO
George-Little Rock activities director
Tyler Glanzer said pending board approval,
that school will join the NFHS
Network as well. Mustangs fans have
gotten a taste of livestreaming in football
and wrestling through Central Lyon’s
system. With the new equipment
all activities, including ones shared
with Central Lyon that George-Little
Rock hosts, will be available.
“It’s a good deal being offered by
NFHS,” Glanzer said. “We have other
options, but we’d like to upgrade.
We’ve done some things on Facebook
Live and YouTube and things like that,
but this will be better. It’s just kind of
the times we live in. People love to
be a part of the atmosphere at a high
school game, but with the pandemic
not everybody is able to. It’s also nice
for people who have family a long
way away. It should be a great benefit
to our community, our spectators, our
students and our staff.”
Glanzer said the pandemic added to
the pressure to upgrade.
“You’ve been hearing about this
stuff a lot for a couple of years ago, but
with COVID it definitely pushed you
to get it done,” Glanzer said. “This is a
major upgrade for us. It’s high quality
stuff. It’s expensive for a reason. We
might not have been able to do it at
this time if they weren’t offering such
a good deal, but I think with the way
its trending everyone will have something
like this in a few years. This just
caused us to pick up the pace.”
LIONS PIONEERS
Central Lyon has done broadcasting
of its events for nine years.
“We were one of the first and we still
do all of our own,” said Central Lyon
activities director Dan Kruse. “Our
tech department handles it. They have
cameras and streaming computers.
We have a couple of different angles
we can use. We even have instant replay.
We have some adults that come
in and announce it. We play commercials
with our video board sponsors.”
Because of that, more of Central Lyon’s
grant will go to other COVID-related
items such as a new hydration
system for the football program.
Still, at least part of it could go toward
more streaming equipment.
“We are looking at some upgrades,
but right now we’re being cautious
because we don’t know what the regulations
might be like for basketball
and wrestling,” Kruse said. “You don’t
know if you will have to purchase
more stuff due to COVID or not.”
Kruse said the athletic directors are
in a wait and see mode with winter
guidelines, but he expects streaming
numbers to rise.
“We don’t get a count on ours or
anything so I’m not sure how many
are watching now, but I’m sure this
year given the situation, there might
be more families choosing to watch
from home.
WE DO ALTERATIONS! STOP IN AND
CHECK OUT OUR GREAT SELECTION!
512 9th Street • Sheldon, IA • 712-324-5269 • topnotchstitching.com
keep yourself
healthy.
keep your
life going.
sioux center health
women’s health services
Tarah Kooima, DPT and Julie Bajema, DPT, CLT are trained to treat
women, men, and children with urinary and fecal incontinence, pelvic
floor muscle pain, and pregnancy and postpartum care.
SERVICES WE PROVIDE: Trained in utilizing biofeedback with computer
visualization of pelvic floor contraction and assessment tools for pain
syndromes. These tools are used to develop a personalized program
made to fit the person, not just fit the diagnosis.
DIAGNOSES WE TREAT: Pelvic Floor Dysfunction l Diastasis Recti l
Incontinence l Pelvic Pain l Pregnancy Related Pain l Post-Surgical Pain
sioux center physical therapy
712.722.8125
hull physical therapy
712.439.2266 siouxcenterhealth.org
16 THE SPORTS LEADER | SEPTEMBER 2020

MARTY KURTH
Offering
STORY BY SCOTT BYERS | FILE AND SUBMITTED PHOTOS
INSIGHTS
Marty Kurth doesn’t coach baseball anymore, but he can
still be seen at a ballpark in full Gehlen Catholic uniform.
“I’m a Twins fan. We have season tickets,” Kurth said.
“I guess they made me one of those cardboard cutouts
you see at the stadiums now. For mine, I’m in my full baseball uniform
wearing my shades. My son said he thought he saw it while he was
watching the game on television the other night.”
Kurth coached girls and boys basketball at many levels for Gehlen
Catholic and was an assistant in the sport for one year
at LeMars Community High School. He was the head
coach of the Gehlen Catholic girls basketball
program for eight years and spent nine year’s
as the school’s athletic director. But it was
baseball that was the 1983 Remsen St.
Mary’s graduate’s first love, a sport he
played at Westmar College, where
he graduated in 1987. Kurth
coached baseball for 31 years,
took six teams to state and won
two state championships. He is
in the Iowa Baseball Coaches
Hall of Fame.
MARTY KURTH is legally blind
due to the effects of a rare condition,
but he’s continued to find a way
to have an impact on the lives of
students at Gehlen Catholic.
SEPTEMBER 2020 | THE SPORTS LEADER 17

Kurth focused on teaching despite vision loss
That part of his life came to an abrupt end when
he lost his vision due to nonarteritic ischemic optic
neuropathy — a condition caused when blood does
not flow properly to the eye’s optic nerve.
Kurth became legally blind. While he could no
longer coach, he still had a passion for education
and for the kids that attend Gehlen Catholic in
particular. He made some adjustments — the former
physical education instructor now works in the
school’s success center — and did so well enough
that he recently won an Excellence in Education
Award from the Diocese of Sioux City.
“With God by my side, I have accepted this new
way of life and I am forever grateful to the administration
at Gehlen Catholic for allowing me to continue
to be a part of the school system,” Kurth said.
LIFE CHANGES QUICKLY
Kurth lost most of the vision in his left eye late in
the summer of 2016.
“I woke up one morning and just felt strange,”
Kurth said. “I closed one eye and I could see fine,
but then I closed the other and I couldn’t see much
of anything. Our baseball season had just ended, so
I went to Omaha to see a specialist.”
That’s when he was diagnosed with the disease,
which had also affected his sister.
“I had lost well
over 85 percent
of the vision in
the left eye, but
I figured I’d be
fine. I still had
one eye,” Kurth
said. “They did
tell me that usually
once you get
this in one eye
the other one
goes within three
to five years. That
was fine. I knew
I was just about
done with coaching.
I was probably going to give it up in a couple
more years, but I still wanted to in some way be a
part of it.”
Unfortunately for Kurth, he didn’t have that long.
Eleven months after the first incident, he lost his
vision in his right eye.
“It was June 2, 2017,” he said. “I’ll never forget
the day because my wife (Jennifer) and my daughter
(Kendra) share a birthday and it was that day. We
were playing in the CYO tournament that day. We
GIVING OUT ADVICE former Gehlen Catholic coach Marty Kurth talks with pitcher Cooper Davis while the
Jays are up to bat against Unity Christian 2017. Kurth is in the Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame.
were taking infield and a young man was shagging
balls for me. He’d flip them to me and I’d miss it. I
haven’t missed one of those in 30 years. Then when
I’d hit the ball, I couldn’t see it when it was on the
ground. Only when it bounced.”
DUTIES CHANGE
Kurth had to resign his post as baseball coach.
Teaching physical education also would have been
tough, so he moved over to the success center.
“Early on some of the kids I had in there
were kids that I coached growing up, so they
knew about my situation,” he said. “Some
of the younger kids probably don’t know
I’m blind. It all works. We get along fine.”
Kelly Dreckman, who works with Kurth in
the success center, said it is better than fine.
“He’s such an awesome mentor for these
kids,” Dreckman said. “He’s amazing. The
only reason he and I split any of our duties
is because he’s so much better at some
things than I am. I forget sometimes he has
sight problems because he does everything
normally.”
Kurth said he isn’t able to read for the
most part unless it’s in really large letters
at the top of the board. Dreckman said she
does help out with that part, but they work
through the rest as a team. In fact, she said
Kurth helps her far more than she helps
him.
“The kids come in and they are excited
18 THE SPORTS LEADER | SEPTEMBER 2020

“I’m just grateful I can still get around and do stuff. I’m grateful I still get to work with the
kids. I work with a lot of great teachers not only at Gehlen but throughout the diocese.”
Marty Kurth, FORMER GEHLEN CATHOLIC BASEBALL COACH
to talk to him. They usually spend a few minutes
talking about sports, the Vikings or the Packers or
the Wild, then we get to work,” Dreckman said. “He
just makes everyone feel so comfortable. He makes
them feel at home. He’s the guy they all trust and
they want to talk to. He knows when a kid might
need to just talk. If I have a problem, I go to Marty.
He’s very rational. He’ll tell me what he thinks.
There is so much trust in our room and that’s because
of Marty. It’s been great. It’s been fun.”
DAILY ROUTINE
Kurth tries to take a positive outlook on the situation.
“I’m like anyone else in that I have my good days
and my bad days. I just go day by day,” Kurth said.
“It could be worse.”
Because he does have just a sliver of vision left at
the top of each eye, he’s able to do many things as
he normally would. That wasn’t the case at first, as
he had to build up his confidence. For the first six
months, he used a baseball bat as a cane. He has
since gotten rid of that.
“I guess the one thing I do miss is the freedom,”
he said. “I can’t just jump in my truck and drive
somewhere. I don’t have that luxury anymore. My
wife has been unbelievable through all of this. I’ve
never been a person that likes to rely on others, but
she’s been great.”
One of the underrated parts of being a baseball
coach, in Kurth’s view, was being able to work on
the field.
“I love working outside and working with my
hands,” Kurth said. “If you come by and look at my
yard, it still looks pretty good. I mow my own yard. I
never considered yellow a favorite color or anything,
but I can still see it where most colors I can’t. My
deck is bright yellow. I have other landmarks and
stuff that I go by.
“Then when I’m done, I’ll ask my wife to go check
it and see if I missed any spots. She knows how I am
about the lawn, so she checks it close. If she sees a
spot I missed. She’ll stand on it and put her arms in
the air and wave them at me. Then I just try to run
her over essentially,” he said with a chuckle.
Kurth said he also gets some interesting reactions
as he walks the six blocks to school every day.
“Of course everybody in the neighborhood knows
me and they know I’m blind,” he said. “It’s kind of
funny because they’ll see me walking to school and
I swear they stop about 35 feet in front of the crosswalk.
I just shake my head and smile. I know they
are just looking out for me.”
Kurth is still big into sports as well. He said he
listens to Denny Callahan on the radio “religiously.”
Kurth also has a projection television that takes up
the whole wall of a room of his house. That’s big
enough for him to see at least some of the action as
he watches the Twins.
“I’m just grateful I can still get around and do
stuff,” he said. “I’m grateful I still get to work with
the kids. I work with a lot of great teachers, not only
at Gehlen, but throughout the diocese.”
SEPTEMBER 2020 | THE SPORTS LEADER 19

• LOCAL PEOPLE • LOCAL DECISIONS • LOCAL COMMITMENT • LOCAL INVESTMENT • LOCAL MANAGEMENT
Celebrating
60 YEARS
OF SERVICE TO THE AREA IN 2021!
The Dixon family were among the founding
investors and are pleased to continue the
institution’s excellent history as
WITH A QUALIFIED TEAM OF LOCAL BANKING AND FINANCIAL EXPERTS:
Kathy Kruger
Senior Vice President
Dennis Gorter
President
Mike Schmalen
Loan Officer
Travis Klein
Loan Officer
Dan Matus
Loan Officer
THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT AND WATCH FOR
EXCITING ANNIVERSARY EVENTS ALL YEAR LONG IN 2021!
808 3rd Avenue, Box 130
SHELDON, IA
712-324-2519
www.csbsheldon.com
817 Main Street, Box 9
BOYDEN, IA
712-725-2321
www.csbboyden.com