October 30 2006
Volume 86 Number 1

Activities

Fall Play is full of drama Double-feature will leave everyone with a smile By:  Amy Helle “Please make sure that all cell phones are turned off or put on silent.” This is a common phrase that you are sure to hear when you attend the annual Fall Play.  The drama department will be presenting their double-feature on November 3 and 4 in the Little Theater. “Teeming Acres” and “With This Ring” are both comedies that are being presented under the direction of Mrs. Varpness.  Mrs. Varpness is the 8th grade English teacher and also teaches Writing and Research in the high school. The first play, “With this Ring,” is a one-act play that is sure to give you the giggles.  When a man believes that his wife’s engagement ring is being delivered, he is shocked to find out that thing aren’t quite what he expected. “This play is full of hi-jinx,” said Mrs. Varpness. “You never really know what is going to happen next.” “Teeming Acres” is another comedy, but this one is based on the ups and down of the life of a teenager. “It’s like a teen soap opera,” said Hannah Kooiker, one of the seven stars of the performance. This group has been working hard since September to make this play a hit within the community.  The seven stars of the show will be Jonathon Krueger, Kelly Winkels, Kirk Oldre, Elizabeth Johnson, Kierstin Hoppe, Hannah Kooiker, and Carrie Bauer. Again, the action will take place on November 3 and 4, and the drama department would be more than happy to see everyone in the Little Theater to support them and enjoy al of their hard work.

Highs and lows, hills and valleys Cross Country takes it all on foot By:  Jared Roeman There are few individuals that can tackle the sport of Cross Country.  Many are scared to try or to even consider what it takes to do what these athletes do on a daily basis.  Cross Country is a sport of endurance, speed, and dedication. The girls’ and boys’ teams are coached by Pete Janiszeski and Bruce Gluf.  The girls’ team has seen success in recent years, not only locally, but at the State level as well. “Those girls can run with the best of them,” said one of the team members. They hope to continue the success this season with their experienced runners, including seniors Morgan Bosshart, Katie Schneiderman, and Debbie Schneiderman. The boys’ team on the other hand has been in the middle of a “rebuilding” year, according to Kirk Oldre.  Experience and numbers have been against them all season after losing five talented runners, but they keep running and putting up a fight at every meet with seniors leadership of Kirk Oldre and Devin Richters.

SMASH Tennis balls flying over the nets! By:  Andrew DeBoer WHAMMY! The girls' tennis team wrapped up their' final match of the season against Martin County West last week. The girls went into the match knowing that it wasn't going to be very easy. The end result? Martin County West on top of almost everything but number one doubles. Amy Herman and Kaitlyn Deragisch were paired together in the doubles match and they took it to the Martin County West number one doubles. Herman and Deragisch defeated the MCW girls by tallying 6-4 and 6-3 scores. "Singles have been our strong point and doubles have had their ups and downs this year!" said Amy Herman. The tennis girls finished their season at a 3-7 record. "Our record might not show it, but we have a lot of potential on our team! It was just a little difficult trying to find a set team this year. But all in all, it was a good year! I thought this season went pretty well! With the huge number of young girls, we didn't have much experience in the doubles area, but what do you expect? We are a young team," said Alyssa Klein. The tennis team consists of ten players. There are four singles. players and three doubles teams. Between all these teams there are four seniors using all there power to win in the final season. The four seniors are Samantha Gacke, Alyssa Klein, Whitney Maine, and Anissa Hanson. Alyssa was No.2 singles most of the year, except when they needed to throw Samantha Gacke into doubles with Herman to dominate! Alyssa then filled the No.1 singles slot and put up a good fight, dominating the competition. Team sections started off on October 2. Luverne played Pipestone, but lost 0-7. Individual sections start October 9.

Volleyball team stays optimistic New coach, new perspective By:  Jake Clark "Row, row, row your boat, gently down the stream!" This is one of the many excellent cheers the intense student volleyball fans scream at matches this year. The new head coach this year is Kristin Schoemaker. She is employed in the Special Education department and has had much success in the past with other Southwest Conference teams such as Marshall and Pipestone. "I really like her ... she gives us all a lot of support," said Diana Hanson. The team was coached by Lori Oechsle last year, but team members say the practices aren't all that different. However, the team attitude has changed significantly. The volleyball team is led by seniors Erin Hoiland, Becca Sandager, Lindsey Olson, Dinah Xaphakdy, Hilary Hanson, Brittany Vogt, and Meagan Cronberg. Other girls receiving court time for Schoemaker include juniors Rajanee Phommaracksa, Karrie Xaisongkham, Tara Snyder, Kaia Nowatzki, and Natalie Willers. Sophomores include Diana Hanson, Ashley VandeHoef, and Erika Rust, with freshman Paige Olson topping off the Cardinal's line-up. The team has been tough on the road, beating Hill Beaver Creek(3-0) and West Central(3-0), although the Cards are still 10okingJor their first conference win of the season. They have been beaten by conference teams Marshall(0-3), Pipestone(0-3), and Redwood Valley(0-3). The girls have been working very hard all year and have always put up a fight. The final game tally isn't always as bad as it looks, because they're usually within five points in a game. "We've made a ton of improvements, even though it doesn't show in our record ... we love the fans and going out there having fun and want to finish the season strong," said senior Erin Hoiland. "The team has been streaky and just hasn't found a way to click." One crazed fan, Derek Boeve, said, "We have a lot of potential." This seems to be the general consensus of the fans this year. The team just participated in the Pipestone tournament, playing against teams such as Pipestone, Edgerton, Redwood Valley, and Belle Plaine. “We’ve made a ton of improvements, even though it doesn’t show in our record … We love fans and going out there having fun and want to finish the season strong,” said senior Erin Hoiland. “The team has been streaky and just hasn’t found a way to click.” The volleyball girls have been looking forward to making a run in the playoffs all year and have done a lot of moving around in positions. All the fans are really excited to see what will happen this year with the Cards and are having a great time supporting their efforts.

We got the beat to make the body go... By:  Craig Rogers If you live in town, you might just wake up early in the morning, go outside with a nice cup of herbal tea, sit on your doorstep, and listen to the joyous music of the marching band. Since the beginning of August, the band has been outside working hard to perfect their performance.  They have been striving to get better day after day. “We do what we do and try to beat the rest of the bands,” said Derek Boeve. So far this year the band has had four competitions.  They placed first in Waseca in parade and field, sweepstakes in parade, and sweepstakes overall for parade and field combined. They also participated in Tri-State, where they received first in parade and second in field.  On that same day, they went to Brandon, where they received second in field.  Their third competition was Sioux Falls, where they placed second in parade, third in field, and received the People's Choice award.  They wrapped up their season in Chamberlain, where they took first in parade and field, sweepstakes overall, best colorguard, best hornline, and best drumline. "We work pretty hard when we need to, but we also have times where we get to have fun and mess around," said Kaitlyn Deragisch. This shows that band isn't all work. They keep it real when they have to. To be in band you have to be dedicated and bright. Congrats to the band so far on their success, and keep ridin' the wave!

Meet us on the field! It's going down!!!! By:  Randi Fry Battle Axe: a broad-ax formerly used as a weapon of war. This would be the legal definition of the word, but that's not what many people from Luverne think of when they hear Battle Axe. Most fans think about the rivalry that started in 1958 between the Luverne Cardinals football team and the Pipestone Arrows. Luverne has kept a pretty solid record by winning eleven out of the last fifteen years and also have won the last three years straight. "I'm so excited for this game, especially with how well the boys have been playing this year.  Go team! Woot! Woot!" said Whitney Bremer. With Luverne on a winning streak, this year's battle axe was much anticipated for fans and players alike. "I'm freaking out!" said Jared Roemen. "The fan support has been pretty good. As a team we like to see all the fans out there, it gives us more motivation to go out there and win," says junior football player Weston Sawtelle. The Cardinals broke the Arrows and took home the Battle Axe once again, which makes four years in a row.  Luverne won 10-7 after a field goal was kicked by senior Chris Engesser. Congratulations to the football team on their -four-peat and good luck during Sections and play-offs!

Off to Germany! By:  Erica Knips After working hard at learning the German language and culture, four students from Luverne took a trip to Germany. Those students were Kelly Winkels, Whitney Bremer, Logan Sawtelle, and Eva Halfmann. There were forty-two kids from surrounding areas that took the trip together. They left on June 14th and arrived in Germany on June 15th. The plane trip to Germany took about eight hours. After arriving in Germany, the group toured many castles, such as Castle Marksburg and Castle Neuschwanstein.  The German students also went on the Rhine River tour.  Not only did the students do some touring, but they also spent five days with a family. "Staying with the German families was one of the most fun things we did while we were there," said Kelly Winkels. "The culture over­ there is so much more relaxed and laidback.  When host families would come home from work, they would not think about work until the next day when they had to be at work again." After a fourteen-day trip, the German students returned home on June 28. If anyone who traveled on the German trip would like to submit photos for publication in a future Echo or Annual, please bring them to Ms. Sahly.