For those who participate in amateur wrestling, it's not merely a sport -- it's a lifestyle. NIU Head Wrestling Coach Ryan Ludwig says even though he got involved at a late age, he found he didn't want to leave that world behind in adulthood...and he seeks out wrestlers for his team, who have a similar attitude.
A native of Chelsea, Michigan, he didn't get involved in wrestling until high school (when normally, athletes start out by middle school); but Ludwig wound up winning a state title in his senior year. At that age, he soon learned the work and sacrifice necessary to succeed on the mat -- constant conditioning, practice, working on technique, and controlling weight; for the dedicated, this goes on year-round and requires them to put social and family interests on the back burner.
Even after going on to college at the University of Findlay in Ohio, he kept being drawn back to the sport; and eventually, he chose to drop out of law school and pursue coaching full-time. He coached at Findlay and Minnesota-Mankato before moving on to the Huskies program; at all levels, he has sought out athletes who are willing to hold themselves to a high standard, and are so committed to the sport that he often has to pull them back rather than push them forward.
Ludwig says wrestling demonstrates to youths the reality of life; it shows them the need for preparation, determination and ownership of themselves and their behavior. All this work goes into preparing for a seven-minute match, which puts constant physical and mental demand on the athlete; he likens it to swimming while someone is trying to pull you under the water. He says the losses can be difficult, because there's no one to blame but yourself...but the moment of victory, when your hand is raised, makes it worth all the effort.
The Sycamore Rotary Club plans on having a booth at this year's DeKalb-Sycamore Chamber Expo; it will be held on Thursday, March 29th from 3:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the DeKalb High School Fieldhouse.
This event is open to participation by all DeKalb and Sycamore Chamber of Commerce members; the B2B portion runs from 3:00 to 4:00, and the event is then open to the general public from 4:00 to 7:00.
This will be a prime opportunity for our Rotary Club to show the public who we are and what we do, and perhaps convince some of our friends and neighbors to consider membership in Rotary.
Bethany Lerch will be the opening speaker for the District 6420 Conference on Saturday, April 28th; her topic will be "How Rotary Changes the World: A Shareholder’s Meeting."
Born and raised in Oshkosh, Lerch is a former Fulbright scholar and Rotary Foundation scholar. She has BA in German and International Studies from UW Oshkosh and a Master of Letters in Terrorism Studies from the University of Saint Andrews in Scotland.
Her professional experience includes Assistant Lecturer of American Studies at the University of Leipzig in Germany, volunteer teacher in Palestine, and military trainer in Kabul, Afghanistan.
Since her return to the United States in 2016, Bethany has resumed graduate school, this time in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. Someday, she hopes to more meaningfully help vulnerable minorities and assault victims.
Registration is now open for the 2018 Rotary District 6420 Conference, to be held at Faranda's in downtown DeKalb.
The weekend begins on Friday, April 27th, with the District Strategic Planning meeting in the afternoon and the Leadership Dinner in the evening.
The conference proper takes place on Saturday, April 28th; registration opens at 7:00 a.m. and presentations will be held throughout the day, The evening will be capped by dinner at 6:00 p.m. featuring guest speaker Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Illinois).
Registration for the entire weekend is $130; for the Conference on Saturday, $100; and for the dinner only on Saturday night, $50. Dinner comes with choice of three different meals.
We will be needing Sycamore Rotarians to help out with our two major spring projects -- Rotarians at Work Days, and the District Conference.
Rotarians at Work will now be spread out over several weeks, in order to give our members the opportunity to chose one or more projects which fit their schedule. Work sites will include the Old North School on Brickville Road, Rotary Park at Sycamore Lake, the Pay it Forward House, Kishwaukee Special Recreation Association at Hopkins Park, and the Youth Service Bureau's bicycle auction.
We'll also need volunteer staff for the District Conference, to be held Saturday, April 28th at Faranda's in downtown DeKalb; Sergeants at Arms and registrars will be needed throughout the day.
Sign-up sheets will be made available over the next few weeks; for more information, please contact Jeff Petersen about the District Conference and Brian Adams concerning Rotarians at Work Days.
Paulette Renault has been elected to serve on the Sycamore Rotary Club Board of Directors; she will join the Board beginning in July, and serve as Club President in 2021-22.
Also elected to new terms were Club Secretary Sally Bruch, and Club Treasurer Michele Jurkovic.
The election took place at the March 28th Rotary Club meeting; as they were the only candidates for their respective offices, all three were unanimously elected by acclamation.
The Rotary Club wishes Paulette good luck in her coming term on the Board of Directors, and during her year as Club President.
Thursday, April 12th will see the formal launch of the Rotary Satellite Club of Sycamore/Oak Crest Area, a new satellite club of the Sycamore Rotary for persons in and around the Oak Crest Retirement Center.
Members of the newly-formed Club gathered on March 15th to learn the basics of how Rotary operates -- its history, its traditions and its ongoing effort to serve humanity in our own hometowns, and around the world.
While most of the initial membership is made up of Oak Crest residents, this club is open to any Rotarian wishing to attend or anyone interested in joining Rotary. The Oak Crest club will meet on the 2nd and 4th Thursday of each month, beginning at 11:45 a.m.
Sally Stevens will serve as the inaugural chairperson, with John Peterson as vice chair and Barry Schrader as secretary.
The Sycamore Rotary Club's annual Hula-for-Loota draw-down raffle will be held on Thursday, April 19th; it will be from 6:30 to 9:00 at Chapel in the Pines, located at 15165 Quigley Road.
This annual evening of fun and furious negotiating will include dinner, cash bar, raffles, prizes and our featured drawing; there will be plenty of giveaways throughout the evening, so even if you're eliminated...you can still win!
Tickets are now on sale; all proceeds will go to the Rotary Club's scholarship fund. Raffle prizes are also needed; contact Paul Michel for more information.
If you have been or will be a Rotary Reader this school year, mark your calendar for Friday, May 4.
South Prairie Elementary School is hosting its end-of-year Rotary Breakfast Buddies Event. All Rotarians who have read (or will read by the end of the year) are invited to the event.
Breakfast will be served from 7:55 a.m. to 8:25 a.m. Please be sure to check in at the school office.
You will get breakfast and a chance to interact with the 3rd grade children you previously read to. Please make it a priority to attend this event and show our support for the children at South Prairie Elementary School.
Attendance Report -- March 28, 2018
Attendance: 49.28%
Visiting Rotarians: Bob Pritchard (Kishwaukee Sunrise)
Oak Crest Satellite Club Members: Barry Schrader, John Peterson
Guests of Members:Tiffany Heath (Paulette Renault), Jessica Cook (Mark Spiegelhoff)
