Sports Leader

A PUBLICATION FROM THE N’WEST IOWA REVIEW
DECEMBER 2017
NEW VIEW:
HUNTERS UTILIZE
WAGON TO MAKE
DEER BLIND
NOT AFRAID:
OHRT LINES UP
WITH BIG BOYS FOR
GRIDIRON GAMES
success
S W I M M I N G
Western Christian students compete for Sioux City squad
TOUGH BREAK:
KLEINHESSELINK
RETURNS FROM
HAND INJURY

Sports Leader November 2017.qxp_Layout 1 11/9/17 7:51 AM Page 1
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2 THE SPORTS LEADER | DECEMBER 2017

ON THE COVER
DECEMBER 2017
“I really enjoyed watching her
at the meets and I thought I might
want to try that.”
Chloe Slaughter
SIOUX CENTER SEAHAWKS
CLUB SWIM TEAM
8 STANDING OUT ON
FOOTBALL FIELD
A girl playing football is sure to catch
your eye, but Maggie Ohrt keeps
your attention by holding her own
against the big boys.
14 STROKE OF
FORTUNE
Two Western Christian students
wanted a chance to compete in
swimming and found that chance
with the Sioux City Metro
20 BLIND AMBITION
Corey Elgersma had plotted his idea
for a deer blind in his head for many
years, but with the help of friends it
is now a reality.
INSIDE
INSIDE
14
25 MOVING
FORWARD
Jaden Kleinhesselink worked
through a difficult injury situation and
has returned to the hard court for
his senior hoops season.
25
20
VOL. 10 • NO. 6
DECEMBER 2017 | THE SPORTS LEADER 3

TIDBITS
No Fear
THE PLAY
Desire means a lot
“When I go on
the field, I hope
I can inspire
other girls. I
want them to
know they can
play too.”
— MAGGIE OHRT
There is a reason certain sayings are used over and over again until they become cliches.
In this edition, you will see four prime examples confirming the truth in the phrase
“Where there is a will, there is a way.”
Sheldon resident Corey Elgersma had this idea in his head for a unique style of hunting
blind. He mentioned it to some of his hunting buddies, and they threw some more ideas into
the mix. Eventually Elgersma came up with a solid idea, then his friends helped him make it
reality as they built a blind out of an old grain wagon.
Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn freshman Maggie Ohrt had an idea too. She enjoyed playing football
with her brother as a youngster and as soon
as the chance came to play for real, she jumped
on it. That was one thing at the grade school level,
but Ohrt heard some doubters in junior high.
She heard even more as she advanced to the next
level. But through it all she kept plugging away,
playing right along side the boys as their equal on
the team.
Sisters Chloe and Madison Slaughter always
liked swimming. They decided to try it competitively
for the Sioux Center Seahawks and did
well. Because of their success, they wanted to
continue but that wasn’t going to be easy for the
“Not one to be denied, Kleinhesselink
rallied from his
initial disappointment.”
Scott Byers
SPORTS EDITOR
Western Christian students since that school does not field a swimming team. They came up
with the answer, fulfilling their desire to compete by traveling to Sioux City to join up with a
team there.
Sheldon senior Jaden Kleinhesselink had big ideas about both football and basketball in his
final season, but fate caused a glitch in his plans. An injury cost him part of one of his fingers.
Not one to be denied, Kleinhesselink rallied after his initial disappointment and is back leading
the Orab hoops squad.
Freshman sticks
with it on football field
MORE ON PAGE 8
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For advertising rates and other questions, please contact us.
The Sports Leader, P.O. Box 160, Sheldon IA 51201
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©2017 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 | DECEMBER 2017

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DECEMBER 2017 | THE SPORTS LEADER 7

MAGGIE OHRT
8 THE SPORTS LEADER | DECEMBER 2017

NO FEAR
STORY BY SCOTT BYERS | PHOTOS BY JOSH HARRELL AND SUBMITTED
The new trend that has boys wearing
their hair longer offers her
some camouflage, but Maggie
Ohrt knows eventually they will
notice.
She just doesn’t care.
Ohrt realizes that sooner or later opposing
players and fans are going to notice
she’s the only girl on the football field. In
fact, it’s her goal going into every game to
make her presence known with her play.
The stares, the whispers and all of
the other stuff go away when you make
enough plays.
Ohrt is a 15-year-old freshman at Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn
High School in Hartley.
She plays defensive end and offensive
tackle on the football team.
EARLY START
Inspired by her stepbrother Peter Vos,
a 2014 Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn graduate,
Ohrt started her football career with the
local Midwest Youth Football League team
as a third-grader.
“When I was little I used to play with my
brother a lot,” Ohrt said. “He encouraged
me to play. I think when I started in third
grade there might have been another girl a
grade or two ahead of me, but at that point
I didn’t really care. I was just having fun.”
Ohrt said the early start has helped her
in that the parents and players that are her
own age got used to her being there right
away.
The size difference also is minimal at
that age, especially in the trenches.
“I’ve always been an offensive tackle,”
Ohrt said. “In MYFL I was a linebacker, but
they moved me to defensive end now and
I really enjoy that.”
The defense was a fit since her two
favorite players on her favorite National
Football League team — the Dallas
DECEMBER 2017 | THE SPORTS LEADER 9

Ohrt won’t let stereotypes stand in way
Cowboys — are linebacker Shawn Lee and defensive
end DeMarcus Ware.
GAME CHANGES
Size and physicality are part of the reason you
don’t see many girls take up the sport. Ohrt said she
started to notice those factors once she advanced
out of the MYFL.
“When I was in junior high that was when I noticed,
‘Oh man, the guys are getting a lot bigger,”
Ohrt said. “With the guys getting bigger and stronger
I had to prepare myself differently. I started going
to weight lifting and doing a lot of agility work.”
Ohrt said she has a friend, Cassidy Hagerman,
who goes to the gym with her, but Ohrt does the
same workout program the other football players
use.
“When I first started I
was actually surprised how
strong I was,” she said. “I
didn’t know that I could do
that much. I mean, I’m a
girl so I’m still not doing as
much as the guys, but I’ve
really gone up in what I can
do and I’ve gained some confidence
because I know I can
still improve.”
ANOTHER LEVEL
The move to high school
ball, even at the freshman or
sophomore level, represented another move up.
“When I first started this year, I wondered if others
were going to judge me,” she said. “The seniors really
helped me out. They showed respect to me right
away. They were always helping me up and encouraging
me.”
There have been no issues in locker rooms or on
the sidelines.
“It’s a male-dominated sport, but I’ve never been
put in a position where I felt awkward,” Ohrt said.
“It was something that the guys knew they had to
adjust to and so did I.”
It helps Ohrt is not afraid of contact. In fact, she
seeks it out.
“Tackling drills are the best part,” she said. “I love
defense.”
Ohrt, who stands at 5 feet, 9 inches, and 150
pounds, was going to be facing much larger opponents
and had to adjust.
“It was good. I listed to coach (Tyler) Horkey and
just tried to make sure I was doing all my techniques
right every day. The juniors and seniors helped too.
If they saw me do something wrong they would
pull me aside and show me exactly how to do it. It’s
important to have good technique because it lets me
use my quickness.”
The work she put in helped her make an impact
early in the freshman team’s campaign.
“The highlight so far is when I sacked the quarterback
and made him fumble three times,” Ohrt said.
“That was in our second game of the season. That’s
when I really started to fit in with the guys. The
freshmen already knew what I could do. They had
seen it. I think the sophomores were a little amazed
RESPECTED TEAM MEMBER Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn freshman Maggie Ohrt talks it
over with teammates during a varsity game this fall. Ohrt played defensive end and offensive tackle for
the Hawks’ freshman-sophomore squad and was the only female member of the squad.
by it.”
Again, Ohrt credited weight room and technique
work with her success.
“I’m a pretty skinny girl going against some big
guys, so to get through I need to know what steps to
take and what play to go to,” she said. “My coaches
have been a big help.”
IGNORING THE VOICES
Ohrt knows that a girl playing football, especially
on the front line, may draw some snickers from
those who haven’t seen her play. She tends to dial
that out.
“I don’t hear anything from the other teams, but
sometimes my mom does,” Ohrt said. “They’ll be
wondering if that’s a girl on the team, but we’ve
gotten used to it. I don’t get offended.”
Ohrt said her play has sprouted a “mini-fan club”
of students who come out to support her.
“Carly Byl comes to all of my games. All of the
kids my age support me,” she said. “They are proud
of me.”
Even if they weren’t, it wouldn’t matter.
“I’m going to continue to do it,” Ohrt said. “I
don’t care what anyone else has to say. You do what
you like and you just carry on. When I go on the
field, I hope I can inspire other girls. I want them to
know they can play too.”
Ohrt’s advice to others is to ignore negative opinions.
“Don’t listen to it if they say you can’t play,” she
said. “Go out and show them you can do it and you
want to do it.”
10 THE SPORTS LEADER | DECEMBER 2017

DECEMBER 2017 | THE SPORTS LEADER 11

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14 THE SPORTS LEADER | DECEMBER 2017

STORY BY JOE FISHER | PHOTOS BY JOSH HARRELL
Travel time doesn’t bother Slaughter sisters
What would you be willing to do for the “Then my coach mentioned the high school team to
sport that you love?
me,” Madison said.
For a pair of Rock Valley sisters, the Chloe also swam for the Seahawks prior to joining
answer is venturing outside of their Sioux City. After seeing the fun her younger sister was
own high school for the opportunity having as a member of the high school team, Chloe
compete.
got the itch to jump in the pool.
Chloe and Madison Slaughter swim competitively “I really enjoyed watching her at the meets and I
for the Sioux City Metros High School swim team and thought I might want to try that,” Chloe said. “Then
Sioux Center Seahawks club swim team.
I really liked seeing the bonds she got with some of
Chloe, 16, and Madison, 15, are a junior and sophomore
her team members and I thought I wanted to try and
at Western Christian High School in Hull. experience that too for myself.”
Madison has been with the Sioux City Metro team for With Sioux City practices about an hour’s drive from
two seasons, and Chloe, one.
their high school in Hull, they have to make the most
Madison said she began swimming when she was of every moment. Both teams that they are committed
10 years old. Chloe began taking it seriously as a freshman.
to hold practices five days a week.
“We talked to our athletic director. The school lets
Sioux City Metro was comprised of girls from nine us leave at 2:30 p.m. so we can make it to practice on
high schools this season.
time,” Madison said. “Our school is pretty OK with us
Madison decided to swim for the high school team leaving. They encouraged it. They’re really supportive.”
after seeing the success she was having with Sioux Center.
“And the Sioux Center club doesn’t start until the
end of September and they’re OK with us being gone,”
“My coach really encouraged me,” she said. “At the Chloe added.
end of the year my first year, I got the Seahawk Rookie, Even with approval from Western Christian, balancing
so I could tell I was decently good at it.”
school and training with a heavy dose of travel
The Seahawk Rookie Award is given to the most involved is a big task.
outstanding first-year swimmer with the Sioux Center The sisters said they try to do as much of their
team.
schoolwork in the car as they can, although Chloe
RIGHT INDECEMBER 2017 | THE SPORTS LEADER 15

PROFICIENT IN POOL
Sisters Chloe and Madison Slaughter
took to the sport of swimming right
away as members of the Sioux
Center Seahawks. The duo has continued
to compete with a team from
Sioux City, qualifying to compete in
the state meet in November.
AT A GLANCE:
Names: Chloe and Madison Slaughter
Sport: Swimming
Ages: Chloe, 16; Madison, 15
From: Rock Valley
School: Western Christian High School in Hull
Swim teams: Sioux City Metro and Sioux Center Seahawks
Family: Parents, Ross and Dawn; sister, Kendra, 11.
often drives to practice.
“There are a lot of late nights,” Chloe said. “We
practice from 4-6 p.m. Then usually we’re home by
7:30-8 p.m.”
Practice and training almost never stop for Chloe
and Madison. Practice with Sioux City starts up in
August and goes through the end of October, which
overlaps with Sioux Center’s practice season. That
begins at the end of September and stops in March.
After a two-week break, the Sioux Center starts again
in April and goes through May. At that point they get
three weeks off and then start again in June, which
brings them right back to the beginning of Sioux
City practices in August.
“We’re constantly training,” Madison said. “Practices
get pretty hard during the year. We go five days
a week and some girls practice every single day in
the morning too.”
Training involves work both in and out of the
pool, including a lot of cardio.
Between training and school, there is not room
for much else. Yet, Chloe still gets in some hours of
work when she can. She works as an aide at Hegg
Memorial Health Center in Rock Valley. She usually
works every third weekend for two, eight-hour shifts
on Saturday and Sunday. She would like to pursue
something in the nursing field after high school.
In their first season together with the Metros, the
Slaughters found success in the pool.
Chloe was named “Swimmer of the Meet” at a
Sept. 26 competition in Council Bluffs.
“The coaches pick that,” Chloe said. “They kind
of pay attention to everyone that’s swimming at the
meet. They see that you’re cheering on your teammates
and doing well at your events. It felt good.”
In her second year with the team, Madison earned
a trip to the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union
state meet in the 400-yard freestyle relay. She was selected
as an alternate for the 200-yard freestyle relay.
To qualify for state, she had to score a top-18 time at
regionals, which were held on Oct. 28 in Ankeny.
“It was pretty nerve-racking,” she said. “The week
before state, even before regionals I was really
stressed.”
Sioux City only brought five of its 39 team members
to state championships, which were held at the
Marshalltown YMCA on Nov. 4.
Sioux City Metro finished 22nd out of 24 teams
in the 400-yard freestyle relay. Madison swam second
for the team in the relay.
“It’s a big accomplishment to make it to state,”
she said. “I felt really good just being down there
for the experience. Granted, we didn’t do the best
that we felt like we could have done, but our coach
told us, ‘You made it and that’s what you should be
focused on and be happy about.’”
Now that this season’s accomplishments are in
the rear-view mirror, Chloe and Madison’s quest for
improvement is all ready beginning. Does making it
to state once alleviate any pressure?
“I think it might be doubled now,” Madison said.
According to Chloe and Madison, the team
should be poised for another good season next year.
Of the swimmers that made it to state, Sioux City
Metro will only lose one to graduation.
“There’s quite a few good incoming freshmen so
we should be able to find some people to replace
what we lost,” Chloe said.
Although swimming is not a common sport for
N’West Iowa high school students, the sisters said it
is worth stretching their time to do.
“It’s something different compared to what everyone
else will do around here,” Chloe said.
“I think it’s really fun,” Madison said. “If you want
to take it seriously I’d suggest taking it seriously
when you’re around 12 because you can really start
getting somewhere around then. I think it’s a great
sport to do.”
16 THE SPORTS LEADER | DECEMBER 2017

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610 Park Street
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143 South Main
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DECEMBER 2017 | THE SPORTS LEADER 19

COREY ELGERSMA
STORY BY JOE FISHER | PHOTOS BY RYLAN HOWE
BLENDING INTO
BACKGROUND
20 THE SPORTS LEADER | DECEMBER 2017

“This thing would have never turned
out the way it did if it wasn’t for all
the guys that helped.”
Corey Elgersma REAL ESTATE AGENT
Hunters come up
with clever cover
A
group of N’West Iowa deer hunters
have been thinking inside the box
this fall.
Corey Elgersma of Sheldon
had been brainstorming the idea for
a unique deer blind for about four years. His idea
was to construct a blind on a grain wagon.
“There’s guys that build on running gears, but
they aren’t elevated,” he said. “There’s guys with
tower blinds, but I wanted to be able to move
around.”
As a real estate agent for Iowa State Bank Services
in Sheldon, Elgersma spends plenty of time traversing
area blacktops. He began keeping his eyes
open for a friendly farmer willing to part with a
wagon.
“These wagons hold their value pretty well,” he
said. “It took awhile to find one in my price range,
or in my wife’s price range.”
At the end of his search he found a 250-bushel
Dakon gravity-flow grain wagon.
Now it was time to start building. Luckily for
Elgersma, he can get by with a little help from his
friends.
Elgersma’s longtime friend Gary Barwick of Sheldon
was one of the first to lend a hand. Barwick
was a carpenter for many years before working for
Pella in Sioux Center.
“I kind of had the idea to put it on a hay rack, but
Corey took it to the next level,” Barwick said.
They began working on the wagon in September.
Initially, the idea was to have the floor of the blind
level with the top of the wagon.
DECEMBER 2017 | THE SPORTS LEADER 21

“Corey is pretty tall and he wanted to be able to
stand in it,” Barwick said.
After initial construction, they ran into a problem.
The wagon and blind stood at about 16-feet-tall.
The Department of Transportation does not allow
trailers taller than 13 feet, 6 inches to be pulled
down the road. So, it was back to the drawing board.
“We totally dismantled it,” Elgersma said. “We
pulled out the floor and changed it so we could
drop the floor into the wagon a foot. Then we
shortened the ceiling. I guess Corey’s going to have
to duck a little. It made the whole thing more structurally
sound.”
In the beginning, construction of the wagon blind
had been taking place outside. That was until Tobin
Smith of Sheldon learned of what was happening.
“I didn’t even give Corey a chance,” said Smith,
owner of Heartland Steel & Millwright Services. “I
literally said, ‘Naw, we’re moving it.’”
“He saw that thing and his eyes lit up,” Elgersma
said. “He grabbed his four-wheeler right away and
pulled it to his shop. All I had to do was buy beer
and order wings from Langer’s.”
Smith took on the steel work for the project.
“I had all the tools we
needed at the shop. Equipment
movers, welders, steel
— I’ve been building deer
stands for 30 years,” he
said.
The team worked together
on the project a few
evenings a week with the
goal of having it ready before
bow hunting season.
Smith’s son, Colin, as well
as Rod Winkel of Sheldon
and his son, Brandon, also
pitched in to help.
One of the final pieces
missing was the interior.
The wagon would block the
wind, but it still needed to be insulated for the harsh
Iowa winter. Also, being inside the wagon was like
being inside of a tin can according to Elgersma. It
needed sound proofing to be truly comfortable and
not scare away deer.
Elgersma went to Downtown Hardware in Sheldon
in search of some cardboard to line the blind
with. Once again a friendly face was waiting to help.
As he was inquiring if the store had any cardboard
he could buy, another patron had just what he was
looking for. Gary Rosenboom of Rosenboom Frame
& Body in Sheldon donated a pallet of heavy-duty
corrugated cardboard to Elgersma.
“He told me, ‘The look on your face is payment
enough,’” Elgersma said.
“Now it looks finished,” he continued. “The
cardboard is sound deadening and we cut cost and
weight.”
The inside of the wagon is carpeted and cozy.
There is room for three to four adults to sit comfortably.
There are four 36-inch wide by 24-inch tall
sliding windows, one on each side, with shooting
rails on the sills. They added custom gun holders
and bow hangers.
According the Smith, using a grain wagon will
work perfectly for hiding in plain sight.
“Deer won’t even think to look at it,” he said.
“They normally associate a wagon with food. We
just have to be sure there’s no corn where we put it
because deer baiting is illegal.”
The way the blind was built and the comfort it
provides will lend itself well to young hunters, according
to Barwick.
“That thing will last years,” he said. “It’ll be good
COMFORTABLE SPOT Brandon Winkel and Corey Elgersma take a seat in a hunting blind that
was crafted out of a grain wagon.
for grandkids someday. Kids get cold in a tree stand.
Anytime you keep kids warm, they’re not moving
and scaring away the deer.”
More important than the functionality, work on
the wagon blind transformed into an opportunity
to spend time with friends and collaborate on
something they are all passionate about.
“All the guys that helped are really good guys,”
Barwick said. “We just had good male bonding time.
We don’t play cards or go to the bar so it was fun to
get together and work with our hands.”
The project was yet another favor exchanged
among good friends.
“Corey sold me my shop. Corey has done anything
I’ve ever asked, so this was a chance to help
him out and kind of return the favor.” Smith said.
According to Elgersma, his vision could not touch
the final product.
“This thing would have never turned out the way
it did if it wasn’t for all the guys that helped,” he
said. “These guys never let me take a shortcut. They
told me, ‘You’ll never regret doing it right.’ They
developed it, they engineered it, they made it better
than I ever would have on my own.”
22 THE SPORTS LEADER | DECEMBER 2017

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DECEMBER 2017 | THE SPORTS LEADER 23

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STORY BY SCOTT BYERS | FILE PHOTOS
JADEN KLEINHESSELINK
Second
shot
Kleinhesselink works through injury
The immediate sensation of pain was nothing
compared to the hurt Sheldon High School
senior Jaden Kleinhesselink felt when he
realized he would not be able to be out there
with his teammates for
what was shaping up to be the
biggest football game of the year.
Kleinhesselink came into the
2017 grid season with big expectations
after finishing fifth in
Class 2A in passing as a junior,
throwing for 1,835 yards and 17
touchdowns. The quarterback
also was Sheldon’s top returning
rusher with 440 yards and three
TDs that season.
Kleinhesselink had thrown
for 1,353 yards with 18 TDs and
only six interceptions in leading
Sheldon to a 5-1 start. The Orabs
were due to face fifth-ranked and at the time unbeaten
Sioux Center in a game that seemed likely to determine
a state playoffs berth on Oct. 6.
With everything on the line, Kleinhesselink tried to
stay with his normal routine. He lifts weights four to
five times a week, although he takes that down to two
“There was
immediate pain,
but then I saw the
chunk of my finger
on the floor.”
Jaden
Kleinhesselink
DECEMBER 2017 | THE SPORTS LEADER 25

to three times a week during the basketball season.
No matter what the season, the routine includes a
trip to The Courtyard in Sheldon every Sunday.
The dedication is just what every coach likes to see
from one of his team leaders, but this time it took a
turn for the worse.
“I was stretching while on the squad rack,” Kleinhesselink
said. “I’ve probably done the same thing
1,000 times before. I had a 45 [pound plate] on
each side but I didn’t have the clamps on. When I
was stretching it didn’t lock and the weights fell off,
first one side than the other.”
The problem was Kleinhesselink’s right hand still
was on the bar.
“It caught me on the middle and ring finger on
my right hand,” Kleinhesselink said. “There was immediate
pain, but then I saw the chunk of my finger
on the floor. Right then I realized I wasn’t going to
play in the biggest game of the year. It hit me hard.”
Others at the facility working out helped Kleinhesselink
get in touch with his father, Kevin, who
took him to Sanford Sheldon Medical Center’s
emergency room. There was at least a glimmer of
good news there.
“The chunk of my finger that fell off was small
enough they didn’t have to try to reattach it,” Kleinhesselink
said. “They told me for the most part it
would grow back. It kind of has now. It’s a little
stubby at the top, but it is there.”
In addition to losing part of his middle finger, he
broke the finger as well. His ring finger required four
stitches.
Even though he was not going to play, Kleinhesselink
was there doing everything he could to help
in Monday’s practice, especially assisting junior
Brennan Radke to fill the role of quarterback.
26 THE SPORTS LEADER | DECEMBER 2017

ever played in,” he said. “You don’t often see
a 165-pound kid at defensive end. I normally
have played safety or corner, even some linebacker.
Going head up against offensive linemen
was different, but it was a lot of fun.”
BACK ON COURT Sheldon’s Jaden Kleinhesselink has always
considered basketball his sport, but he was uncertain if he would start
his senior year on time after losing part of a finger in a weight lifting
accident late in the football season. Kleinhesselink managed the pain and
was diligent in his rehab and as a result was on the floor for the start of
the 2017-18 campaign.
“We still had a big game,” he said. “I had to try to help
Brennan get ready.”
The Orabs lost a heartbreaker, falling to the Warriors 41-
40 after a late lead slipped away.
The doctors did not think Kleinhesselink would be able
to do much for four to six weeks. After missing two weeks
of football, Kleinhesselink was back out there for the season
finale against Cherokee. With the Orabs still having
an outside shot at the playoffs, Kleinhesselink did not play
quarterback but did get on the field as a defensive end as
Sheldon shredded the Braves 61-6.
While that was not quite enough to net a playoff bid,
Kleinhesselink said his Senior Night was memorable.
“That was awesome. It was one of the funnest games I’ve
GETTING THE FEEL AGAIN
For all of his accolades in football, Kleinhesselink
always has considered basketball to be his
sport.
Kleinhesselink was an All-Siouxland Conference
third-team selection as a sophomore,
averaging 11.3 points, 3.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists
and 1.6 steals per game.
He was named to the all-conference first
team last year after helping lead the Orabs to its
first outright Siouxland title. He averaged 13.7
points, four assists, 3.2 rebounds and 1.2 steals
per contest.
College recruiters took notice as well.
Just before the start of the season, Kleinhesselink
signed a letter of intent to play at the
NAIA Division II level for Briar Cliff University
in Sioux City.
Kleinhesselink had big plans for this season,
but still was dealing with his injury for a while.
“At first I did all left-hand stuff,” he said. “I
was trying not to touch my right hand at first,
but I worked my way into it. They said it would
be four to six weeks, and it was about five when
I started to shoot again. At that point everything
was so tender. It all hurt, but I had some finger
sleeves I was able to wear that helped with that.”
Sheldon’s 6-foot-2-inch point guard certainly did not
look like anything was bothering him during the Orabs’
exhibition game against Sioux City Heelan on Nov. 25. He
had 15 points, six assists and four rebounds in a 73-66 loss.
“Right now I’m full go,” Kleinhesselink said. “I didn’t
even notice it.”
That only boosts the confidence that he has in himself
and his teammates going into the year.
“We want to repeat as conference champions and go
to state,” Kleinhesselink said. “I think that’s very realistic.
We’ve got four of our five starters returning and some very
good young guys coming up.”
NOT LOOKING BACK
The injury situation was unfortunate, but Kleinhesselink
said he wouldn’t change a thing.
“I have no regrets. I still go in and lift every Sunday,” he
said. “I just look at it as God was trying to tell me something,
that there is something bigger coming.”
DECEMBER 2017 | THE SPORTS LEADER 27

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