WEDNESDAY, JUNE 5, 2019
Serving Polk County’s St. Croix Valley since 1897
VOL. 121 NO. 45 www.osceolasun.com $1.00
SPORTS: Osceola Braves season begins. PAGE 12
Chieftain girls take 3200m relay at State Team places fourth BY RON JASPERSON SPORTS WRITER
It was a very good weekend for the Osceola Chieftain track and field team at the State meet in La Crosse. It was a great season for Osceola. The Chieftains ended their fabulous 2019 season with a fourth place finish at State accumulating 28 team points. First place Wisconsin Lutheran won the title with 40 points. Each of the Osceola athletes who competed at State did well but certainly the highlight was when the 3200m relay team placed first in school record time of 9:30.69. The new OHS school record holders in this event include Katie Haase, Alli Fogelberg, Lauren Ellefson and Caroline Gearin. “The ladies had an excellent showing in La Crosse capped by a
State championship and a school record set in the 4x800 relay,” Osceola head girls coach Theresa Ellefson said. “The team consisting of Katie Haase, Alli Fogelberg, Lauren Ellefson and Caroline Gearin were ranked fifth and took home the championship with a new school record time of 9:30.69. Each leg was strong and critical to this win. All four of them put us in position to take the title. It was a race I will never forget. These girls gave it their heart and provided themselves, spectators, and coaches a race that they will remember for a long time.” The 1600m relay was the last race at State and once again Osceola performed very well. The Chieftains placed fourth in the event and added five points to the team total. “Our girls 4x400 team which included Shaylee Feske, Katie Haase, Anna
At Tippy Canoes, smooth paddling in handoff BY SUZANNE LINDGREN EDITOR@OSCEOLASUN.COM
It’s been just shy of a decade since Allison Bahr tipped the canoe that gave her restaurant its name. “When I purchased the building, the canoe hanging over the bar was sitting right side up,” she said. “I didn’t like looking up at the bottom of the canoe, so I tipped it over, hence the name Tippy Canoes. … I felt the name was fitting and customers immediately nicknamed us Tippy’s.” Under Bahr’s charge the family restaurant developed its fun-loving side, evolving into sports bar and restaurant where everyone seemed to know each other. “I tried to find that balance of making Tippy’s into a SEE TIPPY’S, PAGE 17
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Osceola’s 4x800 relay team placed first at the state track meet. Members included, top: Lauren Ellefson and Caroline Gearin. Bottom: Katie Haase and Alli Fogelberg.
Swanson and Caroline Gearin was ranked sixth following the prelims on Friday and walked away with a fourth place finish in the finals and a season best time of 4:05.49. Similar to the 4x800, each girl ran with a considerable about of grit.” Gearin had an extremely busy and successful day at the State meet. Besides the relay events, she found time to place third in the 400m. She also qualified to compete in the pole vault but just missed scoring team points in the event. Osceola had a great day in the discus with seniors Haase and Megan Merricks earning the sixth and eighth spots respectively. Lauren Ellefson placed seventh in the 1600m and Feske claimed the eight-spot in the 200m. “All seven girls contributed points to our fourth place finish as a team,” coach Ellefson said.”
They were poised, focused and ready to compete. Both Katie Haase and Caroline Gearin had three podium performances. Caroline also ran a career personal record in the 400 prelims with a time of 58.75 and vaulted for a 10th place finish in the pole vault.” Although the season has come to an end the memories will linger for a long time for Ellefson, her first year as head coach. Besides the fourth place finish at State, the Osceola girls placed first in the Middle Border conference, the Regionals and the Sectionals. “I am super proud of the strong ladies they have become and what we have accomplished this year,” Ellefson said. “I’ve emphasized all year that we were not strong in numbers but extremely strong in desire. I am already looking forward to next year.”
Osceola Outlaw speeds toward dreams BY SUZANNE LINDGREN EDITOR@OSCEOLASUN.COM
A teenage racecar driver from Osceola is zipping toward his dream of becoming a NASCAR racer. After success behind the wheel of a quarter midget car, 14-year-old Gavin Olson has graduated to a full-sized Midwest modified racecar. Still too young to drive the roads, Olson has official racing licenses from NASCAR and WISSOTA and is competing against adults at the Cedar Lake Speedway. His racing moniker? The Osceola Outlaw.
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Gavin Olson, the Osceola Outlaw (right), and a young fan. At 14 years old, Olson has started racing a full-sized Midwest modified car at the Cedar Lake Speedway.
“I wanted to have something to represent my town,” he said of the name. “I’m also sort of
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quiet, so I thought the name sounded cool.” Olson raced his final quarter midget compe-
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tition last October. Over the winter, his family SEE OUTLAW, PAGE 13
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