High school sports is still played for love of the game

In Newfolden, Minnesota, a small town in the northwest corner of the state, there is a high school girls sports program that is a cooperative between Newfolden and Karlstad. The team is called the Northern Freeze, and they field teams in volleyball, basketball, and softball. These athletes are taught the skills of the games they play, but they also learn lessons in sportsmanship, discipline, and the importance of work-ethic. Not only do these girls play the sports, many numerous sports, they are also very good young ladies to have as role-models for the younger girls in the community.

In an era when high paid athletes are juicing and breaking laws left and right, these girls work hard on and off the playing field and for no pay. One of the star athletes is senior Alycia Dahl who plays three sports and was instrumental in the Northern Freeze representing the section in the state volleyball tournament in St. Paul, Minnesota. Alycia was named to the All-Tournament team, but will take her athletic exploits to the basketball court at the college level next year. Another senior three-sport athlete is Ashley Hestekind, who was a standout pitcher for the fast-pitch softball team that won the sub-section championships this past spring. Ashley is considered by many to be one of the most outstanding pitcher in the region. It is certainly easy to understand why she will garner much attention from many college softball coaches. On top of being a three-sport athlete, Ashley Hestekind finds time to be an honor student, a member of the school music program, and serve on the student council.

So if you wish to see pure love of the game athletic competition by student-athletes who are there only for the fun of it, go to your local high school athletic courts or fields, sit back, and enjoy the sportsmanship you will witness.