- [Announcer] This is a production of South Dakota Public Broadcasting.

- [Announcer] Year after year, South Dakota High School activities bring memories and new stories to tell and year after year, South Dakota Public Broadcasting is here to highlight the young talent and share their stories with people across the state.

Join us as we take you on a journey to look at some of the highlights from the 2022-23 school year.

And here's some of the great stories about scholars and athletes from throughout the state.

(upbeat music) - [Announcer] Support comes from Anthem Oats in Frederick.

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Donors to the Explore South Dakota Fund support the production of local documentaries and other programs of local interest presented by SDPB.

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- When many of us in South Dakota think of fall, we think of high school football, but there's so much more than just the action on the gridiron.

There's state boys golf, girls tennis, soccer, cross country, cheer and dance, all state chorus and orchestra and of course, volleyball.

Our first story tonight takes us north of Aberdeen where we'll meet a young lady who is a part of the Leola Frederick Co-op.

- Ashtyn is the most fun loving, just honestly just a bright star on the court.

I've never seen her have a bad day through all that she's been through.

She's just, honestly, again, just a bright star.

She's the most positive influencer just in our community, on our volleyball team.

She just strives to make people a better person just with her story and what she's been through.

- My name is Ashtyn Hatlewick and I'm a freshman at Leola High School.

I don't know how to put it into words but volleyball is like, I've played it since I was probably a fifth or sixth grader and I've always loved it.

Right when I started playing, I knew that that was gonna be my sport and it's, I'm gonna definitely gonna stick with it until I'm not able to.

- [Host] Ashtyn is your typical teenager on the surface, but last year she went through something that was far from normal.

- Was having real troubled breathing during basketball.

And then we went to the ER because I had an asthma attack during the game and they diagnosed me with pneumonia.

So they treated me for that.

And then after like several months I still had trouble breathing.

- [Host] Doctors struggled to find an answer for weeks and weeks.

Not only that, she was becoming weaker and had to be put in a wheelchair.

- You noticed that whenever I stood up, my pulse would rise a lot.

So when I was sitting down it would be at 70 and it would like skyrocket to 180, 190.

- [Host] After months of searching, a doctor in Dallas Texas finally came up with what was causing all of this.

- He had a suspicion that it might be POT syndrome which is postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome.

So it's wherever you change positions, your heart rate will skyrocket and your blood pressure will either rise or go down.

So my case was my heart rate would skyrocket and my blood pressure would also get high.

So I had hyper POT syndrome.

- Kind of a relief once you had a name for it because yeah this started back in December and as we were going through it progressing, they kept trying different things, doing other tests, nothing would really show up.

And then, yeah, when she just kept getting worse and worse and less mobility and you just felt helpless wondering what can I do?

What, you're almost lost.

Like how can I help her?

And nobody was doing it.

So once we had a name for it and what it was and then we could start getting the medications and different therapies and looking into it a little more.

And I mean it was just a relief to have a name for it at least.

- [Host] The recovery wasn't easy.

But little by little she started to get her strength back.

- Basically she was the rock through this whole thing.

She would just go through it and just lay through it.

And she was way stronger than what I could have ever been with what she went through.

- [Host] Ashtyn started setting goals for herself during recovery.

One of them had quite a bit of meaning.

- Be able to walk on stage for my middle school graduation 'cause it was kind of a big deal at the point.

So that was what I was working up to is to be able to walk on stage and get my middle school diploma.

- [Host] This fall, she miraculously gained enough strength back to start playing volleyball again.

- I did not think that she was gonna make such a full recovery, that she was gonna be out on the volleyball floor diving for balls moving.

I thought that this was gonna be a very slow progression into, you know, I knew that she wanted to get back to where she was but I knew that it was probably gonna be a slow progression.

Never in a million years did I think that she was gonna be out on the volleyball floor and doing what she loves again.

- She always has a smile on her face.

She's never one that's going to have a frown.

She's not one that gets mad on the court, she doesn't yell at her teammates.

She's one that gives positive feedback and she's been a great hard worker and always willing to do anything that we've ever asked her to do.

- She's just such a coachable girl.

Honestly, she makes every single one of us want to be a better person just because of her attitude with her love and life.

Just again, when I say that she's a bright star on the courts, she absolutely 100% is.

- It's really awesome to be back with my whole team and just playing again because that was one of my favorite things to do.

And since I got from being in a wheelchair to this, it's really nice to be back.

- Volleyball continues to be one of the premier girls sports in South Dakota.

Gymnastics also saw record breaking performances this year with two gymnasts from O'Gorman.

(crowd cheering) (upbeat music) Girls Wrestling is also seeing continued growth in South Dakota and one dominant girls program is in Canton where Carlee Laubach and Zoe Adam created quite the duo for the Seahawks on the mat.

- Well what makes the two of them special?

The thing that stands out to me right away is neither one of them has ever suffered a loss to a South Dakota opponent.

Carlee, it's been two seasons now.

This is her third season of undefeated in South Dakota, undefeated all around.

And Zoe, last year was her first year with us and Zoe hasn't been beaten by a South Dakota opponent last year or this year.

So that's what's very unique about both those girls.

(upbeat music) - I have been wrestling for nine years.

I took like a three or four year break throughout middle school but I started because my dad was the youth wrestling coach and I have three older brothers who are all in wrestling in Canton.

So, and since the program was so awesome I was just always in it.

I love wrestling because I've always been a competitor especially with three older brothers.

Like I'm such a competitor and I love being aggressive and physical.

Like on the basketball court I was always like, I always fouled out.

I was so aggressive.

So like in order to have like, and when I got this opportunity to have the contact sport like I just took it right away.

I love contact and I love being physical.

So yeah, with being undefeated my entire career and like winning it my sophomore and junior year I don't know, I think just the idea of continuing to win is what kept me in and like, I don't know, I just like winning.

I mean, who doesn't?

- So I grew up in Alberta.

What brought us down here was, you know, after COVID everything shut down and it was really difficult to be able to do things because we weren't allowed in any buildings with other people.

So we needed to move.

And South Dakota was a free and open state and we thought that that'd be a great place to be low profile.

And when my mom was researching wrestling teams, Canton kept coming up as the best wrestling team in South Dakota.

So we ended up here, met Coach Ask, and it was, I've been here ever since and it's a great deal.

It's taught me more about perseverance and you know, like that mental edge, how to push through.

It's also taught me about how good God is and how he can, like he's Lord overall and that's the mental side of it mostly because that mental edge is needed in every aspect of life.

- To right now have Zoe and Carlee is super unique, you know, and sometimes you don't realize that what's happening in the moment until a year or two passes.

Having those two seniors the last two years at 70 and 90, just back to back, it's like, you know, murderers row, they call it, you know.

There's just very few teams that have anybody they can put on the mat that can compete with those two girls.

They're the backbone, they're the backbone of the program right now.

You know, we're in our infancy.

They're gonna be the pioneers.

They're gonna be forever remembered, you know, their records and what they've accomplished.

They'll go down to history.

So that's cool.

- Team on three, one, two, three.

- [Team] Three.

- It's no secret that South Dakota is a basketball state.

Our history is rich and we have programs with legacies that extend for decades.

Our next tale, however, combines basketball and art.

- [Announcer] Alexa Ham is an artist on the court and off it.

On the court the Rapid City Christian senior help lead the Comets to their first appearance in the state A basketball tournament.

- [Announcer] So a nice layup there off the glass for Alexa Ham.

- Obviously it's a first time experience and to have it be my senior year is even better.

Yeah, it's incredible.

- You know, the great thing about Lex too is she's always got a smile on her face.

She, it, you know, sometimes I even get on her because she just needs to be a little more mean.

But you know, obviously that's just for a small moment in time.

But she's a great kid.

- [Announcer] Off the court, her art is done with a pencil.

- Ever since I was little I've just loved drawing.

Not necessarily good at all but I've just had that consistent like urge to draw and I guess I've just developed that skill and yeah, used it as a way to bless others.

- But it was a tragedy in the Ham family that inspired Alexa and her mom.

- "Ties" by Carrie Ham, illustrated by Alexa Ham.

So three years ago in August, my little sister Jenna passed away and the book is titled "Ties: because it's about the tangible and intangible ties in our life and I had a really strong tie to Jenna.

She was my best friend, you know, closest little sister.

And so it was a hard thing for me to deal with.

And so when my mom was inspired to write these words given to her by the Lord, it was a really special and kind of a difficult thing for me because I have the giftings like for illustrations and I'm thankful for that but it was hard to draw knowing that this was about my little sister.

And I also feel like it was kind of a coping thing.

Like it was almost therapeutic to go through and just reflect on the times I had with my sister.

Even if there are little moments, it begins with a balloon up there in that tree.

How can you keep that treasure close by?

How do you keep it from floating so high?

A tie?

Yes, a tie.

I think it'll really help.

It'll be an impact I feel like.

And so just hoping that it's a simple way to bless others.

- [Announcer] The Ham family was actually able to pick up the first rounds of their book in Watertown during the state basketball tournament.

- It was amazing.

And the fact that it coincided perfectly with state basketball, it was wonderful.

We just drive down there as a family, drive back with the books.

We just wanna get it to people that it will impact.

Like so if you want the book like by all means get it.

Like it's just one of those things that we wrote because we know that there's a lot of grieving people and there's a lot of people that can benefit especially from knowing that there's a father in heaven who holds all their ties.

- [Announcer] But whether it's art or basketball, it all ties together for Alexa.

- [Announcer] Number 23, Alexa Ham.

- I guess it's both kind of a competitive thing.

I like to get better and so whether that's art, basketball, I just like to improve myself so.

Ties are love is the idea I have planted, the ties in your life, never take them for granted.

- When it comes to fine arts events, the All State Band is one that adds some warmth to a sometimes long and lingering winter.

Like most musical fine arts events, All State Band requires an audition process where young musicians compete against each other across the state.

Davis and Brooks Boon are brothers who are both in percussion.

The pair made the state band this past year together.

As you'll see their brotherly bond with music extends deep.

(drumming sound) - [Announcer] The Boon brothers have definitely got the beat.

(drumming sound) - Simple and clean.

- [Announcer] They're the only siblings to be included in South Dakota's 2023 All State Band.

- I really look forward to All State.

It's one of my favorite things to do 'cause when you're in a band with a bunch of good musicians it just makes everything sound better and feel like you have an important role with other important people.

- Years ago I would see him in All State and I think I want to be like that.

I want to make it into All State.

So it's nice just to finally get in and especially just be in Davis's band for his senior year.

- It's the last time we'll be able to do this 'cause I'm graduating and it's fun to just be with him for one final time.

- [Announcer] If you're wondering how two brothers made the band, they do have one simple secret.

- Put a lot of time into practicing and make sure that we perform well.

- My room is very crammed with a desk and a bed and a drum set.

It gets pretty loud.

Yeah, it's kind of chaos.

- Generally, there's always something happening.

- Our schedule right now, we have lessons on Monday nights and then we're in the Pursuit Drum Line and we practice four hours on Thursday, four hours Friday and then maybe like a 10 hour day on Saturday.

So a lot of hours spent.

Yeah, playing drums.

Yeah, on top of that there's like jazz band at school so three times a week at 7:00 AM we're just all over the place all the time.

It's fun though.

- Yeah, that's the thing, like we put this much time into it so we almost have to love drumming or else we can't do all this stuff.

- I love playing drums and it's just really fun.

'cause like a concert band is completely different from like a drum line or a drum line just laying down some sick beats.

Pete Hanson, the owner of Groove.

- Like this.

(drumming sound) - And I credit our success to him.

- He's the one giving us these souls for All State and helping us get prepared for our auditions.

- Also credit my parents because they pay for the lessons.

- [Announcer] But no matter how well prepared a musician is auditions for All State Band sound like a daunting process.

- You get to a live audition and you're like shaking and you're nervous.

For percussion, you can choose timpani, snare, and marimba.

So you try for two out of those three and you have to do an A tune, and then you have solos for each song.

And then you also have rudiments and percussion and then you also have a terms test.

So there's like a hundred terms that you need to know.

And then the sight reading.

- Right now my plan is to go to SDACU as a music major and hopefully join the Army National Guard Band which would be a lot of drum set playing.

And then in the future, I don't know, South Dakota Symphony or more indoor drum line 'cause I love drums, so anything, I'd love to do it.

- Obviously I want to continue drumming, whether like that'd be jazz band in the future, drum line, concert band, be able to grow and develop my skills for drumming and become a better musician for the future.

- There's so much you can do with percussion so I think every kid should try to be a percussionist.

I think it's awesome.

- I've just really enjoyed becoming a better musician because of my brother.

I am just glad to be here performing with other musicians and other people who work hard.

- State track is one of the biggest events of the year and it's because it consists of the most participants.

This past May, fans were treated to curtain calls by two of the best prep athletes in state history.

Gracelyn Leiseth of Hamlin finished as the best female shot put and discus thrower in state history.

The second was Simeon Birnbaum of Rapid City Stevens.

He finished his career in a Raider's uniform by topping legendary runner Rod DeHavens mark in the 1600 meter run.

- [Announcer] Outside in state history.

Another championship for the Stevens Raider.

- One story you might not know surrounding high school track.

It comes from the town of Webster.

Senior Drew Reetz came into the year as a top pole vaulter in the state.

He also is the first South Dakotan in history to be elected as a trustee in a world renowned club known as Key Club International.

- [Announcer] Drew Reetz is a senior at Webster High School and while he's a runner in track pole vault has a special place in his heart.

- We got pole vault when my second brother was a freshman and when I was in seventh grade he kind of wanted me to do it.

I actually didn't wanna do it at first so he snuck me into the armory over there and we started doing little private sessions.

So then when it was the first day of track I zipped over a bar and my coach couldn't even believe it, but I don't know.

Then I just slowly picked it up and started getting better and I just kind of fell in love with it.

When I got second, my sophomore year, it was a crazy feeling.

And the year after that, that was kind of the wake up moment like, oh, this is real, like, and now I'm here.

And I never really thought that this would happen but I'm glad it did and I've worked hard for it.

- Drew is a very unique, I would say person, not just athlete.

He's actually really grown a lot.

So I've been able to see him from seventh grade through his senior year and he used to be a middle distance runner.

Now he is a long sprinter and a pole vaulter.

He's the youngest of three very athletic brothers.

So I think he's also had some of that and he's managed to distinguish himself from his older brothers, both athletically and academically.

So seeing him grow into that and just seeing how much he's changed this year, he is very comfortable with himself.

He's learned a lot through a lot of his experiences and he's really come a long way.

- [Announcer] Drew isn't just known for what he does in track and field however, he recently became the first kid from South Dakota to be elected as a trustee in an organization known as Key Club International.

- So Key Club is the world's largest student led organization and our goal is to provide service all across the world.

Community service, different miscellaneous stuff like that.

For me, I am South Dakota's first Key Club International trustee.

So what I do is I supervise a bunch of areas around the world and I make sure they're doing what they need to.

I deal a lot with the CEOs and the different people at Children's Miracle Network and we figure out different solutions and different projects to raise funds.

- We are so excited that all of people at International gets to see how amazing our business is.

Congratulations to Drew Reetz of Webster, South Dakota.

- It was a very crazy moment.

I never thought I would get to that point ever.

And when I did, I was so happy.

I mean, I had worked really hard for that moment and I had worked so hard to prove that I could get to that point.

So it was amazing.

And the whole town was super supportive.

I bet I was in the paper for about three weeks after that.

So that was amazing.

- Drew definitely likes being in a leadership role.

He enjoys it.

Seeing him grow from a middle school to a high schooler he's seen the work that he needs to put in to earn that leadership role.

So I absolutely think that especially a Key Club in this international trustee position he's earned have really helped him grow.

Especially in the last year.

- The connections and the people who are in it with me.

I mean, even being from a small town I've been with the same people pole vaulting, running against the same people for years now.

I've been in track since seventh grade and it's been a blast getting to know new people.

- [Announcer] Next year, Drew Reetz will attend Columbia University in New York City where he plans to study pre law.

- A major addition to South Dakota High school activities this year was the official sanctioning of softball.

The inaugural state tournament took place in Aberdeen.

Sioux Falls Lincoln, West Central, and Castlewood won state titles.

One of the most heartwarming moments though of the tournament was the first pitch ceremony to begin all three tournaments.

The three people to throw it were selected because of their impact with the sport in the Mount Rushmore state.

- [Announcer] We are pleased to welcome you to the opening day of the inaugural South Dakota High School softball tournament.

The 49 teams entering into the first ever sanctioned softball season.

Here to throw out the first pitch for the Class A tournament is one of Aberdeen's own, Tootie Podoll.

(crowd cheering) Tootie didn't have the opportunity to play softball in high school, but played baseball with the guys in Frederick.

Carol Steler talked her into playing fast pitch where she played in the mid sixties into the late seventies.

She then started coaching youth in the early eighties trying to give younger athletes an opportunity that she did not have.

Tootie was definitely a mover and a shaker in getting her fast pitch started for younger athletes in the 1980s with much help from the right people.

Tootie just turned 80 years young this past week.

Ladies and gentlemen, here to throw out the first pitch in the inaugural softball tournament our mover and shaker, Tootie Podoll.

(crowd cheering) - In my life but boy, this is a good day.

- [Announcer] The ability to offer this opportunity to female athletes.

Jo played softball for the USC Coyotes from 1978 to 1982.

Ladies and gentlemen, the first pitch of the inaugural softball tournament by Jo Auch.

- All right, I have no idea where this is going but here we go.

(crowd cheering) - [Announcer] Here to throw out the first pitch for the AA tournament is one of NSU'S very own Hall of Famer, Deb Eshi Finnesand.

Deb was a four sport athlete for Northern State from 1980 to 1984.

She played basketball, softball, track, and golf before becoming the volleyball and softball coach for the wolves in the late eighties and early nineties where she helped her team to two district championships in softball.

Deb is currently an instructor of of the alternative education classroom at Central High School here in Aberdeen.

Ladies and gentlemen, Deb Finnesand.

- A new school year is now underway.

It means plenty of new memories to come and we hope you enjoyed our presentation of tales from last season.

I'm Craig Mattick, good night.