Pioneers Across All Ages Pursue Sports After Grinnell,Softball's Hot
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Pioneers across all ages pursue sports after Grinnell Joey Brown ’15 and Isaiah Tyree ’15 intend to play soccer next year. Photo by Sarah Ruiz As a Division III school, Grinnell is rarely thought of as an athletic powerhouse. While it is true that for most Pioneers, competitive sports end after graduation, there are some notable exceptions. Keith Chamberlain ’08 excelled during his time at Grinnell and is among the select few who have gone on to play professionally after graduation. The 6’9” forward earned All- Midwest Conference honors before playing professionally after college in Germany, Latvia and Turkey. After his stint overseas, Chamberlain returned to the United States to play in the NBA’s D-League. In an odd turn of events, Chamberlain is currently playing for the Reno Bighorns under head coach Dave Arsenault Jr. ’09. Arseneault is the son of current Grinnell men’s basketball head coach David Arseneault Sr. Despite all of his worldly travels, Chamberlain has not forgotten his alma mater. “No matter where I play, I take the things that I’ve learned during my years at Grinnell College with me,” Chamberlain wrote in an email to The S&B. “My experiences at Grinnell helped me … adapt to almost any situation I encounter, whether it’s learning a new language, leading teammates on the court who aren’t great English speakers or discussing the political climate of the United States with the owner of a team.” Following in Chamberlain’s footsteps, teammate Bobby Long ’09 played in Germany after graduating from Grinnell, joining the Rattelsdorf Independents, where he excelled due to his experience with Grinnell’s famed and unique offense. “I averaged 27.8 points per game and over five threes a game. Thanks, Grinnell System!” Long wrote in an email to The S&B. Since playing professionally, Long has worked as an athletic director. In the fall, he will work for the Christ School in Asheville, North Carolina, a breeding ground for future NBA talent. John Grotberg ’09 represents yet another success story to come from the Grinnell men’s basketball team. Grotberg excelled at his time at Grinnell, and was once compared to presumptive NBA MVP Stephen Curry in a Yahoo Sports article. After graduation, Grotberg played professionally in Germany and Luxembourg. Grotberg admits that while the conditions were not always ideal, it was still a great experience. “There were no whirlpool tubs for post-game ice baths, no personal trainers, no extravagant workout facilities, but playing in tiny gymnasiums in front of small, yet raucous, crowds really emphasized the sense of community that locals have with their athletic teams. In Luxembourg, I even got eat lunch at the family-style Portuguese restaurant every day for free as a part of my ‘contract,’” Grotberg wrote in an email to The S&B. Grotberg, who is currently earning his medical degree, found that Grinnell helped him prepare for a life of professional sports in more ways than just athletics. “The culture of internationalism and social inquiry that permeates the Grinnell education allowed me to engage in my community while I was living abroad,” he wrote. It’s not just basketball players who have enjoyed athletic success after Grinnell. John Aerni-Flessner ’01 was a star of the track and cross country teams at Grinnell, winning 16 Midwest Conference titles in track and one in cross country, earning All-American honors along the way. After Grinnell, Aerni-Flessner went on to get his Ph.D. in African History from Washington University in St. Louis, where he describes his running career as “basically semi-professional,” as he took third place in the Little Rock Marathon and second place in the Go! St. Louis marathon. “My Grinnell teammates forced me to look within—that while beating competitors was an important part of competitive running, the real race was against myself,” Aerni-Flessner wrote in an email to The S&B. A few current Pioneers dream of joining the elite ranks of Grinnellian professional athletes, as well. Joey Brown ’15 and Isaiah Tyree ’15 of the men’s soccer team have a tryout for the Des Moines Menace, a professional team in the United Soccer League’s Premier Development League, on Saturday. The tryout represents a daunting task for Tyree and Brown, but one that these two athletes feel Grinnell has prepared them for. “Four years ago, I wouldn’t even be able to consider it,” Tyree said. “A lot of soccer and athletics in general is belief in yourself, belief in your abilities. I’d say my time at Grinnell has increased that substantially. ” Brown believes that Grinnell’s emphasis on athletes being student-athletes has “helped me find a good balance between the two as well as to push me in both arenas.” While the two soccer players are committed to putting their best foot forward, they are trying not to go into the tryout with any expectations. “Part of going is just figuring out, at least for me personally, where I lie with my skills and just having fun,” Tyree said. “To see what that next level even feels like and looks like is really what it’s about for us,” Brown said. While the next number one overall pick is unlikely to come from Grinnell in any sport, it is impressive that this tiny, isolated liberal arts college can produce such a high grade of successful, professional athletes. Softball’s hot streak continues Melissa Anderson ’18 pitches versus Knox College last week. Photo by Misha Gelnarova The Grinnell College softball team continued their streak of wins last weekend, taking three out of four games in a pair of doubleheaders against Knox College and Illinois College. On top of this, the Pioneers picked up a win versus Iowa Wesleyan College in a game in which three Grinnell records were set. In the first game against Knox College, the Pioneers produced 14 hits, including a grand slam home run by Andrea Leff ’18, in a 15-5 victory. The game lasted only five innings due to the mercy rule, a NCAA softball rule that ends a game if one of the teams is ahead by eight or more runs after five innings. “To come out and put up a ton of runs against somebody was nice,” said head coach Amanda Reckamp. “We just took over the game.” Grinnell blew the game open in the third inning, scoring seven runs, punctuated by Leff’s grand slam. “[Leff] told me, and I didn’t even know this, she had never hit a home run in her entire life,” Reckamp said. “She definitely is capable of having a lot of power.” Melissa Anderson ’18 picked up the win for the Pioneers, allowing nine hits while striking out four over five innings. The Pioneers dropped the second game of the day 2-1, largely because their bats could not generate the same firepower as in the first game. They managed only two hits despite a strong six-inning performance by pitcher Maggie Remus ’18. “She didn’t really deserve the loss. Our bats weren’t really awake,” Reckamp said. The next day, the Pioneers made their way to Jacksonville, Illinois to face Illinois College, where they took two games from the Lady Blues for their first doubleheader sweep since 2009. Kayla Morrissey ’18, who says the team “listens to a lot of Glee,” particularly “Don’t Stand So Close to Me,” to get ready before games, led Grinnell with three hits in their 5-4 victory in the first game. Reckamp and her players agreed that their successful execution of four bunts was one of their keys to victory. “We put down four bunts in a row. The first few they didn’t field ,” Reckamp said. “Our small game came up really big in this game … literally bunts won that game.” “It’s something we had worked on in practice a lot last week and so it feels good to immediately translate something we learned in practice to game situations,” Anderson said. The string of bunts allowed Grinnell to triumph despite being out-hit by a two to one margin (Illinois College had 14 hits to Grinnell’s seven), and delivered Anderson her second win in as many days. The Pioneers picked up an easier 6-1 victory in the second game of the day by virtue of Maggie Remus’ strong outing, allowing just five hits over six innings. On Tuesday, the Pioneers came back to Grinnell and split a doubleheader versus Iowa Wesleyan, squeaking out a 3-2 victory in the first game. Morrissey collected three hits, giving her 43 on the season, breaking the record of 41 established by Sarah Connor in 1998. On top of this, Morrissey belted two home runs, tying the single-game home run record. If this was not enough, Lydia Stariha ’17 set a school record for runs in a season by scoring her 27 on the season, breaking the previous record of 25, set by Connor again, in 1999. The Pioneers dropped the second game 10-6. The Pioneers are now 6-23 on the season with the reputable 5-6 record within the Midwest Conference. Grinnell will host Lake Forest on Saturday in a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. Crafters on campus: quilters guild a secret jewel At first glance, one might not categorize Grinnell, Iowa, as a center of great art. Yet Grinnell is home to the Jewel Box Quilt Guild, one of the largest quilting guilds in central Iowa. The guild currently has 55 members and draws quilters from all around the area.