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SERVING ISANTI & CHISAGO COUNTIES

Volume 144 Number 39 www.countynewsreview.com THURSDAY, AUGUST 22, 2019 Amazing Grace Isanti’s McCallum rises to elite gymnast status INSIDE 16, McCallum is considered an elite by John Wagner gymnast, which is confirmed by her [email protected] third-place finish in the U.S. National Gymnastics Championships held in Steve Hafeman remembers the first time he Kansas City Aug. 8-11. watched 7-year-old Grace McCallum practice That makes her a candidate to rep- gymnastics. But his memory has nothing to resent the United States in the 2020 do with twisting, tumbling, spinning – or any Olympics in Tokyo – a possibility other skill that took place on the mat. that is a far cry from McCallum’s first “When all of the kids were in line, Grace gymnastics memory. ‘Third Thursday’ would ‘cut’ in the line so she could take anoth- “I was 4 years old, and I went to Downtown Cambridge er turn,” Hafeman said with a laugh. Gymnastics Galaxy, which is a mile hosted its monthly ‘Third Sounds terrible, right? away from my house,” she said. “I Thursday’ event “I thought that was great,” said Hafeman, remember running around the gym, encouraging business and who is now one of McCallum’s coaches at Grace McCallum competes during day two of the senior women’s com- climbing on the monkey bars and the community engagement. Twin City Twisters in Champlin. “It showed petition of the 2019 U.S. Gymnastics Championships in Kansas City. , and jumping into the she had a desire to become good.” page 4 Photos by John Cheng/USA Gymnastics That desire has allowed the Isanti native (Top of page) Isanti’s Grace McCallum won the all-around bronze during See GRACE on to become much more than just “good.” Now the U.S. Championships held Aug. 8-11 in Kansas City. page 15 INSIDE Bail set at half-million for Braham woman in alleged assault of 18-month-old Public defender Nathan- sentenced to 30 days in the Morrison County by Rachel Kytonen iel Hyle, who represented Jail and five years supervised probation, ending [email protected] Mohrland during the initial on March 21, 2023. hearing, pleaded for lower During the court hearing, Mohrland was or- A Braham woman is facing a felony assault bail amounts. dered by Klossner to have no contact with the charge for causing great bodily harm to an “Ms. Mohrland recently victim, as well as two other infant children who 18-month-old baby. moved to Braham from were in the home with Mohrland at the time of Alicia Dolores Mohrland, 21, was charged Morrison County approxi- the alleged assault that took place on Aug. 12. Aug. 14 in Isanti County District Court in Cam- mately one year ago,” Hyle Alicia Dolores Mohrland was also ordered to have no unsuper- bridge before Judge John Klossner with felony said. “She lives with her boy- Mohrland vised contact with any child under the age of 5. first-degree assault. Bail was set at $500,000 friend and works as a home- On Aug. 13, the Children’s Hospital in Min- Rockin’ in Rush City without conditions or $250,000 with conditions maker. She has one felony neapolis reported the victim was in critical but Rush City hosted its Rock’ and next court appearance for Aug. 28. theft conviction from Morrison County from stable condition, with significant injuries, and Rush City festival that fea- “An 18-month-old child was the victim of an last year. ... Please take into consideration her was able to maintain with various machines tured a car show, games assault,” said Isanti County Attorney Jeff Ed- financial situation.” and medications that were connected. He still and music. blad. “The likelihood of an amended complaint Court records show Mohrland received a page 16 being filed is likely based on the medical infor- stay of imposition from Morrison County in See MOHRLAND on mation we are receiving.” March 2018 for a felony theft charge. She was page 27

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McCallum also proved to be an adept opment as an elite gymnast. “That shows me that she gymnast, especially when it came to learn- “You could see her realize, ‘Wow, I am is a good kid. While she ing new skills. That ability allowed her to pretty good,’” Jantzi said. “She was just go- may not be having a good climb the ladder of Junior Olympic “lev- ing to go and enjoy the experience – and I day, she cheered on her els,” eventually reaching Level 10, the high- emphasize that, because that level of com- teammates to have a good est level before elite status. petition can be pretty cool. But she did day. I would want that type “Skills always came to more than enjoy it; she of personality on my team me pretty easily, but the did well. … every day.” form would take a long “Seeing her blossom McCallum may have time,” she said. “I could as a gymnast last year was flown under the radar be- do the skill, but making amazing. Step by step, cause the focus was on the them look nice – having her confidence grew. Now impressive performance of with Connections Academy. “I love to read a straight leg and pointed she’s the steady competi- Biles, who gained national attention by and I love to paint, and I like to spend time toes – took time. That was tor who you know isn’t connecting on a “triple-double” while post- with my sisters and brothers.” the hard part for me.” going to fall.” ing an amazing score of 59.850 in the finals. McCallum is part of a large family that So McCallum joined Instead she continued “When I first met her, I admit I was star- includes her parents, Edward and Sandy; the Twin City Twisters, to rise, finishing fourth at struck,” McCallum said of Biles. “But since one older sister, 18-year-old Rachael; where Hafeman is co- the U.S. National Cham- I’ve gotten to know her, and I’ve roomed younger sister Madelyn, who is 14; and owner as well as an Elite/ pionships in the summer with her, I’ve learned that she’s uplifting three younger brothers in Joseph (11), John Junior Olympic coach. of 2018. That earned her and fun at meets. (8), and Xavier (5). “Suddenly I was the a spot on the U.S. team “It makes the competition more fun “My family really sacrifices a lot for me worst gymnast in the that competed in the Pan- when you know and cheer for the other – especially my siblings,” Grace McCallum gym,” she said. “There Grace McCallum competes during day American Games hosted competitors.” said. “I love them so much, and I love that were gymnasts like Mag- two of the senior women’s competition by Peru that September; And Jantzi said McCallum uses the suc- they cheer me on from home.” gie Nichols and Olivia of the 2019 U.S. Gymnastics Champi- at that meet, McCallum cess of Biles as a high bar to shoot for. McCallum also credited her success to Trautman and Abby Paul- onships in Kansas City. Photo by claimed the gold medal “Grace is motivated by people who are her coaches through the years, particularly son – girls that I looked Allison Cheng/USA Gymnastics in the all-around and un- better than her,” Jantzi said. “She is striving the coaches at Twin City Twisters: Jantzi, up to so much, and sud- even bars while earning to be as good as them. Simone is amazing Hafeman, co-owner and elite coach Mike denly I was training with them.” bronze medals in the and balance – she’s the Michael Jordan of gymnastics. Hunger, and coaches Sami Wozney and Then McCallum suffered what appeared beam. But I think Grace is motivated to put in the Kassandra Nathe. to be a bad break when she dislocated her A silver-medal performance in this work to try and reach Simone’s level. For “They’re always there to support me, es- elbow, an injury that required surgery and year’s American Cup – a meet whose past Grace, the takeaway from watching Simone pecially when I have a rough day at the gym seven months of rehab. But this apparent winners include a virtual who’s who of the is to see her do things no one else has ever or a rough meet,” McCallum said. “They setback instead turned into a blessing. sport such as Nadia Comaneci, Mary Lou done, and then realize that Grace can do push me every day at the gym, and I’m real- “I took that time to work on little things Retton, and numerous others things she never thought she could do.” ly thankful for that – even if I don’t always that I didn’t have time to [work on] before, – raised hopes for a strong performance in McCallum said she loves competing in like it in the moment. I know it really pays things like working on forms, over-splits, this year’s U.S. Nationals in Kansas City. the all-around since it gives her a chance to off in the end. I can’t thank them enough.” and my strength,” she said. “When I came But McCallum strug- display a variety of skills Jantzi, in turn, had nothing but praise back, I was so much better because I had gled on the first day of the Tokyo obviously is on all the different appara- for McCallum. focused on those things.” two-day event. tus. But she admitted that “She’s a coach’s dream,” Jantzi said. Sarah Jantzi, Head Elite Coach at Twin “I don’t feel I was the goal, but right her favorite is the ex- “She’s the most kind, humble, hardworking City Twisters, said the time McCallum mentally there, and I felt now my focus is on ercise, where her musical kid I have ever worked with. It’s really re- spent away from competition also helped right from the start that I accompaniment is the tra- warding for me to see a good, kind-hearted her become more comfortable working wouldn’t do well,” she ad- one day, one prac- ditional Israeli folk song person like Grace do well.” with the other gymnasts. mitted. “I tried to block it tice, one meet at a “Hava Negila.” Both Jantzi and Hafeman believe Mc- “She watched, and that helped her be- out of my mind, but I got And Hafeman said that Callum’s goal of qualifying for the 2020 come more comfortable without having a feeling things wouldn’t time. song may be a perfect can- Olympics is a realistic one. For now, her to perform,” Jantzi explained. “Grace was focus is on the World Championships in go very well.” ~ Grace McCallum tata for McCallum’s rise able to talk to the girls on the sidelines, and Unfortunately for Mc- among elite gymnasts. October. that helped a lot. … Callum, that feeling became reality as she “That’s exactly how you want to see “Tokyo obviously is the goal, but right “She can be very quiet on the competi- fell two times and tumbled to ninth place a career go,” he said. “Just like the song now my focus is on one day, one practice, tive floor, but that’s a sign that she’s even- after the first day. builds to a crescendo, we want to see her one meet at a time,” she said. keeled. She’s quietly competitive because “That’s uncharacteristic of her – but she career continue to build and grow. And the And if that allows Grace McCallum to she knows what she wants to do and what didn’t give up,” Jantzi said. “You could tell fact that she’s in the pool of people talent- cut to the front of the line and step onto she needs to do.” her attitude was, ‘That’s not me. In Day 2 ed enough to make that happen is pretty the Olympic medal podium, so much the McCallum entered elite national gym- I’m going to show them the real me. This is cool.” better. nastics competition with a strong perfor- who I am.’ And that second day she posted McCallum logs extensive mance at the 2017 U.S. Classic, finishing the second-best all-around score of the hours honing her craft: Monday third in the all-around competition on the competition. through Thursday she spends at Junior level while winning the vault. “That shows a true fighter.” least five hours each day at Twin She then burst onto the world scene at McCallum said her first-day struggles City Twisters, working to perfect the Pacific Rim Championships held in merely fueled her competitive fires. skills and polish routines, while Columbia in April 2018. In her first inter- “I did what we call ‘Angry Gymnastics,’” on Fridays the work is trimmed national competition, McCallum won the she said with a laugh. “I just went hard for to “only” four hours. And that all-around title and placed second in both everything. And it worked.” does not include the time she the vault and floor exercise. It certainly did: McCallum posted an works on dance. “In January of last year I was just trying all-around score of 56.950 on the sec- “We put in a lot of [hours of to compete for Team USA in an interna- ond day, a total bettered only by eventual work], but the key is to put in tional assignment, and I didn’t think it was champ Biles. That helped McCallum vault quality,” she said. “You want to possible to compete at Worlds,” she said. all the way to the podium stand with an im- focus on quality.” “It was very new; we were there for about a pressive third-place finish. So what does McCallum do month, training every day. It was different While that was impressive, Jantzi said with her free time? from what I was used to, but it was very she also learned something from the way “You have to focus on body fun, and very rewarding. McCallum handled her first-day struggles. maintenance, focusing on recov- Isanti’s Grace McCallum (right) won the all-around bronze during “It’s very intense and very mentally “I saw Grace on the competition floor ery from the work,” said McCal- the U.S. Championships held Aug. 8-11 in Kansas City. draining. For most competitions, that cheering for others,” Jantzi said. “She lum, who does her schoolwork Photos by John Cheng/USA Gymnastics