Posted August 03, 2022in Collections & Hobbies
Jackson Twait is a four-time veteran on “American Ninja Warrior” (ANW), a sports reality show that pushes elite athletes to their limit on obstacle courses of insane difficulties. The 24-year-old first caught the Ninja itch back in eighth grade, but it wasn’t his first television aspiration. “I just saw it
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Posted July 06, 2022in Collections & Hobbies
At age 18, Justin Phongsavanh was shot in the parking lot of an Ankeny McDonald’s and paralyzed from the waist down. Today, the 25-year-old javelin thrower is a medaled Paralympian. Following his paralysis in October 2015, Phongsavanh gave himself an ultimatum. “I can sit here, wallow in self-pity, and that
Read More →5-plus decades of concert-going results in two books for James Taylor. Once upon a time, it was 1972 or so, and, in a bar in Fairfield, a man, who was clearly not from there, entered. “What’s it like in Iowa?” This stranger wanted to know. A young local named
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Posted September 01, 2021in Collections & Hobbies
Dangerous on the board, this couple’s life mission is to “fix” chess. GIRL MEETS CHESS Her ride home from school was delayed. Bored, the 15-year-old Ankeny High School student looked for a fun way to fill the time. Since she couldn’t find one, Katie Gordinier stopped into Ankeny High’s Chess
Read More →Dan Umthun excels at finding and accumulating action figures and comic books. Meet Dan Umthun. “When I was 8, I brought a Superman figure with me to Grandma’s farm house in Eagle Grove. A calf jumped a fence and started running towards town. My dad and uncles managed to catch,
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Posted June 30, 2021in Collections & Hobbies
Waldorf professor retraces 300 miles of Dragoon history. Road signs for Iowa’s Dragoon Trail are a common sight in central Iowa. As a boy, Kevin Mason couldn’t help but wonder: “What the heck is a Dragoon?” Now he knows. “They were soldiers who were sometimes on foot and sometimes on
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Posted June 02, 2021in Collections & Hobbies
Local wonder woman wows at bodybuilding competition. The backstage atmosphere before a bodybuilding competition is unlike almost any other. “You go in the competitor entrance, and you see all these beautifully sculpted bodies pumping up and getting ready to get on stage,” says Renee Schneider. It takes gumption, grit, determination
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Posted May 05, 2021in Collections & Hobbies
The Principal Charity Classic is a definite “go” for this year, and the annual PGA Champions pro golf tournament is scheduled to be held June 1-6 at Wakonda Club in Des Moines. Only a limited number of fans will be allowed, but barring the unthinkable, Rich Hoidahl will be there.
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Posted March 31, 2021in Collections & Hobbies
Psst! Wanna know about a century-old local secret? Have you ever wondered about the copper-domed building with limestone walls that sits between fairways on Waveland Golf Course? That’s the Drake Municipal Observatory. Not only is it an architectural curiosity, but in order to stay protected from errant golf balls, the
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Posted March 03, 2021in Collections & Hobbies
Jackpot. Mushroom hunting has been a passion for Steve Roberts since a young age, but in May of 2019, he and a friend hit the motherload. Combined, the duo bagged 47 pounds in one day. That’s a lot, according to Roberts, who has been prowling central Iowa’s countryside since he
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