Boehmer, Bulldogs endure eventful volleyball season

Staff

Published Sunday, November 28, 2004

By Jim Lutgens, Tribune Sports Editor

LAKE MILLS, Iowa - Though Jim Boehmer is the first to admit he's a very competitive coach who enjoys success, he realizes winning and losing is not life and death and there are more important things than volleyball - but he also knows life goes on.

That was all too clear this fall.

On the court Boehmer's Lake Mills Bulldogs had a banner year, setting a school record with 34 victories while winning the North Iowa Conference championship and finishing one win away from the state tournament.

Off the court Boehmer dealt with tragedy. On Oct. 9, Boehmer's 36th birthday, his brother Merle died of colon cancer. The next night, after attending the funeral in Osage, Boehmer - at his family's insistence - surprised his players by showing up for their match against a tough Nora Springs-Rock Falls team. The Bulldogs responded with a resounding 3-0 victory.

Lake Mills went on to win the NIC title with a 7-0 record and finish 34-3 overall, winning a remarkable 83 of 94 games,. The Bulldogs claimed four of the eight spots on the all-conference first team and had the most all-conference players in the history of the NIC.

Add it all up and it makes Boehmer the Albert Lea Tribune's Volleyball Coach of the Year.

While they fell just short in their quest to become only the second team in school history to advance to state, the 2004 Bulldogs are a group Boehmer will never forget. And not just because of their volleyball skills.

"The girls were so great," said Boehmer. "They were like, 'Go, take care of what you need to.' They handled everything so well. It made the season that much more memorable because the kids exhibited the kind of behavior you want not just in athletes but in citizens. Ten years from now you may not remember the wins and losses, but you do remember stuff like that."

In addition to his players, Boehmer credits assistant coaches Donna Ellingson and Ree Pederson for their contributions to the program's success. Ellingson, a former head coach of the team, was recently named Assistant Coach of the Year by the Iowa Girls' Coaches Association.

Boehmer, a native of Osage, has grown to call Lake Mills home, completing his 13th season as head volleyball coach. His Lake Mills softball teams have also been very strong. He and his wife, Angie, have three children, Lincoln, 8; Grant, 6; and Cael, 3.

Boehmer said he expected the Bulldogs to be strong this year but even he was surprised by their dominance in the traditionally strong NIC, where they were 7-0 in the regular season and 5-0 in the conference tournament, winning 33 of a possible 35 games.

"The conference coaches were very complimentary of our players," said Boehmer. "We felt pretty good about it, that's for sure."

And those good feelings could continue. The Bulldogs' ninth-grade and junior varsity teams were both 7-0 in the NIC this fall, and the JV finished 26-1 overall.

(Contact Jim Lutgens at tribsports@albertleatribune.com or 379-3437.)

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