Story 9

Some hockey players have skill, some have heart and most have determination; but the most successful players have all three.

Zach Tolkinen, 20, has made his NCAA Division 1 (D-1) dream come true by committing to play defense at Quinnipiac University located in Hamden, Conn.

Tolkinen grew up in Lino Lakes, Minn. and hockey was an instant passion. He started skating at age 3 on the pond in his backyard and at many other outdoor rinks in the winter. Tolkinen began playing hockey for the Centennial Youth Hockey Association (CYHA) at age 7. He had a very successful youth hockey career participating in an ‘A’ peewee state tournament (12-13 year olds) and also played in an ‘A’ bantam state tournament (14-15 year olds). “My first year peewee coach, Eric Eclund, was one of my favorite coaches in my hockey career thus far,” said Tolkinen, “he was always positive with the guys and was a blast to play for.”

Tolkinen continued to play after youth hockey for Centennial High School. He played junior varsity his sophomore year, but made vast improvements that summer and made varsity as a junior in high school. His father, Gary Tolkinen, is the assistant coach on the Centennial boys’ varsity team. “It was a great honor to play for my dad. He influences my career the most and really pushed me towards becoming a better hockey player,” said Tolkinen.

“I loved playing high school hockey. It was a special experience to have the support of the school and your peers, which is something kids who play midgets don't get for the most part. I was able to stay at home and play a very high level of competitive hockey,” stated Tolkinen about his high school hockey experience.

Following his high school career, Tolkinen went on to play junior hockey in the North American Hockey League (NAHL) for the Owatonna Express. In his rookie season in the NAHL, he played in 37 games and had five points. Owatonna, however, released his rights at the end of the season, making Tolkinen a free agent. After weighing his options and trying to find the most comfortable team, Tolkinen decided to play his second year of junior hockey in Fairbanks, Alaska, for the Fairbanks Ice Dogs of the NAHL.

When asked about why he chose the Ice Dogs, Tolkinen said, “The head coach of the Ice Dogs, Josh Hauge, had come to watch me skate in the summer and talked with me afterwards, as well as frequent phone calls. I liked the up and down style the Ice Dogs played and the way they wanted to get their defensemen to get up in the play offensively. Another huge part of my decision was the amount of players the Ice Dogs moved on to NCAA Division 1 hockey. Probably the biggest reason, though, was that I trusted Coach Hauge and I heard he was a good man. I wanted to play for a coach I could trust and one that wanted me to play for him.”

Tolkinen has had a very successful year with the Ice Dogs thus far, playing in 56 regular season games and 6 playoff games (so far) and has scored 13 goals and has 28 assists for a total of 41 points. “I contribute my success this year to hard work and dedication in the off-season,” said Tolkinen, “and I also have been fortunate enough to play well and be put in positions (by my coaches) to succeed.”

Tolkinen’s hard work and effort also made one of his athletic dreams come true; to sign with an NCAA Division 1 hockey team. Tolkinen committed to play his next year of hockey at Quinnipiac University. He also had contact with other D-1 schools such as: University of Minnesota-Duluth, Minnesota-State Mankato, Michigan Tech University and Dartmouth.

“I chose Quinnipiac because it has the combination of top tier academics and hockey that I was looking for in a school. The school is on par with that of an Ivy League school, but it had a less arrogant feeling, and the hockey team is young and very talented, and was ranked in the top 3 nationally at one point this season,” said Tolkinen.

Tolkinen has worked hard and achieved one of his many goals in life. “It is a great feeling knowing you accomplished a dream you had since you were a little kid. I'm excited to see what my future in hockey holds,” said Tolkinen with a sense of satisfaction in his eyes. The Ice Dogs are currently still in the NAHL playoffs, but he is excited to get to Quinnipiac next year to continue his hockey career.

Journal Entry

Winona police found an unattended car on Thursday morning that had crashed into an Xcel Energy pole. Michael Allen Butler, 18, called to police to confess that is was his vehicle. His excuse for crashing into the pole was that his dog vomited on him. Butler was cited for driving without insurance or a Minnesota driver's license.

Original article:

http://www.twincities.com/ci_14969476

Story 8

For most college students the “freshman 15” whey’s heavily on their minds. The “freshman 15” is the slang term used for the weight gained by first-year college students.

One way to avoid the extra weight gain is exercise. In a recent survey of 19 Anoka-Ramsey Community College (ARCC) students 52.6 percent said that they exercise five-to-six times per week and 21.1 percent said they exercise every day. Three students of the 19 surveyed said they exercise three-to-four times per week, while three more of the students said they exercise one-to-two times each week. The data shows that ARCC students are on average, active about five times each week.

The data of the survey also shows that 57.9 percent of students that are physically active exercise for more than one hour. 21.1 percent work out for exactly one hour and four of the 19 surveyed exercise for 30 minutes or less. “I like to work out for about 2 hours,” said Andy Pearson of Burnsville, Minn., “I really enjoy feeling the burn.”

Exercise can be done just about anywhere. 11 of the students surveyed said that they prefer to exercise in a gym or outside, while the other eight surveyed said they prefer to be physically active while playing sports. “It doesn’t matter how you exercise, as long as you’re doing it,” said Kyle Fuechtmann of Lino Lakes, Minn. “I just like to run, play football with my friends in the backyard or maybe baseball, but the gym just isn’t for me.” Each individual person is different and needs to find their niche for exercise or working out.

17 of the 19 students surveyed thought that having an exercise partner would help. “A work out partner helps because they give you more competition so you work harder,” said Pearson. Exercising with another person could be beneficial to make it more fun; while jogging or walking outside, many people enjoy talking to a friend. “I run with my buddies all the time,” said Fuechtmann, “it helps me forget about the run and just to let it happen.”

James Jechort, a freshman at the University of Minnesota said, “My physics Prof. once told me, the freshman 15 is result of the temptations college offers. Students are on their own and free to eat what they want, when they want it.” Students that can exercise enough to compensate for the over-eating will avoid the feared “freshman 15”.

Journal Entry

Ming Sen Shiue, a killer and kidnapper from Roseville, Minn., apologized to his victims for the first time in 30 years. Shiue committed the crimes in 1980 and has been in jail since then. He apologized to his victims stating that, "I give my solemn pledge that I will never hurt my victims in any way."

Original article:

http://www.twincities.com/ci_14917636?nclick_check=1

Story 7

The question for students graduating high school is: what is the next step? For some students the next stage of life is college and for some the next step may be work.

A recent survey of 16 Anoka-Ramsey Community College students, 56.3 percent of them went to school directly out of high school. Also, 25.0 percent of those surveyed didn’t go directly to college out of high school, while the other 18.6 percent are talking PSEO classes through their high school.

The survey also showed that of the 16 students currently attending ARCC, only 50.0 percent of them knew their major. One could argue that if a student doesn’t know their major that they would be wasting money. On the other side though, students in college usually have to take two years of general classes before they start taking classes for their major; meaning in the two years of general classes the student has time to decide on a major.

The opinions of the students surveyed a majority 62.5 percent thought it is a better idea to go to college directly after graduating high school. Although 25.0 percent thought it would be best to take a year off and 12.5 percent doesn’t think it matters at all.

Chad Jameson, a graduate of Centennial High School, stated, “I took a year off because I didn’t know what school I wanted to attend. I know I want to major in but I couldn’t seem to find a school I felt comfortable with at the time.” Jameson is currently working at Splatball to save money for school and plans on attending St. Cloud State University next to major in business.

Whether a high school student wants to attend college the year following high school or not, they must make sure that the choice is in their best interest.

Journal Entry

The new Lexus GX 460 series of SUV made by Toyota has been halted from sales. Toyota stopped selling the vehicle because Consumer Reports magazine deemed the SUV unsafe. Consumer Reports said the vehicle has handling issues that could cause the automobile to roll-over easily.

Original Article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/14/business/14auto.html?hp

Press Release

STU

University of Minnesota-Duluth

1117 University Drive

Duluth, MN 55812

Contact: Stu

Phoneline: (651)-890-7558

Minnesota can welcome a new rapper to the scene. His name is Kyle Stutz, but better known as Stu. Stu has recently found the hip-hop world while attending University of Minnesota-Duluth and hasn’t looked back since. With new songs such as “Victory” and “Struggle for Air” Stu hopes to get his big break soon. Look him up at http://www.youtube.com/user/hockstud185?feature=mhw4 and be the first in your neighborhood to get a glance at Minnesota’s future star.

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Journal Entry

Mount Redoubt, about 100 miles southwest of Anchorage, Alaska, had a swarm of small earthquakes all day Monday. The 10,197-foot volcano has erupted numerous times since 1960 and could erupt again soon. Scientists plan on flying to Mount Redoubt to measure volcanic gases, hopefully to find a time frame for when the volcano could erupt.

Original article:

http://www.adn.com/2010/04/06/1214559/earthquakes-wane-on-redoubt-volcano.html

Enterprise Topic

I chose to look into whether going to college right away after high school is the best option. I will be looking into the difference between taking a year off (or more) could actually be beneficial or not. I chose this topic because it affects many high schoolers who may not have decided their major yet or are unsure of the school they would like to go to. I find it interesting because I would like to know why students go to college (or don't) after high school. I will also find out the reasons some may not have gone to school after high school.