Sports Spotlight on Holsteins` Tradition
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Scott Westerberg | 10/10/2012 .jpg)
"Here comes the Holsteins. Here comes the Holsteins in a cattle trailer. How more appropriate," said assistant coach Rick Sturn.
Yep, you heard that right, a cattle trailer. It`s a tradition that started before a junior high game in 1996.
"We had a big game coming up against Center and we`d been getting beat all the time by them, so we thought we`d throw a little incentive in there, and I told them we`re little Holsteins. We`re going to go out in the cattle trailer," Sturn said.
It took another nine years, but eventually the trailer made its way up to the varsity.
"In 2005 is when it really started to take hold. We did it for homecoming that year and then we had a nice playoff run at the end of that season. We had three home playoff games and we took the trailer out for all those games and from that point on it`s one of those traditions and the kids look forward to it every year," said head coach Steve Kleinjan.
The ride to the field starts in silence, but as soon as the players pass the opposing team, chaos ensues.
"Trailer rocks more when I got a load of kids in the back than it does with a load of cattle sometimes," said trailer owner Alan Weiss.
But the trailer isn`t just set aside for Friday night. It still gets regular use, and the inside bares the proof.
"My brother and I have a farm south of town and we haul cattle with it quite regularly. It`s not just a football player trailer. It hauls cattle," Weiss said.
"I used his stock trailer last week to haul some cattle, so he had to check with me to see if I cleaned the trailer out, and I kind of halfway cleaned it out," Sturn said.
After seeing a lot of other team`s traditions over the years, Coach Kleinjan knows they`ve got something pretty special in New Salem.
"I`m sure there are some out there that are a little more unique, but this one`s pretty unique."
Because you`d be hard pressed to find another football team that captures the crowd`s attention quite like the Holsteins.
This past Friday was the last time the Holsteins will ride in the trailer this season. They finish up the year on the road against Heart River.
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