Below is footage of our game when the Rolfe girls’* played against Mediapolis at the state tournament at Veterans Auditorium in Des Moines, Iowa. Rolfe was a Cinderella team; Mediapolis was a veteran state tournament team.
I believe the game was filmed by the Iowa girls’ athletic union. I’m not sure why, but on the 16mm reel that I have, there are not 32 minutes of play. (I.e., part of the game is missing.)
I guarded Barb Wischmeier. She was so tall that to set a screen she had to bend over for her teammates to see over her. You can see her doing that several times in the film. Barb scored 37 points against us and just a skosh more against Allison-Bristow and eventual-champion Farragut. In Mediapolis’ next game (after us), which was against Montezuma, Wischmeier scored 71 points.
Rolfe either scored more than any other team against Mediapolis that year, or else maybe only one or two other teams scored more than we did against Mediapolis. Whatever the case, Rolfe’s forwards scored a lot of points. Mediapolis’ forward court with the high scoring pair of Wischmeier and Mary Schulte was too much for us.
I have probably a couple more weeks of video and articles to post regarding the 1970-71 and 1971-72 Rolfe girls’ teams. Then I’ll get back to my usual variety of topics.
Rolfe (75) vs Mediapolis (103)
Veterans Auditorium, Des Moines, Iowa
March 10, 1971
I have to say that I’m still on cloud 9 after the April 16th celebration. I’ve heard only positive comments about the event. A true litmus test as far as the event’s success is that two people from Rolfe…both people associating with many people…told me as recently as today that they had not heard a single solitary negative comment. Both told me that is very unusual, no matter what type of event. No kidding! Hearing their pulse-on-the-community reports should give warm fuzzies to everyone involved.
It really was a sweet weekend, all the way from hearing two good bands at Wes’s Place in Rolfe to listening to John Young at the RAM Event Center (the former Rolfe school) tell about how he got his start in officiating. (I didn’t know it was Mr. Gilbertson who got John started.) We players got to work with each other once again on the floor during an afternoon scrimmage. (I was so proud of myself that I could still, barely, bring the ball up the court!) Of course, sharing memories with teammates, managers, cheerleaders and faculty in the afternoon and into the evening was the double-thick layer of icing on the cake.
Eight members of the 1971 state tournament girls’ varsity team attended, as well as three JV teammates, three managers and I think two cheerleaders. Also, the class of ’71 (of which Bill is a member) piggy-backed on the basketball celebration and had a class reunion. Faculty members who returned were Dave Spaulding, Dennis Duerling (our assistant coach), Al (and Donna) Gilbertson, Roger and Ilene Pohlman, Bob (and Suzie) Liston and Dick Barrett. And…our Rolfe community!
As my Great-aunt Ruth would say, “Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful!”
* * * * * * * *
*Starters in the forward court were Laurie Brinkman (Jensen) [pigtails], Karen Brinkman (Vinson) [short medium-brown hair] and Carol Wiegert (Franken) [short dark brown hair]. Starters in the guard court were Joyce Baade (Coburn) [blond hair not pulled back], Michele Pomerenke (Pipurde) and Louise Gunderson (Shimon) [long dark hair not in pigtails]. Lynn Neugent (Debel) [dark long hair in a ponytail] played most of the game, especially after Michele Pomerenke was injured. Toward the end of the game the bench was substituted in including guards Jeanell Winkleblack (Piconi) [short medium brown hair] and Linda Pedersen (Tutt) [long blond hair] and forwards Julie Brinkman (Mintz) [short light blond hair, more at the bottom of the screen], Jean Brinkman (Longnecker) [short medium blond hair] and Lynn Robinson [shoulder length blond hair].
(Click here to go to Louise Gunderson Shimon’s blog’s home page.)
Marion Gunderson Art (and the Farmer's Daughter) 
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