BV grad Kieser awarded Olds-Bohm scholarship
Nancy Olds-Bohm’s memory lives on with her friends and family most dear to her heart, including her husband, Ron, and their three children — twins Samantha and Molly, and Tim.
Thanks to the annual Nancy Olds-Bohm Memorial Scholarship, a Bureau Valley senior volleyball player who best exemplifies the late Olds-Bohm’s qualities will be awarded with a $1,000 scholarship each school year.
The second annual Nancy Olds-Bohm Memorial Scholarship was presented this spring to 2009 BV graduate Lindsey Kieser of Bradford. Hillary Monier was the first recipient.
Storm coach Vicki Litherland said a BVHS senior will be picked each year by the BV volleyball coaching staff and faculty members. The student chosen will exemplify the characteristic traits of Nancy — hardworking, good character, showing kindness to all and enjoys the sport.
“Nancy loved volleyball and played for the Wyanet Eagles. She gave it her all, practicing hard and displaying enjoyment of being with her teammates,” Litherland said.
Olds-Bohm died of breast cancer in 2009 at a young age (39), and Litherland says it is Ron’s hope to educate young women about prevention and early detection surrounding breast cancer.
It is one of the reasons Bureau Valley holds a PINK night during the season and brings in Lynette Weidner of the Bureau County Health Department to educate and raise awareness surrounding breast cancer.
“It is a great way to remember Nancy and educate the young ladies that we have the pleasure of coaching,” Litherland said.
Kieser is attending Illinois Central College in East Peoria this fall.
A fair event: I took in some pro wrestling at the Bureau County Fair with the HCWA holding its main event in the sale barn at the fairgrounds. The fact it was held in the sale barn is interesting in itself.
• Wrestling at the Fair: Former Bureau Valley Storm standout Mike Behrens invited me to come watch him in action wrestling in the HCWA main event during the Bureau County Fair last week. Behrens, who’s ring name is Mason Beck, was a bruiser in high school and fits the mold of a pro wrestler very well, now with long locks of slicked back hair. He entered the arena and said, “I can’t believe I’m in a sale barn.”
His opponent was a guy by the name of Jimmy Jacobs, who is half Mike’s size. I looked at Luke Davis, who works security at the fairgrounds and big enough to be wrestling himself, and said there’s no way that guy could stay in the ring with big Mike.
Well, this is pro wrestling after all, and you have to make it entertaining. Mike whaled on the guy for about eight minutes but wound up taking a few “shots.” Jacobs put Behrens into some kind of “sleeper” hold, I guess, and the 10-minute time allotted for the match ran out for a draw.
The wrestling crowd was perhaps more entertaining than the wrestlers with their cheers and jeers. Kathy Costerisan of the Bureau County Fair Board cringed when a wrestler slammed a foe into a table outside the ring, saying, “that’s one of our best tables.”
• Diller a thriller: Shanna Diller, daughter of Princeton natives Tom and Julie Diller, plays for the National Pro Fastpitch Rockford Thunder, which won the national championship last week defeating the USSSA Pride. The former all-Big Ten player for Illinois played third base for the championship games with USA pitching standout Cat Osterman on the rubber.
The granddaughter of former Princeton residents Danny and Shirley Bogott and Princeton residents Bill and Carolyn Diller, Shanna is working on her master’s degree at University of Illinois.
For more information on the Thunder, visit www.thunderprofastpitch.com.
Kevin Hieronymus is the BCR sports editor. E-mail him at khieronymus@bcrnews.com.
