http://www.eileentmeslar.com/photo-stories daily 0.75 2022-09-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1455576434712-8CT9J44PGVCLPQX3ISYJ/PG_LD_Sneer_blocking.jpg Photo Stories The Outfit https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1541517951151-KK5F4H1HAXV9JIP5TH8B/_O4A9955.jpg Photo Stories Farming by Tradition https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/a7906bb8-dc99-4b88-917a-ba4fd9ea420a/NINI_06.JPG Photo Stories - Make it stand out Baseball: A Girl’s Sport https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/e90652ee-c308-48fd-8e08-29cf9bc772af/nursing-home-15A.JPG Photo Stories - Make it stand out “Where Do We Go?” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1606857580822-6UMQ2T0JO8Q4TPZ84O0A/border_01_toned.jpg Photo Stories Love Has No Borders https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1530446742367-N6U2JYR6NMVJ0JZROTFN/kickboxer_finals_24.jpg Photo Stories Veterinarian. Mother. Kickboxer. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/d264d224-3edf-42cc-a847-8e7546772c87/reparations-01.JPG Photo Stories - Make it stand out Reparations in Evanston https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/b8222487-dc66-4262-93d9-696d7ea928d6/final-small-farm-03_toned.jpg Photo Stories - Make it stand out Big Challenges for Small Farms https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/5303aa5b-6fd7-44a3-9874-4d5d82725529/kim-race-final-09_toned.jpg Photo Stories - Make it stand out Always an Athlete https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1595304452476-AUCAWXFKU8N665EOQO6M/02052020-girlswrestlingstory13-em.JPG Photo Stories Making History on the Mat https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1552519765104-P8UOC983W0TMF6E1DNGY/image-asset.jpeg Photo Stories Bonds that Endure http://www.eileentmeslar.com/eileen-t-meslar daily 0.75 2014-10-01 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1410841693680-VOO1B42P34T20QAI0GXT/Giselle_Saul_Border.jpg Eileen Meslar Giselle and her mother wait during a welcoming reception in a bar in Laredo, Texas, after their 1,397-mile journey from Chicago. They have come to be reunited with Giselle's father, Saúl Zarco, who has been barred from the United States since Giselle was 4 months old. http://www.eileentmeslar.com/headlines daily 0.75 2019-10-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1570110572973-DTVHQVWANRVTN5JVC0H2/orlando_vigil1_edited.jpg Singles Rebecca Lebron comforts her wife Andrea Lebron as they stand with their children, Julianna Acevedo, Grace Acevedo, Armando Salinas, and Isaiah Salinas, near a makeshift memorial for the Orlando shooting victims at the corner of Roscoe and Halsted streets in Chicago on June 13, 2016. Though Andrea and Rebecca live in Brighton Park on Chicago's South Side, they came to Lakeview to show their children the supportive LGBT community. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1627704173399-E9WEJ8DBPSDKYO0S7D6B/PSES_5632138666_EvanstonReparations_01.JPG Singles Loretta Johnson prays during open prayer at Faith Temple Church in the Fifth Ward, known as the historic Black community, in Evanston, Illinois, U.S., March 17, 2021. In 1955, Johnson was not allowed to be born at the local hospital in Evanston where her father worked, instead she was born at Cook County Hospital. Evanston’s city council will take a vote on the city's plan to pay reparations to Black residents on Monday, March 22, 2021. (For Reuters) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1570109563260-I2AYD39JJVDJQ50BDKBD/elvira_emiliano_edit.jpg Singles Emiliano Arellano watches his mother, Elvira Arellano, as she waits in her hotel room for a call from the immigration detention center in Laredo, Texas, on June 14, 2014. Elvira, an immigration activist, came to Texas with Centro Sin Fronteras, an organization that combats immigration issues, to reunite Saúl Zarco and his family. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1663624031946-8HHLD5IEMQ64QS0AICY9/DSC_8700_toned_final.jpg Singles Venus Smith sings at a candlelight vigil at Federal Plaza in Chicago honoring Sandra Bland on Thursday, July 14, 2016, the one-year anniversary of her death in a Texas jail. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1663703824923-QUADZ632TGFJCPVY2PK3/yang.jpg Singles Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang gets emotional while speaking during a campaign stop at 7 Hills Event Center in Dubuque on Thursday, Jan. 30, 2020. (For Telegraph Herald) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1552520349118-LZ60534PJEB2AQ1WW281/SPNW_5632138666_GolfClubFire_01.jpg Singles Firefighters battle a structure fire at Lacoma Golf Club in East Dubuque, Ill., on Thursday, Jan. 17, 2019. (For Telegraph Herald) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1663696547005-WM0O4QG9F9G52JICMC2P/100221-owh-new-refugee-housing-em01.jpg Singles A child from Afghanistan pauses after arriving at Eppley Airfield in Omaha on Wednesday, Sept. 29, 2021. He and his family arrived as refugees in the United States. (For Omaha World-Herald) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1603326328111-3RKZ1BPUDURD2E2FBWKW/nightofdestruction03.JPG Singles People watch from the pit during the Night of Destruction on the final day of the Jackson County Fair in Maquoketa, Iowa, on Sunday, July 28, 2019. (For Telegraph Herald) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1570110104860-MDF0PFTUJESN1Z28NPI0/politics_pointing_fingers_edited.jpg Singles President Donald Trump gestures to the crowd at Dubuque Regional Airport on Thursday, July 26, 2018. Trump was in the area to attend a roundtable event at Northeast Iowa Community College in Peosta, Iowa. (For Telegraph Herald) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1565795949995-CVRGCH5PQCOQ2N28UBAO/chalk_messages_edited_final.jpg Singles A young Chicago Cubs fan writes a message in chalk on the bricks outside of Wrigley Field on Nov. 8, 2016, in Chicago. Cubs fans began writing messages on the bricks surrounding the stadium a couple days before the Chicago Cubs won the World Series on Nov. 2, 2016. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1552520340765-4FCJ50I82GD9K26CJBUJ/politics_election_anxiety.jpg Singles Elaine Klein, of Dubuque, watches election results come in during a watch party for Iowa Rep. Abby Finkenauer, D-Dubuque, at 7 Hills Brewing Co. in Dubuque, Iowa, on Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2018. Finkenauer unseated incumbent U.S. Rep. Rod Blum, R-Iowa, in the midterm election. She won a two-year term representing Iowa's 1st Congressional District seat. (For Telegraph Herald) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1663278493960-JDZRR8WKPF5C19QBKK8X/01012018-meslaryearinphotos05-em_toned.jpg Singles Lynn Sutton picks weeds on her plot at the collaborative farm located near Sinsinawa Mound in Wisconsin on Monday, Aug. 21, 2017. (For Telegraph Herald) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1663703623162-NR5UIPR5A5KLZP1PS66O/10302019-bideninterview03-em.jpg Singles Democratic presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden does a one-on-one interview with the Telegraph Herald newspaper during a campaign stop at Loras College in Dubuque on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2019. (For Telegraph Herald) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1614631514231-O53EDAMP3FHV23F6OJUW/finals16.JPG Singles Giselle Zarco tosses her teddy bear up in the air as she walks across the bridge into the United States from Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, with her father’s attorney, John Antia, on June 12, 2014. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1663703616368-91F46RYXD355THWNEOBF/09232019-mayorpete31-em.jpg Singles Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg speaks during a campaign stop at the Alliant Energy Amphitheater in Dubuque, Iowa, on Monday, Sept. 23, 2019. (For Telegraph Herad) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1627704838153-9S57QJ5GHCKKWCWDFEY2/102618-farmingbytradition09-em.jpg Singles Jeff Brother, 80, owns a cattle farm on Prewitt Pike near Mt. Sterling, Ky. His family has been farming the land for more than 200 years. Photo taken on Oct. 26, 2018. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1570111089741-7B77TVJKUEVEBI6LMIFL/2018-photo-slideshow21-em_edited.jpg Singles Future Dubuque Senior High School graduates dance as they wait in line before their graduation at Five Flags Center on Saturday, June 2, 2018. (For Telegraph Herald) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1663703622590-R08PYIERR4J8H39BUZZI/06102019-KamalaHarris06-em.jpg Singles Presidential candidate U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., speaks to supporters during a campaign stop at Convivium Urban Farmstead in Dubuque on Monday, June 10, 2019. (For Telegraph Herald) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1565336086410-9TB78L53ACPNHSW3F7W6/05042019-prom11-em.JPG Singles Madison Myers (center right) and her date Grant Jochum take a break from dancing during their prom at Southwestern High School in Hazel Green, Wis., on Saturday, May 4, 2019. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1570109708944-9I5SDC5N77AO0EUFNVRK/01012018-meslaryearinphotos39-em_edited.jpg Singles Randy Sprague (left), 53, helps feed his younger brother Steven Sprague, 47, using a feeding tube at their home in Dubuque, Iowa, on Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2017. (For Telegraph Herald) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1565336068517-ZWZYJQROYBTPSCOBKUWE/09232018-goosehunting07-em.jpg Singles Abraham Reich, 12, carries a goose at the end of a hunt with his father, Dan, near Hantelman Road in Sherrill, Iowa, on Sunday, Sept. 23, 2018. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1663696540793-UYU42EL8B89SDPQE8DZ8/041322-owh-new-storms-em01.jpg Singles Lightning illuminates the sky in downtown Omaha on Tuesday, April 12, 2022. (For Omaha World-Herald) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1663707667119-PEQ94DN2C7HMCH4GTQL2/050322-owh-new-ramadan-em03_toned.jpg Singles Shabana Noor (from left) and her parents, Nooryali Noor and Latifa Noor, pray at their home in Omaha after breaking their fast on Wednesday during Ramadan. This is the family's first Ramadan since immigrating to the U.S. from Afghanistan. (For Omaha World-Herald) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1627704050046-THXU7JHM1O77PD5FNMDU/PSES_5632138666_EvanstonReparations_07.JPG Singles Vanessa Johnson-McCoy, a real estate agent who sees the impact generations of segregation has had on her city, poses for a portrait near her home in Evanston, Illinois, U.S., March 19, 2021. (For Reuters) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1460252564647-83YJCYRK613QSSCQ2CQM/emiliano_phone_light.jpg Singles Emiliano Arellano looks at his mother’s phone as they drive back to Chicago from Washington D.C. after the immigration activist organization La Familia Latina Unida held a press conference outside the National Democratic Headquarters on October 24, 2014. Emiliano’s mother, Elvira Arellano, is a co-founder of the Chicago-based La Familia Latina Unida and has been a prominent immigration activist for the last decade. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1663700091683-SAH4NQ0UZR1ENYN8A0DW/11072020-celebration-election2020-meslar02.jpg Singles People celebrate in the Boystown neighborhood of Chicago after media announced that Joe Biden won the election on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2020. North Halsted Street was closed Saturday afternoon into the evening amid ongoing celebrations following the Biden-Harris news. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1552520304408-XLSK999ULKP8RCFEMW3K/2018-photo-slideshow53-em.jpg Singles Rowan Murray, 7, stretches before practice at All Around Academy of Gymnastics in Dubuque, Iowa, on Sept. 21, 2018. (For Telegraph Herald) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1614631518181-WTV2PT6O32F07WOY98ZW/finals18.JPG Singles Saúl Zarco kisses his daughter, Giselle, after receiving Humanitarian Parole and being released from the immigration detention center in Laredo, Texas, on June 14, 2014. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1517896041617-RA238WZIS46KXUK6BPKL/nppa_feature_single_meslar_04.jpg Singles Grace McIntire (from left), Anna Douillet, and Josephine McKeon wait backstage during the Dubuque City Youth Ballet's production of "The Nutcracker Ballet" at the Grand Opera House in Dubuque, Iowa, on Dec. 16, 2107. (For Telegraph Herald) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1619715354813-EZCP7UC706PNJ1XG3863/07022018-goldenknights28-em.jpg Singles Staff Sgt. Morgan George of the US Army Parachute Team's Golden Knights Black Demonstration Team prepares to jump in Dubuque, on Monday, July 2, 2018. (For Telegraph Herald) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1663703611719-PX7HM1IS9Z0B6KGU4X28/02022020-biden03-em.jpg Singles Democratic presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden speaks to Madeleine Dolezal, of University of Akron, during an event at Clarke University in Dubuque, Iowa, on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2020. (For Telegraph Herald) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1552520231418-PVA1BWZFVLVQPYQ71SA0/2018-photo-slideshow15-em.jpg Singles Dubuque police officer Austin Weitz, of the traffic division, patrols during his shift during the early hours of Saturday, April 21, 2018. (For Telegraph Herald) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1570109408858-DE1R2TU82ZD94BLQZ00D/01012018-meslaryearinphotos61-em_edited.jpg Singles Congregation members attend the Palm Sunday service at Paradise Assembly of God church in Dubuque, Iowa, on April 9, 2017. (For Telegraph Herald) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1570109278664-ZQ89PAWU8WSCBVP9KU7V/2018-photo-slideshow49-em_edited.jpg Singles Joshua Cartwright, 15, lays on his horse Do More Arrow at Do More Morgans in Platteville, Wis., on Thursday, Aug. 9, 2018. Cartwright helps his grandfather, owner Don Bahr, train horses at Do More Morgans. (For Telegraph Herald) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1552520333920-ALB9DZQE69YDHL1WNYP3/2018-photo-slideshow67-em.jpg Singles Jerome "Jerry" Ehlers, 85, of Dubuque, is a Korean War-era veteran. Photo taken at Veteran's Freedom Center in Dubuque on Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2018. (For Telegraph Herald) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1663696550251-H2YJF4T41CAH2GKSEKHK/01012018-meslaryearinphotos53-em.jpg Singles Courtney Newberg and Jared Sanborn, of Platteville, Wis., watch the 32nd annual Fireworks & Airshow Spectacular in Dubuque, Iowa, on Monday, July 3, 2017. (For Telegraph Herald) http://www.eileentmeslar.com/resume daily 0.75 2024-10-15 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1397539141909-0H0F2RL0GSY20Z74M8D8/me_taking_picture_cropped_thumbnail.jpg Resume http://www.eileentmeslar.com/contact daily 0.75 2024-10-15 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1599334461327-6SBNYD9W6J3DEQ9SDKUT/profile_pic.jpg Contact http://www.eileentmeslar.com/love-has-no-borders daily 0.75 2020-12-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1606857448074-OYCDEK8410FHVWJMFFQX/border_01_toned.jpg Love Has No Borders Rosio Fragoso and Giselle Zarco journeyed 1,397 miles from Chicago to the Mexican border in order to reunite with Saúl Zarco, Giselle’s dad and Rosio’s husband, on Father’s Day in 2014. Saúl, a Mexican citizen, has been banned to reenter the United States since his daughter was 4 months old. He left the U.S. without the proper documentation and received a 10-year bar upon reentry. Ever since then, short trips to Mexico and Skype have been the family’s only way of being together. Rosio and Giselle, both United States citizens, attempted to live in Mexico with Saúl in order to keep their family together. After Saúl survived a violent abduction, Rosio and Saúl decided the growing violence was no place for their young daughter. Rosio and Giselle moved back to the United States and continued to look for a better way to reunite with Saúl. That was when Rosio discovered Centro Sin Fronteras, a Chicago-based immigration activist organization. The organization had started exploring legal means to reunite mixed-citizen-status families. After successfully crossing barred, Mexican citizen Marlene Salmeron into the United States to be with her American family on Mother’s Day, Centro Sin Fronteras chose Saúl Zarco to be their next attempt at family reunification at the border. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1606857494611-7KN2MLNB7NO9TMT1K08V/border_01_toned.jpg Love Has No Borders Giselle and her mother wait during a welcoming reception in a bar in Laredo, Texas, after their 1,397-mile journey from Chicago on June 11, 2014. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1576884019603-1GKW30IZNEJHGHE06WC1/border_02.jpg Love Has No Borders Rosio and Saúl laugh as their daughter, Giselle, animatedly talks to them while they wait for a late night dinner and press conference in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, on June 12, 2014. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1576885018243-G5FYA26S2JMRGK6C5BDA/border_03.jpg Love Has No Borders Giselle tosses her teddy bear up in the air as she walks across the bridge into the United States with her father’s attorney, John Antia, on June 12, 2014. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1576885078581-49BDJE6A723U28N8SU1K/border_04.jpg Love Has No Borders Giselle falls asleep on her mother’s shoulder as they return to their hotel in Laredo, Texas, after spending the day in Mexico for several press conferences with Saúl on June 12, 2014. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1576885157571-FPJDJWAOG1A226QNKGFG/border_05.jpg Love Has No Borders Emma Lozano, an immigration activist with Centro Sin Fronteras, and John Antia laugh as Lozano drapes an American flag around Giselle the night before she crosses over the border into the United States with her father. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1576885218781-GF9Q28ENFX1XIUDKUPRD/border_06.jpg Love Has No Borders Saúl waits with Giselle in Mexico at the border. They have to cross at a specific time in order for Saúl to make his appointment with the International Customs Enforcement official on June 14, 2014. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1576885258036-2OIS3G0WL2NG5QOKGJCT/border_07.jpg Love Has No Borders Rosio waits with her sister, Maria Rodriguez (left), and her mother, Rosa Mendez, at their hotel in Laredo to hear if Saúl reached the immigration detention center. Saúl needs to make it to the detention center by 4 p.m. in order for the officials to be able to process him that day. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1576885306111-BRT0F0XGCDL7N8DX4OK6/border_08.jpg Love Has No Borders Rosio tightly embraces Giselle after finding out that Saúl has received humanitarian parole and can be picked up from the detention center on June 14, 2014. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1576885351128-Z3RIGPPTXYW65T1EU50R/border_09.jpg Love Has No Borders Giselle and Rosio kneel down and pray on their hotel room bed in thanksgiving for Saúl’s release the day before Father’s Day. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1576885393931-BFHQXSVIAY4DD4U9LSCX/border_10.jpg Love Has No Borders Saúl kisses Giselle after receiving humanitarian parole and being released from the immigration detention center on Saturday, June 14, 2014. http://www.eileentmeslar.com/the-outfit daily 0.75 2018-11-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1455567616820-HCM3OBNCUQE50RH0XAFP/image-asset.jpeg The Outfit The Chicago Outfit is a flat-track roller derby league formed in 2007 and based in Chicago. The Outfit has 3 different teams based on skill level. The main travel team, the Syndicate, competes in the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA). The secondary travel team, the Shade Brigade, does not compete in WFTDA, but they travel with the Syndicate to various away bouts, and the Shakedown is the Outfit team encompassing new skaters. The Outfit practices four times a week at Fleetwood Roller Rink in Summit, Illinois, and during the season has several home bouts at Windy City Fieldhouse in Chicago. In the 2015 season, the Outfit performed so well in their WFTDA bouts and Division 2 Playoffs that they moved up in rank, becoming the top-ranked roller derby team in Illinois. The Outfit prides itself on creating an environment where dedicated, hard-working athletes can skate competitively and support each other, and have fun while doing it. Unlike teams in other roller derby leagues, the tight-knit Outfit teams never bout against each other, which further reinforces the family culture the Outfit has been cultivating. "They are some of my closest friends. We literally shed blood, sweat, and tears together. I see these girls more than I see most of my family, but after 2-3 days a week of beating up one another we turn into family." ~ Lady K https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1455567050074-V343VQF12JQEVROO11LE/lola_smarty.jpg The Outfit Co-captains Lola Blow ( Jasmine Styrczula) and Smarty McFly (Chelsea Pearson) talk to their teammates before their last home bout of the season on July 25, 2015. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1455567157878-2JIGBHYKFGH25HKV13SW/skates.jpg The Outfit The Chicago Outfit practices 4 times a week at Fleetwood Roller Rink in Summit, Illinois, to prepare for their bouts. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1456845276066-QGTVM2RW2BIVV5J0VKB9/locker_room.jpg The Outfit The Chicago Outfit travel teams, the Shade Brigade and the Syndicate, prepare for their first away bouts of the season against Grand Raggidy in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on March 28, 2015. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1455567169832-1XVG6F07WUXAMVK5ASQE/K_closeup.jpg The Outfit Lady K (Kelly Mikols) applies her customary makeup to her face before the Chicago Outfit's first home bout of the season at the Windy City Fieldhouse on April 25, 2015. "Everyone on the Outfit used to always paint our faces for each bout. I always liked doing that, so I kept it up. I chose my symbol to just look even more scary." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1455567950955-T39HK7PLY7UN1VKB4451/nikita_lindy_blocking.jpg The Outfit Nikita (Nicole Pacelli) blocks with her teammates during the Chicago Outfit's first home bout at the Windy City Fieldhouse on April 25, 2015. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1456844563530-SCWWKP8PC1T4NPRALK5C/watching_derby_copy.jpg The Outfit Shebiscuit (Lauren Wiscomb), Althea N. Hell (Erin Nelson), and Lola Blow (Jasmine Styrczula) react to a 30-point jam within the last minutes of a bout at the WFTDA Division 2 Playoffs in Detroit on August 29, 2015. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1455567203580-G8BW206W6Q1G3200YVWF/kill_ems.jpg The Outfit Kill 'Ems (Mallory Erdman) gathers her thoughts before the team discusses the first half of their first home bout at the Windy City Fieldhouse in Chicago on April 25, 2015. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1460349981748-DXV90R55QB1KEPO6YZSZ/DSC_8213.jpg The Outfit Captain Lola Blow (Jasmine Styrczula) relaces her skates before the beginning of practice at Fleetwood Roller Rink on August 24, 2015. “Being captain is really important to me. Keeping my team motivated, working hard, and also having fun is a really difficult balance that takes a lot of studying on and off the track.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1456844555986-TPIBUDUV6897TWJ0DY3H/home_bout_celebration+copy.jpg The Outfit The Joan Ranger (Joan McDonald) embraces Coach Althea N. Hell (Erin Nelson) after the Chicago Outfit beats the Kansas City Roller Warriors by 25 points to win their first home bout of the season at Windy City Fieldhouse on April 25, 2015. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1455567734534-6BC33R2Z9LCKNP8DN23U/word_writing.jpg The Outfit Sneer and Loathing (Rachel Colias) writes the word "intensity" on her leg before the Outfit's second bout at the WFTDA Division 2 Playoffs in Detroit, on August 29, 2015. Some Outfit skaters write their goals on their legs and arms as a way to remember and actualize them during the bout. “The words are a reminder to keep your head on straight and finish how you started.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1460348652878-BJDDSE9MVEIVJN0UIYEB/pre_game_chant+copy.jpg The Outfit Matza Ballbreaker (Lara Rosenbush) leads the customary Chicago Outfit cheer before their bout against the Emerald City All Stars on the second day of the WFTDA Division 2 Playoffs in Detroit on August 29, 2015. “We do positive affirmations before games to gain power by speaking words we know are true of the team. They act as a reminder of how we play best and why.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1455567800587-6D0BNJVCNV3ZUSPTCC2K/sneer_nikita.jpg The Outfit Sneer and Loathing (Rachel Colias) hugs Nikita (Nicole Pacelli) after the Outfit lost their second bout in the WFTDA Division 2 Playoffs in Detroit on August 29, 2015. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1455567263556-Y1GXSL0E7LSAT2N1WJ1Q/PG_LD_Sneer_blocking.jpg The Outfit Sneer and Loathing (Rachel Colias), Pain Gwen (Meghan Larcher), and Lethal Dose (Jennifer Davids) prepare to block the Emerald City All Stars jammer during the Chicago Outfit's first bout of WFTDA Division 2 Playoffs in Detroit on August 28, 2015. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1455567271588-AUR2IEGMLQZ9ME1IY70W/playoff_celebration.jpg The Outfit Lady K (Kelly Mikols) embraces The Joan Ranger (Joan McDonald) after Chicago Outfit's 20-point win against the Emerald City All Stars at WFTDA Division 2 Playoffs in Detroit on August 28, 2015. This marks the first time the Chicago Outfit has won their first bout at playoffs. http://www.eileentmeslar.com/sports-singles daily 0.75 2019-10-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1663185460368-NFRNQT8QVQN75GDTOSFR/121721-owh-spo-nuvolley-em59-copy_toned.jpg Sports Singles Wisconsin players celebrate a point during their national semifinal game against Louisville at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, on Thursday. (For Omaha World-Herald) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1663694258533-VSUV1OP86A16R3I8BLTB/091122-owh-spo-nebgeorgiasouthern-em39.jpg Sports Singles Nebraska's Marques Buford Jr. walks onto the field at the beginning of the fourth quarter during their game against Georgia Southern at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska, on Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1517898196777-30I9FI9UC4G85PXCFCB6/nppa_sports_act_single_meslar_01.jpg Sports Singles Western Dubuque's Hanna Horsfield (foreground) catches a pop-up despite colliding into teammate Jade Besler during their game against Decorah in Farley, Iowa, on Thursday, July 6, 2017. (For Telegraph Herald) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1663693030365-A30545PN832H3O8AA5I2/030622-owh-spo-cubkc-em09_toned.jpg Sports Singles Seton Hall's Jamir Harris (left) and Creighton's Rati Andronikashvili battle for a loose ball during their game at CHI Health Center in Omaha on Saturday, March 5, 2022. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1663185447675-8RCYHNN4NIMY5NMZUIFQ/091122-owh-spo-nebgeorgiasouthern-em19_toned.jpg Sports Singles Georgia Southern's Derwin Burgess Jr. catches a pass while covered by Nebraska's Tommi Hill during their game at Memorial Stadium on Saturday. (For Omaha World-Herald) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1663185474784-BHK8VRJYO0EMRFKO5JP6/031222-owh-spo-statebasketballfri-em06_toned.jpg Sports Singles Omaha Roncalli Catholic players celebrate after defeating Omaha Skutt Catholic in their championship game at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln on Friday. (For Omaha World-Herald) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1649439146069-8A0PYD1ZY8DHS2Z6YP8P/SPFT_5632138666_Isaiah.JPG Sports Singles UNO's Isaiah Saville comes out of the tunnel at the start of the third period during their game against UMD at Baxter Arena on Friday, Jan. 21, 2022. (For Omaha World-Herald) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1608079497642-5YM0AIYI16G8V4ECM52G/meslar_sports_action_09.JPG Sports Singles Maquoketa's Abraham Michel (left) wrestles Van Meter-Earlham's Caleb Swalla during their Iowa Class 2A 170-pound third place match during the IHSAA State Wrestling Championships at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa, on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2020. (For Telegraph Herald) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1570041790557-WZQPKP4RS9Z4AIB932KO/beckman_photo_edited.jpg Sports Singles Dyersville Beckman players react as the last Cascade batter pops up during their Iowa Class 2A substate final in Manchester, Iowa, on Tuesday, July 18, 2017. (For Telegraph Herald) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1663185448201-BEQV4C5MOZACW3DR6VCE/101021-owh-spo-nebmichigan-em07_cropped.jpg Sports Singles Nebraska's Cam Taylor-Britt breaks up a pass to Michigan's Cornelius Johnson during the first half of their game on Saturday in Lincoln. (For Omaha World-Herald) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1517896394377-GNA103PRPL597UBFB2WV/poyi_sports_feature_meslar_05.jpg Sports Singles Cascade's Lisa Tucker fell at the finish line in the 2A 100 M hurdle, coming in second, during the 2017 Iowa High School Track & Field Championships, at Drake Stadium, in Des Moines, Iowa, Saturday, May 20, 2017. (For Telegraph Herald) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1663693016366-9Z5P572OY30S5M022QRE/010522-owh-spo-nubkw-em04_copy.jpg Sports Singles Nebraska players celebrate after defeating Michigan at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska, on Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2022 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1599793047238-4TKSR6XHGRTTUENU8S68/12312019-slideshow130-em.JPG Sports Singles Dubuque Hempstead's Ashley Glennon reacts after Hempstead scored a point in a close Class 5A Region 7 Semifinal volleyball game against Linn-Mar in Dubuque on Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2019. (For Telegraph Herald) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1570056118732-TM052CQOMSTH9T3KWEH5/2018-photo-slideshow16-em_edited.jpg Sports Singles Youngstown Phantoms' Jack Malone (left) and Curtis Hall (right) knock Dubuque Fighting Saints' Tyce Thompson off his feet during their hockey game at Mystique Community Ice Center in Dubuque, Iowa, on Tuesday, April 24, 2018. (For Telegraph Herald) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1663899252725-GXWYPJUS8B2XCRJG0BW8/030322-owh-spo-cubkc-em04.jpg Sports Singles Creighton's Ryan Kalkbrenner dunks during their game against UConn at CHI Health Center in Omaha on Wednesday, March 2, 2022. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1663185462354-JHM23EK9Z8QX69B1FUE5/Fouled_off_face_cropped.jpg Sports Singles UNO's Eduardo Rosario hits a foul into his face during their game against Valparaiso at Tal Anderson Field in Omaha, Nebraska, on Friday, March 4, 2022. (For Omaha World-Herald) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1584245385391-TIZR0T23HVMYOLOKI8XO/12312019-slideshow01-em.JPG Sports Singles Dubuque Hempstead's Megan Hammerand (from left), Morgan Hawkins, and Sydney Paulsen react after scoring a point in a close volleyball Class 5A Semifinal against Linn-Mar High School in Dubuque, Iowa, on Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2019. (For Telegraph Herald) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1663693011218-W3G90WHJ2PGNL0C46REO/010522-owh-spo-nubkw-em10_cropped.jpg Sports Singles Nebraska's Isabelle Bourne (left) battles Michigan's Maddie Nolan for the ball during their game at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska, on Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2022. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1649269745481-NFUH7CKGPFPL71PWDJGH/nppa_portrait_first_game_em.JPG Sports Singles Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields steps onto the field before his first NFL preseason game against the Miami Dolphins at Soldier Field in Chicago on Saturday, Aug. 14, 2021. Former Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields was selected by the Chicago Bears with the No. 11 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. (For USA Today) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1570044545102-XGJXZ2Z5PVPR45R6BR23/SPFT_5632138666_LastMatch_toned.jpg Sports Singles Dubuque Hempstead's Head Coach Chuck Haas hugs senior Kent Kragenbrink after he defeated Cedar Falls' Dakota Southworth during their Iowa Class 3A 170-pound seventh place match at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa, on Saturday, Feb. 16, 2019. This was Kragenbrink's last match of his high school career. (For Telegraph Herald) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1599853265480-EDHEC3Y8IDXLTAPPQM24/12312019-slideshow117-em_cropped.jpg Sports Singles Dubuque Senior Rams fans tease Davenport Central's Emarion Eilis (left) while Daquon Lewis (right) waits to pass the ball inbound during their basketball game against in Dubuque on Thursday, Dec. 5, 2019. (For Telegraph Herald) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1649271087442-SINYKGCD1FHTAAGAR8EV/sports_feature_semifinal_celebration_em.jpg Sports Singles Wisconsin's Jade Demps celebrates a point during their national semifinal game against Louisville at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, on Thursday, Dec. 16, 2021. (For Omaha World-Herald) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1663185463529-RUI5NTCVQX6R0VQLFXWO/kaluma-em.jpg Sports Singles Creighton's Arthur Kaluma (24) tries to get past Kennesaw State's Nate Springs during their game at CHI Health Center in Omaha on Thursday. (For Omaha World-Herald) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1663693028514-7ZOH3DY232V9R4D8QB96/090422-owh-spo-nebnorthdakota18.jpg Sports Singles Nebraska players run onto the field before their game against North Dakota at Memorial Field in Lincoln, Nebraska, on Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1584245383177-LNZPILORTVV5KH80O5CY/12312019-slideshow12-em.JPG Sports Singles Dyersville Beckman's Jada Wills misses a dig during their the Iowa Class 2A state volleyball final against Western Christian at US Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Friday, Nov. 15, 2019. (For Telegraph Herald) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1570056608037-TFNVZHUVOMQLVLUY1INK/2018-photo-slideshow68-em_edited.jpg Sports Singles Loras College players celebrate after defeating Wartburg College in the American Rivers Conference tournament championship at the Rock Bowl in Dubuque, Iowa, on Saturday, Nov. 3, 2018. (For Telegraph Herald) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1584245396688-JG68FLCX89Q4DQD5CVMV/12312019-slideshow29-em.JPG Sports Singles Western Dubuque's Jake Hosch tries to avoid getting pinned by Indianola's Brennan Meacham during their Iowa Class 3A 170-pound fifth place match at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa, on Saturday, Feb. 16, 2019. (For Telegraph Herald) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1517897888638-ZF8WACGPU9OLFTRHYGWF/nppa_sports_feat_single_meslar_03.jpg Sports Singles Dyersville Beckman's Brooke Lucas (left) and Kelli Engelken take a moment after losing their Iowa Class 2A regional final against Iowa City Regina in Dyersville, Iowa, on Monday, July 10, 2017. (For Telegraph Herald) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1570056254421-R7CTLF03RLA2KRWEH3TA/01012018-meslaryearinphotos50-em_edited.jpg Sports Singles Cascade's Annie Meyer (center left) and Rebecca McDermott hug after winning the 2A distance medley during the 2017 Iowa High School Track & Field Championships, at Drake Stadium, in Des Moines, Iowa, Friday, May 19, 2017. (For Telegraph Herald) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1663185444269-4KHZ4L65LYR17OW648ME/091022-owh-spo-stucol-em03.jpg Sports Singles Omaha Westside’s Ty Keifer (right) tackles Bellevue West’s Cayden Echternach causing a fumble during their game at Westside High School on Friday. (For Omaha World-Herald) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1552513374465-VMRL3ZQC8SBFSG8K5CJT/2018-photo-slideshow20-emA.jpg Sports Singles Maquoketa High School's Kole Harmon prepares to throw a pitch during their baseball game against Western Dubuque High School in Maquoketa, Iowa, on Tuesday, May 29, 2018. (For Telegraph Herald) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1663693025112-30V2MOAUNVWDW9DOXOZX/121221-owh-spo-nubkw-em20_toned.jpg Sports Singles Nebraska players huddle up before their game against Indiana State at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska, on Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1552513356385-1EKNVTUBI4JOO02812D6/SPFT_5632138666_ToughLoss.jpg Sports Singles East Dubuque's Carly Wemett takes a moment in the locker room after her team lost their playoff basketball game to Eastland in Galena, Ill., on Friday, Feb. 8, 2019. (For Telegraph Herald) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1608080170792-DG9SIA5E5F276ABZ15GV/07102018-cascadebaseball33-em_edited.jpg Sports Singles Cascade High School players celebrate their teammate Haris Hoffman after his bases-loaded single gave Cascade the walk-off win over Columbus Catholic in the District 6 baseball tournament in Cascade, Iowa, on Tuesday, July 10, 2018. (For Telegraph Herald) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1599793109731-TFMBYQV8SWUSCIKNZ08K/08092019-iowafootballmediaday16-em.JPG Sports Singles Colten Rastetter is a punter for the University of Iowa. Photo taken at Iowa's practice facility in Iowa City, Iowa, on Friday, Aug. 9, 2019. (For Telegraph Herald) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1599793088104-NSF3E4LS37BEZ6R3GP16/12312019-slideshow09-em.JPG Sports Singles Ghost players walk off the field during the Team of Dreams event at the Field of Dreams in Dyersville, Iowa, on Sunday, Sept. 1, 2019. (For Telegraph Herald) http://www.eileentmeslar.com/veterinarian-mother-kickboxer daily 0.75 2022-09-12 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1530446742367-N6U2JYR6NMVJ0JZROTFN/kickboxer_finals_24.jpg Veterinarian. Mother. Kickboxer. - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1530420963033-OBD5S0RDBCK5NA957VP7/kickboxer_finals_35.jpg Veterinarian. Mother. Kickboxer. Robin Mundt talks to students about her veterinary career at Marshall Elementary School in Dubuque on Friday, April 27, 2018. (For Telegraph Herald) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1530420562652-O4TUFMYQDAUN7C449OTP/kickboxer_finals_36.jpg Veterinarian. Mother. Kickboxer. Robin Mundt writes down notes while training in her friend Leigha Lattner's basement in Dubuque on Monday, April 9, 2018. (For Telegraph Herald) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1530421190150-SGKYIQWSU6G9NPK3RSIU/kickboxer_finals_12.jpg Veterinarian. Mother. Kickboxer. Robin Mundt trains with Pat Hayes at Dubuque Community YMCA/YWCA on Wednesday, March 21, 2018. (For Telegraph Herald) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1530342878620-OLRV2WV4WO3QVMRYW9TG/kickboxer_finals_38.jpg Veterinarian. Mother. Kickboxer. Robin Mundt speaks to her son Mason (left), 6, as her other children Calysta, 11, and Logan, 8, occupy themselves during a night of training at Dubuque Martial Arts Group on Tuesday, April 10, 2018. (For Telegraph Herald) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1530446215022-RELYXY1S2MISAW2DS1B4/kickboxer_finals_04.jpg Veterinarian. Mother. Kickboxer. Leigha Lattner (left) gives Robin Mundt tips during a break from sparring at Dubuque Martial Arts Group on Tuesday, March 20, 2018. (For Telegraph Herald) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1530421041800-4SB0Y2Y17C44ZNY3TE2A/kickboxer_finals_29.jpg Veterinarian. Mother. Kickboxer. Mason Mundt, 6, watches his mother Robin Mundt spar at Dubuque Martial Arts Group in Dubuque on Tuesday, April 10, 2018. (For Telegraph Herald) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1530420541131-LD6677MGBKP99QXWLL1W/kickboxer_finals_41.jpg Veterinarian. Mother. Kickboxer. Pat Hayes holds pads for Robin Mundt during a training session at Dubuque Martial Arts Group on Saturday, May 5, 2018. (For Telegraph Herald) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1530420994774-O9V0OKZ9NRPKHMXG4L73/kickboxer_finals_31.jpg Veterinarian. Mother. Kickboxer. Robin Mundt (left) watches her children Mason (from center left), 6, Logan, 8, and Calysta, 11, shoot bows and arrows at their home in rural Dubuque on Saturday, May 5, 2018. (For Telegraph Herald) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1530448538311-61BPTG8XR8X84K5JZU4B/kickboxer_finals_06.jpg Veterinarian. Mother. Kickboxer. Robin Mundt takes a break from sparring at Dubuque Martial Arts Group on Tuesday, March 20, 2018. (For Telegraph Herald) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1530421170365-LLCB4DDDHN3TU0Q3A84B/kickboxer_finals_14.jpg Veterinarian. Mother. Kickboxer. Robin Mundt (left) drops her children Calysta (from center left), 11, Mason, 6, and Logan, 8, off at her parents' home before her Premium Kickboxing Federation X fight at CourtSide Sports Bar and Grill on Saturday, May 12, 2018. (For Telegraph Herald) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1530420986459-U80W6IZLTWHBCIZ00TWH/kickboxer_finals_33.jpg Veterinarian. Mother. Kickboxer. Chuck Baxter gives Robin Mundt a fist bump before her Premium Kickboxing Federation X fight at CourtSide Sports Bar and Grill on Saturday, May 12, 2018. (For Telegraph Herald) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1530342892411-CNIP3Z7ZMA420AMEPAK3/kickboxer_finals_39.jpg Veterinarian. Mother. Kickboxer. Ajarn Dean Lessei speaks to Robin Mundt before her fight during Premium Kickboxing Federation X at CourtSide Sports Bar and Grill on Saturday, May 12, 2018. (For Telegraph Herald) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1530420968996-O3SDOSDA7TCZOO3ZEDNN/kickboxer_finals_34.jpg Veterinarian. Mother. Kickboxer. Robin Mundt (right) fights Victoria Putzbach during Premium Kickboxing Federation X at CourtSide Sports Bar and Grill on Saturday, May 12, 2018. (For Telegraph Herald) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1530421117071-DO87L86V3M1DVROFXH8H/kickboxer_finals_21.jpg Veterinarian. Mother. Kickboxer. Leigha Lattner (left) helps Robin Mundt take off her gear after Mundt lost her Premium Kickboxing Federation X fight in a split decision at CourtSide Sports Bar and Grill on Saturday, May 12, 2018. (For Telegraph Herald) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1530422586659-NCH84F49HTARHM9M5A59/kickboxer_finals_20.jpg Veterinarian. Mother. Kickboxer. Robin Mundt jokes with friends after her Premium Kickboxing Federation X fight at CourtSide Sports Bar and Grill on Saturday, May 12, 2018. (For Telegraph Herald) http://www.eileentmeslar.com/farming-by-tradition daily 0.75 2019-08-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1541515706587-SEQQIN3JJ08KVXCRJYSG/_O4A9955.jpg Farming by Tradition “They came out of Virginia and stopped here . . . It was good land.” Jeff Brother, 80, owns a cattle farm on Prewitt Pike in Mt. Sterling. He inherited his land from his mother, Elizabeth “Tish” Chandler Prewitt Brother, who inherited it from her grandparents, Edward Rogers Prewitt and Patsy Chandler Prewitt. Jeff began farming when he was 12, when his grandmother told him that his uncle needed help on his farm. He loaded hay bales and, on horseback, checked, counted and moved cattle. He was sometimes paid in hay. “I liked it,” Jeff says. “Getting out and doing something is better than sitting in class, listening to somebody.” Because Jeff knew he wanted to farm in Kentucky, he earned a degree in Animal Science at University of Kentucky. After graduation, he joined the Army's Transportation Corps. That work gave him experience in dealing with different kinds of people. "I don't care what you're doing, if you can deal with people, that's half the battle," Jeff says. He returned to Mt. Sterling to farm his family's land with his uncle. When his uncle died, he took over farm operations. As a farmer, Jeff has learned that no two days are the same. “Everything is IF," he says. "Everything revolves around the weather.” Earlier, Jeff had opportunities to join his father in banking in Mt. Sterling, where his father served as a bank president. "I wanted no part of it,” Jeff says. “I had seen the pressures he had been under, pressures for things he couldn’t do anything about." In contrast, Jeff says, in farming you have some control. "You could at least think you were doing something about it." Jeff's children have begun moving back into the area. In 2002, his eldest daughter, Laura Lee, bought the farm down the road. Earlier this year, his youngest daughter, Janie-Rice, and her husband bought a 60-acre farm and a house less than a mile from her parents that was built by another relative. And so the Prewitt tradition continues. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1541515877485-BOUFFBTTOGLMYD7SFZW4/_O4A9955.jpg Farming by Tradition Jeff Brother, 80, owns a cattle farm on Prewitt Pike near Mt. Sterling. His family has been farming the land for more than 200 years. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1541515912909-68PEIYMED8JJVBIMUC1G/_O4A0051.jpg Farming by Tradition Jeff opens a gate on his cattle farm. "I never will forget, I was 12 or 13 and my grandmother lived in a big white house across the road," Jeff says. "She called me and said, 'My son Edward needs you to help him.' And I said, 'Well, I'd be glad to do that. Twelve years old, I didn't know what I was going to do. I just started coming out here." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1541515968612-RE9FJ7K4SE726NX61Z4J/_DSC0518.jpg Farming by Tradition Jeff and his daughter, Laura Lee, share a laugh during the heifer sale. Laura Lee helps her father with the cattle operations. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1541515922117-RM49L2RR5DIYJ7OWRI7I/_O4A9933.jpg Farming by Tradition One of Jeff's cows waits in a pen at Bluegrass Stockyard East in Mt. Sterling. Sixteen of Jeff's cattle were sold at the 14th Annual Gateway Regional Bred Heifer Sale later that night. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1541515981417-N8IS4ICDRTXVLJP4SG95/_O4A9778.jpg Farming by Tradition Jeff watches his cattle pass down the central aisle at Bluegrass Stockyard East. His cattle were sold at the heifer sale later that night. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1541515993749-92OVFXHRP7L9Y4CSWQR2/_O4A1827.jpg Farming by Tradition Jeff grabs a salt bucket for his cattle. "I was tickled to death to get out of school," Jeff says. "Well, of course I was coming out here after school a lot of times and on weekends." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1541516038186-AKOMEXE0Y8OH6C191GLI/_O4A1782.jpg Farming by Tradition Jeff Brother grabs salt for his cattle. “People ask me, ‘What are you going to do tomorrow?’” Jeff says. "I say, well, I don't have any idea until I get out and see what's gone wrong since today." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1541516052360-IBG189HP6Z2BHZ5OSDBN/_O4A9509.jpg Farming by Tradition Jeff eats breakfast at his home on his cattle farm. "No two days are the same," Jeff says. "You know, I've heard people say, and I think it's probably true, some farmers spend most of their time putting out fires." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1541516240818-ENXVUYW6SKYODZOCHII5/_O4A0670_2.jpg Farming by Tradition A muddy lane winds through Jeff's farm. He inherited his land from his mother, Elizabeth “Tish” Chandler Prewitt Brother, who inherited it from her grandparents, Edward Rogers Prewitt and Patsy Chandler Prewitt. Now his children are returning to the area to farm. http://www.eileentmeslar.com/bonds-that-endure daily 0.75 2022-09-15 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1552517013526-BG7TWFIJO3AVE0WR69AO/meslar_4h_01.jpg Bonds that Endure Josie Boyle (left), 13, and Luke Boyle, 11, practice showing their goats at their home in Peosta, Iowa, on Sunday, July 1, 2018. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1552517014704-Y7IQQ99TWQILR2CMI4E6/meslar_4h_02.jpg Bonds that Endure Josie Boyle, 13, practices walking her pig at her home in Peosta, Iowa, on Sunday, July 1, 2018. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1552517030352-ZDYWV2UWL5QGL7VVFK06/meslar_4h_03.jpg Bonds that Endure Josie Boyle (left), 13, and Luke Boyle, 11, clean their goats before they show them at the Dubuque County Fair in Dubuque, Iowa, on Tuesday, July 24, 2018. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1552517046967-MH5I90WD4JOVL2K6TDZW/meslar_4h_04.jpg Bonds that Endure Angie Boyle (left) and Katie Steines (center right) braid Josie Boyle's hair while Aleeyah Steines (right), 12, watches before Josie and Aleeyah show their goats at the Dubuque County Fair in Dubuque, Iowa, on Tuesday, July 24, 2018. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1552517043174-UQ3LC9Y0K4RYTTA6P95Q/meslar_4h_05.jpg Bonds that Endure Josie Boyle (right), 13, and her friend, Aleeyah Steines, 12, study a diagram before showing their goats at the Dubuque County Fair in Dubuque, Iowa, on Tuesday, July 24, 2018. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1552517062939-7NNZRL7CVHTEIZOK48ZC/meslar_4h_06.jpg Bonds that Endure Josie Boyle, 13, shows her goat at the Dubuque County Fair in Dubuque, Iowa, on Tuesday, July 24, 2018. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1552517083874-JQMMQEVV16QWJXYP92YE/meslar_4h_07.jpg Bonds that Endure Angie Boyle comforts her son Luke Boyle, 11, before he brings his goat Beatrice into the auction ring at the Dubuque County Fair in Dubuque, Iowa, on Friday, July 27, 2018. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1552517112422-1ZYFUT34ZCKFZCMJBW5X/meslar_4h_08.jpg Bonds that Endure Josie Boyle, 13, kisses her pig Pony Boy after he was sold at the Dubuque County Fair in Dubuque, Iowa, on Friday, July 27, 2018. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1552517097259-GJUAOYGBL9PBQNIR01S9/meslar_4h_09.jpg Bonds that Endure Luke Boyle (right), 11, hugs his sister Josie Boyle, 13, after saying goodbye to their three goats that were sold at the auction at the Dubuque County Fair in Dubuque, Iowa, on Friday, July 27, 2018. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1552517129703-SKLD6MG4NJC8DXFEYHS1/meslar_4h_10.jpg Bonds that Endure Seth Boyle (from left), 8, Ava Hosch, 12, Josie Boyle, 13, and Luke Boyle, 11, visit with their goats that were sold at the auction at the Dubuque County Fair in Dubuque, Iowa, on Friday, July 27, 2018. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1552517128184-KI2ACNP87GXON3XUCMDF/meslar_4h_11.jpg Bonds that Endure Luke Boyle (left), 11, and his sister Josie Boyle, 13, sit with their pigs after selling their goats at auction at the Dubuque County Fair in Dubuque, Iowa, on Friday, July 27, 2018. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1552518371596-H1F4RUA1P1YZWZG9VX5Y/meslar_4h_11.jpg Bonds that Endure Siblings Josie, 13, and Luke Boyle, 11, participated in 4H at the Dubuque County Fair in July of 2018. Josie had been a part of 4H for a couple years, but it was Luke's first year. They took care of their goats and pigs for several months and practiced showing their animals at their home in Peosta, Iowa, in preparation for the Dubuque County Fair. Josie tried to help Luke throughout the process, giving him pointers and tips for walking and cleaning the pigs. Although Josie had shown animals before, this was the first year Josie had ever shown goats. The kids grew particularly close to their goats: Bella, Bandit, and Beatrice. During fair week they showed their pigs and goats to the judges and were awarded different ribbons depending on how well the animals were judged. Despite some tears from Luke early on in the week because of a low score for his goat, the siblings spent most of the week having fun with their 4H friends. At the end of the week all the 4H participants had to sell their animals. It was the day the kids had dreaded. For Josie and Luke, whose animals were meat goats and pigs, that meant after the animals were auctioned they’d be slaughtered for meat. Josie auctioned Bandit off first, then came Luke with Beatrice, and finally Josie auctioned off Bella, the siblings’ favorite goat. After all the goats were sold, Luke and Josie comforted each other and prepared to sell their pigs. (For the Telegraph Herald) http://www.eileentmeslar.com/making-history-on-the-mat daily 0.75 2022-09-15 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1595304570374-T4STVN6710T4HW7OAWWO/image-asset.jpeg Making History on the Mat Freshmen Keisha Walker, Mya Lindauer, Megan Sautter, and Josie Jecklin are the first girls on the Western Dubuque Bobcats wrestling team in program history. Keisha convinced Megan and Mya to start wrestling with her in seventh grade in the Bobcat Youth Wrestling Club. They made the jump to high school wrestling as freshmen at Western Dubuque High School, and Keisha convinced their classmate Josie Jecklin to join the three of them in their historic endeavor. The four girls were welcomed to the program and became part of the Bobcat wrestling family. They trained alongside the junior varsity and varsity wrestlers all season. They wrestled in as many matches as they could depending on which teams had other girls to wrestle. Keisha, Mya, Megan, and Josie wrestled each other for hours in the school's wrestling room to help each other prepare for matches and improve their technique. The girls’ season culminated in the second-ever Iowa Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association Girls State Tournament at Waverly-Shell Rock High School in Waverly, Iowa, on Jan. 24-25, 2020. Mya Lindauer became the first female medalist in Bobcat history when she placed 4th in the state tournament. The four wrestlers are excited to see what the future of girls’ wrestling holds. (For the Telegraph Herald) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1584239983479-LHG20QUHSYENPP67OJ08/wrestling_story_01.JPG Making History on the Mat Josie Jecklin, (from left), Mya Lindauer, and Megan Sautter watch their teammates during their meet against Dubuque Senior at Western Dubuque High School in Epworth, Iowa, on Thursday, Jan. 16, 2020. (For Telegraph Herald) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1584240045146-BO7STUG81QAQ5QU4B43V/wrestling_story_02.JPG Making History on the Mat Western Dubuque Coach Tom Danner speaks to Megan Sautter after she pinned her opponent in her first match at the Iowa Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association Girls State Tournament at Waverly-Shell Rock High School in Waverly, Iowa, on Friday, Jan. 24, 2020. (For Telegraph Herald) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1584240044486-TDNGZEXBCZRG8X3P264Q/wrestling_story_03.JPG Making History on the Mat Keisha Walker runs with her teammates during wrestling practice at Western Dubuque High School in Epworth, Iowa, on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2020. (For Telegraph Herald) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1584240033162-UJKVRAPXFV35DRQYMGGK/wrestling_story_04.JPG Making History on the Mat Mya Lindauer lifts weights during wrestling practice at Western Dubuque High School in Epworth, Iowa, on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2020. (For Telegraph Herald) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1584240030652-H7ZOAYGPQDFN33P1DHNY/wrestling_story_05.JPG Making History on the Mat Mya Lindauer (from left), Keisha Walker, and Megan Sautter weigh-in with Western Dubuque Coach Tom Danner after wrestling practice at Western Dubuque High School in Epworth, Iowa, on Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2020. (For Telegraph Herald) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1584240019767-MXW0NBXXXAOPYBMWGH57/wrestling_story_06.JPG Making History on the Mat Team manager Macee Ellis (top left) and wrestler Megan Sautter (top right) braid the hair of Keisha Walker (left) and Josie Jecklin (right) while Mya Lindauer watches before the Iowa Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association Girls State Tournament at Waverly-Shell Rock High School in Waverly, Iowa, on Friday, Jan. 24, 2020. (For Telegraph Herald) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1584240019558-H0N59HG7A8ODUY7794NY/wrestling_story_07.JPG Making History on the Mat Keisha Walker (left) tries to break free from Megan Sautter during practice at Western Dubuque High School in Epworth, Iowa, on Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2019. (For Telegraph Herald) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1584240005372-ITGWC9RB1MSXQ3WGG42W/wrestling_story_10.JPG Making History on the Mat Megan Sautter (right) wishes Keisha Walker luck before her first match of the day during the Iowa Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association Girls State Tournament at Waverly-Shell Rock High School in Waverly, Iowa, on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020. (For Telegraph Herald) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1584240012788-2012TPSWIQZZ6HGQDH1I/wrestling_story_09.JPG Making History on the Mat Josie Jecklin (top center) and Mya Lindauer wrestle during practice at Western Dubuque High School in Epworth, Iowa, on Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2019. (For Telegraph Herald) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1584240001673-N88CAX6VB2V4FJJD3GU2/wrestling_story_11.JPG Making History on the Mat Mya Lindauer (right) wrestles Dubuque Senior’s Kes Whalen at Western Dubuque High School in Epworth, Iowa, on Thursday, Jan. 16, 2020. (For Telegraph Herald) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1584240000403-M0DQ61FZC892RT8SENNO/wrestling_story_12.JPG Making History on the Mat Coach Tom Danner tries to console Mya Lindauer after she lost her match to Waverly-Shell Rock's Kennedy Eastman during the Iowa Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association Girls State Tournament at Waverly-Shell Rock High School in Waverly, Iowa, on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020. (For Telegraph Herald) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1584239995808-ZLP8EWKZDX30XHTFM10I/wrestling_story_13.JPG Making History on the Mat Megan Sautter fixes her hair during wrestling practice at Western Dubuque High School in Epworth, Iowa, on Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2020. (For Telegraph Herald) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1619716396319-FXSXSWZO8HLL95X2TL9V/finals22.JPG Making History on the Mat Mya Lindauer (right) hugs her mother Vicky Lindauer after Mya won her first match during the Iowa Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association Girls State Tournament at Waverly-Shell Rock High School in Waverly, Iowa, on Friday, Jan. 24, 2020. (For Telegraph Herald) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1584239990208-8R5ELNJB3VY56EPUSYFU/wrestling_story_14.JPG Making History on the Mat Megan Sautter prepares for her first match at the Iowa Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association Girls State Tournament at Waverly-Shell Rock High School in Waverly, Iowa, on Friday, Jan. 24, 2020. (For Telegraph Herald) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1584239991669-K1R8R499CWW3Y3VUBALJ/wrestling_story_15.JPG Making History on the Mat Western Dubuque's Mya Lindauer (left) reacts after pinning Aplington-Parkersburg/Grundy Center's Grace Coates in the 145-pound fourth round consolation match at the Iowa Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association Girls State Tournament on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020. (For Telegraph Herald) http://www.eileentmeslar.com/home daily 1.0 2021-03-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1663186558470-TXRVG5LHG2XPBZHOGO9H/reparations-01.JPG Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1614631514231-O53EDAMP3FHV23F6OJUW/finals16.JPG Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1663694258533-VSUV1OP86A16R3I8BLTB/091122-owh-spo-nebgeorgiasouthern-em39.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1614631491246-ZJO4CEDXRN9U1B05M9CC/finals06.JPG Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1614631498655-QWR6YD89G1T4NI85MSU8/finals10.JPG Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1614631511384-ROCJD6H8644I2HSLORQ4/finals15.JPG Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1663730367711-MBDA2MSDGP1NF1UCKUVL/100221-owh-new-refugee-housing-em01.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1614631496884-TP1XJ3PC4DKABS89MIA8/finals09.JPG Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1614631498967-UES674DL0DBT3FZUWF1P/finals11.JPG Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1663278553460-BYIGQ42ALNOPPB7YGOKS/01012018-meslaryearinphotos05-em_toned.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1663708054358-QDIMUJKQ1CIYHQOTVJ3R/031222-owh-spo-statebasketballfri-em06_toned.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1663707995242-8YMPGZE1HC5YKSVXOTG0/10302019-bideninterview03-em.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1614631504312-SJ0C8O2I9J2YTGDI8R37/finals13.JPG Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1614631518181-WTV2PT6O32F07WOY98ZW/finals18.JPG Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1663185471618-NWRAX7E087ZUL5PQED2A/012222-owh-spo-unoice-em08.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1614631526496-NW77VP4PHSOBRSKRGC6I/finals20.JPG Home http://www.eileentmeslar.com/baseball-a-girls-sport daily 0.75 2022-01-13 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/9e73ce5e-45aa-4037-9ded-17de6f8a02e3/NINI_06.JPG Baseball: A Girl’s Sport Thirteen-year-old Naomi “Nini” Gutierrez began playing with the Humboldt Park Gators, an all-girls baseball team in Chicago, about two months after they were formed in 2019. The Gators played weekly games against boys teams from Chicago and the surrounding suburbs during their 2021 season. Nini is known as the teammate that always has a positive attitude on the field and in the dugout. If one of her teammates is upset she tries to uplift them. She always cheers on her teammates even if they’re out in the field and she is sitting in the dugout. Nini continually works hard to improve her skills, and her love of the game is always on display. Her two older brothers, Daymien and Amar, play competitively on teams of their own. Nini doesn’t have a hitting coach, so her brothers regularly run drills with her and give her pointers. Whenever they don’t have games, Daymien, Amar, and Nini head to Little Cubs Field in Humboldt Park or another local baseball diamond and work on hitting and fielding. This summer, toward the end of the season, Nini’s baseball journey reached a high point at the National Girls Baseball Tournament in Maryland run by Baseball for All. The National Girls Baseball Tournament was the biggest and farthest tournament she ever played in. Though she didn’t get to start any games during the tournament, Nini had a clutch hit in the semifinal. In the last inning her team had two outs and was trailing by a run. Nini was up to bat and with a full count, hit a single to drive a run home to tie the game. Her team went on to win the semifinal and the championship game, bringing a championship back to Chicago. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1631057122908-YATWDHPUE2XATTE2E4VN/NINI_06.JPG Baseball: A Girl’s Sport Nini Gutierrez (center) laughs as she talks to her teammates, Liz Corcoran (left) and Bryanna Meza, during their baseball game against the Little Village Sluggers at Curtis Granderson Stadium in Chicago on Tuesday, June 1, 2021. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1631057072757-5D9FUGOQU557RTN54Y78/NINI_13.JPG Baseball: A Girl’s Sport Nini’s brother, Daymien Gutierrez, 17, pitches to Nini behind a trashcan at Little Cubs Field in Humboldt Park in Chicago on Monday, June 28, 2021. “My brothers are my role models because they are incredibly good at baseball. And we never had any of the special treatment like special coaches to help us.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1630988589564-QK4YSBJ3RB48YIOFQFLF/NINI_15.JPG Baseball: A Girl’s Sport Nini’s mother, Carmen Scott-Boria, gives her kids dinner before they head out to their baseball games at their home in Oak Park, Ill., on Tuesday, June 1, 2021. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1631057202015-GY0BDJZT008PTVVNC6VJ/NINI_08.JPG Baseball: A Girl’s Sport Nini’s brother, Daymien Gutierrez, 17, speaks to her in the dugout during the Gators baseball game against the Downers Grove Longshots at Little Cubs Field in Humboldt Park in Chicago on Saturday, May 22, 2021. Nini’s older brothers Daymien and Amar Gutierrez, 15, came to many of Nini’s games and gave her feedback during her games. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1630992770201-X32LV09QRLNVAAK8JFY3/NINI_09.JPG Baseball: A Girl’s Sport Nini Gutierrez lies on first base after diving back safely during the Gators baseball game against B.I.G. Baseball Academy Barnstormers at McGuane Park in Chicago on Tuesday, June 15, 2021. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1630989459002-0YND1TZDGHP0P6LSRZB3/NINI_04.JPG Baseball: A Girl’s Sport Nini Gutierrez waits as her mother, Carmen Scott-Boria, helps the photographer fix the baseballs around her dress during the Dress and Cleats formal dinner party in her teammate’s backyard in Lyons, Ill., on Wednesday, May 5, 2021. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1630988559042-U2A3VN2VGZGLQLA3IU94/NINI_02.JPG Baseball: A Girl’s Sport Nini Gutierrez slides into home plate during her baseball game against B.I.G. Baseball Academy Barnstormers at McGuane Park in Chicago on Tuesday, June 15, 2021. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1630988571387-N6XIMGED1CQR3VARDL55/NINI_14.JPG Baseball: A Girl’s Sport Nini Gutierrez takes a break from practicing with her brothers at Little Cubs Field in Humboldt Park in Chicago on Monday, June 28, 2021. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1630988581737-QPO0RD6IJP2Z87KYQRHO/NINI_07.JPG Baseball: A Girl’s Sport Nini Gutierrez cheers on her teammates during the Gators baseball game against the Downers Grove Longshots at Little Cubs Field in Humboldt Park in Chicago on Saturday, May 22, 2021. “I’ve always thought of myself as the teammate that cheers everybody on… And if somebody else gets mad I try to uplift them,” Nini said. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1630988593804-PGZSXJUTTCU9ABAEADMO/NINI_17.JPG Baseball: A Girl’s Sport Nini Gutierrez packs her suitcase at her home in Oak Park, Ill., for her trip to Maryland for the National Girls Baseball Tournament on Friday, July 16, 2021. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1630988597853-TY01G2W95YHN46IK2E81/NINI_19.JPG Baseball: A Girl’s Sport Nini Gutierrez (center) and her teammates Camila Rodriguez (from left), Miriam Cárdenas-Mitchell, and Liz Corcoran, warm up before their first game at the Baseball for All National Girls Baseball Tournament at The Ripken Experience Aberdeen Complex in Aberdeen, Md., on Monday, July 19, 2021. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1630988602670-RWY9P52UD0DL0N38L5F0/NINI_22.JPG Baseball: A Girl’s Sport Nini’s grandmother, Mary Scott-Boria, and Nini wait to be picked up after a long, hot day at the Baseball for All National Girls Baseball Tournament at The Ripken Experience Aberdeen Complex in Aberdeen, Md., on Tuesday, July 20, 2021. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1630988614225-K756OEKIDT0A2FVPQOX4/NINI_29.JPG Baseball: A Girl’s Sport Nini Gutierrez talks to the Seaboard Scrappers catcher, her friend Bryanna Meza, during a break in the game at the Baseball for All National Girls Baseball Tournament at The Ripken Experience Aberdeen Complex in Aberdeen, Md., on Tuesday, July 20, 2021. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1630988606837-2TB6W977IYA74WJ4FTPA/NINI_23.JPG Baseball: A Girl’s Sport Nini Gutierrez swaps out her baseball shoes for her purple crocs after a long day at the Baseball for All National Girls Baseball Tournament at The Ripken Experience Aberdeen Complex in Aberdeen, Md., on Tuesday, July 20, 2021. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1630988607049-E1J65NW7LYHFF8G91X8T/NINI_25.JPG Baseball: A Girl’s Sport Nini Gutierrez plays a card game with Katie MacLeod (from left), Miriam Cárdenas-Mitchell, and Liz Corcoran at their hotel in Bel Air, Md., after their tournament game on Wednesday, July 21, 2021. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1630988621317-B5S3I33G2Y6BL5NXPKV0/NINI_31.JPG Baseball: A Girl’s Sport With two outs and a full count, Nini hits a single to drive a run home to tie the game in the last inning of their semifinal game against the Arizona Peaches at the Baseball for All National Girls Baseball Tournament at The Ripken Experience Aberdeen Complex in Aberdeen, Md., on Thursday, July 22, 2021. “If I’m being completely honest, I was not thinking at all. I didn’t even know it was a 3 and 2 count if I’m being honest. I just knew that there were a couple of outs and that’s really it.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1631057566427-H23H0M6I32L6QIWVRVVJ/NINI_33.jpg Baseball: A Girl’s Sport Nini (right) and her teammates Kat MacLeod (second from left) and Zoe Nance (third from left) run toward Demi Chaney (left) after Demi got a walk-off hit to help the team win the semifinal game against the Arizona Peaches at the Baseball for All National Girls Baseball Tournament at The Ripken Experience Aberdeen Complex in Aberdeen, Md., on Thursday, July 22, 2021. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1630988626064-9C6QUP7D41R43EOY4PA7/NINI_34.JPG Baseball: A Girl’s Sport Nini’s father, Guillermo Gutierrez, joins Nini and Zahria Hatcher in dousing Coach Booker Hatcher after the team won the 12-U championship at the Baseball for All National Girls Baseball Tournament at The Ripken Experience Aberdeen Complex in Aberdeen, Md., on Thursday, July 22, 2021. “Winning both the games in a row, game after game. Oh My God, that was the BEST feeling. And like I’ve said before, there are no words to describe that feeling. Cause it was the most beautiful feeling ever.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1630988627639-BUL0E6NPMK20GDK7ZLJL/NINI_35.JPG Baseball: A Girl’s Sport Nini’s father, Guillermo Gutierrez, hugs Nini after her team won the 12-U championship at the Baseball for All National Girls Baseball Tournament at The Ripken Experience Aberdeen Complex in Aberdeen, Md., on Thursday, July 22, 2021. “It was probably the most amazing experience I’ve ever had… That was crazy fun and exciting.” http://www.eileentmeslar.com/reparations daily 0.75 2022-09-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/00d67432-305a-4ac5-9b5f-ed58e0a4139e/PSES_5632138666_EvanstonReparations_01.JPG Reparations in Evanston On March 22, 2021, the Evanston City Council voted to use money from a special fund to pay reparations to the city's Black residents. Evanston, a city of 75,000 people in Illinois, was the first city in the United States to approve reparation payments to its Black residents. In 2019, Evanston's city council committed $10 million over a decade to the reparations effort from a new tax on legalized marijuana. The first reparations payments are focused on funding home repairs and mortgages for Black families who suffered lasting damage from decades of discriminatory housing policies. Between 1919 and 1969, Evanston’s Black citizens were forced to move to an area of the city known as the Fifth Ward due to redlining. Today many Black Evanston citizens still live in the Fifth Ward. (For Reuters. With reporting from Brendan O’Brien.) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1663186558470-TXRVG5LHG2XPBZHOGO9H/reparations-01.JPG Reparations in Evanston Loretta Johnson prays during open prayer at Faith Temple Church in the Fifth Ward, known as the historic Black community, in Evanston, Ill., on Wednesday, March 17, 2021. In 1955, Johnson was not allowed to be born at the local hospital in Evanston where her father worked, instead she was born at Cook County Hospital. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1663186558455-0B9XE6AYMS2F589QJXVD/reparations-02.JPG Reparations in Evanston On Wednesday, March 17, 2021, community historian Morris “Dino” Robinson points to the borders of the Fifth Ward, which was the area of Evanston the city’s Black citizens were forced to move to due to redlining between 1919 and 1969. Robinson helped shape the reparations initiative by giving city leaders historical context to the issue. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1663186560700-V1RG827GN7C5Y8EAL7ZV/reparations-03.JPG Reparations in Evanston Samuel Johnson III gives Miles Henry, 11, a haircut at Church Street Barber Shop in the Fifth Ward, known as the historic Black community, in Evanston, Ill., on Wednesday, March 17, 2021. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1663186560823-TSMI6EM1D6P7S2CYFWZW/reparations-04.JPG Reparations in Evanston Homes in the Fifth Ward in Evanston, Ill., on Thursday, March 18, 2021. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1663186562804-IXXM0H43C9IL7SFQGR2C/reparations-05.JPG Reparations in Evanston Principal Tamara Hadaway calls on one of her students at Kingsway Preparatory School in the Fifth Ward, known as the historic Black community, in Evanston, Ill., on Wednesday, March 17, 2021. Hadaway founded the school partly because the Fifth Ward was the only ward in the township without its own elementary school. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1663186563221-L6SHLJKG52XYFCWI3E1A/reparations-06.JPG Reparations in Evanston Photographs of former Evanston police chiefs hang next to photos of former President Barack Obama at Ebony Barber Shop in the Fifth Ward, known as the historic Black community, in Evanston, Ill., on Wednesday, March 17, 2021. Ebony Barber Shop has been serving the community since 1961. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1663186555898-7ORCHCAABZRPFRUM7X31/reparations-07.JPG Reparations in Evanston Vanessa Johnson-McCoy poses for a portrait in Evanston, Ill., on Friday, March 19, 2021. Johnson-McCoy works as a real estate agent and has seen the impact generations of segregation has had on her city. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1663186555943-LDX752S8LW22A59A02PN/reparations-08.JPG Reparations in Evanston Samuel Johnson III gives George Woolridge, a local high school track coach, a haircut at Church Street Barber Shop in the Fifth Ward, known as the historic Black community, in Evanston, Ill., on Wednesday, March 17, 2021. When Woolridge was 5 years old he got his first haircut from Johnson’s father, Samuel Johnson Jr. http://www.eileentmeslar.com/where-do-we-go daily 0.75 2022-09-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/bf872377-0ebd-44d3-a782-f628f602d8b6/nursing-home-15A.JPG Where Do We Go? Good Samaritan Society-Arapahoe nursing home and assisted living closed on Dec. 31, 2021, forcing its residents to find a new place to live in their most vulnerable years. For 60 years, this nursing facility had been the final home for many residents in Arapahoe, Nebraska. It was the sole nursing home in the town of 1,000 people. Alan Thomas was one of the few nursing home residents who was able to stay in Arapahoe after the home closed. His wife, Heidi Thomas, made expensive modifications to their home and bought a $40,000 van that works with Alan’s wheelchair. Despite the costly home modifications, Heidi felt it was best to move Alan home. "I know our answer is for Alan to live at home, because if I leave the community three or four times a week (to visit him elsewhere), then I'm not part of my community anymore," Heidi said. "I'm part of the highway. And that's not my vision for how life works." (For the Omaha World-Herald. With reporting from Emily Nitcher.} https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1663189160685-3FDDDGTZWE2K9R10OXYP/nursing-home-01.JPG Where Do We Go? Good Samaritan Society-Arapahoe nursing home and assisted living closed on Dec. 31, 2021, forcing all of its residents to find a new place to live. It was the lone nursing home in Arapahoe, Nebraska, a town of 1,000 people. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1663189013755-42239FX3UEE0WDOMTSAE/nursing-home-02.JPG Where Do We Go? Heidi Thomas wheels Alan Thomas down the ramp in their front yard on a Saturday afternoon in Arapahoe, Nebraska. Friends got a wheelchair ramp and installed it outside the Thomases' home after Heidi discovered it would take months to get one through Medicaid. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1663189015874-4Z504WPQODGOEMIC6ZH3/nursing-home-04.JPG Where Do We Go? Nurse aide, Linda Lampe, helps Alan Thomas stand up with the sit-to-stand lift during a Tuesday afternoon at his home in Arapahoe, Nebraska. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1663189021703-KAGN0LJ8UFXG0NSBFSTJ/nursing-home-07.JPG Where Do We Go? A man shovels near the Arapahoe Senior Center and Pharmacy on Nebraska Avenue in Arapahoe, Nebraska, on Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2022. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1663189109059-TUJX2IR4DDISHKXR6GRT/nursing-home-13.JPG Where Do We Go? Co-owner Angie Moore (right) says goodbye to Heidi and Alan Thomas after their dinner at Tornado Alley, a bowling alley and restaurant, in Arapahoe, Nebraska. Alan leans heavily to one side when he is fatigued due to his Parkinson's Disease. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1663189024794-N6LMLPXBXR7DCRJZU5D0/nursing-home-06.JPG Where Do We Go? Alan Thomas looks out the window on the drive to Arapahoe-Holbrook High School on a Saturday afternoon in Arapahoe, Nebraska. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1663189115484-6XLUCDBTHA02UR678J7M/nursing-home-14A.JPG Where Do We Go? Heidi Thomas holds Alan Thomas' hand as she helps him sit upright as they finish their dinner at Tornado Alley, a bowling alley and restaurant, in Arapahoe, Nebraska. Heidi has a reminder written on her hand to pick up some antibiotic cream for Alan. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1663189028185-SDVIW3BUSFM566FM44O2/nursing-home-08.JPG Where Do We Go? Residents of Prairie Pines 55+ Retirement Village, eat lunch in Arapahoe, Nebraska. The youngest resident is 83 years old. Many of the residents at Prairie Pines had planned to move to Good Samaritan Society-Arapahoe nursing home once they could no longer live independently. "If we leave here, where do we go?" resident Mary Lou Wineland said. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1663189117248-Z4CCPU7HKV66K36LWSL2/nursing-home-15A.JPG Where Do We Go? Heidi Thomas kisses Alan Thomas as Mark McCurdy, the town pharmacist, gives Alan a COVID-19 vaccine on a Tuesday evening at their home in Arapahoe, Nebraska. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1663189031601-PPBRIZ8L47PAOB58WOCM/nursing-home-09.JPG Where Do We Go? Heidi Thomas secures Alan Thomas' wheelchair into their van after leaving a wrestling meet on a Saturday afternoon in Arapahoe, Nebraska. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1663189009455-I9FRXDLIVG1UZSVYFXNU/nursing-home-03.JPG Where Do We Go? The corner of Nebraska Avenue and Chestnut Street in Arapahoe, Nebraska, on Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2022. Many former nursing home residents had to move more than 15 miles away from their hometown of Arapahoe. "I know our answer is for Alan to live at home, because if I leave the community three or four times a week (to visit him elsewhere), then I'm not part of my community anymore," Heidi said. "I'm part of the highway. And that's not my vision for how life works." https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1663189127788-DAHVWD2HBVDZ68DTHA5I/nursing-home-17.JPG Where Do We Go? Heidi Thomas rests her head on Alan Thomas' shoulder during a wrestling meet on a Saturday afternoon at Arapahoe-Holbrook High School in Arapahoe, Nebraska. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1663189127928-F898AFSYEG6S5D5D2YY5/nursing-home-18.JPG Where Do We Go? Heidi Thomas brings Alan Thomas home after a busy day in Arapahoe, Nebraska. http://www.eileentmeslar.com/small-farms daily 0.75 2022-09-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/a68c4599-c3b7-466f-93a6-03b707e0e88b/final-small-farm-03_toned.jpg Big Challenges for Small Farms Jay Daly's entire life has been spent on his family farm. J&J Daly Farm was established in 1850 by Daly's great-great grandfather, John Daly. Small family farms, like Daly’s, are facing big economic challenges. Farming has become less profitable largely because of overproduction. Many small farms have given way to fewer, larger farms. Daly and his wife, Deann, work other jobs to supplement the farm income. Daly hopes to leave the farm to his children one day, and has been having his son, J.J., help with chores. “I don’t want to be the guy to tear the barn down,” Daly said. “I don’t want to be the one to break the chain.” (For the Telegraph Herald. With reporting from John Kruse) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1663273897728-2ONQU0VJMHI9E3LLI1O0/final-small-farm-01.JPG Big Challenges for Small Farms Jay Daly feeds cattle on his farm in rural Epworth, Iowa, on Thursday, March 28, 2019. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1663273895898-X6D2USD8LCB3REP7VJ7B/final-small-farm-02.JPG Big Challenges for Small Farms J.J. Daly, 11, drives the family utility vehicle back to his home in rural Epworth, Iowa, on Thursday, March 28, 2019. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1663275086664-1ZGI3WIDQX89E32XO3AR/final-small-farm-03_toned.jpg Big Challenges for Small Farms Dust from corn silage and cracked corn fills the air as Jay Daly completes his daily chores on his farm in rural Epworth, Iowa, on Tuesday, March 19, 2019. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1663275249667-SW20E05KZ82T84YC4N9S/final-small-farm-04_toned.jpg Big Challenges for Small Farms Deann Daly (left) and Jay Daly go over bills at their home in rural Epworth, Iowa, on Thursday, March 21, 2019 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1663273922908-JAGDH25Z9DNG92XSB6G1/final-small-farm-06.JPG Big Challenges for Small Farms Jay Daly puts hay down for new bedding on his farm in rural Epworth, Iowa, on Tuesday, March 19, 2019. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1663275894252-ZV7UEBKCKSLF1SHXTOU1/final-small-farm-05_toned.jpg Big Challenges for Small Farms Jay Daly (right) completes a puzzle with his son J.J., 11, and Madison, 9, before school at their home in rural Epworth, Iowa, on Thursday, March 21, 2019. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1663275296581-5YTSW69OM4FIIJ3ZXLGM/final-small-farm-07_toned.jpg Big Challenges for Small Farms J.J. Daly, 11, and Madison Daly, 9, hug their mother Deann Daly on their family farm in rural Epworth, Iowa, on Thursday, March 28, 2019. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1663273931905-3K98L4BPEXBLI8RK6RKF/final-small-farm-08.JPG Big Challenges for Small Farms Jay Daly and his son J.J. Daly, 11, perform early morning chores on their family farm in rural Epworth, Iowa, on Thursday, March 21, 2019. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1663275696315-KX78JUXMNMGC4CJBGQOV/final-small-farm-09_toned.jpg Big Challenges for Small Farms Jay Daly (left) carries a brand new calf as his son J.J. Daly, 11, follows close behind at their home in rural Epworth, Iowa, on Thursday, March 28, 2019. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1663273940700-0WB73DUIGKLNZCVDEHTJ/final-small-farm-10.JPG Big Challenges for Small Farms Jay Daly (left) puts on his shoes in his mother's home located on their family farm in rural Epworth, Iowa, on Thursday, March 28, 2019. When Jay was growing up his father would discuss daily farm chores with him and his brothers in this room. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1663273941127-6DS2YY83EQ79C7E8Q102/final-small-farm-11.JPG Big Challenges for Small Farms A cow licks Jay Daly's fingers while he does his daily chores on his farm in rural Epworth, Iowa, on Tuesday, March 19, 2019. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1663275515422-CI9OJ4682I7OLWD79LSV/final-small-farm-12_toned.jpg Big Challenges for Small Farms Madison Daly (left), 9, J.J. Daly, 11, and their parents, Jay Daly and Deann Daly, visit Jay's mother, Kay Daly (center left) at her home located on their family farm in rural Epworth, Iowa, on Thursday, March 21, 2019. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1663273946748-5NG6IYU9PR60GEQLTHJR/final-small-farm-13.JPG Big Challenges for Small Farms Jay Daly looks for two cows and their new calves on his farm in rural Epworth, Iowa, on Thursday, March 28, 2019. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1663275362368-R3ZEYM7QS994QD7F5GT6/final-small-farm-14_toned.jpg Big Challenges for Small Farms Jay Daly completes his daily chores on his farm in rural Epworth, Iowa, on Tuesday, March 19, 2019. http://www.eileentmeslar.com/video daily 0.75 2022-09-21 http://www.eileentmeslar.com/always-an-athlete daily 0.75 2022-09-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1663283700800-1ZJSND4TGZBH9L8U4SHO/kim-race-final-01.JPG Always an Athlete Kim Freeman (right), Kim Kozelichki's home care provider, pushes Kim to her gym, MS Forward, in Omaha. MS Forward is a gym geared toward people with multiple sclerosis or other neurological disorders or injuries. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1663283702053-L5Z8UTSVSNNRBP13LLT6/kim-race-final-02.JPG Always an Athlete Kim Kozelichki speaks to her friend, Cindy Munchrath, at her gym, MS Forward in Omaha. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1663283713577-L5AZ79ZGVJTOURK80U6S/kim-race-final-03.JPG Always an Athlete Kim Freeman (left), Kim Kozelichki's home care provider, laughs with Kim during her workout at MS Forward in Omaha. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1663283713993-U8QTYCI0F1P7K9TR8NDB/kim-race-final-04.JPG Always an Athlete Kim Kozelichki works out at her gym, MS Forward. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1663283724064-7ZK9I5XLUMZNZKLFSC2Z/kim-race-final-05.JPG Always an Athlete Nurse practitioner Renee Stewart works on strength exercises with Kim Kozelichki during a routine follow up visit at Kim's home. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1663283722062-6RUEMGUBZ360MCQRI221/kim-race-final-06.JPG Always an Athlete Todd Kozelichki (left) helps his wife, Kim Kozelichki, up from her chair so she can stretch her legs at their home in Omaha. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1663283730034-7Y3JJB5AYRVT6FNWXO2V/kim-race-final-07.JPG Always an Athlete Nurse practitioner Renee Stewart (left), nurse Kristen Bayly (center), and physical therapist Nancy Lenz (right) secure Kim Kozelichki in an adaptive running wheelchair to train for their upcoming Lincoln Half Marathon. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1663283731987-P4ATBZ1Z6P760G9WJFDP/kim-race-final-08.JPG Always an Athlete Nurse practitioner Renee Stewart (left) and physical therapist Nancy Lenz (right) help Kim Kozelichki walk several steps to prepare to walk across the finish line at their upcoming Lincoln Half Marathon. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1663284030543-3P00AD9K8RLRGET5WNN1/kim-race-final-09_toned.jpg Always an Athlete https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1663283739195-5SLCSME6F44AUJ2PL0T9/kim-race-final-10.JPG Always an Athlete Kim Kozelichki (right) laughs with her husband Todd Kozelichki at their home in Omaha. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/1663283740689-SPPIHSJR235I6Y3715O7/kim-race-final-11.JPG Always an Athlete Physical therapist Nancy Lenz (left) and nurse practitioner Renee Stewart help Kim Kozelichki cross the finish line of the Lincoln Half Marathon on Sunday, May 1, 2022. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/533b5efbe4b098d084a8f50a/eb16a5ec-f4ec-40f5-b25a-7e9e8a8b5e41/kim-race-final-09_toned.jpg Always an Athlete Kim Kozelichki has lived with multiple sclerosis for 26 years. She participated in a half marathon on May 1, 2022. Months prior to the race, Renee Stewart, Kim’s nurse practitioner of four years, proposed that Renee and Kim’s care team push Kim in an adaptive jogging wheelchair in the Lincoln Half Marathon in Lincoln, Nebraska. Kim was game. Kim is a former Division II college tennis player and despite her diagnosis has continued to stay active and exercise. “I’m an athlete,” Kim said, “and I’m always going to be considered an athlete.” (For the Omaha World-Herald. With reporting from Bennet Goldstein.)