Dustin Monke

South side of Dickinson devastated

The tornado, or tornadoes depending on who you talk to, left a path of destruction unlike Dickinson has seen in years.

Nearly ever elderly person I spoke with while walking around the south side of town and taking pictures on Wednesday night said they’ve never seen weather destruction like what had just happened. Tornadoes and wind not only uprooted trees, the forces of Mother Nature tore apart buildings — mostly homes and apartment buildings. I talked to countless Dickinson residents who will be without homes or apartments for some time. I saw at least four homes that are now uninhabitable. Two were completely gone.

One man I spoke with was standing in his kitchen after his wife and three young children had gone to their basement when a motorhome parked on his lot crashed through the side of his house, nearly hitting him.

Another woman was with her two small children in their upstairs apartment when the roof was ripped off. I walked around with her in the apartment for a couple minutes before she finally said, “It’s all destroyed.”

Greg Wilkinson, known by most all as one of the three Wilkinson brothers from the cooky Dan Porter Motors commercials and the owner of Blue Hawk Video, was walking down the street when I ran into him. He stared at a house to the right of us for a moment. It’s garage was ripped off, the car still inside it. “Is that your house,” I asked. He said bluntly, “It was.”

The devastation on the faces of residents who lost nearly everything said it all. As onlookers descended on Dickinson looking to see a piece of the action, they walked the streets in amazement as the residents of those streets picked up the pieces. I don’t know how many people I saw hugging, or with arms around one another, as if they were trying to figure out if what had just happened HAD really happened.

The only bright spot out of this was that, as of now, it appears that everyone is safe. I talked to some friends from the EMT service who said they had treated people only for minor cuts and bruises.

Now that this ordeal is past us, I believe it’s time for our community to band together, support one another and help our neighbors pick up the pieces. I’m sure in the morning, we’ll see just how extensive the damage really was and there will be hundreds of helping hands needed on the southside to pick everything back up.

P.S. Due to the power outage, there is very little chance you’ll see the print edition of The Dickinson Press in a timely manner Thursday. We’re experiencing an array of computer problems because of the storm. To get all the information from the storm (as well as sports), go to our Web site.

Back on the mat

Shane Bennett is one of Dickinson State’s top wrestlers. But, just 18 months ago, his life hung in the balance after a horrific accident.

Dickinson State’s Shane Bennett has returned to wrestling 18 months after an accident nearly claimed his life

Shane Bennett doesn’t believe he’s where he needs to be on the wrestling mat.

He’s not competing at full strength and he’s nowhere near the conditioning level he was at when he took second place at the NAIA national tournament as a redshirt freshman.

Still, the 21-year-old Dickinson State University fourth-year sophomore takes comfort knowing there was a time — not that long ago — when those close to him didn’t know if he would live to see the next day.

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Accepting fame: Atkins adjusts to international track stardom

Derrick Atkins, left, and Dickinson State track and field coach Pete Stanton speak in Stanton’s office at the DSU athletic department. Photos of the Blue Hawks’ national track and field championships, along with photos of Atkins’ recent accomplishments, adorn Stanton’s wall.

There was a time when Derrick Atkins didn’t know if he was ready to compete in the international spotlight.

He didn’t know if the rewards that come with racing at the international level were worth being away from his girlfriend and daughter for months at a time. Atkins only knew he was prepared to hold his own against the fastest athletes on Earth.

“The emotional side of it, the mental approach, it takes a lot out of you,” Atkins said. “Midway in the season, I felt it. There was a point I had to take a break, regroup and come back.”

Atkins’ determination to compete at the highest level paid off significantly. He used the spring and summer of 2007 to cement his place as one of the world’s fastest men.

The Nassau, Bahamas, native capped his stunning 11-race summer with a silver medal in the 100-meter dash at the International Association of Athletic Federations World Championships in Osaka, Japan.

The seven-time Dickinson State national track and field champion is in town this week to take part in the school’s homecoming festivities. As a tribute to his recent accomplishments, DSU has made Atkins the honorary grand marshal of Saturday’s homecoming parade. He is also signing autographs at the Blue Hawks’ football game that afternoon.

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Shaped by war

Courtesy Photos Justin Schlecht poses for a photo at the wheel of his Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck (HEMTT) in Iraq.

War can change a man. It may affect him violently and physically, or it can come at him slowly, setting him on a path that will alter the way he lives out the rest of his days. In Justin Schlecht’s case, it was a little of both.

After Schlecht returned home from the war in Iraq, the Dickinson State wrestler had an epiphany. Schlecht knew then that he needed to start living for the big picture and relax the rigid stance he once had for his wrestling career.

“It (wrestling) wasn’t going to change the world,” Schlecht said. “It wasn’t going to have an effect on the world if I lost the match. … I was still going to have to pay the bills. It opened me up so I saw the bigger picture.”

Although the 23-year-old is quick to admit he doesn’t owe the 197-pound NAIA national championship he won last March to the time he spent in Iraq, he believes the war did its part to shape his persona.

“It’s hard to say who people are and where they come from,” Schlecht said.

Schlecht time at war did its part to shape his body and mind. He believes it’s the mindset he brought back from Iraq that has turned him into DSU’s most reliable wrestler.

“I went over there 19 years old physically and mentally. I came back … I was physically 21 and I feel like I’ve matured like an average 30-year-old,” Schlecht said.

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Bud Grant Greets Fans

Nick Guse hasn’t been a Minnesota Vikings fan his entire life. He said it’s been about seven years.

But the 41-year-old Fargo man said he wasn’t going to pass up a chance at meeting legendary former Vikings coach Bud Grant and have him autograph a miniature Vikings helmet.

“That’ll finish the helmet,” said Guse after Grant signed the replica that was already sealed with the names of several former Vikings players who played during the 18 seasons Grant coached the team.

“It’s always fun to finish something up,” Guse said.

The 78-year-old retired coach, who led the Vikings to four trips to the Super Bowl in the 1960s and 1970s, signed autographs and met several fans at the Link Recreational boat liquidation sale Saturday at the Fargo Civic Center Centennial Hall.

Always willing to stay in touch with fans, Grant has been working hard advocating the construction of a new Vikings stadium in Blaine, Minn.

“Our fans are putting up with an inferior stadium,” Grant said. “If we are going to compete in this generation, it’s a necessity.”

When asked what the latest stadium news was, Grant responded candidly.

“I don’t know, I haven’t listened to the radio in the last hour,” he said.

The Vikings keep an office for Grant at their Winter Park Training Facility in Eden Prairie, Minn.

Although he believes the team has taken the right steps lately, Grant is still very neutral when asked about new head coach Brad Childress. But he’s quick to offer owner Zygi Wilf some words of advice.

“He’s working hard on the stadium and he’s working hard to sign free agents,” Grant said of Wilf. “But you’re limited. You’ve got to work within certain parameters that don’t apply to business. They can’t run a football team like they run a business.”

Two fans, Ruse Crume and his daughter Lily, received an autograph from Grant and came back later and spoke face-to-face with the former coach for about five minutes.

“It was fun to see him and get a chance to chat with him,” said Crume, who bought his daughter a football to have Grant sign.

Aside from signing autographs, Grant also sold prints of nature paintings he had originally sketched.

He joked that he isn’t much of a painter and collaborates with friends who bring out color in his sketches through shadows and perspective.

“Otherwise, it’d look like a hatchet job,” Grant said.