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EDGERTON -- Those in the coaching profession might not always be aware that sometimes, even what seems to them a “little” thing -- something they don’t even think twice about -- can be remembered and held in esteem many years later by one of their athletes.
Southwest Minnesota Christian basketball, soccer and track and field competitor Micah Schaap remembers something seemingly innocuous that was said to him by a track coach. When The Globe asked him to recall a special story that he’ll always remember, he thought back a few years.
“My sports story would probably have to be freshman year where I went to state in triple jump,” said Schaap, now a senior. “But the long jump was before the triple jump and my long jump result was not near as good as I had hoped it would be. And I was pretty upset, just disappointed that it didn’t go well. But Coach Brian Tschetter, who’s the track coach here, he came up to me and he’s like, ‘I know you’re upset. And I know it didn’t go how you wanted it to go, but you’ve got two minutes more of this and when you’re done you’re done and you’re on to the next event.’
“And that was big, because I was distraught. But then he came up to me and he encouraged me in that way. And once I changed my mentality it was like, on to the next thing. It really went well, and that was a pretty exciting day for me.”
So Schaap placed fifth that year in the triple jump. Covid put an end to his sophomore year of track and field, but last year as a junior he placed fifth in the open 400, second in the long jump and third in the triple jump.
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As a freshman, Schaap was handed a simple, brief lesson. And he learned from it.
He’s still going strong. As an important player on the Southwest Christian boys basketball team, he has experienced much success over the last three years. The Eagles have designs on qualifying for the state tournament in March, which basically has become an annual goal of theirs.
Schaap is a point guard, and a good one. He’s excellent at handling the ball and passing it, and he also scores well.
The Globe sports department traveled to a Southwest Christian boys basketball practice recently and got to know Micah Schaap a little better. You can see the video online at www.dglobe.com . Here’s a sample of the interview:
QUESTION: When you look back on your Southwest Christian basketball career thus far, what stands out to you?
ANSWER: “Looking back on my basketball career, it’s just been the development of it all, going from a JV player, a C player, to starting on varsity, from playing as a wing to playing as a guard, and then a point guard. And just developing that bond with every different team, all the different teammates in every position that I played.”
QUESTION: You’ve played in a lot of big games, a lot of intense games. How do you keep your head?
ANSWER: “From the intensity games, you just gotta keep your cool and rely on your teammates and make sure your teammates stay cool, too. I’ve played with hotheads, I’ve played with people who are always cool. So I kind of see the different areas of it. So you try to find a good balance where it’s energy, but it’s being smart and being cool when you need to be.”
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QUESTION: What happens with you next, after graduation?
ANSWER: Schaap, saying he might go into education to become a teacher but he’s not certain yet which college he’ll choose, declares, “It’s the debate whether you want to go to a Christian college or not, and things like that. You just hope and pray that God leads you where He wants.”
