Parker Viking Preseason Practice

Monday, March 9, 2009 at Janesville Parker High School

Janesville Parker

Divison: 1
Enrollment: 1664
Coach: Dave Lehmann
Conference: Big '8'
Conference Schools: Beloit Memorial, Janesville Craig, Janesville Parker, Madison East, Madison La Follette, Madison Memorial, Madison West, Middleton, Sun Prairie, and Verona

Left: Sprinter and relay runner Emily Mauermann [SO].

Right: Senior Cassie Niles [SR] is pictured at the 2008 Big 8 meet.

Time of Transition

The new athletic facilities are almost complete at Parker. Preseason workouts in the halls and cramped weight room will soon give way to a new weight room and athletic area that will include an indoor track. With the closing of the Janesville General Motors plant in December of 2008 and the poor economic conditions in the area the completion of major renovations at Janesville Parker and Craig are symbols of the determination of Janesville citizens to look to the future and provide opportunities for success for the children of Janesville. Students will benefit from new science, business, and athletic areas at Parker.

Shelby Demos [Above left] a senior is a hurdler and high jumper for the Vikings. She is the defending D1 HJ champion. Demos also finished 7th in the D1 100m HH at La Crosse. Erica Moen [Above right] is a senior thrower.

Athletic Facility addition at Parker: Due to open during the summer of 2009
Athletes still use the old weight room. Two storage rooms were combined to give the space needed. The old crowded weight room will be replaced by a weight room located in the new athletic facility complex. Girls track team members are shown in their workout routines in the old facility.

Left: Kelsey Jones spots for Jessica Heitsman.

Above: Erica Heitsman. Below left: Kelsey Jones.

Below: Alex Oines



Above: Last day in the old weight room. Below: The new weight room facility is nearing completion. Phase 1- The room [below]. Phase 2 - use weight equipment from the old weight room. Phase 3 - equiping of the weight room with new equipment. All students including PE classes and athletic teams will benefit from this new facility.

Head girls coach Dave Lehmann [above right] is in his 20th year as head girls track coach at Parker. Lehmann and his wife Cathy have coached track and field for over 30 years in Janesville.

Sprinters and distance runners took advantage of a dry day to work outside. Last year the track was covered by over a foot of snow on the first day of practice.
Distance runners above [L-R]: Nicki Bakke, Alexis Lathrop, Brooke King and Ashley King. Sprinters on the left [L-R]: Emily Mauermann, Jessica Heitsman, Erika Whitson, Erica Heitsman, and Kelsey Jones


The team divided up into groups [jumpers, throwers, sprinters, hurdlers, and distance] and worked on fundamentals

Hurdles coach Dick Schuh works with Ariana Wiggins while sisters Shelby [L] and Paige Demos work on footwork and agility drills [above right and below left]. Paige Demos [below middle] and Amanda Belden [below right] work on starts.


Head boys coach Joe Dye [right] works with the jumpers who executed a series of 'core' exercises and footwork drills .

The gym, halls, weight room, commons area, and outside track were all used by groups of athletes. The throwers pictured left and right and below worked on the fundamentals of their event.

Erica Moen [right] is pictured working on SP form. What is easier? Keeping the rope going or doing pushups for a designated time. The athletes vote is not in yet [and will it count?].



History Lesson

The first WIAA State Track Meet for girls was held in 1971. In 1971 Parker had six girls go out for track. This tripled to 18 in 1972. The 1972 team is pictured below while two relay runners from '72 are pictured above left. Sue Von Behren placed third in the HJ and 5th in the LJ leading Parker to an 8th place finish at the '72 State Meet which was held at Appleton East High School. Carol Luther was the first coach of the Parker Girls Track Team. Parker's first state champion was Lori Kemnitz [above right] who placed first in the HJ [5' 05.00] at the 1977 State Meet.

Pictures from the 1973 and 1978 Valhalla Parker yearbooks


Art Work Donated To Parker

An article in the Janesville Gazette [July 10, 2008] detailed progress made on the construction additions done by Janesville contractor J.P. Cullen & Sons at Craig and Parker. The projects were part of a $70.8 million referendum approved by Janesville voters. Each school has their logo in the form of a sculpture incorporated into the brickwork of the athletic facility. J. P. Cullen & Sons and Janesville Brick and Tile donated the sculptures which were ordered from Ohio artist Sherrell Lynn Stingel.

Stingel carved parts of the Viking mascot on each brick while the brick was still wet. She then numbered the bricks and fired them before they were shipped to Janesville. J.P. Cullen masons then added the 'Viking bricks' as they built the walls of the athletic facility at Parker.