There are four new people enshrined in the Lakeshore All-Sports Hall of Fame.
Lee Wettenkamp, Bob Schimek, Jacque Bartow, and Al Kiel, posthumously, were all inducted into the hall of fame during the annual enshrinement banquet at City Limits in Manitowoc.
All four have given many years to establishing sports around the lakeshore, but they all had played for many years before passing their knowledge on to future generations.
Wetenkamp tells SeehaferNews.com that it was the kids themselves who had kept him young.
“I always appreciated young people wanting to thrive at something,” he noted. “Whether they could or they couldn’t, they tried, and that’s all that mattered.”
Wetenkamp was inducted for his time playing baseball around Manitowoc and then his time coaching later on.
Jacque Bartow was inducted because of her work in the Lincoln Gymnastics program, which she’s been a part of since 1995, but she had previously done gymnastics herself.
She says she loves that you are an individual athlete, but you are still part of a team.
Bartow had to work for several years reforming the program.
“I was just very blessed to have parents that supported what was my mission,” she explained. “And I think things started turning around when people were buying into that hard work, high expectations kind of attitude. And so, I am here because of all the people that have supported me.”
Bob Schimek was a face around the Mishicot area for softball, both playing and coaching.
He says he played on several teams at many places, which was a lot of fun for him.
Although he’s out of coaching now, he wants to give back to his community.
He’s president of a group working to build a new sports complex in Mishicot.
So far, $1.8 million has been raised.
With the induction into the Lakeshore All Sports Hall of Fame, he called it a humbling experience.
“Keith Bonde has been after me for a couple of years that I should fill paperwork out to do it, and I always thought, there’s other people that done more than I did, so I never did it,” he stated. “But Dawn and Chad (his son and daughter) filled the paperwork out and put it in and so as you can tell, it’s very humbling to be part of this organization and be into their hall of fame.”
Al Kiel was also enshrined into the hall of fame following his recent passing.
It was for his “unbridled support for youth sports and years of coaching and mentoring young girls.”
He was a Valders High School graduate but spent his time in Whitelaw while coaching at St. Mary/St. Michaels.
He was 79 when he passed.
All four new members started their enshrinement with a reception at Meadow Lanes North before the ceremony at City Limits.
