The 2026 Lakeshore All-Sports Hall of Fame Class has been enshrined.
Four new members were recognized last night at City Limits in Manitowoc for their work with student athletes across Manitowoc County.
They included John Johnson, Laura Ziemer, Kevin Buch, and Wayne Trupke.
Johnson’s connection with Manitowoc area athletics goes back to 1993, when he became the women’s basketball coach at Silver Lake College.
He was also Manitowoc Lincoln’s athletic director.
Johnson tells SeehaferNews.com he said it’s been his passion to see student athletes through their careers, no matter where they are.
“And help them to see that they need to take the joy they get through being involved in those things through athletics and keep that for a lifetime,” he explained. “It’s always been my responsibility, I think, to help kids find the joy that they get out of athletics and learn that through the years.”
Johnson was also a contributor to WOMT Sports Talk from 2014 to 2021 and also worked on WCUB radio, calling sports at six Manitowoc County High Schools and in Brillion.
Laura Ziemer was instrumental in bringing the Miracle League of the Lakeshore to Manitowoc.
She was a caretaker who took a child with cerebral palsy to Green Bay to play in the Miracle League before she decided to try to bring it to the lakeshore.
She says the point of the league is to get kids with disabilities out there and have fun.
She continued saying, “Just being like everyone who wants to be an athlete, right? Just out there having fun and for that one hour a week they get to be a kid. That disability is behind them.”
She was also very thankful to those who were buddies to the athletes in the Miracle League.
The third inductee was Manitowoc Lutheran High School Director of Mission Advancement, Kevin Buch.
He’s been a soccer and basketball coach and an official since graduating in 1986.
He also previously served as the Lakeshore Lutheran League President for 11 years and has been instrumental in the LLS Track and Field Day and LLS Cross Country Meet.
As a coach, Buch says he wanted to make sure students conducted themselves as Christians first and then as student athletes.
“So you win with grace, you lose with dignity,” he replied, “You don’t pout, you don’t blame anybody. You work hard to get better. But to be able to bring God into the locker room and on to the field and onto the court, for me that’s been the most important thing.”
Finally, former Valders Wrestling, Cross Country, and Track and Field Coach Wayne Trupke was enshrined in the Lakeshore All-Sports Hall of Fame.
He led the Vikings to a 130-33 dual meet record between 1970 and 1982, including nine conference titles in 13 seasons.
Trupke noted that he had great wrestlers to do that.
“The wrestling (coaching) just came natural to me for that,” he noted. “We have a lot of farm boys, and they make very good wrestlers because they’re strong, and they’re going home, they have to work.”
There were also other awards given out last night, including Achievement and Appreciation Awards to John Haug, Zach Sand, and Corey Johnson.
This year’s Al Fenlon Award was given to Mike Kohlbeck.
