Walking down the hallway, a slight reflection catches a student’s eye. They glance at the glass, only to see an ocean of silver and gold. A smile shows as the student’s eyes gaze upon the NUHS trophy case –  suddenly they realize how proud they are to be part of something amazing. They glance again, astonished.

Have you ever wondered how people decide what sport goes where in the trophy case? Or how the trophies even get to the case? I, Kirstin Gatzlaff, had the opportunity to interview the head of the activities department, Troy Guentzel, and asked him these questions. When asked who is in charge of the trophy case, Guentzel responded that it is himself and the activities department. Intrigued by the setup of the case, I asked him how he decides where each sport goes. Guentzel responded with, “I talk to the coaches.” Guentzel also stated that the case located near the office is where all of the “main” trophies go, state trophies would be an example. The front trophy case also displays awards won from other activities such as band, choir, and knowledge bowl.

I was curious as to how many awards and trophies each activity has obtained so I took the time to count them. Knowledge Bowl has the most with 73 awards. Next is baseball with 70, and softball follows with 44 total awards.

As well as the sports we currently offer, there are some trophies for sports that we no longer have. One of the sports we do not have any more at NUHS is men’s gymnastics. We also stopped offering cross country, which accounts for a total of 15 trophies.

Here at New Ulm High School, we are proud of not only the trophies we have but all of our students that participate in representing our school at games and competitions.