(Walnut) Wrestling and football have been the areas of expertise for our latest “Why I Coach” guest. It’s Al Sorensen who has coached at both Walnut and Atlantic.
When coach Sorensen started out he was at the middle school level in Walnut in a shared program with Elk Horn-Kimballton. “I got the pleasure of coaching with Tony Petersen in middle school football. It worked out well. I took a couple years off and then Walnut was struggling so coach (Ron) Hamilton asked me if I’d jump in with him at the high school level. We did and were successful. Ended up coaching for eight years until I got reduced out of my teaching position and moved on. We were in the playoffs four years out of eight.”
A quote that could apply to Sorensen’s career is ‘Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.’ “Hard work will beat talent any day is basically what our motto was at Walnut. I think that still holds true. When athletes work their tails off and they can get it done it’s a much more satisfying experience. When athletes work hard and succeed it just makes you happy.”
Another key element Sorensen stressed was toughness. “Wrestlers with coach (Tim) Duff they go in the mornings, they run hard, they go after school, and they wrestle hard for a couple hours. That takes a lot of tough mentality to do that. Some of them will also lose weight as well. You’ve just got to be a different breed of cat to be a wrestler.”
His favorite part of coaching he says is, “Helping kids get better, learn the fundamentals, and go out and be successful.”
Previous Coaches
(Click to listen)
John Kesselring, Adair-Casey alum
Eric Maassen, (AHST grad) Sheldon
Jerome Hoegh, Atlantic grad (West Sioux)
Gaylord Schelling, Atlantic and Tri-Center
Dick Strittmatter, Atlantic native
Chad Klein, Audubon Native (Kuemper Catholic and Boone)
In Memory of Bob Monahan, Audubon (Monte Riebhoff)
In Memory of Bob Monahan, Audubon (Steve Ahrendsen)
In Memory of Bob Monahan, Audubon (Scott Weber)
In Memory of Bob Monahan, Audubon (Curt Mace)
Jason Mehrhoff, Anita Native (Carlisle)
Eric Hjelle, Elk Horn-Kimballton grad (Underwood)
Brett Watson, Elk Horn-Kimballton alum (Waukee Northwest)
Warren Watson, Elk Horn-Kimballton
Chris Stimson, Elk Horn-Kimballton
Scott Yates, Elk Horn-Kimballton
Jan Jensen, Elk Horn-Kimballton alum
Seth Poldberg, EH-K grad and Guthrie Center coach
Marc Bierbaum, Griswold grad and Iowa Western track/cross country assistant
Trevor Gipple, (Griswold grad) SW Valley
Curt Schulte, Harlan graduate (Glenwood)
Angie Spangenberg, Harlan and Red Oak
Eric Stein (Harlan grad) Iowa Central
Darrell Burmeister, Nodaway Valley
Lanny Kliefoth, Nodaway Valley
Dan Schleisman, Shelby-Tennant and Treynor
Chad Harder, (Walnut Grad) Tri-Center
Josh Abel, (Walnut grad), Tri-Center
Kevin Suhr, (Walnut Grad) Blue Valley High School, KS
