Lake Country This Month

September, 2016

Lake Country This Month

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Page 4B • FREEMAN & ENTERPRISE LAKE COUNTRY September 2016 Independent, Assisted Living and Memory Care Communities on Highways 83 & 16 Heritage Lake Country includes: • INDEPENDENT LIVING, • ASSISTED LIVING, • ENHANCED ASSISTED LIVING, and • MEMORY CARE COMMUNITIES Let Us Help You With The Next Step Come see our warm, inviting environment for senior living! Join us for coffee and refreshments on Wednesday mornings from 9am-11am until our Grand Opening in Winter 2017! 2 5 1 8 7 0 0 0 1 Wisconsin Upside Down 8th Annual Down Syndrome Awareness Walk presented by Sunday, October 9th Registration at 10am Walk at Noon 1 mile Fully Accessible Walk begins at North Shore Middle School 800 North Shore Road in Hartland Register at WIUSD.ORG Ashley De Remus Honorary Grand Marshall, Ashley DeRemus, Internationally recognized designer with down syndrome will bring her fashion boutique and message of hope. Katherine Jr. Grand Marshall, Katherine, was to be Jr. Grand Marshall three years ago when she was diagnosed with leukemia just days before the walk. Now she is back with a new title, Survivor! Carrie Labinski Entertainment Music by Carrie Labinski, local singer, songwriter and mother of Joey, who has Down syndrome. Strider Bike Adventure Zone - Win a Bike! Heat Athletics Sparklers Children's Games & More CELEBRATE EMPLOYMENT Meet people with Down syndrome who work in your community! 251883005 By Matt Cohen Freeman Staff HARTLAND — All Keegan O'Toole thinks about is wrestling, except when he's scrolling through Twitter retweeting pictures of desserts before weigh-in. "All you can think about is either eating or drinking, so I like to look at it and it doesn't make me as crabby," he said. "The worst time is the day before weigh-in." Once through weigh-in, he copes just fine without Twitter. O'Toole, a Hartland resident who is a freshman at Arrowhead High School this fall, placed sev- enth July 22 in the Cadet Divi- sion at the National Freestyle Tournament in Fargo, N.D. To qualify for the tour nament, wrestlers either win their state tournament or finish in the top four at regionals. Just in case there was any doubt, O'Toole placed first at both. Despite the success, there was no doubt the National Tourna- ment was a big stage. "At first I was a little intimi- dated because it's a really big tournament and there's a lot of history there," O'Toole said. "But once I got on the mat, I knew if I stuck to what I knew I could do really well." The Cadet Division includes eighth-graders, freshmen and sophomores. Wrestling against older kids wasn't a concern for O'Toole. He'd be competing against the best, but wasn't wor- ried. "It wasn't too bad. I felt pretty confident because a lot of my practice partners are older than me," he said. "There were a lot of really good kids so I had to wres- tle perfect." Sometimes, even perfect isn't enough. In the fourth round at the tournament, O'Toole lost in a 10-10 decision to the third-place finisher, due to a tiebreaker situ- ation. Leading up to the tournament he practiced two or three times a day, which prepared O'Toole mentally for what was to come. "Training was tough, but I knew if I could get through this, I could do well at the tourna- ment," O'Toole said. He trains at Askren Wrestling Academy in Hartland. O'Toole enjoys the gym's environment and working with other talented wrestlers. "There's a lot of great kids and we all push each other really hard," he said. "It's a great place." Ben Askren, a MMA fighter and former two-time state cham- pion at Arrowhead High School, works with O'Toole and was con- fident in his ability to perform at the highest level. "We knew going in (O'Toole) had a really good shot at placing, and possibly placing high," Askren said. "He did a really good job and if you'd ask him, I think he would've liked to finish a little higher, but for his first opportunity at a national tourna- ment he did a good job." Askren was right. "I came up a little short of my goals," O'Toole said. "But I'm really happy I was able to get All- American because no one from our team has ever brought home an All-American. I'm just really excited because I know I can compete at that high of a level and I'm just going to train as hard as I can through this next year." For O'Toole, wrestling will be a part of his life well into the future. "It's definitely something I want to do in college," he said. "I love it and can never stop think- ing about it." Askren supports his wrestler and also thinks O'Toole will be retweeting pictures of desserts for a little longer. "(O'Toole) is ahead of the game. He already placed at a national tournament and he has- n't even entered high school yet," Askren said. "For me, with him, the sky's the limit." Email: mcohen@conleynet.com O'Toole brings home hardware from Nationals Hartland native finishes in seventh place at National Freestyle Tournament At a glance Who: Keegan O'Toole What: placed seventh at the National Freestyle Tournament in Fargo, N.D. Age: 15 Residence: Hartland Family: mother, Laura; father, Bryan; brother, Lucas School: Arrowhead Accomplishments: finished first at the state and regional tournament Submitted photo Keegan O'Toole stands on the podium after taking seventh place in the Cadet Division at the National Freestyle Tournament on July 22 in Fargo, N.D.

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