Feeding the Blizzard

Holmes City woman has housed nearly 60 hockey players

By Rita Kostreba

This time of year you would expect a story about a blizzard to be about weather. But this story is not about that, it is about the Blizzard Hockey team, and one woman who shelters and supports them.

Sandy Bessingpas with three Blizzard hockey players. The boys include (L to R) Calvin Shrenk,  Landon Bird, and Cooper Ness. Bessingpas has opened her home to Blizzard hockey players for several seasons. She gives them a place to stay, feeds them, and supports them.  Contributed photo

Nestled in the woods west of Holmes City, is a little farm where three Blizzard hockey players live with their host parent, Sandy Bessingpas.

These three players come from all over the country. Landon Bird, a defense player, is from Colorado; Calvin Shrank, a forward, is from Wisconsin; and Cooper Ness, also a forward, is from closer to home, Wadena, Minnesota.

How did these players come to live in rural Holmes City? It is all because of Sandy. Fifteen years ago, Sandy saw an ad in the paper that said they were looking for host families for the Alexandria-based hockey team. Having empty bedrooms in her home prompted Sandy to answer the ad.

“I was really naive as to what I was getting into at that point,” Sandy said. She was used to having boys around, as she has two sons, and her husband was a military veteran. When Glenn died in 2006, and the boys grew up, married, and moved away, Sandy decided to stay in her cozy home, surrounded by her quilt projects, many friends, numerous volunteer activities, and her large garden. But possibly the biggest reason for wanting to be a hostess was that “I always like to have people around. I love to cook and bake, but not for just one.”

Upon being accepted into the host family program, Sandy was assigned her first player. 

“He was a very unique and a really friendly young man, except that he was always late. When he was traded, he left very suddenly without letting me know.” Sandy was worried about him, but he turned out fine, as he is a youth minister in Africa now. So she continued to house players every season since then.

Sandy has kept a journal of her players. She has had over 55 of them. In her journal are entries of boys who have gone on to play college hockey, and even some who were drafted into professional teams. She keeps in touch with them, and often receives wedding invitations and other fun news. One of her players is now the girls’ hockey coach in Edina.

“The year 2015 was an unusually busy season. I had nine players that year. With hockey players, you have to be flexible. It’s not like they are just renting from you. They come and go due to injuries or being traded. What I do is provide a safe environment for players while they are away from their homes. It’s always hard for me when they leave because we develop a bond, no matter how long they have been here.”

And the boys appreciate the comfortable place to live and enjoy their time with Sandy.

“I have many conversations with Sandy and even though we don’t have the same views on everything, we talk it over and come to a solution that we can both live with,” Landon added.  “For me, moving here from Colorado was like going into culture shock though. Sandy lives a very simple life, so it was an adjustment for me when I first got here. I come from a development in a city. But being here surrounded by nature, is very peaceful.”

Sandy is an avid recycler. Anything the boys bring into the house has to leave with them. Everything she does is a reflection of her belief to conserve the planet. No paper plates here.

“If some sort of disaster ever happened, I would want to be at Sandy’s house. Everything is natural there,” a neighbor said of her.

The current players living with Sandy are, as she put it, “pranksters!” At one point Sandy pointed out to them that the knives they were using were special to her family. They were the “good” knives. There were 12 of them. When doing the dishes later that night, she noticed one was missing. She looked all over for it, but finally decided to wait until morning to question the boys. So the next day, she counted the knives before asking about them, and not only was there one missing, there were only 10. Of course the boys knew nothing. The next day, she counted them again. Another one was missing! Finally she figured out that they were pranking her, and the knives returned.

Another prank involved a pin cushion that Sandy had made for a friend. Somehow that went missing. She finally found it hung on one of the pictures by the kitchen door. It had been in sight the whole time.

One day, Sandy turned on the ceiling fan only to be showered with all sorts of stuff that the boys had set on the fan blades.

Since it was all in good fun, Sandy decided to prank them back. The boys had a habit of sneaking upstairs after Sandy went to bed to have a late night snack. Usually it was ice cream. Sandy took an almost empty carton, filled it with water, and put it back in the freezer. Later, when the gang came for their snack, they opened the carton. It looked somewhat different. They couldn’t decide if they should eat it. Finally they decided they better wake Sandy up to ask if it was still good.

The Blizzard hockey boys staying at Sandy’s house in Holmes City play some cards, one of the things they like to do together. Contributed photo

Sandy enjoyed her experiences with all these young men so much that she became the Billet Coordinator. It is her responsibility to find a suitable home for each player. When boys join the Blizzard, they fill out a questionnaire  telling about themselves. Those players that are returning get preference as to where they are assigned. The host families are responsible for seeing that the boys follow the guidelines of the Blizzard and the rules of each host home. They have a strict curfew set by the team. Most players also have jobs that they go to after practice and weight training.  Some of the players work with the Compass Program at the Alexandria Elementary schools. Landon, an avid snowboarder, works at Andes Tower Hills. So they are all very busy, but not too busy to enjoy an exceptional Sandy-made meal.

At Sandy’s home, the boys eat breakfast and lunch at the kitchen counter, and they gather around the dining room table for supper.

Sandy’s food is a hit with all of the players, but they each have their favorites. Calvin’s is chocolate cake. Cooper’s is potato pancakes, and Landon’s is Asian noodles. Sandy doesn’t use processed foods. Most of the dishes she makes are from her own farm. Every summer she has a big garden and raises vegetables and fruit that she freezes or cans. All of the meat is from local farms. She still butchers her own chickens, as well as getting eggs from her small flock. Bread baking is more than a pastime.

Raspberry rhubarb jam, oatmeal bread, and rhubarb cake are her signature foods. Not only does she cook for her boys, but she often uses these foods as gifts for anyone who she befriends, or in many cases, just people she feels need encouragement.

Sandy, along with another host family mom, Karla, go to every home Blizzard game, and most of the away games. If it is too far to travel, they watch the game on television.

With all of this happening in her life you wouldn’t think she would  have time for anything else. Not so. Sandy is very active in community affairs. She is a Communion minister at her parish church, St. Mary’s. She volunteers at the County Fair Senior Center. She belongs to two quilting groups, plus the Honor Quilt group. In Holmes City, during the Farmers Market, you will find her helping serve the famous breakfast. She has been a Lunch Buddy for District 206, and she has helped out at the school’s STEAM Expo for the past few years.

When does she take time for herself? One of her favorite pastimes is listening to Swap Shop.

So where did all this commitment to the community come from?

“When I was six or seven years old, my uncle told me this saying that has stayed with me all these years,” Sandy said. Even if you have heard it already, it’s good to hear it again.

“Do all the good you can,

In all the ways you can,

To all the people you can,

As long as you can.”

One of her current players, Cooper, wrapped it up by saying, “I came here as a stranger, and I will leave here with best friends.”

Sandy created this safe, delicious, environment for these young men. She has absolutely accomplished her mission.

Here is the recipe for Landon’s favorite Sandy dish:

Asian Noodles

Ingredients

1 package of spaghetti noodles for 

   5 or 6 servings, cook and drain.

1/3 cup of soy sauce

3 cloves of garlic or 2 teaspoons of garlic powder

2 tablespoons of brown sugar

1 to 3 teaspoons Red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon fresh ginger or powder

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1/2 cup shredded carrots

1/2 cup pea pods

1 pound of shrimp, chicken, or pork sausage

Directions

Mix the soy sauce, garlic, brown sugar, red pepper flakes, ginger and the sesame oil together. Set aside. Saute the carrots and pea pods in the sesame oil. Add the shrimp or chicken and 1 tablespoon of the sauce. Cook for 5 minutes. Add the noodles and the remaining sauce. Garnish with green onions or cilantro.