By David Heiller
Argus News Editor

Ken Van Den Boom has high expectations for his girl golf team members.

Those goals have translated into an amazing coaching career at Caledonia High School, as a look at the sidebar with this story will confirm. The Caledonia man will be inducted into the Minnesota Golf Coaches Association Hall of Fame on June 7.

Van Den Boom shared some of his philosophy and history with this reporter on May 19.

Golf is a lifetime activity, he said more than once. Many of his former team members come back to tell him that they have enjoyed it, and are glad to have the confidence that playing the sport in high school gave them.

His expectations depend on whether the athletes want to be very competitive or just want to learn. If itís the latter, that doesnít bother him. ìAs long as they understand the difference as to what will happen with the competitive part,î he added.

Van Den Boom expects his golfers to work hard during the season and the summer. ìAnd I just like them to enjoy the game.î

He loves seeing them play after high school. ìI suppose itís like taking a kid fishing,î he said.îThatís the reward for me.î

But what about all that success? ìThatís a credit to the young ladies that stick with the program.î

Thatís the other thing about Van Den Boom: Heíll pass credit to the athletes every chance he gets.

ìItís their award,î he said of his Hall of Fame election. ìThey just put my name on it. Itís their award. It is.î

One thing bothers Van Den Boom, though: athletes who think that success is going to come real easy. ìThey want all the results without the work,î he said. When that happens, he will ask them what they want. If they want to excel, his advice is blunt: ìItís going to take many, many, many, many repetitions for many days or maybe many years.î

He added: ìThatís why I appreciate all the kids who have done all the work to get there. Because it does take years and years.î

A lot of changes

Van Den Boom has been the only girls golf coach at Caledonia High School. When he started teaching here in 1968, there was no interscholastic competition for girls. They just had the Girls Recreation Association.

Van Den Boom first began as a junior high boys golf coach. ìI just encouraged some girls to try too,î he recalled. That was about 1972.

Five years later, the first girls golf tournament occurred, and Caledonia had some girls who qualified, thanks to the work that had begun under Van Den Boomís patient eye.

It was an exciting time, although he didnít realize it at the time. ìIt just seemed like the right thing to do,î he said. ìIt was a fundamental change in high school athletics.î

Athleticism has changed greatly since those days for both boys and girls. Girls have more opportunities, and there is a better understanding of the physiology of athletics by both coaches and girls, Van Den Boom said.

Plus girls can start at a younger age. ìTheyíre no longer just considered the tomboys, so to speak, from my era.î

Course is helpful

Van Den Boom also credited Ma-Cal Grove golf course with the success of the CHS golfing programs. He doesnít sense the attitude of those darn kids being out there again. ìOur course and our people have been for the most part very supportive, very cooperative,î he said. ìAnd you need that to have a decent program.î

I asked him why he was so dedicated. ìThe kids deserve it,î he said. He wants his athletes to say, ìThe coach helped me every chance he got.î

He wants it that way in his science classroom and athletic director department too.

ìSometimes my Chem Two students think Iím working them a little too hard, maybe,î he said in a voice loud enough for Anne Bolduan and Anne Molling to hear. They were working in the back of the room.

They both gave a quick ìYeahî in reply, but it was accompanied with a laugh and a smile.î

ìHave fun, be a teamî

Katrina Hammell was on the team from 1997-2000. Two of those years they finished third in the state. She also had a third place finish in her senior year.

I asked Trina how she liked him as a coach. ìOh, I loved him,î she replied quickly. ìYou knew he really cared so you wanted to play hard for him.î

Van Den Boom inspired them to play golf the right way and have fun at the same time, Trina said. ìHe taught more than just the mechanics, but the attitude of the game, go out and meet new girls while youíre playing, have fun, be a team.î

It wasnít just about winning, Hammell stressed. She recalled how devastated the team members were her junior year, when they did not go to the state tournament. Their coach just made sure they had fun and didnít dwell on their defeat. ìIt happens,î he told them.

ìPeople always think itís kind of strange that small-town Caledonia is such a golf power house, but I tell them itís all because of one man. ,î Hammell said. ìItís amazing to think of how much he's done.î

Ken and his wife, Lyn, have two children: Alecia Kramer, Marshall, Minnesota; and Angela Jannsen, Stewartville. They have four grand-children.
Sidebar: A stellar coaching career
Ken Van Den Boom has a dazzling list of high school girls golf coaching accomplishments.

His career coaching record is 941-66. That covers the entire history of the programñhe has been their only coach since the sport began in 1977.

ìBoomerî has coached six state golf team championships, five runner-up teams, and five third place teams. His teams have gone to 22 state tournaments.

He has coached many top 10 individual place finishes, too many to list here without the risk of forgetting someone, he said.

Caledonia has won 27 conference titles under Van Den Boom. He has been named Section 1A coach of the year 16 times, and earned the State Golf Coach of the year in 1995.

He has held numerous leadership positions with the Minnesota State High School League

Van Den Boom will be inducted into the Minnesota Golf Coaches Association Hall of Fame on June 7 at the State Golf Tournament Class A banquet at Grand Casino Mille Lacs.

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