Lincoln—The 2013 Cornhusker State Games Torch Run begins Thursday at the Norfolk National Guard Armory, 817 S. 1^st St. in Norfolk.  Five soldiers from the Nebraska National Guard, including SSG Jessie London, Norfolk, SGT Cory Nelson, Omaha, SSG Justin Olson, Pierce, SGT Blake Thompson, Kenesaw and SSG Joshua Wessel, Humphrey, will run the first leg after brief opening remarks at 11:30 a.m.

Thursday’s leg of the Run ends with an estimated 6:45 p.m. arrival at Frankfort Square in Columbus.  Honorary runners into Columbus include standout high school student-athletes Alyssa Fraundorfer of Humphrey and Molly Gottschall, Alesa Foltz, and Skylar Ericson, all of Columbus.

Runners will relay the Torch from Columbus to Fremont Friday after which the Torch heads west to the panhandle to join the LiveWellNebraska tour for next week’s west-to-east statewide swing.   Tour stops, featuring appearances by Nebraska Olympic Medalits Jordan Larson and Curtis Tomasevicz, will be made in Scottsbluff (June 24), North Platte (June 25), Kearney (June 26), Grand Island (June 27) and Lincoln (June 28).  Specific details of the Torch Run Arrival and Tour Stops, which are open to the public, can be found under the special events tab at CornhuskerStateGames.com.

In the tradition of the Olympics, the Torch Run, which is sponsored by the Nebraska National Guard, symbolizes the spirit of the State Games, which offer competition in more than 60 sports for Nebraska athletes of all ages and abilities from July 19-28 in Lincoln, Omaha and surrounding communities.  The Torch Run officially concludes with the lighting of the caldron by a mystery athlete at the Games Opening Ceremonies on Friday, July 19 at Lincoln’s Seacrest Field.

Officials reported today that Games entries have already topped 5,500 and reminded athletes that the deadline for most sports is Monday, July 1.  So far, the top five sports in participation include Soccer (545), Energy Walk/5k (522), Volleyball (434), Basketball (372) and Track & Field (310).

Frauendorfer of Humphrey is the 2013 Lincoln Journal Star Girls Prep Athlete of the Year and will play volleyball at Wayne State beginning this fall.  She helped Humphrey win back-to-back state titles in volleyball and was the valedictorian for her class.  Gottschall, Foltz and Ericson all plan to continue athletic careers at Central Community College in Columbus.

Those interested can follow the progress of the Cornhusker State Games Torch Run and view photos on the Torch Run Facebook page or at LiveWellNebraska.com.  More information can be also found at CornhuskerStateGames.com.

North Platte Community College Lady Knights basketball coach Richard “Dick” Thurin was honored with the 2013 Southeast Community College Beatrice Distinguished Alumnus Award on June 12 in Beatrice.

Thurin began coaching for the NPCC women’s basketball team in 2001. At the Junior College level, he has been honored by being named Region IX Coach of the Year four times and District F Coach of the Year twice. He has taken the Lady Knights to the National Tournament twice during the past three years.

He has also had several Academic All-Americans on his teams and one Academic All-American team, and enjoys it immensely when “his” girls get awards, both in academics and in basketball.

Thurin was valedictorian of his graduating class at Ong High School. While in high school he played baseball and basketball. His oldest brother, Leland, was his basketball coach. It was then that Thurin realized that he wanted to be a coach also.

“I’ve always wanted to guide young people to get an education and get their lives on the right path,” he said.

Following in the footsteps of his two older brothers, Thurin attended Fairbury Junior College where he received an Associate’s Degree in Education. He played football for the first time at Fairbury and also played basketball for two years.

He went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Social Science from the University of Nebraska at Kearney (then known as Kearney State). He played basketball for one year while at UNK.

Thurin did graduate work at Colorado State University, Chadron State College, University of Northern Colorado, Wayne State College, and the University of Nebraska. He taught high school and coached at Roseland (now Silver Lake) for two years.

Most of Thurin’s high school teaching and coaching career was at Grant (now Perkins County), where he taught history, government, and law classes. He also served as an assistant football coach, assistant boys basketball coach, Mock Trial coach, and head volleyball coach and is credited with starting the girls track and girls basketball programs at Grant.

Thurin received several honors while coaching in high school including the Buffalo Bill Coach of the Year award. He coached the Girls All-Star basketball game for the Nebraska Coaches Association and coached the Girls All-Star basketball game at Cambridge twice. He also received the Gold Award from the Franklin Circle for girls basketball and girls track, as well as receiving the Silver Award from the Franklin Circle for girls volleyball.

While at Grant, Thurin and his wife, Karen, sponsored the Fellowship of Christian Athletes for more than 20 years. He served as president of the Grant Education Association and was also a member of the Nebraska State and National Education Associations.

Thurin is an active member of the Grant United Methodist Church and has served on several committees, including being Chairman of the Administrative Council and SPRC for many years.  He is a member of Lions where he served as president of the Grant club three times. He is in his second term as a member of the Perkins County Health Services Board.

Dick and Karen Thurin have been married for 47 years. They have one son, Trent, and two granddaughters, Abby and Zoe.