Information was provided by Rodney Hatle, graduate of New Richland High School, and member of the New Richland Area Historical Society.

The following information is abridged from a series about New Richland basketball in the 1920s for girls, boys, and adult independents published in the New Richland Star of March and April 2006, New Richland, MN (with permission). Information was also provided by two players of the first era, Ivy Laudert Johnson and Vida Martinson Langlie.

The feature series begins, "(The high school girls and boys) didn't get home until three o'clock the next morning' was reported in the New Richland Star of 24 December 1926. "Quiz: a) Would that have been a holiday party? b) How about a ballroom dance? c) Could it have been a basketball game?

"Go to the source for an answer. It appears in the Star's 'Waldorf World,' which was a page 'devoted exclusively to furthering the best interests of (nearby)Waldorf and vicinity.'

"The New Richland basket ball teams hired a sleigh and came to Waldorf Friday night to play our boys and girls. Whether the long ride took the pep out of them, or whether our teams showed superiority (we think the latter), the Richlanders were forced to mush back with a defeat for each team. Our boys (Waldorf) won 20-9, and our girls (Waldorf) took the long end of a 27-12 score. Both games were spirited, and flashy playing was seen on the parts of all four teams. The New Richland teams didn't get home until three o'clock the next morning."

History:
New Richland girls basketball is documented as early as 1923. By 1926-1927, it was the fourth year of what may have been a second try to establish girls basketball at New Richland High School. A boys' team was begun by at least 1912-1913. However, a New Richland Star report of the first boys and girls games in 1923 suggests that NRHS girls may have played a few years earlier. It was reported, "This is the first year of late that the New Richland high school has been represented by a girls public appearance on the floor."

1923-1925 team photo- Front: Katherine Johnson, Hannah Ryberg, Ivy Laudert. Middle: Norma Grove, Ruth Ryberg. Back: Mae Martin, Lola Olson. Not in photo but two additional players in 1923-24 were: Elsie Johnson, Alice Jeddeloh.

In 1924-1925, newspaper reports indicate that New Richland defeated Ellendale 45-25. Hannah and Ruth Ryberg were high scorers. Hannah made 30 of the team's points and sister Ruth the other 15. Ruth and Hannah transferred from Waseca,where there was no girls team, to New Richland. Their newly-arrived rural family lived closer to New Richland.

The 1924-1925 team included: Ruth Ryberg, Hannah Ryberg, Mae Martin, Norma Grove, Ivy Laudert and Katherine Johnson. Substitutes were Lola Olson, Eldora Larson and Iola Johnson.

In January 1925, the Star reported, "Much credit is due Ivy and Katherine for keeping the Waldorf forwards covered."

In 1925-1926, New Richmond lost to Ellendale 32-6 but avenged the loss in a second game 30-24.

A 1926-27 newspaper report included, "The girls played one of the best games that has ever been seen on the local floor. It was the first time Pemberton's girls have been defeated this season. The girls had determination to win because it was their last game and they wanted the honor. The score at the end of the first half was 8 and 8 in favor of [sic]Pemberton. This did not discourage our girls who started shooting the basket so fast and accurate that when the final whistle blew, the score stood 23-13 (over) the ladies who live on the Alphabet (railroad) Line." Team members included: Gladys Matson, Hazel Nesbit, Ruth Olson, Hazel Matson, Lola Olson, Edna Olson. All were juniors and seniors.

Playing Facilities.
Across the state, many buildings used as athletic facilities were not designed for basketball. In New Richland, early games were played on a concrete floor in B and B (Breilein and Breilein)Hall where a stove sat in the corner with sheet metal around it. The building was originally the town's electrical power plant. It stands today with the original one-and-a-half level dimensions of about 70 by 30 feet, adequate for the game. However, the low ceiling created problems for this sport. The facility was used as a dance hall and for many community activities.

New Richland built a new gymnasium in 1927-1928. It was used one season by the girls team before the school discontinued girls basketball.

First era players
Two first era players were interviewed by Mr. Hatle. Ivy Laudert Johnson, who played guard, graduated in 1925. She celebrated her 100th birthday on October 4, 2006. Vida Martinson Langlie played forward. She graduated in 1930.

Special stories.
Ivy said, "In 1923, a minister came from Iowa, and you know Iowa had good girls basketball, and that's how it (a girls team) got started." Rev. Ryberg, pastor of a rural congregation, was the father of Ruth and Hannah, who knew the game from previous experience.

Ivy shared four team photos that she had carefully saved in family albums over the decades. Copies are now in the collection of the New Richland Area Historical Society.

When teams were transported by sleigh, Ivy said, "Drivers told us to sit still." Sleighs were high off their runners and narrow. Snowdrifts were angular, so tip-overs could happen. When bobsleds were used, their low box-like cargo bay would be packed with straw for warmth. In all cases, passengers covered with horse robes and heavy blankets.

Ivy recalled that, "The Waldorf girls were tough because they practiced with their boys' team. They were faster than we were.

There were no dressingrooms in B & B Hall. Ivy said, "We usually went to the school and changed our clothes. It's winter time and it's cooooooold! Did we run! Yaah! Sure did!!"

Vida recalled, "You'd play so hard and get all sweaty and put your coat on and go out and run home." Other players ran the five blocks over the town's Broadway business street hill, down to the creek bridges and up to West's Hill where the school was located.

Teams played by New Richland.
The girls teams played Waseca, Pemberton, Blooming Prairie, Ellendale, Alden, Janesville and Waldorf.

Game Rules.
Boys could tip the ball out of an opponents' hands but if girls did that a foul was called.

The same ball used by girls and boys was leather with several panels stitched together. Leather lacing covered an opening for insertion of the air bladder. The lacing could cause the ball to bounce erratically.

When girls played a three-court game, two centers were used. One was called a jumping center,for jump balls. She would be a tall player. The other was called a running center and was usually a shorter and quicker player.

It was a time of transition concerning the two basic plans for division of the playing floor. In one game against Ellendale, a controversy was created when their floor was divided into two courts instead of three. New Richland played and lost the game. The New Richland Star noted that "when the return game is played at New Richland, the standard three court rules will be in force."

New Gymnasium.
A 1926 vote for a new gymnasium was defeated. Many thought B & B Hall, the former electrical power station building was "good enough."

But Minnesota's Director of Physical and Health Education, E.W. Everts, visited New Richland and found the facilities unsatisfactory. Among his concerns were the lack of showers and wooden outhouses for toilets. The New Richland Star of
February 11, 1927, headlined an article, "Dance Hall Here Unfit For a Gym." The article reported a report from Mr. Everts who wrote, "It has now been three years since the ...law went into effect, and we expect something will be done in this direction" for New Richland. Mr. Everts mentioned "the best interests of the children," "hygienic care," and "cold climate."

In April 1927, the voters approved construction of a new gymnasium. It would be the site for girls and boys basketball that winter. Increased participation resulted from the new facilities. Girls and boys had "B" teams and sometimes four games were played in one night.

Closure for girls basketball.
During the 1927-1928 season, the girls team played home games in the new gymnasium. In the first, they defeated Waldorf 14-7. Vida Martinson Langlie played as a sophomore reserve center. Later that season she is listed at forward. Vida said, "I reached my full height in college when I was five feet two and a half.

In January, the team defeated Janesville 38-5. The Star reported that "The New Richland girls have a team to brag about." Hazel Nesbit scored 17 . Vida had six as did Rosezalla Buschow. Evelyn Sponberg (Young) scored four, and Hazel Matson seven. At this point, the team was playing a two court game.

In the last game of the 1927-1928 season, New Richland girls won at home over Alden 24-8 and finished with a 26-12 victory at Janesville for a record of 8-1. The public was not aware that it also ended five years of competition for girls basketball teams.

The shut-down of girls basketball at most schools throughout the state affected Vida along with very many others. Basketball for girls dropped by NRHS after her sophomore year. Interscholastic games during her junior and senior years were replaced with games among the four grade levels held every Friday at 3:15 p.m. Vida said that the girls made uniforms for their inter-class teams. Hers wore a light blue jackets with a white collar. Eventually, the school discontinued even that program.

The next New Richland girls interscholastic games would be in 45 years - the early 1970s.

Editor's notes: additional information on New Richland girls basketball was provided by Evelyn Sponberg Young and is included in the book, Daughters of the Game, p. 230.

The current school district (NRHEG) is comprised of the communities of New Richland, Hartland, Ellendale, and Geneva.