Good Counsel Academy, Mankato - Part 1
south central Minnesota, 60 miles southeast of Twin Cities on #169
Years Represented: 1929
Bernice Marti Manderfeld began high school in New Ulm, but her mother was concerned about her interest and time spent playing basketball. So Bernice was moved to Good Counsel in Mankato where she continued to play basketball in a less time-consuming and competitive atmosphere, and where she could focus on music. She graduated in 1929.
On September 10, 2006, KEYC news in Mankato featured Bernice. She was honored by her parish in Springfield for playing the organ for 72 years. She is now 95 years of age. Her granddaughter Betsy Sullivan, said, "So, I guess her mother was right in steering her toward music and away from her basketball obsession. Still she LOVED playing the game, and I think it honed her competitive nature - she plays a lot of Scrabble and 500 and always wins. Maybe basketball helped her learn to be active and live a long healthy life."
Jeanne Kelly, Good Counsel Alumnae Association, Mankato, MN wrote an article for the Good Counsel Academy Alumnae newsletter. Jeanne has given permission to reprint her article and include the photos she submitted. The editors have selected portions of the article pertinent to Good Counsel:
Background history taken from the book, Daughters of the Game:
In the 1930s, responding to the recommendations of the National Amateur Athletic Federation - Women's Division, Minnesota schools began to drop their girls basketball teams and girls swimming teams located on the Iron Range.
The NAAF-WD and the Minnesota State Department of Education strongly encouraged schools to develop a Girls Athletic Association (GAA).
A letter from Harold Jack, Supervisor of Health and Physical Education, October 26, 1938, stated, "In those few remaining (Minnesota) schools still sponsoring a program of girls interscholastic athletics, it is recommended that the interscholastic program be dropped and that the Girls' Athletic Association program be instlaled in its place. The G.A.A. program will adequately meet the needs of the girls from a physical and recreational standpoint.Furthermore, it is in harmony with modern educational aims and objectives and contains none of the objectionable features of the girls' interscholastic program which women's organizations in physical education and athletics abhor."
Jeanne Kelly wrote:
"As you can all remember, Good Counsel had a very active and strong GAA program. Looking back through early issues of Echoes I found some interesting facts about basketball at Good Counsel. Yes, basketball in the early 1920s was a part of student life here on the hill. The opening of the new gym in 1925 began the Good Counsel era of basketball. The new gym was described as the 'best gym ever seen.' They also had the most up-to-date and best basketball available. It was a ball with a metal capsule screwed on to allow the ball to be filled with air more easily. The new basketball league consisted of two senior teams, two junior teams, three sophomore teams and three freshman teams.
The February 11, 1926 celebration in honor of the new chapel also included a basketball game. The Junior B team played the Sophomore C team. The juniors won 12-4.
Beginning in November 1926 a point system was established so the girls could earn athletic letters at the end of the year. The 'G' required a girl to earn 300 points, the 'GC' required 500 points and the 'GCA' required 1000 points. The first year the seniors were only required to earn 800 points to receive the 'GCA. Also, freshman could only earn a maximum of 400 points. The girls who were on the first team (soccer, basketball, volleyball, and track) would earn 100 points. If a girl was a sub she would earn 25 points. There were also individual points awarded for tennis, hiking, winter sports, horse-shoe pitching, cricket and class exercise.
Good Counsel had 16 basketball teams in December of 1926. An article about sports said, 'Every girl should participate in athletics.' By 1927 the most interest in GCA sports was in basketball and winning the coveted 'silver cup.' They apparently played a three-court game until they switched to a two-court game in 1929. This new game was much faster and exciting.
The athletic director, Miss Catherine Grant, formed a 'Letter Club' for girls who had earned one or more letters. The purpose was to continue to encourage the girls to participate in athletic activities.
In the May 1930 issue of Echoes there was an article on the value of sports for girls. Remember this was shortly after the NAAF and AMA took their position on girl’s athletics. In the article it states that not all regard basketball and athletics as an important factor in the lives of girls. However, at Good Counsel sports kept the girls physically fit and sound, developed strong minds and clean thoughts, they worked hard to help prepare for future trials, they stayed strong for future temptations and it was excellent recreation. Sounds like we were pretty progressive!
In October of 1935 Good Counsel was already developing its Girls Athletic Association (GAA). We actually already had a points system in place, three years before the national organization was being set up. Miss Ann Blissenbach, who was a physical education teacher, wanted to set up the GAA to promote girls sports. She wanted the girls to be enthusiastic about obtaining sports letters. The first officers were, President Margaret Woychick, Vice-president Dolores Bormann, Treasurer Alice Bertrand and Secretary Eileen Ahren.
January 1940 brought some renovations to the gym. Maple hardwood floors were installed on the main floor and the stage. Court markings for many different games were painted with different colors. In November 1940 the new GCA letters were chenille. The promotion of skill, sportsmanship and character continued.
In 1941, the efforts of Miss Kathleen Youngman, the physical education teacher, were very much appreciated. Mother Annuciata Tanzer had granted permission for the girls to wear the shorter ankle socks. Now the girls would not be pulling their socks up along with pulling their gym suits down during their games.
Basketball continued without disappearing until the school closed in 1980. Sister Mary Kay Ash, 1964, wrote an article in Echoes talking about all the teams that were playing in the league. She refers to some new rules of the game. The girls could now dribble three times: 'This motion may carry the player approximately 20 feet at which point she must pass the ball or shoot. The rules committee decided that one guard and one forward possessed enough physical fitness to stand the rigors of playing the full court.' These 'roving players' added another aspect to girls’ basketball.
The first Good Counsel all school basketball team began in January 1972. The team members were Annie Meyer, Bridgid Marzen, Sally Madden, Rhonda Friesen, DeAnne Geronime, Jackie Greiner and Terry Clements. They played teams from New Ulm Cathedral and Owatonna Marion, and were coached by Mary Schmitt and Colleen Edwards (players from the Mankato State College women’s team).
During the 1973 season the basketball team played Faribault St. Mary’s, Owatonna Marion, Austin Pacelli, Rochester Lourdes and Faribault Bethlehem Academy. This schedule continued during the 1974 season. That year a regional basketball tournament was started and a state tournament. I assume this was a Catholic school state tournament since the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) didn’t have a state tournament until 1976. We still remain one of the progressive schools in girl’s athletics. Good Counsel hosted the basketball regionals. Good Counsel beat New Ulm Cathedral in the first game (33-22) and lost to Edgerton (51-21) who eventually won the regional tournament.
During the 1975 season the basketball team transitioned to the MSHSL. The district tournament was held in St. James. Good Counsel won the first game against Waldorf-Pemberton but lost to Loyola in the second game 37-33. Basketball at Good Counsel continued until our school closed in 1980. That final year the team even had one of its games broadcast on radio.
Yes, basketball was a mainstay at Good Counsel from the very beginning. Once the school basketball team began, the GAA basketball teams also continued until the school closed. This long history of basketball at Good Counsel certainly is an important part of womens history!
If you would like your story of basketball told, please check out the Daughters of the Game web site (www.daughtersofthegame.com). Go to the 'Overtime page. 'Overtime' information will be posted here as you send it to them. Now, as they say, 'the ball is in your court!'"
On September 10, 2006, KEYC news in Mankato featured Bernice. She was honored by her parish in Springfield for playing the organ for 72 years. She is now 95 years of age. Her granddaughter Betsy Sullivan, said, "So, I guess her mother was right in steering her toward music and away from her basketball obsession. Still she LOVED playing the game, and I think it honed her competitive nature - she plays a lot of Scrabble and 500 and always wins. Maybe basketball helped her learn to be active and live a long healthy life."
Jeanne Kelly, Good Counsel Alumnae Association, Mankato, MN wrote an article for the Good Counsel Academy Alumnae newsletter. Jeanne has given permission to reprint her article and include the photos she submitted. The editors have selected portions of the article pertinent to Good Counsel:
Background history taken from the book, Daughters of the Game:
In the 1930s, responding to the recommendations of the National Amateur Athletic Federation - Women's Division, Minnesota schools began to drop their girls basketball teams and girls swimming teams located on the Iron Range.
The NAAF-WD and the Minnesota State Department of Education strongly encouraged schools to develop a Girls Athletic Association (GAA).
A letter from Harold Jack, Supervisor of Health and Physical Education, October 26, 1938, stated, "In those few remaining (Minnesota) schools still sponsoring a program of girls interscholastic athletics, it is recommended that the interscholastic program be dropped and that the Girls' Athletic Association program be instlaled in its place. The G.A.A. program will adequately meet the needs of the girls from a physical and recreational standpoint.Furthermore, it is in harmony with modern educational aims and objectives and contains none of the objectionable features of the girls' interscholastic program which women's organizations in physical education and athletics abhor."
Jeanne Kelly wrote:
"As you can all remember, Good Counsel had a very active and strong GAA program. Looking back through early issues of Echoes I found some interesting facts about basketball at Good Counsel. Yes, basketball in the early 1920s was a part of student life here on the hill. The opening of the new gym in 1925 began the Good Counsel era of basketball. The new gym was described as the 'best gym ever seen.' They also had the most up-to-date and best basketball available. It was a ball with a metal capsule screwed on to allow the ball to be filled with air more easily. The new basketball league consisted of two senior teams, two junior teams, three sophomore teams and three freshman teams.
The February 11, 1926 celebration in honor of the new chapel also included a basketball game. The Junior B team played the Sophomore C team. The juniors won 12-4.
Beginning in November 1926 a point system was established so the girls could earn athletic letters at the end of the year. The 'G' required a girl to earn 300 points, the 'GC' required 500 points and the 'GCA' required 1000 points. The first year the seniors were only required to earn 800 points to receive the 'GCA. Also, freshman could only earn a maximum of 400 points. The girls who were on the first team (soccer, basketball, volleyball, and track) would earn 100 points. If a girl was a sub she would earn 25 points. There were also individual points awarded for tennis, hiking, winter sports, horse-shoe pitching, cricket and class exercise.
Good Counsel had 16 basketball teams in December of 1926. An article about sports said, 'Every girl should participate in athletics.' By 1927 the most interest in GCA sports was in basketball and winning the coveted 'silver cup.' They apparently played a three-court game until they switched to a two-court game in 1929. This new game was much faster and exciting.
The athletic director, Miss Catherine Grant, formed a 'Letter Club' for girls who had earned one or more letters. The purpose was to continue to encourage the girls to participate in athletic activities.
In the May 1930 issue of Echoes there was an article on the value of sports for girls. Remember this was shortly after the NAAF and AMA took their position on girl’s athletics. In the article it states that not all regard basketball and athletics as an important factor in the lives of girls. However, at Good Counsel sports kept the girls physically fit and sound, developed strong minds and clean thoughts, they worked hard to help prepare for future trials, they stayed strong for future temptations and it was excellent recreation. Sounds like we were pretty progressive!
In October of 1935 Good Counsel was already developing its Girls Athletic Association (GAA). We actually already had a points system in place, three years before the national organization was being set up. Miss Ann Blissenbach, who was a physical education teacher, wanted to set up the GAA to promote girls sports. She wanted the girls to be enthusiastic about obtaining sports letters. The first officers were, President Margaret Woychick, Vice-president Dolores Bormann, Treasurer Alice Bertrand and Secretary Eileen Ahren.
January 1940 brought some renovations to the gym. Maple hardwood floors were installed on the main floor and the stage. Court markings for many different games were painted with different colors. In November 1940 the new GCA letters were chenille. The promotion of skill, sportsmanship and character continued.
In 1941, the efforts of Miss Kathleen Youngman, the physical education teacher, were very much appreciated. Mother Annuciata Tanzer had granted permission for the girls to wear the shorter ankle socks. Now the girls would not be pulling their socks up along with pulling their gym suits down during their games.
Basketball continued without disappearing until the school closed in 1980. Sister Mary Kay Ash, 1964, wrote an article in Echoes talking about all the teams that were playing in the league. She refers to some new rules of the game. The girls could now dribble three times: 'This motion may carry the player approximately 20 feet at which point she must pass the ball or shoot. The rules committee decided that one guard and one forward possessed enough physical fitness to stand the rigors of playing the full court.' These 'roving players' added another aspect to girls’ basketball.
The first Good Counsel all school basketball team began in January 1972. The team members were Annie Meyer, Bridgid Marzen, Sally Madden, Rhonda Friesen, DeAnne Geronime, Jackie Greiner and Terry Clements. They played teams from New Ulm Cathedral and Owatonna Marion, and were coached by Mary Schmitt and Colleen Edwards (players from the Mankato State College women’s team).
During the 1973 season the basketball team played Faribault St. Mary’s, Owatonna Marion, Austin Pacelli, Rochester Lourdes and Faribault Bethlehem Academy. This schedule continued during the 1974 season. That year a regional basketball tournament was started and a state tournament. I assume this was a Catholic school state tournament since the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) didn’t have a state tournament until 1976. We still remain one of the progressive schools in girl’s athletics. Good Counsel hosted the basketball regionals. Good Counsel beat New Ulm Cathedral in the first game (33-22) and lost to Edgerton (51-21) who eventually won the regional tournament.
During the 1975 season the basketball team transitioned to the MSHSL. The district tournament was held in St. James. Good Counsel won the first game against Waldorf-Pemberton but lost to Loyola in the second game 37-33. Basketball at Good Counsel continued until our school closed in 1980. That final year the team even had one of its games broadcast on radio.
Yes, basketball was a mainstay at Good Counsel from the very beginning. Once the school basketball team began, the GAA basketball teams also continued until the school closed. This long history of basketball at Good Counsel certainly is an important part of womens history!
If you would like your story of basketball told, please check out the Daughters of the Game web site (www.daughtersofthegame.com). Go to the 'Overtime page. 'Overtime' information will be posted here as you send it to them. Now, as they say, 'the ball is in your court!'"
1938
1969
1980