View from the cheap seats
A weekly perspective on sports
Casey Krautkramer Reporter The Record-Review I messaged my friend Lynn Krueger on Tuesday morning to make sure her oldest daughter, Vanessa Krueger, was going to be safe from the devastation of Hurricane Ian making landfall in Florida. I am relieved to hear Lynn tell me that Vanessa took a flight home on Monday night from Florida to spend this week with her parents at their rural Marathon home.
Vanessa graduated from Marathon High School last spring after enjoying a successful four-year high school volleyball playing career for the Red Raiders. Vanessa had the unique opportunity to play varsity volleyball in Marathon with her younger sister, Ava Krueger, who is a junior on the Red Raiders’ squad this season.
The majority of local high school graduates end up attending schools within our state like the University of Wisconsin-Madison, but I respect Vanessa’s decision to think outside of the box and attend the University of Tampa in Florida this fall.
Lynn Krueger informed me on Tuesday morning that Vanessa found out on Sunday night the University of Tampa cancelled classes this week and students were required to evacuate the Tampa campus by 11 a.m. on Tuesday. Lynn said she and her husband, Marlo Krueger, and their youngest daughter Ava are very happy to have Vanessa at home with them this week but it’s still bittersweet under these circumstances.
She told me the University of Tampa hopes to resume classes this Monday, Oct. 3. Lynn is surely hoping Vanessa can return to attending college classes on Monday because she’s having such a great experience attending college in Florida, even though she’s only been on campus for one month.
Lynn said it’s already clear how much the University of Tampa is a second home for Vanessa. That’s because Vanessa has already experienced so much and made great friendships already in the one month she’s attended the University of Tampa.
Unfortunately this week Vanessa is confined watching Hurricane Ian’s devastation in Florida on her parent’s home television. This is a very emotional week for the Krueger family.
The one silver lining of Hurricane Ian making landfall in the Tampa, Fla., area is Vanessa gets to spend valuable time at home with her family members. Vanessa also gets to watch Ava play volleyball on Marathon’s varsity squad while she’s at home. I’m sure Red Raiders cohead varsity coaches Lynelle Love and
Nicole Schneider would welcome Vanessa even attending ther team’s practices this week to give pointers to the younger players.
Vanessa might still be at her parent’s home this Saturday, Oct. 1. If so, she’d have an opportunity to watch Ava and her Marathon varsity volleyball teammates play in the Marawood Conference Crossover at 10 a.m. on Saturday in Phillips.
