Van Roekel inducted into Waldorf Athletic Hall of Fame

by Bonnie Kay Baldwin
Lake Mills Graphic
Beth Van Roekel, 1997 graduate of LMHS, and 1999 graduate of Waldorf College, was inducted into the Waldorf Athletic Hall of Fame, last Friday, Oct. 18. The banquet was held at the Boman Fine Arts Center, where Van Roekel was presented with a plaque in front of a large group of friends and family. Also present were her college basketball coach, Denny Jerome, and high school coach, Steve Pederson. The announcement was also made at the Waldorf Warriors homecoming game, during halftime on Saturday.
Back in April 2019, Van Roekel said she received a Facebook message from the secretary of the athletic director, Denny Jerome, at Waldorf College (presently, Waldorf University), Forest City. The secretary told her that Mr. Jerome would like to talk to her and asked for her phone number.
“I gave her my cell phone number and within a few minutes, Denny was calling me,” said Van Roekel. “He asked me how I was doing, and then told me that the Hall of Fame committee would like to induct me into the Waldorf University Athletic Hall of Fame and asked if I was available the weekend of Homecoming, Oct. 18-19, 2019. I said, of course, and thanked him many times for the call and the honor. I stll remember him saying, ‘it is well deserved’.
I was so excited, I couldn’t wait to tell all my family; those who saw me play, and those new ones since then, like my husband and kids. I was also excited as my nephew plays football at Waldorf and I was going to be announced as a Hall of Fame inductee during half-time of the game. I have to say I have wondered a few times, when I’ve been at Waldorf and saw the names of those inducted into the Hall of Fame, if that would ever be me. I knew I had success there, but with it being 20 years since I played, it was an unexpected phone call for sure.”
The Honoree explained that in High School, she played a sport every season—four years basketball, four years softball, four years volleyball. one year track and three years of golf. And, when she was a freshman, it was the first year for 5-on-5 basketball for girls.
“I was pretty good at dribbling, which was not as common for most girls as they could only dribble twice in 6-on-6. I was able to start as a freshman on varsity and then proceeded to start every year. I hit the 1,000 point mark my senior year, which was an amazing experience. I had four fouls in the first half, but managed to keep myself out of trouble the rest of the game and got my 1,000 point bucket. My basketball coach, Mr. Pederson, arranged it so he could stop the game, said a few words, and presented me with the game ball. We also ended up winning that game against a very talented West Hancock team. I finished with 1,117 points which stood for 20 years as the record for the highest points total in girl’s basketball at Lake Mills.”
Van Roekel attended Waldorf College 1997-1999 (a two-year junior college at the time) and played two years of basketball and one-and-a-half years of softball. It was there she completed her general classes and  received her Associate’s degree.
She transferred to Wayne State College, Wayne, Neb., for one semester, and then transferred to Simpson College, Indianola, for the next one-and-a-half years, achieving her bachelor’s degree in criminal justice.
Van Roekel became a police officer in Ankeny, 2001-2005. After she returned to her alma mater in 2005, employed as a learner assistant, she decided to go back to college for a teaching degree, spending two years doing night and online classes through Buena Vista at NIACC. She received her fifth through 12th grade American/World History teaching degree. She is presently the LMCS At-risk Coordinator, Power School Administrator, and she monitors students who want to try alternative education.
In college, she was a part of the basketball team that gave Coach Jerome, his 500th win.
“My last regular season game at home my sophomore year, was my best game ever and I will forever remember it. I ended up making 8/11 three-point shots and made 40 points that game. I have never felt so on fire with my shooting.
I received some pretty amazing honors at Waldorf. Both years I was named to the first team All Region. My freshman year I received Honorable Mention All-American for basketball and my sophomore year I received  third team All-American.
One last memory is getting mono my sophomore year at Waldorf, in the end of January/early February I was told I would need to sit out a month as my spleen was enlarged. I was devastated this would mean missing most of the rest of the season. I went to my basketball coach and told him I was sick. He said, ‘just don’t tell me  it’s mono.’
I began praying, my family started praying, and my church family began praying for my healing. Vikings quarterback, Randall Cunningham, had just reported in the newspaper, that God had healed him, so I knew God could heal me too. That first weekend I was really tired and did not feel good. But, within seven or eight days, I felt so much better and began practicing again. Within two weeks, I was starting again and back to normal. I give God all the praise for healing me and helping me to recover so quickly from mono.”
Van Roekel is grateful for the support of her husband, Aaron, and children: Kade, 12; Conner, 8; and Cael, 6, as well as her extended family, friends and personal sports fans.
“When it came to sports, I’ve always been a huge competitor. I LOVE playing and enjoyed the challenge of getting better. I also believe my faith in God was a huge piece pertaining to my attitude. I wanted to play everyday for Him and give him the Glory. I even wrote Bible verses on my shoes as I didn’t want to forget that He should be the center and focus of my efforts each day. I still want to thank God and give Him the praise today. I thank Him so much for the talent He gave me and pray I was able to help others, motivate them, and encourage them through the sports I played and now coach.”