For the three days, I hung out in Lincoln for the Nebraska State Swim and Dive Championships. Three days of a middle-aged woman among teenagers in skin-tight speedos, jammers and speed suits. My ego will be in check.
But I digress.
Swimming is unique in Nebraska sports in that there are no class divisions. There are no A, B, C or D distinctions to divide the teams. McCook is competing against every school in Omaha, Lincoln and across the state with a swim team. McCook is among the smallest schools - if not the smallest - with a swim team and remains competitive.
And to qualify for the state meet, swimmers must post not just qualifying times as set by the NSAA, but also post qualifying times which are among the fastest in the state compared to all the other swimmers. So to qualify is an accomplishment, although everyone who heads to the pool at the Deveny Center is not there just to compete but to be competitive.
In addition to celebrating these swimmers and divers, there are two reasons I bring this up.
The first is very personal since my husband, Jon Graff, is the head coach for the swim team. His assistant coach is Dan Burns. Both of these men are McCook natives and graduates of McCook High School, who chose to return to their hometown and raise their families.
Dan and Jon didn’t just go to school together. They also competed on the swim and dive teams growing up. As they have for many years, they are sharing their passion and expertise for the sport with younger people. In fact, this year they are both taking one of their own high school child to the state meet to compete.
So we are seeing one generation pass along their love of a sport and their high school and their hometown directly to the next generation. This is something that should be celebrated. As we look at the pictures of these state swimmers, are we seeing the next generation of coaches, teachers, workers, leaders, volunteers, city council members who will choose to return to McCook?
That leads to the second reason I bring up the swim team and yes, it’s personal again.
(I should have “pool” tattoo’d across my forehead because not a day goes by that I don’t talk about it.)
If we want to remain competitive in swimming on the state level, we must have kids who have a love of swimming to start with. They must enjoy being the pool just for fun, otherwise they won’t want to dedicate the countless hours needs to be competitive.
This means creating an environment - yes, creating a pool - where kids want to be, where they want to be for generations to come.
And building a pool isn’t just about having a competitive swim team.
We live among three lakes with a river which sometimes has water so kids need to know how to swim. Kids who know how to swim have the additional advantage of a job as a lifeguard. And it’s a lifelong sport…just visit the YMCA during lap time and you will see swimmers of all ages crisscrossing the pool.
The pool is just part of the big picture for our community which needs to be researched and considered as we try to build a place that our kids will want to return to. So ask yourself these questions:
Are we doing enough to encourage our young people right now to return to their hometown? Are we creating a welcoming environment that they want to be part of? Are we building a community that gets them (and us) excited to belong to?
Our young people, as well as other newcomers, should not be here because they don’t have any other choice but because they choose to, because they want to, because they know we are dong everything we can to make that happen.
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I would personally like to thank everyone who attended McCook’s town hall meeting in February. It was great to see every chair filled, even if they were six feet apart. It was also great to hear such passionate, articulate, thoughtful ideas from so many people.
It was obvious that people care about this community and what to make it even better.
There was a lot going on last week, from basketball games to winter break, so if you haven’t had a chance to share your ideas, there is still time.
In fact, there is always time to share your ideas. You don’t need a town hall or a meeting to contact your representatives and let them know what your think and how you feel.
Look up your city council person’s email. Google your state representatives phone number. Find your school board member’s address.
They can’t make informed decisions if they don’t hear from their constituents to know what you want or think, so take a few minutes to reach out to them. It will take all of us reaching out and working tother to make our community an even better place to call home.
Linda Graff named McCook Volunteer of the Month for December 2025
By focusing on what is important, we can make an even better impact in our communities.
After a 10-year hiatus, the McCook Holiday Home Tours return focusing on downtown upstairs apartments.
While many people think volunteering is for older residents, serving your community has no age restrictions. And young people can regularly be found lending a hand or offering their services in their hometown. The November 2025 McCook Volunteer of the Month recognizes one of many young people are working to make their community an even better place to call home: Grady Riemenschneider. Currently a senior at McCook High School, Grady volunteers with a wide variety of organizations and groups. As a four-year member of the McCook Community Foundation Fund’s Youth Change Reaction, Grady serves as the ambassador for the youth group’s “Cars Under Stars,” the outdoor movie theater at the Red Willow County Fairgrounds. At nearly every showing, he can be found operating the projector and setting up the parking lot, as well as passing along his knowledge to the next ambassador. In McCook’s FFA program, Grady has held officer roles the past four years and is currently the chapter vice president, organized the chapter banquet in 2025 and coached for the conduct of chapter meetings. Along with serving as the president of the Driftwood Feeders 4-H Club, he assists with setup, tear down and fundraising for the dog show and helps fellow members train their dogs. Grady steps in to help and lead at local events, including Prairie Plains CASA’s Kick in’ It Up for CASA and the Cajun Broil; the Edward Jones Alzheimer’s Walk; operating sound boards for various groups; and Feed the Farmer. And he has served as a youth leader at McCook Christian Church for elementary youth since approximately 2018 as well as stepping up to ensure the ag program ran smoothly during a teacher’s maternity leave Upon request from his mother about some of Grady’s activities, Sharleen noted that he is the “Chief Household Operations Officer: first responder for Mom’s to-do list, go-to chauffeur and caretaker for his favorite sidekick (a.k.a. his nephew), and the family’s unofficial event planner who somehow keeps everyone together without a clipboard.” The McCook Philanthropy Council recognizes a volunteer every month who is doing good work in McCook and Red Willow County. If there is a volunteer in the community who should be recognized, please contact the McCook Chamber of Commerce at 308-345-3200 or visit McCook Volunteers on the McCook Community Foundation Fund’s website, mccookfoundation.org to complete a nomination form. The only requirement is that the nominee must be a resident of McCook or Red Willow County but please have information about the nominee along with where and how they volunteer in the community. The volunteer honoree is selected monthly by the McCook Philanthropy Council.
With the holiday's nearing, MCFF member and Mayor Linda Taylor reflects on the many things to be thankful in McCook.
The names of those people who have made a generational impact on McCook and Southwest Nebraska is a long list. Many of them are working day-in, day-out right now to make their mark on the community. And then there are those people who no longer call McCook home but still make an impact long after they are gone. Allen Strunk is one of those people. Allen passed away on Nov. 1 at his home in Las Vegas, Nevada but he never lost the love of his hometown. Born and raised in McCook, Allen was a member of an already well-known family, Harry and Arlene Strunk. The Strunks started and published the McCook Daily Gazette, with the motto, “Service is the rent we pay for the space we occupy in this world.” A saying that was so important that Harry had it etched at the top of his downtown newspaper office on Norris Avenue. That sense of service was passed along to Allen, who continued to serve his community as he took over leadership of the Gazette. I didn’t know Allen personally until he came back for visits years later. Even though my first job upon arriving in McCook was at the McCook Daily Gazette and Allen had turned over the publishing reins to Gene Morris many years prior, the Strunk legacy loomed large. He was instrumental in the building of the then-new YMCA, moving the facility from downtown to its current location next to the McCook High School. He was a key player in the new hospital, again moving from one location to a new expanded space. And McCook Community College benefitted his involvement in an expansion. Those projects continue to impact McCook today. And the support didn’t stop just because Allen retired from the Gazette and left McCook. There are programs the Strunks are involved in that benefit McCook and Southwest Nebraska. The Strunks continue to support Santa Claus Lane, which is overseen by the McCook Chamber of Commerce. And which after a few years of decline is seeing a resurgence of enthusiasm and nostalgia for the decorative holiday pieces lining Norris Avenue. Allen funds the annual McCook Area Outstanding Teacher award, which provides a financial prize to several teachers every year. And Allen recognized the work of the McCook Community Foundation Fund, providing a donation several years ago so that he could see its impact while he was still alive. This has led MCFF to consider how they will recognize and remember Allen for years to come. Because of his belief in service to his community, this could mean more recognition for the countless volunteers who keep our community thriving. It could be a day of community service, to see how many people can come together to make something happen. It could be a celebration for all the great things happening in our community. During Allen’s memorial service this past week in McCook, his step-daughter-in-law read the poem, “The Dash" by Linda Ellis, who published it in 1996. It reflects on the meaning of the dash between the birth and death dates on a tombstone. The dash is a reminder of everything that happens between the moment a person is born and the moment a person dies. The dash emphasizes the importance of how one lives their life during that time. The dash prompts a person to think about living, rather than worrying about dying. Ultimately, the dash is where all the good - and the bad - happens. And Allen Strunk made the most of his “dash,” both in his community and within his family. We can’t all run a newspaper. We likely aren’t going to etch our favorite saying into a building. But we all need to consider how we are paying the “rent for the space we occupy in this world.” And we can all make a difference in our hometowns, whether we currently live in them or even if we haven’t stepped foot on the main street in years.
Everyone feels a need to be needed and it is shown through the Big Give and Meal Kit Giveaways
SWNE Big Give reaches new heights thanks to enthusiasm of organizations, individuals and businesses
Food pantries are seeing an increased need, which means the community must step up with donations of food and time to help those who struggle to put food on the table.
