How this Beaver Dam boys state track champion 'impressed all of us' (2024)

A shared passion for basketball first sparked the friendship between Taylor Post and Kirsten Storhoff in 2018.

Five years later, when Post, who was born with spina bifida, first wanted to try wheelchair track and field entering the spring of his freshman year at Beaver Dam High School, there was one person he sought out to be his coach: Storhoff.

Despite seeing each other on a limited basis since first getting to know each other, the 2018 Beaver Dam grad and first-year special education teacher at her alma mater didn’t need to think hard about her answer.

“It was a prettyeasy yes,” she said. “They’re a great family, so it’s fun to sacrifice that time to help him out.”

The renewed partnership hasn’t only brought the duo closer together, it’s helped Post pave the way for Golden Beavers wheelchair athletes as a two-time WIAA state track and field meet qualifier.

“It’s been pretty cool because she helped me get through a struggle in my life,” Post said. “Now she’s helping me compete as an athlete, which most people don’t get the chance to do. I just think it’s really cool she’s continuing to help me.”

Added Storhoff: “I’ve seen him come such a far way as a person, not only as an athlete. It’s rewarding. And I think at state, it gets emotional every year just seeing how successful he is after seeing the path he had to take to get there.”

That path brought the two together during Storhoff’s senior year of high school as part of the Beaver Dam girls basketball team’s 2017-18 season. It was during that season when Post, then in fourth grade, was undergoing surgeries to treat his spina bifida, which has led to complications with neurological, orthopedic, urological and pulmonary functions.

The Golden Beavers dedicated the remainder of their season in honor of Post, who was in then-assistant Dan Hallman’s physical education class and had undergone hip and pelvic surgery. Beaver Dam went on to capture the second of three straight WIAA Division 2 state championships that season, oftentimes with Post watching on the sidelines.

The connection to the Golden Beavers provided a light during a tough time in Post’s life as he was forced to give up his most passionate sport: basketball.

Post began playing when he was 3 years old, but his physical therapist felt basketball might be too much for Post to handle as his spina bifida worsened.

“They always wanted me to try wheelchair basketball, but I just didn’t want to,” Post said. “I told her, 'If I can keep up with my friends, I’ll keep playing with them.'"

Increased weakness in his lower extremities left Post lagging behind, and he ultimately decided to give wheelchair basketball a try when he was 9 years old. What began begrudgingly turned into a love for the sport that continues today —Post plays for the WASA Marquette Eagles Wheelchair Basketball team.

Needing to be faster on the court prompted Post to try wheelchair track and field and ultimately led to his reconnection with Storhoff.

For Storhoff, the pair’s prior relationship has made their coach/athlete partnership even more enjoyable and inspirational after having seen Post at one of the lowest mental moments in his life.

“Knowing him from when he was in fourth grade to seeing where he's at now, his work ethic is insane,” Storhoff said. “He's had a lot of roadblocks, but just seeing how he is in both basketball and track has been so cool.”

Post anticipated track and field would be a challenging, but his resolve kept him from giving up as he learned the differences between his track and field wheelchair and the one he used for basketball. He earned four podium finishes at the WIAA state track and field meet May 31 and June 1, including a state title in the 1,600 meters, and finished third as a team of one for Beaver Dam by scoring 25 points behind champion Milwaukee Marquette (36) and runner-up Waupaca (27). He finished third in the 100, fourth in the 400 and fifth in the shot put.

He won gold in the 1,600 with a time of 6 minutes, 13.27 seconds, taking off nearly two minutes from the time he posted when Storhoff first timed him during a practice.

“He does get significantly better (with longer distances), and I think it’s because he’s one of the most competitive people I have ever met or coached," Storhoff said. "He sets goals for himself, where he'll get done running the mile and be like, 'I feel like I could have gone quicker.'

“I think he just pushes himself a lot, and seeing that first time that he ran the mile I think impressed all of us. It was his goal from then on out to just keep beating that time.”

Post said he likes themile because it “kind of simulates a basketball game,” where he has to keep up his stamina while getting fatigued.

“It’s a lot of mental toughness to finish the race,” he said.

It’s no surprise to Storhoff why Post is so successful in everything he puts his mind to.

“All-around on the track, on the basketball court, he's a very hardworking kid, and even in the classroom,” she said. “He sets such a high standard for himself, it makes it fun to coach a kid that you don't have to convince to show up every day.”