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Podcast No. 199: Gingerbread Amy
Gingerbread Amy is the newest Butte Rat.
She has only been in the “Holey City” since June 8 of this year, but she made herself at home almost as fast as Irish Johnny did. She also plans to stay around for a while, giving tutorials on how to build gingerbread houses and just generally entertaining the people.
Earlier this week, Amy hosted Open Mic Night at the Covellite Theater. She has been doing standup at such events for 20 plus years. She has also been “making a living” with gingerbread houses for about the same time.
Amy says she has been working in the minor leagues of the entertainment business for decades, and that is the way that she likes it. Fame is not what she strives for. She simply wants to make a positive impact in the lives of others.
In her short time in the Mining City, she is proving to do just that. She was a huge hit in the Fourth of July parade, and she is a fixture at the counter at the M&M, where she says she has her personalized chefs.
Yesterday I met Amy at her workshop in uptown Butte for a fun conversation.
Listen in to hear how the New Hampshire native ended up in the Mining City. Listen to hear her talk about her years entertaining and successful tennis career. Listen in to hear her take on Butte and on why she immediately felt like home when she came her.
Listen in to hear that Gingerbread Amy is about a whole lot more than gingerbread houses. For more on Amy, go to gingerbreadamy.com.
Today’s podcast is presented by Casagranda’s Steakhouse. Eat where the locals eat.
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Podcast No. 198: John Amtmann
The world is John Amtmann’s playground.
If you look up John on Facebook, you will see that is true. You will find a bunch of photos and videos of John whitewater rafting, descending a cliff, rolling on the mats, riding his mountain bike or one of many other activities. You would have to think that he rarely ever sleeps.
John disputes that, however. He says that his favorite hobby is to take naps.
When he isn’t teaching in the biological science department at Montana Tech, he is driving an ambulance, working as a ski patrol or life guard or delivering pizzas around Chicago. He grew up in Arlington Heights, which is a suburb of the Windy City.
Recently, John spent time backpacking around Japan in a quest to learn more about the martial arts.
John really is one of the most interesting men you will ever meet. He is too down to earth to go by “Dr. Amtmann,” even though that is a title he earned.
He is the father of three girls — Aidan, Hannah and Devin. While some have said the way he raised his daughter was dangers, John said he raised them to live. They are now three successful adults who also have a lot of fun.
In fact, John was kayaking on the Big Hole River with one of his daughters right before this podcast, which was recorded in the Team Room of the Metals Sports Bar & Grill.
Listen in to hear John talk about growing up in Chicagoland and the many times he has gone back. Listen to why he says he earned postseason honors as a very undersized defensive end in high school.
Listen to hear his teaching and parenting philosophies and to hear what he learned in his journey through The Land of The Rising Sun.
Today’s podcast is brought to you by Leskovar Honda, home of the 20-year, 200,000-mile warrantee.
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Erin Popovich was a tough interview, but she is a Butte sports legend
It is still the toughest interview of my career. It is also one of the best subjects of a story I ever got to write about.
In the fall of 1998, I was a part-time writer for The Montana Standard. One day, Bruce Sayler sent me to the Montana Tech pool to write a story about an eight-grade swimmer named Erin Popovich.
Walter Hinick went to the pool to snap a photo of Erin, and the story ran on the cover of the next day’s sports section.
Even at such a young age, Erin was already making big things happen.
Less than a year after she joined the Butte Tarpons swimming team, the Butte Central Junior High student was heading to Christchurch, New Zealand to compete in the International Paralympic World Swimming Championships.
It did not take long to see that this girl was a phenom in the pool.
I didn’t know a lot about swimming then. I still don’t. But I have never seen anyone make something look as easy as young Erin made swimming look. She effortlessly darted back and forth in the pool as if she was a goldfish.
I watched in awe as she just went back and forth and back and forth.
Getting her to answer questions, though, was kind of like pulling teeth.
“What do you like best about swimming?”
“Are you excited about your trip?”
“How do you expect to do?”
“Are you going to compete in swimming when you’re in high school?”
The answer to each question was the same. Erin looked at me, put out her hands out and shrugged her shoulders as if to say, “I don’t know.”
When you study journalism in college, the professors do not prepare you for such an interview. I was definitely not prepared to write a feature story on a person who hardly spoke at all.
Of course, when I went to the University of Montana to become a newspaper writer, I never thought I would be interviewing a girl in the eighth grade. Even the most well-spoke eighth graders are tough interviews.
When I got back to the newsroom and sat down at my computer, Bruce, then the sports editor of the paper, asked me how the interview went.
“It was so tough,” I said. “She shrugged her shoulders at every question.”
Bruce quickly put that into perspective.
“It could have been worse,” he said. “It could have been a radio interview.”
Erin did give me one really good answer for the story. I asked her if she felt like she had a disability. She shook her head to say, “no.” Then, thankfully, she elaborated.
“Except for maybe going on roller coasters,” she said before holding her thumb and index finger about an inch apart. “I’m always this much too short.”
At the time, Erin was 4 feet, 2 ¾ inches tall. She was born with achondroplasia, a genetic disorder that restricted the growth of her limbs.
The day I met Erin, I learned from her mother, Barbara, that “dwarf” is the preferred term. More importantly, I learned that a good story is not about the quotes. It is about the subject. And no subject was better than Erin Popovich.
Marie Cook was the coach of the Butte Tarpons, and she went on and on about the greatness of Erin.
“She’s a dedicated athlete,” Cook said. “She gives 100 percent in practice and 100 percent at competitions.”
Basically, Cook said Erin was a coach’s dream.
“When she’s working, she really stays focused,” Cook said. “She listens to her coaches and really tries to do what they say. It’s hard for the kids on this team to think of her as disabled. But when she gets on the blocks with taller kids, you can see it. She’s such an inspiration to everyone.”
Erin started swimming for the Tarpons in January of 1998. By the end of September, she already held a world record and two American records in disabled swimming.
That, however, was just the beginning.
Erin, who graduated from Butte Central in 2003, went on to be a three-time Paralympian, competing for the United States in 2000, 2004 and 2008. She won 19 Paralympic medals — 14 gold and five silver.
She destroyed more records than Mike Veek’s Disco Demolition night.
Her long list of achievements includes winning two ESPY Awards for Best Female Athlete with a Disability. She was named the Women’s Sports Foundation’s Sportswoman of the Year in 2005.
Erin graduated from Colorado State University, where she swam at the NCAA Division I level against able-bodied athletes. She earned a degree in health and exercise science.
In 2019, Erin became just the second Paralympic swimmer to be inducted into the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Hall of Fame.
She sure did come a long way from being that young girl who had to wear braces to straighten her back and legs.
The daughter of Dr. Keith Popovich, Erin moved to Butte when she was 5. By the time I met her that day at the Tech pool, she had undergone multiple surgeries, including one on her eardrum that allowed her to finally try swimming.
Now she is 39, and swimming is still very much a part of her life.
Her career has taken her to the administration side of Paralympic swimming.
Earlier this year, I talked to Erin for the first time since that day in 1998. I had a hard time connecting with her on the phone because she travels the world.
When I finally got ahold of her, Erin was in Switzerland with the U.S. swimming team. I was calling to tell her that she was selected to be inducted into the Butte Sports Hall of Fame.
Even though it is not the first Hall of Fame to call her, Erin truly seemed to be blown away by the honor.
Almost every email I have sent to her regarding the details of the induction generates an automatic replay telling me that Erin will get back to me when she gets back into the country.
Next weekend, Erin will take her rightful place alongside the more than 200 Butte sports immortals in the Butte Sports Hall of Fame.
She might be the smallest of those immortals, but she one of only a few who have her own Wikipedia page.
That page, by the way, says that Erin is now 4 feet, 4 ¾ inches tall.
So, not even roller coasters are obstacles any more.
— Bill Foley, who thinks riding roller coasters is overrated anyway, can be reached at foles74@gmail.com. Follow him at twitter.com/Foles74. Listen to him on the ButteCast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you find your favorite podcasts.
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Leskovar Honda Athletes of the Week: Trapper Stajcar and Lily Sandoval
This week’s Leskovar Honda Athletes of the Week are Butte Mucker Trapper Stajcar and Mining City Magic player Lily Sandoval.
Stajcar takes home the boys’ accolades after a stellar performance at the Missoula Maverick’s Firecracker Tournament. He helped lead the Muckers to a 3-2 performance. The Butte boys didn’t make the title game, but they beat both teams that did.
On the tournament, Stajcar went 9 for 12 at the plate. The speedy outfielder scored 12 runs and stole 13 bases. In 24 games with the Muckers, Stajcar is batting .444. He has scored 34 runs and swiped 37 bases. Stajcar has only been caught stealing two times, and both times probably should have resulted in a balk call.
Sandoval takes home the girls’ honor for her stellar weekend at the Capital City Classic in Helena. Sandoval sold out with diving catches while batting cleanup all weekend for the 14U Magic, helping lead the girls to the tournament title.
“It’s a joy to watch her, but it is even better to coach her,” said Magic coach McCaul McCarthy, who is shown in the photo with Lily. “Lily’s can-do attitude is contagious, and it was just what we needed pushing into the championship.”
For the second year, Leskovar Honda, home of the 20-year, 200,000-mile warranty, is teaming up with the ButteCast to honor the finest student-athletes from the Mining City in an effort to encourage more children to get up, get out and try all kinds of sports and activities.
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Leskovar sponsoring hole-in-one prize for Hall of Fame scramble
This year’s Butte Sports Hall of Fame celebration will include a chance to win a 2025 Honda CR-V from Leskovar Honda.
Butte’s locally-owned dealership is sponsoring a hole-in-one contest during the Hall of Fame scramble on Friday, July 19 on the Par 3 course of the Highland View Golf Course.
One hole will be designated as the prize hole. That hole has not yet been selected.
The tournament, which will be $10 per person plus green fees for non-members, is open to the public. The tournament has tee times blocked off from 1 to 3 p.m. Players can show up with a team of four or five or come as an individual and join a team.
You do not have to sign up in advance.
The Green Jacket Ceremony will be held at 7 p.m. on Friday, July 19 at the Civic Center. The event, which is free to the public, begins with a 6 p.m. social hour.
The Induction Banquet begins at 7 p.m. on Saturday, July 20. That event also begins with a 6 p.m. social hour. Cost is $38 before July 12. Then the cost goes up to $45. Tickets can be purchased at the Butte Civic Center box office or at butteciviccenter.com.
Individuals inducted into the Hall of Fame this year are Steve “Coachie” Schute, Ron Richards, Matt Buckley, Martha (Apostel) Lonner, Wanda Jean (Matteson) Olson, Linda (Lyons) Paull, Dan Lean, Erin Popovich, Kyle Smith, Don Tamietti, Bruce Sayler, Betty Merrifield and John Rickman.
Ronnie Counts will receive a Special Olympics award, and all local Special Olympians are invited to come walk down the red carpet to honor Coach Ron.
Teams inducted this year are the 1983, 1984 and 1985 Montana Tech men’s basketball teams, the 1989 Butte High boys’ basketball team, the 1992 Butte High wrestling team, the 1996 Butte High softball team, and the 1999 Butte Central softball team. Teams will be recognized on Friday night before receiving their plaques on Saturday.
In addition to purchasing a ticket, members of those teams are asked to RSVP to Butte Sports Hall of Fame Executive Director Bill Foley so the Hall of Fame can have a plaque for them at the banquet. Call or text Foley at (406) 491-3022 or email him at foles74@gmail.com.
Team members who cannot make the banquet can purchase a plaque for cost, plus shipping.
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Podcast No. 197: Craig Mills
Craig Mills was once known for a stupid human trick that he learned as a boy at the Highland View Golf Course.
He would balance one golf ball on top of another. He would hit the bottom ball, and the top ball would fly straight in the air. He would catch it with a toy basketball hoop on his head.
That trick was good enough for a trip to New York to perform on the “Late Show with David Letterman” in May of 2001.
While Craig performed the trick in front of Dave and the audience at the frigid Ed Sullivan Theater, he did not make the in the final show.
When it comes to umpiring baseball, though, it seems like Craig always makes the cut.
He has umpired some big tournaments in college baseball, and he was selected to work a handful of American Legion World Series tournaments.
Craig is a 1983 graduate of Butte Central. The son of Art and Carol Mills attended Emerson and Hillcrest before going to South Central Junior High and Butte Central.
He is a recently retired teacher in Burley, Idaho, where he taught political science, among other things. While he recently turned 59 and has overcome some serious health issues, Craig is still umpiring baseball games.
This past weekend, he was in Dillon to umpire the Maybelle Arthur Tournament. He also spent some quality time with some old classmates at the Knights of Columbus Hall.
Listen in to this podcast to hear him talk about his parents and his brother Brad, a member of the Eastern Oregon University Hall of Fame for his baseball achievements. Listen as he talks about playing Legion ball in Butte and getting into umpiring.
Listen as he talks about umpiring with his son Jake, also an accomplished college baseball player.
Listen in as he talks about his appearance on Letterman.
Today’s podcast is presented by Thriftway Super Stops. Download the TLC app and start saving today.
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An offer that could not be refused
When Don Peoples Sr. walked up to the table, I knew I was in trouble.
It was at the Butte Country Club in the spring of 2016. I was invited there for lunch by Jim Michelotti, who wanted to talk about his plans for the Butte Sports Hall of Fame moving forward. I brought my reporter’s notebook and a couple of pens. I also brought an excuse.
I wasn’t sure if he wanted me to do a story about his plans for the Hall of Fame, which somehow kept going after the untimely death of Pat Kearney in October of 2014, or if he wanted me to be part of those plans.
As I drove down from my Uptown home, I rehearsed my many reasons why I did not have time to be part of the selection committee. I was already putting in 20 hours a week working mornings at on KBOW. I was spending another 30 to 60 hours each week running ButteSports.com, which was owned by Butte Broadcasting.
No way did I have time to help with the Hall of Fame. There was just no way.
Mick Delaney, the recently-retired head football coach of the University of Montana, sat down at the table before Peoples, the former Butte-Silver Bow Chief Executive and one of the most important people in the history of our city.
When I was a young boy, I used to look at Mr. Peoples like he was John F. Kennedy. More than anything, he is a person I knew I could never turn down.
As it turns out, Michelotti, Delaney and Peoples didn’t want me to serve on the selection committee. Rather, they wanted me to run the whole dang thing.
They needed an executive director who had writing and researching skills, and they said I was their only choice.
Michelotti told me that I would find the time to do the work. He was one of the people instrumental in putting together the Hall of Fame class of 2015 less than a year after Kearney’s passing.
He told me he found time to do his work in the middle of the night. Oftentimes, he would find himself writing and researching at 2 a.m.
“That sounds great,” I thought. “But I have to get up at 5 a.m. to go to work. Then I work nights covering sporting events. I already don’t have enough time in the day. There is no way I can take on more.”
I didn’t say that, though. I just sat there and nodded my head.
“Take some time,” Peoples told me. “Talk to your wife and then make a decision.”
The decision, though, was already made. There is no way I could say no to those men. There is no way I could turn my back on the organization that was so important to my good friend Pat.
Plus, I knew if I said no, Pat Kearney was going to visit me in my sleep. Nobody wants that — especially when he’s mad.
In addition to being the man whose optimism and leadership led Butte out of the economic depression that was the 1980s, Peoples was a co-founder of the Hall of Fame. I knew that finding someone to try to fill the shoes of Kearney was very important to him.
He thought I was that guy, and now I figured I had better be.
So, with that, I became the executive director of the Butte Sports Hall of Fame. That came with the unbelievable pressure to keep the organization alive.
The Hall of Fame had been around nearly 30 years before I became involved with it. It actually started at a Butte-Silver Bow Christmas party in the upstairs room at the Butte Civic Center.
The party included one of those conversations that started with something like, “You know what would be a good idea?”
So many conversations start like that when celebrating and carrying on in a holiday bash, but those good ideas usually don’t’ seem as good in the light of day. This one, though, still seemed like a good idea to Peoples the next morning. So, he called Kearney and the ball got rolling.
The Butte Sports Hall of Fame inducted its first class on May 9, 1987. The first class was full of legends, including Sylvia (White) Blaine, Bob O’Billovich, “Jumpin’” Joe Kelly, Swede Dahlberg, Milt Popovich, Jim McCaughey, Jim Sweeney, Bob Hawke, Bill Cullen, Bob O’Malley, Judy (Morstein) Martz, Danny Hanley and Walter T. Scott.
The three teams inducted were the 1908 and 1927 Butte High football teams and the 1950 Butte Central basketball team.
The Hall of Fame inducted a class every odd year until 2019. In 2021, however, COVID made us push it back a year. Now, the ceremonies will take place every even year moving forward.
Later this month, we will induct the 19th class of the Butte Sports Hall of Fame. The individuals being inducted will be Matt Buckley, Dan Lean, Martha (Apostel) Lonner, Betty Merrifield, Wanda Jean (Matteson) Olson, Linda (Lyons) Paull, Erin Popovich, Ron Richards, John Rickman, Bruce Sayler, Steve “Coachie” Schulte, Kyle Smith and Don Tamietti.
Unfortunately, Lean, Olson and Tamietti passed away before they could walk down the red carpet of the Butte Sports immortals.
For the first time, we will have a Special Olympian award that will go to Coach Ronnie Counts.
The teams inducted will be the 1989 Butte High boys’ basketball team, the 1992 Butte High wrestling team, the 1996 Butte High softball team, the 1999 Butte Central softball team and the Kelvin Sampson-led Montana Tech men’s basketball teams of 1983, 1984 and 1985.
The Green Jacket Ceremony will be held Friday, July 19, and the induction banquet will take place on Saturday, July 20. Both events will take place at the Civic Center.
Two years ago, we moved to the Maroon Activities Center because Indiana Jones booted us out of the Civic Center during the filming of the TV series “1923.”
Or maybe that was Han Solo. I always get those two mixed up.
On Friday before the Green Jacket Ceremony, we will hold a golf scramble on the Par 3 course at the Highland View Golf Course. Anyone can show up and play in the 1 p.m. scramble, and Leskovar Honda is sponsoring a hole-in-once contest for a car.
This year will mark the fourth induction ceremony since I realized I had no choice but to try to be the guy to fill the shoes of Pat Kearney. It hasn’t been easy, but it was a lot of fun.
And Mr. Michelotti was right. I often found myself up at 2 a.m. doing some writing and research. But most of that came after I gave up the morning radio shift following the 2017 induction.
I might be a little biased, but I think we did a pretty good job of selecting the right Butte sports legends to carry on the legacy of the Hall.
I think Pat Kearney would agree because so far, he has not visited me in my sleep.
— Bill Foley can be reached at foles74@gmail.com. Follow him at twitter.com/Foles74. Listen to him on the ButteCast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you find your favorite podcasts.
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Bobcats set free kids’ clinic in Butte
The Montana State Bobcats will hold a free kids’ football clinic in Butte on Tuesday, July 16 at Naranche Stadium.
The camp, which will from from 2 to 3:30 p.m., is for kids entering kindergarten through sixth grade. The clinic will be put on by the players and coaches from MSU.
Also, the Bobcat Collective will host a meet and greet with the bobcats later that day at the Rib and Chop House. That event will run from 4 to 6 p.m., and the cost is $25 per person. Bobcat Collective members will be admitted for free.
Go to bobcatcollective.com to RSVP for the kids or buy tickets for the meet and greet.
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Leskovar Honda Athletes of the Week: Paxton McEwen, Copper City Stars
This week’s Leskovar Honda Athlete of the Week honors go to Paxton McEwen and two All-Star teams from the Copper City Softball Little League.
McEwen plays for the Elks team in the Northwest Little League, and he takes the boys’ honor even though he is new to his sport. Coming from an athletic family of wrestlers, Paxton decided to give baseball a try this season.
The season went well as Paxton made the Northwest All-Star team. Coach Mike Parent says Paxton, who plays pitcher and catcher, is an outstanding baser runner who somehow scores every time he reaches base.
The Copper City 8-10 All-Stars and 10-12 All-Stars share the girls’ honor after strong performances during the Montana District 2 Little League tournament at the Longfellow Complex in Butte.
The older All-Star team went 2-2 in the tournament, taking second place. They fell to Garden City Softball from Missoula in the championship.
The team is made up of Ryan Olson, Ryenne Hardy, Mila Carriger, Regan Warren, Mya McGree, Tenley Osborne, Luci Fantini, Taylor Regan, Keelie Schad, Kessler Svejkovsky, Jordynn Giop, and Savannah Stosich. Their coaches are Josh Schad, Zach Osborne and Joe Warren.
The younger team won the District title, going 4-0. They beat the Westside All-Stars from Great Falls 12-6 in the title game.
Team members are Anna Yates, Josie Foley, Aria Sherrill, Bentli Petritz, Braelynn Schwartzmiller, Brixley Schelin, Caelyn Comfort, Kaitlyn Kachmarik, Kyla McEwen, Myla Swanson, Parker Gilbreath, Oakley Stajcar and Taylor Benski. The coaches are Jenny McEwen, Melissa Swanson and Kristen Grote.
For the second year, Leskovar Honda, home of the 20-year, 200,000-mile warranty, is teaming up with the ButteCast to honor the finest student-athletes from the Mining City in an effort to encourage more children to get up, get out and try all kinds of sports and activities.
Anna Yates, Aria Sherrill, Bentli Petritz, Braelynn Schwartzmiller, Brixley Schelin, Caelyn Comfort, Copper City Softball, Joe Warren, Jordynn Giop, Josie Foley, Kaitlyn Kachmarik, Keelie Schad, Kessler Svejkovsky, Kristen Grote, Kyla McEwen, Leskovar Honda, Luci Fantini, Melissa Swanson, Mike Parent, Mila Carriger, Myla Swanson, Oakley Stajcar, osh Schad, Parker Gilbreath, Paxton McEwen, Regan Warren, Ryan Olson, Ryenne Hardy, Savannah Stosich, Taylor Benski, Taylor Regan, Tenley Osborne, Zach Osborne -
Copper City Stars win district title
The Copper City All-Star softball team captured the 9-10 Montana Little League District 2 championship Wednesday night at the Longfellow Softball Complex.
The Butte girls made it look easy, too. In going 4-0 in the tournament, the Copper City All-Stars outscored their opponents by a combined score of 54-16.
That includes a 12-6 win over the Westside All-Stars from Great Falls. Next up, the Butte girls will play in the State tournament, which is July 18-21 in Missoula.
Team members are Anna Yates, Josie Foley, Aria Sherrill, Bentli Petritz, Braelynn Schwartzmiller, Brixley Schelin, Caelyn Comfort, Kaitlyn Kachmarik, Kyla McEwen, Myla Swanson, Parker Gilbreath, Oakley Stajcar and Taylor Benski.
The coaches are Jenny McEwen, Melissa Swanson and Kristen Grote.
The ButteCast with Bill Foley 