The Free Press, Mankato, MN

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August 22, 2008

Olympic wrestler returns to hometown

New Ulm's Ali Bernard finished fifth in Beijing

By Brian Ojanpa

NEW ULM — New Ulm’s most famous athlete not named Terry Steinbach was welcomed home Friday.

U.S. Olympian wrestler Ali Bernard signed autographs and chatted with well-wishers for a couple of hours after arriving with a police escort to a picnic in German Park.

The 22-year-old placed fifth in Beijing, losing in the bronze-medal match to finish with a 2-2 record in the women’s 158.5-pound weight division.

Bernard and jet-lagged family members and supporters arrived back in New Ulm Tuesday, and Bernard admitted she was still trying to catch up on her sleep.

Virtually the youngest female wrestler at the Olympics, she said her inexperience cost her.

“International wrestling is a whole new level,” the two-time Junior World Champion said.

If she could face her victors again, she said she’d alter her approach.

“I probably wouldn’t be as aggressive — maybe wait for them to make a move. But I don’t know; I gave 100 percent.”

Nearby, Bernard’s father, Rocky, kept busy shaking hands with dozens of townspeople.

He said the 28-hour trek from New Ulm to Beijing included 10 family members and kin, with expenses all out of pocket.

“We were pretty much on our own,” he said as he watched his daughter sign photos of herself.

When Ali Bernard qualified for the Olympics, there was a move afoot in New Ulm to have a parade in her honor. The low-key wrestler nixed that idea, opting instead for a down-low reception at City Hall.

Though Friday’s event also was low key, it still took Bernard out of her comfort zone.

“This is more than she can handle,” her father said.

The taco-in-a-bag picnic, put on by the New Ulm Wrestling Boosters, charged people $5 with proceeds going to the Bernard delegation to help ease travel expenses estimated at $30,000. Organizers reported Friday evening that they served 325 people and raised $2,660 for the Bernards.

New Ulm wrestling supporter Annette Haynes, one of the self-dubbed “Ali Cats” group who also made the trip to China, said Ali Bernard only reluctantly agreed to the public welcome.

“She said, ‘I didn’t want this, I didn’t want this.’ She doesn’t like the limelight. She’s very humble,” Haynes said.

Bernard plans to take this semester off before returning to the University of Regina in Canada, where she’s a scholarship athlete on the women’s wrestling team.

Four years hence, the summer Olympics will be held in London. Bernard suggested she isn’t totally sure if she’ll take another shot at a medal but hinted at an answer with the words of a competitor:

“As of today, I’m not satisfied with my finish.”

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