Johnyne Horstman, left, retired as official basketball scorekeeper after doing this job for 30 years. She is pictured with fellow scorers table workers Jo Striefel, center and Lisa Jankauskas. Horstman was honored at the basketball game on Friday.
By Dan Bechtold
Editor
For 30 years, Johnyne Horstman has been the official scorekeeper for Winner High School home boys and girls basketball games.
Friday, March 3 at the second round of the Region 7A boys game was her last night in her official capacity.
It is bittersweet for Horstman, a Winner 6th grade teacher, who has a love for the game and had two children play basketball.
“It is just time to quit,” she said.
Playing into this mix of emotions is the death of both of her parents, Carroll and Janet Bruun, within the past year.
“I can’t see my mom sitting in the same spot at every game and I do not get to hear my dad call after every game asking who were the high scorers,” she said.
Janet Bruun never missed a Winner home game and always sat in the “nosebleed” section of the Armory. As Horstman was keeping the book she could always see her mother sitting in that same spot.
In 1993, Harvey Naasz, who was then athletic director, asked Horstman to take over keeping book.
She was teaching fourth grade at the time and the classroom was in the Armory.
Prior to being the official scorekeeper, Horstman was taking tickets at football and basketball games.
Horstman is part of trio of women who keep things running efficiently at the scorers table. Jo Striefel runs the scoreboard and Lisa Jankauskas runs the shot clock.
Horstman said when her kids were playing it kept her focused.
When asked if she ever missed a game she said when Zach was playing at SDSU should would attend the college game and Glen Carlson would fill in with the scorebook at Winner home games.
“It is different when you don’t have kids playing. Maybe I want to spent time with Zach’s daughter, Murphy. This way I don’t have to be so scheduled and it gives me more freedom,” she explained.
When her kids were playing basketball she did both home and away games. I would keep the away game book for Jim Drake and Larry Aaker,” she said.
Asked if there was any one game that stood out and she said the game with Platte where Zach had 11 3 pointers.
She said it has been fun working with the crew at the scorers table. Over the years, she has gotten to know the referees. “When the referee blows the whistle I better have the jump ball right and the jump ball arrow turned on.”
Horstman said she and Jo along with Lisa make a good team.
Horstman says it has been fun keeping the official book.
She got to keep book for the SoDak 16 girls game between Red Cloud and Garretson on Thursday.
“It was great doing this all these years,” she said.
Friday night when Winner boys played Lakota Tech it was her last time to make an official entry in the scorebook.
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