According to freshman counselor Barb Nelson, her Park high school basketball team received an award admitting them into the St. Louis Park Athletic Hall of Fame for their 1986 team.

Nelson said being part of the team was a positive experience in her life and she enjoyed the team atmosphere.

“You were practicing every day, you got to see everybody all the time. That was kind of your core group as you went through and now I think looking at it, it was like just the relationships from that time — you still have those such good memories,” Nelson said.

According to Nelson, the girls’ basketball team won the national championships because of their hard work and great coaches.

“You don’t realize how much planning goes into things and how much work behind the scenes,” Nelson said. “(Our coaches) put so much effort into us and believing in us and knowing that we could do it but…it was so much more strategy than I ever thought involved in it.”

According to Nelson, the girls’ coaches were Phil Frerk and Don Wold, who both worked in the district.

“Mr. Frerk and Mr. Wold are around the high school even now,” Nelson said, “So I’ll see them every once in awhile so it’s been fun to kind of stay connected that way.”

Freshman Isaac Scott felt very excited to hear that Nelson had been inducted into the Hall of Fame.

“I think it’s pretty awesome because Barb Nelson is a representative to most of us around here, and a lot of the freshmen know her,” Scott said. “It’s just an inspiration.”

Nelson said when she was in high school, she didn’t fully appreciate the great experience that high school sports provide.

“It’s one of those things, I think, at the time you don’t realize.You might think (high school is) a grind, the practices and the work, but those memories and the relationships you create doing that are long lasting, and you’ll never forget all those good times,” Nelson said.