photo credit: John Walters



Pictured in a HHS gymnastics meet John Eifler performs the impossible, an iron cross.
John was my neighbor and a naturally-gifted athlete of the highest caliber who excelled in
all sports he pursued. However, during high school he concentrated on gymnastics and pole vault.
This was a continuation of our gymnastic and track experiences during middle school. I recall
watching practices out behind the teachers' parking lot at Lakeshore with the school's unforgiving
aluminum poles. I remember Ron Weber flying over the foam rubber pit and landing on his back on the
sun-dried and rock-hard turf. During eighth grade the school purchased new fiberglass poles. At
Homestead John continued with both track and gymnastics and refined his jumping technique training
with track greats John Friesch and Jeff Majerus.


Homestead had a tradition of producing fine gymnasts including Mark Kelch from our class, as well
as Stacey Maloney. Stacey wore a HHS varsity letter sweater on days there were gymnastics meets.
As was the tradition in those days varsity and junior varsity athletes wore a shirt and tie the
day of a competition. This was true for most varsity teams. Stacey's sweater was lop-sided
as the side bearing the varsity letter was littered with Braveland Conference arrowheads and
Wisconsin state icons from all of his Sectional and State titles. The sweater jingled as he walked
down the hall. I learned a few years ago that Stacey coached the US men's gymnastics team and is
responsible for many olympic medals won in Athens in 2004. He is surely a legend in HHS athletic history.