Lindsay Whalen at home with Lynx

 Lindsay Whalen, Lynx and at home

HUTCHINSON - This small town has three Subway stores. But it is still big enough that a kid with a lot of energy could bike around the whole area. Lindsay Whalen used this spot to cycle a lot, including to school.

She rode on her bike all the way to Minneapolis in 2000.

"I forgot to lock my bike at U of M a couple of time, and it was taken every time. Whalen, who plays in the WNBA's Lynx at Minneapolis' Target Center recently recalled three lost bikes. Even if they were locked up, they'd be gone. It's true at all campuses.

Hutch has never seen this happen.

She replied, "Nope. I kept that same bike there."

However, this does not mean that there has never been any bike theft in Hutchinson. Hutchinson now has a population just over 14,000. This city is not without its problems, as there are everywhere else.

Hutch is likely to be seen by many high schoolers here as a dull, boring teenager. Hutch, on the other hand, is viewed as achingly sweet by middle-aged high-school reunion-goers.

Whalen falls somewhere in between. At 29, Whalen is at her best and has enjoyed an MVP-type year with the WNBA. Whatever happens, Whalen has helped to breathe new life into women's basketball and the Lynx.

Talk about aching. This is how many Hutch residents and others felt when Whalen was drafted into Connecticut's WNBA team in '04.

This was something that many couldn't believe. It was hard to believe that a team or league that relied on the support of its fans could not find a way in which to keep their hero, a home-state hero, at home.

Didn't the Lynx understand that certain things may only be possible once in a life time? Contrary to what the common saying says, distance doesn't make the heart grow weaker. It is the best time to develop the love of little girls and young tweens, which was the case for many of them in Whalen's 2004 Wild For Whalen. They might have lost their focus in six months, or even six years.

This may seem like crying over spilled milk. The practical Minnesotans would say that this is a waste. But we won't dwell too much about missed opportunities. Whalen could have had the 2011 season if things had been different in 2004, but who is to say? We can't know what the only possible path would have been.

Let's just say that Whalen was a folk hero because of her Gophers win in 2004. She also played in two WNBA finals as a Connecticut Sun player from '04 to '09. Then she returned to Minnesota by trade in 2010. Although the Lynx displayed some strength last season, they missed the postseason.

The Lynx finished the season with a record of 27-7 and reached the playoffs, which was the first time the Lynx have made it to the playoffs since Whalen's departure in 2006.

"I think Lindsay's growth stemmed from actually leaving Minnesota," said Taj MacWilliams Franklin. Taj played alongside Whalen in the Sun and is back with the Lynx. "You have to step outside of your comfort zone in order to grow as both a player as well as as a person."

Kathy Whalen, Whalen's mom, said: "Some of us were devastated that she would be so far from home. However, in retrospect, I believe it was the best decision for her to travel and experience life abroad. After college, the spotlight was a bit overwhelming. She seemed to be able to be more of herself in Connecticut.

Whalen states, "It ended in the best possible way." I had the opportunity to see a new team and a different part of the country. I also played with some great veterans.

Despite all that, the timeless movie line "There's no home like home" is still relevant.

Pure, athletic talent

The State Theater is located off Main Street in Hutch, and mid-summer movies are still showing. Whalen was raised not far from Main but her family made a major move when she was eighth grade.

Whalen said, "From the one side to the other." "When I was a child, there were a group of kids who played every sport that you could imagine. We would return from school at around 2:45 and have a snack. Then we'd meet at 3:15 to play until dinner. No matter whether it was snowing or nice.

"We would play soccer, basketball and baseball, as well as football, capture the flag, and all other stuff. It's a great place, with good people. There are many familiar faces. I'll go back to McCormick's and have breakfast with my dad and mom. I'll also see people who've been working there since I was a student. It's neat."

3M is Hutchinson’s largest employer. Whalen's parents are employed there. Neil and Kathy hail from Grand Forks (N.D.). They met in 3rd grade. Neil did not propose as early as he had hoped.

Kathy explained, "He went away to school for a while and then we met again in eighth grade." "We were high school sweethearts. "So we have been together for many years."

Lindsay is the oldest of their five kids. Thomas is their youngest child. He is a high-school junior now, twelve years behind his big sis.

Kathy commented that Lindsay is very funny and has a side she doesn't want many people to see. "When she had to babysit the children, they would make home movies. Lindsay was the director. One of her children would take the camera. She would dress the other women in sumo or similar costumes. Sumo wrestling appears to have been a popular theme in these movies.

She has always been very reliable, mature. She was exactly what I needed, as Thomas was born and I returned to work. Thomas's mother had to babysit and help out with a lot of things.

Yes, this sounds just like someone who is a point-guard by nature and nurture. Whalen may be able to manage things on court because she was a caregiver for her four younger siblings.

Andy Rostberg was her Hutchinson High coach from the first time he saw her in middle-school.

Rostberg said that it was obvious that Rostberg was competitive and had great court vision. "She was agile with the ball in her hand. She was the type of child who wants to win.

Rostberg served as coach for the Hutchinson girls' basketball and varsity football teams back in that time. With two young children, Rostberg now "just" coaches football. Bill Carlson is now the girls' coach for basketball. Carlson was Whalen's coach while Whalen was there.

Carlson joined a group to shoot baskets last week as they gathered in the Hutchinson gym, which Whalen used many years ago. It was a cool September night. Nichole Wittman, a senior from Hutchinson, will be attending Northern Illinois basketball next year. It's too early for her to recall Whalen playing here. Whalen's impact on her is still significant.

Wittman explained that while I knew who she was when I was in elementary, I didn't really think about it. "But then, once I started playing basketball, it was like, Oh my godsh, that's her from here. She played basketball in college and now she's in the WNBA. This was when I began to believe it was possible for a person to come from a smaller community and do whatever they want.

"And that was when I started to work hard on everything and played all year. I knew that I wanted to play college basketball. I have seen her perform for the Lynx several times and always thought, "Wow, that's my hometown." It makes Hutch's dreams more possible.

To make Hutch's image more real, however, it must be noted that Whalen's presence here in Minneapolis doesn’t guarantee rapt audience attention for the Lynx throughout the WNBA season.

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