For most high school seniors in the nation and South Dakota this Spring, there won’t be any graduation parties, commencement ceremonies, or proms. Taylee Indahl of Burke is just one of these seniors. But what makes her final year of high school different from others is the way it started – a tornado that damaged her hometown.
Taylee Indahl is a three-sport athlete for Burke high school out of Burke, South Dakota. The town itself is home to just under 600 people, but as far as athletics go, the Cougars have definitely made their presence known in recent years.
A year ago, the girls golf team won the ‘B’ team state championship. The squad was led by then junior Taylee Indahl, who won the individual state title at the tournament as well with a two day score of just 23 over par.
She’s been playing varsity golf for Burke since the seventh grade. Before winning it all as a junior, Indahl finished second as a sophomore and third as a freshman.
“Last season was definitely my highest point in golf. That’s been my goal ever since I was probably like six,” said Indahl. “Not having this year to get two years in a row, that’s hard to swallow, but I’m still grateful for last year and how I ended my season. I’ll never forget that either.”
COVID-19 recently forced the South Dakota High School Activities Association to cancel all of the spring sports, meaning Indahl would not get the opportunity to defend her state golf championship this June.
“Day-by-day I had hoped we’d have a golf season, but then when they finally pulled the plug, I was just devastated,” explained Indahl.
It’s a disappointing way to end any school year, but as a senior, it hits a little harder. For the community of Burke, there was concern if there would even be a school year to begin with.
In the evening of Tuesday August 6, roughly two-and-a-half weeks before the scheduled start of the school year, the small town in southern South Dakota was hit by an EF-1 tornado.
The twister caused damage to homes, a lumberyard, and the school building.
“Looking back at August, it was definitely a traumatic time for a lot of us in this community. We were so incredibly lucky to even have our senior year at Burke high school, because after the tornado hit, I thought we weren’t going to have school in Burke, said Indahl. “All the seniors, we all rallied together and were like ‘we’re going to make the best of it. Nothing is going to tear us down, we’re going to make the best of our senior year.”
School ended up starting in the early part of September, two weeks later than it was originally slated.
“I just remember waking up in the morning after the tornado and everyone was out walking on the streets looking at the damage. It was a really hard pill to swallow,” stated Indahl.
Talk about a senior year to remember for Taylee Indahl… It started late because of damage caused by a tornado and ends with online-only learning due to an invisible enemy in the coronavirus.
While it sounds like everything about the 2019-20 school year in Burke was negative, that’s not the case. In November, the Lady Cougars volleyball qualified for their third straight state tournament – an event they would finish in fourth place.
“That was something normal for our community to have for the first time [since the tornado],” explained Indahl. “I think it brought us all just closer together and it showed us that we can overcome anything, and just enjoy the little things.”
The experience for Taylee meant even more because her mom Billie Jo Indahl is the head volleyball coach, and her sister Adisyn (sophomore) is also on the squad.
“It’s even more special to that I got to play with Adisyn the last couple of years and have mom as my coach for the last six or seven years too,” said Indahl.
Along with being an elite level volleyball player and golfer for Burke, Taylee also played basketball. Next year, she’ll attend Dakota Wesleyan in Mitchell where she’ll continue her volleyball career at the collegiate level.
Even though her senior year of high school was filled with its ups and downs, Taylee Indahl believes her experience will only make her stronger for the next chapter of her journey.
“Being at Burke high school, you really had to overcome adversity and that’s what taught me so many life lessons. That’s what I’ll carry with me for years ahead. Burke is such a small community and you know everyone, and everyone knows everyone,” said Indahl as she smiled. “And that is what’s really special. It’s what I’ll carry with me for the rest of my life.”
