By Jason Shoot
Havre native Mike Stromberg, head swimming coach at the University of North Dakota, has established the Ben and Elaine Stromberg Endowment within the UND Foundation in memory of his parents.
The endowment will support projects within the swimming program, such as scholarships and the team's annual jaunt to the Christmas Training Trip in Sarasota, Fla. in December, Stromberg said.
"We go to Florida every year, and my parents understood how important that was to us," he said. "It's a chance for the kids to get out of this part of the country, get on a plane, that sort of thing. It's a good time for everybody."
Stromberg said $10,000 is required to set up an endowment, and the program will benefit from the interest earned on the account. He added he would also like to continue adding to the principal to further the impact the endowment has on his program.
"(Stromberg's parents) have been involved with the program for 25 years," he said. "My parents helped out with scholarship money in the past, and I thought it would be a great thing to establish an endowment in their name. I am very pleased to be able to do that."
Stromberg, who in his 21-year tenure has coached more than 600 Fighting Sioux to All-American ranks and consistently gets his men's and women's teams to finish in the top 5 nationally every year, said he is taking a leave of absence for a year to help in the construction of the Ralph Engelstad Arena.
The arena, which will seat 15,000 spectators, was made possible thanks to a $114 million donation by Engelstad, a UND alumnus and donor.
"The goal is to make the hockey rink the best in the country," Stromberg said. "It'll be a new adventure for me."
