by Coach Coonan, Creator, Kamp Klaus

During the 2023 Hendrickson Foundation Festival, typical (better terming for “high-level” or “normal”) and atypical (better word for adaptive) hockey coach, Steve Coonan, was paired with other MN Wild Special Hockey coaches to lead a jamboree. These showcase jamborees group players of comparable abilities from across our state. This led to an opportunity for Steve to met one of the most inspiring players that he’s met in a long time.

He watched this player rip around the ice wearing a contraption he’d never seen before that reminded him of a cool blend of sled hockey meets typical hockey. After his first shift, Coach C went over to ask his name and see what he’s seeing during his shifts. “Klaus” would go on to say, “There a lot of loose pucks out there”, and, “I should get to the net”. These comments were hockey gold and really made Steve smile. Not to mention, they were elite and more insightful than he’d heard before at a special needs skate.

Just off the ice, when surrounded by Klaus’s family and friends, which Coach C. now calls Klaus’s Krew, he learned that this little hero had a not-so-little heart nor mind for the game. Despite being about the size of a typical 8-10 year old, he intellectually and socially identifies with his high school peer group. What’s more, his hockey mind was clearly that of veteran coach!

This deeply affected Coach Coonan. It hurt him that Klaus was limited in his development through his time with special hockey. He thought it was tragic that et Klaus on the ice with comparable hockey minds regardless of their body’s abilities. So, days later, Coach Coonan came up with a concept that will allow him to uplift Klaus’s soul and uniquely develop his game by merging private lessons with his high-level U16 players.

The net goal would be to hone individual and socialization skills of ALL of his players ALL AT ONCE. Meanwhile our 8 weeks of ice, Kamp Klaus will serve to empower Klaus and fundraising for his hockey - plus other players with neurological disorders. The most warming part of the sessions while be knowing that the relationships built during this period between the players, families and coaches will live long after the last Zamboni sends us home.

by Juston Helmbrecht, Klaus’s Uncle & Owner of Just On Site Lube

Playing for New Hope, #2, Klaus Christopher Friedrich was born in Robbinsdale on October 23rd, 2006. Klaus was born with a rare disease called Ataxia Telangiectasia or A-T for short. He also has an infectious smile and a dimple to match. Growing up Klaus watched and went to many Wild and St. Cloud State hockey games. He always wanted to play hockey and never had a doubt in his mind that his dream would come true. When his family found out about the MN Special Hockey in 2016 they signed Klaus up and his spirit has been soaring ever since. This community of people is in and of itself a truly inspirational thing. I know that all of us have felt it and hope to spread it to others, especially those that may not be directly impacted by those that are supported through these efforts which at the end of the day are the epitome of inclusion. 

Klaus lives and breathes hockey, just look at his hair. Through the years Klaus has sported some beautiful hockey hair locks. The players and stats that Klaus knows is rather impressive and with help from his dad goes back longer than he’s been alive. 

Klaus has many passions, but his main ones are becoming a youtuber, hockey, exotic cars, and Forged in Fire. He has also begun to take an interest in the ladies. But that’s a story for another time.

Ataxia telangiectasia (A-T) is an autosomal recessive disorder primarily characterized by cerebellar degeneration, telangiectasia, immunodeficiency, cancer susceptibility and radiation sensitivity. A-T is often referred to as a genome instability or DNA damage response syndrome. Klaus has been in a walker and that has worked well to aid him in his hockey playing up until this last season when he outgrew his walker. 

Please allow me to digress. There is a sad but true reality in the world of those that live with A.T. and other debilitating diseases is that they may have a shortened life expectancy. I say this because some of the equipment used was donated from other families and it is how these communities thrive by the means of sharing and compassion. This equipment is not cheap and is not always covered by insurance.

The walker that Klaus received was not quite ready for the ice or his height. So Klaus enlisted the help of his Uncle Juston. Klaus had always wanted to work with some steel and so yet another dream came true. So we went into the garage and started to get to work. We did some brainstorming with his brother Lars, his mom, and a family friend and disabled Vet John Kojetien.

Our main goal was to still be able to put the walker back together and still be functional as it was from the factory. Klaus put on some rollerblades, and we got our measurements. After some deliberation we decided we would need to extend the walker about 7”. We would need to cut 4 pipes. 2 at 14” and 2 at 17”. Next drill holes and put some D - Clips in to hold them in place. We’d use 2 pieces of flat stock to keep the rear wheels straight. We also disassembled the front wheels and took out the locks for safety.

Now that we had a plan we got to work. Klaus was able to cut each of the extension pipes on a metal chop saw and drill some holes using a drill press. You would have thought Klaus just got a new car with the excitement that was on his face after that first cut. After some deburring and grinding We were ready for assembly.

It fit and worked out so well. Now the real test was taking it to a game. Klaus was ecstatic and was ready for a new season of hockey.

This last weekend during the tournament we had to make some adjustments with the padding under the arm due to the padding wearing out. It was nothing a little grinding, some pipe insulation, and electrical tape couldn’t fix. Klaus went on to score 2 goals in his last game of the season.

His helper Keith had to let Klaus take over the reins when he noticed such a difference in how well Klaus could control himself on the ice.

Learn more: A-T Children’s Project

Ataxia-telangiectasia, pronounced “ay-TACK-see-uh teh-LAN-jick-TAY-sha”, commonly known as A-T, is a rare genetic disease that attacks children, causing progressive loss of muscle control, immune system problems, and a high rate of cancer.

It’s a progressive, degenerative disease that affects a startling variety of body systems. The first signs of the disease usually appear early in childhood (the toddler stage), when children begin to walk. Though they usually start walking at a normal age, they wobble or sway when walking, standing still or sitting. In late pre-school and early school age, children with A-T develop difficulty moving the eyes in a natural manner from one place to the next, and they develop slurred or distorted speech, and swallowing problems.