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Like many children of divorced parents, Matt Capelle had to make some tough decisions. Unlike many, one of them was between basketball and competitive dance.
In sixth grade Capelle opted to continue living with his mom, Kay Gunnarson, when she and his stepdad moved from Staples to Brainerd, rather than heading to Upsala where he could play basketball for his dad, Vern, who was the head coach at the high school.
Capelle loved hoops, but he also loved dance and his studio, Music General, was in Brainerd.
"Had I not been in dance, I probably would have transferred to Upsala," he said. "I wanted to play basketball and I wanted to play basketball for my dad."
Flash forward about a decade and Capelle, now 23, is getting the best of both worlds (or at least both Central Minnesota towns). He works at Music General now, both as a audio/visual technician and a dance instructor.
But since last year he's also been living with Vern in Little Falls and helping him out as an assistant coach for the highly-ranked Upsala basketball squad.
He works from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Music General and teaches three dance classes Monday nights, one for boys and two for girls.
His work schedule makes it impossible to make Upsala's after-school practices, but on game nights he can usually be found on the bench with his dad, keeping stats.
He also tags along occasionally when Vern goes to scout future opponents.
It's a lot of driving and a lot of busy nights, but Capelle wouldn't have it any other way. He's still involved with dance and he's getting a second chance to share the Upsala basketball experience with his dad.
"It's absolutely fantastic because I'm doing three things right now with my work and my leisure time that are the things that entertain me the most รข€" things I love to do and be involved with," he said. "I couldn't ask for anything more right now."
It's a good deal for Vern too. He's got another set of eyes on the bench, but having his boy there with him is much more than that.
"It's a great experience," Vern said. "I think any father that's involved in coaching would say that. It's great to have your son sitting there sharing in both the ups and downs that go with the game."
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