Making a name for himself

This story took second place among weeklies under 1,500 circulation at the 2012 Minnesota Newspaper Awards.

Peder Sviggum's pre-athletic chapter didn't last long, but it did feature a cape.

Sviggum has just a few months left in his storied three-sport career for Kenyon-Wanamingo High School, but when his basketball coach looks back at his first memories of the senior, it features more Peter (Peder?) Pan than jump shots and tackles.

But Peder's life without athletics didn't last long. By second grade he was playing baseball for the Steelers - trying to take down those pesky Sliders - and joining in on Saturday open gyms led by his dad, Jim.

Jim Sviggum was a star Kenyon athlete in his own right, a quarterback for the football team, guard for the basketball squad and shortstop on the diamond before he graduated in 1971. He spent countless hours in the backyard tossing baseballs or in the driveway shooting hoops with Peder. Jim was also Peder's coach for most of his youth teams.

"He really made a big deal to go out for sports and be the best you can," Peder said.

From an early age, Peder's athletic acumen was obvious to those around him, but the pressure he mounted on himself - while trying to live up to his extended family's sporting successes - at times derailed him.

"He would wreck kids on the basketball court," said Blake Johnson, who has been friends with Peder since kindergarten. "Peder basically led the team. He was good."

"He's always been one of the better ones at every sport," said Oakley McLain, who became friends with Peder after moving to Kenyon in third grade. "He's really good at everything."

By the time he reached middle school, it was obvious that Peder was headed down a path toward high school athletic stardom. If he could contain his own emotions.

"He used to get really frustrated when he didn't do well and that hurt his performance," K-W baseball coach Randy Hockinson said. "That's something young kids go through."

"If I didn't do something right it would be tough for me not to be able to do what (my dad) wanted me to do," Peder said.

So there he was, the gifted athlete that coaches drooled over. But he still had one last hurdle to clear, that pesky last name and the weight it carries.

"It's always just been there," Peder said. "I've always tried to make a name for myself and not rely on the Sviggum thing."

There was no lightbulb moment. But over time Peder learned to live equally with his success and failures.

"Knowing that he had a lot of people who were really pushing him, he found a nice balance," K-W basketball coach Matt Addington said. "He made sure he could do the best he could, while not playing for anyone but himself."

"What's been a real pleasure is the last couple of years he's become relaxed and he doesn't act frustrated," Hockinson said. "It's that maturity."

Three-sport star

There was never any point where Peder wasn't going to play three sports. In basketball he often played up a level, joining Brady Anfinson and Brandon Quam on the older teams. But by seventh grade he was playing with his own classmates, and the team went 19-4, a record he can rattle off without a second thought.

In football he and McLain teamed up to go 33-3 from fifth grade through ninth grade, with Peder at quarterback and Oakley doing just about everything else.

"He's got a strong arm, he's accurate, he runs hard with the ball," McLain said.

On defense he played safety and in baseball he pitched and played middle infield, but none of those would last.

Reaching Knighthood

Peder may be a quarterback, and is comfortable shooting 3s from the perimeter, but he doesn't look the part. His shoulders are expansive, loudly announcing his upper-body strength. That comes courtesy of a weight-lifting regiment he began in ninth grade.

"I always thought lifting weights was a good thing to do," Peder said. "You can't rely on being skilled all the time. Lifting weights and getting stronger, it gives you a little bit of an edge."

"His physical strength is a real obvious part of him and his game," Addington said. "He's so much stronger than most guys he played against. He had a real relentlessness and a crazy pursuit to rebound the ball."

In baseball his strength became evident as he became the first Knight to hit more than two home runs in a season - he swatted four - in eight years.

"The ball just bounces off his bat," Hockinson said. "He's always had a really great swing; a sweet, natural swing."

That strength allowed him to move from safety to linebacker between his junior and senior seasons.

When he was younger, the joke went that the coaches thought he couldn't tackle, but he threw enough interceptions to prove he could tackle. But by his senior year he led the Knights in tackles.

"He was our dominant defensive player and all over the field and played a relentless linebacker," Hockinson said. "He really showed his physical toughness on the football field."

"He's not like a normal QB," McLain said. "He'd like to take a hit more than anyone else."

Peder was named to the Hiawatha Valley League All-Conference team for football after leading the team with 686 passing yards and 11 touchdowns and a team-high 448 rushing yards and eight scores.

"I wouldn't want to have anyone else," said Johnson, who played wide receiver. "He was probably one of the best QBs in the conference for how small our line was."

His combination of strength and speed also moved him to the outfield in baseball, after it became evident he wasn't quite quick enough getting his throws off in the infield.

"He's gotten really good at left field," said McLain, who plays center. "He's just had fun going out and playing the outfield. It wasn't too hard for him to switch."

Replacing the B&B Boys

In his senior basketball season, Peder had the dubious task of replacing 1,000-point scoring seniors Anfinson - who he also replaced as starting QB - and Quam.

"They were great leaders, always pushing us and themselves to get better every day at practice," Peder said. "They knew basketball was a special thing for them and they wanted to keep it that way and leave a good legacy."

By the end of the year Peder was named All-Conference after averaging 11.5 points per game and 9.1 rebounds as the Knights advanced to the sub-section semifinals thanks to a buzzer-beating 3-pointer Peder sunk at the end of the first overtime against Belle Plaine.

"He played with those kids a number of years so he's played a lot of different roles, but he stepped into it really nice for us," Addington said. "He probably didn't have the talent or experience around him but he embraced the fact he had to be that guy. It was evident when we went into tourney time and he had to take on more of a load."

One season left

Now Peder is down to his final few months suiting up for the Knights. He's not sure what he'll do next year, although he's considering attending St. Mary's University in Winona and plans to walk onto the baseball team. He hopes to go into a career in criminal justice.

But before all that, there's a baseball season to be played with many of his teammates from the Kenyon American Legion team that reached the state tournament last summer.

"That was a great experience and going to state in baseball was a blast and won't ever be forgotten," he said.

Baseball is also the sport where Peder can be his jovial self in the dugout, cracking jokes as his hearty laugh echoes across the field.

"He's the kind of guy who will always make you laugh," McLain said. "He's really funny. He'll keep a smile on your face."

"He's got credibility with his teammates because he cares about his teammates," Hockinson said. "He'll involve his teammates. He keeps them loose. He likes to joke around and have fun. He's always talking. He's kind of like his dad in that way."

But not exactly like his dad. He's worked hard to earn that. He's Peder.