Other than watching him compete athletically, I knew little about Luverne High School senior Mike Kunstle.After having a 15-minute phone conversation with him Monday evening, I now know this young man has a lot more courage than I did at the same age.More than 30 years have passed since then, but one of the most scary experiences during my teenage years came when my parents were discussing the possibility of moving to a different community in the middle 1970s.Our family never did move from Breckenridge, the only place I ever lived as a child.However, the threat of picking up and moving to a different community 60 miles away was a distinct possibility for one restless summer of my youth. I still remember the anxiety I felt about leaving all my friends and the only place I ever knew at that time. Kunstle can relate to the gut-wrenching anxiety I was experiencing at that time. He changed locations twice in his young life and seems to have become a stronger person because of it.Mike was born in Sioux Falls and attended school there through the fifth grade, when he moved to Orlando, Fla., with his mother.He spent the next five years in the Sunshine State, attending the same high school (Cypress Creek) as current Phoenix Sun basketball player Amare Stoudemire in Orlando.After completing his sophomore year at CCHS, Kunstle and his mother moved to Luverne. It was a trying time for the teenager, but it was a move he’s now glad that they made."It was exciting and scary at the same time," Kunstle said about gaining a Luverne address in the summer of 2004."It was tough to leave all my friends behind, and there were some big adjustments to be made from moving to a small community from a big city. But it was something I got used to."During his two years at LHS, Kunstle has accomplished more than simply adjusting to small-town living. He has thrived athletically.It didn’t take the Cardinal football coaching staff long to see that something special fell in their laps in 2004. Kunstle grabbed the attention of head coach Todd Oye and defensive coordinator Mike Wenninger during the twice-daily workouts prior to the season, and he earned a starting position as a linebacker for the opener.Kunstle, who also started as a wide receiver before the 2004 season ended, overcame a hamstring injury last fall to start as a defensive end and a linebacker for LHS.Although he was an important member of the first two winning football teams coach Oye has fielded in a four-year career, Kunstle has made even bigger contributions to the LHS track program.Individually, Kunstle advanced to state in the 100- and 200-meter dashes and placed ninth and 13th respectively in those events at the state classic.He also is a member of two current relay teams that now own LHS school records.Kunstle and classmates Jordan Siebenahler, Tom Ward and Jake Hendricks formed an 800-meter relay team that placed second in the state meet last season.The group also set Southwest Conference and Section 3A meet records in the 800 last season.So far this year, the group has recorded the state’s fastest time in the 800-meter relay, and they are undefeated in the event every time they have run together in 2006.The same foursome has established LHS records in the 400-meter relay in the last two meets. Considering this is the first year they’ve run the 400 as a team, they’re off to a pretty good start."Jake, Tom and Jordan are my friends. There’s a certain comfort level we have running together, and things like exchanging the baton have come pretty easy for us in meets," Kunstle said.Although they can’t hide the success they’ve experienced as members of Luverne’s 800-meter relay, Kunstle said the four seniors are adopting a one-meet-at-a-time approach to the rest of the season."Right now we’re trying not to look too far ahead. We have the Howard Wood Relays coming up, and our goal is to win that first," he said.If they find success in Sioux Falls, there’s no reason to believe the LHS team won’t be successful in Minnesota’s postseason races.One thing is for sure: Kunstle will meet every challenge he faces head on.His can-do attitude has worked well for him since he’s taken up residence in the Gopher State and the town of Luverne, which he now calls home."Looking back at it now, moving here has ended up being something I would never want to change. A lot of good things have happened to me since I’ve moved to Luverne," he concluded.