In this episode, we catch up with 1984 grad Lea Blackwell Favor. Lea won eight letters in soccer, tennis and basketball while at Edina High School and led the Hornets to a state Class AA runner-up finish in basketball her junior year. After Katie shares her fangirl moment, we talk to Lea about her experiences growing up in Edina, her college years that included her two All-Big Ten seasons in basketball at the University of Minnesota, the continuing role of competitive sports in her life and the evolution of her career as a life long educator dedicated to community engagement.

Troy Stein is the Assistant Principal in charge of Activities and Athletics at Edina High School. Troy has led the EHS athletic department for 12 years overseeing 34 varsity sports and numerous other independent and intramural opportunities for students. He started his career in education as a math teacher and coach in Edina and, after a brief detour, was hired to be the AD in Edina in May of 2013. Troy gets very high marks from his coaches for being engaged and supportive of coaches and athletes. In this episode, Troy shares with us the responsibilities his job entails, what he is looking for when hiring coaches, and what he enjoys the most about being an activities director.

A 1996 graduate of Edina High School, Katie (Ryerse) Aafedt excelled in soccer in both high school and college at Gustavus Adolphus. As Edina High School Girls' Soccer Coach for 11 years, Katie led the Hornets to a state championship in 2023. In this episode, recorded as part of the Hornet Buzz podcast in June of 2024, Katie shares her experience growing up in Edina as the daughter and granddaughter of coaches who inspired her love of sports and, in particular, of soccer. Katie also talks about the evolution of her coaching philosophy and the difficult decision to retire after the championship season. Hornet Buzz Podcast producer Pete Waggoner gets the assist on this interview.