The Nugget Newspaper - News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon

• Dave Johnson, DVM, wrote: I commend Tate Metcalf and his staff of the Sisters Athletic Club with excellence in operating the Club with competence, astute cleanliness/sanitation, and exceeding the Oregon criteria during COVID-19.

As a member, it is a pleasure to use your facilities and personally witness the compliance by your members and staff in following your well-explained COVID-19 criteria. Particularly noteworthy is mandatory mask wearing, one-way traffic flows, separation of members using the facility along with your staff’s pleasurable approach for enforcement of these special health safety measures.

You manage our club with safety, sanitation, cleanliness, health, flow patterns of members, distancing, installation of clear plexiglass barriers in front of reception counters, as well as other positive methods. A notable example is the reservation system of one swim lane per person per hour. The staff provides exceptional guidance and methods for ease of compliance. This protects members using the swimming facility and locker areas.

Sisters Athletic Club is an illustrious example for other athletic clubs, fitness clubs, and health clubs to emulate. The State of Oregon is fortunate to have your leadership with managing a health club during this pandemic.

As a career commissioned officer of the US Public Health Service, I am pleased to provide you my full endorsement of your health practices and especially during this COVID-19 pandemic. You are clearly adhering to the top recommendations by esteemed health leaders such as Anthony Fauci, MD.

• 24/7 Sports listed Sisters High School graduate Thomas Arends, Oregon, Director of Player Personnel in its list of “College football’s rising stars: The 30Under30 for 2020.” The citation reads:

The Ducks have gone from dormant power to Pac-12 favorite under Mario Cristobal’s direction, and the recruiting department is a huge reason why. Arends helps lead a recruiting outfit that’s produced back-to-back No. 1 overall classes in the Pac-12, including a 2019 group that finished seventh nationally, the best class in Oregon history. Before returning to his alma mater — Arends started his career as associate director of player personnel under Chip Kelly — Arends worked at Baylor. He helped the Bears put together their 2018 class, which finished 29th nationally despite some difficult circumstances as a program.

Thomas Arends’ mother, Susan, and father, Phil, both reside in Sisters.