News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 645 - 669 of 922
Distance running can be humbling, and reality can hit you pretty hard sometimes. That's what I found out at my namesake race, "Charlie's Challenge," held on Father's Day. While the event was quite fun in many respects, the reality of how far out of condition I have become pounded into my head with every dusty footfall of the final two miles of the nearly 10-mile course. First the fun part. I got to start 20 minutes ahead of the rest of the field, along with my wife, Deirdre. A... Full story
Great speeches, fond farewells, and a touching memorial highlighted the evening at Sisters High School's sixty-third commencement, held Friday, June 3 in the campus gymnasium. Before 124 graduates crossed the stage, much had to be completed; and from the beginning, the voice and handprint of the class of 2011 was evident. Principal Bob Macauley, who is leaving Sisters to become the principal at Glencoe High School in Hillsboro, spoke to the class about being the sort of people... Full story
The annual Sisters Athletic Club Try a Tri and Do a Du multi-sport events attracted a strong crowd of locals on Saturday, June 4. On the men's side, the top six places went to athletes from the Sisters/Camp Sherman area. Unofficially, Josh Nordell took first place after storming into the lead in the running portion of the three-part triathlon, but afterwards it was determined that Nordell, in fact, was a bandit, who had not paid an entry fee and was temporarily pulled from the... Full story
You'd never know by the weather, but we're in the month that summer begins. The good news is that the cool damp weather is keeping the trails all around the Sisters Country dust-free and in perfect condition for running. We should not take for granted how lucky we are to have the Sisters Trails Alliance keeping our running and cycling trails growing, maintained, and well-marked. The calendar for June, July and August is filled with trail runs, triathlons, and other endurance events in and around Sisters. Here is a sampling:... Full story
Three Sisters runners were crowned state champions at last weekend's OSAA Track and Field State Championships. Taylor Steele, the top returning distance runner from last year's meet, entered the competition believing his best shot would come in Saturday's 1,500-meter race, in which he was second in 2010. As things turned out, he ran the best 3,000 meters of his career Friday morning, outkicking the 2010 cross-country champion Zorg Louselet of Henley in the final 300 meters to... Full story
A pair of freshmen did all they could to help their more seasoned teammates, and together the Outlaws girls track team won the Sky-Em District title in a hard-fought battle with the Sweet Home Huskies. The boys team also performed exceedingly well in placing second to a deep and talented Cottage Grove squad. Zoe Falk won the 1,500 (5:06.58) and 800-meter races (2:25.49), placed second in the long jump (16 feet 4.75 inches) and anchored the winning 4x400-meter relay, while... Full story
Whitewater rivers exist in every direction from Sisters Country - the Metolius, Deschutes, McKenzie, Santiam - and water enthusiasts abound in Central Oregon, so choosing Sisters as the setting for a kayak and rafting school and retail outlet seems like a perfect fit. That's the thinking that led Maddie Thies and her business partner, Alex Templar, to set up shop on Cascade Avenue, right between Clearwater Gallery and Stitchin' Post. Sisters River Company officially opened... Full story
Sisters, winners of the Sky-Em dual meet championship for both boys and girls, hosts the Sky-Em District Championships Thursday, May 12 and Saturday, May 14 with state qualifications on the line. The top two finishers in each event, along with any athletes who meet or exceed the automatic qualifying standard, will advance to the state meet in Eugene, May 20-21. After last week's Wally Ciochetti Invitational, held at Cottage Grove, the Outlaws appear to have contenders on the track and in the field. Taylor Steele continued... Full story
As the Outlaws track team heads into the championship month of May, key indicators point to a great four weeks to come. The Outlaws continued their lead in both the boys and girls standings among Sky-Em teams in the dual meet competition after another solid performance versus La Pine and Elmira. Saturday, both teams fared well at the Summit Invitational as well, with third-place team finishes behind host Summit and 6A Redmond among 15 schools represented. According to head... Full story
Head track coach Nik Goertzen described the head-to-head league battle with perennial power Sweet Home as a "gut check" and by the way that the Outlaws dominated the Huskies in the four-way home meet Tuesday, April 12, everything "checked out" very well. By the conclusion of the meet, the Outlaws had racked up 115.5 points leaving Sweet Home (63), La Pine (48), and Junction City (45.5) to battle for second place. The girls' score was a little closer, but Sisters prevailed with 112 points, while Sweet Home finished second... Full story
The annual Peterson Ridge Rumble trail run included changes in its ninth edition as the distances for both categories were rounded up to an even 20 and 40 miles. The added distance appeared to have no negative impact on the 310 total participants, who seemed to literally take it all in stride, according to race director Sean Meissner. Local racer Josh Nordell came through with a win in the 20-mile race, finishing in 2 hours, 16 minutes and 13 seconds. After trailing much of... Full story
Snow squalls and brisk wind - sure signs of Central Oregon spring - did not deter track and field athletes from 12 schools who took part in the annual Sisters Rotary Invitational held Saturday, April 2. Summit High School crushed the rest of the squads in both the boys and girls team competition, but the host Outlaws had their share of strong performances. The girls team produced two winners on the day, both in the field. Zoe Falk, a freshman, took top honors in the long... Full story
Wet, cold weather last Wednesday at Junction City did not dampen the competitive spirit of the Outlaws track team. Both the boys and girls opened the season with wins in the four-team contest. The girls totally overwhelmed Harrisburg, Junction City, and La Pine, scoring more points than those three schools combined. The Outlaws amassed 139 points, to 49 for Harrisburg, 47 for Junction City, and just 11 for La Pine. Leading the way was the sprint corps of Nathalie Ambrose, Zoe... Full story
A team of high school student volunteers got up early on the first day of spring break to place hundreds of stickers on cases and six-packs of alcohol products in local outlets, warning buyers of the dangers of providing alcohol to minors, as part of the Think Again ParentS (TAPS) Sticker Shock campaign. The stop-sign shaped sticker says, "Stop - Buying alcohol for a minor? It is illegal for any person 21 or older to purchase or provide alcohol to an underage person.... Full story
Sisters is a very active community of cyclists, hikers, skiers and runners. A love of the outdoors leads many to these pursuits which have the added benefit of contributing to good health. I ran into ultra-marathoner Sean Meissner at Ray's this week and caught up on his recent training and racing. Here's a guy who, thanks to that warm spell we had a few weeks ago, got in some 100-mile running weeks in the middle of the winter. He agreed that whether people are running 5k or... Full story
The Oregon High School Nordic State Championships competitors faced squeaky, slow snow in frigid conditions, making the 7.1-kilometer skate race extra-challenging on day one of the meet last weekend. Reitler Hodgert of Summit was unfazed by the conditions, flying through the course in 23:20, far ahead of the rest of the field. Hodgert returned to the Summit team this year after spending two years training with a developmental program for the National Junior team. Alex Yinger (... Full story
The Sisters Outlaws hosted the annual Hoodoo Night Race Thursday, February 17, as the finale for the regular Oregon High School Nordic season. Nordic skiing is a challenging sport even on a good day, so racing at night under the glow of distant light and a few lanterns adds an extra sense of adventure and risk. "This event has become a favorite for the OHSNO teams and provided the best overall competition of the season thus far," said Coach Tom Blust. The four-kilometer... Full story
Most students graduate with a vague idea of what they might like to do after high school, but 2007 grad Cory Bigelow actually got some full-time work experience before the rest of his class at Sisters High School even finished its final trimester. Now, freshly graduated from Blue Mountain Community College in Pendleton, he has opened his own business as a mobile diesel truck and equipment technician, based here in Sisters. Always a worker, Bigelow spent a couple of years... Full story
The annual Skadi Cup Nordic Ski race at the Teacup Ski Area near Mt. Hood gave a number of Sisters High School Nordic team members a chance to show their best classic style of the season. Alex Yinger made his best race of the year, leading the Outlaws with a fourth-place finish in 18:47, about a half a minute ahead of sixth-place teammate Mason Calmettes, who stopped the clock at 19:18. Luc Boileau won the race in a blistering 17:43 to lead Summit to the team title. Coach Tom... Full story
The Outlaw Nordic ski team's first competition of the new year may be remembered as one of the wettest in recent years, but the team persevered and came through with some strong performances. The first race of the new year, held at Meissner Sno-Park, featured a 5.8-kilometer classic course. The boys were spared from the downpour and Mason Calmettes had one of his best races to place 15th among 72 racers. Freshman Devon Calvin came through in 29th, followed by Erik Lund (46th)... Full story
Sixty-two runners and walkers braved the chilly air of New Year's Day morning as participants in the inaugural Resolution Run and Walk, a benefit for the life skills program at Sisters Middle School. The low-key event provided contestants with a choice of a five-kilometer or five-mile course through the side-streets west of Sisters Athletic Club. Co-race-director Tate Metcalf joked at the start, "Actually, you can go wherever you want." Josh Nordell, the life skills teacher... Full story
Nik Goertzen is no stranger to the sport of track and field, but he will be entering a new chapter in his experience as he takes over the reins as head coach of the Sisters High School program for the 2011 season. Goertzen replaces Bob Johnson, who coached the Outlaws for a total of 15 years, starting in 1995. Johnson, who coached in California and Oregon for over 42 years in total, is planning to move away from the area to northern Nevada, and enjoy a new phase of life with his wife of 50 years, Barbara. "Track and field is... Full story
Snow is falling in Sisters Country. As we move into the winter running season there is much to recap from the local running scene. Sisters produced some top-notch results on the running trails this fall, including an epic win for Sisters Middle School teacher Josh Nordell in the Bizz Johnson Trail Marathon near Susanville, California in early October. Nordell squeaked out the win in 2:51:21 for a margin of just over a minute in the scenic and rugged 26.2-mile race. Stefan... Full story
After two weeks of resting a strained hamstring, brought on by middle age and not by running at a fast pace, I headed out behind Tollgate for a three-mile trial run to test whether my recovery was complete. There I merged with my colleague Lora Nordquist on the Brooks-Scanlon Road. Her husband John had run ahead and had already turned back into Tollgate, which I assumed Lora would also do. We had begun conversing and I discovered that she is training for the Eugene Women's... Full story
Summer is upon us and the running calendar has been full of action for local runners, including a large contingent who participated in two very popular half-marathons, The Dirty Half and the Smith Rock Sunrise Summer Classic. The Dirty Half, held Sunday, June 13, is the unofficial kick-off to summer running held at Phil's Trail near Bend, which may be in its last year at the site due to concerns by Forest Service managers about overuse of the area. Two local runners, one in the youngest age group and one in the oldest, came... Full story
