News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 645 - 669 of 917
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
A fun-filled, "down home" Fourth of July celebration designed to bring the community together while also supporting Habitat for Humanity will take place in Creekside City Park from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Independence Day. In addition to the picnic time, the first annual "Recycle Run" featuring both a five-kilometer and eight-kilometer run/walk will take place earlier in the morning from Sisters Athletic Club, ending at the picnic site in the park. The Recycle Run is open to all ages and is designed for everyone from casual... Full story
Sisters Athletic Club's annual mini-triathlon attracted a host of local athletes on Saturday, some of whom took part in a duathlon that was added this year. Josh Nordell, 32, showed his endurance and versatility in capturing first-place honors overall in the triathlon, finishing the 450-meter swim, 12-mile bike and three-mile run in one hour, one minute and 12 seconds (1:01:12), over four minutes ahead of his closest competitor. Camp Sherman resident, Alan Dale, took third... Full story
The SHS commencement ceremony for 2010 included looking in the rearview mirror as well as onto the road ahead for the 134-member class. That spirit of remembrance and anticipation filled the air on Friday, June 4, and was reflected in the class motto (author unknown): "Behind you are the shadows of what might have been, and ahead the image of what we hope to be." With eight valedictorians and four salutatorians, speeches dominated the evening in the packed-to-the-rafters... Full story
The Outlaws track teams gave their best at the Sky-Em District Championships, earning some squad members a trip to next week's OSAA state championships at Hayward Field on the University of Oregon campus. The top two finishers in each event qualify for state. The girls team came up just short in a very tight three-team race for the district meet title, finishing six points behind Marist (155) and three points ahead of Cottage Grove (146). "We racked up a lot of points by... Full story
For those folks who always wanted to be part of the Sisters Athletic Club's "Try a Tri" mini triathlon, but stayed away due to "swimophobia," the club has added a duathlon to the annual event, scheduled for Saturday morning, June 5. "The triathlon has been very successful, but every year I have folks say they'd love to be involved, but can't swim too well, so we decided to accommodate them," said Tate Metcalf, of Sisters Athletic Club. The triathlon's format is virtually the... Full story
