News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sorted by date Results 702 - 726 of 923
The race is not always to the swiftest. Apparently, a good poker hand can also bring a victory, at least for those who took part in the annual Poker Run, held as a fundraiser for the Sisters Trails Alliance. Sisters Poker Run race director Gene Trahern reported about $700 in funds were raised to be used for further development and maintenance of the ever-expanding trail system around Sisters. The Poker Run attracted about 40 runners, many from outside the state, who ventured... Full story
Eight local women completed the annual Portland Marathon on Sunday, October 4. The 26.2-mile event, considered one of the finest, friendliest marathons in the West every year by Runner's World magazine, starts downtown, wends its way through northwest Portland and back, and includes music every two miles to help keep the runners and walkers moving. Rochelle Curtis and Kara Calmettes trained together on two long trail runs for the event, which helped Calmettes survive her... Full story
Garrett Trahern may have found the perfect Eagle Scout project. Not only will the finished product be available for others to use for years to come, it is tied to work his father, Gene, has done for the past few years and it will enhance his own experience as a runner for the Sisters High School cross country team. On top of all that, the location of the project is perfectly named: Eagle Rock. Trahern says he is one hard day's work from finishing a trail that will give hikers... Full story
Local ultra-marathoner Sean Meissner says any race with the word "death" in its name is something he takes as a personal challenge. So when race officials notified him in mid-July that a spot had opened up for him in the 125 kilometer (77.5 miles) Canadian Death Race August 1, he grabbed the opportunity. Good thing he did, since he became the first American winner of the race in its 10-year history, conquering the grueling, technical trail race in 15 hours, 4 minutes and 4... Full story
Truly an artist at heart, local resident and 2000 graduate from Sisters High School Ashley Reed has opened a tattoo studio and art gallery at 210 S. Elm St., adjacent to U.S. Bank in downtown Sisters. Reed's circuitous educational path following high school passed through Southern Oregon University, COCC, University of Oregon and finally the Art Institute of Portland, where she received a bachelor's degree in architectural design in 2007. "I have always loved art and found the... Full story
Brandon Pollard ran his way to one of America's showcase track meets this summer. His victories at local and regional races qualified him for the annual Hershey Track and Field Championships held in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania, July 30 through August 2. The journey underlines Brandon's desire to do his best and continually improve, considering the local meet was held in Bend on the same day as the middle school district meet in late May, forcing Pollard to hurry from one... Full story
The heat and dust of high summer can kill the motivation to get in the daily run on the trails around Sisters, so adding a cooling element to the run is sometimes all the extra motivation you need to venture out. Of course that cooling element is water: streams, rivers, and lakes. Whychus Creek and the local irrigation ditches along parts of the Peterson Ridge Trail provide a break from the heat. The air temperature is a little lower near the flowing water and, of course, you... Full story
Four Sisters High School graduates are continuing their cross country and track careers in college for the 2009-2010 school year. Stefan Redfield, a 2007 graduate, has been part of the Willamette University program for the past two seasons and has made steady improvement in that time. Willamette, a NCAA Division III school located in Salem, has a long tradition of running success and last season was no exception. Redfield was part of the team that competed at Nationals where the Bearcats finished in the middle of the pack.... Full story
The 30th annual Cascade Cycling Classic, a multistage professional bike race which includes Lance Armstrong as one of its past winners, sweeps through Sisters on Wednesday, July 22, during Stage 2 of the multi-day race. The CCC, sponsored by Bend Memorial Clinic, is a national/world-class event, so getting a chance to be a front- row spectator is a rare and exciting experience. The race runs July 21-26. The 79.7-mile Stage 2 will begin at Summit High School and head toward Redmond and on to Terrebonne before coming toward... Full story
June showers bring July wildflowers, so if you are looking for one of the most abundant collections of Mother Nature's color palette, venture west on Highway 20 toward Sweet Home and check out Iron Mountain. Typically, early July is the best time to make this hike to catch the full glory of the flowers, and this year is no exception. Since you travel through a variety of ecosystems on the way there it seems that you are far from Sisters Country, yet the trailhead is only... Full story
With a focus on customer happiness, the Eckstine family has opened Coffee Depot near the Shell Station in Sisters. The coffee kiosk was formerly occupied by Outlaw Coffee at the west end of town. The shop, freshly painted and newly signed, offers customers the opportunity to start their day "on the right track." Joe and Lara Eckstine have lived in the area for a number of years, dating to when Joe managed Papandrea's and Espresso Junction. When owner Rudy Booher sold, three an... Full story
It hasn't felt like summer yet, with record wetness throughout the late spring, but there is a bright side to all this moisture: The running trails around Sisters are in perfect condition, grasses and flowers provide color to the scenery, and the moderate temperatures keep even the ultra-runners from overheating. The Dirty Half, which marks the beginning of the summer running season for many Central Oregon runners, included some stellar performances by a pair of Sisters runner... Full story
"Rocket Rod" Moorehead has been shooting off rockets for nearly 45 years, so when the traditional fifth grade rocket launch takes place each year at Sisters Middle School, he is definitely in his element. Friday morning, June 5, weather conditions were perfect for each fifth grader to send a rocket into the sky, up to 500 feet above the launch pad on the athletic field north of the gymnasium. The students combined science, design, and art in creating their missiles from scratch. "We provide a balsa nose cone, a cardboard tube... Full story
Nine-year-old Chelsea Bradley competed along with about 30 individuals and 10 teams, mostly locals, in the fifth annual Sisters Athletic Club "Try a Tri" mini-triathlon held Saturday, June 6. The event, designed to introduce people to the triathlon experience, included a 425-yard swim, 12-mile bike ride and three-mile run. Bradley, the youngest participant, competed solo, along with her grandmother, Terri Gallegly, who came up with the idea originally. "I had to talk her into... Full story
The fifth annual Sisters Athletic Club "Try a Tri" mini-triathlon is set for Saturday, June 6, and organizer Tate Metcalf invites any last-minute entrants who are wishing to take part to sign up right away. "It's perfect for a first-time triathlete," said Metcalf. "The distances are manageable and can even be shared as a team." The swim portion includes 425 yards indoors at the athletic club, followed by a 12-mile out-and-back bike section that heads south on Elm Street toward Three Creeks Lake and back. The three-mile run... Full story
An estimated 300 volunteers from throughout Sisters expressed their love for their neighbors in the first annual I Heart Sisters campaign, which took place Saturday in locations all around town. Local churches, along with Family Access Network, and other community service groups helped organize the day which was designed to offer practical help to individuals and families in the community. Lawns got mowed, weeds pulled, and dump runs made, not to mention bigger and smaller... Full story
In what coach Bob Johnson called the best track season ever for the Outlaws, all 17 state qualifiers scored at the OSAA 4A Track and Field Championships held May 22 and 23 at Hayward Field on the University of Oregon campus. "I have never had a 100 percent success rate like we had this year," said Johnson. "I am so proud of each of these kids for representing Sisters in the finals of their events." "Neither the boys nor girls teams racked up enough points to be in the trophy h... Full story
With "Athlete of the Meet" Benton Urquhart leading the way, the Outlaws boys track team won its first ever track and field district title at the Sky-Em Championships held Thursday, May 14 and Saturday, May 16 at Junction City High School. Urquhart's victories in both the 3,000 meters (9:19.72) and the 1,500 (4:09.25) boosted Sisters to 147 points, 10 ahead of perennial power Marist, which finished second at 137. Cottage Grove placed a distant third with 97 points, followed by... Full story
The Sisters girls track team came up short of the district title at the Sky-Em League Track and Field Championships in a hotly contested battle with Cottage Grove and Marist. The Lady Outlaws still qualified a strong crew of athletes for the state meet. The Lions of Cottage Grove totaled 157.5 points to outduel Marist (153) and Sisters (148.5). Junction City was a distant fourth with 71, followed by La Pine (60), Elmira (54) and Pleasant Hill (11). "It was a great competition... Full story
The Wally Ciochetti Invitational at Cottage Grove Friday, May 8 served as the final tune-up before this week's two-day Sky-Em District Championships set for Thursday, May 14 and Saturday, May 16 at Junction City High School. The Ciochetti meet attracted 13 4A schools along with two 5A schools, in what many coaches called a great preparation for the state meet. Indeed, a number of the top-ranked 4A athletes were on hand, providing a terrific challenge for the Outlaws. Coming of... Full story
A pair of University of Oregon track stars and potential Olympians visited Sisters last week to share their rise in the sport and talk about the re-emergence of Oregon's storied history in track and field before an audience of about 50 at Sisters Athletic Club on Thursday, April 30. Ashton Eaton, a graduate of Mountain View High School, and Brianne Theisen from Saskatchewan, Canada, are ranked at the top of the NCAA in the decathlon and heptathlon respectively. Eaton, the... Full story
Nathalie Tresseras will return to France in June, but her name will remain behind on the Sisters High School track and field record board after her stunning victory in the 1,500 meters at Saturday's Meet of Champions, held in Salem. Tresseras, who started her running career just this year with the cross country team, clocked 4:53.09, which eclipsed the previous record, set by Resa Hodson, of 4:57. Her mark is the second best among 4A runners behind reigning state champion Taylor Wallace of Henley, who has run 4:41.1, wh... Full story
Imagine a school in which every student could feel welcomed, cared for and celebrated. That is the mission of the founders of Challenge Day, a long established program that has flourished in schools in the United States, Canada and beyond. Challenge Day came to Sisters Middle and Sisters High School April 13-15, thanks to the generosity of Serendipity West and Trans-Canada, two non-profit groups that raised the funds to cover all the costs. Using Gandhi's quote, "Be the change you want to see in others," students plunged... Full story
The Outlaws track teams continued their winning ways with two meet victories apiece, including a soaking four-way meet at Marist on Thursday and the Elmira Relays on Saturday. In Thursday's contest against 1A McKenzie, along with Sky-Em foes Marist and Elmira, it was the Outlaws' depth that provided the victory. Team scores weren't sent out, in part due to the terrible weather, according to Johnson. Lee Elder dominated the sprints, winning the 400 (53.6) and the 200 (24.4) and... Full story
The Outlaws girls track team won its own home invitational, overwhelming the 16-team meet with 116 points. Nathalie Tresseras won both the 1,500 (5:06) and the 3,000 (11:46) to lead the Outlaws. Courtney Satko was the only other first-place winner, capturing the 400 (1:01.83), but her teammates racked up a lot of points by placing in 15 of the 17 events. "It was a great day for track and field," said Bob Johnson. "The kids definitely wanted to do well in front of the home... Full story
