News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
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The totally rebuilt track-and-field facility got broken in Wednesday, March 22, in the first home track meet at Sisters High School since 2014. Teams from Crook County, La Pine, and Madras joined the host Outlaws in the early season meet in cold, dry conditions that produced few exceptional marks, but plenty of courageous efforts, according to Head Coach Jeff Larson. "Everyone competed hard and the efforts given now at this early part of the season show me that our kids are... Full story
The winter snows receded just in time for the Sisters Outlaws track and field teams to undertake the first meet of the season, a dual against the Lava Bears of Bend High on Wednesday, March 16. As is the case in all early season contests, the meet gave athletes the chance to shake off the rust and loosen the kinks out in what really amounts to a dress rehearsal for the season ahead, according to head coach Jeff Larson. That is not to say that there was any lack of competitiveness by the Outlaws based on some of the efforts wi... Full story
As I drove down Wagon Wheel in Tollgate yesterday on my way home, I saw a runner ahead of me moving at a strong pace and witnessed real proof that this long winter of our discontent is truly behind us - because that crazy runner wore nothing but his Nikes and a pair of shorts! In addition to the bare-chested runner, the sights and sounds of robins chirping, frogs croaking and crocuses pushing up through the dirt also signaled that perhaps spring really has arrived. Many... Full story
The Sisters School District is well known for finding ways for students to get outside the school walls for enhanced education. That is exactly what seventh-graders from Sisters Middle School did Friday, February 24, with a retreat at Hoodoo Ski Area. A team of adult leaders including Brad Tisdel and some Sisters Middle School staff members, along with 16 high school student mentors and the entire seventh-grade class, spent the day learning about cooperation, personal... Full story
Caitlin Schwab and Sam Thorsett represented the Sisters Outlaws Nordic ski program last weekend at the Oregon Interscholastic Ski Racing Association (OISRA) State Championships held February 24-25 at Mt. Bachelor. The Outlaws were missing other members of the team due to illness. Teams from throughout Oregon came together for the two-day meet to determine the kings and queens of both freestyle and classic Nordic skiing. Summit continued its utter dominance of the event, sweeping the team titles once again while producing all... Full story
The Sisters Rodeo grounds served as the site of the Oregon Back Country Horseman's Association annual meeting on Saturday, February 18. The event provides an opportunity for members of chapters from throughout the state to come together to conduct a business meeting, participate in a skills competition, partake in fellowship and listen to guest speakers. Buck Davis of Bend, president for the East Cascades chapter, welcomed the change of location to Sisters after previous... Full story
A national championship sporting event took place Saturday in Bend - and for other than a few diehard fans and faithful volunteers, it went largely unnoticed. Bend hosted the USA Track and Field (USATF) national cross-country championships for the second year in a row at River's Edge Golf Club. The meet crowns the national champions and is the qualifying event for the world cross-country championships scheduled for March in Kampala, Uganda. I can't blame people for not... Full story
Ashley Nordell of Sisters won the overall individual title at the Ozark Trail 100 Mile Endurance Run in Missouri on November 4. The race for first came down to the final miles, making her first mixed 100-mile race victory a real barn-burner. Nordell and runner-up Tommy Doias of Missouri were together at the final aid station with 6.5 miles to go, but Nordell prevailed, pulling away from Doias to win in 19 hours 58 minutes and 58 seconds. Doias came through in 20 hours 7... Full story
Champion sports teams are typically comprised of a group of highly motivated individuals coached by knowledgeable, effective leaders who gel together for a common goal. This chemistry is rare and often includes both overt and subtle values that can result in not only winning state titles, but in the development of good character and being able to see the "big picture" in life. Such was the reason behind coaches Rod Jones and Brad Bulloch helping arrange a trip for the Outlaws... Full story
Sophie Borders saved her best race for last on her way to ninth place in a personal record time at the OSAA Cross Country Championships held Saturday, November 5, at Lane Community College, leading the Outlaws to a fourth-place finish. That result earned the team another trophy for the program's collection. Borders and Anna Bartlett ran close together throughout the race, just as Coach Josh Nordell had hoped they would. Bartlett also ran a personal best, finishing 10th,... Full story
When the starting-gun fired at Lane Community College Thursday morning for the Sky-Em District girls race, Junction City's Shayla Solomon shot to the lead, hoping to thwart any challengers. Anna Bartlett and Sophie Borders had a different notion: slowly chip away at that lead and make a decisive move in the middle of the race to take the command themselves. Their plan worked to perfection, and the pair finished 1-2 on the way to Sisters' sixth straight District cross-country... Full story
Extremely wet course conditions did nothing to slow down the Outlaws' cross-country teams at last Wednesday's Country Fair Classic. Most of the Sisters runners ran season-bests in the final race before next week's Sky-Em District meet. Days of rain left the course, held at the site of the Oregon Country Fair in Veneta, sopping wet - with ankle-deep water in places - and created enough mud to satisfy even the most die-hard cross-country enthusiast. Facing a variety of teams... Full story
Going up against the large middle schools from Bend and Redmond is nothing new for the cross-country runners from Sisters, but there is an extra measure of joy when David beats Goliath. Sisters placed three runners in the top seven to win the eighth-grade boys team championship at the Tuesday, October 18 middle school championship meet held at the Pine Nursery in Bend. Ethan Hosang led the way with a brave effort resulting in a second-place finish in 10:16 for the 3,000-meter... Full story
I got an email from my good friend Neil Branson, a longtime cross-country and track coach in Oregon, mainly at Seaside High School, announcing his retirement from cross-country. He and I had talked recently, so the email was not a surprise - yet seeing it in writing made it even more real and gave me pause to consider the deep impact this man has had in my life as a coach and as a person. When I was a high school runner, I largely trained myself because my coach, though a... Full story
"Run like a team and go after Philomath," was the battle cry that Coach Josh Nordell gave to the girls' cross-country team in preparation for the Paul Mariman Invitational. The team delivered as the Outlaws placed second in the meet, just nine points behind the host Warriors, among 28 teams, mostly from the 4A ranks. Philomath and Sisters were ranked second and third in the most recent 4A coaches' poll and the meet was the first head-to-head encounter of the two teams. Most of... Full story
Invite strong cross-country teams from throughout the western U.S. to a flat, fast course, and quick times are a likely result. Such was the case for many of the Outlaws runners at last Saturday's Nike Portland XC meet. The meet attracted more than 100 teams to compete in four different high school varsity divisions showing that the sport of cross-country may be more popular than any time in history. Nearly 4,000 runners completed races at the meet. The Outlaws competed in... Full story
A true team effort resulted in victory for the Outlaws girls cross-country team last week. They easily won Division Four of the Seaside Three Course Challenge held Saturday, September 17 at Camp Rilea. Divisions are made up according to school population, since teams come from other states besides Oregon. In all, more than 80 teams took part in the meet including many from Washington and even a few from California. In its 26th year, the Three Course Challenge is one of the... Full story
With a bright blue sky overhead and the Three Sisters mountains on the horizon, runners from seven teams toed the line at the Outlaws' Folk Festival XC Meet on Friday, September 9. The meet was highlighted by a win from Sisters runner Brandon Pollard and a strong showing from the Outlaws girls team. Bend High's large team rounded out a field of competing smaller schools including Yamhill-Carlton, Sweet Home, Crook County, La Pine, Trinity Lutheran and, of course, Sisters. As... Full story
Tradition is powerful, and the Outlaws cross-country team has plenty of it to uphold entering the 2016 campaign. Both the boys and girls teams have won the district titles more often than not over the past decade-and-a-half, including last year. For the girls, repeating looks pretty likely, while the boys, like last year, will have a battle on their hands come late October, when the state-qualifying Sky-Em District meet will be held. The girls team returns the core of the... Full story
While most of us gathered before our television and computer screens to catch the Olympics earlier this month, Sisters resident Tate Metcalf was navigating Rio de Janeiro in real time, in part to witness Ashton Eaton attempt to defend his Olympic gold medal in the decathlon. Metcalf coached Eaton at Mountain View High School in Bend. While it was not Metcalf's first Olympics - he traveled to London in 2012 - the experience in Rio provided a contrast. "Transportation was a chal... Full story
The Jere Breese Memorial Ranch Stampede, hosted by Crook County High School, provides a challenge unrivaled among cross-country courses in Oregon. Mosquito-infested irrigated cow pastures, rock-laden single-track, a creek crossing at the start and finish, a never-ending hill, and an unrelenting sun greeted runners from Sisters, Redmond, Mountain View, Summit, and La Pine in the inaugural race of the 2016 campaign. For new runners, it is an initiation of sorts to a sport in... Full story
The Olympics have been a highlight of my summer, and I went all out to be able to watch as much live through online streaming as possible. That says a lot for a guy that does not typically watch sports on the screen, but when it comes to track and field and a bunch of athletes with ties to Oregon, I was not about to miss any action. Of course, I did get chastised by my sister Shawn who regretted that I twice posted results that she was waiting to watch during prime time. What... Full story
Veteran athletes and young guns will represent the U.S. at the Olympics in track and field. The Olympic trials for track and field concluded Sunday, July 10, in Eugene, following 10 days of intense competition to determine the representatives for the U.S. in Rio next month. When it was all said and done, some veterans prevailed as champions, but there were plenty of young guns who made their mark as well. Additionally, a boatload of athletes with Oregon ties qualified for the Olympic Games. My favorite of the "old-timers,"... Full story
If the first few days of the U.S. Olympic Trials are any indication of the superb quality of the American track and field athletes, the remainder of the meet, which began July 1 and concludes July 10, should be equally dazzling. I met with decathlete Ashton Eaton's high school coach and mentor Tate Metcalf and his wife, Aimee, on day one of the decathlon, Saturday, July 2. Word on the street and in the press hinted that Ashton Eaton was dealing with some minor injuries and... Full story
Olympic track and field trials are in our backyard starting Friday. I sat down with Tate Metcalf, owner of Sisters Athletic Club and former coach of Ashton Eaton -reigning Olympic champion and world record-holder in the decathlon - to get his take on Eaton's approach to defending his title at the Olympic trials, which run July 1-10 at Hayward Field in Eugene. "First, he has to qualify," said Metcalf, laughing. "A lot can go wrong over the two days and 10 events of the decathlon, and even the world champion can have an event... Full story
