News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
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Pickleball has been named America's fastest-growing sport for the third year in a row in the 2024 Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) Topline Participation Report. The report shows participation grew 51.8 percent from 2022 to 2023. In 2023, the 65+ age group was tied for having the second highest number of participants. In 2023 alone there were over 35 million pickleball players and it was growing exponentially at a rate of 158 percent over the last three years. The r... Full story
Two local pickleball players climbed to the top of the podium in a major competition in California. On the Fourth of July, Riley McHugh from Sisters and Georgie Scott, an Eagle Crest resident, fought their way through seven matches at the Newport Beach Open to win the 75-79 age group Mixed Doubles, 4.0-4.5 combined skill level. The win gives them a "golden ticket" ensuring an invitation to the national tournament in Mesa, AZ , Nov. 10-19, 2024. On the previous day, July 3,... Full story
Juhree Kizziar, who has competed in the No. 1 varsity singles spot all four years at Sisters High School (SHS), has committed to play tennis for the George Fox University Bruins next year. Kizziar has lived in Sisters her whole life, but didn't pick up a tennis racket until seventh grade. She told The Nugget she just hit the ball around with her older brother Jed, who played tennis at SHS and has been the girls assistant tennis coach for the past four years. Juhree noted that... Full story
The girls tennis squad took four players Juhree Kizziar and Katie Ryan (singles), and doubles duo Sophie Rush and Shae Wyland, to the state tennis championships held at the Oregon State Campus in Corvallis Thursday through Saturday, May 23-25. The Lady Outlaws finished eighth out of 21 teams in attendance. Katie Ryan dominated play and blanked Kendal Wilson of Henley 6-0, 6-0, in her first match round on Thursday. Coach Bruce Fenn said, “That was the best tennis I’ve seen Katie play all year. Her serves were hit with pac... Full story
The Sisters Rodeo Association has long been a generous provider of scholarships to Sisters High School graduates. Sisters Rodeo scholarships are awarded to students who volunteer with community organizations, are involved in 4-H, FFA, high school rodeo/equestrian activities, and have expressed an interest in careers involving agriculture, ranching, veterinary services or trades. "This year the Sisters Rodeo Board expanded its scholarship program from three scholarships to six... Full story
Dominic Pulver was the lone player from the boys’ tennis squad to make it to the state championships held at Oregon State University Thursday through Saturday, May 23rd through the 25th. Seventeen teams were in attendance and, as the lone Outlaw player, Pulver took them to a tie with three other schools, Crook County, Nyssa, and Vale, for a fifth place finish. Pulver had a bye in the first round on Thursday, and on Friday in round two defeated Sam McLaughlin of Marist 6-3, 6-4, in a very competitive match. Pulver kept M... Full story
The Outlaws tennis team had two players, sophomores Dominic Pulver and Jack Murray, compete in the final two-day event of the Special District 4 Tournament, held at Prineville High School May 17–18. Pulver earned a fourth-place finish and will advance to the State Championship to be held in Corvallis Thursday through Saturday, May 23–25. On Friday, Pulver made short work of his opponent Alex Salas of Irrigon and won the match 6-0, 6-2. Pulver hit the ball hard from the baseline, came in for a volley when he had opp... Full story
The Lady Outlaws have retained the tennis crown. The girls tennis team turned in fabulous performances in the final two-day Special District 4 Tournament event held at Prineville High School on Friday and Saturday, May 17-18, and were crowned the District Champs for the second consecutive year. Sisters finished first with 20 points, and Crook County was runner up with 17. Juhree Kizziar and Katie Ryan (singles) and Leah O’Hern and Sophie Rush (doubles) all earned a berth to the state tournament, which will be held at Oregon S... Full story
The girls tennis squad competed in the first round of districts held at the Columbia Basin Racquet Club in Richland, Washington, on Friday and Saturday, May 10-11. The team played well, and will send four singles players and one doubles team to the quarterfinals, which will be held at Crook County High School on Friday and Saturday, May 17-18. Juhree Kizziar (No. 1 singles) blanked her two opponents, D. Patricio from Irrigon and Rodriquez from Umatilla, 6-0, 6-0. “Juhree was the leader of the team and moved swiftly through t... Full story
The boys tennis squad took six players to the first round of districts which was held Friday and Saturday, May 10 and 11, at the Cascade Racquet Club in Richland, Washington. Dominic Pulver (No.1 singles) and Jack Murray (No. 3 singles) had great performances, beat both their opponents, and will advance to the second round of district play which will be held at Crook County High School Friday and Saturday, May 17 and 18. “These two have worked hard all year to improve their skills, and strategically this tournament they both... Full story
The Outlaws’ top two singles players won their matches against the White Buffs at Madras on Wednesday, April 24. Dominic Pulver (No. 1) entered the match with a lame shoulder that he injured at the Caldera Tournament the previous weekend, but he was able to grind his way though and came out on top 6-2, 7-6, against Fernando Saldana. His biggest plays of the match came from overhead shots. Coach Vince Grace said, “I was impressed to see Dominic’s success on his overheads. He consistently kept composure and focus on the ball,... Full story
The girls tennis team notched a 5-3 win over the White Buffs at home on Wednesday, April 24, in very cold and windy conditions. The win moved them to 4-0 in conference play. They are 12-5 overall with their only losses to much larger schools; a loss to powerhouse Jesuit, two losses to Summit, and a loss to Redmond and Ridgeview. Coach Bruce Fenn told The Nugget that Sisters No. 1 duo, Leah O’Hern and Sophie Rush, were the standouts for the day. The pair played a solid, consistent match and returned the ball with placement a... Full story
The boys tennis squad started their week with a 4-4 tie at Madras against the White Buffs on Tuesday, April 9. Two days later they fell 2-6 at Prineville. In Tuesday’s match against the White Buffs, the Outlaws swept in all four singles spots and the White Buffs won every match in doubles play. Dominic Pulver (No. 1 singles) pulverized Fernando Saldana with a very strong powerful first serve, and easily recorded the 6-1, 6-2 win. Dom also had a strong backhand that was a great weapon. He strategically placed his shots deep to... Full story
The Lady Outlaws started their week with a 5-3 win over the Lady Buffs at Madras on Tuesday, April 9, and two days later Sisters finished in a 4-4 tie at home against Crook County. In Tuesday’s match against Madras the Lady Outlaws singles continued to dominate play, sweeping Madras in all four spots, with No. 1 singles player, senior Juhree Kizziar, leading the way. Kizziar’s pace and consistency were too much for Mia Mitchell to handle, and Kizziar easily won the match with scores of 6-0, 6-1. Katie Ryan (No. 2) overpowered... Full story
On a chilly Friday morning earlier this month, an FAA examiner grilled Timber Bionda. Four hours and one flight later, he had earned his pilot's license. Then he had to get ready for school. The 17-year-old is exceptional, to say the least. Those in his circle describe him differently: "Amazing. The coolest kid." "Very dedicated. Very methodical." "A natural in the air." Timber grew up in France. At age 11, he and his French father, American mother, and little brother set... Full story
In Monday’s match at home the Outlaws fought the wind the entire day and in the end fell 3-5 to The Dalles. Coach Vince Grace was out of town and girls Coach Bruce Fenn stepped in as coach. Dominic Pulver (No. 1 singles) started off slow, but managed to defeat Jack McCallister 3-6, 6-2, 10-2 (tiebreaker). Fenn said, “Pulver has a big, booming first serve, and once he handled the wind there was nothing McCallister could do. Pulver has a big-hitting forehand that his opponent cannot handle. If you can control hard hitting and... Full story
The Lady Outlaws defeated The Dalles 6-2 at home on Tuesday, April 2, on a sunny, but very windy day. Despite the fact the Outlaws were without their No. 1 singles player, Juhree Kizziar, the singles players were dominant and won three of the four matches. Katie Ryan stepped in as the Outlaws No. 1 singles player and did a fabulous job. She defeated Josephine Hamm in two straight sets with scores of 6-0, 6-1. “Katie hit deep strong forehand ground strokes and forced Hamm into errors,” said Coach Bruce Fenn. “Katie’s net play... Full story
The Lady Outlaws tennis squad took down Bend High 5-3 in their opening match of the season on Tuesday, March 12, and two days later beat Mt. View 7-1. In Tuesday’s match the Outlaws won all of their singles matches in straights sets. Juhree Kizziar (No. 1 singles) blanked Kyla Guerrero 6-0, 6-0. Kizziar demonstrated her new power on serve and return, and didn’t allow Guerrero to win a single game. Coach Bruce Fenn said, “Juhree has improved in all areas of her game. Her ground strokes are fast and consistent, and her volleys... Full story
The boys’ tennis squad lost both their opening matches this past week, a 0-8 loss at home against Crook County (CC) on Monday, March 11, and two days later a 1-8 loss at Mt. View. On Monday, the Outlaws played in cool weather on damp courts at home against CC. For many of the players it was the first time they had played against an opponent in a real match. Sisters No. 1 singles (Dominic Pulver) and No. 2 singles (Jude Parzybok) both played fairly well against their opponents, but not well enough to post a win. Pulver s... Full story
The long-awaited project to construct a roundabout at Highway 20 and Locust Street is set to get underway at the beginning of March. The project will start with moving the Sisters Elementary School fence and relocating some utilities, according to Sisters Public Works Director Paul Bertagna. The fence relocation is expected to be completed by the time students return from spring break so that students can use the fields. "All of this is, of course, weather-dependent, too,"... Full story
With a few ceremonial shovelfuls of dirt turned over, the US20/Locust Roundabout construction project is under way. City and county elected officials, Oregon Department of Transportation representatives, along with construction personnel gathered on the south side of the Locust/Cascade intersection on Monday morning to officially inaugurate the project. Mayor Michael Preedin noted that the effort was six years in the making, starting with initial impetus from Sisters Public... Full story
The girls tennis squad returns several players and hopes to repeat as the Special District 4 champions again this year. Leading the way will be senior Juhree Kizziar, who was undefeated in conference play last year, and was the No. 1 singles champion at district. Kizziar has been playing all winter at the Athletic Club of Bend, and, according to Coach Bruce Fenn, her game is even better in all areas — especially her serve and volleys. Senior Katie Ryan also returns in singles. Ryan played doubles once a week this past winter... Full story
The boys tennis team currently has nine players on their roster, but would love to add more so they can fill the slate. Players are fairly young and new to the sport, so it will be a building year for the Outlaws. Junior Jude Parzybok and sophomore Dominic Pulver are top returning players. Pulver placed sixth at District last year and barely missed going to state. Both Pulver and Parzybok have very strong first serves, but their biggest weapons are their forehands at the baseline. They will play individually at No. 1 or No.... Full story
Vince Grace, a long-time resident of Sisters, has taken over the reins as the new head coach for the boys' tennis team. Grace recently retired from the U.S. Forest Service, but still actively contributes in the summer months. Last year he volunteered to help Bruce Fenn with the girls' tennis program. He helped develop the girls' team to be more competitive with hitting practice, repetition, and consistency. He also helped attract other girls to the program and hopes to do the... Full story
The foundation of the body: The foot. The human foot consists of 19 muscles, 26 bones, 33 joints, and hundreds of ligaments and tendons. That is all in one foot! Each day, we stick little coffins, more commonly known as shoes, on these complex body parts: Snowboots, high heels, tennis shoes with orthotics, and more. We don't give our feet much thought unless they start to hurt. As we age, feet are the first body part that loses function. We take care of our bodies with diet,...
