News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
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The Outlaws boys tennis squad graduated seven seniors last year, and this year are looking for more players to round out their roster. Only two varsity players return to the squad — seniors Nate Weber and KJ Sweet. Weber is back for his final year. He earned a trip to state as a sophomore singles player, and won a match in the consolation round. Coaches are hopeful that Nate will improve on that this year. Coach Carl Click said, “Nate is an accomplished tennis player, and could be the best singles player in our d... Full story
The boys tennis team is looking for more players to round out their roster. They currently just have five signed up, and only two with previous tennis experience. Anyone interested can sign up at www.familyid.com and, if a student is already involved in a sport, the information will automatically transfer. In addition, there are no fees for playing athletics this year. Tennis practice will start the first day students are back from spring break, Monday, April 5. Players will be able to join anytime that week, or even later... Full story
Most local residents avoid trying to enter Highway 20 from North Locust Street. There are long delays for pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorists wanting to cross the highway, or for vehicles wanting to turn left onto or off the highway. Plans are currently underway to remedy that situation with construction of a new roundabout intersection the same size as the one at the other end of town at Barclay Drive and Highway 20. Because Highway 20 is a state highway, the City is... Full story
In response to the spike in COVID-19 cases around the state over the past month, the Oregon Schools Athletics and Activities Association (OSAA) announced last week that it will further condense the competitive seasons planned for this school year — down to six weeks apiece for all sports and will move winter sports to late spring. The latest changes shuffle the order of the three competitive sports seasons and shorten each season to about six weeks from the nine originally planned. In its press release the OSAA wrote,... Full story
As Ruth Peterson sat in her comfortable Black Butte Ranch home one week before her 100th birthday, her second husband, Jim Gibbons, 92, said that when he met her for the first time she was playing tennis at age 72 and “didn’t look a day over 39.” The couple just celebrated their 10th anniversary. Ruth (Anders) Peterson was born October 30, 1920 in Wisconsin, the second of three children, all still living. Longevity certainly runs in the family. She comes from good genes... Full story
The Sisters Outlaws hosted a three-way meet under blue autumn skies on Tuesday, October 6 to wrap up the spring sports mini season. Tuesday’s meet included a surprise school record in a seldom-run relay event as Will Thorsett (1,200), Brody Anderson (400), Sam May (800) and John Peckham teamed up in the distance medley relay in a time of 11:15.81. The previous record was set in 2009 at 11:22. Two events came down to the wire. The first, in a literal photo finish, took place i... Full story
In the topsy-turvy world of COVID-19, athletes at all levels, including Sisters High School, have been faced with canceled, postponed, and shortened seasons. Activity resumed in mid-September for a few of the traditional spring sports under strict guidelines for a five week “mini-season.” According to SHS Athletic Director Gary Thorson, track and field, tennis, boys lacrosse and girls softball are taking advantage of the opportunity to train and, in some cases, compete. The... Full story
Outlaws athletes are going to be able to get in some modified sports activities this fall. In the topsy-turvy world of COVID-19, guidelines and rules are ever-changing. High-school athletics have been subject to constant flux since March. When schools first shut down last spring, hope remained that they would reopen before the end of the year and spring sports would be allowed to complete a truncated season. That dream didn’t pan out and high school athletes were left to fend for themselves when it came to staying active. Sum... Full story
The City of Sisters, the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT), and the Sisters School District (SSD) are working together to make the proposed Highway 20/Locust roundabout a reality. The eventual construction of the roundabout will require a right-of-way acquisition from the Sisters School District for land at the grade school that is the current site of two tennis courts. The City of Sisters is already working in conjunction with the Oregon Department of Transportation... Full story
“Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you.” — Psalm 143:8 Summer Jean Collins, 24, joined the angels in Heaven to dance eternally on August 5. Though it feels she left earth too soon, the years she lived here left a beautiful impact. Born in Medford, Oregon on September 16, 1995 to Cary and Shannon Collins, Summer was a radiant light in the lives of her family of four siblings from birth. In school, Summer thrived in edu... Full story
The OSAA (Oregon Scholastic Activities Association) announced a big change to the 2020-21 high school sports seasons in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The decision came following an executive session on Wednesday, August 5. In essence there will be three seven-week competitive seasons within a truncated 6-1/2-month time period between December and June. The OSAA actually defined four “seasons” under the plan: “Season One” from August 31-January 3 will be considered a time that high school students could be allowed... Full story
The Black Lives Matter movement has become visible in Sisters. By now, most Sisters-area residents have observed the sometimes lonely vigil kept by Elizabeth Fisher and others at the corner of Cascade Avenue and Locust Street at the east entry into Sisters. Fisher is one of seven volunteers who currently try to maintain a daily presence by the tennis courts to draw attention to the concept that Black lives matter. “We try to have someone out here every day from 10 a.m. to 6 p... Full story
Jeff Larson had assembled what may have been the most talented team of track boys in Sisters High School many years with a real shot to make a lot of noise at the state meet. The season ended without a single report of a starter’s gun after Governor Kate Brown officially shut down schools across Oregon due to the coronavirus on Wednesday, April 8. “From an athletic standpoint,” said Athletic Director Gary Thorson, “this has no doubt been extremely tough and difficult on our athletes, their parents, and our coaches. I saw a l... Full story
Governor Kate Brown has ordered that schools remain closed until April 28 at the earliest, requesting that schools transfer their classes online. For the students of Sisters High School, where there are so many hands-on classes, many fear they will miss out on what they had started early in the school year. Allison Mansfield, a senior in Tony Cosby’s woodworking classes says the shutdown “has affected my guitar-building class. I probably will not be able to finish.” Senior Sierra Henneous, a student in Rick Johnson’s American... Full story
The Lady Outlaws tennis program had 25 girls come out for the sport this season, which will allow the program to field both a varsity and JV team. Returning to the varsity squad are seniors Hannah Ezell, Emma Horner, Rheanna Salisbury, Ramsey Schar, Hallie Schwartz, Holly Werts; juniors Lauren Fitzke, Ellie Rush, and Sophie Silva; and sophomore Chloe Winter. All these young ladies earned varsity letters last year. Coaches are excited about the new talent that joined the team including seniors Quin Crowe, Allison Mansfield, Em... Full story
The boys varsity tennis squad returns several players this year, and taking charge at the No. 1 singles spot will be junior Nate Weber. Weber qualified for State last year and won a consolation match to make it to the second day of competition. Prior to the State Tournament, Weber only lost one singles match, and each one was to a player who advanced to State at their classification. Nate is expected to be one of the dominant singles players in the district this year, and Coach Carl Click told The Nugget that a district... Full story
Pat Vandewater of Sisters recently returned to her Pine Meadow home from Orlando, Florida, after her Athletic Club of Bend women’s tennis team placed fifth in the United States Tennis Association National Championships, representing the Pacific Northwest region of Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. Vandewater started her competitive tennis career as a member of the Madison High School tennis team in Portland when they won the City championship. After school she put her tennis racq... Full story
Chad Rush, recreation programs manager at Sisters Park and Recreation District for the past two years, has spent most of his adult life working with children and teens as a private school administrator, athletic director, and youth athletic coach. He spent 15 years at Portland Lutheran School, which was originally part of Concordia College until it was split off from the college in 1977 as a high school. In 1986, pre-K through eighth-grade classes were added. After leaving... Full story
Way back, when the Sun was a tiny thing and the Big Dipper was a little tin drinkin’ cup, as Reub Long used to say, I was living in the Jones House in Bend with Dean and Lily Hollinshead. One evening, after I had come in from logging with Bob Couch, widening the Brooks-Scanlon logging road between Bend and Sisters, the phone rang. “This Jim Anderson, the wildlife guy?” a gruff voice asked. I said it was and the voice responded, “I’ve got a baby bird. What do I feed it?” Obvi... Full story
The expanding national popularity of pickleball has created a 650 percent increase in the number of players over the last six years, according to the USA Pickleball Association. Currently that number stands at 3.1 million and is growing rapidly year-over-year. The game of pickleball combines elements of tennis, badminton, and ping-pong. It is played on a court the size of a badminton court, with a low net similar to tennis. The paddle looks like an oversized ping pong paddle... Full story
The Outlaws competed in round two of district competition on Monday, May 6, and finished play on Thursday, three days later. Sisters will send three players to the 4A/3A/2A/1A state tennis championships, which will be held in Corvallis on Friday and Saturday, May 17-18. On Monday, Nate Weber (sophomore and the No. 3 seed) won two singles matches, qualified for the semi-finals, and was guaranteed a top-four finish and berth to state. Weber defeated Austin Thatcher of Cascade... Full story
The Lady Outlaws wrapped up district play on Thursday, May 9, at Black Butte Ranch. Four players, Ramsey Schar, Ellie Rush, and doubles pair Lauren Fitzke and Sophia Silva all competed in the consolations. Schar and teammate Rush had to face each other at the start, and Ramsey came out on top 8-5 in the pro set. Ramsey went on and lost 8-2 to Liesel Rutherford of Stayton in the semifinals. Coach Alan VonStein said, “Ramsey had a phenomenal year, and moved from No. 3 singles t... Full story
To the Editor: We would like to thank City Manager Cory Misley and City Councilor Andrea Blum for educating our group on April 11 about how our City government operates, who is responsible for what, and how citizens can get involved in making Sisters a better place. We are so grateful for all the volunteer work Andrea puts into her work as a councilor, and for the passion and dedication Cory showed us for making sure Sisters thrives. They taught us that the City operates on a $15,836,348 budget for FY 2018-19 to administer wa... Full story
The Outlaws tennis team earned an eight-match sweep over the Eagles on the road at Stayton on Tuesday, April 16. Two days later, they defeated Woodburn 6-2 at home in Sisters to improve their record to 5-1 in league, and 9-2 overall. At Stayton on Tuesday, Coach Carl Click made a few adjustments to the line-up that worked to perfection. Weber played at the No. 1 singles spot, and will continue to play there throughout the remainder of the season. Jed Kizziar, who usually... Full story
The Lady Outlaws beat Stayton 5-3 at home in Sisters on Tuesday, April 16. The Outlaws won all four of their doubles matches, and also got a win at No. 2 singles. A day later, it was a completely different story as the Outlaws fell 0-8 to Philomath. On Thursday, the team bounced back and posted a 6-2 win on the road at Woodburn. In Tuesday’s action, Ramsey Schar was the lone singles winner with her 6-1, 6-1, victory over Megan Campbell. Schar played with intensity and d... Full story
