Sisters athletes thrive on Pole, Pedal, Paddle

The U.S. Bank Pole Pedal Paddle (PPP) may be Bend's signature spring event, but Sisters always weighs in with some strong performances.

Last weekend was no exception as the team "Brothers From Sisters," finished third overall out of 71 male teams and first in their group (45-49).

The "Brothers" consist of John Rahm/downhill ski, Greg Zadow/skate ski, Rich Hummel/bike, Scott Buckles/run and Rob Corrigan/kayak. The overall first place team was comprised of five members of the current U.S. cross country ski team, and second place went to a five-man team from Bend.

"Basically only one non-pro team beat us, which was pretty gratifying," said Rahm, who relied on his background as a ski racer for his downhill portion.

Greg Zadow, a physical therapist in Sisters, only recently dedicated himself to mastering skate skiing.

"He's a very gifted natural athlete, and he's learned fast," Rahm said.

Rich Hummel, a trainer at Sisters Athletic Club, has a background as a serious cyclist that boosted him in the cycling portion of the race, and runner Scott Buckles "is one of those guys who's been an athlete all his life."

Rahm said he doesn't think Corrigan had any kayaking experience before the PPP efforts of recent years, "but he's another guy who's got a lot of athletic ability."

Other competitors included: Brad Nicholson of Sisters, who turned in a a 2:26:21 time in the individual male 45-49 category; Doug Green, 2:31:38, individual 40-44; the Sisters Team Energy Vitamin Water, 2:39:01, female team 35-39; Squirrel's Den, 2:47:05, co-ed 30-34; and Lindsay Chick, 3:02:17, individual female 16-19.

Victorious Secret, a PPP team comprised of eighth graders from Sisters Middle School, placed second in their division - missing the win by a second.

The team was made up of Zech Mickel - sprint; Jordon Rudinsky - Nordic; Jared Nelson - Alpine (downhill); Hayden Wester - Kayak; Jeff Fought - Bike; and Taylor Steele - Run.

Sisters third, fourth and fifth graders competed in Sunday's Mini Pole, Pedal, Paddle in Bend. Team Outlaw took third place in their division. Michaela Miller, Anja Gnos, Danielle Rudinsky, Ethan Schneider, Trenton Marks and Hunter Jutte competed in the relay race consisting of all six team members rafting down a section the Deschutes River, a team member completing a biking section, followed by four team members completing an obstacle course and the final team member sprinting to the finish line.

Author Bio

Jim Cornelius, Editor in Chief

Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.

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