Gym, field space at a premium in Sisters

A huge percentage of Sisters youth participate in some kind of sports activity. So do many adults. That's a wonderful thing - but there is a downside. There aren't enough sports facilities, either indoor or outdoor, to meet the needs of Sisters' student and adult athletes.

"There isn't enough gym space. Recently, for example, there were three different basketball teams practicing in the same gym," said Ryan Moffat, sports program coordinator at Sisters Park & Recreation District.

The growing popularity of club sports such as volleyball greatly increases use of the gyms, adding to the crowding problem. Clubs from other towns are using Sisters' gyms, sometimes displacing Sisters kids, leaving them with no place to play or practice.

"Sports aren't seasonal anymore," said Anne Heath, business manager at Sisters Park & Recreation District.

Seasonal sports, which were traditionally separated from other sports which use the same facilities, are extending and overlapping into other sport seasons.

"The facilities are tapped," Heath said.

Also feeling pinched at times are outdoor field sports such as softball, lacrosse, soccer and Little League.

"Coaches need to look at the big picture of what is best for all the kids and how to best use the facilities we have," said Heath. "Priority for use of sports fields and gyms should be: In-season school sports, SPRD, club, adults and outside clubs. The leadership is there and they're working on it. We need a group to identify the current needs for sport venues, available resources, and answer the question: Do we need more fields or better cooperation?"

One idea is to have a "draft day" in August where reservations for the use of facilities the following year could be made by the coaches of the various sports, using the pecking order described by Heath.

"We need to come together on how we manage our resources," said Heath. "While there is the existing space to build them, we may not need more outside facilities, but we do need another gym."

There are five gyms available: two at the high school, one at the middle school, one at the elementary school and one at Sisters Christian Academy at Sisters Community Church.

"The Christian Academy has gone above and beyond in supporting the kids and allowing them to use their gym," said Moffat.

Existing facilities are feeling the wear and tear of heavy use.

"The facilities we have are in need of better maintenance and/or improvements," said Nik Goertzen, high school varsity girls soccer and track coach. "The maintenance staff is stretched too thinly and does an admirable job considering."

Coaches, parents, students and other volunteers pitch in to help, sometimes using their own equipment.

"Maintenance of the sports fields isn't as good as it could be because of lack of funds," said Goertzen. "We need to be aggressive in searching for funding grants."

A new indoor sport facility could meet the needs of the students and adults, and Sisters could host more and bigger tournaments, which holds out significant benefits for the community as a whole. Teams from out of town fill the hotels and restaurants, providing an important economic shot in the arm.

Sisters is blessed with a tremendous range of recreation opportunities: a now well-developed trails system for mountain biking, horseback riding, hiking and road cycling; nearby skiing; top-rated golf courses; lakes and rivers, and the list goes on.

"With improvements to the fields and another gym," said Goertzen, "Sisters could be the recreation and sports capital of Oregon."