Riders beat the heat at state meet

Sisters equestrians battled maximum 108-degree temps at the Oregon High School Equestrian Teams (OHSET) State Championships in Redmond June 24-27. It is the largest annual equestrian event in the state. There were 67 teams from across the state competing, bringing over 500 horses and riders to the Deschutes County Fairgrounds for the four-day event.

Sisters High School was well represented by four athletes and their equine partners. The Sisters team placed 6th out of 29 teams in the medium team division.

Team co-captain Ellie Chandler brought home three medals: gold in Dressage and Hunt Seat Over Fences, and silver in Saddle Seat English Equitation. These placings awarded her fifth place in the Overall Individual Performance High Point standings.

Junior Cammi Benson was second in the Overall Individual Performance High Point, competing in five events. She took the bronze medals in Working Rancher and Hunt Seat English Equitation, fifth in Western Horsemanship, sixth in Reining, and seventh in Showmanship.

Rylee Hurtley placed 13th in Barrels, the timed race with the largest number of competitors at the meet.

Sisters also competed in Team Canadian Flags, a timed relay of four riders. Ellie Chandler, Cammi Benson, Rylee Hurtley and Chawndra Craig made up the Sisters team. They placed 19th.

The OHSET State meet also recognizes outstanding sportsmanship exhibited by athletes with the Sportsmanship Award.

Cammi Benson was nominated and won the special award for her contributions to help fellow competitors.

While she was not originally on the Canadian Flags team, when one of the Sisters athletes was not able to compete due to an injured horse, Benson stepped in as an alternate so the other girls on the team could still compete.

Then while exiting the arena after riding her Horsemanship class, the competitor that was to ride after her discovered she had left her team jersey in the horse barn.

With not enough time to retrieve it, Benson quickly pulled her own jersey off and lent it to the competitor from another school.

"I just tried to help out when those situations came up," said Benson.