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Wednesday, July 6, 2016 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Hitting the trails in Northwest Camp Artist marketplace set
for Saturday
By craig Rullman
Correspondent
Sixty-six runners, ranging
from sixth-graders to incom-
ing high school seniors,
descended on Sisters Country
from June 27 to July 1, for
the Great Northwest Cross-
Country Running Camp,
hosted by Sisters Park &
Recreation District (SPRD).
Josh Nordell, head coach
of Sisters High School’s
cross-country team, told The
Nugget that the older runners
cover 12 to 15 miles a day,
while the younger trainees
cover nearly six miles each
day. Up early for breakfast,
the runners hit the trails at
various Central Oregon loca-
tions, including Round Lake,
Smith Rock, and this year ran
a rugged trail from Hoodoo
Ski Area to Suttle Lake.
Nordell said that the run-
ning camp isn’t just for run-
ning, however, explaining
that the camp is divided into
“Olympic Teams,” and that
the kids compete in various
challenges over the course
of the week including relays,
shelter-building, tug-of-war
and canoe races without
paddles.
Tom Swinford, a cross-
country coach from Newport,
Oregon, told The Nugget that
he finds the summer running
camp to be very important for
his athletes.
“It’s a long way from home
(for many of the runners) and
a different part of the state.
I’m a lifelong Oregonian, and
sharing this piece of our state
is a big thing. Getting them
out of their environment and
training for five days allows
them to find out where their
weaknesses are.”
Swinford told The Nugget
that “cross-country depends
on summer training,” and that
the Sisters camp, held earlier
in the year than most other
camps, allows the runners to
build a memory base for later
photo by Jerry baldock
canoe races with no paddles built team spirit.
in the season.
Geoff Lytwyn, who as
a former camp attendee
returned this year to serve as
a counselor, said “This camp
gets you in the mood for run-
ning. It’s nice to be out on
the trails here. It builds bet-
ter conditioning, and builds
better cross-country teams
through team bonding.”
Lytwyn noted that he has
attended the cross-country
camp since its inauguration
three years ago, and believes
that each year it is getting bet-
ter and better.
Liam Hughes, executive
director of SPRD, echoed
that sentiment, noting that in
its first year the camp hosted
23 runners, and has “grown
dramatically each year.”
Hughes expects the
camp’s reputation to continue
growing, and the number of
runners attending each year to
follow accordingly. Hughes
noted that SPRD strives to run
its programs for local children
at cost, and that camps such
as the Great Northwest help
subsidize those efforts.
“It’s a really good camp
because we strive to keep a
balance of activities. The kids
are either out on the trails run-
ning, out rafting, canoeing,
at the aquatic park, or even
building shelters. It’s a good
We’re Like Family
Come work with us in a
beautiful, peaceful setting.
— Servers —
Lots of variety – learn it all!
Competitive starting wages and tips.
mix for a summer camp,”
Hughes said, noting SPRD’s
appreciation for the coopera-
tion from Oregon State Parks.
SPRD also wished to
thank The Belfry for donat-
ing their kitchen to help feed
the hungry runners, GFP
Enterprises for donating yurts
for the camp attendees to
sleep in, and Sisters Middle
School for providing shower-
ing facilities after long days
running the trails of Central
Oregon.
The Sisters Artist
Marketplace will be held on
Friday and Saturday, July 8
and 9 at 320-340 W. Cascade
Ave., in downtown Sisters.
The event features arts and
crafts vendors, food and live
entertainment.
Event promoter Richard
Esterman has been battling
with the City of Sisters over
rules put in place on transient
vendors and outdoor events,
in response to concerns
raised by some local event
organizers and “brick & mor-
tar” businesses that see such
activities as riding on the
coat-tails of keystone events
and downtown businesses.
Esterman has made that
battle a feature of the Sisters
Artist Marketplace, protest-
ing new 100-foot setback
rules that he says create “a
Hope for a child.
Change for a nation.
C
business dead zone” along
Cascade Avenue. To do that,
he has created a Cold War
theme evoking the divide
between East and West
Berlin.
“On Friday, we kick off
at noon with the Cold War
iconic symbol of entering
into the Free World,” he said.
“The Check Point Charlie Bar
will be welcoming you on the
border of the Dead Zone.”
There will be live music
on both days. On Friday,
that is Derek Michael Marc
Double AA Band and on
Saturday, The Anvil Blasters
will play.
There also will be a dis-
play from a private collection
of Dean and Mary Smith’s
“Amazing Quilt Creations.”
The event is free and open
to the public.
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