Wednesday, March 29, 2017 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
OHSET spurs into
season for Sisters
By Kathryn Godsiff
Correspondent
Sisters High School
equestrian team, part of
the Oregon High School
Equestrian Team (OHSET)
organization, emerged from
winter ready to take on the
challenge of their chosen
sport. Practices, usually set
to begin in mid-December,
were sporadic and treacher-
ous this year. Consequently,
the first district meet held in
late February was a time for
the athletes and their horses
to shake off the cobwebs,
sweat a bit and try some new
events.
Te a m a d v i s o r / c o a c h ,
Annie Winter, said most
of the other 13 schools
that make up OHSET’s
Central District took a simi-
lar approach. The goal was
to try hard and try new.
Athletes and their horses
are now ready to compete
at the next meet on March
31-April 2 at the Rimrock
Riders Event Center at
Brasada Ranch in Powell
Butte.
OHSET is a cooperative
effort made up of student
athletes, their horses, parents,
coaches and local arena own-
ers and coaches. Many of the
competitors don’t drive, and
you can’t exactly rent a bus
to get the four-legged team
members to the meets and
practices. So parental support
is crucial and creates a fam-
ily and friendly atmosphere.
Team members cheer for all,
no matter what the outcome.
The organization, which for-
merly flew under the school
radar as a relatively unknown
and unsupported activity,
is now a fully integrated
club sport. Team members
earn letters and participate
in schoolwide fundraising
efforts.
Coaches this year are
Audrey Goldsmith (dres-
sage, trail), Turi McCabe
(jumping, hunt seat, equita-
tion and working pairs), Julie
Vosberg and Kerry Newell
(games and showmanship).
Goldsmith and the Bartelotta
family at GB Ranch allowed
use of their indoor are-
nas during long days of
winter.
That effort is one of the
hallmarks of OHSET, a sport
with a dizzying array of
events to choose from, rang-
ing from performance classes
in English and Western, in-
hand halter classes and fast-
paced games. Each rider is
limited to five events per
meet, and often athletes
choose to try something out
of their usual routine. It isn’t
unusual to find a dressage
rider in the team penning
arena or a reiner running a
barrel pattern.
The Central District cov-
ers all of Deschutes, Crook
and Jefferson counties, and
spreads east to Pendleton,
north to The Dalles and south
to Lakeview, with 13 schools
participating at the last meet.
Sisters, with 11 team mem-
bers, is in the large-team cat-
egory. The meets take three
days to complete. Friday
has English events (dres-
sage, hunt seat equitation,
saddle seat equitation, driv-
ing and jumping), Western
horsemanship, pairs and drill
team. Saturday sees the trail
classes, reining, and cattle
events (steer daubing and
team penning.) Sunday is all
games.
Admission to the meets
is free and support is always
appreciated.
“We have a wonderful
group of athletes, all try-
ing something different this
year,” said Winter. “They’re
definitely a team.”
SpringIntoCulture
11
Sisters Bunkhouse barks first year
By Steve Kadel
Correspondent
When Kathleen and
Michael Blesius moved to
Sisters and bought the two-
story, yellow building at 114
N. Oak St., they weren’t sure
what they would use it for.
Would it be a whiskey
bar? Maybe they would open
a candy store. There were
lots of options, but in the end
they gutted and remodeled the
former teahouse space and
opened Sisters Bunkhouse in
January 2016.
The first year has been lots
of work, but the former San
Francisco Bay Area residents
couldn’t be happier about their
choice. The change had a lot
to do with lifestyle, and busi-
ness success has come early.
“It has exceeded our
expectations,” Michael said.
“We had a great summer.”
“We just wanted to change
our lives,” Kathleen said of
relocation. “We wanted things
to calm down.”
They found what they
wanted in Sisters, and turned
the building into an inviting
bed-but-not-breakfast with
“casual elegance.” There’s a
comfortable common room on
the ground floor where guests
can talk or work on a jigsaw
puzzle on a large table.
The four guest rooms fea-
ture custom-made furniture
and hand-stained knotty alder
woodwork. One of the rooms
is ADA accessible, and there’s
WiFi throughout. There are
maps of the U.S. and the
world with pins noting where
clients have come from.
One of the location’s ben-
efits, Kathleen noted, is that
guests can easily walk to local
shops and restaurants. When
meals include a cocktail or
two, no one has to drive, she
said.
The couple intended to
move to Bend, but couldn’t
find housing they liked.
Looking around, they found
PHOTO BY STEVE KADEL
Kathleen and Michael Blesius stand on the balcony of their Sisters
Bunkhouse with 12-year-old pug, Jack.
the yellow building that has
become their first business
venture.
“We’ve invested our life
savings into this,” Michael
said, adding they are on pro-
jection to meet a three- to five-
year business plan.
There’s been little rest
time for the couple during the
Bunkhouse’s first year. Now,
though, they’re looking for
ways to give themselves small
breaks. One step in that direc-
tion is the upcoming hiring of
an employee to do cleaning
or other chores on a flexible
work schedule.
Despite the challenges of
first-year business ownership,
Michael said the process has
been “remarkably smooth.”
They are planning to expand
this spring or summer with a
30-foot by 40-foot patio.
“We want to do a fireplace
and a water feature,” Kathleen
said. “This is such an out-
doorsy place, and people love
to be outdoors.”
Although
Sisters
Bunkhouse doesn’t accept
pets, the owners are happy
to provide contact informa-
tion for other local lodges that
have a pro-pet policy.
Room prices start at $139
and are priced on a sea-
sonal basis. More informa-
tion is available at the com-
pany website, www.sisters
bunkhouse.com or by calling
541-588-6122.
Kathleen, 47, and Michael,
51, both acknowledged sup-
port from the local commu-
nity, which they appreciate.
They want to return the favor.
“We’re all about support-
ing the town,” Michael said.
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