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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (May 24, 2017)
10 Wednesday, May 24, 2017 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon World’s best headed to Eugene By Charlie Kanzig Correspondent Some of the finest inter- national track and field ath- letes descend on Hayward Field in Eugene this weekend for the annual Prefontaine Classic — a world-class, Diamond Level meet that honors Oregon’s own Steve Prefontaine. Prefontaine was con- sidered one of the finest American distance runners of all time; he died in a car accident in 1975 at the peak of his career. Competitors include two- time Olympic 5,000-meter and 10,000-meter champion Mo Farah of Great Britain, who trains under Alberto Salazar’s Nike-sponsored Oregon Project. He is one among many of the world’s best 5,000-meter runners entered. That alone might be worth heading over the hill to the two-day meet, which begins Friday, May 26 with seven events and con- cludes Saturday with a full slate of events, including the Bowerman Mile, which fea- tures six men who have run under 3:51. Ayanleh Souleiman of Djibouti is the fastest in the field with a career best of 3:47, which he ran in Eugene last year. He is also the world record-holder for 1,000 meters. Olympic 1,500-meter champion and former Oregon runner Matt Centrowitz leads a quality trio of American runners in the event that includes Ben Blankenship and Clayton Murphy. A total of nine Kenyans are included in the 17-man field. Among women’s events, the 800 meters is a truly world-class field including Semenya Caster of South Africa, who is the two- time Olympic champion. The women’s high jump features two Americans, Chaunte Lowe and Vashti Cunningham, who rep- resented the U.S. in the Olympics in Rio and have both jumped over 6 feet 7 inches in their careers. Allyson Felix, six-time MEMORIAL DAY WEEK: MEM 10% o off for Veterans and their Families Jewelry, purses, home & garden, an and more ... plus 21 delectable fl avors of homemade fudge! Open Ope n Eve ry y Day Every Day.. Stop p & Shop St op p in Sisters! Sister Sis t ers! s! 541-549-8591 | 150 W. Cascade Ave. 541 TWIGS GALLERY 4th Friday Art Walk May 26, 4-7 p.m. Featuring the Fiber Art of Jody Rusconi, Betty Daggett & Marion Shimoda 331 W. Cascade • Sisters 541-549-6061 • twigs-sisters.com Olympic champion, includ- ing the 400 meters in Rio, leads the field in the 200 meters, along with for- mer Oregon Duck Jenna Prandini. Five-time national champion Emma Colburn will take on a classy field in the 3,000-meter stee- plechase, which includes world-record-holder Ruth Jebet who runs for Bahrain and has clocked a world- leading 9:01 already this year. In other words, this meet provides Oregonians with the chance to experi- ence a gathering of some of the finest athletes this side of the Olympics or World Championships right in our own backyard. Ticket information and detailed biographies of the entrants, along with a complete schedule of events can be found www. eugenediamondleague. com. Softball clinic on tap in Sisters Fastpitch Northwest will hold a Prospect Evaluation Clinic (PEC) for area high school softball players on June 23 at Sisters High School. PECs are for players who will graduate from high school in 2018 through 2022. The PECs are designed to evaluate and assist players in their desire to “play at the next level.” Performance at the June PECs determines if a player will be invited to Fastpitch N o r t h w e s t ’s C o l l e g e Exposure Championship tournament July 18-20 in C e n t r a l i a , Wa s h i n g t o n . More than 40 college coaches will be attend- ing this year’s tournament. Physical tests for PEC participants includes SPARQ (Speed, Power, Agility, Reaction and Quickness) and National Fastpitch Coaches Association Comparatives, which includes arm speed, bat speed and foot speed. Players are also evaluated on their hitting, fielding and base running. The results and player information are included in their National Profile at www. fastpitchnw.com. In the last six years, Fastpitch Northwest has been a stepping stone for more than 250 Northwest student athletes who have gone on to play college softball. Fastpitch Northwest assis- tant Tom Mauldin will be conducting the camp, which will last approximately six hours. The cost of the PEC is $135. Advanced registration is required. For information, contact Ken Olson at 360-790-9173 or Mauldin at 541-948-9501.