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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (April 22, 2020)
6 Wednesday, April 22, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon Commentary... Coaches reflect on lost spring season Sisters shows resilience in pandemic By Janel Ruehl Guest Columnist By Charlie Kanzig Correspondent Jeff Larson had assem- bled what may have been the most talented team of track boys in Sisters High School many years with a real shot to make a lot of noise at the state meet. The season ended without a single report of a starter9s gun after Governor Kate Brown officially shut down schools across Oregon due to the coronavirus on Wednesday, April 8. <From an athletic stand- point,= said Athletic Director Gary Thorson, <this has no doubt been extremely tough and difficult on our ath- letes, their parents, and our coaches. I saw a lot of hard work and passion being put forth in both the offseason and this spring during the first few weeks before we got shut down.= Larson and many of his coaching peers reflected on the lost season over the past week. <I am sad for our kids on many levels,= he said. <There are individual goals which won9t be met, per- sonal records that won9t hap- pen, and most importantly, the unique lessons an athlete learns when they work hard with goals in mind.= In his final face-to-face practice with the track kids, Larson had a message for his athletes. <I can tell you that on the day of our last practice, that Thursday, I had a gut feel- ing the season wouldn9t go on and that it would be our last time sitting together on the grass at the beginning of practice,= he said. I took a moment to encourage the kids. My advice to them was, »We can9t control what comes at us, we can only control how we react to it.9 Advice as old as the hills, but I think it needed to be said at that moment. We went on and had a great practice that day too. Just amazing. The kids felt what was coming too and they just put it aside and threw themselves into the tasks of the day. Only kids can devote themselves to the moment with such abandon.= When asked about how the kids seem to be respond- ing he said, <I9m hearing very little. Mostly it is hear- say through my daughter, a junior on the team, and social media. What I am hearing is that the seniors are frustrated and angry. The younger kids like my daughter are sad but seem to be rolling with it fairly well. He continued, <There9s talk of competing in the summer if the restrictions are lifted. And there9s the optimism of youth: »We9ll do great next year9 4 and stuff like that. That9s why I love working with kids.= Equestrian head coach Annie Winter said, <It9s so sad. Our athletes have been practicing since mid-Novem- ber and only got to perform in one of three meets. They are all bummed.= Alan Von Stein, girls ten- nis coach had high hopes for the season with 25 girls on the team, including 11 seniors. <We were set for success and even had good weather,= he said. <We were showing improvement every day and our new kids were picking up the sport at a rapid pace, so the season was looking pretty exciting.= Von Stein has taken the time to learn more about As one of four focus areas of the Sisters Country Vision, <resiliency= has been top-of- mind for the Vision Imple- mentation team this month, as Sisters Country grapples with changes to our daily lives, including the ways we con- nect with one another, plan for the future, care for the most vulnerable among us, and support our local econ- omy. In these unprecedented times of global pandemic, the Vision Team has been inspired and encouraged by many examples of positive, community-led action. I had the honor of speaking with a few Sisters Country residents and local leaders who have learned to adapt and inno- vate to encourage community resiliency during COVID-19. <The support for our first responders and healthcare workers has been amazing. Restaurants have been drop- ping off food, and some pri- vate citizens have been pick- ing up food and dropping it off at the fire station,= said Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire Chief Roger Johnson, whose local force has been on the front lines of emergency response and preparedness. His team has made significant changes to their daily opera- tions to adapt to new CDC health and safety guidelines. <Our primary goal is to continue to provide high- quality ambulance service, while mitigating risk for pro- viders. This is a major chal- lenge for a small agency like ours. If a few providers fall ill or need to be quarantined, that9s a large percentage of our workforce.= Johnson points out. However, he has actually seen a decrease in demand for their services since the crisis began, which has him worried for another reason. <We9ve seen a 20 percent reduction in ambulance trans- ports. People aren9t calling 911 as often and when they do, there9s a hesitancy to go to the hospital. Even if they have conditions that should probably be evaluated in an emergency setting, they are hesitant to go. If people have serious conditions, they should still see a doctor,= Johnson said. The Fire District, along with other fire agencies, are also thinking ahead and look- ing for ways to prepare for the upcoming fire season while adapting to social distancing requirements. <On the Sisters Ranger District, our goal is to fully staff two engines, a 10-per- son hand crew and the Black Butte Lookout. We9re work- ing to include daily tempera- ture and wellness checks for firefighters, offering virtual fire trainings and briefings, increased sanitation of crew quarters, and the potential of quarantines before and after wildfire incidents, if needed.= said District Ranger Ian Reid, who added that USFS has also recently authorized a powerline right-of-way clear- ing project to improve fire safety and resiliency. Sisters resident Laura Wang found another way to support first responders and healthcare workers. Along with friends Elisa Melton and Timothy Gorbold, she founded Central Oregon Emergency Mask Makers (COEMM), a Facebook group mobilizing local residents to produce and distribute PPE, including cloth masks, 3D-printed face shields, and soon, gowns. The group took off quickly, rapidly expanding to include more than 3,400 members who have produced over 18,000 masks. Wang says the group has attracted international interest, with members as far flung as India and Australia. The PPE pro- duced by this dedicated corps of volunteers has been dis- tributed to hospitals, medical clinics, home health aides, retirement and assisted liv- ing facilities, correctional facilities, and police and fire departments. They have sup- plied 35 major facilities, with fully 70 percent of masks going to hospitals. Facili- ties can sign up through the COEMM Facebook page to place a request for PPE. <Our request list is grow- ing day by day, but with the peak coming we may slow down a bit. We9re trying to balance how to do this safely for all our volunteers= said Wang. Janel Ruehl is Program Administrator for Community & Economic Development with Central Oregon Intergovern- mental Council. She is working on implementation of the Sis- ters Country Vision Project. CHECK OUT THIS WEEK’S NUGGET INSERT! See SPORTS on page 9 Ray’s Food Place We’re on-call for... Dental Emergencies & Televisits Whole Seedless Watermelon $4.99 each Colgate Cavity Protection Toothpaste Buy One, Get One Free! Umpqua or Eberhard’s Milk, Half Gallon $1.99 Honeycrisp Apples $1.99 per lb. Dr. Thomas R. Rheuben ~ Serving Sisters Since 1993 ~ 541-549-0109 | 304 W. Adams Ave. | Sisters Boneless Pork Loin Chops, Value Pack $3.77 per lb. Visit NuggetNews.com or Facebook.com/NuggetNews for breaking news, updates and the