Wednesday, April 21, 2021 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
TENNIS: Outlaws
opened season with
strong resolve
Continued from page 13
beat Lizabeth Garcia 6-1, 6-1.
Freshman Katie Ryan
(No. 3 singles), who had
never touched a racket
before this season, defeated
Reagan Schlick 6-0, 6-1.
Ryan is athletic and played
quick on the court. VonStein
noted that Ryan is a natural
and is exciting to coach.
Jenna Kizziar and Josie
Patton earned a win at No.
2 doubles. The duo defeated
Jazmyn Ceely and Ava
Turner 7-5, 6-1.
Freshmen Leah O9Hern
and Brooke Harper lost their
match against Tie Garrison
and Natalie Hunt, but in a
very good match that went to
a tiebreak. They won the first
set 6-4, lost 4-6, and then fell
13-15 in the tie breaker. The
two freshmen, who9d just
picked up a racket for the
first time five days ago, did a
good job in their first match
of the season.
Brooke Harper was
Sisters lone winner in their
match against Cascade on
Thursday.
<Brooke is a very focused
young lady who is quickly
picking up the strategy and
nuances behind singles
play,= stated VonStein. <She
places her shots appropri-
ately in different areas of the
court and covers the court
very well. It will be exciting
to see her transform into a
good singles player over the
next few years.=
The top three singles
players, Juhree Kizziar (No.
1), Ellie Mayes (No. 2), and
Katie Ryan (No. 3) all played
well at Molalla on Friday,
and took their matches to
a tiebreak. Mayes won her
match over Kylie Smith with
scores of 3- 6, 6-4, 15-13.
The players are showing
marked improvement
on a daily basis
— Alan VonStein
<Ellie did a phenomenal
job,= said Von Stein. <She
showed great resolve in a
very long match against a
very even opponent. Her
shot placement is improving
on a daily basis and it will be
fun to watch her rise in the
tennis ranks.=
VonStein commented on
his team9s play so far.
<Overall the players are
showing marked improve-
ment on a daily basis,= he
said. <All 15 cover the court
well and are very coachable.=
The Lady Outlaws were
scheduled to play at Madras
on Tuesday, April 20. On
Thursday they will face
Philomath at home and on
Friday the team has a road
match at North Marion.
RODEO: Event could
not meet tight capacity
restrictions
Continued from page 1
a permit while Deschutes
County remains in an elevated
risk category under state
metrics.
<We were not able to meet
all of the standards and proto-
cols established by the State of
Oregon9s Health Authority,=
said Rodeo Association
President Curt Kallberg. <The
recent spike in COVID-19
cases in Deschutes County
put our five-day event in the
high-risk category. With the
limitations placed on events
for capacity, we had to make
our decision based on our
financial capabilities to try
again next year [in 2022] to
have a full capacity rodeo.=
The cancellation did not
come as a surprise to most 4
but it was a disappointment to
many who love the event.
Longtime volunteer
Bonnie Knox told The
Nugget, <I was there Tuesday
night and it broke my heart.=
She noted that the Rodeo
Association Board of
Directors had no other option.
<They didn9t have a choice
4 the board,= she said. <They
tried everything.=
Knox still plans on volun-
teering this summer.
<We are going to have lim-
ited work parties to keep the
place up,= she said. <So that9s
good.=
Hardtails Bar & Grill is
traditionally one of the major
venues for post-Rodeo par-
ties. Owner Steve Macey said
that he had a band booked on
standby and was ready to go
if the Rodeo went forward
4 but he understands the
decision.
<Of course we were all
saddened by it, but I think it9s
the right call, actually,= he
said.
He urged people in Sisters
to act responsibly in an effort
to get beyond COVID-19. In
that light, he decided not to go
forward with any entertain-
ment on Rodeo weekend.
Sisters Saloon hosts a
locals night and other Rodeo-
related entertainment.
Owner Aaron Okura said,
<I wasn9t surprised (by the
announcement). Financially,
it9s a bummer because it
makes up for a lot of the slow
season& I respect the very
difficult decisions these lead-
ers have to make.=
He noted that the restau-
rant, which reopened last
week after closing for three
days due to a positive COVID
case, has been <pretty busy=
with diners and takeout.
He said that he and his staff
have thought about provid-
ing some sort of activity on
Rodeo weekend, but there are
no solid plans. Much remains
dependent on caseloads.
<The way cases are going
up, it might not be a very
good idea by then,= he said.
So, as Sisters business
owners have been doing
29
for over a year, he plans to
remain flexible and adaptable
and respond to circumstances
as they evolve.
There9s no opportunity to
push the Rodeo back later in
the season when it is hoped
the current surge in cases will
have abated.
Postponing the rodeo to
a later date in 2021 was not
an option, according to the
Rodeo Association. Due to
other obligations, the rodeo9s
stock contractor, announcers,
and entertainment/contracted
personnel would be unable to
all get to Sisters at the same
time. All tickets for the 2021
rodeo that have been pre-sold
will automatically rollover to
the equivalent dates for the
2022 Sisters Rodeo.
The decision to cancel
could not be pushed any later.
The rodeo was obligated
to notify the Professional
Rodeo Cowboys Association
(PRCA) of the cancellation
in a timely manner to allow
contestants and contractors to
be informed and able to make
other arrangements.
<With heavy hearts, the
decision had to be made,=
said SRA Public Relations
Director Amorita Anstett.
<The Sisters Rodeo will sur-
vive and will come back next
year. We ask our fans and com-
munity to stay with us during
these challenging times, and
hope that come the second
week of June in 2022, we will
be ready to rodeo and once
again present the 8Biggest
Little Show in the World.9=