Sports
6A
Saturday, March 27, 2021
The Observer
La Grande seniors preparing for the final match
As the sun sets on their high school
careers, players look forward to the future
By ALEX WITTWER
The Observer
LA GRANDE — The
La Grande High Tigers vol-
leyball team is preparing
to fight in its final games
of the season in one of the
most challenging years for
sports. The COVID-19 pan-
demic, in a sense, has stolen
a year of play from the team
that had grown up together
— a team that challenged
life and their rivals with
equal ferocity.
As the chapter closes
on five girls with the
team, they practiced in the
gym early in the morning
Wednesday, March 23.
With graduation around the
corner, inevitable goodbyes
loomed like a final dead-
line. But now it was spirit
week, and the girls dressed
up in colorful tie-dye shirts
and wore garish hair for the
occasion.
The team made its way
to the gym and began set-
ting up the net, donning
surgical masks and athletic
shoes while making jokes
to one another. The chaos of
chatter beget a cacophony
of balls flying every which
way and landing onto the
gym floor with thunderous
thuds as spikes, sets and
serves.
For Jayde Wiggins, who
plays for the varsity squad,
as well as the high school’s
basketball and softball
teams, there was another
challenge she fought. An
injury in January 2020 left
her unable to play the sports
she loved — and COVID-19
made watching sports
impossible as well. She
recovered in time to play
when the season opened,
but months of isolation and
healing wore down on the
dedicated player.
“We were out of school,
and even if we could do
sports, I couldn’t,” Wiggins
said. “All I could do was
show up.”
It was her second injury
of her high school career.
As a freshman, she suffered
a torn ACL in basketball
that kept her from playing
volleyball.
“It was, honestly, terrible
to see all these guys playing
and missing that,” she said.
Relentlessly, Wiggins
recovered both times and
her desire to play sports
intensified. Obstacles to
her seemed more like gaso-
line than rain. And now that
the games have resumed
in the midnight hour, it’s
near time to say goodbye to
the players she had grown
up with for nearly half a
decade.
“Volleyball is like a
stress relief,” Wiggins said.
“We come here, and we just
let it all go.”
Wiggins plans on
HEALTH NOTIFICATION!
burden can sometimes
reach intolerable levels,
and nauseating anxiety can
disable her on the worst of
days. During those times
however, her team, family
and coach lift her back up.
With the decision to move
across the nation, those sup-
port structures will be left
behind — though the young
star viewed it as another
avenue for growth.
Three senior players
who also are graduating —
Hayden Robinson, Madison
Hanson and Anna Green
— will be attending col-
leges throughout the Pacific
Northwest. There will be
new friends and new chal-
lenges, and memories of
when the pandemic made
their friendships and desire
to play stronger.
The Tigers have a 6-3
record for the season with
five matches remaining.
The team plays a home
match against Baker on
Tuesday, March 30, then
comes an April 1 match
against Ontario. The final
set of the season is April
6 against Powder Valley
in La Grande.
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Presley Justice (center) leaps into the air to spike the ball during a practice at La Grande High School on Tuesday,
March 23, 2021. The senior will continue playing
and learning
at Kentucky of
Christian
University. and you are under no
offer
is free
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nected
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the stress that comes along
University to study phys-
ical therapy, close to home
Other players, such as
with the responsibilities of
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revolutionary
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and family. She said while
Presley
Justice, are
setting
playing for a 100%
college team.
she wants to focus on aca-
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“I have to do the best I
instruments
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demics, sports will remain a
Justice
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said Justice.
“I have
passion in her life. With the arship to play volleyball at
that expectation, for myself,
comfortably and
almost invisibly help you
Kentucky Christian Univer- that I’m playing at the next
degree, she would be able
sity in
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to help others through the
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rienced and remain con-
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reported the Mountaineers
Alex Wittwer/The Observer
HEALTH NOTIFICATION!
Are You Hard of Hearing?
HEALTH NOTIFICATION!
HEALTH NOTIFICATION!
Are You Hard of Hearing?
Are You Hard of Hearing?
THIS WEEK ONLY!
THIS WEEK ONLY!
picked up a pair of Fron-
tier Conference Player of
the Week honors this week
for quarterback Kai Quinn
as the offensive player
of the week and punter
Jaiden Machuca as the
special teams player of the
week. The duo’s perfor-
mances helped get EOU
off to a 1-0 start and it was
the sixth consecutive win
against the Saints, dating
back to 2015.
In the Frontier Con-
ference, the only other
ranked team is College of
Idaho.
The Yotes are in the
No. 5 spot overall with a
2-0 record.
The Mountaineers are
on the road this weekend
in Billings, Montana, to
take on the Rocky Moun-
tain College Battlin’ Bears
on Saturday, March 27.
Kickoff is set for noon.
(Insert Expiration Date)
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ONLY!
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OFFER
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Special Notice State Employees
You may qualify for a hearing aid benefit up to $4,000 every 4 years. Call for
eligibility status.
Offer Expires
THIS WEEK ONLY!
(Insert Expiration Date)
The Miracle Ear Foundation
Since 1990 the Miracle-Ear Foundation™ has been providing hearing aids, follow-up care, and educational resources to
people with hearing loss who demonstrate personal inability to financially provide for their hearing health needs. We do
this because we believe everyone in our community deserves quality hearing instruments.
Special Notice State
Employees
You may qualify for a
hearing aid benefit up to
$4,000 every 4 years.
Call for eligibility status.
Code:
(Locations, Address, Phone Mention
21MarHealth
LA GRANDE
BAKER CITY
ENTERPRISE
numbers)
111 Elm Street
2021 Washington Ave.
113-1/2 Front E. Main St.
La Grande, OR 97850 Special Notice
Baker
OR 97814
State City,
Employees
Enterprise, OR 97828
You may qualify for a hearing aid benefit up to $4,000 every 4 years. Call for
541-605-2109
541-239-3782
541-239-3877
eligibility status.
visit us online at: www.miracle-ear.com
The Miracle Ear Foundation
Hearing tests are always free. Hearing test is an audiometric test to determine proper amplification needs only. Hearing Aids do not restore natural hearing. Individual experiences will vary depending on severity of
Since
1990 the
Miracle-Ear
Foundation™
has been Pursuant
providing
hearing
follow-up
and
educational
resources
to the completion of fitting, in
loss, accuracy of evaluation by our
Consultant,
proper
fit, and the ability
to adjust amplification.
to terms
of your aids,
purchase
agreement, care,
the aids
must
be returned within
30 days of
satisfactory condition for a full people
refund. with hearing loss who demonstrate personal inability to financially provide for their hearing health needs. We do
this because we believe everyone in our community deserves quality hearing instruments.