SPORTS
8A — THE OBSERVER
HOOPS
RODEO
Continued from Page 7A
Continued from Page 7A
say enough about how resil-
ient our boys have been.”
One major element in
playing so many games
close together is rallying
the team after a loss. In a
normal season, coaches
would have days after a
loss to study film, practice
new strategies or even learn
from previous mistakes.
In the 2021 season, teams
often have to adjust and
improve in the next game.
“You have to be able
to learn what you need
to learn from it, and then
forget the negativity about a
loss,” Miller said. “Then we
have another opportunity to
lace up the next day within
24 hours and take advan-
tage of that.”
While the season has
been challenging in many
ways, coaches and players
are still glad to just have
a season at all. The gen-
eral consensus of coaches,
players, fans and even ref-
erees I’ve spoken with is a
feeling of gratefulness that
the indoor sports season
wasn’t canceled as a whole.
Athletes in partic-
ular have been very resil-
ient facing the adversity
of a constantly changing
timetable for the season.
Coaches, parents and ath-
letic directors have done
their best to make the
season possible and that
should be applauded.
While every team has
faced a number of chal-
lenges this season, it has
been sink-or-swim across
the board. Teams that can
rally from losses quickly
and make adjustments on
the fly are the ones that
are experiencing success
so far this season. As the
postseason approaches,
the teams that are the most
resilient will make it the
furthest.
———
Davis Carbaugh covers
news and sports for The
Observer. He can be con-
tacted at dcarbaugh@
lagrandeobserver.com.
and 10-year bullfighter,
the job seemed like a per-
fect fit.
“It comes naturally
to me. I’ve always liked
being around cattle and
I’m fairly athletic, so I
decided to combine the
two,” he said.
Peterson has been bull-
fighting professionally
for five years, which has
taken him to rodeos all
over the Pacific North-
west. He said that he is
grateful for the opportu-
nity to live out his dream
and make a living from it.
“When he first started,
I had a hard time with
it because it was hard
for me to watch,” Peter-
son’s mother, Connie
Buchanan, said. “And
as he became better and
better and more skilled
and more respectful of
the bulls and became a
professional, then it was
easier.”
The reality of bull-
fighting is there’s a limit
on how long people can
do it before their bodies
can no longer handle it.
According to Buchanan,
Peterson particularly real-
ized this after COVID-19
forced rodeo cancellations
last year.
“The thing about
it, though, is you get a
year older each time,”
Buchanan said. “And so,
he has to be more agile
and quick.”
Donnie Landis, a rodeo
clown from Idaho, isn’t so
worried about age. He’s
been a professional rodeo
clown since 1978 — with
ON THE
SLATE
SATURDAY, JUNE 12
Prep boys basketball
Pine Eagle at Enterprise, noon
Wallowa at Enterprise, 3 p.m.
Prep girls basketball
Wallowa at Enterprise, 1:30 p.m.
Prep wrestling
La Grande at 4A-SD4 District
Wrestling Championship, La
Grande, 10 a.m.
MONDAY, JUNE 14
Prep boys basketball
Powder Valley at Enterprise,
2:30 p.m.
Union at Nyssa, 4:40 p.m.
Nixyaawii at La Grande,
5:30 p.m.
Joseph at Grant Union,
6:30 p.m.
Prep girls basketball
Nixyaawii at La Grande, 1 p.m.
Powder Valley at Enterprise,
1 p.m.
Joseph at Grant Union, 5 p.m.
TUESDAY, JUNE 15
Prep boys basketball
La Grande at Vale, 4:30 p.m.
Crane at Powder Valley, 2 p.m.
Prep girls basketball
Vale at La Grande, 5:30 p.m.
Crane at Powder Valley,
3:30 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 16
Prep boys basketball
Crane at Enterprise, 1:30 p.m.
Crane at Joseph, 6 p.m.
Prep girls basketball
Crane at Enterprise, noon
Crane at Joseph, 4:30 p.m.
First baseman
Nick Bornst-
edt catches a
pickoff attempt
at first base
during a game
last season. Born-
stedt earned
second-team 4A
all-state honors
at the utility posi-
tion after hitting
.567 on the year.
Michelle Bell/
Contributed Photo
alex Wittwer/The Observer
Cowboys and bullfighters rush to save a downed rider during the
Ed Miller Xtreme Bull Riding event Thursday, June 10, 2021, at
the Eastern Oregon Livestock in Union. Bull riders need to last at
least eight seconds on top of the bulls to score — but inevitably
all riders will fall off, leaving bullfighters to safely distract the
bull away from the downed cowboy.
no plan to slow down any-
time soon.
“The crowd here is
super hospitable, and I
hope to come here until
I’m 100 years old,” he
said.
Between riders and
stages of competition,
Landis ensured that the
audience was always
entertained. A bull owner
himself, Landis first
started bullfighting and
performing when he was
12 years old. Now 61, he
said he still looks forward
to EOLS every year.
“The Eastern Oregon
Livestock Show and rodeo
is one of the best rodeos
in the Northwest, and it’s
a pleasure being part of
it,” he said. “The country,
the terrain, around here is
awesome, and it’s super
fun being around the
crowd here.”
Landis said many
audience members don’t
understand the connection
between the livestock and
FRIDAY, JUNE 18
Prep girls basketball
Baker City at La Grande, 5 p.m.
Damascus Christian at Powder
Valley, 5 p.m.
SATURDAY, JUNE 19
Prep boys basketball
Joseph at Grant Union, 3 p.m.
Prep girls basketball
Powder Valley at Grant Union,
1:30 p.m.
the bullfighters and riders.
“There’s a lot that goes
into this livestock that
some people don’t under-
stand,” he said. “People
care about these livestock
like some people care
about their kids.”
Landis said it’s that
respect that makes rodeos
so important to keeping
the culture of rural areas
alive. As a fourth-genera-
tion rodeo cowboy, he said
he has a responsibility to
continue the tradition.
He’s not the only one
with this mindset.
For West, who grew
up in Union, the yearly
livestock show serves
as a reminder to uphold
the legacy of rodeo life
ingrained in him.
“I grew up with this
rodeo, and I remember
being 8 years old looking
up at these guys. So every
rodeo I go to, I try to
create a good image for
the younger generation,”
he said.
BASEBALL
Continued from Page 7A
20-1/3 innings pitched.
Jorgensen, a junior,
earned first-team catcher
honors after hitting .643 at
the plate, tallying 32 RBIs
and scoring 10 runs. Jor-
gensen played a major part in
the Tigers’ playoff run, going
4-for-9 at the plate in the
postseason.
“First-team for Cole as a
catcher is maybe one of the
most impressive ones for me,
just because the catcher posi-
tion is so loaded with quality
talent right now at the 4A
level,” McKinley said. “To
have him stand out on that
list has been really cool.”
Cooper excelled in the
outfield to earn him first-
team honors. The senior
hit .424, finished with 17
RBIs and scored 23 runs.
McKinley called Cooper a
“special talent” at the leadoff
spot for La Grande.
“What he was able to do
consistently over the course
of the season and through
the playoffs, all those things
pointed very clearly to being a
first-team selection,” he said.
Bell, a junior short-
stop, was named to the sec-
ond-team all-state infield
following a solid offensive
year in the batter’s box and
on the diamond defensively.
He hit .462 at the plate,
knocked in 15 runs and
scored 35 runs during the
2021 season. Defensively,
Bell was a part of four
double plays and recorded
26 putouts.
Bornstedt earned sec-
ond-team utility honors,
serving as La Grande’s des-
ignated hitter. The junior hit
.567, finished with 10 RBIs
and scored 10 runs.
Of the six Tigers awarded
all-state honors, only Miller
and Cooper are graduating
seniors. The remaining four
all-state players will be back
on McKinley’s squad next
season.
McKinley said com-
pleting the season under the
pandemic circumstances is
an accomplishment for the
program and La Grande
High School athletics as a
whole.
“It really is a pro-
gram-wide performance,” he
said. “It makes me proud to
be a part of it and have those
kids represent our school
and our town.”
FIELD TEST Candidates Wanted
(GENERAL LOCATION HERE) and the
W
URGENT NOTICE:
surrounding
areas. You may be qualified to participate in a special Field
Test of new hearing instrument technology being held at a local test site.
(DATES HERE)
Dates:
An industry leader in digital hearing devices is sponsoring a product field test in your area next week
and they have asked us to select up to 15 qualified candidates to participate. They are interested in
Product
Test Site: 4.0
determining the benefits
of GENIUS™
3.0 Technology in eliminating the difficulty hearing aid users
experience in difficult environments, such as those with background noise or multiple talkers.
Miracle-Ear
Service
Center
Miracle-Ear
Service
Center so Miracle-Ear
Service Center
Candidates
in other
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have reported
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feedback
far.
(ADDRESS HERE)
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We are looking for additional candidates in LA GRANDE and the surrounding areas.
W
(GENERAL LOCATION HERE) and the
th,
Miracle-Ear Service Center
Miracle-Ear Service Center
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surrounding
areas.
(ADDRESS HERE)
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LA GRANDE Dates:
BAKER CITY
ENTERPRISE
111 Elm Street
2021 Washington Ave.
113-1/2 Front E. Main St.
La Grande, OR 97850
Baker City, OR 97814
Enterprise, OR 97828
541-239-3877
541-605-2109
541-239-3782
Product Test Site:
In an effort to accurately demonstrate the incredible performance of these devices, specially trained
representatives will be conducting testing and demonstrations during this special event.
Miracle-Ear Service Center
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HERE)
(ADDRESS
HERE)
(ADDRESS
HERE)
In addition (ADDRESS
to an audiometric
hearing evaluation,
candidates
will receive a fiber-optic
otoscope
exam, a
painless procedure that could reveal common hearing problems such as excessive wax or damage to
as well
as
common
of of
hearing
deficiencies.
Miracle-Ear
Service
Center
Miracle-Ear
Service
Center
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the eardrum,
as other
other
common cause
causes
hearing
deficiencies.
(ADDRESS HERE)
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Qualified Field Test Candidates:
• Live
HERE)or area
the surrounding area
Live in
in (GENERAL
La Grande LOCATION
or the surrounding
• Are at least 55 years of age or older
• Have experienced some level of hearing difficulty, or currently wear hearing aids
• Don’t currently work for a market research company
Expires: June 15 2021
We have a limited supply of the GENIUS™ 4.0
3.0 test product
currently on hand and ready for testing. We have also been
authorized to offer significant discounts if you decide to take
the hearing instruments home. If you choose not to keep
them, there’s no risk or obligation of any kind. †
(GENERAL LOCATION HERE)
THURSDAY, JUNE 17
Prep boys basketball
Powder Valley at Joseph,
3:30 p.m.
Union at La Grande, 6 p.m.
Prep girls basketball
Powder Valley at Joseph, 2 p.m.
Union at La Grande, 4:30 p.m.
Prep wrestling
La Grande at SD4 District Meet,
Gladstone High School, TBD
SaTuRday, JunE 12, 2021
FIELD TEST
PARTICIPANTS
Will be tested and
selected same-day.
TO PARTICIPATE:
1) You must be one of the first 15 people to call our office
Mention Code: 2
1JunField
18AprField.
2) You will be required to have your hearing tested in our
office, FREE OF CHARGE, to determine candidacy.
3) Report your results with the hearing instruments to the
Hearing Care Specialist over a three week test period.
Qualified candidates will be selected on a first-come,
first-served basis so please call us TODAY to secure
your spot in the Product Field Test.
Participants who qualify and complete the product test will
1)
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a FREE $100 Restaurant.com Gift Card* as a token
AprField
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*One per household. Must be 55 or older and bring loved one for familiar voice test. Must complete a hearing test. Not valid with prior test/purchase in last 6 months. While supplies last. Free
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satisfactory condition. See store for details.
3)