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About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (July 21, 2022)
SPORTS A8 — THE OBSERVER THuRSday, July 21, 2022 Union Softball squad extends successful season Grande Little League County La softball team headed to athletes regional tournament for trip to Little League strike World Series in Arizona gold FOLLOW THE TOURNAMENT The West Regional Tournament can be tracked on Gamechanger at https:// bit.ly/3ojCsrz. To support the team, its gofundme pages are https://bit.ly/ 3PBUsZR or https://bit.ly/3cuqIj2. By RONALD BOND For The Observer In all, eight gold medals return from regional Special Olympics By RONALD BOND For The Observer LA GRANDE — Union County athletes claimed eight gold medals in track during the regional Special Olympics games in Herm- iston July 16, and two addi- tional gold medals in the regional golf tournament in Oregon City on July 17. Leading the way for the track team was Amanda Herbert, who took gold in both the 400-meter walk and the 800-meter walk. A pair of other ath- letes earned both a gold and a silver medal: Jen- nifer Coppin had gold in the 100-meter walk and silver in the softball throw, and Pete Crowell flipped those results, taking gold in the softball throw and silver in the 100-meter walk. Dennis Adams earned gold in his division of the softball throw, and bronze in the 100-meter walk. Also getting a gold/bronze result was Dani Thorne, who took the top spot and gold in the 800-meter run and bronze in the softball throw; Jason Franks, who won gold in the 800-meter walk and bronze in the 400-meter walk; and R’Anne Werner, who took gold in the 100- meter dash and bronze in the softball throw. Tommy Boren took two silver medals, one in the 50-meter walk and one in the softball throw, and Judith Asper earned a fifth- place ribbon in the softball throw. “They all did an amazing job,” said Lis Throne, local program co-coordinator for Union County. “It was a lot of fun to be doing it again. All the athletes from all the counties that were there were all so excited to see each other again.” The next day, Nick Mendiguren and Brandon Cooper, both first-year competitors in golf, took first in their respective divi- sions on the course. Cooper won gold in Division M3 of individual skills play, and Mendiguren won gold in M4 of individual skills play. Another first-time com- petitor, Alex Weissenfluh, won the silver medal in nine-hole individual play. In nine-hole alternate shot play, Ian Altenburg and unified partner Patrick Vaughn won a silver medal in Division M1, and Remy Spangler and Larry Bare, unified partner, won silver in Division M2. Rounding out the med- alists was Bradley Culver, taking bronze in Division M2 of individual skills play. LA GRANDE — Gary Krantz said team unity has been a key for the La Grande Little League juniors softball team. Krantz, the manager of that squad, has witnessed that firsthand this summer as the team has gone undefeated — 18-0 — won a state championship, and starting this weekend will represent the state at the West Regional Tournament in Arizona. “The thing (head coach) Rob (Harnack) and I coach the most is the way a team represents a family on the field and when they’re off that field,” Krantz said. “We do our best to build unity, and that’s what these girls do — they come together (and) they support one another. We’re very big on teaching that.” The team united in a big way last weekend, claiming the state championship July 15-17 in Red- mond. La Grande defeated Crook County, and twice defeated Klamath Falls, including in the championship, 12-9, on Sunday, July 17. La Grande opened with a win over Klamath Falls in its first game on July 15, 9-4, to reach the semi- finals. La Grande followed up with a 4-0 shutout of Crook County on July 16 to reach the championship round. Klamath Falls shook off the early loss and earned three straight Contributed Photo The La Grande Little League juniors softball team holds the banner after winning the state tournament Sunday, July 17, 2022, in Redmond. wins — over Corvallis, Clackamas and Crook County — to reach the final, but came up short in the rematch. The team carried some momentum and mettle built during the district tournament champi- onship — one that saw them win despite being hampered with errors — into state, and kept rolling. “This weekend, I don’t know what it was — sometimes our bigger hitters weren’t hitting, and then our ones that weren’t always our best hitters stepped up,” Krantz said. “It actually fell together. It was nice.” The team is made up of 11 players who have all contributed in some fashion to the team’s unde- feated run. La Grande has formi- dable pitchers, solid hitters and versatile players all around the field. “When you show up to play like these girls do when it’s game time, it’s great. It’s fun to watch when it all clicks,” the coach said. “Some- times it’s softball, it’s still Little League, there’s still errors, they’re learning, but every single one of 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: 5.0 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 so Miracle-Ear Service Center Miracle-Ear Service Center Candidates in other test areas have reported very positive feedback far. (ADDRESS HERE) (ADDRESS HERE) (ADDRESS HERE) We are looking for additional candidates in LA GRANDE and the surrounding areas. W (GENERAL LOCATION HERE) and the Miracle-Ear Service Center Miracle-Ear Service th, Center Miracle-Ear Service Center surrounding areas. (ADDRESS HERE) (ADDRESS HERE) (ADDRESS HERE) (DATES HERE) 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 Miracle-Ear Service Center Miracle-Ear Service Center 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 Miracle-Ear Service Center the eardrum, as other other common cause causes hearing deficiencies. (ADDRESS HERE) (ADDRESS HERE) (ADDRESS HERE) 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: July 27 2022 We have a limited supply of the GENIUS™ 5.0 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) FIELD TEST union County Special Olympics/ Contributed Photo Union County’s Alex Weissenfluh gets ready to putt on Sunday, July 17, 2022, at Stonecreek Golf Club in Oregon City during the 2022 Special Olympics Oregon Regional Golf Tournament. Weissenfluh took second place in nine-hole individual play. these girls is coachable. I’ve got girls that have played since they were 4 years old and they’re still learning. That’s a big part of win- ning is their attitude, the way they do it. They’re phenomenal. I’ve coached a lot of them a lot of years. They’re pretty good, and they’re a lot of fun.” Izabelle Martin, the team’s cap- tain, most experienced player and starting pitcher, is excited about what the team has accomplished. “I think it’s really impressive that we’re a really young team and we’ve made it this far,” she said. “I’ve never gone to regionals before, so doing it with such a young group and all these girls, it’s really good.” Krantz said the community has jumped behind this team in its run for regionals. The team had a short turnaround to get ready for the tournament, leaving Thursday, July 21, for an 18-hour drive ahead of their Saturday, July 23, opener. That has left them with just a few days to fundraise and get ready for the trip, but the backing is arriving quickly. Two gofundme. com accounts have been set up to help fund travel to Arizona, and as of late July 19, had about $5,000 raised between the two. “The support that we’ve had from the community trying to get these girls down to Arizona is actually overwhelming at times,” Krantz said. “A lot of parents, a lot of coaches are teary-eyed at some things.” Once the team arrives, La Grande opens play at 8 a.m. July 23, against Marana Little League out of Arizona, one of nine teams competing for a spot in the Little League World Series. They’ll be battling against teams from Ari- zona, Washington, California, Utah, Nevada and Alaska for that World Series bid. The champion- ship, should La Grande advance, is July 27. Krantz knows the team will face good opposition. “We’re going to see some com- petition down there that we don’t see, and that’s great for these girls,” he said. “I’m just hoping that by the end, when the dust clears, we’ve got one or two more runs than they do. Obviously the goal in our mind is to go to the World Series, which would be phe- nomenal and so much fun for these girls, but as long as we play ball and leave everything on the field every time and we keep our heads up and pick each other up, we’ll do just fine.” The key, Martin said, will be for the team to enjoy itself. 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: 22JulField 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) receive a FREE $100 Restaurant.com Gift Card* as a token AprField of our thanks. 2) AVOID WAITING – CALL AND MENTION CODE: 22JulField 18AprField! *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 gift card may be used toward the purchase of food at participating restaurants where a minimum purchase may also be required. See restaurant.com for details. Not redeemable for cash. Promotional offer available during special event dates only. † If you are not completely satisfied, the aids may be returned for a full refund within 30 days of the completion of fitting, in satisfactory condition. See store for details. 3)
