Vernonia's voice. (Vernonia, OR) 2007-current, January 05, 2010, Page 11, Image 11

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    schools
VHS Winter Sports Report
December  is  tournament  time 
for Basketball and Wrestling at Vernonia 
High School.  The Boys and Girls Bas-
ketball teams both traveled to participate 
in  the  Santiam  Holiday  Tournament  on 
December 28-30. The Loggers Wrestlers 
competed  in  five  different  tournaments 
before the end of the calendar year, and 
have  three  first  place  finishes  to  show 
for  their  hard  work.    Here  is  an  update 
on  what  is  happening  with  each  of  the 
teams so far this season.
Girls Basketball-The Lady Loggers are 
off to a solid start this season and head 
into the new year and league play with 
an 7-4 record.  Coach Whiteman’s girls 
are coming off an impressive showing at 
the Santiam Holiday Tournament, where 
they  finished  2-1  and  came  home  with 
the  Consolation  Bracket  Trophy.   After 
losing  the  opener  to  host  Santiam  40-
37, the girls fought back and won their 
second two games--against Amity 42-38 
and  over  Central  Linn  41-28--and  take 
fourth place in the eight team tourney.
Whiteman, which is big part of this sea-
sons early success.   He also credits a te-
nacious defense.  “We have some tough 
girls this year,” says Whiteman.
 
That  faster,  up-tempo  and  ag-
gressive  offense  has  also  been  exciting 
to watch.  “Run and Gun is a fun style,” 
says  Whiteman.    “The  kids  love  it  and 
the fans like it.  We have kids who will 
fly across the floor and go into the stands 
after the ball.  And as a group they have 
really come together nicely.” 
 
He  also  has  a  new  addition  to 
this  years  team  who  has  made  a  differ-
ence.    “Margot  (foreign  exchange  stu-
dent,  Cormier)  provides  the  X  factor,” 
says Whiteman.  “When you have a tall 
guard  like  Margo,  it  really  causes  the 
other team a lot of headaches.” 
 
With  a  nice  mix  of  seniors  and 
underclassmen,  most  with  past  varsity 
experience, Whiteman has high expecta-
tions  for  this  years  team.    “These  girls 
just  keep  going  after  the  other  team,” 
says Whiteman.    “Every  game  we  play 
after the New Year should be exciting.”
Boys Basketball-Coach 
Ted  Aubin’s  Boys  have 
struggled  at  the  start  of 
the  season,  with  a  2-6 
record before heading to 
the Santiam Tournament 
where  the  team  contin-
ued  it’s  struggles.  But 
Aubin  is  still  encour-
aged  and  hopes  to  turn 
the  season  around  once 
the  Loggers  start  league 
play.    “Our  record  is  a 
The Vernonia High School Girls Basketball team with their  little  misleading,”  says 
consolation trophy from the Santiam Holiday Tournament. Aubin.  “With the excep-
 
Whiteman  is  looking  forward  tion of a couple of games, we are not get-
to  the  start  of  league  play.    After  only  ting  blown  out.  We’re very close.  We 
winning  four  games  during  the  whole  just need a little better offensive execu-
season  last  year,  this  year’s  team  is  al- tion and little bit more defensive inten-
ready  way  ahead  of  last  years  accom- sity.”
plishments.    “Our  league,  the  Lewis   
Aubin is working with a young 
and Clark League is a really good girls  team,  which  has  played  a  part  in  some 
basketball  league,  “  says    Whiteman.  tough, close loses.  “We are very  inex-
“We’re scoring so many more points this  perienced when it comes to varsity expe-
year compared to last year and the year  rience,”  says Aubin.    “Only  two  of  our 
before, that we think we’re going to be  players from last years team played a lot 
much more competitive.”
of varsity minutes.  I think as the season 
 
Playing  more  fast  paced  style,   goes  on  we’ll  become  better  offensive-
Whiteman is getting points from a vari- ly.”
ety of sources with three girls, Adrienne   
Senior  Brandon  Gilbertson  is 
East, Ariel Rock and Margot Cormier, all  the leading scorer and rebounder.  Senior 
averaging  around  ten  points  per  game.  Chris Bamburg is playing a lot of min-
He is also getting solid play from senior  utes at the guard spot and sophomore is 
guards  Katie  Wilson  and  Ivory  Garry- Craig Weller is emerging as a top scorer 
more, and underclassman Megan Rock,  on the team. “We really like his progres-
and good post play form his rotation of   sion,”  says  Aubin,  of  Weller.    Foreign 
Genesis Castro, Mickell Maller, Chelsea  exchange student Petr Jiranek has prov-
Johnson, and Kim Allen.  
en to be a strong defensive force.  “That  
 
“We’re  bigger,  taller  and  stron- takes  a  lot  of  pressure  off  some  of  the 
ger  at  the  post  position  this  year,”  says  other guys,” says Aubin.  
A Vernonia Christmas Story
 
The winning raffle ticket for the 
VHS Junior Class firewood raffle was an 
elderly  man  from  Vernonia  who  unfor-
tunately, due to an accident a few years 
back, had his leg amputated and is now 
in a wheelchair.  The name on the ticket 
was  familiar  to  me  when  it  was  drawn.  
When we delivered the wood on Sunday, 
December  20th  to Al  Hillsbery,  he  told 
me that his friend had  bought  the ticket 
for him.  I instantly remembered selling 
that  ticket  to  another  elderly  gentleman 
during the holiday bazaar.  He told me he 
was buying the ticket for his friend who 
needed the wood.  Al’s good friend that 
bought the ticket for him was Gordon 
Faulkner, who tragically passed away on 
December  10th  while  working  on  bro-
ken pipes at his home during very severe 
cold weather in Vernonia.  When Al told 
me this, I had to hold back a tear.  Talk 
about  a  heart-wrenching/heart-warming 
story all in one.  As I was standing there 
watching  the  kids  unload  the  wood  and 
seeing Al in his wheelchair with his dog 
on his lap watching them, I felt as though 
I’d  witnessed  my  own  little  Christmas 
miracle.  It sure made all the hard work 
worth it.
This story was sent our way from
someone who works for the Vernonia
Schools.
january 5
2010
11
 
“We’re  going 
to  have  to  do 
some  things 
this  year  we 
haven’t  done 
before,”  says 
Aubin.  “We’re 
going  to  prob-
ably play more 
zone  defense 
as  we  get  into  The VHS Wrestling team shows off a couple of first place trophies the 
league  play.   team has won this season during tournaments in December.
The 
teams 
we’re going to be playing are more ath- vidually  by  team  captains  Joe  Benes  at 
152  and  145  pounds,  Calvin  Barnes  at 
letic.”
 
Aubin  has  also  been  experi- 145  pounds,  and  Cody  Cowles  at  152 
menting  on  offense,  which  has  led  to  pounds, along with Shylo Dooley at 130 
some early season difficulties.    “We’re  and 125 pounds.  All four of those wres-
trying a new offense this year,”  said Au- tlers have taken first place at least twice 
in tournaments this year. Also wrestling 
bin. 
 
“I  think  we’re  really  close  to  strong early this season are Tyler Young 
winning games,” says Aubin.  “Our kids  and Alex Barber. 
Coach  James  Brookins  has  a 
are competing and they’re not giving up   
young 
but 
experienced  team,  with  only 
and that’s a real positive thing for them.  
five seniors, but four returning wrestlers 
If we start to execute, I think we have a 
chance to win every night.  I think we’re  who  qualified  for  the  state  tournament 
going to be tough to beat in our league,  last year.   The team appears deep in the 
especially by the end of the year.  Teams  middle weights, and not as strong at the 
are going to have to play their best game  upper and lower weights this season.
 
The  coaches  attribute  a  middle 
to beat us.” 
school  program  to  helping  build  depth 
Wrestling-The  Vernonia  Wrestling  and a large turnout of competitors for the 
Team  has  shown  it’s  ready  to  compete  team.  They are also planning to restart 
this  year,  with  some  strong  individual  their  “Mat  Pack  “  program  for  K-5th 
performances  and  some  excellent  team  graders--a chance to come out two days 
finishes  through  the  early  tournament  a  week  for  an  hour  and  get  the  young-
sters  exposed  to  wrestling  at  a  young 
part of their schedule.
 
The  Loggers  have  three  team  age.   
Upcoming  schedule  highlights 
first  place  finishes--at  the  Banks,  Am-  
include 
the  Clatskanie  Tournament  on 
ity  and  Neah-Kah-Nie  Tournaments,  to 
January 16th, the Vernonia three-way at 
go  along  with  a  second  at  Gervais  and 
a  fourth  place  finish  at  the  Harrisburg  home on January 22nd, a league match 
in Rainier on January 28th, and a home 
Tournament.  
 
The  team  has  been  led  indi- league match on February 4th.
Sometimes
the safest place
to be is right
where you are.
During a hazardous material accident or an
attack, officials may ask you to “shelter-in-place”.
Basically, it means stay right where you are. But
there are many ways to make sure you are as safe
as possible when this happens.
Many businesses, schools and other public facili-
ties have shelter plans to support anyone in the
building at the time an emergency is declared.
Columbia 9-1-1 urges you to be prepared to
shelter-in-place within your own home as well.
First, choose a room that will be your shelter,
ideally one with as few windows and doors as
possible. A water supply is useful too. Assemble
a 72-hour disaster supply kit that includes water,
food, clothing and other emergency supplies.
Finally, develop your own family emergency plan,
and practice it regularly.
If you are told to shelter-in-place, act quickly.
Bring children and pets inside and lock all doors
and windows. Turn off any heating, air or ventila-
tion system. You may be asked to seal off your
shelter room with plastic sheeting and duct tape.
For detailed information about doing this, go to
www.ready.gov. Do not go outside until you hear
a report that all is clear. Listen to the radio, or if
you have power, rely on the internet for updates.
Your family may not all be in the same place
when it’s time to shelter-in-place. If they are in a
school or at work, they will be sheltered there. As
difficult as it may be, do not go search for them.
If you don’t know where they are and cannot
make contact with them, call our non-emergency
number, (503) 397-1521, or 1-800-696-7795.
Thinking about a disaster can be stressful, but
planning ahead can make a big difference. It may
also help to remember that Columbia 9-1-1 will be
assisting emergency personnel around the clock
to keep everyone in our communities safe. We ask
for your help in keeping the emergency phone
lines clear—only call 9-1-1 for life-threatening
emergencies. For more detailed information about
shelter-in-place planning, visit www.redcross.org
or www.ready.gov.
Columbia 9-1-1
Communications District.
Always there.
P.O. Box 998 St. Helens, OR 97051
Administrative Office: (503) 397-7255 Non-emergency Dispatch: (503) 397-1521 1-800-696-7795
www.columbia911.com