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A Dream Came True
By Aleksa Jacimovic
It was an early December
morning. I was woken up by my host
brother who ran into my room and started
pulling me out of the bed excitedly. On a
regular day I probably wouldn’t be very
happy about that, but that cold dawn on
the 31st of December turned into one of
the most amazing days I’ve had in the
United States so far.
We loaded the car and set off to
the nearby Mt. Hood for a day of skiing.
Skiing has always been my favorite
sport, and an activity I enjoyed more
than anything else. I’ve been skiing for
thirteen years now, and skiing in the U.S.
was one of my dreams. I was watching
travel shows about American mountain
resorts and picturing myself on those
steep slopes covered in sparkling white
powder. After almost three hours of
driving, we arrived to the foothills of
the highest mountain in Oregon. The
day was more than perfect for skiing. It
was sunny, cloudless and cold enough to
prevent the snow from melting. At Ski
Bowl, a ski resort we went to, there were
over 50 inches of new powder-snow that
was compressed and promising a great
february8
2011
day of skiing.
And finally the moment I was
waiting for! I’m riding the ski-lift
and checking out the surrounding runs
impatiently. Those ten or fifteen minutes
of my trip to the summit seemed like an
eternity. When I finally found myself on
the top of the mountain, I rushed down
one of the slopes, trying to compare the
feeling of skiing in the U.S. with the one
of skiing in the Alps or some of the ski
resorts in my native Serbia. My dream
came true… While I was descending,
I remembered myself as a six-year-old
who wrote a letter to Santa asking for a
plane ticket and a ski-pass for one of the
American ski resorts. It was great to hear
the wind whistling around my helmet
and goggles for the first time after April,
2010, when I went skiing last time...
Then, all of a sudden I realized
it was December 31st, the New Year’s
Eve. “It looked like Santa was really
going to grant my old wish,” I thought
and laughed loudly. And just when it
looked like it couldn’t be any better, one
of my host brothers took me to the other
side of the resort where there were almost
no people. As a cherry on the top of the
cake, that side of the mountain mostly
consists of Black diamond (expert)
slopes that give you an opportunity to
experience the best skiing, if you know
what you are doing.
It was the best New Year’s Eve
I’ve had. After a quick dinner and a cup
of hot chocolate, we greeted 2011 racing
9
down the black diamonds in America’s
largest night ski area.
Aleksa Jacimovic is a foreign
exchange student from Serbia, attending
Vernonia High School and living in
Vernonia for one year.
CCSO Animal Control Oregon Seat Belt Safety Campaign
The Columbia County single most effective way to protect must be restrained in a child safety
Helps Injured Dog
Sheriff’s Office will be participating motor vehicle occupants from seat. A child less than one year of
in the Oregon Safety Belt Campaign injury and reduce fatalities in motor age or weighing less than twenty
Recover
Blitz February 7-20, 2011.
vehicle crashes, according to the pounds must be restrained in a
With injuries to her feet that possibly came
from a boat propeller, a female Chesapeake Bay
Retriever rescued near Mayger Beach is now on the
mend.
Columbia County Animal Control officials
recovered the dog January 17 with serious wounds
to her hind feet and appearing to be undernourished.
Officials began cleansing and caring for the wounds
with the help of the Companion Animal Hospital
in Scappoose. Animal Control staff have given the
retriever the name, “Coconut”, and say she is very
compliant with the medical staff dealing with her
injuries.
Once the
dog is stable,
it is expected
she will need
to have two
of her toes
removed
for
health
reasons.
After that,
it will be
more special
treatment until she is ready for adoption. Even then,
it will require and adoptive family that can provide her
with a proper home for her full recovery.
The Columbia County Animal Control Unit
is part of the Enforcement Division of the Sheriff’s
Office, and operates with revenue from dog license
fees and donations.
If you would like more information about
“Coconut, or how to make a donation to help the
Columbia County Animal Control Shelter with the
treatment and care of injured animals, contact the
Animal Control Shelter at (503) 397-3935. The Shelter
is located at 2084 Oregon Street, St. Helens.
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Lack of belt use was a
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injured in crashes were using adult
belt systems (205 children) or were
totally unrestrained (14 children)
rather than riding in child seats
appropriate for their size. Half of
all motor vehicle occupant fatalities
were also riding completely
unrestrained. Speeding and driver
impairments were the other most
common factors causing crash
injuries.
● Oregon’s safety belt overtime
campaign is committed to reducing
traffic crash injuries and deaths
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● Thirty-one Sheriff Offices, 67
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US Department of Transportation.
● “Proper use” is required by
Oregon law and means using the
appropriate type of restraint. For
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belt system, lap belt low across
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collarbone and crossing center of
the chest. Belts should be free of
slack and lying flat with no twists or
knots. If the shoulder belt portion
of an adult safety belt rides up onto
the neck or feels uncomfortable,
comfort may be increased by
sliding the built-in adjuster up or
down or by moving seat position.
The shoulder belt should NOT be
placed under the arm or behind
the back. This can cause serious
internal injuries or ejection in a
crash. Vehicle dealers or vehicle
manufacturers’ customer service
departments can help with repair,
installation or retrofitting of safety
belts.
● CHILD RESTRAINT LAW: A
child weighing less than 40 pounds
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manufacturer’s instructions, vehicle
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Oregon Child Safety Seat Resource
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● Probably the greatest dangers
to unbelted or improperly belted
occupants are the significant
likelihood and consequences of
ejection. Unbelted or improperly
belted occupants are five times
more likely to be ejected in a crash
than one who is belted . Odds of
surviving ejection from a motor
vehicle are estimated at one in
four. This is why Oregon law also
prohibits minors from riding in an
open bed of a pickup truck, where
no restraints are available to hold
the occupants inside the vehicle.
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