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About Illinois Valley news. (Cave City, Oregon) 1937-current | View Entire Issue (June 9, 2004)
Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, OR Wednesday, June 9, 2004 Page 20 Sportsmanlike Selma siblings shine Giving your children a sporting chance is more than a statement for Selma mom Sandy Vernoy. The three children, including track-and-field standout Jon Riley, 18, have been sports partici- pants since early ages. And they enjoy the situation. Besides Jon, who graduated last week from Illinois Valley High School, there’s Erika Ri- ley, 16, who’ll be a junior at IVHS in September; and Shannon O’Grady, 14, who will be an IVHS sophomore next school year. All three enjoy com- petition and the benefits it provides in a school set- ting, such as learning and improving skills, and the friendships in engenders. Jon, who’s working this summer for Superior Lumber Co. in Canyon- ville, captured the Skyline Conference javelin cham- pionship the last two years. He was eighth at the state meet last year, and took second this year with a heave of 185 feet. He played soccer and basketball all four years at IVHS, and was on the track team for the past three. He’s a product of Selma Elementary School and Lorna Byrne Middle School (LBMS); and he played Little League base- ball as a pitcher, plus foot- ball and basketball in mid- dle school-age competi- tion. As a sophomore he began as a runner, but with his strong arm developed in baseball, quickly turned to the javelin with out- standing results. Also at state this year, he and teammates Jessie Lorentz, Mike Pagnotta LOW CARB DIETERS! ‘Steak & Fish are 0 carbs!’ Open 5 to 9 p.m. - Restaurant parking in rear 126 S. Redwood Hwy., CJ 592-4222 or 592-2892 GRANTS PASS SHOPPING CENTER- (541) 474-1060 Stores also in Medford and Roseburg The third annual Shining Stars Festival to benefit valley youth was held at Lake Selmac from Friday through Sunday, June 4- 6. The event featured nu- merous musical groups, as well as the Del Arte Interactive Community Theater, plus many other attractions and features, including fire dancers. Festival-goers had a wide range of product and food booths from which to choose. (Photos by Michelle Binker) Erika Riley and her big brother, Jon Riley and Caleb Renno took third in the 4-by-1; and third in the 4-by-4 with Pagnotta, Renno and Sam Green. In both cases they set new IVHS records. Jon wants to attend a college where he can throw the javelin and pos- sibly play basketball. For fun he enjoys playing com- puter games and hanging out with friends, although being busy with sports leaves him not a lot of time for too much of that. He’d like a career in computer science. Erika also has gone through Evergreen and LBMS. “I’ve played soft- ball since the third grade at Selma Elementary,” she said. And she participated on basketball and volley teams at LBMS. At IVHS she began with volleyball and basket- ball, then to softball. “I like softball the best,” said Erika, who played short- stop on the team that this year took second place in the Skyline Conference; fourth last year. Plus this year the team went to the quarterfinals in state com- petition. “We all get along great,” she said of her teammates, noting that the team lost only three sen- iors to graduation this year. She’s currently playing for the S. Medford Panthers in a summer league. Erika was named to the Skyline All- Conference Second Team this year. Last year she received a Skyline honor- able mention; and was named Rookie of the Year in ratings sponsored by Gatorade. She enjoys hanging with friends and wants to stick with sports. “I want to see where softball can take me in college,” she said, “and I have thoughts about pediatrics.” Shannon took first place at a multischool track-and-field meet this year in Cave Junction. She’s also a cheerleader. Plus she’s played football, basketball and track. “It’s a family thing to stay in sports and stay out of trouble,” noted Vernoy, an I.V. firefighter assigned to the Selma station.