Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, Ore. Wednesday, August 16, 2017
Page A-3
Sports
Sauer competes in Enduro World Series in Aspen
Jason McMillen
IVN Contributing Writer
Gary
Sauer, a member of a prominent family in
the area, recently raced in the 6th round of
the Enduro World Series in Aspen, Colorado
July 29 after being picked via lottery back
in January. He raced in the master’s 40 class
and finished 35th out of 50 in his age group;
an impressive feat considering he’s only
been mountain biking for four years. Sauer
said that the race featured the most intense
trails he’s ever ridden.
In addition to world-class difficulty,
the event took place at around 12,000 feet
of elevation—high enough to make the race
even more physically demanding with the
relative scarcity of oxygen and potential
altitude sickness. “It was hardcore,” Sauer
said, adding that the race was over 30 miles
long. At home, the highest trail that is easily
accessible to him is around 7,000 feet. To
get used to the elevation prior to the race, he
left town a week early to practice.
While he was there, aspirin was part of
his daily routine because it has been proven
to help with certain side effects and dangers
from a sudden increase in altitude coupled
with vigorous exercise. Staying hydrated
was also a focus of his routine because, at
high elevation, the body expends water at a
faster pace than usual.
Sauer picked up mountain biking after
successfully being 30 days clean off of
methamphetamine. After having taken his
bike out a few times he decided to volunteer
to help out a race in Ashland to check out
the scene, the people and to generally see
what it was all about. Soon thereafter, he
got an email back from the race holders
asking if he would like to participate in the
beginner’s race if given a free ticket. Sauer
accepted without hesitation, camped out and
got second place. Although he was already
very much into mountain biking the moment
he bought a bike and took it out for the first
time, he fell in love with it after the race.
“It saved my life; that’s the way I look
at it,” Sauer admitted, inferring that it has
taken the place of his former drug habit.
Currently, his equipment is sponsored by
Unreal Cycles, a business out of Central
Point. His next race is on Aug. 26 in Bend,
Oregon.
To support and encourage others in
the community to pick up the sport, Sauer
is working toward cleaning up the old
trails around Page Mountain Snow Park;
trails that were first blazed by Jim Heern, a
former coach at Illinois Valley High School.
So far, Sauer, Heern, Sam Greenwood and
the Forest Service have all volunteered to
clean up the trails. “Mountain biking is
super fun and I think that it could grow
in the community of Cave Junction. The
population’s growing around here. There’s
got to be some activities for the town,”
Sauer said. However, at this time, there is no
firm schedule or deadline for the clean-up.
To further engage the community,
Sauer has created a Facebook page in an
attempt to organize group rides that aim
to accommodate people of all skill levels.
Those who wish to join or inquire can find
the page by searching for CJ DIRT Mountain
Bikers.
(Courtesy photo for The Illinois Valley News)
Gary Sauer tackled a 30 mile race at 12,000 feet elevation in Aspen.
I.V. Little League wraps up season with girls competing at state
Jason McMillen
IVN Contributing Writer
The Illinois Valley Little League wrapped
up their season last month with the honor of
sending the junior girls’ softball team to the
state competition but, despite this triumph,
they continue to suffer from rampant theft
of equipment and a shortage of volunteer
umpires. Unfortunately, the team did not place
but showed great skill and prowess simply by
making it that far. The same group of girls, this
year in eighth and ninth grade, also made it to
state last year.
First and foremost, Shelly Davis, board
president, said that the league’s equipment
shed is being broken into on a somewhat
regular basis and, because of it, some of the
gear necessary for the children to play ball
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has been repeatedly hauled away. However,
the league quickly learned not to put anything
of value in the shed because of the crime’s
frequency. Most recently, in January, the
suspects gained entry by cutting a hole in the
wall, presumably because it was easier than
gaining entry through the locked door. Davis
reported that most of the crime perpetrated
against the Little League happens in the
offseason.
The most fiscally damaging theft so
far included a quad that was stolen a couple
seasons ago. Although it was later returned
to the league by a community member who
recognized and repossessed it, the vehicle had
been totaled. After a television news story was
aired on the subject, a kind patron replaced it
with a donation.
Perhaps the most aggravating instance
of criminal activity in Davis’ recent memory
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was the senseless destruction of the league’s
then new score board. “All these years we’ve
never had a score board,” Davis said, “We got
to use it for a couple of games and when they
broke in they just beat it up. They didn’t take
it or sell it or anything.” Without fail, every
time the shed has been broken into the burglars
have stolen the league’s first aid supplies.
Davis has no theory as to why that item is of
interest to them.
Not limiting themselves to breaking
down walls, stealing the Little League’s
equipment and acts of senseless destruction,
the thieves also make it a regular habit to
steal banners, shade cloth and, once, even an
American flag.“They take everything. It’s
ridiculous,” Davis said, further adding that
she’s perplexed as to what the stolen banners
could possibly be being used for. Every time
the league has installed shade cloth above the
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dugouts, it’s cut down and stolen in a matter of
days. Davis estimated that banners and shade
cloth are stolen at least a half a dozen times
every season.
The shortage of umpires is theorized
to be the result of the general decline in
volunteerism seen across the United States and
that the frequency of rude and unruly game
goers who heckle their decisions have steadily
increased over the years.
The Illinois Valley Little League
organizes some 150 children aged four to
18 into 10 teams with an average of two to
three coaches per team. They begin practicing
in April for their first game in June and the
season ends, for the players, in July. In the
adult league, there are 10 teams with 12 to 15
players on each team and their season goes
until the end of August.
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