Columbia Gorge News
www.columbiagorgenews.com
Wednesday,April21,2021
13
SPORTS
Seven win championships
at freeski regional event
Seven Gorge area athletes
were gold medalists at the
April 8-11 USA Snowboard
and Freeski Association
Pacific Northwest Regional
Championships at Mount
Hood Meadows.
The four-day competition
was the culmination of win-
ter freeski and snowboarding
events and drew 128 com-
petitors from throughout the
Northwest and Alaska. They
qualified with their placing at
a series of eight competitions
that were held this winter.
The event was interrupted by
high winds, which prevented
Meadows from opening on
April 10. The halfpipe was
shifted to the following day,
when competitors in that dis-
cipline and rail jam enjoyed
calm, sunny weather.
“Going into regionals, the
athletes knew the runs they
wanted to put down,” said
Joe Johnson, freeride coach
for Cooper Spur Alpine
Team. “They had practiced
and prepared all season long,
especially the weeks leading
up to regionals. Trying new
tricks, perfecting old ones,
and figuring out what they
wanted to do in their compe-
tition runs was the focus.”
Regional champions in-
cluded White Salmon’s Riley
Eichner, 12, who placed first
in snowboard boardercross
in the girls age 11-12 with
1,050 points. Emily Durow,
7, of The Dalles was first in
snowboard boardercross
for age 7-8 girls with 1,030
points. Durow added silver
medals in slopestyle and
halfpipe and won bronze in
rail jam.
Kegan Lockwood scored
1,100 points in the final day’s
freeski rail jam, improvising
for a championship perfor-
mance in boys age 11-14.
“I’m happy with what my
runs were, and it was fun to
compete against other skiers
from around the Northwest,”
Lockwood said. “I picked
tricks that I knew I could
land but added switching up
tricks on different rails and
sliding unnatural.”
Coach Johnson said:
“Kegan had a huge variety
of tricks spinning both to
the left and right and skiing
switch and forward. He skied
with great consistency and
landed several solid runs,
which earned him the top
spot in a field of 12 boys.”
Kellan Lockwood won
the regional title in boys age
7-10 freeski rail jam with
1,040 points. He also was
Riverhawk girls
adjusts to tough
competition
“Ittakesatremendousamountof
couragetogetoutthere,
oftenbyyourself,
neverhavingplayed
avarsitymatch.
Coach Debbie Jones
Kellan Lockwood, above left, and Emily Durow compete at the USA Snowboard and Freeski Association Pacific
Northwest Regional Championships at Mount Hood Meadows.
Contributed photos
silver medalist in slopestyle,
skier cross and half pipe.
He said some pre-competi-
tion preparation helped his
performance. “I spent a lot of
time on the rails night skiing
and hiking the trails with my
coaches, working on swaps
and spins out,” he said. “I
had a lot more competitors
in my age group this year and
it pushed me to do harder
tricks.”
Hood River’s Matt
Picchiottino, ranked third
in the nation, won the
Snowboard Legend division
for men age 40-49 with 1,010
points.
The Snowboard Rascal
winner for girls age 6 and
younger was White Salmon’s
Avery Eichner. Seth Ingersoll
of Hood River won the
boys age 7-8 Snowboard
Ruggie halfpipe competi-
tion with 1,010 points and
also was bronze medalist in
boardercross.
The regional champion-
ship was held in lieu of the
USASA Nationals, which
were canceled because of
the COVID-19 pandem-
ic. “The PNW Regional
Championships was a way
for us to celebrate the season
and the efforts of so many
young athletes who worked
so hard this year,” said Mike
Mallon, USASA executive
director. “While it was im-
possible to host our USASA
National Championships
… we felt a smaller regional
model would serve a similar
purpose. Meadows was an
amazing host for all four
events.”
2021 PNW Regional
Championships
Boardercross and Ski Cross
April 8-11, Mt. Hood
Meadows
April 8, Boardercross,
Gorge results:
Snowboard Grommet (9-
10) Girls: 2. Lydia Ingersoll,
Hood River, 930 points.
Snowboard Menehune (11-
12) Girls: 1. Riley Eichner,
White Salmon, 1050 points.
Snowboard Ruggie (7-8)
Girls: 1. Emily Durow, The
Dalles, 1030 points. Freeski
Breaker (13-14) Boys: 5.
Keegan Lockwood, Mount
Hood, 730 points. Freeski
Grommet (9-10) Boys: 2.
Kellan Lockwood, Mount
Hood, 930 points. Freeski
Menehune (11-12) Boys: 3.
Watou Pfriem, Hood River,
830 points. Snowboard
Grommet (9-10) Boys: 3.
Emmett Durow, The Dalles,
850 points; 5. Isiah Ingersoll,
Hood River, 730 points;
DNF Lukas Mayo, Mosier.
Snowboard Legend (40-49)
Men: 1. Matt Picchiottino,
Hood River, 1010 points.
Snowboard Menehune (11-
12) Boys: 3. Caleb Ingersoll,
Hood River, 860. Snowboard
Rascal (6 & under) Boys: 2.
Jonah Ingersoll, Hood River.
Snowboard Ruggie (7-8)
Boys: 3. Seth Ingersoll, Hood
River, 820 points.
April 9, Slopestyle, Gorge
results:
Snowboard Ruggie (7-8)
Girls: 3. Emily Durow, The
Dalles, 810 points. Freeski
Grommet (9-10) Girls: 4.
Kayla Friberg, Parkdale, 760
points. Freeski Grommet
(9-10) Boys: 2. Kellan
Lockwood, Mount Hood, 930
points. Freeski Menehune
(11-12) Boys: 6. Jack Friberg,
Parkdale, 670 points; 7.
Watou Pfriem, Hood River,
610 points. Freeski break-
er (13-14) Boys: 2. Anders
Chapman, Hood River, 980
points; 6. Kegan Lockwood,
Mt. Hood, 690 points; 9. Jack
Jack Burton, Hood River, 510
points.
April 11, Halfpipe, Gorge
results:
Snowboard Rascal (6
& under) Girls: 1. Avery
Eichner, White Salmon.
Snowboard Rascal (6 & un-
der) Boys: 2. Jonah Ingersoll,
Hood River. Snowboard
Ruggie (7-8) Girls: 2. Emily
Durow, The Dalles, 910
points. Snowboard Ruggie
(7-8) Boys: 1. Seth Ingersoll,
Hood River, 1010 points.
Snowboard Grommet (9-10)
Girls: 4. Lydia Ingersoll,
Hood River, 760 points.
Snowboard Grommet (9-10)
Boys: 3. Isiah Ingersoll, Hood
River, 820 points. Freestyle
Grommet (9-10) Girls: 4.
Kayla Friberg, Parkdale, 760
points. Freeski Grommet
(9-10) Boys: 2. Kellan
Lockwood, Mount Hood,
930 points. Snowboard
Menehune (11-12) Girls: 4.
Riley Eichner, White Salmon,
760 points. Snowboard
Menehune (11-12) Boys:
3. Caleb Ingersoll, Hood
River, 820 points. Freestyle
Menehune (11-12) Boys: 2.
Jack Friberg, Parkdale, 930
points. Freestyle Breaker
(13-14) Boys: 3. Kegan
Lockwood, Mt. Hood, 820
points.
April 11, Rail Jam, Gorge
results
Snowboard (6 & Under)
Boys: 2. Jonah Ingersoll,
Hood River. Snowboard
(7-10) Boys: 8. Seth Ingersoll,
Hood River, 570 points; 9.
Isaiah Ingersoll, Hood River,
510 points. Snowboard (7-
10) Girls: 2. Lydia Ingersoll,
Hood River, 930 points; 3.
Emily Durow, The Dalles,
820 points. Freeski (7-10)
Boys: 1. Kellan Lockwood,
Mt. Hood, 1,040 points.
Snowboard (11-14) Boys: 4.
Caleb Ingersoll, Hood River,
800 points. Freeski (11-14)
Boys: 1. Kegan Lockwood,
Mt. Hood, 1,100 points; 3.
Anders Chapman, Hood
River, 880 points; 6. Jack
Jack Burton, Hood River, 700
points.
Brandon Risley
■ For By Columbia
Gorge News
Under a beautiful week of
weather, The Dalles’ young
girls tennis team began its
season with home losses to
Redmond and Ridgeview
by identical 7-1 scores.
But there were plenty of
positives starting with the
Riverhawk No. 1 doubles
team of Addison Little and
Diana Flores Garcia, who
won both their matches.
“One of our biggest
surprises of the season
so far has been the play
of these girls,” said head
Coach Debby Jones. “They
do not hit as hard as their
opponents, but they play
smarter. They are consistent
and willing to think strategy
instead of just hitting the
ball as hard as they can.”
Jones, who has been
coaching the team for
nearly a decade, likens it to
a family when asked about
the program. “Within our
program we have a culture
of community and family,”
Jones said. “We want to
always help the girls feel a
part of that. I played for The
Dalles and continue to give
back. Chelsea, our assis-
tant coach’s mother, Kathy
Gay, played for The Dalles
and coached as well as her
father, Peter. Chelsea played
for The Dalles and coaches
now. We are a part of a
sisterhood that has contin-
ued for over a half a century
thanks to our founder Roy
Taylor.”
Even with such a strong
support system within the
team, the pandemic has
still made things difficult,
especially for spring sports.
The Riverhawks had two
weeks of practice before the
cancellation of high school
sports in March 2020. “Our
mindset definitely had to
change after the season
was canceled last year,”
said Jones. “We were the
defending district champs
and with 11 seniors, we were
making a strong case to go
back-to-back.”
With so much of the team
moving on after the year off,
the Riverhawks find them-
selves in a bit of rebuilding
phase. Even though this
year’s team is less experi-
enced than previous seasons,
Jones still has an optimistic
outlook going forward.
“We definitely are not the
strongest team but see this
as an opportunity to build
towards the next two years,”
said Jones. “I am very pleased
with the attitude and effort of
the girls. We have 16 enthusi-
astic players who are putting
in the work to improve.”
Jones said one senior, in
particular, has stepped up
as a leader amid the team’s
turnover the past couple
of years. “We do have one
standout player in Hannah
Biehn,” Jones said. “Hannah
is definitely our leader in atti-
tude, effort and skill level.”
While their opening
matches did not go exactly as
they wished, Jones remained
positive about the effort her
players put forward. “The first
two matches have been eye
openers,” she said. “I am very
proud of the quick progress
that is being made even
though we have a long way
to go to get where we really
want to be. That is probably
what I am the most proud of.
“It takes a tremendous
amount of courage to get
out there, often by yourself,
never having played a varsity
match. You have nowhere to
hide. No one can sub in for
you. The sun is going to be in
your eyes, the wind will blow,
and you just might double
fault your entire service game
away, but they still stay out
there, learning and growing
with a smile and fierceness
to their effort. Yep, I’m proud
of them.”
Experienced Mnt. View sweeps young Riverhawk baseball team
Weber
■ By For Mike
Columbia Gorge News
“I told the kids after the
game that it’s not about wins
and losses, but it’s about
how much we improve from
Playing for the first time
game to game, so we should
in nearly two years, The
be a better baseball team
Dalles High Riverhawk
on Tuesday than we were
baseball team held its 2021
season opener Saturday in a today,” said Sugg about the
Riverhawks’ next contest (re-
nonleague matchup versus
the Mountain View Cougars sults came after the printed
of Bend. The more experi-
edition deadline). “Each day
we just have to get better and
enced Cougars - with two
better and I just want to see
seniors and eight juniors
improvement from game to
- proved to be a very formi-
game. At the end of this six-
dable opponent against a
young Riverhawk squad that week season, we should be a
pretty good baseball team.”
includes 10 freshmen and
Mountain View continued
no seniors. The Cougars won
both games, 19-1 and 16-0, at pounding hits (nine total)
and capitalized on The Dalles
Quinton Street Ballpark.
“A lot of these kids haven’t mistakes (eight errors) and
played baseball in two years added five runs in the third
and four in the fifth for the
and it definitely looked like
final margin. The Dalles
it at times today with all the
sophomore Braden Schwartz
mistakes we made,” said
started on the mound and
Coach Steve Sugg, whose
he had three strikeouts and
assistant coaches include
allowed three hits. He was
the father-and-son duo of
followed on the mound by
Ed and Bailey Ortega, the
latter a 2016 The Dalles High freshmen relief pitchers Sam
graduate. “This is the young- Shaver and William Lee, who
pitched the third, fourth and
est team I’ve ever had, so
there were lots of young kids fifth innings.
“It’s really nice to be out
playing their first game and
here playing again, especial-
they were probably a little
nervous. As young as we are, ly since we lost the whole
we should still be more com- season of our freshman year
last season,” said Schwartz.
petitive, and we shouldn’t
“There was a lot of errors
have 10-run games.”
and we had way too many
In Game 1, the Cougars
of those, but we have a lot
jumped in front 3-0 in the
first inning and then got sev- more games to play, so we’ll
en in the second. The Dalles improve and get better. I
think we can definitely get
came back in bottom of the
frame and scored a run on an to where we need to be by
RBI double by junior William practicing more and playing
more games.”
Hoover (1-for-2), which
For Schwartz and soph-
helped the Riverhawks avoid
a shutout and make it 10-1.
omores Riley Brock, Evan
Hoover, freshman William
Baldy, Diego Gonzales and
Lee (1-for-1, single) and
Hedges, it marked the first
sophomore Nathan Hedges
game of their The Dalles High
(1-2, double) had the only
School baseball career since
hits for The Dalles.
their freshman season last
year was canceled because of
the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I’m just really glad to be
out here playing, because it’s
been a long time since we
played a high school baseball
game,” said Gonzales, a cen-
ter fielder who had the only
hit for The Dalles in Game 2
with a second-inning single.
“It felt good to get a hit and I
just saw a pitch that I felt like
I could drive and that’s what
I did. We have lots of room
for improvement, but it’s
going to take time since we’re
such a young team and we
have lots of stuff to work on.
There’s nothing on the line,
such as playoffs or anything
like that so this just gives us a
chance to improve through-
out the season.”
Mountain View led 2-0
going into the top of the third
inning, but then the Cougars
got things rolling offensively
(11 total hits), aided by six
total Riverhawk errors.
The Dalles will try to
bounce back Saturday at
home in an 11 a.m. contest
in a Class 5A Intermountain
Conference game versus the
Ridgeview Ravens (1-1). A
second contest of the dou-
bleheader follows at 3 p.m.
against Mountain View. The
15-game schedule continues
with The Dalles playing the
defending (2019) IMC cham-
pion Pendleton Buckaroos at
home April 27 at 4:30 p.m.
Find an online photo
gallery from Friday's game at
columbiagorgenews.com.
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The Dalles' baseman Cooper Klindt, left, just misses getting the
tag on Mountain View's Connor Zook during the first game of
Saturday's double header played in The Dalles.