Section
SANDY. OREGON THURSDAY JULY 10 1980
The Srindy Post
Sports
and Recreation
Sports events
slated during
the festival
Jim Smith of Gresham enjoys a leisurely day of fishing in the sun at Trillium Lake on the slopes of Mt. Hood.
Trillium the spot for lazy fishermen
The fish weren’t biting much at
T rillium Ixike, Monday, yet no one
seemed to be complaining very
much.
It's hard to be in a bad mood at a
place like that.
T rillium Ixike is in a postcard
setting just beneath the slopes of Mt.
Hood. The lake is about four miles
past the turnoff to Timberline Lodge
— two miles down Highway 26 and
two more on a side road.
On just about any summer day,
even a cloudy one, there will be
people fishing at Trillium , named
after the flowers which dot the
landscape. Most of the time they
won’t catch much, or if they do, it
will be fresh out of the hatchery and
not very big. T rillium Lake is fairly
shallow and doesn’t appear to be
able to hold the 10 and 15-pounders
that Lost Ixike or Timothy Lake may
contain.
Jim Sm ith drove up from
Gresham for the day and hadn’t had
a bite. He said he had tried “ just
about everything but worms,’’ and
nothing seemed to work. Other
people were using worms and
having no better luck. Most of these
people were dc.?jng in the sun.
A few rubber rafts and canoes
paddled across the lake. Motor boats
are not allowed.
There is a campground at T rillium
Ixike for those who need more than a
day’s vacation. It is now open and
the snow is completely gone from
the area (snow level is at ap
proximately 5.000 feet). The camp
ground cost $3 each night.
Several trails originate from the
T rillium Ixike area just as many
cross country ski trails crisscross
the area in the winter. Trail maps
are available at the Ranger Station
in Zigzag. T he road to T rillium Lake
is in good condition and casual
bicyclist have been known to explore
the area.
Later in the summer, the T rillium
Lake area is one of the best
huckleberry picking spots around
Mt. Hood. Huckleberries are usually
ready for picking in August.
A number of small, Forest Service
roads meander through the country
surrounding T rillium Ixike. Some
are old logging roads and some lead
to trails, campgrounds and other
recreation spots, such as Veda Lake.
A variety of wildlife can be found
near T rillium — if one leaves the
main road. Rabbits, deer, squirrels
and an occasional bear can be seen
on the ground while several species
of birds patrol the air. Hawks, owls
and other predators are fairly
common to the area.
Flower lovers have their best luck
in the spring, right after the snow
has melted. A number of wild
m ountain flow ers, as w ell as
rhododendrons and, of course,
trillium s can be found.
Maps and information about all
facets of the T rillium I^ike area can
be found at the Zigzag Ranger
Station.
But regardless of the hobby,
otudoor recreationalists are certain
to find T rillium I^ k e a nice place to
spend a summer day. Even if the
fish aren’t biting.
Swan song of pro track
came on Mt. Hood field
There was almost as much action in
courts of law during the Olympic Trials
as there was on the track as former
professional track stars battled to win a
place to compete against the amateurs
At the center of the controversy was
the defunct International Track
Association, a pro circuit that folded its
Port-a-Pit for the final time on a rainy
evening m Gresham four years ago.
The ITA was the brainchild of Mike
O'Hara, a sports entrepreneur who had
been previously involved
with
professional volleyball. O’Hara was
convinced pro track was a coming
entity and that given the proper
promotion and direction, the ITA could
become a major sport, surpassing its
amateur counterpart.
At first it seemed like a can’t-miss
proposition With backing first from a
breakfast cereal company and then
from other corporate entities. O’Hara
signed up such athletes as Kenyan
distance runner Ben Jipcho, pole
vaulters Bob Seagren and Steve Smith,
shotputter Brian Oldfield and hurdler
Rod Milburn. The idea was for a solid
nucleus of top athletes to build around
with top amateurs joining up later.
A fter two unmemorable indoor
seasons. ITA took its act outdoors in the
summer of 1976 One of the meets on its
tour was scheduled for Portland, but by
the time the tour arrived, it was on
shaky financial footing
“ Oregon is kind of a hotbed for
track,” said Jim Puckett of Mt. Hood
Community College, which ended up
hosting the ITA meet. “ It was their first
year outside and they had a whole
series of meets planned We had the
only place in the Portland area that
would hold at least 4,(DO people.’’
And so ITA made its fateful journey
to Gresham Puckett remembers the
date clearly “ It was Aug 25,” he said
“ We decided to schedule it then
because we figured it wouldn't rain in
August.”
But rain it did, holding the crowd
down to about 1,500 and making con
ditions virtually impossible. Oldfield,
the lone shot competitor, had flung the
16-pound ball a world-record 75 feet
weeks e a rlie r. On this occasion,
however, he not only failed to approach
that mark but was disqualified for
spinning out of the circle, unable to
maintain his footing on the rain-slicked
surface.
Seagren was absent but Smith went
out of the pole vault on the opening
height of 16-0 Ed Lipscomb, who had
once competed for Reynolds High
School, won the event at 16-6.
Milburn ran a 13.62 in the high hur
dles and high jumper John Raditch took
that event with a leap of 7-0 between
passes of a squeegee on the high jump
approach.
At the conclusion of the meet, O’Hara
announced that the Gresham meet
would be the final ITA competition of
the season. I^ater meets in Minneapolis,
Cleveland and Boston were cancelled
due to lack of financing and although
O’Hara was confident the ITA would be
back the following year, it never put on
another meet
“ The problem with pro track then
was that they took a small group of
athletes and had them competing over
a period of tune,” said Puckett “ They
had the same people competiting
against each other all the time The
guys weren’t getting paid enough and
their times weren’t as good as a let of
amateur athletes
The athletes themselves were left out
in the cold. They couldn't go back to
amateur status immediately anCjhere
was no longer a pro circuit For s tme it
was the end of their track career.
The sporting world seems to slow
down in the summer, but fishermen and
baseball players are going to get some
company this week. The Sandy
Mountain Festival has a full slate of
sporting activities scheduled.
A lready, scores of people have
competed in Tuesday’s Bike Derby and
the Choker Softball game held
Wednesday. Those were ju s t the
beginning.
Also on tap are the Barlow T rail Long
Rifle Shoot, the (Almost) 10-Kilometer
Run and the Bed Race.
The road run is scheduled to begin at
9 a m. Saturday. The event began last
year on a course that didn’t quite
measure 10 kilometers (a little more
than six miles) and the (Almost) tag
was added. The same is true this year.
The course w ill begin at Camera
Connection on Pioneer Boulevard,
sponsors of the event. It w ill follow a
loop south of Sandy and return to
Camera Connection for a total of about
five miles.
The course is a hilly one and should
test the stamina of the entrants. But
Steve Slaboda of Camera Connection
said that many have been tested by the
entrance fee of the race.
“ Most people that have come in have
registered,” he said, “ but a couple
couldn’t afford the $7.50. We were told
that all entrants had to wear current
Mountain Festival T-shirts. Those sell
for $5.50 and we added a $2 entry fee
which w ill go right back for prizes and
gift certificates for the run.
“ No one seemed to want to donate
anything this year and we couldn’t
personally afford to chip in a couple of
hundred bucks,” Slaboda added. “ But
out of the $7.50, you get a shirt and the
rest goes right back into prizes.”
Slaboda added that if entrants
already had a 1980 festival shirt in
which to compete, the entry fee would
only be $2. People can register for the
run at Camera Connection or by
mailing in their fee to the store at P.O.
Box 185, Sandy, OR 97055.
A different type of event is certain to
get a record number of entries. The
Long Rifle, or Black Powder Shoot, is
scheduled for July 12-13 at the Sandy
Grade School athletic field, and every
year the event has grown in popularity.
A number of events are on the agenda
of the shoot this year. The card split,
axe and clay pigeons, a quick load
shoot, a Hawkens shoot, a bob cat shoot
and a string shoot are among the
regular events. But a number of special
events are on tap as well. They include
a cannon shoot, pistol and revolver
competition, a costume contest and a
keg throw.
Prizes, including trophies and pistols,
w ill be awarded to winners of the
various events.
The shoot w ill begin at 10:15 a.m.
both Saturday and Sunday, but
registration w ill open at 8 a m. those
days. Competition in the regular events
w ill cast $5 per day and special events
w ill cost $1 each.
The Bed Race w ill take place at 6:30
p.m. Thursday, a prelude to the parade.
Five-person teams w ill race a bed on
wheels down Pioneer Boulevard to the
finish line by Taco Time. The race w ill
begin near Camera Connection.
During the race, the five must rotate
positions at each of the four stops so
that every member is a passenger at
one time. The passenger must wear a
night shirt or some kind of sleepwear,
according to Rick New, of News’ Union
76, sponsors of the event.
The only other rule is that the wheels
used must not exceed 14 inches in
diameter.
News’ 76 won the championship last
year and w ill be back to defend its title.
Other challengers include the Sandy
girls softball team and the Mt. Hood
M udders.
For information on entering the Bed
Race, contact News’ 76 at 668-7880.
Paola’s grabs
junior league
playoff spot
The competition was fast and furious Tuesday at the Sandy
Grade School track. The Sandy Community School put on
its annual Bike Derby as part of the Sandy Mountain
Festival and the event drew many participants. See ad-
ditional photos in Section I.
Bike Derby
Swarms of kids take to their wheels
If you didn't know what was going on,
Tuesday, you’d think there were some
pretty weird kids living in Sandy.
People that happened by the Sandy
Grade School track Tuesday morning
saw a small army of kids on bicycles,
two and three wheelers of all kinds
Some wore motorcycle helmets, some
adorned their rides with ferns and one
boy had to carry his tricycle because it
wouldn't move.
All were on hand for the Bike Derby,
an annual event of the Sandy Mountain
Festival. A couple of hundred turned
out for the races and any time that
many kids are in a small area, chaos is
bound to result But the staff of the
Sandy Community School kept things in
order and everyone went away liappy
— especially the winners
Lisa Amundson won the bicycle
decorating contest with a carefully
arranged display of ferns that would
make a florist green with envy.
In the one-lap sprints, < had f oie won
the hoys seven-and-under competition
while Julie Turner took the girls race.
Jason Dillon and Wesley Kelley each
won heats in the 8-9 boys race while
Fred 1’ierce took the 10-speed com
petition. K arri Freeman won the 8-9
girls race.
In the two-lap event, Shanna Daniels
won the 10-12 girls Mike Turner, Jamie
Tuttle and John Skinner each took a
heat in the boys race. Bob Fullin won
the 10-speed competition
And in the tricycle competition, the
winner was Albertina Dubrawsky
Paola’s Pizza Barn clinched a playoff
berth in Junioer American League play
last week with a 13-12 comeback win
over Troutdale.
Sandy rallied for eight runs in the
bottom of the fourth and last inning to
win the game Tony Hale drove in the
winning runs with a single. The wui
raised Paola’s record to 10-5-1, third
best among American League Juniors
In Midget American play, Sandy
Truck Line kept its playoff hopes alive
with an 18-9 win over Orient, Wed
nesday.
Sandy rapped 18 hits, including three
apiece by Roger Moore, Jr. and Dale
Boyd to pace the attack Boyd came on
in relief and shut down Orient in the last
two innings to pick up the win on the
mound
The victory raised Trvvk Line's
record to 7-5-1.