O PEN FOR
L UNCH & D INNER
BY MELISSA BEARNS
All In Good Fun
(Angela Englert & Bill Town’s New Eatery)
Featuring:
New kayak polo sessions pack Echo Hollow pool.
• Fr.-Sat. Smoked Prime Rib
• Parties, up to 20 Guests
• World Class Desserts
• Full Bar featuring Seasonal Drinks
DAVE CONSTANTIN
A player throws the ball to a teammate
just as a member of the opposing team
pushes him over.
“I’ve been surprised by how many of
the professional kayakers in Eugene have
come out to play,” Rettig said. “I think one
of the coolest things is you’ll have little
Ben, who’s 11 years old, out there paddling
up against Lane Jacobs, a pro boater. I led a
river [kayak] trip recently with three of the
kids who played last month and they
couldn’t stop talking about it.”
The River House Outdoor Program
hosts the kayak polo games the third
Tuesday of every month. The upcoming
April 18 game will be the fourth time
they’ve played. The March games were
packed, with five players sitting on the
bench waiting to get into the pool and play.
“I’ve been really surprised by how fast it’s
gotten popular,” said Rettig. And with so
many players, they’re even thinking of
making it into a city league or a team
sport.
ew
The next kayak polo game is Tuesday, April 18 8:30-10
pm at Echo Hollow Pool, 1655 Echo Hollow Rd.
Everyone is welcome to play, regardless of experience or
ability level. PFDs (personal flotation devices) and
helmets are required. It costs $4 to play if you’ve got your
own gear. For info call the River House Outdoor
Program at 682-5329.
QUALITY JOBS FORUM
hosted by
Oregon's Labor Commissioner D AN GARDNER
and State Senator V ICKI WALKER
Date: Tuesday April 18
Time: 6:30pm
Place: Monroe Middle School
2800 NE Bailey Lane
Eugene, OR
We want your perspective on our changing local economy.
Join us as we think outside the box to both retain and create
quality jobs in Eugene and state-wide.
More information? contact Susan Allen (503) 490 8247
Sponsored by Committee to Elect Dan Gardner.
Dan Gardner
Vicki Walker
Promoting, Protecting and Advocating for Oregon's workers.
S
creech went the whistle. Paddle
blades, taped around the edges
with red duct tape, slashed
through the water at Echo Hollow Pool as
members of the two kayak polo teams
sprinted toward the orange ball floating in
the center.
A guy from the team that was already
winning grabbed the ball
first, but not in time — the
other team’s players were just
a few feet away. One rammed
the stern of his boat, trying to
throw him off balance.
Amidst the shouts of excite-
ment and sprays of water, an-
other person on the opposing
team reached over and
pushed him hard on the
shoulder, tipping him over.
Upside down with his head
under water, he let go of the
ball and flailed around, trying
to regain hold of his paddle so he could
right himself. For a second the ball bobbed
in the water before another player grabbed
it, ignoring the upside down kayaker
nearby. With a shout, she threw the ball as
hard as she could to a team member.
“That was a particularly rowdy night,”
said Aaron Rettig, a city employee who
works for the River House Outdoor
Program. He and three other kayak instruc-
tors from the city’s River House Outdoor
Program, Tom Powers, Dove Miller and
Dave Zinn, organized the games, which
started in January. “I like it because you
can get a little rough, and the level of play
rises to the ability level of the players.
Sometimes it’s pretty mellow, but if you
get a bunch of advanced players, it gets fast
and intense.”
Kayak polo is similar to water polo,
with five kayakers on each team. The ob-
jective is to get the ball into the other
team’s goal. Sometimes that means spir-
ited competition and rough-and-tumble
play.
But it’s all in good fun, and players of
all ages and ability levels are encouraged
to participate. Players aren’t allowed to tip
over boaters who don’t know how to roll
Mediterranean
Inspired Tapas
their boat upright when they get tipped
over. And if someone without a roll flips
over and ends up swimming in the pool,
play is halted until that person gets back
into his or her boat. Because it’s in a con-
trolled environment, the referees can mod-
erate the intensity level of play and make
sure everyone stays safe.
460 Willamette Street • 343-1586
Mon.-Sat. 11-10 • At 5th & Willamette
in the Historic Lane Building
21 YEARS’ EXPERIENCE
IN THE ASSESSOR’S OFFICE
MAHN
FOR LANE COUNTY
ASSESSOR
Endorsed by a
large majority
of Assessment
& Taxation
Employees,
AFSCME 2831,
& Local 626
Unions
Be sure to vote for an Assessor
who is an experienced
Certified Appraiser!
www.billmahn.org
Paid for by the Elect Bill Mahn Assessor Committee, Dennis Quigley, Treasurer
D ONALD D EXTER J R
DMD LLC
DENTISTRY
Contemporary care
with traditional values.
RESPECT • HONESTY
EMPATHY • HUMILITY
2233 W ILLAMETTE S T , B LDG B
541-485-6644
APRIL 13, 2005 13