THE SPOKESMAN • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 21, 2021 P5
Sports & Recreation
Tight training schedule for High Desert Storm
BY BRIAN RATHBONE
The Bulletin
REDMOND — Keith Evans, the
head coach of the Oregon High Desert
Storm, made one guarantee as the in-
door professional football team opened
training camp in preparation for its
quickly approaching opening game.
For the first couple of days, there
would be no football, he said. Instead
the first part of training camp is to see
which players came ready to play and
those of whom might not be physi-
cally ready to help the team.
“We got 18 practices before we go
to Idaho, and the goal is to get that
win,” said Evans at the Deschutes
County fairgrounds Friday evening.
“I have 18 practices to first see who is
in shape, who is going to start. If you
aren’t in shape and I see that you can’t
get in shape in a couple of days. I can’t
do anything for you.”
The inaugural season for the Des-
ert Storm kicks off May 8 at the
Ford Idaho Center against the Idaho
Horsemen. As much as getting into
playing shape is important, the next
couple of weeks will be vital to take
a group of players from around the
country and gel them into a team that
can contend for a title.
One of the players the Storm
brought is a veteran of arena football,
Chuck Jones, who has been in the
league for nine seasons and has been
part of championship teams through-
out his career.
Jones was not sure if he would play
another season, but Evans asked if he
had one more left in him. “It is one
Ryan Brennecke/Bulletin photos
Storm head coach Keith Evans blows his whistle to start a drill during practice at the
fairgrounds Friday.
Members of the Oregon High Desert Storm indoor football team run laps during prac-
tice at the Deschutes County fairgrounds on Friday.
thing to have a lot of good players, but
it is another thing to bring it all to-
gether and have everyone working on
the same wavelength and towards the
same goal,” said Jones. “I can offer the
experience of going through camp,
letting guys know that they have to
continue to work hard, and play with
consistency.”
A small handful of players have
played ball together. But for many of
these players, this is the first time they
have played arena league football or
have been to Oregon. A small group
of players got to experience a uniquely
Oregon experience within the first
day of being in the state.
While driving with a couple of play-
ers, assistant general manager Nick
Moss stopped at a gas station to refuel.
The players in the car were caught off
guard, even shocked, a gas attendant
came to the car to pump the gas, said
Moss.
The chance to play professional
football brought William Crest to
Central Oregon from the east coast.
Crest is a Baltimore native and played
his college football at West Virginia
and most of his knowledge of Oregon
comes from from following the Uni-
versity of Oregon football program.
He never got the chance to play
for the Ducks, but is happy to finally
make it to the west coast.
“You always hear about the Ore-
gon program so much and I wanted
to go there,” said Crest. “But Oregon
is lovely. I’m grateful to be here and
grateful for the people who invested
in me. Now I’m going to invest into
this community and this state.”
Less than three weeks away from
their first game, the Storm must nar-
row down the roster to 21 active play-
ers who will suit up for games. While
currently on the team for training
camp, there is still no guarantee that
they will land on the active roster. But
players are excited for the chance to
compete and continue the game they
have played most of their lives.
“This is an opportunity for me to
get back in the game,” said Crest. “I
want to be an asset to this team.”
For Jones, playing his final sea-
son, he wants to end his arena career
the same way he started it — with
a championship. “I love the game, I
breathe the game, I miss the game,
been training for months for this,”
said Jones. “I decided to go out on that
limb and try and win another cham-
pionship and go out the right way.”
e e
Reporter: 541-383-0307,
brathbone@bendbulletin.com
READER SUBMISSION
City councilor was correct in defending female athletics
against pitting biological males
against girls in sports, but Or-
ou know society is de-
egon remains dominated by
volving when men
Portland culture and, in a cult-
criticize a woman for
like denial of reality, forces bio-
defending girls. I refer to the
logical females to put up with it.
overreaction by three local
Some have had enough.
men to a remark that
Tired of losing ev-
Redmond City Coun-
ery track meet, title
cil member Krisanna
and athletic scholar-
Clark-Endicott made
ship to two physical
in February.
males, three teenage
She had agreed with
girls sued the Con-
South Dakota’s deci-
necticut Interscholas-
sion to keep biologi-
tic Athletic Confer-
Vandermolen
cal males out of girls’
ence last year. One of
sports. Males who
them, Selena Soule,
have already gone through pu-
expressed in an interview —
berty will always have denser
“When we line up in front of
bones and greater muscle mass, our blocks and get into posi-
lung capacity and blood vol-
tion, we all know how this race
ume than biological girls —
will end. We can’t win.”
even after hormone treatments.
In an angry response, a slew
Their narrower pelvises are also of Connecticut sports clubs,
more efficient for running.
human rights groups, LGBT
Given these biological dif-
organizations and the state De-
ferences, the states of Alabama,
partment of Education con-
South Dakota, Kansas and Ten- demned the girls’ lawsuit. For-
nessee have formally legislated
mer President Donald Trump
BY LYNEIL VANDERMOLEN
Guest commentary
Y
Solution to crossword on Page 2
signed an executive order to
restrict girls sports to biologi-
cal females, but President Joe
Biden rescinded the order on
his first day in office and re-
stored the Title IX order for
transgender athletic “equity.”
The issue has hit home now
that three local men, John
Riggs, Eric Garrity and Clif-
ford Evelyn, criticized Coun-
cilor Clark-Endicott for her
support for biologically sepa-
rate sports.
First, Garrity said it was
wrong to “mock” the trans-
gender population because of
its high suicide rate. But one
of the world’s most outspoken
ex-transgender people, Walt
Heyer, attests that self-discom-
fort from dissociative disorder
or body dysmorphia accounts
for most of their depression —
not society’s behavior.
Undermining the opportuni-
ties for biological girls in order
to cater to a tiny fraction of ath-
letes is grossly unfair. An open
gender division would be kinder
than relegating all biological fe-
males to virtual coed sports.
Next, Riggs called Endicott’s
remark “transphobic” and
“clearly bigoted.” How does
shielding females from phys-
ical domination by males fit
either of those labels? Enraged,
illogical hyperbole is a sad sub-
stitute for reason.
Lastly, Redmond City Coun-
cilor Clifford Evelyn claimed
that Clark-Endicott’s statement
was “contrary to us being a
welcoming city.” It’s worse to
be a delusional city. Would he
want his daughter’s athletic
hopes to be crushed by a bio-
logical male on the track or the
wrestling mat? I think not.
All three men should have
praised Clark-Endicott for
wanting sports to be biolog-
ically fair. Given all the “safe
spaces” that activists demand
for participants in the victim-
hood Olympics, I’m surprised
there’s no recognition of bio-
OBITUARY
Glenn Alan Harris
January 19, 1956 - April 12, 2021
Glenn Alan Harris was born January 19, 1956 in
Prineville, Oregon to Dell and Jessie (Osborne)
Harris. He atended Terrebonne School and
graduated from Redmond High in 1974. He
married Sandy Fromdahl in 1979 in Redmond.
Glenn worked as a }mber faller throughout
Oregon and the Pacioc Northwest for much of
his life. He loved falling }mber and was good
at it. We will always think of him when we
smell fresh sawdust. An accidental ore took
his life on April 12, 2021.
Joe A Lochner Insurance Agency Inc.
Joe Lochner, Agent
123 SW 5th Street
Redmond, OR 97756
Bus: 541-548-6023
joe.lochner.h5mi@statefarm.com
Fax: (541) 548-6024
State Farm, Bloomington, IL
1211999
Glenn is survived by his mother Jessie
Harris of Terrebonne; son Scot Lawrence,
his wife Lesa, and grandsons John, Kagen,
and Tate, all of Redmond; daughter Julie
Cooley and her husband Marshall of Bend;
daughter Stacy Harris and her children Cash
and Ayla of Roseburg; brother Bill Harris of
Arlington, Oregon; and brother John Harris
of Terrebonne. He is preceded in death by his
father, Dell.
The family will hold a private remembrance in
the woods at a later date.
logical girls — but that would
create a nightmare of conflict-
ing, intersectional rights.
Instead, Riggs, Garrity and
Evelyn staged a virtue-signaling
contest against Clark-Endicott’s
belief that girls sports shouldn’t
mean coed sports. They seem
happy to accept the redefinition
the female sex without their
permission and push them to
the back of the sports bus for
the sake of anyone appropriat-
ing their identity.
I’m calling foul. Men like
these belong in Portland, not
Redmond.
e e
Lyneil Vandermolen is a graduate of
Redmond High School and holds a
B.A. in journalism from the University
of Oregon.
SUBMISSIONS
The Spokesman welcomes
letters to the editor
and guest columnists.
Submissions may be edited
or rejected for clarity, taste,
libel and space. They must
be signed and include an
address and a telephone
number where the writer can
be reached during business
hours. Full addresses and
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published.
For more information, call
541-633-2166
To submit, email is preferred:
news@redmond
spokesman.com
Submissions can also be
mailed to:
P.O. Box 6020, Bend, OR
97708
Vicki Ann Nicholson
of Redmond, OR
Glenn Alan Harris
of Terrebonne, OR
January 31, 1954 -
April 13, 2021
Arrangements:
Autumn Funerals of
Redmond is honored to
serve the family.
541-504-9485 Memories
and condolences may be
expressed to the family on
our website at
www.autumnfunerals.net
Services:
A private service will be
held at a later date.
Contributions may be
made to:
Contributions on Vicki’s
behalf may be made to
Autism Research Institute,
4182 Adams Ave., San Di-
ego, CA 92116, or donate
on line at www.autism.org,
or donations may be made
to Brightside Animal Cen-
ter, 1355 NE Hemlock Ave.,
Redmond, OR 97756.
January 19, 1956 -
April 12, 2021
Arrangements:
Autumn Funerals-Red-
mond is honored to serve
the family. 541-504-9485.
Condolences may be con-
veyed to the family at
www.autumnfunerals.net
Services:
Service information to be
announced at a later date.
Donna Cecelia
Hatch-Bartley
of Redmond, OR
Dale Ross Cheney, Sr.
of Redmond, OR
December 30, 1938 -
April 11, 2021
Arrangements:
Niswonger-Reynolds
Funeral Home is honored
to serve the family.
541-382-2471 Please
visit the online registry for
the family at www.nis-
wonger-reynolds.com
Services:
A gathering of family &
friends will be held at a
later date.
Contributions may be
made to:
Country Side Living 1350
NW Canal Blvd, Redmond,
OR, 97756 or Alzheimers
Association 777 NW Wall
St, Bend, OR 97703
Rodney Lee Little
of Prineville, OR
Viola Ruth Maisch
of Bend, OR
September 16, 1925 -
April 8, 2021
Arrangements:
Autumn Funerals,
Redmond
541-504-9485
www.autumnfunerals.net
Services:
A Celebration of life will be
held in Colorado in early
summer.
October 14, 1934 -
March 5, 2021
Arrangements:
Autumn Funerals -
REDMOND
www.autumnfunerals.net
541-504-9485
Services:
Services have been held.
Feb 7, 1942 - March 26,
2021
Services:
Celebration of Life 4/16/21
@ 1:00pm Mitchell Baptist
Church, Mitchell
Contributions may be
made to:
American Cancer Society