DailyAstorian.com // MONDAY, MAY 22, 2017
144TH YEAR, NO. 232
ONE DOLLAR
ASTORIA GIRLS THREE-PEAT AS STATE TRACK AND FIELD CHAMPS
‘DYNASTY DAYS’
David Ball/For The Daily Astorian
Astoria athletes pose with the 4A championship trophy following Saturday’s meet. More photos from the state meet online at DailyAstorian.com/sports
By DAVID BALL
For The Daily Astorian
MORE SPORTS
Fishermen baseball team moves on
to state tournament.
E
UGENE — The Astoria girls
traded the lead three times with
Phoenix before coming out on
top at the end of the day to win
its third consecutive 4A track and field
championship at Hayward Field.
The Fishermen came into Day 2 of the
meet with a 15-point lead over their top
threat, Phoenix High, and that margin
grew unexpectedly when Astoria kicked
off Saturday’s racing finals with a win in
the 400-meter relay.
The purple and gold came into the
meet with only the sixth-fastest qualify-
ing time, forcing them to the outer lanes
of the track.
“When you’re in the middle you see
people on both sides and you know what
you’re up against,” said Astoria’s Gracie
Cummings, who ran the first leg. “It was
intimidating being out on the edge where
you don’t have anyone to measure up
against.”
The solution was to simply run as
fast as she could, and that she did,
being the first to get the baton away to
teammate Andrea Harris, who zoomed
down the backstretch. Nara Van De
Grift maintained a slight edge around
the corner, but as the stagger disap-
peared, a wall of three or four teams came
into the final exchange zone at the same
time.
Astoria senior Natalie Cummings
was the first to get away, about a half
step ahead of Emonie Snowton out of
Phoenix.
Seaside’s Januik goes out a winner
in the 800 at state meet.
Sports • Page 10A
“It seemed like we were all handing off
at the same time, so I just got out fast and
took it home,” Natalie Cummings said.
“I didn’t know how close they were, so
I just gave it my all to get to the finish
line.”
She maintained the clear front-run-
ner position through the end, clocking in
at 49.77 — 0.15 hundreths ahead of the
Phoenix tag-team. Not only was it a sur-
prise win, but also resulted in a four-point
swing between the contenders in the team
score.
Back and forth
David Ball/For The Daily Astorian
Astoria’s Darian Hageman flies into the pit during her winning effort in the triple
jump on Saturday, pushing the Fisherman to the top of the team leader board
late in the meet. The Astoria girls traded the lead three times with Phoenix.
Youth camp principal helps
young people prosper, grow
Naselle Youth Camp school
was searching for a new
principal.
“I’d always planned to
NASELLE, Wash. —
When longtime local educator come back,” he said. “When
that opportunity pre-
Gary Flood took a job
sented itself I said, ‘I
with the Nye County,
hate to leave my stu-
Nevada, school dis-
dents especially, but
trict in 2008, he
this is home. What
didn’t foresee mov-
am I going to say,
ing back to the Long
no?’”
Beach Peninsula until
Flood said a for-
he was ready to retire.
co-worker,
Flood had worked Gary Flood mer
Naselle Grays-River
in the Ocean Beach
School District since 1991 Valley School District Super-
and his family was rooted intendent Lisa Nelson, was
at the beach. But his plans
changed when he saw that the
See FLOOD, Page 5A
By DAMIAN MULINIX
For EO Media Group
The teams traded punches in the ensu-
ing races with the Pirates getting a win
from Danielle Jantzer in the 1,500, while
Natalie Cummings came in second in the
100 and Gracie Cummings also found her
way onto the podium, pushing Astoria’s
lead back to 10 points midway through the
meet.
Phoenix made its final push in back-to-
back races with Sienna Bauer taking sec-
ond in the high hurdles and Jantzer dou-
bling up with a convincing win in the
800.
See DYNASTY, Page 7A
In emergencies, a radio cure
Hillgaertner
‘can talk to the
world’ by radio
W
hen a hurricane-like
storm lands in Clat-
sop County, as was the case
in 2007, 911 telephone lines
often stop working. In these
moments, a retiree and his
team of 36 fellow volunteers
rush to fill the void.
Don Hillgaertner has oper-
ated amateur radio, commonly
referred to as ham radio, for
more than 50 years. He’s
led the team in coordination
with the county Emergency
Management Division since
Submitted Photo
Don Hillgaertner’s ham
radio skills are an asset
in emergencies.
the 1990s.
Hillgaertner spends 10 to
12 hours of his time each week
in the volunteer position. He
and his wife, Terrie, both keep
ham radios in their cars and
have participated in multiple
local ham radio clubs.
Hillgaertner, 69, spent
31 years as a communica-
tions maintenance specialist
with the Oregon Air National
Guard, retiring as a master
sergeant. He also served in
the Oregon wing of the U.S.
See HILLGAERTNER, Page 5A