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About The Hood River news. (Hood River, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (July 8, 2015)
S PORTS www.hoodrivernews.com Hood River News, Wednesday, July 8, 2015 A7 Three CrossFit Hood River athletes qualify for the CrossFit Games CHRISTINE WELLS Hood River residents Christine Wells, Karen McCadam, and Regan Huckaby qualify for world-level competition held later this month By BEN MITCHELL News staff writer KAREN McCADAM Photo by Cheryl Boatman Photography REGAN HUCKABY For the second year in a row, Cross- Fit Hood River Athletes are heading to the annual CrossFit Games in south- ern California to compete against some of the sport’s best athletes on the planet. Hood River residents Regan Hucka- by, Christine Wells, and Karen Mc- Cadam will be attending the games that start July 21 in Carson, Calif., which serves as the world champi- onships for the sport. This is the sec- ond year for Huckaby and Wells and the first for McCadam. All three are trainers at CrossFit Hood River, which is located at 1813 Cascade Avenue. Jeri McMaster, owner of CrossFit Hood River, said this is the most indi- viduals from her gym that have ever qualified for the games, which began in 2007. Huckaby, 28, qualified for the U40 open category after placing fourth in the west regionals in Seattle. Wells and McCadam both qualified in the Masters category, with Wells in the 45- 49 age group and McCadam in the 40-44 group. Worldwide, about 207,000 people try out for a chance to compete in the CrossFit games, with only the top 20 in each regional qualifier making it to the games. Each athlete has to com- plete a number of different exercises in a designated timeframe and meet a certain performance standard to qual- ify, McMaster explained. “The concept is all-around fitness,” McMaster said of the philosophy be- hind CrossFit. “The idea is that all the m ove m e n t s a re f u n c t i o n a l - b a s e d movements. There’s no machines — everything is going to be on the floor on a bar or with a barbell. You’re scored for how quickly you can finish or how many reps you complete in a specific amount of time, or strength. We’re testing strength and speed to- gether.” Last year, Huckaby finished 30th overall in her category and Wells fin- ished 10th after originally entering the contest as an alternate. McMaster noted that McCadam has been “almost making it (to the games) for several years” and is “real excited” to see what McCadam can do. Getting down to and living in South- ern California while the games are going on isn’t exactly cheap, though, and CrossFit Hood River will be host- ing two events to help raise funds for the athletes. The first event will be a car wash on Saturday, July 11 from 12-3 p.m. in front of the gym on Cascade Avenue. The second event is a party and silent auction at Rack and Cloth in Mosier on Sunday, July 12. The event starts at 5:30 p.m. with a group bike ride (if you want) through the Mosier Twin Tun- nels to Rack and Cloth. The auction opens up at 6 p.m. and live music starts at 7. The event concludes with a bike ride at 9:30 p.m. through the Twin Tunnels and back to Hood River. For more information, call CrossFit Hood River at 541-387-4504. Photos by Ben Mitchell 40TH ANNUAL KOLLAS CRANMER RUN Fourth of July celebrations kicked off with the 40th Annual Kollas Cranmer Run early Saturday morning that saw 213 runners and 107 walkers make the 7.4-mile trek from downtown Odell to Jackson Park in Hood River. Longtime race organizer Mary Gumm said the attendance of runners had dropped significantly from last year’s numbers (387 runners, 118 walkers), which she attributed to the day’s extreme heat. Apparently, the older runners are tougher, as Gumm said there were a notable number of participants in this year’s event who were over the age of 70, which prompted the inclusion of a new age cat- egory for the race (70+). Gumm wanted to thank the Hood River County Sheriff’s Office and the Hood River Police Department for serving as escorts during the race and keeping runners and walkers safe. At top left, runners take off during the start of the race; at top right, incoming Hood River Valley High School senior Michael Holmes gets ready to hand out water at an aid station in between Tucker Bridge and Portland Drive. Holmes is also a member of the high school’s wrestling team, which volunteers at the event every year. Bottom row, left to right: runners slog up the hill coming out of Tucker; Hood River resident Matt Cooper, who reportedly ran the entire race backwards, starts off his feat in Odell; runners with HRCSO escorts are reflected in a car’s side mirror. Official results were not available as of dead- line; the top three in each age category will be printed in the Saturday edition of the Hood River News. SPORTS BRIEFS Wild Woman run in TL July 18 Photos by Ben Mitchell CLOSE ONES The American Legion Single A Carson Oilers nearly grabbed what would have been their first wins of the season last week in a double- header against St. Helens Wednesday evening. Coach Terry Bryant said his squad had two tight games, leading for a majority of both frames of the doubleheader, but ended up dropping the first game, 11-4, and the second game, 8-3, after giving up a number of late runs. At left, pitcher Isaiah Enriquez throws one over the plate in Game One. At right, Ben Ahrens gets a hit in Game One. The Oilers have a doubleheader at Putnam this weekend, then return to Hood River Monday for a doubleheader against Scappoose that will be the Oiler- s’ final home games of the season. The first game of Monday’s doubleheader starts at 4 p.m. and is at Traner Field. Over 200 women will converge in Trout Lake on July 18 for the 4th Annual Wild Woman Trail Marathon, 50K, or Relay for the good trails, good food, and good friends. The Wild Woman is a trail run created by and for women. If running a marathon or 50K is too much, participants can form teams with up to four member with four different legs varying in length from 4.6 to 8 miles. The run starts early, so racers can camp under the stars onsite at the base of Mt. Adams (also a few lodging options nearby for those who’d rather have a bed). After the run, reju- venate with post-run yoga poses, splash in the cold water tubs, and refuel with some outrageous lunch compliments of Tofurky. Wild Woman is a no-waste event (so BYO hydration pack or water bottles) and a portion of proceeds goes to Helping Hands Against Violence, a non-profit organization in the Gorge that supports victims of domestic violence through shelter, advoca- cy, education, and outreach. Online registration open until July 16th (no registration on race day): www.wildwomanmarathon.com or email at mtadamsrun- ner@gmail.com. HRVLL teams fare well in All-Star tourney The Little League All-Star tournament for District 5 wrapped up last week, with many teams from Hood River Valley Little League placing well. As we reported last week, the 10U softball team won its championship and will be heading to the state tourney, which starts July 18 in Portland. In baseball, the 12U team placed third in its nine-team bracket, ultimately losing to Bend North, and 11U also placed third in a five-team bracket, ultimately losing to Bend North. The 10U team played in a com- petitive 10-team bracket and lost in the opening rounds to Red- mond and South Central.