E AST O REGONIAN
Saturday, July 27, 2019
FOLLOW US ON
TWITTER @EOSPORTS |
FACEBOOK.COM/EOSPORTS
B1
Gertsch has Vikings XC program off and running
umatilla assistant
takes over for Josh
Ego, who stepped
down after last season
By ANNIE FOWLER
East Oregonian
uMatIlla — When Josh
Ego stepped down as coach of the
Umatilla cross-country team at the
end of last season, assistant coach
Cathy Gertsch threw her hat in the
ring for the job. She was hired.
It’s her first head coaching job,
but she’s more than qualified.
“I used to be Josh’s coach 20
years ago at Hermiston when I was
a volunteer assis-
tant,” Gertsch said.
“Four years ago,
he said he needed
an assistant. It has
come full circle.”
Gertsch,
49,
who owns achieve
Gertsch
Yoga & Fitness in
Hermiston, also is an avid runner.
“My dad (Rudy Alaniz) was a
runner and I used to run with him
and his Army guys,” Gertsch said.
Gertsch ran at Walla Walla
High School. She then married and
started a family, but it wasn’t long
before she was back on the road.
“When I turned 30, I decided to
run 10 marathons,” she said. “ten
turned to 20, and then 28.”
She has run the Portland Mar-
athon several times, and her most
recent adventure was the Eugene
Marathon in april.
Gertsch is road runners Club
of America certified, and a mem-
ber of Marathon Maniacs. She’s not
dragging the Vikings on any 26.2-
mile runs, but they have been out
on the trails this summer in prepa-
ration for the upcoming season.
“We didn’t have that many kids
last year, and we have just four
returning, but we’ve had 19 kids
show up,” Gertsch said. “We have a
lot of new kids. We are also trying
to get the middle school involved
with some fun runs.”
the Vikings have been running
at 6 a.m. Monday through Friday.
“The fact they wake up that
early is something,” Gertsch said.
“We have fun. there is a nature
trail that goes across into Washing-
ton. there is a cave at the end of the
trail they can explore.”
Being a personal trainer and
yoga instructor, Gertsch offers her
runners a variety of activities.
“We are trying to build a cul-
ture,” she said. “We will play Ulti-
mate Frisbee, go through an obsta-
cle course at my house, and do a
little yoga. At state, some teams are
doing yoga, and that is nice to see. I
think they are learning a lot.”
two of Gertsch’s dedicated
runners are Abby Cardenas and
her cousin Julie Cardenas. Julie is
the sister of former umatilla state
champion Fabian Cardenas, who
now runs at University of Idaho.
though things seem to be off
to a good start, Gertsch has a few
first-year jitters.
“I still have a little stress and
anxiety,” she said. “You hope the
kids will turn out and that we will
have full teams with seven girls
and seven boys.”
AP Photo/Rick Scuter, File
Seattle middle linebacker Bobby
Wagner (54) reacts during a game
Nov. 9, 2017, against the Arizona
Cardinals in Glendale, Ariz. The
Seahawks have agreed to a three-
year contract extension with All-
Pro middle linebacker.
Wagner agrees
to contract
extension with
Seahawks
By TIM BOOTH
Associated Press
drive Miersch’s A/Fuel nitro dragster in
its only Pacific Northwest showing of
RENTON, Wash. — Bobby
Wagner took on the challenge of
representing himself when it came
to negotiating a new contract with
the Seattle Seahawks.
the risk paid off.
Wagner and the Seahawks
reached agreement on a three-year
contract extension Friday night,
locking up the anchor of their
defense for the foreseeable future.
The lengthy negotiations came to
a conclusion on the second day of
training camp and keep the all-
Pro in the only uniform he has
played in as a professional.
“We feel blessed that we were
able to draft Bobby in 2012, keep
him here on a second contract, and
now to have him sign a third con-
tract is a huge deal for us,” gen-
eral manager John Schneider said
in a statement. “Everyone in the
whole building is excited, I’m sure
his teammates are going to be very
excited. He exemplifies everything
that we’re all about, his profession-
alism, intensity, the way he han-
dles himself off the field. There’s
no doubt in my mind that he’ll go
down not only as one of the great-
est Seahawks, but also as one of
the greatest middle linebackers in
NFL history.”
See Myers, Page B2
See Seahawks, Page B2
Photo contributed by Mitch Myers
Mitch Myers receives last-minute advice from crew chief Jim Rizzoli before a race in Las Vegas this spring.
By BRETT KANE
East Oregonian
ErMIStON — In 2004,
Mitch Myers set a world
record with his elapsed time
of 5.10 seconds as he crossed
the finish line to win the
National Hot rod association
Finals in Pomona, California.
then, he retired.
He was quick to step away
from the sport, returning to his home-
town in Hermiston to focus on his var-
ious business ventures. Nowadays, he
owns and operates the Nookie’s sports
bar, Hermiston Brewing Company, and
hose protector manufacturer EPHa,
Inc.
“I retired as No. 1 in my class in the
world,” said Myers, 62. “I won my class,
and I walked away from it.”
But 15 years later, the allure of rac-
ing hot rods again became unavoidable.
Larry Miersch, head of the South-
ern California-based Larry Miersch
Racing, and crew chief Jim Rizzoli
H
Photo contributed by Mitch Myers
Myers’ nitromethane-fueled dragster rests before hitting the Mopar Express Lane
NHRA Spring Nationals in Houston, Texas, in April.
convinced him to come out of retire-
ment and take the wheel once again.
Myers is now in the midst of a 10-race
deal with Miersch, and next week will
SPORTS SHORTS
Caeleb Dressel breaks Phelps’
world record in 100 butterfly
GWaNGJu, South Korea (aP) — Caeleb
dressel broke Michael Phelps’ world record in
the 100-meter butterfly on Friday at the world
swimming championships.
The American won his semifinal heat in
49.50 seconds — 0.32 seconds better than
Phelps’ mark set at the 2009 world meet in
rome at the height of the high-tech suit era.
dressel was out in 22.83 seconds — 0.53
seconds under Phelps’ pace — and came home
in 26.67 to lead eight men into Saturday’s final.
He was a whopping 1.44 seconds ahead of
andrei Minakov of russia, the second-quick-
est qualifier.
It’s the second world record of Phelps’
to fall at this year’s worlds. Kristof Milak of
Hungary won the 200 fly in 1:50.73, bettering
Phelps’ mark of 1:51.51 also set in Rome.
United States’ Caeleb
Dressel prepares to
start in his heat of the
men’s 50m freestyle
at the World Swim-
ming Championships
in Gwangju, South Ko-
rea, on Friday.
AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein