E AST O REGONIAN
SATURDAY, MARCH 12, 2022
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B1
Dancer returns to The Sooner State
Oklahoma City
University has
one of the top 10
dance schools in
the country
By ANNIE FOWLER
East Oregonian
H
ERMISTON —
Susan Stephens
has been coach-
ing dance for
more than 15 years. The
Hermiston coach has seen
a lot of talent come through
her program over the past
four years, but none have
compared to T’Lee Burk.
“It’s kind of unheard of to
see her kind of talent here,”
Stephens said. “She is an
amazing dancer, but better
than that, she is an amazing
person. You could not ask for
a better teammate. She is that
once-in-a-lifetime kind of kid.
Ben Lonergan/East Oregonian
T’Lee Burk performs with members of the Hermiston High School Stardust Dance Team in
the high school hip-hop division Feb. 26, 2022, during Hearts in Motion at Pendleton High
School. Burk recently received a scholarship to attend the Ann Lacy School of American
Dance and Entertainment at Oklahoma City University.
Keeping the lights on
We’ve had a lot of talented
kids come through, but not
many who want to continue
to dance in college.”
Oklahoma City University
feels the same as Stephens. It
recently off ered the Herm-
iston senior a scholarship to
attend the Ann Lacy School
of American Dance and
Entertainment.
“I found them,” Burk said.
“Dance is a little different
than any other sport. We don’t
have recruiters. I applied to
Oklahoma City University.
After you are academically
admitted to the school, you
have to audition for the dance
program.”
Burk had to send in fi ve
audition videos in differ-
ent styles of dance — ballet,
tap, jazz, jazz combo and a
solo dance of her own choos-
ing. Everyone applying had
to perform the same routine,
except for the solo.
“Once you send it in, then
you have to wait,” Burk said.
H ER M ISTON —
Hermiston freshman Izzy
Simmons and senior Bailey
Young were named to the
3A state basketball all-tour-
nament team for their
performances March 3-5 in
Tacoma, Washington.
The Bulldogs, making
their fi rst appearance at the
Hardwood Classic, won
three loser-out games to
By ANNIE FOWLER
East Oregonian
PENDLETON — Pendle-
ton Little League is on track
to open its season April 2,
and players will see things in
a whole new light.
The four ballparks are
getting new and improved
lighting thanks to a $20,000
grant from the Wildhorse
Foundation.
“This was a much-needed
godsend,” Pendleton Little
League President Monty
Ludington said. “In October,
we were doing fi eld work and
there were so many lights out.
In the condition they were in,
we didn’t know if we would
be able to hold practices or
games at night.”
Pendleton Little League
applied for a Wildhorse
Foundation grant in Decem-
ber and received news in
February the foundation had
awarded the grant. Gordon’s
Electric in Pendleton was
contracted to do the work.
“They are in the process of
getting installed,” Ludington
said. “Some have been put up
already, but the weather is
stalling things a bit.”
Ludington said the light
poles will remain in place,
but the housing units for the
light bulbs and the bulbs are
being replaced.
“We are moving from
the halogen lights, which
are probably 20-some years
old, to LED,” Ludington
said. “They will be brighter,
take less energy and will
be cheaper. We would have
liked to have replaced the
poles too, but this was the
best option available to us at
the moment.”
According to a report
by Sport Lights Supply,
using LED lights is 10 times
cheaper than using halogen
lights.
Ludington said the money
saved on the electric bill will
be put back into the program.
Pendleton Little League
has seen a renewed interest
this spring after suffering
through two seasons of the
pandemic and all the precau-
tions that came with it.
“Our numbers are hover-
ing above pre-COVID
numbers,” Ludington said.
“We had just over 400 kids
in 2018. In 2019, it was
300-plus, and in 2020, it was
about 290. Last year, we had
190 kids.”
Pendleton Little League
has about 375 youths signed
up this year for baseball and
softball. The organization
has teams for majors, minors
and rookie ball. There are
SATURDAY, MARCH 12
TUESDAY, MARCH 15
Boys soccer
Hermiston at Walla Walla, 12:30 p.m.
Prep baseball
Pendleton at Walla Walla (2), 2 p.m.
La Grande at McLoughlin, 2 p.m.
Umatilla at Pilot Rock, 4 p.m.
Weston-McEwen at Irrigon, 4 p.m.
Stanfi eld/Echo at Riverside, 4 p.m.
College softball
British Columbia at Eastern Oregon
(2), 11 a.m.
College baseball
Eastern Oregon at Corban (2), 11 a.m.
Grays Harbor at Blue Mountain (2),
11 a.m.
College women’s lacrosse
Eastern Oregon at Boise State Tour-
nament, TBA
SUNDAY, MARCH 13
College baseball
Grays Harbor at Blue Mountain (2),
11 a.m.
Simmons
Young
reach the state quarterfi nals.
Hermiston fi nished 0-2 with
losses to Lake Washington
and Stanwood.
O ve r t wo g a me s ,
Simmons fi nished with 29
points, 13 rebounds and six
assists. She was named to
the second team.
Young, who battled
inside, had six points and 14
rebounds, and was selected
to the honorable mention
team.
Garfi eld’s Malia Samu-
els was named tournament
MVP on the girls side after
leading the Bulldogs to a 3A
state title.
Ben Lonergan/East Oregonian
New LED lighting sits atop utility poles Thursday, March 10,
2022, at the Pendleton Little League fi elds. A $20,000 grant
from Wildhorse Foundation made getting the new lights
possible.
150 signed up for rookie ball,
which is a co-ed program for
kids ages 6-8 and is coach
pitch.
“People just want to get
back to the way things were,”
Ludington said. “This is
about building a community,
having fun, making friends
and establishing relation-
ships. It’s about the experi-
ence.”
The organization also will
have a Little League parade
down Main Street, some-
thing that was not possible
the past two years. The city
already has given its OK for
the event. The fi nal details
are being worked out, but
the parade is set for 9 a.m. on
April 2.
“We want to have opening
day festivities like we used
to,” Ludington said. “The
kids will parade down Main
Street in their uniforms, and
we will have opening day
ceremonies on the fi eld after-
ward.”
Ludington also said the
snack shack will be open,
and crews are working to get
the restrooms back in shape.
ON THE SLATE
College women’s wrestling
Eastern Oregon at NAIA National
Invite, Jamestown, North Dakota,
TBA
See Dance, Page B2
Simmons, Young earn 3A honors
East Oregonian
$20,000 grant
helps Pendleton
Little League
upgrade lighting
“It was about two weeks.
It was exciting, but it was a
stressful audition time. It was
super exciting to hear back. It
was a crazy experience.”
The dance faculty at
OCU reviews the videos sent
in, looking for technique
and those who are properly
trained. In addition to the
dance videos, the applicants
also submit a small introduc-
tion about themselves.
“We look for good charac-
ter and those who will work
hard, as well as proficient
technicians,” said Hannah
Malinowski, administrative
assistant to dance chair Jo
Rowan. “The faculty has a
grading rubric and that helps
decide who and how many
they will accept.”
The program does not put
a cap on the number of danc-
ers it will accept each year.
The 2021-22 freshman class
has 44 dancers. There have
Prep softball
Eisenhower at Hermiston, 4 p.m.
Walla Walla at Pendleton, 4 p.m.
Irrigon at Weston-McEwen, 4 p.m.
Echo/Stanfi eld at Riverside, 4 p.m.
Umatilla at Pilot Rock, 4 p.m.
Echo, Weston-McEwen at Ontario Ice
Breaker, 3:30 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16
Prep softball
La Grande at Hermiston, 4 p.m.
Boys soccer
Hermiston at Kennewick, 7 p.m.
THURSDAY, MARCH 17
Track and Field
Ione, Umatilla at Mullen Leavitt
Invite, The Dalles, 2 p.m.
Prep baseball
Baker at Heppner (2), noon
La Grande at Hermiston (2), 4 p.m.
CAPECO is issuing a Request
for Proposals (RFP) for qualified
contractor(s) to provide Nutrition
Program services, including Home
Delivered Meal and Congregate
Meal services within Morrow and
Umatilla Counties.
Home delivered meals are critical
to maintaining independence and
provide socialization to people who
may feel isolated or lonely at home.
CAPECO is issuing a Request for Proposals (RFP) to identify and select qualified contractor(s)
to provide Nutrition Program services, including Home Delivered Meal and Congregate Meal
services within Morrow and Umatilla Counties
Congregate meals are an opportunity
to socialize and gain support through
community while CAPECO provides
Congregate meals can be offered in a variety of settings, including nutrition sites, senior
centers/community centers,
churches, schools,
adult care facilities, restaurants, or other
nutrition
education.
congregate settings. Gathering for meals offers the opportunity to socialize, gain support by
This service is more than just a meal; its
coming together, and includes nutrition education provided through CAPECO. The service is
more purpose
than just a meal; is
its purpose
is to nourish the
whole
person. person.
to nourish
the
whole
FRIDAY, MARCH 18
Prep baseball
Columbia-Burbank (WA) at Riverside
(2), 2 p.m.
Pendleton at Hanford, 4 p.m.
Weston-McEwen at McLoughlin,
4 p.m.
Pilot Rock at Irrigon, 4 p.m.
Prep softball
Echo/Stanfi eld at Umatilla, 1 p.m.
Columbia-Burbank (WA) at Riverside
(2), 2 p.m.
Enterprise at Weston-McEwen (2),
2 p.m.
Pilot Rock at Irrigon, 4 p.m.
Boys soccer
Hermiston at Hanford, 7 p.m.
SEEKING QUALIFIED PROVIDERS
MONDAY, MARCH 14
Prep softball
Baker at Heppner/Ione (2), noon
College baseball
Clackamas at Blue Mountain (2),
noon
Prep baseball
La Grande JV at Heppner, 2 p.m.
Track and fi eld
McLoughlin, Riverside, Stanfi eld/
College softball
Spokane at Blue Mountain (2), 2 p.m.
Home delivered meals are critical to maintaining independence and allowing people to
Request a copy of the RFP packet by contacting
remain living in their own homes. Friendly visiting when meals are delivered one or more
days/week also provides vital social connection for people who may feel isolated or lonely.
Jody Warnock, CAPECO Program Director,
jwarnock@capeco-works.org
Interested parties can request 541-278-5668
a copy of the RFP packet by contacting Jody Warnock, CAPECO
Program Director, at jwarnock@capeco works.org or 541
5668. The packet includes
detailed information about services to be provided, the RFP process, and necessary proposal
documents. Proposals are due to CAPECO by March 31, 2022.
PROPOSALS DUE MARCH 31, 2022
COMMUNITY ACTION PROGRAM
of EAST CENTRAL OREGON
UMATILLA * MORROW * GILLIAM * WHEELER * SHERMAN * WASCO * HOOD RIVER COUNTIES