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Thursday, March 31, 2022
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A8
CARNIVAL OF SPEED
IS BACK ON TRACK
Meet has been
canceled past
2 years because
of pandemic
By ANNIE FOWLER
East Oregonian
INSP/Contributed Photo
Buck Faust, 25, of Prineville, is one of 14 competitors on the reality TV
series “Ultimate Cowboy Showdown,” which will start April 21, 2022.
Prineville cowboy
competes in ‘ultimate
cowboy showdown’
By JOE SIESS
The (Bend) Bulletin
PrINEVILLE — a Prineville
cowboy will put his skills to the
test before a national audience,
competing with other cowboys and
cowgirls from around the country
on a cable television series set to
debut a new season next month.
Buck Faust, 25, was originally
from Waco, Texas, but moved to
central Oregon with his wife in
2020. The couple got married last
May and plans to raise a family in
the area.
Faust is a competitor in the “ulti-
mate cowboy showdown,” a tele-
vision show produced by General
Entertainment network INsP. The
show, hosted by country music icon
Trace adkins, is in its third season,
which will start april 21.
Faust approached the show with
100% of his authentic self, he said.
“Pretty much anybody who
knows me, knows that me going
on that show was a good thing for
me. But it is dang sure going to be
entertaining for the general public,”
Faust said. “Because I don’t know if
I maybe stayed in the hills too long,
but I have a pretty big personality.
I like to be very personable. I like
to laugh, joke around, have a lot of
fun.”
Faust, along with 13 other
contestants from around the coun-
try gathered at Powderhorn ranch
in the rugged hills of Wyoming to
compete in a number of cowboy
related challenges to test their skills.
The winner, chosen by judges, will
be awarded a herd of cattle worth
$50,000 and a chance to start a
ranch, along with a belt buckle and
bragging rights.
Faust has worked with horses
and cattle all of his life. after grad-
uating high school, he decided to
travel the country as a cowboy. he
spent time in Montana, Idaho, cali-
fornia, Nebraska and Oklahoma
before meeting his wife, moving
to central Oregon, and planting his
roots.
“yes sir, I’m done, that tree has
already sprouted,” Faust said of
making central Oregon his home.
“I’ve lived in a lot of places,”
Faust said. “cowboying all over the
united states. and central Oregon
was immediately my home. The
people here are so hospitable, so
nice, down to earth. This is most
definitely my home, and where I’m
going to raise my family.”
Faust grew up around horses
and cattle all his life, so naturally
he would wind up on the “ultimate
cowboy showdown.” he is also the
first generation in his family to fully
embrace the cowboy lifestyle and
to make a living off training horses
and running cattle full-time.
“you’ll never catch me in shorts,
you’ll never catch me in a ball cap,”
Faust said. “I’m Buck Faust and I’m
a cowboy and I’m awfully proud of
it. I’m proud of what it represents.”
Faust said there were several
challenges thrown at him and his
fellow contestants, challenges that
separated those who really make a
living off the land and those who
don’t.
“I literally grew up my whole life
with cattle and horses and there is
nothing you could throw at me that
even if I don’t know exactly how
to get my way through it, I know
a process to get my way through
it,” Faust said. “Nothing related to
cattle and horses intimidates me.”
Faust said he got close to some of
his fellow contestants. despite the
competitive nature of the show,
Faust said the fact that every-
one competing was a cowboy or
cowgirl, made it possible for them
to form a close bond.
“The thing about that show that
I hope the general population gets
to see is the brotherhood that was
made,” Faust said. “you stack 14
guys and girls who all have the
same kind of values in the same
room, it is hard not to form those
strong bonds.”
While the competition did get
tough at times, the contestants
demonstrated good sportsmanship
overall, Faust said.
“all of us that were competing,
we wanted to win, but we wasn’t
going to do something against all
of our morals to just stay. Most of
us, if we made a mistake, we owned
up to it,” Faust said.
To watch Faust represent Oregon
on the ultimate cowboy show-
down next month, tune in on dish
Network, channel 259, or directv,
channel 364. The show can also be
streamed using services such as
Philo, Vidgo, and Frndly TV.
ON THE SLATE
THURSDAY, MARCH 31
Prep baseball
Irrigon at McLoughlin,
4 p.m.
Prep softball
Irrigon at McLoughlin,
4 p.m.
Pendleton JV at Umatilla,
4 p.m.
Track and field
Hermiston at MCC meet,
Hanford, 3:30 p.m.
Prep golf
Heppner vs. Riverside,
Marker 40 Golf Club, TBD
Pendleton girls at Eagle
Crest, Redmond, noon
Prep tennis
La Grande at Pendleton,
3 p.m.
Hermiston at Kennewick,
4 p.m.
Stanfield/Echo at
Weston-McEwen, 3:30 p.m.
Sherman at Ione/Heppner,
4 p.m.
Prep lacrosse
Hermiston at Richland,
7:30 p.m.
FRIDAY, APRIL 1
Prep baseball
Hermiston at Richland (2),
4 p.m.
Wilsonville at Pendleton,
4:30 p.m.
Prep softball
Pilot Rock at Enterprise (2),
1 p.m.
Echo/Stanfield at Grant
Union (2), 2 p.m.
Weston-McEwen at Hep-
pner/Ione (2), 2 p.m.
Riverside at White Salmon
(2), 3 p.m.
Kamiakin at Hermiston (2),
4 p.m.
Pendleton at La Salle Prep,
4 p.m.
Boys soccer
Chiawana at Hermiston,
7 p.m.
Prep golf
Heppner at McLough-
lin Invite, Milton-Freewa-
ter Municipal Golf Course,
noon
Hermiston girls and boys,
Pendleton boys at Big River
Golf Course, TBD
Echo at Dufur Invite, The
Dalles, TBD
Track and field
Griswold, Heppner, Ione,
Irrigon, Pendleton, Pilot
Rock, Riverside, Stan-
field/Echo, Umatilla,
Weston-McEwen at Carni-
val of Speed, McLoughlin,
10 a.m.
Prep lacrosse
Hermiston at Hanford,
5 p.m.
M
I LTON-F r EE -
WaTEr — after
a two-year hiatus,
the carnival of
speed zooms back.
The 85th edition of the meet is
Friday, april 1, at shockman Field,
Milton-Freewater, and McLough-
lin coach John Milleson said there
should be plenty of athletes.
“We have 30 teams coming,
and close to 400 entries,” Milleson
said. “That’s a good number.
We’ve had between 600 and 1,000
kids before.”
The coronavirus pandemic
shuttered the meet the past two
years, and the Milleson has seen
the number of athletes out for track
at Mac-hi dwindle.
“We have struggled to put
together a team since cOVId,”
Milleson said. “We had five meets
last year. It was tough on us as
coaches around the area.”
The Pioneers have been build-
ing back their numbers, but one
athlete who has stuck it out is
senior shaq Badillo, who throws
the shot put and the discus.
“he has been putting in the
time and work,” Milleson said.
“his goal is to get the school shot
put record. We hope he gets it.
That would be a great thing.”
Badillo threw 43 feet, 3 inches
last week at the hawk Invite in
college Place. his personal best
is 45-5, set last year. The school
record is 50-4 1/2, set in 2014 by
aaron Lefore.
“he could uncork one at any
time,” Milleson said. “he is a
student of the sport. he watches
videos and talks with his coaches
about what he needs to do. he is
easy to coach.”
Mac-hi also hopes to get a few
points out of German exchange
student Luis Wolf. he is scheduled
to compete in the javelin, discus,
high jump and 4x100 relay.
“We could put him in anything
and he would do well,” Milleson
said. “We are taking advantage
of what he can do. he’s a decath-
lete back home. If he wants to do
anything, I have room to put him
in.”
Pendleton is sending a major-
ity of its track team to the clay
Lewis Invite on saturday in rich-
land, Washington, but the distance
runners will be at the carnival of
speed.
The Bucks’ top man is senior
James Thatcher, who will run the
1,500 and 3,000.
An oldie but a goodie
Not counting the Pendleton
round-up, the carnival of speed
is the longest running sporting
event in the region. Other than
missing a couple of years during
WW II, being cancelled by the
weather in 2010 and 2018, and by
the pandemic in 2020-21, the meet
has been held.
While the boys have competed
for 85 years, the girls are just in
Kathy Aney/East Oregonian, File
Emily Hancock, of Stanfield, jumps 15 feet, 2 inches in the long jump on
March 24, 2022, at the Bulldog Invite track and field meet at Kennison
Field, Hermiston. Stanfield is one 30 schools signed up to compete Fri-
day, April 1, at the Carnival of Speed in Milton-Freewater.
CARNIVAL OF SPEED RECORDS
Boys
100: Justin Sandlin, Riverside (2000,
10.71)
200: Warren Sherlock, Walla Walla
(1959, 21.7)
400: John Leir, DeSales (1968, 50.2)
800: Tim Douglass, Pendleton (1976,
1:56.20)
1500: Gid Rysdam, Elgin (1980, 4:01.5)
3000: Gid Rysdam, Elgin (1980,
8:50.30)
110H: Kelly Simpson, Pendleton (1999,
14.72)
300H: Brandt Bannister, Weston-McE-
wen (1977, 39.4)
4x100: Walla Walla (1976, 43.6)
4x400: Walla Walla (1999, 3:28.03)
Shot put: Robert Atoe, The Dalles/
Wahtonka (2008, 57-1)
Discus: Mark Sturdevant, Pendleton
(1980, 161-5)
Javelin: Nick Lyon, DeSales (2007, 198-
11 3/4)
High jump: Tim Porter, Helix (1986,
6-8)
Long jump: Tim Porter, Helix (1986,
23-4 1/2)
Triple jump: Mel Pursifall, Imbler
(1989, 41-5 1/2)
Pole vault: Aaron Larson, Pendleton
(2000, 13-9)
their 41st year of competition,
according to meet records.
The event used to be an elite
invite, drawing the top athletes
from Oregon and Washington,
including hermiston, Pendle-
ton, Walla Walla, La Grande and
Pasco. athletes had to have qual-
ifying marks to enter. Over the
years, it has become more inclu-
sive.
carnival of speed records have
been impeccably kept over the
years, with the longest standing
record being that in the boys 200
meters, set by Warren sherlock of
Girls
100: Sherry Watson, Hermiston (1987),
Julie Newtson, Helix (1990), Juliann
Bealer, Pendleton (1997), 12.5
200: Becky Zaro, Pasco (1990, 26.1)
400: Terran Legard, Columbia-Bur-
bank (57.82)
800: Lucrecia Cervantes, DeSales
(2004, 2:20.73)
1500: Robin Slate, Colfax (1990,
4:52.10)
3000: Mariel Ettinger, LaGrande (1999,
9:58.63)
100H: Lucito Zapato, Walla Walla
(1996, 14.9)
300H: Lyndsey Johnson, Walla Walla
(2000, 46.72)
4x100: Walla Walla (1998-99, 51.20)
4x400: Pendleton (2009, 4:09.69)
Shot put: Gena Worth, DeSales (2003,
41-2 3/4)
Discus: Muri Ruiz, Walla Walla (1999,
132-5)
Javelin: Carly Mauch, Pasco (2005,
138-7)
High jump: Natasha Montgomery,
Waitsburg (2004, 5-7)
Long jump: Sarajane Rosenberg,
Pendleton (2003, 17-5)
Triple jump: Amy Jones, Grant Union
(2003, 35-8 1/2)
Pole vault: Shanie Bushman, Walla
Walla (2008, 11-6)
Walla Walla high school in 1959.
sherlock’s race was in yards,
but when converted to meters, his
time stands at 21.7 seconds.
“It’s been a while since any
records have been broken,”
Milleson said. “With the number
of teams and entries, some of those
record could go at any time.”
One record that has stood for
a long time, and could stand the
test of time for many more years,
is the high jump record of 6-8, set
by Tim Porter of Griswold in 1986.
Porter also holds the long jump
record at 23-4 1/2.
Eastern Oregon University’s Liefke named
NAIA Honorable Mention All-American
By DAVIS CARBAUGH
The Observer
La GraNdE — after a
phenomenal season on the hard-
wood, Eastern Oregon university
women’s basketball player sailor
Liefke earned national recognition
for her overall performance.
The junior guard from sunny-
side, Washington led the Moun-
taineers with 16.1 points per game
this year. she averaged 3.4 assists
and 4.3 rebounds en route to a
first-team all Cascade Collegiate
conference selection. Liefke shot
42.5% from the
field and 34%
from beyond the
arc this season.
Lief ke is the
first Mountain-
eer to earn a spot
on the National
Liefke
association of
Intercollegiate athletics women’s
all-american teams since Jane
Nelson did so in the 2019-20
season. Liefke’s selection marked
the 12th overall all-american
selection under Eastern head coach
Anji Weissenfluh.
The junior was an anchor for
Eastern, starting in all 30 games
and totaling 24 double-digit scor-
ing efforts.
The Mountaineers finished the
season 22-11 overall and 18-4 in
conference play. after losing to
southern Oregon in the cascade
collegiate conference tourna-
ment semifinals, Eastern earned an
at-large bid to the NaIa National
championships. Eastern at No. 13
kept the March 11 contest tight
but ultimately fell 73-67 to No. 4
sterling college to mark the end
of the season.