B2
NORTHEASTERN OREGON SPORTS
East Oregonian
Saturday, June 11, 2022
A boatload of embarrassing moments
GARY
LEWIS
ON THE TRAIL
f you ever shake hands
with my dad, you will
comment on his grip.
He got it milking cows, and
it has saved his life more
than once. One time while
fi shing the Cowlitz River
with friends, it was time
for my dad to get out of the
boat and fi sh from shore.
Our guide assured me and
dad it was a safe place to
climb out, despite the river
being at fl ood stage.
I protested three times,
but the captain was so sure,
dad jumped out and went
in up to his neck. The river
was near raging and dad’s
legs were sucked under the
boat. Fortunately, dad had
a good grip. He kept a tight
hold on the side of the boat
with one hand and that’s
what kept him from being
swept under the boat and out
into the main current where
he would have drowned.
Anyone who has owned
a boat has an embarrassing
story.
Several of the boats I
have owned were embar-
rassing just sitting in the
driveway. Here is a list of
boating mistakes people
make every day.
We hit the dock too
hard. Watch an experienced
captain drive a boat up next
to a dock and cut the engine,
using the wind and current
to glide right in. It’s a thing
of beauty. But 50% of the
time, the current and the
wind are against you and it’s
I
Steven Mitchell/Blue Mountain Eagle
Grant County’s Taytyn Harper hangs on in the fi rst go-round
of the mini-bull riding competition during the John Day Bull
Bash on May 28, 2022, at the Grant County Fairgrounds.
Heavy rain did not
dampen Bull Bash
By STEVEN MITCHELL
Blue Mountain Eagle
JOHN DAY — Rainy
weather did not dampen the
spirits of hundreds of rodeo
fans recently in John Day.
In its second year, the John
Day Bull Bash — May 27-28
at the Grant County Fair-
grounds — featured bull,
steer and calf riding as well
as professional bullfi ghting,
with both local and out-of-
town competitors from the
bull riding community,
according to organizer and
Grant County resident Joe
Oakes.
Oakes, a former profes-
sional bull rider himself, said
he thought people would skip
the event because of the unre-
lenting rain.
“(The weather) was just
depressing and I didn’t think
anyone would come,” Oakes
said, “but then I couldn’t
believe how many people
came in that kind of weather.”
Oakes said 400 to 500
people attended the fi rst night
and no fewer than 400 came
out for the second.
Last year — without the
rain — he said the event drew
a much larger crowd. Oakes,
who grew up competing in
high school rodeos at the
Golf:
Continued from Page B1
Richland, Washington.
At the District 8 tourna-
ment, Cannell shot an 87
on the first day, and an 84
during the second round for a
two-day 171. She tied for fi fth
overall with Brooke Bloom of
Mead.
Morrison opened the
tournament with a 101, then
followed with a 108 for a
two-day 209 to fi nish 17th.
Lacrosse:
Continued from Page B1
named a fi rst team defensive
midfi elder. The senior had fi ve
goals and 35 ground balls.
Ju nior Kah n Schle-
gel was the fi rst team long
stick midfi elder. He had 39
ground balls.
Grant County Fairgrounds,
said he was inspired to orga-
nize the event amid the
fatigue many in the county
and across the country were
feeling with the ongoing
pandemic restrictions.
“I was depressed and
wanted to do something,”
Oakes said. “I felt like the
community was ready to do
something.”
Oakes said he called his
friends in the bull riding
community and others in
the county got involved and
people packed the grand-
stands at the fairgrounds.
Oakes said he grew up
riding bulls, but now he is
too old. Nonetheless, he still
wants to be involved with the
sport.
The bull riding commu-
nity, he said, is a family-ori-
ented group of people and
the rodeo community is its
own family, too. Not just the
contestants but the fans as
well. Events like the bull bash,
he added, bring commerce to
the county’s restaurants and
other businesses.
“It’s a big shot in the arm
for them,” he said. “(The
rodeo) gives people some-
thing to remember and they
love it, and they’ll come back
next year.”
Both qualifi ed for the 3A
state tournament at Meadow-
Wood Golf Course in Liberty
Lake, Washington. Cannell
fi nished tied for 25th with a
two-round 159, while Morri-
son shot a 100 on the fi rst day
and did not make the cut for
the second round.
Hermiston did not have
any boys selected to the
all-conference team.
Richland swept the awards,
with Evan Johnson selected as
Player of the Year, and Mike
Neidhold was named Coach
of the Year.
Senior defensemen Marcus
Winebarger and Isaiah Sando-
val were fi rst-team selections.
Sandoval had 44 ground balls,
while Winebarger had 30
ground balls and two assists.
Senior Andrew Guerrero
was named a second-team
attacker. He had 31 goals, 15
assists and 28 ground balls. He
has signed to play at Adams
State University in Colorado.
C ONGRATULATIONS 2022 C OLLEGE G RADUATE
L ILY W ILLIAMS !
Biomedical Engineering, Bachelor of Science,
Cum laude Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
Gary Lewis/Contributed Photo
Here is one way to break-in a new boat.
a thing of entertainment. For
anyone watching.
The hardest boat I ever
drove was a twin-engine
houseboat. In fact, fellow
outdoor scribe Terry Sheely
and I took turns on that
trip. But it was my job to
get it into the mouth of the
tiny harbor. The wind was
blowing 20-miles-per and
the boat acted like a big sail.
I barely kept it off the rocks
while everyone watched.
We misjudge the
weather. Once on Crane
Prairie Reservoir south-
west of Bend, we launched a
canoe on the west shore and
paddled out. By the time we
were in the standing timber,
the wind was howling and
the whitecaps were up.
Water was coming in over
the sides. We blew to shore
and I ended up walking
halfway around the lake to
get the vehicle.
We misjudge the depth.
I’ve done it out in the middle
of the Columbia. It’s a good
way to meet your fellow
boaters. And get them to
tow you off a mud fl at.
We forget to secure the
boat. There is a lot going on
at a boat ramp. Remember to
strap that boat to the trailer
or to the top of the vehicle.
Once, I used the wrong kind
of straps. You should ask my
wife about picking up her
kayak off the highway.
We use the wrong
fuel. It’s easy to get the
wrong fuel in the tank.
This happened to me in
a borrowed boat. We had
bad fi shing to start, but the
fellowship was good. The
conversation stalled when
the motor quit working. That
was on the far side of the
lake. It was a long limp back
to the dock with the trolling
motor, with frequent pauses
to let the battery juice come
back up enough to turn the
prop.
Our politicians have
saddled us with burn-
ing corn (which used to
be considered food) in
our engines. The federal
mandate requires a conver-
sion to ethanol. More than
90% of the fuel available
at pumps is E10, which
doesn’t work well in marine
systems. Buy the wrong
fuel and your face is going
to be red. Average cost for
repairs caused by poor fuel
is $1,000.
We use the wrong life-
jacket. If you have a boat,
keep child-size jackets on
board. A child in a lifejacket
that is too big is in just as
much danger as if they didn’t
have one.
We fall out. One of the
most common things we
do around boats is fall out
of them. A marine patrol
offi cer once told me most
drowning victims have
their zippers down when
their bodies are recovered.
If you’re going to drown, at
least do it zipped up.
Once I saw a couple of
gray-haired guys with a
spanking new Hewes Craft.
They were backed almost
down to the water, trying
to shove her off the trailer
from dry land into the river.
They never thought to watch
someone else launch a boat
or ask for advice.
It was great fun to watch.
Eventually they fi gured out
the trailer was supposed to
go in the water so the boat
would fl oat off .
Speaking of the boat
ramp. ... This is one of the
best places to collect your
own embarrassing moments.
Once I backed another guy’s
trailer off the ramp and hung
a tire on the concrete, letting
the air out of said tire. Red
face.
You can collect a boat-
load of other people’s embar-
rassing memories. Trust
me, it’s more fun to tell their
stories than your own.
———
Gary Lewis is the author
of Fishing Central Oregon
and Oregon Lake Maps and
Fishing Guide and other
titles. To contact Gary, visit
www.garylewisoutdoors.
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Learn more and find free testing at endhivoregon.org
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