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About Spilyay tymoo. (Warm Springs, Or.) 1976-current | View Entire Issue (March 17, 2005)
Spilyy Sports Poge 6 Spilyqy Tywoo March 17, 2005 Dedicated coach By Brian Mortcnscn Spilyoy Tymoo Dick Soucrs has been teaching and coaching base ball and softball technique for so long that not even a stroke could keep him down for long. Only three weeks after suffering a stroke, the long time coach was back at the Warm Springs Community Center gym teaching girls ages 8 to 12 proper softball pitching technique. "I'm kind of shaky, but I just had a slight stroke that affected my right hand," Soucrs said after the first ses sion of his pitching clinic March 2. "I still get dizzy spells, but they've got me on all kinds of medication." Soucrs, who coached soft ball at Madras High School and baseball at Culver High and maintained a great run of successful Little League teams from Warm Springs, simply couldn't stay away. Chuckling, Soucrs said it was "pretty dumb, I guess," to come back. "My wife didn't want me to come out here (for the clinic), but, I don't know, I love working with kids," he said. "Kids are so easy. V'ou start 'em, like these htuv girls, before they get real bad hab its. "There's a couple of 'em who're gonna be real good pitchers." During his one-hour les sons at the Community Cen ter gym, Souers walked back and forth between the rows of players throwing the ball to each other, offering point ers on the underhanded pitch ing technique. He speaks in a grandfatherly tone, patient in teaching the technique of Tournament The First Annual Yazzie All-Indian Co-Ed Youth Basketball Trounament is set for April 8-10 in Warm Springs. Age divisions are 16 and under ($150 entry fee); 12 and under ($100 entry); and 9 and under ($100 entry). For information call Priscilla at (541) 553-5817, or (541) 980 9060. The Fourth Annual All Native Women's Big Basketball Tournament is March 25-27 at the Com munity Center at Toppenish, Wash. First place team re ceives $4,000 and Pendleton back packs. Second place, 1994 Ford F250, V8, auto, long bed with liner, nice condition $3,998 1996 Ford F250, ex-cab, PU, low miles, automatic, extras $5,998 1991 Pontiac Grand Am, 2-door, auto, power steering, clean $2,498 1994 Toyota Tercel DX, fully equipped, nice car $2,998 JUNIPER AUTO SALES in Madras 1-800-626-0572 ' '' ' ) Coach Souers teaches softball students. the release and transfer of mo mentum in the pitching motion, and patient with the balls that sometimes roll away. The only time it's evident he's just suffered a stroke is when his fingers betray him while try ing to pick a ball up from the floor. "I just had a stroke," he said, with a smile. Souers, who turned 73 ear lier this month, coached at the high school level for Madras for the last time last season. "It was jut. too much. Kids are different now," he said. "The problem is I was gone from Madras for four years, and they didn't have any fundamentals anywhere. "The last two years I coached here, they went to state, '97, '98, and we were always top part of the league." One of his hest players at Madras High, Emily Espenel, went on to play college softball, including two years in Division I at Jacksonville State in Ala bama after she played two years at Eastern Arizona College, a two-year school. "She was really a hard worker," Souers said. "These kids that are starting young, pitching in softball is about 80 schedule fleece zip-up jackets; third, fleece vests; and fourth, draw string bags. Awards for MVP, Miss Hustle, All Stars, Most Three Points, and Sportsman ship. For information contact Darla Leslie at (509) 865 5121, ext. 4716; or (509) 941 2127. Entry fee is $325, due by March 18. The Yakama Nation this month is hosting the Fiftieth Annual Tournament of Champions All-Indian Basketball Tournament. The tourney will be March 23-26 at the Wapato High School. back after stroke Brian Mortemanbpilyay technique to Warm Springs Souers started coach ing in Warm Springs. He helped build roads for 34 jears, and coached Warm Springs Little League baseball teams. percent of the game. If you have a good pitcher, you can cover up a lot of things." Before he started coaching softball, he hadn't been around the game that much, having played baseball and then coach ing it for years. "The last few years, I've got old Ernie Parker's tapes from Los Angeles," he said. "I Ie's the guy who taught all of them real All-Amcrican teachers. "There is a lot to learn, but you can't go too fast with these little ones. They all want to go from here to here (spreading his hands apart to show the dis tance)." , , , Along with the clinic in Warm Springs, Souers also teaches pitching in a clinic in Madras on Mondays and Thursdays. In fact, kids from Warm Springs were brought to Madras origi KAH i ft I I .WMtT'S.. --2 ' JUL ' J i You can only relax in the spa, enjoy fine cuisine and play outside so many hours a day. At KahNee-Ta you hold all the aces, Do the resort - and get swept up In genuine casino action with Oregon's first Mystery Payout Slots and seasoned pros dealing Poker and Blackjack, Then we sweeten the pot with weekly and monthly Cash Drawings and regular Sot machine. Blackjack and Texas Hold 1m Poker Tournaments. A3 the amenities of a hot springs resort plus the thrills of an authentic casino, Just a short drive away? You betl 1 800 See KjMt-T lor cwtplrtr (fciaftt. promoOorts at any Bme Owned and nally for the clinic before the gym that's used started getting full. "I told Raydcan (ones), if you can get it lined up, you don't have to be packing (the players) around," he said "Keep them out here, and I'l teach them here." Souers coached softball at Madras High from 1984 to 1998 before he was diagnosed with prostrate cancer. I le went to I.oma Linda, Calif., for Proton B radiation treatments for two months and then returned to Madras and then resigned. "I was in Loma Linda in July and August (1998), and I came back, and my daughter's school was starting," he said. "She told me to come to a booster meeting at Culver. They got me in there, and they got me to volunteer. They had 20 acres to build a new com plex, football field, soccer, softball and baseball, and we spent four of those years, get ting that up." And while he was there, Souers coached. "I've got three grandsons out at Culver, so I just coached about fours years out there," he said. "I coached three years of baseball, and the last year, I coached softball." He returned to Madras I ligh for the 2003 and 2004 seasons before resigning last year. Souers started coaching, though, in Warm Springs. Ie helped build roads for 34 years, and coached Warm Springs' Little league baseball teams. "I coached Little League from 1960 to 73, about 13 years," he said. "Them years, I when I was down here, we'd just meet everybody, and we'd practice everyday." See COACH on page 7 - NEE - TAi Jk IHNEETA 554 - 4SUN - KahrwtMj com KNT Marwgrwnt frurrvw the rttfrt operated ty me Cameder ased Ti Buffalo girls' winning streak ends at Tillamook The Madras High School girls basketball team's roll that took it to its first Class 3A State Basketball Tournament in two seasons ended with a 50-31 loss at Tillamook March 6. The loss to the No. 3-ranked Cheesemakers ended a three game winning streak, and the season, for the White Buffaloes. Madras, which ended at third in the Tri-Valley J-cague, finished at 1413 on the season. Senior Jaylyn Suppah scored eight points to lead Madras, while freshman Briana Stacona, who was named a first-team All-Tri-Valley I-caguc selection ear lier that week, added seven. The Buffs had managed to beat both Sherwood, in a Tri Vallcy Ix-igue playoff Feb. 26, and Cascade Conference runner-up North Marion March 2, in the first round of the state tournament, after trailing by seven points at the halfway point of each game. After fall ing behind by as many as 1 1 in the first period at Tillamook, Madras was down by nine, 25 16, at the half but was outscored, 25-15, in the second Warm Springs hosting 13th annual Cougars tourney The Thirteenth Annual Warm Springs Cougars All-Indian I ligh School Boys and Girls Basketball Tournament is set for April 1-3. The tournament will be at the Warm Springs Community Cen ter, and at the gymnasium at Madras I ligh School. There will be 12 boys teams and eight girls teams. Entry fee is $175 for boys, and $150 for girls. Fee increases by $25 after March 25. Prizes are: Boys division: 10 leather sleeve embroidered jackets; 10 runner-up hooded sweatshirts; 10 third-place crewnecks; 10 UNBEATABLE A Win Over $26,000 OshlnFexuaryl LUCKY 7s KrTOCRESSM DRAWINGS bmffm 8 Saturday ? S7.777 ' - t Sanjrcjyoftfxrnonth M TOURNAMENT LOVERS Poker, Bdc 8 Sk ;; Toumarnents to ca'vrl or rt of Warm Sprites. half. Stacona led the Buffs in scor ing at 1 2.3 points per game, while Stacona, one of five seniors who ended their careers Saturday, averaged 10.9 on the season. Junior Susan Ahem averaged 10.6, and senior Raylene Tho mas ended with an 8.6 average. Along with Suppah and Tho mas, the Buffs lose starter Katie Wunsch (2.2 points), Leann Wolfe (1.1), and Sierra Ferguson (0.8). Ahern and Suppah also re ceived all-Tri-Vallcy Ix-ague hon ors. Kevin I lernandez, who aver aged a team 'eading 12.9 points per g".w tor the Madras boys basketball team, was named an all-first-team Tn Valley selection. I Ie is one of four seniors who leave after a 13-13 campaign that saw them fall one game short of making the state tour nament. Along with I lernandez, the White Buffaloes lose Luke Telfer (10.6), Larry Switzler (4.7), and Matt Zistel (3.9). Telfer was a second-team All-Tri-Valley selection. fourth-place t-shirts; MVP, Mr. Hustle, All-Tourney. Coaches receive t-shirts. Girls division: 10 embroi dered wool jackets; 10 runner up hooded sweatshirts; 10 third place crewnecks; 10 fourth place t-shirts; MVP, Miss I lustle and All-Tourney. Coaches re ceive t-shirts. For more information call Austin Greene, tournament di rector, at (541) 553-1953 (h) or 553-3243 (w). No collect calls. Address is PO Box 1327, Warm Springs, OR 97761. llpfTi on the sast i r - m
