Smoke Signals
Tribal Member Runs In District, State And Border Clash This Year
Shannon McKenzie sets her sites on Willamette University.
8 JANUARY 1, 2004
By Ron Karten and Sandy Bobb
Tribal member Shannon McKenzie (see Smoke
Signals, 12102) placed fourth in district for the
5,000 kilometer (3.1 miles) cross country race. Her
success in the Gresham-Barlow High School district,
where she is a senior, translated into a slot on the
state team, and her success there placed her in the
"Border Clash" race where runners from Oregon com
pete against their counterparts in Washington.
Although McKenzie said that she wasn't pleased
with her performance at the district meet, she was
pleased that it took her to a berth at the state com
petition held on November 1 at Lane Community
College.
McKenzie placed 24th, receiving an Honorable
Mention, at the State Meet. That, in turn, qualified
her for the Nike-sponsored "Border Clash" meet held
on the Nike campus late in November. She placed
54th at the Border Clash.
She credits her running success to her coaches,
Paul Quirk and Jim Babson, who, she said, "always
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Fast And Talented Barlow Senior Shannon
McKenzie (right) leads the pack at a track meet last season.
pushed me to my potential. They made me realize
what I could do. They believed in me."
Babson called her, "Our best runner by far."
"She's just a great girl," he said. "Well be sad to
lose her. A really fine girl. Great character, too."
Carrying a high three-point grade average all the
way through high school, McKenzie now awaits an
admissions decision from Willamette University.
First, however, is the spring track season. McKenzie
goes into this final high school season with a lot of
experience and a record that includes being first team,
all league and a competitor at state in 10th, 11th and
12th grades.
McKenzie runs both cross country in the fall and track
in the spring. "In track last year," said Coach Babson,
she had knee trouble and didn't qualify for state in the
3,000 meters." But it is a demonstration of her charac
ter, he added, that "she came back the next day and we
were anxious that she could even run, but she ran re
ally well and qualified for the 1,500 meters."
Again On The National Mat
Linton boys take first, second in the Wrestling Nationals.
By Ron Karten
Tribal members Denny Linton, Jr.,
12, and his brother Brandon, 14,
wrestled to first and second place in
their weight classes in the Las Vegas
World Wrestling Championships early
in December. The meet hosted 450
competitions in the range of weight
classes, said Denny Linton Sr., father
of the boys.
Denny Jr., in the 76-pound weight
class, won the championship based on
three matches, and brother Brandon,
in the 82-pound weight class, took sec
ond place based on four matches.
Denny Jr. won his first match with
a pin in the second round, his second
match, 3-1 in points, and the final, 9
2 in points.
Brandon won his first match by
points, his second by a technical fall,
which is awarded when one wrestler
is 15 points ahead of his opponent. In
this case, Brandon was winning 17-2
when the match was called. He lost
his third match 9-5 to Colorado wres
tler, Zeke Hofer, for second place.
Tournament rules, however, allow
the third place finisher to challenge
the second place finisher for second
place. Brandon's final match was this
challenge, which he won 9-7, said his
father.
Brandon's title match with Zeke
Hofer had some his
tory to it. Although
Brandon beats Denny
Jr. when they wrestle
together, at last
year's tournament,
Denny Jr. beat Hofer
in their semi-final
match. So, it came as
some surprise that
this year, Hofer beat
Brandon. Linton Sr.
did not think that
Brandon was at his
best in the final
match.
Still, the boys' suc
cess on the mat is,
hopefully, going to be a springboard
for their approaching college careers,
according to Linton Sr. "I know that
they're going to need more than wres
tling," he said. "They'll need good
grades, too."
But for now, wrestling is taking up
the lion's share of the family's time.
The boys practice four days a week
from 3:30-8 p.m. They work out with
the Willamina High School team for
two hours, then an hour with the ad
vanced group, then two more hours
with the local Little Guy Wrestling
Club, where they spend a lot of time
J ft J
Brandon Linton
coaching younger,
and less experi
enced wrestlers,
said their dad.
Once a month,
the boys practice
with the USA
Greco-Roman
Club, coached by
former Olympian
Anthony Amato.
Greco-Roman is
different because
Greco-Roman
wrestlers don't
use their legs for
holds, but accord
ing to Linton Sr.
the combination of free-style, which
the boys use in school meets and tour
naments, and Greco-Roman "will
make you tougher as a collegiate wres
tler. You learn to be a better wres
tler" using the combination, he said.
They plan to go to the Oregon Clas
sic in Redmond this month, and the
national meet in Tulsa later in Janu
ary. And then to the Reno nationals
in April.
Last year, the community supported
the boys with fund raisers to help send
them to the nationals, but Linton Sr.
borrowed money for the recent trip
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Denny Linton, Jr.
based on per capita distributions in
December. "That's a good way to use
it, I figure," he said. Traveling fru
gally, he brought the boys to and from
the meet in Las Vegas for under $500.
And, he expects to have enough left
over for the Tulsa meet.
So, the only question left is how the
boys are dealing with their success.
"Cocky?" Linton Sr. asks. "They are
with me, but they're the same with
their friends. They're always coming
up to me and saying, Tou want some
of this?'"
What father wouldn't? B
Health Clinic Psychologist Earns New Credentials
Joseph R. Cook, Jr. M.S. is now also a Licensed Professional Counselor.
By Ron Karten
Health Clinic Counselor Joseph R.
Cook, Jr. MS, and now LPC, has
earned the State of Oregon Profes
sional Counselor license. As a Licensed
Professional Counselor, Cook adds the
"LPC" to his professional name.
The licensing marks the completion
of a 2,400-hour internship, "a substan
tial internal training process," said
Joseph B. Stone, PhD, Manager of the
Behavioral Health Program at the
Health Clinic where Cook is a counse
lor. "It's one of the most rigorous licens
ing programs in the country," said
Cook. "It took me about a year and a
half."
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Joseph Cook, Jr.
On a personal level, the license "allows
him to have a greater independent scope
of practice," said Stone, "and it makes it
possible for him to be on insurance pan
els. His work can be reimbursed (to the
Tribe) also."
Cook's professional growth gives
Tribal members and staffers growing
expertise in the health needs of Native
Americans, said Stone.
Although the growth is gradual dur
ing the period of licensing, "as you
progress through the licensure process,
it's something they (patients) notice
and certainly something I notice."
Cook also has been offered doctoral
seats in Clinical Psychology at George
Fox University and Pacific University,
but "I've put them both on hold," he
said. "It's kind of a selfish thing. My
daughter is in an honors pre-med pro
gram at Western Oregon University
and she needs a lot of support. My
son's getting ready to go into high
school. There are family consider
ations." Still, he said, "It's a pretty big boost
to anyone's ego."
It may be true, however, that at the
end of the day, life goes on for most of us
pretty much as before. "It didn't change
his status at home," laughed his wife,
Paula Cook, who works in the Spirit
Mountain Community Fund office.