2B | SATURDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2018 | SIUSLAW NEWS
Little
from 1B
and stereotyping.
Many Oregon high
schools
were
allowed
to keep their name but
changed their mascots
My alma mater, the War-
renton Warriors, removed
the warrior statue; made
of more than 200 smaller
Warriors welded together
and dedicated in 1970, my
graduation year.
Th ey are now represent-
ed with a spear and feath-
ers. Th e Marcola Indians,
located near Eugene, are
now known as the Mus-
tangs. Many other high
schools have made simi-
lar changes to their Native
American mascots.
Many schools and other
sports teams use animals
as their mascot. When I
lived in Hermiston, I was a
Bulldog fan. At Pacifi c Uni-
versity I was a Boxer. In my
fi rst teaching job in Spray,
Ore. I was an Eagle.
Once my four student/
athletes graduated from
being Siuslaw Vikings, they
became an Owl, a Boxer, a
Wolf and a Cougar — all
mascots of their chosen
colleges.
Our society is diverse.
Selecting mascots to sym-
bolize all the diff erent peo-
ple is diffi cult. Th e origin of
mascots is meant to build
unity by focusing on the
positive behavioral features
of each mascot. When I
think of lions, tigers and
bears, I fi nd myself some-
where over a rainbow fac-
ing dangerous animals.
As a sport mascot, each
of these animals represent
a physicality that athletes
may relate to in the sports
arena, regardless of wheth-
er that athlete is female or
male.
Th at being said, high
schools across the nation
are being challenged for
the use of gender-specifi c
mascots. Mapleton High
School, for example, has
been in the news because it
is considering changing its
mascot, “Salty the Sailor.”
When, how or if they al-
ter their mascot will soon
be decided.
A new high school in
Lexington, Ky., was going
for a stallion mascot, rep-
resenting the impact of the
horse industry in Kentucky.
But a petition was circu-
lated so the mascot would
show more consideration
for female students.
Th e Stevenson High
School Patriots, in Wash-
ington, redesigned their
mascot to be gender neu-
tral. Wizard the Lizard, the
mascot of Truckee Mead-
ows Community College
has been identifi ed as a
gender-neutral mascot.
I asked my three daugh-
ters about their association
with being a Siuslaw Vi-
king. Without hesitation
they were — and are still —
proud to be a Siuslaw High
School Viking graduate.
As a parent of three female
athletes and a fan to multi-
ple Viking female athletes
over the years, I did not
question the femininity of
the players. Instead, I rec-
ognized their fi erce desire
to be competitive and to
strive to win.
Th ey were Vikings in
spirit each and every time
they repre-sented Siuslaw
High School.
I can only hope the Or-
egon Board of Education
will distance itself from this
issue. Oregon high school
graduates need a sense
of continuity with their
school. Changing names
and mascots disturbs the
historical signifi cance of
alma maters across Oregon.
I played as a Warrior and
Boxer; I coached Eagles
and Vikings, both male and
female. And I will remem-
ber them as competitors.
Go Vikings.
Award
from 1B
recognize teams that exhibit
exceptional sportsmanship.
Last week, the Siuslaw vol-
leyball team received word
from OSAA Sportsmanship
Committee member Kelly Fos-
ter that it had been nominated
for its show of sportsmanship.
“I am writing to congratulate
you on your recent sportsman-
ship nomination,” Foster said
in an email to Siuslaw High
School Athletic Director Chris
Johnson. “In a recent contest,
your program [volleyball] ex-
hibited great qualities that the
OSAA looks for in teams, pro-
Fishing
from 1B
and bobber fishing with bait.
Sea-run cutthroat will begin
entering the lower river later
this month and into the fall.
These fish are very aggressive,
respond well to flies and lures,
and can be up to 20-inches.
ALSEA RIVER: Cutthroat
trout
Fall Chinook fishing on the
Alsea river/bay remain open.
A few fish are being caught but
overall the fishing has been
slow
Concentrate your efforts
low in the estuary and close to
the ocean to catch the fish
moving in and out on the
tides. Expect numbers of fall
Chinook entering the bays and
estuaries to increase later in
the month and into October.
Best techniques include
trolling herring/spinners and
bobber fishing with bait.
Sea-run cutthroat will begin
grams and communities across
the state — and your game offi -
cial noticed!”
Foster went on to explain
that the Sportsmanship Award
is a recognition program that
gives offi cials the opportu-
nity to highlight the positive
sportsmanship they see on the
court as a way to encourage
schools to make visiting teams,
coaches, spirit squads and offi -
cials feel like welcome, valued
guests.
“I think it’s great that the stu-
dent athletes representing us
are making a positive impres-
sion on offi cials and also being
an example of sportsmanship
for everyone,” said Johnson.
entering the lower river later
this month and into the fall.
These fish are very aggressive,
respond well to flies and lures,
and can be up to 20-inches
long.
SALMON
RIVER:
Cutthroat trout, fall Chinook
Fall Chinook fishing on the
Salmon river/bay opened Aug.
1, expect numbers of fall
Chinook entering the bays and
estuaries to increase later in
the month and into September.
Best techniques include troll-
ing herring/spinners and bob-
ber fishing with bait.
SILETZ RIVER: Steelhead,
cutthroat trout, fall Chinook
Fall Chinook fishing on the
Siletz river/bay opened Aug. 1,
a few fish are being caught but
it has been slow. Expect num-
bers of fall Chinook entering
the bays and estuaries to
increase later in the month
and into September. Best tech-
niques include trolling her-
ring/spinners and bobber fish-
When informed of the nom-
ination, Siuslaw volleyball
coach Jon Hornung said he was
particularly pleased because
it underscored a goal that the
team had coming into the sea-
son.
“We knew that starting a
new league was going to be
tough because the level of com-
petition was going to increase
greatly,” he said. “We also saw
it as a chance to remake our
image and raise the level of re-
spect we had for offi cials and
the other teams in our league.”
Hornung said he and his
team had some “less than
pleasant” experiences last sea-
son with offi cials and other
schools.
“We really wanted to change
that this year,” said Hornung.
“We set expectations high in
the beginning of the season
about how we treated offi cials
and other teams, and the girls
stepped up in a big way.”
Th e impact of that attitude
had almost immediate results,
according to Hornung.
“Stepping into a gym this
year and having offi cials smile
and wave when they saw us
ing with bait.
• Note: Salmon fishing in
the Siletz river is closed above
the marker sign approximately
1,200 feet above Ojalla bridge
until Oct. 7.
Summer steelhead are in the
river. Fishing has begun to
slow down as stream flows
decrease and water tempera-
tures increase in the gorge.
Early mornings or late eve-
nings provide the best oppor-
tunity to catch these fish. The
fishing will improve when we
get some cooler weather or a
little bit of rain to “stir” things
up a bit.
Casting spinners, drifting
bait or using a bobber and jig
can be effective.
Sea-run cutthroat will begin
entering the lower river later
this month and into the fall.
These fish are very aggressive,
respond well to flies and lures,
and can be up to 20-inches
long.
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was a huge improvement from
years past,” he said. “We hope
it can help improve the climate
surrounding offi cials.
“Because without them, it
would be tough to have a sea-
son.”
Th e fi nal announcement of
the Sportsmanship Award win-
ner will be released at the end
of the high school sports sea-
son in June.
2150 Hwy. 101 • Florence
(541) 997-3475 • 1-800-348-3475