Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 20, 2021)
SN THESIUSLAWNEWS.COM SATURDAY EDITION | FEBRUARY 20, 2021 | $1.00 Time Out By Lloyd Little Siuslaw News Retired teacher, coach and game offi cial Community & Lifestyle With more than55 years as an athlete, coach, parent and specta- tor, Lloyd Little has gained some insights and perspectives regarding athletics. Each week, he shares what he's learned about sports from his multiple points of view. Vicarious Participation ODFW REGIONAL FISHING REPORT www.dfw.state.or.us/RR LAKE, PONDS, RESERVOIRS: Mid-coast lakes scheduled to receive stockings the week of Feb. 8 include Cleawox, Munsel, Lost, Carter, Dune, Alder and Thissel. Tis’ the season for mid- coast trout. This week (Feb. 15), the Big Creek Reservoirs near Newport will be stocked. SIUSLAW RIVER: Winter steel- head Winter steelhead fishing con- tinues to be slow on the Siuslaw like all the other coastal rivers this season. The river has dropped into shape and will have good conditions through the upcoming weekend. Expect the fishing to improve as February is typically the peak month on the Siuslaw. The Whitaker Creek area is the best place to target returning hatch- ery fish. ALSEA RIVER: Winter steelhead Winter steelhead fishing con- tinues to be slow on the Alsea. Even with the ideal conditions over the weekend, the fishing was slow. Anglers are still catch- ing some fish everyday through- out the system from the NF Alsea bank fishery all the way down to the plunking shacks on the lowest portions of the river, but it’s been tough. The later returning wild broodstock fish are providing the majority of the catch now and typically peak in February and early March Reminder: The popular winter steelhead bank fishery around the Alsea Hatchery remains open but the hatchery grounds are closed to the public. Anglers See FISHING 3B Tide Tables Entrance Siuslaw River High Tide Low Tide Feb. 20 5:32am / 6.6 7:41pm / 4.8 1:04pm / 1.6 Feb. 21 6:32am / 6.6 9:01pm / 5.1 12:15am / 3.9 2:10pm / 1.2 Feb. 22 7:35am / 6.8 9:55pm / 5.4 1:36am / 4.1 3:07pm / 0.8 Feb. 23 8:34am / 7.1 10:36pm / 5.8 2:45am / 3.9 3:55pm / 0.3 Feb. 24 9:27am / 7.5 11:11pm / 6.1 3:40am / 3.6 4:37pm / -0.2 Feb. 25 10:16am / 7.8 11:44pm / 6.5 4:28am / 3.1 5:16pm / -0.6 Feb. 26 11:02am / 8.1 5:12am / 2.5 5:53pm / -0.8 PHOTOS BY NED HICKSON/SIUSLAW NEWS Members of the Siuslaw soccer team participate in an optional practice Wednesday. Siuslaw soccer kicks off The program is thriving as it heads into its first varsity season B Y Z EAHNA Y OUNG Siuslaw News A fter being given the go-ahead by the Oregon School Activities Association (OSAA) board, Siuslaw High School will begin official soccer practices this Monday (Feb. 22), with Season Two matches beginning the week of March 1. Fortunately, the Vikings have been able to run optional prac- tices since Season One began. Coach Londi Tomaro had much to say about the upcoming sea- son. “Well, it's definitely a differ- ent year with all of the COVID considerations,” said Tomaro. “But it was going to be a differ- ent year for us anyway, because this is the first year we've had a varsity team, [and] the first year we've had enough kids for more than one team [JV].” The soccer program at Siuslaw High School has grown quickly since its recent induc- tion, with this year being their third year competing. According to Tomaro, “Our first year, we formed in August, [and] basically our athletic director was getting us games wherever he could fit us in. We were scrambling that whole first year. Last year, we had an actual schedule, all JV, and then this year, we're varsity and JV. So, things are changing every year, and nobody's had a chance See SOCCER 2B Siuslaw soccer coach Londi Tomaro (above right) works with a player during drills; This year's team will include boys and girls on both teams. OSAA Executive Board addresses Culminating Week options The OSAA Executive Board met in a work session Wednesday (Feb. 17) to re- ceive updates from the OSAA staff on recently updated guidance from the Governor’s Office and Oregon Health Au- thority (OHA) and to finalize decisions on Season 2 Culmi- nating Week sports events. During the meeting, the board discussed the current realities associated with con- ducting large-scale events during a pandemic. Differences between team and individual sports, antici- pated issues with establishing equitable qualifying proce- dures, district adopted travel restrictions, gathering size restrictions based on coun- ty risk level capacity limits, and impacts associated with schools forming regional pods were just a few of the topics discussed. Ultimately, the board reached consensus that the best course of action to take for Season 2 is to return that week to the schools to coor- dinate and execute local/re- gional culminating events at their discretion. This lengthens the already truncated season and pro- vides additional participation opportunities for all students at all levels in a program. The board directed staff to support schools as they orga- nize these events at the local/ regional level. “The OSAA Executive Board does not want to put any undue pressure on schools to participate in a statewide event that could potential- ly place their students and school community at risk,” said OSAA Executive Direc- tor Peter Weber. “Recommen- dations from the OHA advise restricting unnecessary travel between counties, especially when they are at different risk levels. "The group felt that requir- ing schools to travel across the state with the potential for overnight stays for events is not prudent at this time.” The board acknowledge that the decision means some schools will not be able to start participating on time, See OSAA 3B Th ose who can play, will play. Th ose who cannot play, will play in their minds. Whether you are sitting in the stands or watching your favorite team or individu- al on television, many fans imagine themselves on the fi eld. Th ere is little harm for peo- ple to see themselves making the plays of their favorite sports star. Th ere should, however, be a limit to this vi- carious enthusiasm. Turning to a friend and commenting that you could have caught that pass, hit that pitch or made that putt is far diff erent than yelling and screaming about a missed opportunity by a player on the fi eld. Individuals and teams love loud vocal support at their home competitions when they play. Th e Seattle Seahawks have dubbed their home fans their 12th man. Th eir noise is so loud it disrupts the visiting teams’ off ense. Whenever they cause a mistake because of their noise I am sure they feel they have contributed to the victo- ry. It makes it uncomfortable for a family attending the game. Th e game should not be decided because the vis- iting team gets fl agged for a false start because they could not hear. Th roughout my playing and coaching career, I have witnessed parents, usually the Dad, verbally confront their son or daughter shortly aft er the ending of a contest. Th e most common nega- tives are “You should have...” in regards to a physical or mental mistake their athlete has made. It seems to me the expec- tations of a parent vicariously participating through their athlete are set too high. Pro- fessional athletes being paid millions of dollars can and do make mistakes. It is unrealistic to expect your athlete to be perfect. I played one sport or an- other for over 25 years. I have experienced the highs and lows of competition. I did not need to vicariously play through the multiple games I attended for my four chil- dren. Th is does not mean that I sat quietly and observed their team as they played. As I matured, I found my- self appreciating good plays from each athlete on the fi eld. I cheered good plays and groaned with the crowd on disappointing plays. One day, a long time ago, my brother and I were in a store in Warrenton, Ore. An adult friend of our dad came up to us and told us our dad was really bragging about our play in the previous nights’ game. It seems whenever our dad went to morning coff ee at the local café, he would talk about how well his sons played the previous night. It was a surprise to us both. We remember getting home aft er games and hearing about all the things we could See LITTLE 3B