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2B COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL July 8, 2015 G ROVER Continued from 1B was — he was Russian, and we were still pissed at the Russians at the time — and how high the bar was set for him, I think that's what made me say, ‘Yeah, I think I’ll do this for a while.’” Now, as the head offi cial for hori- zontal jumps at the U of O, Grover has grown fond of a new generation of ath- letes, including local multi-event icons Ashton Eaton and Brianne Theisen-Ea- ton and blooming long jump star Mar- quis Dendy — each of whom has cha- risma and grace on par with Bubka. “Some of the athletes who have been doing this for quite a while aren’t so nice; it’s their living and they’re not very sociable. But a lot of them are. I remember at a postseason barbecue for offi cials, I asked Theisen (then a soph- omore at U of O), ‘What can we do to make you feel better?’ And she said, ‘You can smile, because when you’re out there and you don’t smile it scares us to death,” Grover said. The sport of track and fi eld is largely driven by its sponsors, and in Eugene that means Nike. Over the past decade policies about branding at Hayward Field have become increasingly strin- gent. Grover and the other offi cials are required to dress alike, and more of- ten than not that apparel is adorned by The Swoosh; except at the 2014 World Junior Championships, meet sponsor Adidas made sure to cover any of its rival’s many markings around the facil- ity and outfi tted the offi cials in black and orange Adidas gear. However, the corporate agendas don’t make Grover cynical. “I think it's a good thing because we all know that Uncle Phil Knight (Nike’s founder and Oregon alumni) pays for track. I think it's dear to his heart, and he contributes a lot of money to the program,” he said. The support of Nike has helped pro- duce the recent boom of Track Town, USA. In addition to the success of the men’s and women’s Oregon programs, the community has had success draw- ing larger events to Eugene. This past spring it was announced that the 2021 World Championships will be staged at Hayward Field — the fi rst time in the 33-year history of the competition that it will be contested on U.S. soil. “You get bigger meets, bigger crowds ,and it means a lot more to the organiz- ers if you do a good job offi ciating; it helps them when they bid on bigger meets,” Grover said. “You have a lot of personal pride to do the best you can, and we’re all volunteers. But it's also more responsibility. The language bar- rier for the international meets can be a challenge.” For all of the major meets to come to Hayward Field, however, Grover said that his favorite may be the Oregon high school state championships, and in particular for the recent decision to bring each classifi cation to Eugene. “The fi rst year they did it (2014), we thought it would be absolute chaos. We thought, ‘1A-6A, we’ll be there all day.’ And we do have some long, busy days, but to see the looks on the faces of the 1A, 2A and 3A kids when they walk into Hayward… They come from all over, and they deserve to be there because they’re working hard too,” he said. Since Grover fi rst began offi ciating, the technology used for judging a com- petition has also evolved tremendously. While the Hayward Field crew has for some time benefi tted from plasticine, a form of clay used on the boards to help determine if a jump is fair or foul, more recently — and especially in high-pro- fi le competitions — the crew uses tech- nology that includes a video review system for take-off board accuracy and a laser-based measuring device. While this technology produces highly ac- curate measurements, Grover calls it a “giant pain in the ass.” At this year’s Prefontaine Classic the electronic mea- suring system went down and the of- fi cials had to work by hand. Even with the technology, however, Grover said that the knowledgable fan base of Hayward Field can’t appreciate the margin between a fair and a foul jump. Week 2 SCORES Standings Team Dragon Rally Squirrels Brad’s House Lions 1 Lions 2 Misfi tz W 3 2 2 1 1 1 0 0 L 0 0 1 1 1 2 2 3 T 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 Middlefi eld Mens Golf Date: June 29 Game: 1-2-3 Best Ball photo by Matt Hollander Civic Stadium, where the Eugene Emerald's played from 1969 to 2009, was destroyed by fi re on June 29. C IVIC ' S L ESSONS Continued from 1B Players fresh from a season of college heroics sat wide-eyed but confi dent in the reserve seats for pre-game interviews, and baseball scouts and salty reporters fi lled the hours between with years of well-worn stories, talk rife with statistical sal- ads and the relentless ribbing of their grizzled col- leagues. But alas, photography was not part of that par- ticular job description, and somehow I seem to have escaped that magical summer without a sin- gle shot of a play well made or a portrait of any- one it was my fortune to connect with during the 2008 season. The Emeralds would play one more season at Civic, taking their game to PK Park after 2009, and with the move came at least the feeling that an era had ended. Then last Monday, June 29, what appears to be a careless act by four young people made quick work of Civic Stadium, reducing the historic struc- ture to ashes within an early-summer afternoon and seemingly crushing the hopes of those who sought to resurrect the stadium for the next chap- ter of its storied life. Their actions robbed all of us of the chance to see Civic rise again and touched off an outpouring of grief from those who, like me, found solace, beauty and hope between the white chalk lines and sturdy blue boards of one of the greatest homes to ever host America’s game. Like many of you, I’ve spent much of the last week reliving my best memories at the stadium, and after the initial shock of its loss wore off, it was easy to see the proverbial silver lining: There is news that the former stadium site may still play host to youth sports, that those who have harbored a new dream for Civic still intend to see that dream realized. There is the news that a rash act of mischief, not one of evil intent, probably spelled the end of a structure that has enhanced so many lives. And of course, there are those all-important memories. For in truth, no photograph could have possibly captured the electric feel of an extra- innings walk-off win or the giddiness of a child winning a contest during a campy mid-inning promotion. Nor could a camera do justice to the stadium’s pre-game wakeup ritual, with volunteer ushers inspecting and wiping down every reserve seat as they began to welcome early-arriving fans, and young boys and girls hung over the railing vy- ing for autographs of the game’s future stars. Pictures of the line of fans waiting outside the Emeralds offi ce on a gray, drizzly March morn- ing to secure season tickets are likely few and far between, as are shots of the team in transit, board- ing buses for road trips in scenes that could have come straight from the script of “Bull Durham.” Baseball and nostalgia are an inseparable pair, and while the loss of Civic Stadium may have struck a blow to the future of sports in south Eu- gene, those of us who loved the old ball yard now have a responsibility as the caretakers of its sto- ried past to share our recollections, our lessons and — if we can fi nd them, of course — our pho- tographs of the stadium with future generations. For now at least, it’s so long, Civic, and thanks for the many memories. 1, Smith, Perkins, Aren- dell, Gowing BD (-30). 2, Cooney, Gowing, Wams- ley, Winters, (-29). 3, Lee, Nellermoe, Penning- ton, Wilson (-22). Low Gross: 1, Pearson 68. 2t, Emery 69. 2t, Kinkade 69. Low Net: 1, Wilson 56. 2, Pearson 59. 3t, Culp 60. 3t, Gowing 60. Closest to the Pin: No. 5, NA. No. 7, Cunning- ham. No. 14, Hack. Longest Putt: No. 1, England. Date: July 2 Game: 3-2-1 Points 1, Cunningham, Bryce, Arendell, Cox 99. 2t, Helms, La Cosse, Lev- ings, Beckett 91. 2t, Dor- man, Dreiling, Sparks, Hamilton 91. 2t, Cooney, Ingram, Rhodes, Ryan. 2t, England, Nellermoe, Smith, Rowling 91. Low Gross: 1, Emery 69. 2t, Helms 72. 2t, Sparks 72/ Low Net: 1, Bryce 56. 2, Beckett 61. 3t, Ryan 62. 3t, LaCosse 62. Closest to the Pin: No. 5, Cox. No. 7, McCarty. No. 14, Bryce. Longest Putt: No. 2, Sparks. Pts. 9 7 6 4 4 3 1 0 “The fans see the fi nal attempt. And if it’s a big jump and scream, ‘ooh.’ But they don’t see how close their feet are to the foul board, and a foul is a foul. The fans raise hell because they don’t know the rules. You don’t get (an argument) from the athletes because they know. The really good ones can adjust their strides by quarters of an inch —they’re that fi nely tuned,” said Grover. At this point, Grover said he plans to continue offi ciating until he can no lon- ger do it or loses the enjoyment for it. Which would be fi ne, he said, because he would then have a chance to actually watch the meets. But Grover recogniz- es a looming issue for Track Town. “Our group is getting older and old- er, and it’s getting hard to recruit young people to do it,” he said. “They don’t want to spend their Saturdays there for a hamburger and a bag of potato chips. “I think you’re doing a public ser- vice, and as long as the university still appreciates us, we’ll still be there.” Results for July 1 House 4, Misfi tz 3 Rally 0, Brad's Big Time 0 Blind Squirrels 3, Lions One 2 Dragon Ocean 9, Lions Two 0 GD +15 +9 +4 +7 -3 0 -15 -17 Schedule for July 8: 6 p.m. — Brad’s Big Time vs. Lions Two 7 p.m. — Dragon Ocean vs. Rally 8 p.m. — Misfi tz vs. Lions One 9 p.m. — Blind Squirrels vs. House Caring for your Health WE OFFER: 6SLQH&DUH2UWKRSHGLF6SRUWV5HKDE -RE,QMXULHV09$:RUN&RQGLWLRQLQJ )RRW&DUH&KURQLF3DLQ6\QGURPH 6WDELOL]DWLRQ7KHUDS\0DQXDO7KHUDS\ 0F.HQ]LH0HWKRG )5((XQOLPLWHGDFFHVVWR$Q\WLPH )LWQHVV&OXEGXULQJFOLQLFKRXUV /XQFKWLPHHYHQLQJHDUO\PRUQLQJ DSSRLQWPHQWV &RQYHQLHQWORFDWLRQZLWKLQWKH6DIHZD\ 3OD]D Cottage Grove Physical Therapy ??? $ Heather LaPrath DPT A Merit Rehab Facility ! 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