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About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 5, 2015)
B S PORTS Section B South Lane County Sports and Recreation Wednesday, August 5, 2015 Contact Sports, 942-3325 or e-mail sports@cgsentinel.com Dawson's Paradise CGHS grad seeks so much more than the island lifestyle at the University of Hawaii BY MATT HOLLANDER The Cottage Grove Sentinel D estiny Dawson goes to the University of Hawaii at Manoa, and she is very aware of what that is supposed to imply. “It’s actually not so much living in paradise,” said the 2014 graduate of Cottage Grove High School, “not because it isn’t beautiful, but I didn’t come here for a vacation.” In fact, Dawson’s schedule couldn’t be less conducive to the island lifestyle; she’s a double major in architecture and engineer- ing, and she throws the javelin for the NCAA Division I Rainbow Wahine women’s track and fi eld team. Most 18-year-olds should have a harder time resisting the temp- tation of world-famous beaches within walking distance of cam- pus, but Dawson possesses discipline, focus and independence well beyond her years. But while these qualities have enabled her to excel as a young adult, they were forged through a tumultuous childhood. Originally born in Cottage Grove, Dawson moved back to the area as a second-grader with her father, David, and older brother, Devin, following her parents' divorce. With two older children as well, David, a 1985 graduate of Cottage Grove, acknowledged that there wasn’t always enough support to go around. “With so many families that are split, broken or blended these days, the kids take the brunt of it,” he said. “And I know there were times the kids were in tough situations because of my em- ployment, or lack of employment. But Destiny is the most hard headed kid I’ve ever met. She didn’t allow the negative stuff to run her life.” The father and daughter went on to form a special bond through athletics, and their time together playing sports was often a sanc- tuary to the familial stressors. Destiny played softball in her fi rst spring at Cottage Grove but switched over to the Lions track team as a sophomore — which meant that David had to make the switch as well. “When she played softball as a freshman, they put her behind the plate. She didn’t know much about catching then, so I went to practices and tried to learn what they were teaching her,” David recalled. “But when she decided to go out for track as a sopho- more, I had to learn an all-new sport. I never once thought there would be so many interesting events in one sport.” Not many young athletes dream of excelling in the javelin; it’s not the most glamorous event in track and fi eld, and in most plac- es it’s not introduced until high school. But Dawson said she took to it instantly. She also had the opportunity to learn from two of Cottage Grove’s all-time great throwers-turned coaches, fi rst in Blair Wilkinson, and later under Jordan Brunetti. photo courtesy of University of Hawii Media Relations Department CGHS grad Destiny Dawson throws the javelin for the NCAA Division I Rainbow Wahine women's track team, but the opportunity to compete collegiately was just one factor that led her to the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Please see Dawson, Page 2B Road to Rio starts with wellness Grant supports fi tness classes, wellness education for school district employees BY MATT HOLLANDER The Cottage Grove Sentinel A t the start of the New Year, South Lane School District employees were invited to join in the Road to Rio, the site of the 2016 Olympics. After six months and four cycles of fi tness classes, it appears that many SLSD employees are well on their way to Brazil. Not literally, of course; the bulletin board in the district offi ce (pictured) was designed to track staff participation in a new grant-funded wellness program. “It’s really a win-win for everyone,” said grant coordinator Emily Wren. “We’re able to offer an incentive for our employees that also promotes healthy living.” Since the early part of January, the district has supported fi ve, six-week fi tness cycles, during which staff can choose from 5-10 classes, including yoga, water aerobics, cycling and cross fi t. Employees can also suggest a new class for a future cycle, or they can opt for another activity they can track independently. Classes are at no cost to district employees. There were 75 participants across seven fi tness classes in the fi rst cy- cle, and overall there were 329 par- ticipants during the fi rst three cycles. There were also 26 participants in six nutritional classes. Participants are recognized for reaching different benchmarks on the “Road to Rio,” measured by participation. “When you’re starting something new, it can be hard to catch on,” said Wren. “But we started to fi ne tune our registration process, we saw a Please see Wellness Program, Page 2B photo by Matt Hollander Participants in SLSD's grant-funded wellness program can track their "progress to Rio" on this bulletin board at the district offi ce. Athletes of the Week: Junior Golf Cottage Grove Junior Golf completed its six- week summer program with a fi ve-hole and a three-hole junior/adult competition at Middle- fi eld Golf Course on Wednesday, July 29. The junior golfers are ages eight through 14. The winners of this years' tournaments were: 5-Hole Chapman format: 1st — Carson Kane and Clayton Nordquist, 21 2nd — Garrett Allen and Taylor Neigh, 25 3rd — Kaden Erickson and Jason Erickson, 26 4th — Tristan Kane and Tracy Kane, 28 5th — Kelvin Johnson and Bob Martin, 31 3-Hole Chapman format: 1st — Alexis Christie and Dave Erickson, 11 2nd — Owen Land and Reid Stockwell, 12 3rd — Kaylee McHugill and Mark Cooley, 13 4th — Austin Arthur and Rob Hanson, 14 5th — Kassidy Poetzl and Kevin Lucke, 16 6th — Rhianah Poetzl and Jim Poetzl, 17 7th — Logan Shroy and Steve Perry, 18 Be ready for fall: Take a hunter education class this summer SALEM, Ore.—Keep the kids occupied this sum- mer and get them ready for fall hunting. Register them for a hunter education class or fi eld day hap- pening around the state in August and early Septem- ber. ODFW offers two types of hunter education class- es: a traditional classroom experience or independent study, which kids can do from home via workbook or online course. Independent study students also need to attend a fi eld day to receive their hunter education certifi cate. Both types of class take about 12 hours to complete. For a list of current classes and fi eld days open in Oregon, visit the ODFW’s license sales site and click View All Classes-Workshops / Hunter Ed Class or Hunter Ed Field Day tab. New classes are added regularly, so check back if you don’t see a date, time or location that works for you. Registering for a class or fi eld day costs $10. Independent study students can take one of three The Junior Golf program is sponsored by Bohemia Sunrisers Kiwanis of Cottage Grove, Hidden Valley and Middlefi eld golf courses. Please see Hunting Classes, Page 2B Join us August 8th for HISTORICAL NIGHT 360 Sprints, Late Models, IMCA Modiϐieds, Street Stocks, Quality RV Repair Hornets
