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About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (May 8, 2019)
4B | WEDNESDAY, MAY 8, 2019 | COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL NED HICKSON , MANAGING EDITOR ELKS from B1 gravitated towards throw- ing events. Competing in discus, shot put and javelin, she was the benefi ciary of a past senior project at Elkton that saw the completion of a discus cage in addition to having a shot put deck and javelin runway. Because her head coach, Maxwell, is not an expert in throws, Olson relied on tips from her mom – who held the Elkton school record in discus until Sadie broke it last month – and instruction- al videos online. “Between YouTube and just asking people questions and observing other girls at meets, I slowly got a little better with the discus tech- nique,” said Olson who has also attempted to eavesdrop on coaches instructing their athletes while at meets. In her sophomore year, Ol- son took off in discus where she recorded a 40-foot per- sonal record from the season before being on her way to fi nishing second in state. In shot put, she threw fi ve feet farther and placed ninth at the state meet. Now as a ju- nior, she is currently ranked third in shot put and ninth in discus. She has also added the 1500 to her list of events. “I want to go to the US Coast Guard Academy so I have to be a little better at running if I’m going to pass their physical fi tness test so I thought I would just improve my running by doing the 1500,” said Olson, adding, “And I think it’s fun, it’s like NASCAR but with people.” For Olson’s teammate Margaret Byle, it was a more straightforward journey to track. In fi ft h grade Byle started running and hasn’t Byle sees it in a simpler light. “I hate not working hard. I feel like if I don’t work hard, I’ve failed,” she said last week. “I just have a goal and I’m going to push it and I’m just going to do my best.” Competing in the 100, 200 and 400 last year as a fresh- man, Byle was up with the best in 1A and made it to the “I hate not working hard. I feel like if I don’t work hard, I’ve failed.” -Elkton sophomore, Margaret Byle stopped since. Th e sopho- more sprinter found success throughout middle school and as an eighth grader won the 200 by over a second. Guiding her to victory was, as anyone who talks about her will tell you, her will to work hard. “She is never satisfi ed with what she is currently doing. She’s always like, ‘I can go faster.’ We’ll be, ‘Good job Margaret!’ and she’s like, ‘No, I can go faster. I can get a sec- ond off of that.’ She’s like ob- sessed with getting faster and faster so that’s really cool,” said Olson. It was a succinct, similar sentiment from Maxwell. “Just fl at out refuses to fail,” he said of his top runner. state fi nals in each event. She fi nished fi ft h in the 100, sev- enth in the 200 and sixth in the 400. While pleased with her success, she also felt a pang of guilt. “It felt great and I also felt sorry because I was just like, these seniors have been do- ing it for four years and this little freshman comes up and beats them. I’m one of those people that’s really sympa- thetic so I felt really bad,” she said. Th is season, Byle has racked up fi rst place fi nish- es winning 12 of the 16 rac- es that she has been in. But while Olson and Yeaney both push her during practice, they are not at the same lev- el as the top sprinters in the state. Th is lack of competi- tion at practice and in small meets has left Byle searching for a personal best this sea- son. “It’s nice winning but if I don’t have any competition there’s not any joy in win- ning,” she said. “It’s hard because I (oft en) don’t have anyone to run against, it’s just running by myself. I know, I don’t push myself, I know I could do better sometimes. When it’s just about me, I don’t do as well as I would if I was focused on someone else and beating them.” Byle will have plenty of competition this Saturday at districts when she heads to the start line. While she cur- rently holds the 11th fastest 100 time in 1A, the defend- ing district champion will face fi ve athletes with fast- er times in the event at the district meet. Byle holds the fourth fastest times in both the 200 and 400. While the competition is exciting, no matter if she is racing against the top ath- letes in the state or her three teammates, Byle has the same attitude. “I’m just going to do my best,” she says. “Every race I tell myself I’m going to do my best. And that’s all one can do, is go do their best.” | 541-902-3520 | NHICKSON @ CGSENTINEL . COM Middlefi eld Men’s Club Game: 2M Points 5/2/2019 First Place: 99 Bill Avery, Gary Rider, Jack Strickland, Dick Winters Second Place (tie): 98 Gary Culp, Dar- rell Lee, Don Perkins, Dave Tooker Second Place (tie): 98 Bill Medin, Jer- ry Pennington, Ron Warner, Jim Wamsley Fourth Place (tie): 96 Gary Welch, Mel Gowing, Phil Hamilton, John Kallbrier Fourth Place (tie): 96 Mark Kurzhal, Bruce Dorman, Gary Ackley, Adrian Chatigny Fourth Place (tie): 96 Ron Ackerman, Tom Arney, Tom Lemmon, Dan Pearson Low Gross: Bruce Dorman 69 Tim Martin 71 OPAL Gary Ingram 73 Bob Martindale 75 Gary Rider 76 Low Net: Jim Wamsley 58 Ron Warner 60 Dave Tooker 61 Joe Rehm 62 John Kallbrier 62 Adrian Chatigny 63 Dick Winters 63 Don Perkins 63 Frank Gates 63 Closest to Pin: #5 Ron Warner #7 Bruce Dor- man #14 Ron Acker- man Young Performers SUMMER CAMP SESSION 1 • July 22-26 SESSION 2 • July 29-August 9 Theater Camp for ages 5-18 OPAL CENTER for ARTS & EDUCATION 517 E. Main St. Cottage Grove opalcentercg.org For More Information: 541-623-0513 Michele Monroe, LCSW Counseling Services Handguns Long Rifles Concealed carry classes Call for Schedules 541-255-8822 1450 Birch Ave Cottage Grove, OR 97424 • Individual and Family Counseling • Insurance and Sliding Scale • Accepting New Clients • Weekend and Weekday Appointments Available Are you ready? D ISASTER P REPAREDNESS Wildfi re awareness month puts spotlight on making homes safe from wildfi re May is Wildfi re Awarene ss Month in Oregon, and fed- eral, state and fi refi ghting agencies are encouraging home- owners to make sure their homes are protected from wild- fi re. Th e Oregon Department of Forestry, Oregon Offi ce of State Fire Marshal and Keep Oregon Green, in collabora- tion with Oregon forest protective associations, the Offi ce of Emergency Management and federal wildland agencies, are taking this opportunity to promote defensible space around homes before fi re strikes this summer. “Th e roof is the most critical part of the house when it comes to wildfi re protection,” says Oregon State Fire Mar- shal Jim Walker. “Embers can collect and ignite on the roof, in gutters and enter unscreened openings around the house. Although non-combustible roofi ng material is pre- ferred, regardless of the construction, keep roofs, gutters and eaves clear of all leaves, pine needles and other fl am- mable debris.” To reduce the risk, fi re offi cials suggest removing dead vegetation a minimum of 30 feet around your house and other structures. In most cases, trees and healthy plants do not need to be removed. However, trees should be pruned and grass kept short and green to keep fi re on the ground and more manageable by fi re crews. Maintain a fi ve-foot fi re-free area closest to the home using nonfl ammable landscaping material and fi re resistant plants. “Defensible space is a property’s fi rst line of defense against wildfi re,” says Oregon Department of Forestry Fire Prevention Coordinator Tom Fields. “Creating and main- taining defensible space around homes can improve your property’s likelihood of surviving a wildfi re. Having defen- sible space also makes it safer for fi refi ghters who may have to defend someone’s home.” Homeowners should also consider access issues for large fi re trucks. Long driveways should be at least 12 feet wide, have 10 feet of vegetation clearance from the centerline out, and about 14 feet overhead. Large vehicle turnaround areas are critical for your safety as well as fi refi ghter safety. Should a fi re occur near a community, Oregon Offi ce of Emergency Management Director Andrew Phelps encour- ages residents to be prepared if an evacuation is necessary. “Wildfi res can come without warning and move quickly, so residents need to prepare now in case they have to leave their home,” Phelps said. “Make sure to put together a ‘Go Kit,’ register for emergency notifi cation systems in your community, and make a plan where your family will go and how you will stay in contact if evacuated.” It is the homeowner’s responsibility to protect their homes by building defensible space. For more informa- tion, visit the websites for the Offi ce of State Fire Mar- shal, the Offi ce of Emergency Management, Keep Oregon Green and the Oregon Department of Forestry, or call your nearest ODF or forest protective association offi ce. Additional information on preparing for wildfi res can be found on the Ready.gov website. Make sure all the pieces are in place to render you and your family prepared in the event of a natural disaster. • Listen to radio or television newscasts for the latest weather information, and follow all evacuation directions and suggestions. • Keep a stock of non-perishable food items as well as bottled water on hand inside your home. • Keep a 72 Hour Kit on hand inside your home that is easy to get to in the event of a disaster. For more information and tips on disaster response and preparedness, contact your local emergency services center. South Lane Fire & Rescue • 233 Harrison Ave, Cottage Grove 541-942-4493 • 55 South 1st Street, Creswell 541-895-2506 Twitter: @southlanefi re Facebook: southlanecountyfi reandrescue
