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
