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About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (July 31, 2019)
2B | WEDNESDAY, JULY 31, 2019 | COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL Golfer finally gets his ace Triathlon from B1 options, inclusivity, and a bevy of experienced orga- nizers. It’s no wonder the Rolf Prima Tri at the Grove recently earned the honor of being named one of Tri- athlete Magazine editor’s picks as a top-22 triathlon in the United States. Like most triathlons, it was an event with many moving parts and logistical concerns. But, once Satur- day morning arrived race directors and scores of vol- unteers got to work. Bron- son seemed pleased with the results. “There are countless pieces to the puzzle trying to make it all come together, especially on a short time- line. It’s a bit of a challenge, but we have a really great volunteer crew behind us ... there are always little things you can improve here and there but this is a pretty sweet event,” he said. “Almost everyone who started finished ... so any time we have folks crossing the line healthy and happy, I’m happy.” Laverne Scheler achieves rare feat aft er decades of trying B Y N ICK S NYDER nsnyder@cgsentinel.com For full triathlon results visit www.triatthegrove. Athletes in the transition area (top), winners stand at com/resultsphotos.html. the podium (bottom). PHOTO BY NICK SNYDER CG SENTINEL Wrestling from B1 landed on my shoulder titles on this stage. “I think losing the finals was actually a really good experience for me beac- uase it gives me that expe- rience of this girl is better than me, I want to be as good as her,” said Raina. “Going second was a really good experience because it boosts my confidence, it showed me that I’m good enough to be up on the podium. But it also pushes me to want to be better.” For Kent, who has been home for a total of six days this summer because of wrestling, she entered team camp at Elmira with a shoulder injury from a tournament in Idaho. “I was in the finals and I was beating the girls and I went to throw her and I and I sprained muscles – the major muscle running through my neck and my collar bone,” said Kent. “It was a gnarly one.” Trying to fend off the in- jury bug, Kent was injured again in the quarterfinals at nationals and now has a possible ACL tear and might be out for the next high school wrestling sea- son. “I’ve had two knee sur- geries myself so I know exactly what boat she’s in,” said head coach Umemo- to. “I’ve been in that boat twice now so some tips and tricks we talked about ave her some expectation management. At that age you think it’s devastating, you think you’re never go- ing to come back but she can come back stronger.” Despite the injury, Kent is now in South Africa as part of the cultural ex- change wrestling program in Oregon. Run by Thur- ston head coach Mike Si- mons, the program takes wrestlers from around the state to a different country each year. And while Kent won’t have the opportuni- ty to wrestle, she is looking forward to learning about the sport on an interna- tional level. “Even just in our own country there are different styles so I’m so excited to see how different people in the world wrestle. So if you go to Russia, they’re just brutal. Just non-stop,” said Kent. “But I’ve never even heard of South Africa wrestling so I’m excited to see it.” Adelle Kent pins her opponent at the junior nationals in Fargo, N.D. (top), the referee lifts Raina Herzog’s arm in victory, representing team Oregon(bottom). PHOTOS Some things in life are worth the wait, and some things are worth that wait even if it takes 42 years. Such was the case on July 16 at Hidden Valley golf course when Laverne Scheler of Yoncalla record- ed his first ever hole-in- one on the 145-yard, par three 12th hole. Playing in a threesome with the Hid- den Valley Men’s Club - who meets every Tuesday and Thursday morning - Scheler used his six-iron to achieve the rare feat, made even rarer by the fact that Scheler is now 87 years old. “I started golfing when I was 45 years old, now I’m 87. Last time I played I shot at an 87, that’s my age. When you get old- er, the easier it is to shoot your age,” said Scheler as he recounted his over four decades of playing golf. However, until that fateful day in Cottage Grove it had been four decades that did not include a hole-in-one. “I used a six-iron because it’s a downhill shot and, you know, if you can hit to the right side of the green it’ll roll on down to the flag. Fortunately, I hit it to the right side of the green. You’re playing the roll and if you’re lucky, you’ll get it to come close,” Scheler con- tinued. And come close he did. According to the National Hole-in-One Registry, the odds of an amateur golfer acing a hole is 12,500 to one. After countless rounds of golf throughout half a lifetime, Scheler finally got the roll and got lucky. “The guy I golf with, he’s got good eyes and he said it went in the hole. I thought he was joking with me!” said Scheler when asked if he knew his fortune imme- diately after his tee shot. Given his experience, Scheler is well-versed in the frustrating realities of golf. Holes-in-one are a scarce commodity in a game where hitting the ball straight can be a task. Even getting your ball close to the pin can be reason for celebration. “I was playing with the men’s club in Stayton one time and I had one where the ball was actually about a half an inch from the hole. To get one that close is almost as good as getting a hole in one,” he said. But the feeling of ela- tion in accomplishing the near-impossible was by no means lost on Mr. Scheler. “Well, of course I felt pretty excited about it. It was unbelievable … a miracle!” Scheler paused before correcting himself, “or a calculated accident is what it is.” Accident, miracle, luck, skill. Whatever it was be- hind Mr. Scheler’s accom- plishment that day, he plans to continue golfing as he approaches 90 years of age, especially with the Hidden Valley Men’s Club. “I get a kick out of the guys I golf with. They say I own that hole now!” Laverne Scheler (right) celebrates his hole-in-one at Hidden Valley Golf Course PHOTO C/O DAN NORD CHARLIE STOVALL 25TH ANNUAL SCHOLARSHIP GOLF TOURNAMENT AUGUST 3RD REGISTRATION 7AM • TEE OFF TIME 8AM MIDDLEFIELD GOLF COURSE 91 Village Drive, Cottage Grove CALL MIKE STOVALL 541-954-3599 OR GREG YOSS-541-729-6336 MANAGED BY THE KIWANIS OF THE COAST FORK Th e News & So Much More Find Local Garage & Estate Sales In Print & Online Today! C/O CHRISTINA KENT AND RICH HERZOG Get the in-depth local news coverage you need, plus more of what you want, right here in your local newspaper. S entinel C ottage G rove In Print & Online Subscribe | Renew | Gift 541.942.3325 • www.cgsentinel.com
