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
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