Cottage Grove Sentinel
Community & Lifestyle
B1
THURSDAY | MAY 21, 2020
•
CONTACT SPORTS REPORTER NICK SNYDER AT
942-3325 OR NSNYDER@CGSENTINEL.COM
County campgrounds reopening today, with caveats
Following the phase one reopening of many businesses, Lane County campgrounds are now being phased in
Oregon, Washing-
ton set summer, fall
salmon seasons
Oregon and Washington fi shery
managers recently announced seasons
and regulations for 2020 summer and
fall Columbia River fi sheries.
Although sockeye and fall Chinook
returns show improvement from 2019,
below average projections for summer
Chinook, coho and upriver summer
steelhead will require another year of
reduced or closed seasons and bag lim-
its.
Th e summer season will be limit-
ed to sockeye and steelhead retention.
Th e weak summer Chinook forecast of
38,000 fi sh returning to the Columbia
River would be slightly better than the
2019 return but still too small to pro-
vide for directed harvest in non-treaty
fi sheries downstream of Priest Rapids
Dam. Th e improved sockeye forecast of
246,300 will allow for a retention sea-
son.
Th e fall seasons are based on a pro-
jected return of 420,400 fall Chinook,
which is about 12 percent higher than
the actual return of 375,800 last year.
Th is year’s forecast includes 227,600
upriver bright Chinook, compared to
a return of 212,200 in 2019. To reduce
the chance of exceeding the ESA lim-
it allowed for non-treaty fi sheries as
occurred in 2017 and 2018, the states
intend to manage the fi shery based on
an allowed harvest rate of 15 percent on
the upriver bright stock — but only al-
locate 8.25 percent prior to the in-sea-
son run update.
Th is conservative approach compli-
cates setting pre-update fi sheries but
will hopefully result in some good op-
portunity post-update for some parts of
the river.
“Th e fall fi shery planning process
was very challenging this year,” accord-
ing to John North, fi sheries manager
for ODFW’s Columbia River Program.
“Considering the Covid-19 situation,
multiple ESA-impact constraints,
and uncertainty related to the upriver
bright forecast, we struggled to design
fi sheries that would meet public expec-
tations.”
Due to the low projected returns for
upriver summer steelhead, protective
regulations are needed again this fall
including a one steelhead daily bag lim-
it in June and July, area-specifi c steel-
head retention closures beginning in
August, and Th ermal Angling Sanctu-
aries associated with Eagle Creek, Her-
man Creek, and the Deschutes River.
Th ese collective actions are intend-
ed to reduce take of both hatchery and
wild fi sh.
For more information about upcom-
ing Columbia River seasons, including
regulation updates, visit ODFW’s on-
line fi shing reports at www.myodfw.
com.
Officials have announced that,
beginning today (May 21), five
county campgrounds — Archie
Knowles, Armitage, Harbor Vista,
Richardson and Baker Bay — will
allow restricted reopenings, offer-
ing modified camping to would-be
recreators.
While campsites will be avail-
able for reservation, the county is
operating under the Guidelines for
Outdoor Recreation issued by the
Oregon Health Authority (OHA)
and a number of precautions and
restrictions have been put in place
to ensure safe reopening and con-
tinued use of facilities by visitors.
These include:
• Restricting access to gathering
areas within the parks (showers in-
cluded)
• Additional cleaning and sanita-
tion of high-touch areas like public
restrooms
• Bilingual signage at highly visi-
ble locations,
• Some individual campsites re-
maining empty to assure proper
distancing
• Use of approved cleaners and
disinfectants in restrooms.
In addition, each campground
will also have site-specific modifi-
cations and campers are being in-
See CAMPING 2B
Coping with sudden change
PHOTO BY ZACH SILVA
Mitchell Krokus, a senior at Cottage Grove High School, is seen here as a junior winning the 2019 4A state triple jump title. Krokus
won with a winning jump of 44-04.75 feet, but due to coronavirus shutdowns, won’t see the chance to defend his title in 2020.
School closures force seniors across the nation to deal with an abrupt end to their high school careers
By Nick Snyder
nsnyder@cgsentinel.com
The global coronavirus pandemic has un-
leashed a torrent of financial, economic and
health woes the world over. It has touched ev-
eryone’s life in one way or another.
For America’s youth, however, it presents it-
self most tangibly as a unique mental challenge,
forcing them to find ways to cope with their
present and future being thrown into a whirling
cloud of uncertainty.
Cottage Grove High School (CGHS) senior
Mitchell Krokus - the reigning 4A state triple
jump champion - has spent the last couple of
months doing just that: coping.
“It’s been a mix of emotions. It’s been a lot
of different things,” Krokus said, echoing the
emotional toll of rapid societal fluctuations be-
ing felt all over the country.
It started on March 12 when Krokus and all
of his fellow CGHS seniors, unbeknownst to
them, attended their final day of high school.
At that point, public schools in Oregon had not
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been ordered to close through the remainder of
the year, but that change came soon enough.
“No one knew it was going to be our last day
of school,” Krokus said. “Just that by itself is a
pretty big thing.”
Years of preparation through elementary,
middle and high school. Piles of homework.
Test upon test. Suddenly and quite unceremo-
niously, it was all over through no fault of their
own. But, there were still opportunities to re-
train focus onto other things and, for Krokus,
that outlet was track and field which, at that
point along with all other spring sports, was
only postponed through early April.
“First thing I did was go to my head coach,
talk to him about it and get his perspective,”
Krokus added. “At first I was kind of bummed
out, but when I realized I’d just be getting more
practice and work in it gave me a little bit more
to look forward to.”
Krokus, after all, had found his niche in the
track world during his sophomore season when
he tried triple jump for the first time and qual-
ified for state. After winning the state champi-
onship in 2019, Krokus threw himself into his
training, discovering a new passion for not just
the competition, but the preparation as well.
“Since a couple months after last season, I
started working out a ton,” Krokus said. “I really
wanted to be the best version of myself coming
into the season. I wanted to be there as soon
as I started the season … I’d think, ‘If there’s
another guy I’m gonna be competing against
working out right now, I’m gonna work harder
than him’. That was my mindset every day of
working out.”
So, to say Krokus was focused and prepared
going into his final season as a Lion would be
an understatement. This was a student-athlete
ready to defend their title.
Alas, he would never get the chance.
The postponed starting date for spring sports
came and went and, on April 8, Krokus had a
dizzying day: he officially graduated from
high school sans robes, family, peers and cer-
emony; spring sports were canceled through
See KROKUS 2B
NHSFCA endorses football development
model created by USA Football
The National High School Football
Coaches Alliance comprised of high
school coaching associations across 41
states, today announced its endorsement
of USA Football’s Football Development
Model for youth leagues nationwide. The
Alliance represents the country’s largest
group of state high school football coaches
associations.
The model is in alignment with the
American Development Model designed
by the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Com-
mittee (USOPC). USA Football is the
sport’s national governing body and a
USOPC member.
A new approach to coaching, learning
and playing football, the Football Devel-
opment Model helps coaches develop the
whole athlete based on a child’s age and
stage of development. The framework in-
troduces smarter and safer play, centered
on fun and fundamental skills while re-
ducing contact. Coaches teach athletes
based on their age, skill level and the ver-
sion of the sport they play, from non-con-
tact (flag) to contact (11-player tackle).
Leaders for safer and smarter play, Al-
liance members also hosted more than 80
youth football events nationwide in 2019,
including dynamic and fun player clinics
and education-based summits for coaches
and league organizers. Prior to COVID-19
mitigation and shelter-in-place direc-
tives, Alliance members had committed
to expand their support of youth football
through more than 100 events for coaches,
parents and players in 2020.
“The National High School Football
Coaches Alliance recognizes the impor-
tance of youth football and endorses USA
Football’s Football Development Model at
the youth level,” said Alliance President
Rob Younger, who also serves as the Or-
egon Athletic Coaches Association Execu-
See FOOTBALL 2B