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About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 5, 2021)
Cottage Grove Sentinel Sports & Recreation B1 THURSDAY | AUGUST 5, 2021 Fresh start for CGHS cross country Kendrick Murphy kmurphy@cgsentinel.com A ODFW R ECREATION AND F ISHING R EPORT myodfw.com/recreation-report Updated July 29, 2021 Warm weather fishing updates and guidance Drought and low water levels per- sist and temperatures will be spiking again this week. The fall Chinook season on the Columbia and in coastal rivers opened Aug. 1. There are special regulations in place this year for the Columbia and south coast, so be sure to check before you go. Catch rates for hatchery coho have been good, and took a jump over the last week. Salmon fishing in the cooler ocean breezes is a great way to beat the summer heat. Wildfire closures and restrictions updates Access for fishing and big game scouting is getting tricky. Fire danger in many parts of the state remains extreme. The Forest Service has closed the Umatilla Na- tional Forest to the public, and the Oregon departments of parks and forestry have banned all campfires on their lands east of I-5. To keep up with the latest clo- sures and restrictions on private forest lands, check out: myodfw. com/articles/hunting-and-fire-dan- ger-oregon. To help you navigate the status of popular recreation sites on public lands, natural resource management agencies in Oregon have released an interagency status map that shows open, closed and reduced service areas on a single map, regardless of reason for closure. To view the map, go to: wildfire. oregon.gov/Pages/Recreation-Im- pacts.aspx Finally, check the zone reports for updates on specific waterbodies. Hunting and fire danger Early season hunts often take place during the peak of the wildfire season. Experienced hunters know to check for fire closures before their hunt. Visit myodfw.com/articles/ hunting-and-fire-danger-oregon for links to the most current fire closures and restrictions. Register for shotgun skills, pheasant hunting workshops ODFW is offering several of its popular shotgun skills and pheasant hunting workshops beginning in June. A shotgun skills class is a pre- requisite to a pheasant hunting workshop. These classes fill quickly, so sign up soon. Visit myodfw.com/workshops- and-events for more details. Athlete of the Week fter nearly a quar- ter century under Jim Settlemeyer, the cross country team at Cottage Grove High School (CGHS) will have a new head coach starting this fall — Ricky Knutson. Knutson, who also is the Cottage Grove track and field head coach, will now be able to have both the cross country and track pro- grams under the same roof. Coach Knutson is excited to develop consistent align- ment with his programs starting this season. “I love the sport of cross country,” said Knutson. “The experiences I had growing up and the friends see CGHS on B2 KENDRICK MURPHY/COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL The CGHS cross country team warms up on Aug. 3 ahead of the upcoming season. Aquatic Center summer programs off to swimmingly good start By Daniel Friis for The Sentinel What goes together better than summer- time and a pool? Not much. Thankfully, at Cottage Grove’s Warren H. Daugherty Aquatic Center, a slew of aquatic programs and fitness opportunities have be- come available for kids and adults of all ages. Not only this, but more programs are slated to be offered as summer rolls along. Like many other businesses, the Aquatic Center couldn’t wait to reopen their doors to the public after a year of frustration. “It was a breath of fresh air,” said Josh Norton, a pool manager for the Aquatic Center. “I took this job a year ago so that I could create a community, and I finally feel like I’m doing that now.” Unlike other businesses though, the Aquatic Center prides itself on inclusion. They offer programs to people of all ages, sizes, and physical abilities. “Our mission really is to create a diverse set of aquatic programs,” Norton said. “We want to provide something to every demo- graphic of our community whether they are the elderly who need therapy or kids who need lessons.” DANIEL FRIIS/COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL Free swimmers and “aquacisers” get their early morning workout in the pool. Once the mask mandate was lifted and restrictions started to lighten, Norton and the rest of the Aquatic Center were ready to bring some normalcy back to the commu- nity. The first program they offered this sum- mer was a swimming school launched four days a week at no charge. The school lasted all throughout July, and it saw around 100 participants each day. Last weekend, the Aquatic Center launched their 10th annual Elementary Tri- see AQUATIC on B2 Jesse Williamson sweeps 2021 Mark Howard Memorial CGS Modified Nationals Contributed by Cottage Grove Speedway Night two of the Mark How- ard Memorial Cottage Grove Speedway Modified Nationals took place on Saturday, July 31. Two Speedway Motors IMCA Weekly Racing Program divi- sions topped the bill, includ- ing the IMCA Modifieds and Royalty Core Custom Grille & Truck Parts IMCA North- ern Sport Mods. Additionally, they were accompanied by the Todd’s Auto Body Sprint Cars, Senior Sprints, and Hardtops. The 52-lap, $2,600-to-win feature started off with Jesse Williamson obtaining the lead on the initial start. After that, the Coburg chauf- feur reigned supreme against the competition, but he did COURTESY PHOTO Jesse Williamson has collected five straight wins since July 4. have to be smart on the restarts. As a result, eight total stoppag- es occurred, including four in the last dozen circuits. There were points in which This week’s athlete of the week is senior cross country runner Piper Youngmayr. Piper has attended Steens Mountain Running Camp and been a staple member of off-season workouts. lapped traffic was caught, and Williamson was briefly chal- lenged; he flexed his muscle against the field from those times on. Nevertheless, Jesse Youngmayr will be finishing her CGHS cross country career under new head coach Ricky Knutson. PHOTO BY KENDRICK MURPHY/CG SENTINEL Williamson swept the weekend en route to his record leading seven Mark Howard Memorial Cottage Grove Speedway titles. Williamson has amassed an impressive five straight wins to his credit, going back to Inde- pendence Day, on July 4, when he was victorious for the first time in 2021. All triumphs have been earned in KMJ Performance Oregon State and Shaw Race Cars Western Region action. Corbett’s Collen Winebarg- er was second with the Rich and Nikki Biehn owned entry, driven by Nick Trenchard of Klamath Falls, ending the race third. Stayton racer Grey Fer- rando placed fourth over fifth finishing Jake Mayden from Springfield. Mayden won the consolation feature earlier in the evening. A new face emerged vic- torious in the Royalty Core Custom Grille & Truck Parts IMCA Northern Sport Mods. Anthony Pope, from Roseburg, captured the lead on lap sev- en and didn’t look back from there. Racing for car owner Doug Coffman, Pope overtook Cor- bett youngster Skyler Wine- barger to gain first place in the see CGS on B2
