Polk County Itemizer-Observer • June 3, 2015 11A
Polk County Sports
Bike: Training in all events should increase
Continued from Page 10A
“Ideally, you should now
start running two to three
miles a couple times a week
and biking 10 to 15 miles a
couple times a week as
well,” organizer Brian Joynt
said. “Don’t slack on the
swimming though, because
a difficult swim during the
triathlon will hurt you later
in the event.”
That included stacking
two of the three disciplines
together into “bricks.” So,
despite having just gone for
my first training ride, I de-
cided to hit the road again,
ride to the Dallas Aquatic
Center, go for a swim, and
then ride back.
Growing up, I rode my
bike a lot. And, on TV, it al-
ways seems so easy. So, I
took off like I was leading
the Tour De France … or at
least what I thought that
would be like.
But, in all my eagerness to
get going, there was one
thing that I failed to take
into account. Doing a dou-
ble workout was already
going to be more physically
taxing than anything I had
done before.
I would not recommend
doing your first double
workout after going for a
training ride.
On the way to the Dallas
Aquatic Center, the excite-
LUKAS EGGEN/ Itemizer-Observer
A quick trip to Bikes Plus in Monmouth and my ride has been set up and is ready to hit the road.
ment I had soon faded. In-
stead, my legs felt like they
weighed a thousand
pounds. My bike felt like it
had slowed to a crawl. The
1.6-mile route I took to the
pool may as well have been
a trek through a flat stage at
the Tour De France.
Let’s just say I haven’t seri-
ously ridden a bicycle in
years … and it showed.
When I got to the pool,
calling what I did swimming
may be generous. It was
more like semi-coordinated
drowning avoidance. I strug-
gled through 500 yards and
stepped outside, ready to
relax. Then I remembered —
I still had to ride home. The
smile I had disappeared. In
its place was a far too com-
mon thought of wondering
when my sanity had left me.
I did make it home, even-
tually, after conquering my
trek. After which, I laid down
to rest for a second and
promptly fell asleep.
CLASS 5A PREP SOFTBALL
Central falls to Pendleton in playoffs
By Lukas Eggen
The Itemizer-Observer
PE N D L E TO N — T h e
Central softball team saw its
season come to a close after
falling to Pendleton 14-3 in
the first round of the state
playoffs on May 27.
“(Pendleton) put the
ball in play,” Panthers
coach Kendra George said.
“They’re a great offensive
team. We scored early and
that was great, but they
got their bats going and
that’s the name of the
game right there.”
Pendleton advanced to
the state semifinals Tues-
day after press time.
Central finished 18-10
overall and featured the
Mid-Willamette Confer-
ence’s highest scoring of-
fense.
“The girls played some
really great ball,” George
said. “I was happy with how
they hit and played defen-
sively. We had awesome
chemistry.”
The Panthers started the
season 9-0 en route to a 13-
8 record in league play.
While Central had its
share of ups and downs,
George said each player was
ready for whatever chal-
lenges came their way.
“You get on teams where
there’s a couple people you
have to rely on all the time,”
George said. “One of the
biggest things is we kept
saying everyone has to be
ready to show up and play
every single game. It’s a
team sport for a reason.”
The Panthers will see
seniors Ryanne Huffman,
Kaitlyn Noon and Alexxa
Gonzalez graduate, but re-
turns a majority of the ros-
ter. For George and her
players, next season will be
a continuation of what they
learned from the 2015 cam-
paign.
“It’s a constant evolu-
tion,” George said. “It’s
never just, I have to change
one thing. We’re going to get
some new players next year
and find things that work
for those players and things
that don’t. I’m always evolv-
ing as a coach.”
PREP SOFTBALL ROUNDUP
Polk County players earn honors
Itemizer-Observer staff report
DALLAS — Seven Dallas
softball players earned all-
Mid-Willamette Conference
(MWC)
honors.
Junior Yas-
mine El-
Hato was
n a m e d
Co-Offen-
sive Player
of the year
with Sil-
El-Hato
v e r t o n ’s
Maggie Buckholz. El-Hato
earned first team recogni-
tion with seniors Erin Taylor
(pitcher), Kassidy Totten
(shor tstop) and Sarah
Mitchell (third base) and
junior Makena Linn (out-
field).
Senior catcher Katie
Mitchell earned second
team all-MWC honors,
while senior Teri Bunnell
(second base) received hon-
orable mention.
Dallas finished 16-10
overall and 15-6 in league
play, placing third in the
MWC. The Dragons were
eliminated by North Eugene
2-1 in the play-in round.
CENTRAL PLAYERS HON-
ORED: The Central softball
team saw seven players earn
all-Mid-Willamette Conference
recognition. Junior catcher Kylie
Nash and senior shortstop/utili-
ty Ryanne
H u ff m a n
w e r e
named first
team all-
MWC. Sen-
iors Kaitlyn
Noon (in-
field) and
A l e x x a
Huffman
Gonzalez
(outfield), sophomore outfield-
er Jori Kerr and freshman pitch-
er Erin Cole earned second
team honors, while junior first
baseman Briana Broadus re-
ceived honorable mention. The
Panthers advanced to the first
round of the state playoffs be-
fore falling to Pendleton 14-3.
P I R AT E S E A R N A L L -
L E AG U E H O N O R S : S e v e n
Pe r r y d a l e
softball
players re-
ceived all-
Special Dis-
trict 2
(SD2) hon-
ors. Senior
infielder
C h e ye n n e
Locke
Locke and
junior infielder Anna McGill
earned first team all-league
honors. Sarah Nelson, Emily
Pope, Hannah Hallock and
Hannah Amador were named
second team all-SD2, while
senior Emily Nelson received
honorable mention.
The Pirates finished third in
SD2, recording a 10-10 mark
overall and 5-7 in league play.
Face: Coach optimistic for team
LUKAS EGGEN/Itemizer-Observer file
Olivia Dalke is one of a core group of girls soccer play-
ers that coach Kirk Myrold is looking forward to seeing.
Continued from Page 10A
Dallas will see an experi-
enced roster return, includ-
ing two seniors and seven
juniors.
With that experience,
Myrold isn’t looking to
shake things up too greatly,
but rather refine what is al-
ready there.
“I know there’s a good
group of juniors who are
coming back and have
played together for a
while,” Myrold said. “I need
to figure out their strengths
and what I can bring to add
to what they already have.
Last fall, they did well and I
want to see if we can go fur-
ther with that. I’m not look-
ing to change anything.”
The MWC figures to be a
difficult conference to com-
pete in, with Corvallis and
Silverton going a combined
12-0-1 in league play last
season.
But, Myrold isn’t wor-
ried about who the Drag-
ons need to catch just yet.
He’s more worried about
ensuring his new team is
Myrold File
• Dallas High teacher
Kirk Myrold will coach
the girls soccer team this
fall.
• Myrold previously
taught at Corvallis High
School, where he also
coached youth baseball .
The 2015 season will be
his first varsity head
coach job.
playing to the best of their
abilities.
“We just need to work
hard every day and deter-
mine that we are going to
give it our best every day,”
Myrold said. “Regardless of
what sport it is, there is al-
ways a team better than
you. But on any given team,
you need to trust in the sys-
tem put in place. We like to
win games, but playing well
and as a team is more im-
portant than who is above
you in the standings. You
can only control what we
have on the field.”
These double workouts
should become a regular
thing, Joynt said.
“Bricks are a good way to
teach your legs to run after
coming off the bike,” Joynt
said. “After you do your long
bike rides, hop off and run
one to two miles until your
legs don’t feel like jelly. It is
not really necessary to in-
corporate swims in the
bricks, but it wouldn’t hurt
your training.”
Whoops. Well, lesson
learned there.
But now is also the time to
practice transitioning from
one event to the next.
“Make a list of items you
need for the swim to bike
transition, as well as the bike
to run transition,” Joynt said.
“Your list should include a
towel, goggles, socks, shoes,
running top, sunglasses and
any nutrition you may need.
Also (include) water bottles
and a helmet for the bike.
You also may want to in-
clude a pair of shorts to slip
on over your swim shorts
and bike gloves. Think of
what you are going to bike
and run in without fully
changing clothes in be-
tween. Your time would be
hurt drastically if you went
into the locker room and
changed clothes during the
event.”
With less than a month to
go, I’m realizing just how
close this sprint triathlon is.
I’m hoping I’m doing
enough to finish. I’m no
longer expecting my Chari-
ots of Fire moment. Cross-
ing the finish line — in any
manner — would be a big
plus, though. Now, if only I
can conquer that bike.
SPORTS BRIEFS
Eola Hills winery to host bike rides
RICKREALL — Eola Hills Wine Cellars will host Bike Oregon Wine
Country every Sunday in August, beginning Aug. 2. Rides will de-
part at 8 a.m. with check-in at 7:30 a.m. All rides will start and end
at Eola Hills Wine Cellars, located at 501 S. Pacific Highway 99W,
Rickreall.
Cyclists will tour the scenic roads of the Mid-Willamette Valley
wine country, stopping at various wineries to taste and order
wines. Routes will vary, visiting two to seven wineries and one re-
gional brewery.
Riders of all abilities are welcome. Loops range in difficulty and
with distances ranging from 40 to 80 miles. Support vehicles offer
riders a lift when needed. Lunch and water stops are also provided.
Cost is $59 prior to June 9, $79 after June 9 and $29 for barbe-
cue only. There are discounts for frequent riders and groups.
For more information: 503-623-2405; online at www.eolahill-
swinery.com.
WOU basketball signs Akil Reese
MONMOUTH — Western Oregon men’s basketball coach Jim
Shaw announced his second recruit for the 2015-16 season on Fri-
day. Akil Reese from Westchester High School in California signed a
National Letter of Intent to join the Wolves.
Reese is a 6-foot-2 guard. He averaged 12 points, four rebounds
and four assists per game as a junior, helping lead the Comets to a
30-7 record. Reese spent much of the 2015 season recovering from
a torn ACL.
“Akil comes from one of the premier high school basketball pro-
grams in the country in Westchester,” Shaw said. “His high school
coach Ed Azzam is a legend, and his AAU coach Lionel Benjamin is
a long-time friend who does a terrific job with kids. Akil is a 3.8 stu-
dent who represents what we are looking for in a student-athlete.
He is a quality person, student, and player.”
Reese joins Kadeem Strickland as Shaw’s recruiting class for the
upcoming season.
Western Oregon won the Great Northwest Athletic Conference
regular season title during the 2014-15 season and advanced to
the NCAA Division II National Tournament, falling to Azusa Pacific
75-67.
YMCA to host summer swim lessons
MONMOUTH/INDEPENDENCE — The Monmouth-Independence
YMCA will offer swim lessons for all skill levels for preschool (ages 3
to 5) and youth (ages 6 to 12).
Classes run Monday through Friday for two weeks, beginning
Monday. A variety of start times are offered: 9:30 a.m., 10:15 a.m. or
5:15 p.m.
Classes will also be offered beginning June 22, July 6, July 20,
Aug. 3 and Aug. 17.
Cost is $40 for preschool levels and $45 for youth levels. Adult
lessons are also available and are free for YMCA members or $3 per
class for non-members.
For more information: www.theyonline.org.
Perrydale to host spring football
PERRYDALE — Perrydale will host Falls City on June 11 for a
spring football game. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:30 p.m.
For more information: www.fallscityschools.org.
SCOREBOARD
BASEBALL
MID-WILLAMETTE
Team
League
All
Corvallis
19-2
21-7
Crescent Valley
16-5
20-9
Dallas
16-5
19-9
Silverton
11-10 13-15
Central
11-10 13-12
Lebanon
6-15
9-18
South Albany
3-18
3-22
Woodburn
2-19
4-20
Wednesday, May 27 Result
Class 5A State Playoffs
First Round
Hood River Valley 5, Dallas 0
Dallas
000 000 0— 0 0 3
Hood River
200 300 x— 5 7 0
Hatley and Tr. Earhart; Ward and
Chapman. W—Ward. L—Hatley. 3B—
Hood River Valley: Ward. HR—Hood
River Valley: Ward.
SOFTBALL
MID-WILLAMETTE
Team
Silverton
League
18-3
All
21-8
Lebanon
16-5
19-8
Dallas
15-6 16-10
Central
13-8 18-10
Corvallis
10-11 10-15
Crescent Valley
6-15
6-18
South Albany
6-15
7-17
Woodburn
0-21
0-24
Wednesday, May 27 Result
Class 5A State Playoffs
First Round
Pendleton 14, Central 3
Central
201 000 0 — 3
6
2
Pendleton 103 433 x —14 13
3
Cole and Nash; Murphy and Weis-
senfluh. W—Weissenfluh. L—Cole. 2B—
Central: Kerr. HR—Pendleton: Lindsey
(2), Hergert (2).
CLUB GOLF
CROSS CREEK GOLF
COURSE
CROSS CREEK MEN’S CLUB
Tuesday, May 26 Results
Low Gross/Low Net
Low gross: 1 (tie), Lee Taylor, Greg
Fisher and Bob Bennett, 39.
Net: 1, David Karr, 29; 2 (tie), Ken Ross
and Lynn Hurt, 32; 4, Brian Halin, 34; 5
(tie), Ken Dankenbring, Jim Cain and Jeff
Lorenz, 35.