Polk County Sports
10A Polk County Itemizer-Observer • July 20, 2016
Polk Pedalers hit Montana
By Wayne Sitkei
For The Itemizer-Observer
The Polk County bicycle
club, named the Polk Ped-
alers, is an adventurous
group.
In June, nine riders ped-
aled a whole week in the
middle of some of Mon-
tana’s most beautiful val-
leys. Each day was a ride
about 60 miles long. Some
of the riders cycled every
mile while others rode the
morning until lunch time.
How about a lunch in a
s m a l l Mo n t a n a t ow n ?
Noxon, Mont. is such a
place, where the local sa-
loon is the only open venue,
which happens to make
great burgers.
These Montana watering
holes display walls covered
with local news, trophy
mounts and old photos, like
the 1947 photo of Uncle
Bill’s fishing trip to Crystal
Lake. Looking at the ceiling
you’ll see hundreds of one
dollar bills tacked there.
“We knew we were in the
heart of Montana when you
see elk, bear, cougar and
moose mounts on every
wall,” club vice president
Wayne Sitkei said.
WAYNE SITKEI/ for the Itemizer-Observer
Nine riders from the Polk Pedalers club traveled to Montana in June.
Local fare was the plan
all along. By eating at mom
and pop restaurants and
sleeping at small motels,
the true feel of Montana
was present. It couldn’t
have been better. The
highlight ride was an old
railroad converted to a bi-
cycle path called the Hi-
awatha trail. It treats you
with a pair of mile long
tunnels and 250-foot-high
trestles through the conti-
nental divide of the Bitte-
root mountains.
Giving some tips
If you’re interest is piqued
in riding with a fun group
that caters to all level of rid-
ers, contact this bike club.
You can email or call the
club president Dick Dye at
dyegrannies@gmail.com or
503-338-9419.
Dallas boys basketball
coach Trent Schwartz
(right) gives tips to play-
ers during Dallas’ bas-
ketball camp on Friday
afternoon.
The three-day camp
held at Dallas High
School focused on im-
proving fundamental
skills. A camp aimed at
younger players was
held July 13 through Fri-
day in the mornings.
Dallas will host volley-
ball and soccer camps in
August. For more infor-
mation:
www.sites.google.com/a
/dsd2.org/dallas-high-
school-athletics/.
LUKAS EGGEN/
Itemizer-Observer
Curtis: Hopes to
become golf pro
Continued from Page 9A
She began to warm up to
the idea that perhaps a cou-
ple hours on the golf course
could be fun and that, if she
was good, it could offer
scholarship opportunities for
college.
“I told him I’m going to
learn how to play,” she said.
“It was a little bit of a joke at
first, but I fell in love with it.”
She picked up the sport
quickly — something she
credits her athleticism for.
“ I ’v e a l w a y s p l a y e d
sports,” she said. “There
have been times I’ve been
playing four at one time. I
was really big into softball
until my eighth-grade year,
so my hand-eye coordina-
tion was really good, so even
when I started and had a bad
swing, I was able to hit it.”
She’s made great strides in
her play, and the good mo-
ments more than make up
for the frustrating ones.
“How rewarding it is to
play,” Curtis said. “You’re
going to have bad shots, but
once you hit a good one, it’s a
great feeling.”
While Curtis doesn’t plan
on stopping her playing ca-
reer anytime soon, she also
hopes golf leads to another
avenue: becoming a golf pro-
fessional.
“I want to become a
teacher and reach out to
ladies who want to learn the
game, or older ladies who
want to learn, but not from
a man,” she said. “Golf can
be kind of a sexist sport. I
think it’s great to get more
girls out playing, and almost
all the golf pros right now
are guys.”
Her style will be how she
plays — to keep people hav-
ing a good time no matter
what and to use the sport she
loves to help others.
“There’s been a lot of pros
who are so serious that it
makes you feel bad when
you’re not playing well,” Cur-
tis said. “This is a crazy hard
sport. It’s harder to hit some-
thing on the ground than
moving. I want to be wel-
coming and friendly while
we’re playing.”
Larry: Wanted to
become a dentist
Continued from Page 9A
“In the 17 years, I’ve
never had a retail store,” Pe-
terson said. “I’ve been out
here for five or six years, but
we’d have people say we
tried to find you, but
couldn’t. (My wife) and I
kept thinking we should
open a store and finally said
let’s just go for it.”
His retail store held its
grand opening on Friday
and features handmade
longboards, skateboards,
clothing and supplies.
“There really isn’t a whole
lot between Eugene and Port-
land in terms of skate shops,”
Peterson said. “We can help
give some of the local kids
some options and show what
we have and what we make
in a better setting.”
With his first official store
finally opening its doors, Pe-
terson is ready for the next
chapter in his business.
“Dentists can make a lot
of money,” Peterson said,
smiling. “But I know I
wouldn’t have as much fun.
Really, the sky’s the limit
with what we can make. If
they can dream it, we can
probably build it.”