Polk County Sports
Polk County Itemizer-Observer • June 28, 2017 11A
Pickleball a popular summer sport in Dallas
By Jolene Guzman
The Itemizer-Observer
Want to play?
DALLAS — The impro-
vised courts set up in the
parking lot of the Polk
County Sheriff ’s Office
were busy for much of the
first of Dallas’ Tuesday on
the Square events on June
13.
The sport? Pickleball, the
fastest growing sport in the
country, according to those
who belong to the increas-
ingly popular Dallas Pickle-
ball Club.
Karen Freeman, a mem-
ber of the club, said the
sport developed 51 years
ago. It’s a combination of
tennis, badminton and
table tennis. It played on
smaller courts and with
lower nets than tennis,
What: Pickleball.
Where: Tennis courts at Roger Jordan Community Park,
1005 SE LaCreole Drive.
When: Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9 a.m. to
noon; Sunday and Tuesday from 6:30 p.m. until dark.
For more information: www.usapa.org.
making it accessible to a
wide variety of athletes.
While there’s strategy to the
game, most players can
pick it up quickly, she said.
Freeman said that
doesn’t mean it’s not chal-
lenging or competitive.
“Your mind has to be fo-
cused on the ball,” she
said. “It can come back at
you so fast.”
Currently, the club meets
at the tennis courts in
Roger Jordan Community
Park Monday, Wednesday
and Friday mornings from
9 to noon, and Sunday and
Tuesday evenings from 6:30
until dark.
“In the mornings, we
have four courts full and
people waiting out (for
their next game),” Freeman
said. “That’s not everyone.
If everybody came, we
would have quite a few
people waiting out.”
By the end of this sum-
mer, club members — and
anyone who wishes to try
Pickleball — will have courts
designed for the sport.
Thanks to a grant and
money from city park sys-
tem development charges,
the city is building courts
across the street from the
Dallas Aquatic Center.
Work is slated to begin by
mid-summer, granted that
the ground is dry enough.
Freeman said Dallas isn’t
the only place seeing a
surge in the sport.
She said the city of Bend
just opened a 16-court
complex and hosts tourna-
ments. The sport has a
website that lists all the
places in the country to
play.
“In the last 10 years, it’s
really taken off,” Freeman
said. “It’s pretty amazing.”
LUKAS EGGEN/ Itemizer-Observer file
Dallas offers chances to play pickleball five days a week
at Roger Jordan Community Park.
Race: Race follows parade route to Independence
Continued from Page 10A
The cost is $15 (10 and
older) and $5 (9 and
younger) until Friday.
Day-of registration will be
available from 8 to 10:30
a.m. for $20 and $10.
The race is a one-way
course, and participants will
have to make their own
post-race travel arrange-
ments.
Also, be prepared to han-
dle the weather.
“Make sure you are hy-
drated,” Cable said. “We will
also have plenty of hydra-
tion and refreshments.”
The mini-marathon has
been a long-standing com-
On your mark...
What: 47th annual Monmouth-Independence Mini-
Marathon, a 2.6-mile, mostly downhill race that begins in
front of Monmouth’s City Hall and ends at the old city hall
building in Independence. The race follows the grand parade
route.
When: Tuesday, July 4, 11:30 a.m.
Cost: $15 for adults and $5 for children 9 and younger in
advance; $20 and $10 day-of until 10:30 a.m.
For more information: Terry Cable, 503-930-2360.
munity tradition. Cable said
he’s excited to see what
2017’s version brings.
“We have plenty of tradi-
tion with people running the
race,” Cable said. “We have
people who run and now
their kids run with them. We
have a lot of local people
coming out and give great
support.”
Cable said he expects 400
or more participants in this
year’s event.
LUKAS EGGEN/ Itemizer-Observer file
Race organizer Terry Cable said he hopes to see upwards of 400 participants.
Ribich: Won two national titles in track and field
GENEVA REINHEARDT/for the Itemizer-Observer
Western Oregon junior David Ribich won a national title in the men’s 1,500-meter run.
Continued from Page 10A
Ribich ran the anchor
leg in a thrilling race that
saw WOU edge out West-
ern State at the finish line
with the fastest time in Di-
vision II history.
At the NCAA Division II
Outdoor Track and Field
Championships, Ribich
won a national title in the
men’s 1,500-meter run.
Most recently, he com-
peted at the USATF Cham-
pionships in Sacramento,
Calif. on Saturday where
he took ninth. Ribich was
the only Division II athlete
in the race.
Once there, he had some
surprise visitors come to
cheer him on.
“I traveled with our as-
sistant coach, Brady Bea-
gle, and Johnson drove
down,” Ribich said. “Then,
when I get there, my room-
m a t e , Z a c h Ho l l ow a y,
walks through the door.
Once I made the final, my
mom drove like 17 or 18
hours down from Sacra-
mento and surprised me
by picking up Zach’s mom
because she wanted to go.
I didn’t know it, but my
girlfriend Olivia came as
well. It just surprised me to
see people support me like
that and dedicate their
weekend just to watch me
compete. The words I re-
ceived from other Division
II athletes whom I’ve never
met before were incredi-
ble.”
With the 2016-17
school year officially be-
hind him, Ribich has had
a little time to truly take
in all that he — and the
track and field team as a
whole — accomplished,
but it won’t be long before
he resumes his training
for the upcoming cross-
country season.
He hopes to make his
final year with the Wolves
his best one yet.
And when the going
gets tough, it will be those
who have supported him
and given him encourage-
ment that will keep him
driven and motivated to
succeed.
“That’s the driving force
that makes me stay confi-
dent in my abilities and
working hard, because I
want more,” Ribich said.
Fundraising begins for turf field
Itemizer-Observer staff report
DALLAS — The drive to
raise funds for a turf field at
Dallas High School is un-
derway. An official kickoff
event will happen during
the Sept. 29 home football
game, but the project has
already raised money to-
ward its goal.
“We have about $193,000
raised in pledged money
and in-kind work,” Bill Mc-
Nutt said. McNutt is work-
ing with the Dallas Booster
Club to raise funds.
Project organizers hope
to raise $850,000 in money
and in-kind work by the
end of April 2018 to install
the turf in time for the
2018-19 school year. The
project is focused on in-
stalling a turf field, leveling
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the football field and ad-
dressing any drainage is-
sues.
“The project is focused
on everything within the
track,” McNutt said.
That would include deal-
ing with a drop from the
north end of the field to the
south end. Engineer Greg
Locke said during a school
board meeting on June 19
that the south end of the
field would be lifted to
allow that side to drain by
gravity.
Solution on Page 8A
Once the field is in-
stalled, maintenance would
be performed twice a year
with a cost of roughly
$5,500. The field would
have a lifespan of about 10
years before needing to be
replaced, McNutt said.