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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (June 22, 2016)
A10 Blue Mountain Eagle Wednesday, June 22, 2016 WEDNESDAY June 22, 2016 Golf scramble to support CASA kids Event includes barbecue lunch, auction, prizes By Angel Carpenter Blue Mountain Eagle Swim team dives into action Athletes to prepare for June 24-26 meet Swim meet schedule Prineville Meet, June 24-26 Lakeview Meet, July 8-10 Burns Meet, July 15-17 John Day Meet, July 22-24 District Meet in Lakeview, July 29-31 By Angel Carpenter Blue Mountain Eagle Members of the John Day Swim Team say their sport takes teamwork, dedication and stamina, and they’re using those tools as they gear up for their fi rst competition at the June 24- 26 Prineville Meet. Sabrina Howard, the new head swim coach, said she’s looking forward to training the swimmers and seeing them compete. Howard, who was an assis- tant coach last year, works as a Title I assistant at Prairie City School and is a wife and moth- er of two children. Coach She swam competitively Sabrina from ages 5 through 18 in Cal- Howard ifornia and has lived in Grant County for two years. She’ll have help with the team this season from volunteers Stephanie LeQuieu and Erin Hodge. LeQuieu has been a stroke and turn judge and will work with the team on approaching the wall correctly to help eliminate disqualifi - cations at meets. Hodge, president of the swim team group, will help with the dryland training, which fo- cuses on core, team building and getting mind and body in sync. This year’s team includes 57 swimmers, including several returning as well as new ath- The Eagle photos/Angel Carpenter ABOVE: John Day Swim Team members practice their strokes on Tuesday. From front: Zeke Rookstool, Hannah Vaughan and Madelyn Bailey. TOP: The John Day senior swim team includes: front row, from left, Quinn Larson, Brady Dole, Riley Reames, Casey Vaughan and Andrew Hunt; back row, from left, Trevyn Coalwell, Myckee Coalwell, Grant LeQuieu, Torie Coalwell, Taylor Hunt, Peyton Neault and Quinten Hallgarth. letes. Senior swim team members shared what they like about their sport. “We’re looking forward to teamwork and winning again, and the family bonding,” said Torie Coalwell. The team won their home meet and came in second at districts last year. “It keeps me in shape for football, and it’s fun,” said Quinten Hallgarth. Taylor Hunt agreed, adding, “It’s a lot harder than football. You use every muscle, and you get up really early (for practice).” “Our coach has pushed us farther than we thought we could’ve gone,” said Grant Le- Quieu. Coach Howard said summer swim is a way for kids to keep physically fi t and teaches team- work with a wide age range. “It also embodies individual competition and how to set personal goals,” she said. “For beginning swimmers, it teaches the fundamentals of swimming and the different strokes and builds one’s confi dence in the water.” She said the sport is also a good condi- tioning tool for athletes who play other sports during the year. “I’m so enthusiastic for the kids who come out and give me a piece of their summer,” she said. “They’re out of the pool by the time some kids are just getting up in the morning. I love to see the growth from the beginning to the end.” For more information about the swim team, call Howard, 541-620-0668, or Hodge, 541- 805-8996. GC Wildfi re team overcomes adversity in bid for state Softball team plays in California July 8 By Angel Carpenter Grant County Wildfire pitcher Shaine Madden throws the ball to first baseman Taylor Allen for an out in Tuesday’s District 3 Championship. Blue Mountain Eagle MILTON-FREEWATER — The unstoppable Grant County Wildfi re Juniors softball team won the District 3 title after edging past Milton-Free- water 12-11 in Monday’s champion- ship game. The team now moves on to the Oregon State Championships, hosted by the Or-Cal District, possibly facing the winner of District 7. Grant County’s fi rst game is tenta- tively set for 3:30 p.m. Friday, July 8, in Tulelake, Calif. Two other Grant County soft- ball teams, the 11-12 team and the 8-9-10 All Stars, are still competing in the District 3 tournaments in Mil- ton-Freewater. Grant County Wildfi re softball All Stars The 11 girls on the Wildfi re team, ages 13 to 14, have been playing soft- ball together since they were 8. “Our girls showed so much heart, many times they could have crum- bled but they just kept coming back, and they just never give up,” said manager Zach Williams. He and Mike Strong and Tammy Clark have been involved in coaching the girls for six years. The District 3 battles began Sun- day against Hermiston, after being rained out Saturday. In that game, the Grant County girls won by the 10-run rule in the fi fth inning, 16-1, with Shaine Mad- den pitching the fi rst part of the game and Macy Strong closing. The team was 18 for 33, with a .545 batting average. Hailie Wright went 3-3, Taylor Allen 3-4 and Baylee Combs 3-4. Grant County had a quick turn- around Sunday to face Milton-Free- water in the semifi nal, winning 7-6, with Shaine pitching the entire game. JOHN DAY — Golfers can compete for a cause in Saturday’s sixth annual Grant-Harney CASA Golf Scramble. Proceeds from the event benefi t chil- dren who live in Grant and Harney coun- ties who receive CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) assistance. The entry free is $65 a person with teams of four. Golf carts are $20 to rent. Registration and complimentary breakfast of biscuits and gravy begins at 8 a.m., with shotgun start at 9 a.m. Hot dogs and chips will be served at the turn during the competition, and a barbecue rib meal will be served after the scramble. The cost is $8 for non-golfers. First-place team prize is $400, second place wins $240 and other prizes will be awarded. A silent auction, including a golf package at Sun River with a $200 gift card, will support the cause, along with a drawing for a set of Wilson Ultra golf clubs. For more information, contact CASA executive director Tracey Blood at 541- 575-5574 or Sandie Gilson at 541-575- 1529. Contributed photo Grant County Special Olympians, Josiah Hoeffner (third) and Rodney Brunson (fifth), receive their awards at the June 11 track and field regional competition in Milton-Freewater. Special Olympians compete for personal best Team prepares for July 9-10 Summer Games By Angel Carpenter Blue Mountain Eagle Contributed photo/ Tanni Wenger Photography Studio In the championship game against Milton-Freewater, Wildfi re were down 6-2 in the sixth inning, and came back to score three in the bot- tom of the sixth on a three-run double by Shaine. Grant County held off their oppo- nents in the top of the seventh, then scored two in the bottom of the in- ning. The team won on a walk-off sacri- fi ce fl y hit by Madi McKrola, scoring Kaylee Wright from third base. Shaine pitched Monday’s cham- pionship game with McKrola going 2-3, Hailie Wright 3-3, Kaylee Wright 3-4 and Taylor Allen 2-4. “There was a complete team effort — top to bottom — all 11 girls helped us win this tournament,” Williams said He said their season was “a little rough” and included game cancella- tions and sickness. “We had a lot to overcome this year,” Williams said. “Those games were extremely stressful — very back and forth. This group of girls are just battle tested beyond their age. They make the plays they have to make and minimized their mistakes. They’re re- silient — they can get down late, and they’ll still come back. They pound the ball and play as a team.” Grant County 8-9-10 All Stars Toppling two opponents at the District 3 tournament, the Grant County 8-9-10 All Stars will face the La Grande team in semifi nal action at 9 a.m. Wednesday in Milton-Freewa- ter. Led by manager Zach Williams and coaches Levi Watterson and Marissa Williams, the Grant County team crushed Baker 17-4 in four in- nings on Sunday. Drewsey Williams pitched the fi rst three innings, striking out nine batters, and Brilynn Combs pitched the fourth. “We jumped on them right away, and scored four in the fi rst, four in the second, seven in the third and two in the fourth,” Williams said. Jaydika Anderson went 4-4, Lak- en McKay 3-3 and Ashlyn Langum 2-2. The Grant County team of 13 beat Milton-Freewater on Monday in four innings, 18-2. Drewsey pitched the fi rst three innings, striking out fi ve and Combs pitched the fourth. “Drewsey did a great job on the mound, only allowing two balls to be put into play and allowing no hits in both games,” Williams said. “Both pitchers have thrown strikes, which is really important at this age.” Addie Northway was catcher in both games. “It was hot and (Addie) worked hard and stepped up,” Williams said. Halle Parsons, who went 3-3, had the fi rst big hit of the game with two runners on and two outs in the second inning. “It was a full team effort,” Wil- liams said. “Everybody was cheer- ing and working hard on and off the fi eld.” Grant County 11-12 All Stars Chip Grove leads the Grant Coun- ty 11-12 team with assistance from Janine Weaver. The team lost their fi rst game 15-1 to Pendleton on Monday. Grant County has 10 girls on the team, and were down a player Tues- day after one of the athletes fractured her fi nger. They faced Hermiston on Tues- day, past press time. “We’re pretty optimistic about the game today,” Grove said Tuesday morning. “We have a pretty good team, our pitching is strong. I think to- day will be a little different. We need good pitching and good defense.” MILTON-FREEWATER — Grant County Special Olympians put their best foot forward, competing at the June 11 regional track and fi eld meet. Each of the 10 athletes were award- ed for their efforts in their division and showed their signature sportsmanship. The Grant County team includes Crystal Wimberley, Brian McKrola, Elizabeth Swarthout, Katie Latham, Rodney Brunson, Josiah Hoeffner, Ca- leb Madsen, Katie Shockley, Jay Colson and Charley Fronapel. Karla Colson and Ashley Wyllie are co-coaches, and David Gill and Michael Snyder attended the event as volunteers. “They each, individually, did their personal best, and that’s what Special Olympics is all about,” Colson said. “They had great sportsmanship. I’m proud of them all.” Wyllie added, “Everybody was sup- portive of each and other, and it’s been going well.” The athletes are now preparing for the July 9-10 Summer State Games in Newberg. Athlete Crystal Wimberley compet- ed in the 100-meter dash and shot put at regionals, and when a teammate was unable to participate in the 4x100-meter relay, she stepped in to help out. “We all got closer to each other with some team bonding,” she said. “We’re ready for Summer State Games. We’re practicing hard.”
