A10
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, June 7, 2017
WEDNESDAY
June 7, 2017
Cutting
down the
Competition
Contributed photo/Kaemyn Meagher
Kate Page competes at the 77th Conclave at Fort Missoula last year in Missoula, Montana.
Former Grant Union athlete to compete
in pro timbersports in Upstate New York
RUNNING
FOR GOLD
Annual race
begins at
7 a.m. on
Saturday
By Hugh Snook
To the Blue Mountain Eagle
Come stroll (or race)
down memory lane at this
year’s Gold Rush Run and
Walk event, part of the annual
’62 Days Celebration.
At the “clink” of a gold
nugget dropped in an old
miner’s pan, runners and
walkers will hit the road at 7
a.m. Saturday, June 10, for
the 5,000-meter (3.1-mile)
event. The course begins and
ends in front of Sel’s Brewery,
taking a route north on the
Three Flags Highway, south
on Humbolt Street, up to the
Rebel Hill schoolhouse and
winding through the down-
town area. Participants are
invited to hear the echoes of
Canyon City’s golden past on
the still morning air as they
wind through the streets.
The event attracts runners
and walkers of all ages and
speeds, some with happy dogs
in tow. In the 2016 running,
the fi rst fi nisher was 23-year-
old Nick Smith. Smith ran the
3.1-mile course in 18 min-
utes, 49 seconds, turning in
the sixth fastest fi nish time in
the 18 years the race has run
the current route. The fastest
women’s division fi nisher
was Canyon City’s own Shei-
la Comer, with a time of 25
minutes, 16 seconds.
The Gold Rush Run also
pays tribute to Canyon City’s
golden past with this year’s
prizes: prospector fi gurines
featuring a globe of gold
fl akes. These will be award-
ed to the overall men’s and
women’s winners in two age
divisions, 39 years and under
and 40 and over. The top two
fi nishers in each 10-year age
division will be awarded rib-
bons
All fi nishers under the age
of 12 will be awarded medals.
Hung on red, white and blue
ribbons, these medals will
provide bragging rights for
months to come. Young par-
ticipants will also enjoy the
gold nugget bubble gum, a
tradition at the event.
Homebaked cookies and
pastries from Stephanie Cole-
man will be served after the
event, as well as fruit and en-
ergy drinks.
The Strawberry Striders
and the Whiskey Gulch Gang
sponsor the event. Registra-
tion forms are available from
Grant County Chamber of
Commerce at 281 W. Main
St., John Day. Participants
may also register just before
the race, from 6-6:45 a.m. at
the start/fi nish line in front
of Sel’s. Registration costs
$10.00.
G RANT C OUNTY F AIR COURT
ATTENDS S PRAY R ODEO
By Angel Carpenter
Blue Mountain Eagle
F
ormer John Day resident
Kate Page has gone pro
in timbersports, competi-
tions that test athletes’ abilities
to chop, cut and chainsaw.
Page, who resides in Mis-
soula, Montana, will compete at
the June 16-18 Stihl Northeast
Professional Qualifi er in Cherry
Valley, New York.
Local residents may remem-
ber Page, a 2009 Grant Union
High School graduate, who was
on the Grant Union Prospector
volleyball and track and fi eld
teams. She also was a mem-
ber of the Mt. Vernon Middle
School football team.
Page graduated from Univer-
sity of Montana last year, earn-
ing a bachelor’s degree in forest-
ry with a minor in fi re ecology.
She combined her love of
the woods with her competitive
spirit when she discovered and
joined the university’s Woods-
man Team, later becoming the
team’s co-captain.
She had never heard of the
sport before attending school in
Montana.
“I got to college and found out
they had a team, and I thought ...
I’m doing this,” she said.
Page found she enjoyed the
sport because it relates to her
line of work, and it’s intimidat-
ing.
“I’m glad that I get to be a part
of it,” she said. “This is one really
aggressive sport, and I’m likely
not going to break any bones do-
ing it — if I do, it’s my fault.”
Page said she’s especially
happy with the connections and
friendships she’s made since
becoming involved in timber-
sports.
“I thoroughly enjoy it,” she
said.
Her fi rst paycheck as a pro-
fessional was earned after recent
competitions in Canada.
This month’s Stihl event in-
cludes the fi rst women’s division
in the U.S. with a total of 38 fe-
male competitors, she said.
At the event, Page will go
head to head with a world cham-
pion competitor from Washing-
ton state.
Contributed photo/Shannon Harris
Kate Page competes in the vertical (standing) speed chop at
an April 2017 home show in Missoula, Montana.
Contributed photo/LindseyWyllie.com
Grant County Fair and Rodeo Princess Trinity Hutchison
of John Day, left, and Queen Jessica Carter of Seneca
ride in the Saturday, May 27, Spray Rodeo Parade.
the
corner’s
HOT
SH T
EEK
OF THE W
Contributed photo/Shannon Harris
Kate Page competes in the choker course at last year’s 77th
Conclave at Fort Missoula in Missoula, Montana. Each arena
in the competition has a different course, and her team’s
included giant bunk logs and a water obstacle course.
Page said there are three
events and three points can be
earned per event, including sin-
gle buck, cross-cut saw with a
Stihl chainsaw and underhand
chop.
The top 16 advance to the
next round, and the top eight
move on from there.
She said eight of the athletes
are from west of the Mississippi
River, and the rest are from the
East Coast.
When asked what type of
edge she may have, being from
the West, she said, “Over here,
we chop on frozen wood eight to
nine months out of the year.”
Page said she’s looking for-
ward to the drive to New York,
noting it’s on her bucket list to
travel to all the states in the na-
tion.
She said, since graduation,
she’s been working as a conser-
vation technician for Montana’s
Fish, Wildlife and Parks. She’s
also a writer and sales repre-
sentative for “Montana Woods
n Water,” and she works for a
fl ower and vegetable nursery
called the Pink Grizzly.
Working seven days a week
hasn’t allowed her to practice
as much as she’d like, but she’s
excited for this month’s compe-
tition.
“I’m defi nitely nervous, but
excited for the opportunity,” she
said.
KRISTINA HUMPHREYS
School: Dayville School
Grade: Sophomore
Parents: Tony & Mary Humphreys
Sport: Track and Field
Events: Javelin and Shot Put
What I like best about my sport: “I enjoy competing
with my teammate and seeing him train for his events. I
look forward to adding triple jump to shot and javelin
next year. I appreciate my parents supporting me at the
events this year.”
Coach’s Comment: “Kristina went to state for the
javelin. Despite throwing into a headwind, she took
second place and fully expects to return
next year. She will also be heading to
Australia this summer to compete in
the javelin (at a Down Under Sports
track and field meet).”
-Coach Peter Bogardus
PROUD SPONSOR OF GRANT COUNTY ATHLETES
100 E. Main • Stoplight in John Day
541-792-0425
05736