A10
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, August 2, 2017
WEDNESDAY
August 2, 2017
Learning the ropes
Youth rodeo
builds skills,
confidence
Eagle file photo
By Angel Carpenter
Youth practice the
fundamentals at last
year’s Grant Union
volleyball camp.
Blue Mountain Eagle
T
he July 29 Cinnabar
Mountain
Playdays
youth rodeo went off
without a hitch, with a crowd of
34 youth competitors and many
volunteers working together.
Fifth in the youth ro-
deo series, the event was
held at the Grant County
Fairgrounds in John Day.
The final event will be a
night rodeo held at 5 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 5, with
registration starting at 4
p.m. Admission is free for
spectators.
“We have had anoth-
er successful season of
Cinnabar Mountain Play-
days,” said board president
Didgette McCracken. “It
has been built over the years
by continued dedication of
many individuals.”
She said the board has
been excited to see the con-
tinued support of families,
volunteers and financial
sponsors.
“It is very hard to find
an environment where kids
of all ages can compete
and learn in a variety of
skill levels,” she said. “We
are proud to give families
and kids this opportunity to
learn and grow skills with
their horses and grow their
confidence.”
Addison Wilson, 5, rode
her horse at full speed at the
front of the arena, competing
in the goat tying event. She
said she practices at home
for the rodeos.
“Running my horse was
my favorite because it’s
fun,” she said.
Aaliyah Marciel, 10, said
what she learns most from
the youth rodeos is con-
trolling her horse.
Grant Union
youth sports
camps on
schedule
Blue Mountain Eagle
Eagle photos/Angel Carpenter
Sam McCracken moves quickly in the goat tying event during the Cinnabar Mountain Playdays rodeo on Saturday
at the Grant County Fairgrounds.
“You learn more about
having the horse trust you,
and you can trust them,” she
said. “It helps with all the
events.”
Ten-year-old Riley Gregg
said he competed in all the
events, and especially en-
joys loping his horse.
“It’s really fun, and I get
to experience my new horse
after my old one passed
away two years ago,” he
said.
The best thing about the
youth rodeos for Shayna
Marciel, 9, is the opportu-
nity to learn about rodeoing.
She said goat tying is her fa-
vorite event, and she hopes
to continue competing when
she’s older.
Taylor Hamilton, 8, said
she’s improved her riding
Cinnabar
Mountain
Playdays
July 29
Addison Wilson rides her horse at a fast clip during
the goat tying event at Saturday’s Cinnabar Mountain
Playdays youth rodeo at the Grant County Fairgrounds in
John Day.
skills while participating in
the rodeos.
Allison Bohnert, 7, said
she had fun competing in all
the events.
“They aren’t about win-
ning, they’re about having
fun,” she said.
Leadline
First: Blake Kimball
Second: Ben Henslee
Third: Bransyn Harper
Peewee
First: Brooklynn Kimball
Second: Allison Bohnert
Third: Ruby Hooper
Junior
First: Aaliyah Marciel
Second: Molly Davis
Third: Helen Rowell
Intermediate
First: Bailey McCracken
Second: Clint Rutherford
Third: Sam McCracken
Senior
First: Sarah Barker
Youth camps for volleyball
and football are coming up for
Grant Union.
A volleyball camp will be
held from 1-4 p.m. Thursday,
Aug. 3, for youth in grades 3-5.
The cost is $15 and includes a
Grant Union volleyball T-shirt.
Volleyball camp for grades
6-8 will be from 9 a.m. to 12
p.m. Thursday, Aug. 3, and
Friday, Aug. 4. The cost is $30
and includes a T-shirt.
The camp will be led by
head coach Shae Speth, her as-
sistant coaches and members
of the team.
For more information, call
541-620-1974, or email shaes-
peth@gmail.com.
A football camp for youth
in grades 3-8 will be held from
3-5 p.m. Monday through
Thursday, Aug. 7-10. Regis-
tration is at 2:30 p.m. Aug. 7.
The cost is $30 and includes a
Grant Union football T-shirt.
Head coach Jason Miller
and assistant coaches and team
members will teach football
skills and techniques.
“They’ll learn a lot of foot-
ball and have some fun, too,”
Miller said.
For more information, call
the school at 541-575-1799,
ext. 22.
Archery competition draws interest in growing sport
Club hopes
to increase
membership
Northside 3-D
Trail Shoo t
Men’s Traditional
First: Mike Springer
Men’s Unlimited
First: Brent Smith
Second place: David Dorschner
Third: Walter Sharp
Men’s Open
First: Josh Wolf
Women’s Traditional
First: Shannon Springer
Women’s Unlimited
First: Tabatha Jensen
Second: Heidi Wolf
Third: Rachel Sharp
Youth
First: E Jensen
Second: Jordan Nodine
Third: Declan Zweygardt
By Angel Carpenter
Blue Mountain Eagle
Working to revive the Can-
yon Creek Bowhunters club,
a core group of members held
their second Northside 3-D
Trail Shoot competition last
weekend on the Malheur Na-
tional Forest.
Over 50 participants took
aim at 40 animal targets on
two trails, from deer and elk to
bear and buffalo, set up in real
hunting situations.
Steve Dunn of Prineville, a
former John Day resident, led
his nephews Dylan and Seth
Ferrier of Salem along the
trail.
Dylan and his uncle zeroed
in for some perfect shots at the
decoys, while Seth kept track
on a score card.
The Eagle/Angel Carpenter
Steve Dunn of Prineville leads the way as he and his nephews Dylan and Seth Ferrier
retrieve some arrows during last weekend’s Northside 3-D Trail Shoot.
Dunn said the Northside
competition is a warm-up.
“It helps a lot with hunting
season and helps you judge
yardage,” he said. “It helps you
pick out a spot on the animal,
and it tunes you up so you’re
used to pulling your bow back.
It’s just good practice.”
Dunn plans to take Dylan
on his fi rst archery elk hunt at
the end of the month.
Some families and individ-
uals set up camp Saturday and
Sunday off County Road 36,
near Four Corners, between
Prairie City and John Day,
where the event was held.
Archers, who ranged in
age from 7 to teens and adults,
could participate for fun or for
competition and prize money.
Club leaders said they hope
to see interest in archery, which
is a growing sport nationwide,
increase locally.
“Our main goal is to give
archery hunters and shooters
practice and to locate members
and better their shot,” said club
vice president Walt Sharp.
President Ty Sharp said
another goal they are working
toward is offering a scholar-
ship to young college-bound
archers.
The Bowhunters club start-
ed up in the late ’50s, and after
a couple stops and starts, the
Sharps and others hope to revi-
talize the organization.
Walt said the Northside
Shoot is small compared to
other competitions, but the
club plans to continue to make
it a biannual event, in May
and July, and have it included
on a permanent list of archery
shoots.
If the event grows as much
as hoped, the club will relocate
the event to an area on the Mal-
heur that will accommodate a
bigger crowd.
“We’d love to see more peo-
ple involved,” said Cecil Sharp,
who helped set up the event.
“We want to get more young-
sters involved. If we don’t have
youngsters out here shooting
and liking it, we’ll lose the fu-
ture — and it’s fun.”
For more information, call
Ty Sharp at 541-620-2417.
Camaraderie highlights Bear Creek rifl e-shoot competition
By Angel Carpenter
Blue Mountain Eagle
A few friends gathered for Saturday’s
Long Range Steel Shoot at the Bear Creek
Shooting Range.
Typically, 15 join the competition, but
with confl icting activities, only four signed
up for this round, and two others spotted.
“We had fun, and everybody learned a
little bit,” said Rod Carpenter, who orga-
nized the event for the Bear Creek Shoot-
ing Club.
Participants aimed at targets ranging in
distance from 200-1,100 yards, most us-
ing a .308 or 6.5-mm rifl e.
The $20 entry fee funds the prize mon-
ey for the top three placers.
Winning fi rst and second place was
Carpenter of John Day, and Mike Ander-
son of Clatskanie placed third.
Targets used by the club were pur-
chased with a Grant County Chamber of
Commerce grant.
“We hold a match every two to three
months to help us improve our skills,”
Carpenter said. “It’s friendly competi-
tion.”
Long range rifl e shootists can plan for
the next event set for 9 a.m. Sept. 23.
For more information, call Carpenter
at 509-385-9334.
The range, for members and invited
guests, is east of John Day. Directions:
travel east on Highway 26 about 9 miles
and turn left (north) on a dirt road, just
before County Road 18 (Keeney Forks
Road). The range is one mile north.
Rifle competitors take aim during Saturday’s Long
Range Steel Shoot as spotters assist. From front,
Mike Anderson of Clatskanie, Rod Carpenter of
John Day, Clint Wilcoxen of Clatskanie (left), Randy
Anderson of Clatskanie and Dave Fisher of John
Day.
Eagle photos/Angel Carpenter
Rod Carpenter of John Day selects his
target at the Bear Creek Shooting Range
competition. Carpenter won Saturday’s
competition.