Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, June 20, 2018
B1
WEDNESDAY
June 20, 2018
Happy trails at the Cinnabar
Mountain Playdays rodeo
Patriot Days theme celebrated
By Angel Carpenter
Sam McCracken competes
in intermediate figure eight
at the June 16 Cinnabar
Mountain Playdays rodeo.
Blue Mountain Eagle
M
ore than 40 youths were back in the swing of things,
competing at last weekend’s Cinnabar Mountain
Playdays youth rodeo se-
ries at the Grant County
Fairgrounds.
“We were happy with the participa-
tion,” said CMP board president Didgette
McCracken.
“I always like that it’s families that
are coming together — grandparents,
parents, cousins, brothers and sisters —
that’s the fun part,” she said. “Everybody
is coming together and supporting their
kids having fun and competing.”
Kids up to 18 years of age can partic-
ipate in seven events: barrel racing, pole
bending, goat tying, dummy roping, key-
hole race, flag race and figure eight.
Eagle photos/Angel Carpenter
The youngest are in the lead line
group, then pee wee and juniors, up to Jerret Waddel competes in the
goat flanking event.
intermediate and seniors.
Several were decked out in red, white
and blue to celebrate the “Patriot Days” theme June 16-17.
Goat flanking for the juniors and goat tying for the intermedi-
ates are new events this year. McCracken said those events help
See RODEO, Page B10
Parks and Rec activities set
Blue Mountain Eagle
The John Day-Canyon
City Parks and Recreation
District is holding events to
keep people active this sum-
mer.
A basketball tournament
for all ages is planned Friday
and Saturday, June 22-23.
Youth activities for three
different age groups take
place from late June through
early August.
‘Pick & Roll’
3-on-3 basketball
tournament
The district is holding a
two-day 3-on-3 basketball
tournament at Seventh Street
Complex.
Day one of the tourna-
ment starts at 5 p.m. Friday,
June 22, and day two begins
at 8 a.m. Saturday, June 23.
Men, women and chil-
dren ages 9 and up are invit-
ed to join in, and there will
be prizes in three divisions,
including youth for grades
8 and younger, high school
for incoming freshmen to
incoming seniors and adults
for graduated high school se-
niors and older.
Registration forms and
rules are available at https://
jdccparksandrec.weebly.
com, and the registration
deadline is 5 p.m. Wednes-
day, June 20. Forms may be
dropped off at the Parks and
Rec office or Gleason Pool.
Fees per team are: youth,
$25 in district, $30 out of
district; high school, $40 in
district, $45 out of district;
adult, $50 in district, $55 out
of district.
For more information, call
program manager Bobbee
Hueckman at 541-575-0110.
PE in the Park
Parks and Rec will also
hold PE in the Park with fun
activities for kids in differ-
ent age groups.
Activities for ages 5-8
will be 1-3 p.m. Mondays
through Thursdays, July 9
through Aug. 2. The cost is
$15 a week or $50 for all
four weeks.
Ages 9-12 will meet 10
a.m. to 12 p.m. Mondays
through Thursdays July 9
through Aug. 2. The cost is
$15 a week or $50 for all
four weeks.
Summer activities for
ages 13-15 will be held
from 1-4 p.m. on Monday
through Friday June 25-29
and Aug. 6-10. The cost is
$15 per week or $25 for two
weeks.
Youth must participate in
a full week — no daily drop
ins — and all pick up and
drop offs will be at Seventh
Street’s main parking lot.
The Gordon Mitchell
Scholarship Fund is avail-
able upon request.
Registration forms are
available at the Parks and
Red website.
For more information,
call Hueckman.
Eagle file photo
Children play soccer at Seventh Street Complex.
Spikers will compete on national stage at AAU championships
By Angel Carpenter
Blue Mountain Eagle
A group of seven Grant Union
Prospector volleyball players who
have been participating in club
sports will compete at the AAU
Junior Girls National Volleyball
Championships June 25-28 in Or-
lando, Florida.
The opportunity came after
the 18U team, dubbed the Gold
Diggers, won the June 8-9 re-
gional tournament, the RIVAL AZ
Gold Diggers’ regional win a ‘Cinderella’ story
Championships, in Lake Havasu,
Arizona.
Led by AAU coach Kristi
Moore, who is a Grant Union En-
glish teacher and will be the new
dean of students this fall, the team
came together after spring sports
ended, with just a week of practice
before the regional competition.
Moore said there was only one
day when all seven could attend
practice.
“Some are still playing summer
softball,” she said. “We’re just
trying to fit it in without denying
them anything else.”
She said their best practice day
was in pool play during the first
day of the tournament, where they
won two and lost two games.
Moving on to bracket play on
Saturday, the girls faced Arizona
Desert Valley in the final game,
which was a team they had fallen
to in pool play.
“They were the team we had to
beat to win the gold,” Moore said.
“It was high stakes, and they played
amazing and did a great job.”
She said audience members
seemed to enjoy watching their
team and cheered them on.
All but one of the Gold Diggers
play three seasons of sports, while
other teams at the tournament had
been involved in AAU volleyball
since last November, Moore said.
“They were kind of the Cin-
derella team of the tournament be-
cause they came in with no rank-
ing,” she said. “No one knew what
to expect.”
See SPIKERS, Page B10
Grant Union Gold Diggers won gold at an 18U AAU volleyball tournament in Lake Havasu, Arizona. The team will play at AAU Nationals June 25-28 in Orlando,
Florida. The team members, left to right, are Hailie Wright, McKeely Miller, Kaylee Wright, Baylee Combs, Kaytlyn Wells, Alcie Moore and Mariah Moulton.
Contributed photo