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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (July 1, 2015)
S PORTS Hermiston A8 WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 2015 Memories of the heat SAM BARBEE FROM THE SIDELINES T here was this one weekend in Longview that was absolutely unbearable. I was 12-years- old, and temperatures had skyrocketed into the 100s in a place where 85 is considered outrageously hot. ,UHPHPEHUSOD\LQJ¿UVW base, the hot dirt burning upward and the blazing sun burning downward. I’d take my hat off after each pitch and wipe the sweat from my forehead, silently imploring the pitcher to get one, two, three more outs so I could retreat into the cool dugout with my awaiting water. The thing, though, about Longview heat is it’s a very moist heat. In some ways, it feels almost tropical. We get enough warm ocean air that it makes 85 feel like 95, and 100 feel like 110. I remember playing in a tournament in Yakima years later where it was so hot I could barely think, and I pitched six innings in a loss. That was in a dry heat more reminiscent of Hermiston, though. None of these thoughts were in my head as I drove to Irrigon on Saturday to watch some Little League softball. My car doesn’t have air conditioning at the moment, so most of my attention was focused on not putting my arm a place that was so hot it felt cold. Those girls in Irrigon, playing in 110-degree heat, had something I never had: misters. These awesome little hoses have holes in them to send water spraying and keep the players cool in the dugout. You see them on NFL and college football sidelines on especially hot days, in WKHVRXWKRURQ¿HOGVZLWK turf. I remember one time at Disney Land when I was 7, it was a hot Anaheim day and I sat in front of a big round fan/mister. My dad had a video camera and asked me what it was. I said it was a mister, not all that excited about being interviewed on tape by my dad. It was so hot Saturday, in fact, that the 10/11-year- old game took an hour-long heat delay. In one season, I’ve seen two things I’ve never seen before: a glare delay and a heat delay. What’s interesting, though, is if you told that 10 or 11-year-old Sam that one day he’d be living in the desert and consistently walking out into 95, 100-degree temperatures, he wouldn’t be very happy. November’s sub-freezing temperatures weren’t that bad at all. I sleep cold, after all. I’m acclimating, slowly but surely. I’ve realized this when temperatures drop below 80 degrees and I instantly grab a sweatshirt. But I remember exactly what it was like playing in that kind of heat. I remember that tournament from when I was 12. We hosted it and won it over the Fourth of July weekend. I mostly remember the heat and needed a new shirt after warm-ups. I remember telling myself I would never live somewhere hot, that I can’t take it. Well, that worked out. — Sam Barbee is a sports reporter for the Hermisotn Herald and East Oregonian based in Hermiston. He can be reached by phone at 541- 564-4542 or by email at sbarbee@hermistonherald. com. Follow him on Twitter @SamBarbee1 and Herald Sports @HHeraldSports. HERMISTONHERALD.COM Barrier-breaking golfer enjoys Northwest swing sek at a charity golf tourna- ment at White Horse Golf STAFF WRITER Club in Kingston, Wash- Big River Golf Course ington on the Kitsap Pen- owner Ron Holsek has a insula. He was there with friend in a high place, and former Seattle Seahawks he had no qualms about running back Randall Mor- bringing that friend to ris, and they were talking town. about the charity tourna- His friend’s name is Lee ments they run. Morris Elder and he is an import- hosts a tournament in his DQW ¿JXUH LQ WKH ZRUOG RI QDPHEHQH¿WLQJFKLOGKRRG golf. burn victims, and Hol- Elder’s story is one sek helps with the Mead- of trials, racism, perse- owood Springs Fundraiser verance and dedication. Tournament and another Born in Dallas, Texas he tourney for children with was an orphan by 12 and VSHHFK GLI¿FXOWLHV (OGHU hung around the local golf told Morris he’ll come course. He slept under trees back as long as Morris at night wants it, and he told Hol- a n d sek he would come out to GOLF shagged Big River. balls by That was in September day. He fell in the love 2014. A few short months with the game. He worked later, Holsek called Elder as a caddy and eventually on short notice to see if the joined a professional golf JRO¿QJOHJHQGFRXOGDWWHQG tour, where he would meet the Meadowood tourna- his wife at a tournament in ment. Elder canceled a pre- Washington D.C. vious event and stayed the But Elder, 80, is best whole weekend. known in the golf world Holsek has had success for breaking the color in luring celebrities to barrier at a place no one the Meadowood tourna- thought it could be done: ment. Former Washington Augusta National in Geor- Redskins tight end Clint gia. In 1975, Elder with- Didier has come the last 14 stood death threats as he years. Bobby Gross, for- WHHG XS DV WKH ¿UVW $IUL merly of the Portland Trail can-American to play in Blazers, has come the last the Masters Golf Tourna- seven years. Former Ore- ment. He changed clothes gon Duck Mike Walter has in his Cadillac because he come for the last nine. wasn’t allowed in the all- But the chief get this white clubhouse. year was Elder. Flash forward a few de- He stayed all day Sat- cades and Elder met Hol- urday and even hit the BY SAM BARBEE PHOTO COURTESY JAN SCHROTH *ROÀQJOHJHQG/HH(OGHUULJKWSRVHVZLWK%LJ5LYHUJROI&RXUVHRZQHU5RQ+ROVHNDWWKHWK DQQXDO0HDGRZRRG*ROI7RXUQDPHQWODVWPRQWK opening tee shot. He an- swered questions and took pictures. He gave tips. He shared memories. “I think it’s wonder- ful,” Elder said of Eastern 2UHJRQ DIWHU KLV ¿UVW YLVLW here. “It’s a little more iso- lated than a bigger city, but that’s not to say that a per- son couldn’t enjoy living there. There’s lot of things it has to offer, just like many other areas. And the people are just so wonder- ful, I tell you, I just can’t PHOTO COURTESY JAN SCHROTH express enough as to how we enjoyed the people and /HH(OGHUJROÀQJOHJHQGDQGSHUVRQDOIULHQGRI%LJ5LYHU*ROI &RXUVHRZQHU5RQ+ROVHNPHHWVDSDWURQODVWPRQWKDWWKH SEE ELDER/A9 WKDQQXDO0HDGRZRRG7RXUQDPHQWDW%LJ5LYHULQ8PDWLOD $OOVWDUIRRWEDOOJDPHWHDFKHVOLIHOHVVRQV Former Bulldogs gain friend, confi dence going into college BY SAM BARBEE STAFF WRITER Landon Gammell and Carson Morter were un- sure what to expect. The two Hermiston products were members of a handful of east-sid- ers who were selected to play in 68th Les Schwab Tires Bowl in June at Pa- FL¿F 8QLYHUVLW\ LQ )RUHVW Grove. The Les Schwab Tires Bowl is an all-star football game between the top 5A and 6A football players in the state of Oregon. Pro- ceeds go to the Oregon State Atheltic Associa- tion’s general scholarship fund, and in the week lead- ing up the game the players engage in various nightly activities, interacting with hospital patients and at- risk youth. Morter was selected outright, and Gammell got a spot when someone dropped out. “I didn’t know anyone,” Gammell said. “There were a bunch of guys ... We knew the Silverton quarterback (Cole Chan- dler) was there and we were like, ‘We’re probably gonna hate him.’ I don’t know, we thought we heard all these names that we’d known from Marist and stuff. ‘Man, this isn’t going to be fun.’ Me and Carson were saying that.” PHOTO COURTESY TRACY GAMMELL 5HFHQW+HUPLVWRQJUDGXDWHV /DQGRQ*DPPHOOOHIWDQG &DUVRQ0RUWHUSRVHDIWHUWKH WK/HV6FKZDE7LUHV%RZO WZRZHHNVDJRDW+LOOVERUR 6WDGLXP He will attend the Col- lege of Idaho in the fall and he will play football. With a state champi- PHOTO COURTESY OF WAZMIXPIX onship in hand, Gammell +HUPLVWRQ·V/DQGRQ*DPPHOOWRWKHULJKWRIWKHIUDPHFHOHEUDWHVZLWKKLV6RXWKWHDPPDWHV couldn’t think of a better DIWHUWKH\GHIHDWHGWKH1RUWKLQWKHDQQXDO/HV6FKZDE%RZOVHQLRUDOOVWDUIRRWEDOOJDPH way to end his high school RQ6DWXUGD\-XQHDW+LOOVERUR6WDGLXP$OVRRQWKH6RXWKWHDPZDV+HUPLVWRQ·V&DUVRQ career. 0RUWHUQRWSLFWXUHG ³7KDWLVGH¿QLWHO\LFLQJ on the cake, just being able 7KHQDIWHUWKH¿UVWSUDF the dorm hallway, trading to go to that and get all the FOOTBALL tice, with Sheldon’s Lane stickers and bonding fur- recognition,” he said. “The 6SULQJ¿HOG FRDFK 'DYH Johnson running the show, ther. Because there were the players bonded. Walk- “It is kinda crazy how Heuberger) was there, su- so few east-siders on the ing back to the dorms, they quickly people can con- per cool guy, really good South squad, Gammell and found common ground in nect on a friendship level coach. All the other 5A Morter found themselves Johnson’s strictness, and in a short amount of time,” coaches were there. I talk- ed to Marist’s coach (Frank on the fringes at the be- that galvanized the group. Morter said. ginning. They watched as One day after practice, For both Gammell and Geske) after the game and guys from Salem, Eugene, Gammell and his room- Morter, the Les Schwab he was like, ‘Good job’ and Medford and Bend greet- mate, Connor Fohn from Tires Bowl was an oppor- everything. It was a good ed each other and already South Salem commenced tunity for them to gauge note to go on to college knew each other’s names, the all-star football game their talents, Gammell es- football with.” Morter agreed. while they stood awkward- tradition of trading helmet pecially. He used the game “It taught you a lot more ly on the outside. stickers. Morter was giv- as a litmus test to decide “I felt kind of like an en four by his former head whether he should contin- than just football,” Mort- er said of the week. “You alien,” Gammell said. coach Mark Hodges before ue to play in college. But that all changed the trip, but Gammell had It went pretty well. He kinda just gotta go out and rather quickly. none because he was a ¿QLVKHG ZLWK VL[ WDFNOHV start talking to someone $WWKDW¿UVWEDQTXHWWKH last-minute replacement. four solo, with two tack- you don’t know. For a kid coaches said that the play- So Gammell took one les for loss and a forced in high school, you kinda ers would meet “a bunch purple “H” off his helmet fumble. He looked around take for granted how much of their best friends” that and gave it to Fohn, who during the game and real- you don’t do that. You week. supplied Gammell with ized that he can compete have all your friends all the ³$W¿UVWZHZHUHGXEL a black “S.” From there, with the best talent in the SEE FOOTBALL/A9 ous),” Gammell said. they went up and down state. Hermiston pair help squad to Hoopfest title A pair of Hermiston men helped a four-man 6-foot and over three-on- three basketball team win a bracket at Spokane Hoop- fest, the largest three-on- three basketball tournament in the country. Rylie Smith and Mike Royer, Hermiston natives and Western Oregon alum- ni, helped WOU’s Woes teammates Roy Curry of Portland and Nate Ambriz of Spokane to the Brack- et No. 408 6-foot and un- der rec championship with +RVW6WDQ¿HOG FODLPVWRXUQH\ BY SAM BARBEE STAFF WRITER a perfect record of 5-0. Smith, Royer and Curry are alumni of WOU. — Sam Barbee In a trio of games over the weekend, the Stanfield AAU baseball team took its own tournament after beating Sunnyside Christian 13-2, then splitting a pair with Riverside/Irrigon 13-7, a BASEBALL loss, and the tournament-clinch- ing 9-5 win. Klay Jenson threw five innings of two-run, two-hit ball to stifle Sunnyside, and Adrian SEE STANFIELD/A9