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.
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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
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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
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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-
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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
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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
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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
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SEE ELDER/A9
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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-
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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
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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
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way to end his high school
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career.
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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
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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
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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