A8 FRIDAY March 4, 2022 Winter Sports SeasideSignal.com Local equestrian team opens season By GARY HENLEY The Astorian The fi rst Oregon High School Equestrian Teams competition of the year is in the books, with riders and their horses competing last month at the Yamhill County fairgrounds. It also served as the fi rst meet of the season for the Northwest district, which includes Clatsop County’s equestrian team, coached by Brittany Israel. Members of Israel’s team include riders from Astoria, Seaside and Warrenton high schools. Riders and horses from Astoria include Alivia Rick- enbach (two horses, “Ath- ena” and “Sage”), Signe Rickenbach (“Timber”) and Eve Espelien (“Lewy”); from Seaside, Alicia Cano Brittany Israel Seaside members of the equestrian team. (“Moon”), Matthew Cano (“Sailor”), Lindsey McCa- rthy (“Cosmo”), McK- enna Roberts (“Jackson”), Oshi Ward (“Flash” and “Goldie”) and groomer Theia McCarthy. Warrenton has one competitor with two horses, Kaylie Poe (“Emma” and “MoPoe”). Espelien is out with a broken arm, suf- fered in basketball. In the competition, held Feb. 10 to Feb. 13, riders from St. Helens High School won the overall team results with 832 points, while the Astoria, Seaside and War- renton competitors com- bined for 287. Highlights for the locals included a strong perfor- mance by Roberts and Jack- son in Showmanship, as the pair took second out of 20 riders. Alicia Cano, with Moon, placed 10th, while McCarthy and Cosmo came in 13th. In the Working Pairs com- petition, Cano and Moon teamed with Alivia Ricken- bach and Sage to place ninth out of 15 pairs, as the rid- ers from Seaside and Astoria rode to “The Champion” by Carrie Underwood. In the 18-rider Keyhole competition, Signe Ricken- bach and Timber took 11th, followed by Kaylie Poe and MoPoe, 13th. In Barrels, Ward and Flash took third out of 26 riders. Ward and Flash also came up winners in the Pole Bending competition, with a 21.964, fi rst out of 23 riders. Alivia Rickenbach and Ath- ena placed eighth. Rickenbach and Ath- ena also took eighth out of 24 riders in the Figure 8; and sisters Alivia and Signe Rickenbach, riding Athena and Timber, took fourth out of 18 teams in the Two-man Birangle. The Roberts and Jack- son pair was ninth out of 21 riders in Western; and Ward and Flash took second in Sunday Steer Daubing. Three pairs took part in “Grand Entry” riding, including Alivia Ricken- bach and Athena carrying the American fl ag; Poe and Emma with an Oregon High School Equestrian Teams fl ag; and Cano and Moon, representing Seaside. Tough competition at state for Seaside, Astoria athletes The Astorian The Astoria and Sea- side swim teams had plenty of highlight swims in last month’s state meet, but the points were hard to come by for both the Fishermen and Gulls. Competing in the Oregon School Activities Associa- tion 4A state meet on Feb. 19 at Tualatin Hills Aquatic Center in Beaverton, Asto- ria and Seaside swimmers failed to make the score- board, with the Sweet Home girls and Catlin Gabel boys winning the team titles. Representing District 1, Newport fi nished third in the girls team standings, second on the boys side. After last year’s unoffi - cial culminating event, Sea- side coach Shane Spell said, “it was great being back in the full state competition, with 4A through 1A all com- peting. It gives you a great picture of the high quality swimming happening all over the state.” The highest-placing swim from the North Coast was a seventh-place showing by Seaside’s 200-yard medley relay team of Leif Rehnert, Sam Heroux, Logan Dennis and Liam Matlock, who fi n- ished in 1 minute, 56.29 sec- onds. Astoria was ninth in the same event (1:58.17). Events were held in two heats, all fi nals with no preliminaries. Astoria junior Eme- SENIOR SPOTLIGHT Cash Corder, Seaside lia Cameron took eighth in the 100-yard freestyle, and Astoria’s 200-yard boys freestyle relay foursome of Finn Buzzell, Dylan Far- rell, Phelan Dopp and Ste- phen Ero placed eighth in 1:40.92. For the Gulls, Spell said “it was a nice accomplish- ment to (qualify) wild cards in six diff erent events — something that’s not hap- pened in quite some time. We’re graduating a lot of seniors, but we’ve got some youth coming up, and we’ll keep growing and working for a return visit. “It was a good meet. Our goal was to drop some times and move up in the seeding, and that happened multiple times.” DINING on the NORTH COAST Great Restaurants in: GEARHART • SEASIDE CANNON BEACH Sports: Basketball, baseball Forward / No. 21 Favorite sports moment: My sophomore year, when we made a 20-plus point comeback playing Marist. I hit a 3 to go in to overtime and we ended up winning. Favorite road trips: Sunriver with my family. Favorite pregame music: Hip hop. Most infl uential coach or teacher: My dad. Advice for young teammates?: Don’t take it for granted. It goes by quicker than you think. E RIL Y’ S Where you see yourself in fi ve years: Either playing col- lege basketball or working some type of trade. WANT TO KNOW WHERE THE LOCALS GO? • Breakfast • Lunch • Dinner • Junior Menu RESTAURANT & LOUNGE • Lighter appetite menu BEST BREAKFAST IN TOWN! Fish ‘n Chips • Burgers • Seafood & Steak Friday & Saturday - Prime Rib Lounge Open Daily 9-Midnight All Oregon Lottery products available 1104 S Holladay • 503-738-9701 • Open Daily at 8am Cash Corder in the Gulls win over Astoria, 75-50. Excellence in family dining found from a family that has been serving the North Coast for the past 52 years Jeff TerHar Great Breakfast, but that’s not all... LIFESTYLE Crab, Seafood & Wine Festival returns as in-person event By ABBEY MCDONALD The Astorian The Crab, Seafood & Wine Festival will be held in person this April for the fi rst time in three years. The popular event, which regularly sees over 10,000 attendees, serves as a fund- raiser for the Astoria-War- renton Area Chamber of Commerce and community groups. First held in 1982, the festival was canceled in 2020 due to coronavirus pandemic safety measures. Last year’s virtual event featured an online market- place allowing participants to chat with vendors and watch live music from their screens. It also included Festival Feast passports, encouraging trips to par- ticipating businesses and restaurants around town. “The virtual events in recent years were as fun Colin Murphey/The Astorian The Crab, Seafood & Wine Festival is an important community fundraiser. as we could make them with an online expo, small pop-up events like the Asto- ria clowns drive-up and the inaugural Festival Feast din- ing passport that helped con- nect festival patrons with local restaurants,” David Reid, the chamber’s execu- tive director, said in a state- ment. “However, we are excited to be planning to return to the festival format we have come to love and be among our friends – ven- dors, volunteers and attend- ees alike.” This year, the crab festi- val will return to the Clatsop County Fairgrounds from April 22 to April 24. Vendor applications opened earlier this month, and the chamber anticipates around 175 ven- dors selling crafts, food and drinks. At past events, the Asto- ria Rotary Club ran the crab feed as its main fund- raiser and source of schol- arship funding for local high schoolers. The announcement of the festival’s in-person return generated some buzz on the event’s Facebook page. Within the hour, the com- ment section fi lled with doz- ens of people tagging their friends, many with multiple exclamation points. The Oregon Health Authority has projected that hospitalizations from COVID-19 will signifi cantly decline by late March. The state has announced that an indoor mask mandate will be lifted next week. Other signature events that usually take place early in the year remain disrupted by the pandemic. The annual FisherPoets Gathering, which took place in late February, was held virtually. Fort George Brewery canceled its Festival of Dark Arts, and instead held activ- ities in February, including live music. Tickets for the crab festi- val will be available online beginning April 1. • Great lunch and dinner menu,too! • Great pasta, steaks & seafood! • Homemade Clam Chowder, Salads! Seaside • 323 Broadway • 738-7234 (Open 7 Days) Cannon Beach • 223 S. Hemlock 436-2851 (7am-3pm Daily) Astoria • 146 W. Bond • 325-3144 Cannon Beach Chocolate Cafe COME VISIT US! MILKSHAKE HAPPY HOUR 3PM-5PM, $1 OFF ALL MILKSHAKES 232 N. Spruce • Cannon Beach, Oregon 503.436.4331 Starting in October: 9am-5pm daily, closed on Tuesday and Wednesday Call Sarah Silver 503.325.3211 ext 1222 YOUR RESTAURANT AD HERE. Find Your Next Regular Customers!