A8
FRIDAY
March 25, 2022
Spring Sports
SeasideSignal.com
High school sports back in full swing
By GARY HENLEY
The Astorian
Oregon high school
sports are expected to fea-
ture a full spring season in
2022. After canceled games
and events in 2020 and a
shortened schedule in 2021,
fans of local teams may fi nd
that little has changed. War-
renton and Knappa base-
ball teams are still favored
for league titles while Sea-
side boys golf is looking as
strong as ever. Meanwhile,
the addition of new talent
will make Astoria softball a
state power. It all begins this
month, when games, events
and meets get underway,
weather permitting.
Local teams and events
to watch
Astoria’s Colton McMas-
ter looks to end his high
school career by setting new
school records in the dis-
cus and shot put and add-
ing state titles in both, as
well as adding to his track
and fi eld resume. The senior
triple sport athlete will
attend Dartmouth College in
Hanover, New Hampshire,
in the fall.
On the diamond, there
was no baseball season in
2020, and no offi cial cham-
pionship in 2021. Warrenton
baseball has the distinction
of playing in the last “real”
3A state championship game
at Volcanoes Stadium, the
2019 title contest won by La
Pine.
In
Warrenton,
look
for the Warriors and their
returners to score another
Coastal Range League title
this spring, and to be among
the top contenders for a state
title. Warrenton picked up a
fi rst place vote in a presea-
son 3A coaches poll, while
Knappa scored the most fi rst
place votes at the 2A level.
Another
Northwest
League championship win
is likely for the Knappa
Loggers, who have gone
unchallenged in league
play for the last 10 years.
The Loggers have not lost a
league game since April 18,
2017, and hold a 127 to 3
record in league play since
2013, with undefeated sea-
sons in 2014, 2015, 2018,
2019 and 2021. Knappa
baseball should sweep its
way through another perfect
league season in 2022. At
the 4A level, look for Asto-
ria, Seaside and Banks to
battle for the top spot in the
Cowapa League.
In softball, Astoria has
added some notable new tal-
ent and will challenge Banks
for the Cowapa title, while
the Knappa Lady Loggers
are always in contention
for the Northwest League
championship.
On the links, the Sea-
side boys golf team may
have missed out on chances
to win state titles in the last
two years, but the Seagulls
still have Carson Kawasoe.
The senior has reportedly
been recruiting in the halls
to help Seaside golf in his
fi nal season for head coach
Jim Poetsch.
Talent on the the track
includes throwers for Asto-
ria, Seaside and Warrenton.
Senior Maddie Sisley could
be a medalist in numerous
events for the Astoria girls
team, while distance runners
from Astoria, Warrenton and
Knappa will be running for
spots in their respective state
meets.
In addition, The Daily
Astorian Invitational track
meet makes its return this
year, hosted by Astoria High
School on April 21.
Pickleball popularity picks up on the North Coast
By GARY HENLEY
The Astorian
Pickleball is king among
many recreational enthusi-
asts on the North Coast.
With the coming of
spring weather, picklebal-
lers will soon be taking to
the outdoor courts.
Pickleball is readily
available indoors, includ-
ing at the Sunset Empire
Park and Recreation Dis-
trict gym in Seaside. The
gym is open on Mondays
and Thursdays from 9 to
11 a.m.
Admission is $3 for
those who live in the Sun-
set Recreation District and
$4 for all others. Discounts
are also available for
those involved in senior
programs.
Gearhart features two
outdoor courts at Pacifi c
Way and South Marion
Avenue, which are both
free and open to all. The
Camp Rilea gym in War-
renton also has courts
available on Wednesdays
and Saturdays from 9:30
to 11:30 a.m. for a $3 play-
ing fee. No reservations
are needed and all levels
are welcome, with friendly
coaching available. Loaner
paddles and balls are also
provided.
If you don’t mind trav-
eling a little farther, four
outdoor courts are avail-
able for the Nehalem Bay
Pickleball and North Coast
Recreation District in
Nehalem.
On the north side of the
Columbia, visit the Light-
house Resort in Long
Beach, Washington, where
pickleball turnouts are
good on Thursday eve-
nings from 7 to 9 p.m. At
the resort, a professional
player watches competi-
tors as they tackle a game
or two, then sets up a small
tournament based on the
players’ skill level.
For more information
on local pickleball spots,
visit www.northcoastpick-
leball.org
Nikki Davidson/The Astorian
The Lighthouse Oceanfront Resort in Long Beach hosts a Thursday night pickleball league.
Researchers track health of gray whales
By KATIE FRANKOWICZ
The Astorian
NORTH COAST
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Giants are passing by the
Oregon Coast right now:
Gray whales migrating
north, heading to the Bering
Sea from calving grounds in
Baja California, Mexico.
After several years of see-
ing “skinny” gray whales —
whales apparently not fi nd-
ing enough food en route
— and varied improvement
amid shifting ocean condi-
tions, researchers have been
concerned about issues in
the animals’ food chain.
Leigh Torres, an associ-
ate professor with Oregon
State University and part of
the Oregon Sea Grant exten-
sion, leads a team in fi eld
work along the coast each
summer to collect important
data on gray whales.
Last year, whales were
few and far between, she
said. Torres is hoping to see
more and healthier whales
this year. Some of the under-
fed whales they spotted in
years past have not recov-
ered to where researchers
think they should be.
“So we’re hoping that
they show up in relatively
good body condition and
gain weight throughout the
summer,” she said.
Gray whales are the most
A gray whale breaching in the Pacifi c Ocean.
commonly sighted whale
species on the West Coast
and were the fi rst marine
mammals to be recovered
through the federal Endan-
gered Species Act, accord-
ing to the state. Though
they are no longer listed as
endangered, they still face
a number of threats, includ-
ing boat collisions, entangle-
ment with fi shing gear and
other disturbances, such as
climate change.
The information Tor-
res and her team collects
informs not only ongoing
research into gray whales,
but also discussions about
the overlap between hump-
back and blue whales and
fi shing activities.
Oregon celebrates two
diff erent gray whale watch-
ing weeks each year: one
in the spring and one in the
winter. In pre-pandemic
times, these weeks brought
trained volunteers to coastal
lookouts to help visitors spot
and identify gray whales.
This year, Oregon State
Parks will bring back a pop-
ular whale watching lives-
tream, available on the Ore-
gon State Parks YouTube
channel beginning on Mon-
day from 10 a.m to 2 p.m.
daily through March 25.
The Whale Watch Center in
Depoe Bay has been closed
throughout the COVID-19
pandemic. It will reopen to
visitors in late spring.
As people head to over-
looks and viewpoints to
watch gray whales pass by,
Torres hopes they keep sev-
eral things in mind.
“Everybody’s connected
to the ocean with the day-to-
day actions we do,” she said.
One of the main way
whales can be impacted is by
people’s shopping choices.
“When we buy things
that come from China, they
all come on a boat and that
boat makes a lot of noise
and has ship strikes to the
whales,” Torres said. “We
are more connected than we
realize.”
Park district off ers scholarships for swim lessons
Seaside Signal
Kate Besse, a long-
time patron who swims at
Sunset Pool, has funded
an annual scholarship for
DINING
on the
children with disabilities
to receive private swim
lessons to become water
safe.
The Sunset Empire
Park and Recreation Dis-
trict announced the les-
sons will be taught by
instructor and swim coach
Carolyn Heymann, who
tailors lessons to the indi-
vidual needs and abilities
of each swimmer.
In 2021, the Sunset
Park and Recreation Foun-
dation provided almost
$22,000 in scholarship
funds. The foundation
is committed to provid-
ing more access to district
programs.
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