Not an official Major League Baseball Minor League Team, the Bend Elks are what is known as a “collegiate wood bat team,” a league comprised of college prospects looking for an extra opportunity to get noticed, and ultimately drafted, by major league teams. Leagues like the West Coast League are filled with a dozen teams […]
Outside
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Bikes, Beer and Big Bucks
Mountain bike race isn’t all about leg strength; there is arm wrestling as well
With the largest pro invitational award in the country—$20,000, enough for a down payment on a modest house—the annual (five years and counting) Blitz to the Barrel is becoming, if not one of the most important mountain bike races in the North America, then certainly the most eclectic and fun. The “barrel” in question is […]
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Wandering Wolves
Years after protections were put in place, the wolf returns to Oregon
No one would have the slightest idea of the wanderings of “Journey,” AKA, OR-7, without the Federal Endangered Species ruling on the releases of wolves in Wyoming in 1995. To accomplish that, a lot of changes in attitude took place in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and […]
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Dodge This
Mountain Man tournament takes recess sports to the next level
When Michael Tessier started planning the inaugural Mountain Man Dodgeball Classic, he envisioned an accessible, lighthearted tournament that would attract casual sports enthusiasts and spectators from across the region to spend their time—and money—in Sisters. “The idea was that we wanted to tap into this idea of sports tourism, drawing people from other areas of […]
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Old, But Not Slow
Bend Don’t Brake bike race kicks
senior citizen racing into gear
When I was a 17-year-old punk, I was not old enough to race in the Nordic ski marathon, the Birkebinder, but I was eligible to ski its 30 km half-race for teenagers. I did well, and the evening after the race sat at the winner’s table with a few other teenagers, and with an equal […]
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Harrowing Moments in Pole Pedal Paddle History
Competitors recall close calls
The thrill of racing is peppered with a bit of danger at the annual Pole Pedal Paddle. Isn’t that part of the fun, anyway? A mad pack of downhill skiers jostling like pinballs down the slopes? Racing as fast as a sports car down Mt. Bachelor on the skinny wheels of a bicycle—and gravelly pavement? […]
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Our National Bird
Benjamin Franklin, who had a pretty good head on his shoulders, and did a great many good things for our country, liked turkeys better than eagles. That choice almost screwed up the works for having the bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) as our National Symbol. Franklin preferred the wild turkey. Now, I ask you, how can […]
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Area Bike Shop Directory
BEND Bend Cyclery, 541-385-5256 133 SW Century Dr., Ste. #202 Web: bendcyclery.com Crows Feet Commons, 541-728-0066 875 NW Brooks St. Web: crowsfeetcommons.com Hub Cyclery, 541-647-2614 1001 NW Wall St., Ste. #102 Web: thehubcyclerybend.com Hutch’s Bicycles – Eastside Location, 541-382-6248 820 NE 3rd St. Web: hutchsbicyclestest.com/about/locations/bend-eastside Hutch’s Bicycle’s – Westside, 541-382-9253 725 NW Columbia St. Web: […]
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Balancing Act
Runner Lauren Fleshman tries to have it all—and does
Two-time USA Track and Field Outdoor 5,000M champion Lauren Fleshman has a hand in every part of the sport—from media to clothing and snacks. She appears on the cover of the June edition of Runner’s World and is immortalized as a paper doll inside. She also is a partner in the Oiselle clothing line for […]
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It’s an oddity, but true
William Sullivan sees unique features in Central Oregon
Oregon author and hiking guru—and, yes, he deserves that title—William Sullivan has traversed nearly every inch of Oregon, and now is headed for Deschutes County for a little show and tell. For the past quarter-century and with his collection of guide books (and even historical fiction on airline hijacker D.B. Cooper), Sullivan has mapped out […]