Cycling:
Spencer Paxson of Trout Lake has been added to USA Cycling's U23 National Team, which will compete at the 2006 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships Aug. 22-27 in Rotorua, New Zealand.
Paxson joins a U23 Cross Country Team that also includeds Sam Schultz of Missoula, Mont.; Sam Jurekovic, Colorado Springs, Colo.; Colin Cares, Boulder, Colo.; and Andrew Freye, Winthrop, Maine.
In his last race--the 30.8-mile 2006 USA Cycling Mountain Bike Championships final, held July 14 at the Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif.--Paxson placed fifth behind his four National Team teammates, 6 minutes, 12.31 seconds off Schultz's winning pace of 2 hours, 8 minutes, 38.62 seconds.
Swimming:
Hood River Valley Swim Team's Jessie Robertson won three events and had five personal records during last weekend's 2006 Jay Rowan Memorial Open Swim Meet in Redmond, Ore.
Robertson, of Trout Lake, finished first in the 400-meter individual medley, the 100-meter butterfly and the 200-meter backstroke for girls ages 13-14. Robertson also placed second four times.
Corrie Brending of White Salmon posted four personal bests during the July 21-23 competition. Her top finish in five swims was a second, in the girls 9-10 50-meter butterfly.
Sarah Brending, White Salmon, made top-seven finishes in all six of her swims, including a high of third place in the girls 15-and-over 200-meter breast stroke. Two of her finishes came in personal record-setting times.
All told, 13 members of the Hood River Valley Swim Team took part in the meet.
HRVST's last home meet of the season--the 2006 HRVST Summer Invitational--is set for Aug. 5-6 at the Hood River Aquatic Center.
More Swimming:
Scott Bergstrom of Snowden will compete in six events during this weekend's Oregon Swimming's 11-and-over State Championships. The meet will take place July 27-30 at Mt. Hood Community College in Gresham, Ore.
Bergstrom swims for Hood River Valley Swim Team.
Rodeo:
Members of the Glenwood Rodeo Association presented a beautiful hand-tooled saddle to Casey Arnold on June 17, during the Ketchum Kalf Rodeo in Glenwood.
Arnold, 25, of Glenwood, was the winner of the 2005 Klickitat County High-Point Saddle Series. The series was initiated in 1995 by the late Bill Conboy.
Each year, Klickitat County residents who enter the Cleveland Pioneer Rodeo in Bickleton, the Ketchum Kalf Rodeo and the Klickitat County Rodeo in Goldendale are eligible to compete for the coveted saddle.
The annual winner is determined by a system that awards points for placing in events at any of the three rodeos. To be considered for the yearly award, contestants must take part in all three Northwest Professional Rodeo Association rodeos.
The rules were set up so the contestants can win only one saddle--making it a once-in-a-lifetime honor.
In the past, the three rodeo associations have gone together to purchase the high-point saddle. Now, however, the saddle series has the backing of a title sponsor, Goldendale Tire Center, which has taken on the commitment of supporting the series.
Arnold was the 11th winner of the Klickitat County High-Point Saddle Series.
Past recipients of the high-point saddle were (in order, 1995-2004): Mike Thiele, Trevor Scott, JC Bean, Chris Williams, Bart Fouts, Brad Cameron, Jolene Ferguson (the only woman so far), Mike Beckstrand, Nate Kayser and Chase MacRae.
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