– Photo by Tim Dority

Joel Skotte is a 6-foot-3, 221 pound junior for the dominant Mountain View football team. Skotte is a monster at middle linebacker and backs up senior Austin Sears in the backfield as the latest in a long line of Cougar running backs. Joel was kind enough to answer a few questions for Central Oregon Athlete:

Central Oregon Athlete – How long have you lived in Bend?
Joel Skotte – I’ve lived in bend for my whole life, so 16 years.

COA – How long have you been playing football?
JS – I’ve been playing football since the second grade.

COA – What other sports do you play?
JS – I play Basketball and I run the 100 and 200 in track.

COA – What do you like to do when you aren’t playing sports?
JS – When i’m not playing sports I like to hang out with friends, dirtbike, go to church/fellowship of christian athletes, and go to the lake in the summer.

COA – What positions are you playing in football this season?
JS – I play middle linebacker and tailback.

COA – What’s the best part of playing Cougar football?
JS – The coaches really care about us as individuals as well as players. We have a close bunch of guys who have eachother’s backs on and off the field.

COA – What has been the highlight of your football career so far?
JS – Being able to play with the guys i look up to has been really awesome, it has helped me learn how to carry myself as a person and as a player.

COA – What are your goals for this football season?
JS – I hope to get defensive player of the year for our league and get all state linebacker.

COA – What is your favorite workout in Central Oregon?
JS – My favorite workout is crossfit.

COA – Anything else to add?
JS – I hope to play college football at a division one school. Oregon state is my first choice.

Damien Walters in AMAZING!

Zach Violett is one of Bend’s fastest endurance athlete. You may recognize his name from a variety of racing results. Zach took some time to answer a few questions for Central Oregon Athlete:

Central Oregon Athlete – How long have you lived in Bend?
Zach Violett – moved here in August of 2006, so I guess this is the start of my 4th year.

COA – What brought you to Bend?
ZV – I moved here to continue skiing after college. I got my Bachelors at University of Anchorage Alaska and didn’t want to stay up there after I finished. I was looking for a cool town that had a post-collegiate ski team. I began talking with JD Downing of XC-Oregon and found myself moving to Bend.

COA – You do a lot of racing, what sport is your main focus?
ZV – For the past 13 year I would have said Nordic skiing. Last winter I retired from competitive ski racing and now just race for fun. I don’t have a specific focus so I just jump into any race that looks fun or challenging. So far I have done adventure races, running races (everything for 10k’s to Ultras), and bike races (road & mtn).

COA – What other sports do you enjoy?
ZV – I do a little bit of everything including: golfing, rock climbing, sailing, hiking, rafting, Frisbee, and starting to try my hand at hunting (if that is considered a sport..?).
Basically I love being outside and will try just about anything that gets me out of the house.

COA – What do you like to do when you are not racing or training?
ZV – When not racing or working out my time is broken into two big chunks:
First is spending my 40-hour work week at Tech Soft 3D. Where I do international software sales.
Second is spending time with my girlfriend and our new puppy. That time ranges from laying around the house to out hiking and exploring the mountains to going on road trips and random adventures.
I also love reading. It can be so fun to get lost in a book and let the imagination fly with the story. Stieg Larsson, Clive Cussler and Wilbur Smith are my current favorites.

COA – What is your favorite workout in Central Oregon?
ZV – Right now my favorite workout is anything new. I get bored quickly of any single trail or workout. This summer’s favorites were:
-Mountain biking on the Umpqua
-Mountain bike loop around Mt. Bachelor.
-Long runs in the Three Sisters Wilderness.

COA – What are some of your sports goals?
ZV – Most important goal for me is to keep having fun.
I want to do a 24-hour Adventure race and someday a multi-day race.
A 50-mile Ultra Marathon has some appeal, but not setting any specific plans to it.

Bend @ Summit 7pm Thursday
• Bend 0-1 IMC, 2-4 overall.
• Summit 0-0 IMC, 1-5-1.
• Game will be aired live on COTV11.
• Bend reached the Class 5A state semifinals last year.
• Summit was the 2009 IMC champions.
• WIth just three teams in the IMC, every game is huge!

By Jason Adams

At the West Village Parking lot at Mt. Bachelor is where the racers gathered to get ready for the start of the Flagline 50km. Being my first ultra, I was more bug-eyed than normal watching the dozens of elite runners emptying out of the cars, stretching, chatting and getting their race numbers on. My friend and fellow ultra newbie, Scott Hubbs, and I were finishing off our 30 minute debate on how much gel and water to carry and whether to wear gloves and a stocking cap for the 36F start temperature. Our chatter stopped when we saw a 70 year old gentleman jog pass us to the start line in a tank top with no water bottle and no gel containers. He was headed to the start like a seasoned saint going to the cathedral with nothing but his bare hands.

At 7AM, scheduled start time, Super Dave took attendance at the start line like an elementary school teacher making sure he knew who would start and who should finish. The reality that the 50km of remote trails would open the risk of getting lost, hurt or in need of help began to settle in. Super Dave’s care for each competitor was apparent as each person responded with a “here” when their number was read.

At 7:04, he yelled ‘go’ and the runners were off. The 80+ runners quickly organized themselves into a single file line that headed down the first trail. Like a troop of soldiers knowing their position in the chain of command, everyone headed off with easy synchronicity. Shivering and nervous energy turned into steady breathing, and then the sun began to rise above the horizon. The race was on.

For the first hour, I replayed conversations that I had prior to the race with ultra veterans Jeff Browning and Sean Meissner about water, gel and salt consumption as well as pace. My goal was to run at 70% effort for the first 2 hours, but my heart rate quickly jumped to 80-85% and I couldn’t slow my motion down. The adrenaline of the race had quickly overruled my game plan. The first 8 miles was downhill to Aid station 1 and I had time to loosen up my tight muscles and feel the fresh air waken up my body.

Aid station 1 came and went as I had my water bottle topped off from a friendly volunteer woman. Because of the quick start, I was 12 minute ahead of my most-hopeful schedule and I started the climb to Aid station 2 with more excitement that was prudent. Being an ultra rookie, I couldn’t help but honor the desire of my body to charge up the hill and that I did to Aid station 3. I passed 5 other runners as I showed off my zesty legs. Also I didn’t want to have to wait in line at Aid station 2 for water, so I put out a little burst to pass a small pack.

My rigid schedule of water, gel and salt consumption began and it gave me confidence. But then a serious toe-stubbing while getting gel out of my back that almost sent me to the ground and had me limping for a half mile reminded me that this was a trail race and that nothing was predictable or smooth sailing.

Coming into Aid station 3, I felt a deep left lower calf cramp that startled me immensely. My feelings of being a rock star were set aside for the reality that nearly 14 miles were left and I better be smart. So, I took Browning’s advice and increase my salt consumption through the next 45 minutes and through Aid station 3. The cramps went away, but I guzzled my bottle within less than a mile after Aid station 3 and faced the next 5 miles with no water down to Happy Valley and then the climb back up to Aid station 4. This was my first major rookie mistake and the race quickly became a survival quest.

My regiment of gel ever 20 minutes and salt ever 30 minutes had to stop with no water. The climb was long and the temperature was increasing and the altitude was showing its face. My time goals were replace with finishing goals. I finally reached Aid station 4 and quickly drank a full water bottle of water to try and quench my insatiable thirst. That was my rookie mistake #2 because as I took off on the 7 mile decent home my stomach sloshed like a big water balloon and it felt like it would burst with each step. The reality of ultra racing settled in as I had no option but to run through it. There would be no time to glide on my skis or rest on my bike on a downhill. I had to run each step back. The downhill no longer seemed appealing and neither did the climb.

Approached the final Aid station, I was seriously considering stopping the race. It was 26.2 miles: a marathon, a good day for most people. But then along Todd Lake Road my very good friends, Chris and Mollie, serendipitously drove past in their truck and started cheering for me! Mollie reached through the side door window and gave me a hug and about 10 high 5’s and Chris yelled at me to keep going. I grabbed 3 oranges at the aid station plus some ice cold water from a volunteer and decided to finish.

Leaving the final Aid station, I did my first power walk up a hill and then I had a zigzag effort to run down a very narrow horse trail. I could see that runners ahead of me were forced to do a similar side-to-size effort. My angles were aching, my feet were burning, and my legs felt like lead, but I took each step one at a time. Heading toward Dutchman flats I could sense the finish, but I refused to let myself get ahead of the next step knowing that it would only exasperate the pain if I was expecting it to end sooner that it would. Finally I hit Century Drive and was into my final mile. I looked over my shoulder and saw an older lady catching up to me. My male ego kicked in as I didn’t wanted to be ‘chicked’ (passed by a female) for the first time during the race and I gave it my last gas to the finish. I held of my chaser!

The finish line never looked so blessed. Like a mirage in the desert, my body didn’t realize that I was done. With some congrats from the previous finishers and a commemorative mug in hand, I wobbled to the food table and realized that I was done. I grabbed some watermelon and felt dizzy. I went from leaning on the table to sitting on the table to sitting on the ground and finally to lying flat on my back on the parking lot asphalt for about 20 minutes as my body tried to stability. I was done in every way possible!

When I sat up next, I looked around and saw the many warriors that had completed the adventure. I felt like one of the Spartan in the movie 300. I was one of the finished ones! They congratulated me and I did them. Making eye contact with the runners was enough to pass the mutual respect and honor for the common achievement. We had gone beyond mind, body and spirit into a zone that only ultra runners can know by experiencing 4-5 hours of mountain trail running with pain as our only steady companion!

Then the recovery for the next adventure began…

What do you think the Miami Heat should use as their starting lineup?

Possible lineups:
BEST
G - Dwyane Wade 6-4
G - Mike Miller 6-8
F - LeBron James 6-8
F - Chris Bosh 6-10
C - Zydrunas Ilgauskas 7-3

BIG
G - Dwyane Wade 6-4
G - LeBron James 6-8
F - Udonis Haslem 6-8
F - Chris Bosh 6-10
C - Zydrunas Ilgauskas 7-3

FAST
G - Mario Chalmers 6-1
G - Dwyane Wade 6-4
F - LeBron James 6-8
F - Jarvis Varnado 6-9
C - Chris Bosh 6-10

NBA.com roster.

Gabby Crowell is an all-state volleyball player for Summit. Summit is currently ranked second in the OSAA Class 5A power rankings. Gabby was kind enough to answer a few questions for Central Oregon Athlete:

Central Oregon Athlete – How long have you lived in Bend?
Gabby Crowell – 11 years.

COA -How long have you been playing volleyball?
GC – I started when I was eight, so eight years.

COA -Do you play any other sports?
GC – No.

COA -What do you like to do when you aren’t playing sports?
GC – Cook, play with my dogs, hang out with friends and run.

COA -What has been the best part of volleyball for you so far?
GC – All of the great relationships I have formed with my teammates.

COA -What is your biggest strength on the volleyball court?
GC – Hitting (outside).

COA -What goals do you have for volleyball this year?
GC – Win the IMC and state.

COA -What is your favorite workout in Central Oregon?
GC – Running stairs with my high school team at the Summit track.

Stephanie Howe answers a few questions after finishing the Flagline 50K race in Bend.

Central Oregon Athlete – Was this the longest race you’ve ever done?
Stephanie Howe – Yes! I had run a road marathon about 5 years ago, but most of my races are 10k or half-marathon length. I have raced some 50k ski races, but they take about half the time to complete (2-2 ½ hrs) and are not nearly as hard on your body as running 50k.

COA – Had you ever run that far before?
SH – No. Ha. Yes, my first time running 31 miles was at USATF 50k trail nationals. Nothing like doing something extreme for your first time! It took me 4 ½ hours to complete the race. I have done some long runs before, but nothing longer than 2 ½ hours at training pace. Running an extra 2 hours, at race pace, is HARD!

COA – What made you decide to do it?
SH – I saw the course map & loved the terrain. It was all on single track and HILLY! I love hills, especially running up them! It was also a challenge to me. I like to test myself and see if I can do things that most people think are completely insane! It was definitely not the brightest idea to try to race a 50k the weekend after racing a half marathon, with a sore hamstring (I couldn’t run at all the day before the race), and having never run that distance before. But that’s part of the reason I raced- I like a challenge and I like pain. Also, my boyfriend decided to race and I couldn’t let him have all the fun ☺

COA – Did you get some advice from ultra runners before doing the race?
SH – Not really. I pretty much just winged it. I knew to start slow and keep it controlled, but I had no guidance on how to race an ultra.

COA – What was the biggest surprise about a race of that length?
SH – How hard the last few miles were! I reached a point where I was less than 2 miles from the finish and didn’t think I could physically move my body that far. It’s amazing how you can go from feeling so good to feeling like you are going to die. I saw one of my friends, Lea Julson, out mountain biking on the trails close to the finish. She was cheering for me and I told her I thought I was going to die. She assured me the finish was close and I was going to make it. It’s also amazing how irrational your mind becomes. I kept having all these weird random thoughts going through my mind that didn’t make any sense. I was almost in a dream state or having some kind of hallucinations. It was bizarre!

COA – What was the hardest part?
SH – Eating and drinking enough while racing. I have a really hard time eating while running hard. In a race this long it is REALLY important to replenish with enough calories while you are racing. I had a hard time eating anything. I was able to eat half a gu pack and some cliff shot blocks, but that’s about it. That is definitely NOT enough for a 4+ hour race. I hit the wall at mile 26, and I’m pretty sure I was glycogen depleted from not consuming enough earlier in the race.
I didn’t decide to do the race until the day before. If I had known I was going to race I would have prepared a little better: made sure to eat more in the days leading up to the race, taper my training a bit, rest & relax, etc. All of those things make a big difference in how your body is able to handle a long race.

COA – What advice would you have for a first time ultra runner?
SH – Start slow. Even if you think you feel good enough to pick it up, WAIT! I felt AMAZING halfway through the race & started hammering. It almost put me under in the end. The last few miles were treacherous & I had to walk a bit. If you feel great, keep running that pace. If you still feel that good with a few miles to go, then put the hammer down!
Also, if you are not used to running hills, walk them. In a race that long it’s better to go a little slower on the hills and be able to conserve some energy. I ran most of the hills because it is one of my strengths in running, but most people would benefit from taking it easy and not hammering the hills.

COA – Are you going to do it again?
SH – Ha. Well, if I do race an ultra again I will definitely train for it! I think I could do well if I put in the time and mileage appropriate for a race of that distance. I was pretty impressed with myself for doing as well as I did with such little preparation, but it would be a lot more pleasant (especially in the days following) if I did some longer runs beforehand.

Stephanie’s Sponsors:
XC Oregon
Lululemon
Sunnyside Sports

Mountain View (4-0) @ The Dalles-Wahtonka (2-2)
• Mountain View is on fire having outscored its opponents 150-73.
• TDW is coming off a one-point loss to Bend.
• Mountain View is ranked No. 1 in the Class 5A OSAA power rankings.
• TDW is ranked No. 18 in the Class 5A OSAA power rankings.

Redmond (3-1) @ Bend (2-2)
• The oldest rivalry in Central Oregon.
• Redmond has 3 in a row.
• Bend has won 2 in a row.
• Bend is ranked No. 7 in the Class 5A OSAA power rankings.
• Redmond is ranked No. 31 in the Class 6A OSAA power rankings.

Hood River Valley (3-1) @ Summit (0-4)
• The teams haven’t played each other since 2005, a game Summit won 23-21.
• All 4 HRV games this season have been decided by 6 points or less, including a double-overtime loss to Redmond.
• HRV is ranked No. 22 in the Class 5A OSAA power rankings.
• Summit is ranked No. 30 in the Class 5A OSAA power rankings.