Posted on 23 February 2010 by Josh Cordell
I received the picture above and the following message, which is an excellent illustration of what Central Oregon Athlete is all about!
“I very much enjoyed the article about 13 year old Piper McDonald. Probably more so
than most because I am her grandfather. I have to take issue about when she ran her
first race. The enclosed pictures show her running at the age of two (1999). She came in
dead last and it took our whole family to keep her on the course. She loved getting a
ribbon. She has improved a lot since then!”
Posted on 19 February 2010 by Josh Cordell
I plan on making a list like THIS of Oregon high school boys basketball players. This list is of the 100 best Indiana high school boys basketball players of all time. Very cool!
Posted on 19 February 2010 by Josh Cordell
Start your sports news search at Central Oregon Athlete. News straight out of Bend and links to articles from all over the world. Oh the power of the internet!
Posted on 17 February 2010 by Josh Cordell
Checkout the COA EVENTS page to see all the great events coming up on this busy sports weekend.
Posted on 17 February 2010 by Josh Cordell
A friend just called me to tell me how awesome the winter biathlon was that he had just watched on TV. I’m excited, because I think the NBC coverage of the winter biathlon at the Olympics has been awesome and I’d love to see the sport grow. I’ve always been a big fan because it’s such a unique sport and I really feel like people don’t realize how “cool” it is.
My older brother Sam Cordell is a former national champion in the sport, so I’ve grown up watching it and thinking, “If people only knew how awesome this is!”
It’ll be interesting to see if the coverage of biathlon from the games will help grow the sport.
If you don’t know what biathlon is, here are some links:
• Biathlon (Wikipedia)
• Team USA
Posted on 14 February 2010 by Josh Cordell
Johnny Spillane had an awesome race to win the silver medal in the nordic combined for the USA. Todd Lodwick took fourth, just missing out on a medal.
Posted on 14 February 2010 by Josh Cordell
UPDATE: Teela finishes 9th. – Best ever American finish!!!
Jeremy Teela of the USA is on his way to the best ever winter Olympic finish in the biathlon. Teela is a great guy who has spent some time training in Bend, Oregon. Congrats to Teela and good luck to all the US winter Olympic athletes. Teela is currently in 9th.
Biathlon is a combination of nordic skiing and target shooting… pretty sweet!
Jeremy Teela’s USA profile.
France’s Jay wins men’s sprint.
Posted on 14 February 2010 by Josh Cordell
How awesome is biathlon? I mean seriously, what a cool sport. My older brother is a former National Champion in the sport so I’ve got a soft-spot in my heart for it. But really, nordic skiing and shooting is a pretty fun combo to watch on TV.
The USA has the best biathlon team its ever had this year and a couple of the guys are good friends of my brother who trained here in Bend. So cheer loudly at your TV today for Jeremy Teela and Jay Hakkinen.
Tim Burke, who I’ve never met, might be the best US biathlete ever. Pretty exciting stuff.
Having watched all the Olympics has had to offer so far, I have to say that the biathlon has been the most entertaining so far.
Posted on 14 February 2010 by Josh Cordell
This is inspired by a recent facebook discussion.
Since it’s Valentines day, here’s what I love about the Winter Olympics:
• Many Winter Olympic athletes (even from the USA) are not rich. They may be among the best at their sport in the world, but that doesn’t equal the wealth that comes from being an NBA or NFL athlete.
• Most Winter Olympic athletes (OK, maybe not curling) literally put death on the line when they compete. Anytime you have those speeds, that amount of air and are dealing with nature, major injury or death is quite possible. It takes a lot of guts!
• Knowing some elite level winter athletes I can tell you that a lot of the people you are watching are multi-talented. If you are watching a nordic ski racer, they are likely a cyclist, kayaker, rock climber, runner… you get the idea.
• The athletes you see doing insane things in the air are the same ones who jump off the highest rung of the bridge when you are kids. They are daring, often fearless and very skilled.
• Somethings only exist in my world during the Winter Olympics, like speed skating. I never think about speed skating. But did you watch it last night? It is awesome!
Just a few thoughts. What do you like or dislike about the Winter Olympics?
Posted on 10 February 2010 by Josh Cordell
It may be cold out, but this is Bend Oregon so the cold weather doesn’t mean you don’t have sports options. Check the events page for upcoming sports options in Central Oregon.
