Travis Pastrana announced that he’s going to raceNASCAR. My only thought is this… he’ll be the best! Pastrana can do anything that has to do with going fast, in my opinion, he’s the best!
Here’s a video of TP going huge:
Mike Condon is one of Bend fastest racers. The Mountain View graduate has won numerous local races, including the 2010 Pilot Butte Challenge. He slowed down long enough to answer a few questions for Central Oregon Athlete:
Central Oregon Athlete - How long have you lived in Bend?
Mike Condon – I moved to Bend when I was in first grade and have considered it home ever since, despite spending a few years in Pittsburgh while attending Carnegie Mellon University.
COA – What sports did you compete in at Mountain View?
MC – While in high school I competed in Cross Country Running, Nordic Skiing and Track.
COA – What did you do after high school?
MC – After graduating from Mountain View I followed my older brothers out east where I attended Carnegie Mellon University and received a degree in Civil Engineering. My junior year I decided to run cross country and qualified with my team for nationals twice.
COA – How long have you been racing?
MC – While I always enjoyed racing my friends in elementary school, my official racing career began as a 6th grader on the track team at Pilot Butte Middle School. The first race I competed in was a 1500M which I finished in last place.
COA – What do you like to do when you aren’t training or racing?
MC – My training mostly consists of running, road biking, and Nordic skiing so when I’m not doing those I enjoy catching up on hiking, mountain biking, and downhill skiing. I also work full-time as a civil engineer and coach at Mountain View High School as an assistant for the cross country and Nordic ski teams.
COA – What is your favorite race in Central Oregon?
MC – Definitely the Pole Pedal Paddle! Bend has so many recreational opportunities and there isn’t any other race in Central Oregon that combines these as well as the PPP. The Dirty Half has always been one of my favorites as well.
COA – What is your favorite workout in Central Oregon?
MC – Downhill skiing, Nordic skiing, biking, running, and kayaking all in a single sunny spring day. That way you don’t feel like you missed out on anything! Running from Pole Creek Trailhead to Green Lakes Trailhead was also one of my favorites this summer.
COA – Do you have any racing goals you can share with us?
MC – At this point I really just enjoy staying active in a variety of different sports and community races. At some point in the next few years I’d like to do some road bike racing and run a marathon.
Kami Semick is one of the best endurance athlete in the world. The ultra runner lives here in Bend and was kind enough to take a break from running and answer some questions for Central Oregon Athlete:
Central Oregon Athlete – How long have you lived in Bend?
Kami Semick – Husband and I moved to Bend in May 2003…so a little over 7 years. Moved to Bend when my daughter turned one year old – didn’t want to raise her in the bay area.
COA – Where did you live before Central Oregon?
KS – Berkeley California. I worked in the software industry.
COA – What got you into ultra running?
KS – Being in Bend inspired me to sign up for a 50k in Ashland. That was my first ultra and from there, I was hooked.
COA – Have you always enjoyed running?
KS – I’ve always run…in high school I was a sprinter and jumper, in college I walked onto the cross country and track team (earned a performance based scholorship after two years); then when in the software industry, I ran in the mornings to keep my sanity.
COA – What do you think makes Central Oregon such a popular place for endurance athletes? We have so many trails and access to amazing places in nature, I think KS – It’s inspiring to just go out and get lost, so to speak. So you develop endurance exploring. Also, based upon my relationships with other endurance athletes in the area, I get inspired by seeing them perform. So we build on each other.
COA – What kind of mileage do you put in when you are training hard?
KS – My “build” weeks are 90 – 110 miles. I rarely will go above 110 miles per week. On weeks where I am stepping down mileage, I’m around 60 mpw.
COA – What is your favorite workout in Central Oregon?
KS – Winter – runs at Smith Rock/Grey Butte. I like doing repeats, in a sick way, on Grey Butte.
Summer – Most anything from Bachelor west.
COA – What are some of the highlights of your running career?
KS – Winning the World Cup 100k in 2009; Winning World Trophy 50k 2009. I think being the 5 time champion of Miwok 100k, a competative 100k run near San Francisco is also a highlight. I guess I would also add setting the course record at Vermont 100 mile this year – that was a highlight.
COA – What do you like to do when you aren’t running?
KS – In the winter I love to ski/snowboard (alpine & nordic) which is one of the reasons I love Central Oregon. There are so many great snow parks and places to explore. When I’m not being active, I enjoy the softer side of life – cooking, eating, drinking wine, hanging out with my family.
COA – Anything else to add?
KS – Thanks for the interest!
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.
Stephanie Howe hasn’t been in Central Oregon for long, but she has already made a name for herself. The 2010 Pole Pedal Paddle champion took some time away from her busy schedule to answer a few questions for Central Oregon Athlete:
Central Oregon Athlete - How long have you lived in Bend?
Stephanie Howe – I have lived in Bend for a little over a year. I moved here from Eugene last summer.
COA – Where did you come from?
SH – Originally from Minnesota, but I haven’t lived there in over 10 years. I went to college in Michigan, lived in Bozeman, MT for a few years while completing some graduate school & then moved to Oregon to do some more graduate school!
COA – What brought you to Central Oregon?
SH – I love the outdoors in Bend. I like to ski in the winters & bike/run/paddle in the summer- so Bend is a good fit for me. I am also on the XC Oregon Ski team, which is based out of Bend.
COA – What sports do you compete in?
SH – A little of everything. Really 
My main sport is cross country skiing. I train year-round for races. I also compete in a lot of running races. I prefer trails & like distances anywhere from 5k-marathons. I REALLY like hills.
I do a few fun races to keep throwing my body for a loop. I raced in the high desert omnium the past two years, the flaming chicken adventure race, and of course the PPP this year.
COA – What do you like to do when you aren’t racing?
SH – I teach at COCC in the Health & Human Performance Dept. I also work at Thump coffee a few days a month. When I ‘m not working I like to be outside as much as possible.
My favorite things (in no particular order) include: traveling, adventures outside, playing with my puppy, drinking wine (especially Zin), Thump coffee, cooking, geeking out on exercise physiology.
COA – What have been some of your sports highlights so far in your career?
SH – Winning the PPP this year was pretty cool. I’ve had quite a few good results like the Mt. Ashland Hill Climb the past 2 years, some of the local running races, lots of ski races around the country.
The things I remember the most about racing are the people & places I get to travel to. I have a great group of friends who also happen to be teammates: Sarah Max, Taylor Leach, & Felice Betzel are some of my best friends AND teammates. We always have so much fun when we travel to races. Some of my best memories have nothing to do with the racing.
COA – What was it like winning the Pole Pedal Paddle?
SH – It was pretty amazing! I was surprised! I was so stressed leading up to the race trying to figure out gear & what I was supposed to be doing. It was such a relief when the race actually started. As soon as I got into racing mode, I was like “Now I know what to do.”
COA – What is your favorite workout in Central Oregon?
SH – Probably long trail runs up at Tumalo or other trails around Bend. I also really enjoy bounding up the hill at Archie Briggs (when I am craving pain). Long mountain bike rides can be pretty nice around here too.
COA – Do you have any sports goals you can share with us?
SH – Have fun is always the number 1 goal. Other than that I have some big ski races planned for the winter, including some racing in Switzerland and Norway. It should be a good year!!
Also, I started doing yoga with a goal to be able to touch my toes by the end of the year Still working on that one……
Summit senior Jordan Schiemer excels in two very different individual sports. Alpine ski racing and golf require two unique skill sets, but Schiemer’s success in both sports shows a lot, including that you can specialize in multiple sports (thus living the Central Oregon lifestyle). You also have to respect a guy who puts team first… as you’ll see from his answers below. Schiemer is a three-time state qualifier in golf and will be aiming for a pair of state titles later this spring, but he has a state ski title on his mind right now. Jordan was kind enough to answer a few questions for COA:
Central Oregon Athlete – What’s next on your ski racing schedule?
Jordan Schiemer – I have the State Championships this week, the 2nd through the 5th at Mt. Hood Meadows.
COA – What has been or is your racing goal this year?
JS – My goal this year has to continue to improve my skiing, and win the State Championship as a team and individual.
COA – What has been the highlight of your ski racing career?
JS – The highlight of my ski career was winning the Bronze medal overall at the 2007 Western Region JR Olympics, at Mammoth Mtn, California.
COA – How long have you been skiing?
JS – I have been skiing since I was 3.
COA – How long have you been golfing?
JS – I have been golfing since I was 5.
COA – What are your golfing goals this year?
JS – My golfing goals this year are the same as skiing. Improve my game and win the State Championship as a team and an individual.
COA – What are some of the similarities and differences of competitive golf and ski racing?
JS – Golf and Ski racing are both individual sports that can be competitive as a team. They both hold you accountable for your mistakes whereas in other team sports, you can sub someone in if you get tired. They’re opposite because in Golf you need to be relaxed and calm, and in Skiing you need to fired up and aggressive.
COA – What other sports do you enjoy?
JS – I enjoy all sports. That’s why we have SportsCenter.
COA – Any hobbies other than sports?
JS – I enjoy anything outdoors. Camping, boating, fishing, biking, all of it.
COA – What’s your favorite workout in Central Oregon?
JS – First a good long run along the River Trail or up around Tumalo Falls, then strength training at the Athletic Club.
Piper McDonald… expect to hear that name a lot in the upcoming years. The 13-year-old 7th grader at Sky View Middle school isn’t just fast for her age, she’s one of the fastest “women” in Bend. That’s right, when it comes to running, McDonald is fast beyond her years. Here are a few examples of what she’s done in adult races in Central Oregon:
(These are Overall results, not age group)
1st – Duel in the Desert 2009 Two Person Road (with Mike Larsen)
1st – Pilot Butte Challenge 2009 (New women’s course record)
2nd – Girls on the Run 5K 2009
2nd – Heaven Can Wait 5K 2009
Those are just a few!
Piper was kind enough to slow down and answer a few questions for Central Oregon Athlete.
Central Oregon Athlete – How old were you when you entered your first race?
Piper McDonald – When I was 11 i entered my first race which was a 10k in Portland on 5-18-08
COA – Do you remember the first race you ever won?
PM – The first race I won my age group in was my first race and the first race I won over all female was the Pilot Butte Challange in 2008.
COA – How did you get into racing?
PM – The reason I got into running is because of my parents. I have always been into sports and have done them my whole life but even before I really got into running my parents used to keep me and my older brother’s in shape by having us do some running, every now and then and then one day I just decied that I liked running and wanted to make it my primary sport.
COA – Do you have a favorite race?
PM – My favorite race would probley be Trask Mtn. I did it one year when one of my older brother’s Jake was in it with his high school. I love it because there is big hills, mud pits, and creek crossings.
COA – What’s coming up next for you, any races planned?
PM – I have a few races planned for the future I will probley do a lot of the COCC races and I’m planning on doing the Dirty Half.
COA – What are your short and long-term goals?
PM – My goals in order are first to win cross country nationls, then to go to boarder clash all 4 years of high school, then to go University of Oregon, and then my big goal for the future is to go to the Olympics.
COA – What sports do you enjoy?
PM – My favorite type of running is cross country because there is a big range of distances and you get to run on all different tirains. Then I like track and another sport i like is cross country skiing which I do in the winter to take a brake from running but to also stay in shape.
COA – Any non-athletic hobbies?
PM – A non-athletic hobbie I have is sewing.
COA – What’s your favorite workout in Central Oregon?
PM – I have a coach named Mike Larsen who has made me the runner I am today and I could not have done it with out him. One of my favorite workouts he has had me do is a bunch of strenght exersizes where I just worked on building up strength.
Racing in the sun
Sun Cup competitors follow in the tracks of local legends – By Katie Brauns / The Bulletin