Summit, Bend wrap up solid state meet
Storm are second overall, Bears are fourth; Summit’s Schuster wins boys slalom championship

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.

Summit won all four individual races and both relay races at Friday and Saturday’s State high school nordic championships. Pat Madden and Isabella Smith claimed the individual titles for the Storm.

Wouldn’t it be cool if slopestyle was in the Olympics? Personally, I like watching it better than halfpipe. What do you think?

Tommy Ford Update – The Bulletin

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

Koos’ day
Cross-country skier aims to deliver ‘best race ever’ – By Mark Morical/The Bulletin

Watching the Nordic Combined on TV right now. Pretty fun stuff. Hoping that Todd Lodwick can win a gold medal for the USA!

Never mind about Lodwick, looks like Johnny Spillane is going to win the gold for the USA!

Bend’s premier multi-sport race is coming up once again. The US. Band Pole Pedal Paddle is scheduled for Saturday May, 15th in Bend. Registration is available online. For more info click HERE.

Check out the COA links page for lots of links having to do with the PPP.

Just in case you missed the link to all the results, HERE it is.