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The monthly newspaper of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation - Pendleton, Oregon
Meeting May 10 to discuss sports co-ops with Pilot Rock or Pendleton MISSION — Basketball and golf appear to be safe at the Eagles' Nest and at Wildhorse R esort Golf C o u r se, but th e N i x y a a w i i Community School Board of D i rectors is considering moving all other sports from Pilot Rock to Pendleton High School when school starts next year. A community meeting to discuss co-op plans is set for May 10 from 6-7 p.m. at Nixyaawii Community School. Right now Nixyaawii and Pilot Rock have a cooperative agreement, known better as a co-op, that allows Nixyaawii to play on Pilot Rock teams for football, baseball and softball. Before NCS fielded its own volleyball team, the Nixyaawii girls played for the Rockets. The School Board is wrestling with the issue of distance and time with the Pilot Rock co-op. Athletes often leave Nixyaawii around 3:30 p.m. for p r actice and don' t return from Pilot Rock until 7 p.m. or later. "The School Board understands the strain it puts on students and families," said School Board member Chuck Sams. "The issue is traveling back and forth to Pilot Rock." According to Sams, Pendleton only is interested in a co-op if the agreement includes all sports. However, Sams said Nixyaawii definitely would retain basketball and golf, and possibly cross country. "The others are up for discussion with -0
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Players on the Nixyaawii Community School golf team include, from left, L'Rissa Sohappy, Alyssa Tonasket, Wilbur Oatman, Austin Ancheta, Lennox Lewis, Riley Lankford, Blake Kannier, Justin We/ls, James Penny. Lankford, Kannier and We//s are from Pilot Rock. The team plays their district tournament at Pendleton Country Club before the state tournament in Creswell in mid-May.
Nixyaawii golf team takes momentum into district tourney MISSION — Led by a pair of Pilot Rock aces, the golf team for Nixyaawii Community School was preparing to play in the 1, 2 and 3A district tournament at Pendleton Country Club. The teams competing with Nixyaawii will be 3A schools Vale, Nyssa, Grant Union, Heppner and La Pine; plus 1 and 2A teams Wallowa, Enterprise, Echo and Imbler. The state tournament is in Creswell on May 16 and 17. "If the boys make their shots like they are capable of then we should make state as a team," NCS Coach Ryan Heinrich said.
Through the spring season, the Nixyaawii squad has been at or near the top in tour n a ment. One big reason is the play of sophomore Riley Lankford and senior Blake Kannier, two of the three Pilot Rock golfers playing with Nixyaawii under the two schools' co-op agreement. Lankford, with an average score of 81 this year, has been medalist in several tournaments he's played in this season. Kannier is averaging 86 and has finished in the top five of every tournament. The team's third spot is filled by NixyNix
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Rippin' a triple and scoring in extra innings Kyle Butler, playing for the Dodgers in a Pendleton Little League game against the A' s, belted a triple in extra innings at Ken Me/ton Ballpark. He scored to win the game when the next batter singled. Cuephoto/Dallas Dick
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