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D A I LY E M E R A L D . C O M

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MY FIRST EUGENE RODEO SPORTS PG 9

THE GRATEFUL DEAD’S LASTING IMPACT ON EUGENE A&C PG 5-8

GOODBYE, HAYWARD EUGENE LOCALS MOURN THE DEMOLITION

of the East Grandstand and historians fret over the loss of the city’s heritage. All the while, UO envisions a shining future for Tracktown USA.

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AMERICA, LET’SAMERICA, DO LUNCH

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hope. Now, she and 1 in 6 seniors face the threat of hunger and millions more live in isolation. So pop by, drop off a hot meal and say a warm hello. Volunteer for Meals on Wheels at AmericaLetsDoLunch.org

NEWS BEAN HALL WILL HOUSE TWO ADDITIONAL ARCS BEGINNING IN FALL 2018

BY RYAN NGUYEN • TWITTER @RYANJJNGUYEN

Bean Hall under renovation. (Sarah Northrop)

A new Academic Residential Community for the health sciences along with part of the Robert D. Clark Honors College ARC will be located in Bean Hall beginning in the fall 2018 term. ARCs are programs that house students with a specific interest together, examples of which include the Musical Scholars and the Social Activism ARCs. These changes are coming as an effort to balance the heavy liberal arts focus of the current roster of ARCs and to give more room type options to CHC students, according to Kevin Hatfield, the assistant director of academic initiatives in the housing department. What’s going to be in the Health Sciences ARC? The Health Sciences ARC is aimed at students who are interested in health careers that can range from biomedical research to veterinary medicine. The student-faculty relationships are one of the biggest selling points about this ARC, said Hatfield. Students can connect with faculty in their field of interest in out-of-class events such as dinners, and students will also have advisors who specifically cater to those interested in the healthcare field. “Students are making connections with faculty in their potential majors or an area where they might do research in a lab,” Hatfield said. “Especially in the sciences, a lot of those students are looking for opportunities to work in labs or to get involved in grant-funded research projects, and the earlier they start that process, the better.” Hatfield expects the program to grow, but he said the funding for faculty will depend on the ARC’s popularity. Faculty members who are willing to teach Health

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Sciences ARC students have to drop another course that they would normally be teaching. If the ARC expanded enough to require a second faculty member, then the ARC would need enough funding to “buy” that faculty member. Hannah Bishop, who will be the sole instructor, is excited to work with students outside of the classroom to help them discover their passion. She can identify with these students as she was in a state of uncertainty during her undergraduate years when trying to decide on what field to pursue in college. “It’s a really unique time in your life to be able to try things out and figure out what you’re interested in,” Bishop said. “So if I can encourage students to do that, to seek those things out, and to hopefully find something that they find fascinating that they want to think about and work on, then that’s what I want to do.” Health Sciences ARC students will take a total of four credits of courses throughout the school year: one credit in fall and winter terms and two credits in spring term, which will apply toward a science group general education requirement. The west side of Bean Hall — that began a remodel in summer 2017 and will finish in fall 2018 — will house students for the upcoming year while construction continues on the east side of Bean Hall. The newly renovated west side will include various study spaces for students, faculty offices and co-ed floors with individual family-style restrooms. The Environmental Leaders ARC is currently housed in Bean Hall.

NEWS EDITORS EMILY GOODYKOONTZ MICHAEL TOBIN BECCA ROBINS A&C EDITORS SARAROSA DAVIES JORDAN MONTERO SARAH URBAN SPORTS EDITORS JACK BUTLER SHAWN MEDOW MAVERICK PALLACK

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All UO students who are living in the dorms are eligible to apply to live in an ARC, according to the UO Housing website, though all 100 seats in the Health Sciences community have been filled for the 2018-19 academic year. It does not cost extra to live in an ARC. What’s happening to the Clark Honors College ARC? In previous years, some CHC students who applied to the CHC ARC would apply for room types that did not exist in Global Scholars Hall, where the ARC is currently housed, due to complications with StarRez, the UO Housing website. “It let them select pretty much any room type,” said Leah Andrews, the UO Housing communications director. UO Housing decided to expand to Bean Hall to offer CHC students more room types, some of which could be less expensive than GSH, which is one of the most expensive dorms on campus. As of the 2017-18 school year, the least expensive room type in GSH still cost $2,500 more than the least expensive room type in University Housing overall. “So our hope is that this means that students who might not have been able to live within Global Scholars can still be part of the Clark Honors community and take part in all of the rich activities they have and not be kept out of that because of cost,” Andrews said. About 210 students usually enroll in the CHC ARC, and Hatfield expects about 30 more students to live in the Bean Hall CHC ARC.

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ON THE COVER

The demolition of Hayward Field’s East Grandstand began on June 22. Photograph by Sarah Northrop

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FROM TRASH TO TREASURE, THEN BACK TO TRASH BY DONNY MORRISON • TWITTER @DONNYMORRISON26 Every summer, thousands of University of Oregon students pack up their stuff and leave Eugene. Some students may return in September to continue their education while others graduate and move on entirely. International students often board planes, taking with them only what they can carry. Left behind in dumpsters and on street corners are the remnants of this mass exit. This is the way of a college town. The sidewalks surrounding campus become awash with various types of furniture; whether it be couches, mattresses, full-sized desks or bookshelves. For some, this is a time for celebration. It’s as if Eugene has turned itself into a city-wide garage sale free bin. For others, it becomes a sign of carelessness in regards to the wasteful nature of abandoning recyclable and reusable materials. A 1988 Supreme Court ruling, California vs. Greenwood, states that when a person throws something away, it is technically in the public domain and can be taken. Regardless, states have been able to reinforce their own regulations regarding the legality of dumpster diving and similar activities. Sam Black, who graduated from UO this year, said convenience was the main reason he decided to put his desk and a few other belongings on the street while moving out. “In addition to the desk, I put out other things like a lamp, mirror and nightstand,” Black said. “About 10 minutes later, everything had been taken except the desk. Although I noticed that all the drawers to the desk were open and all of the knobs for the desk were gone.” While some items are picked up quickly by community members looking for furniture, others are picked through and left behind. Items that could have been donated and restored often become damaged while on the street. The responsibility then

A mattress and water-damaged childhood items sits tucked behind the fence of Bicycle Way of Life on Alder Street. (Dana Sparks) PA G E 4

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falls on the city to clean up anything that wasn’t deemed valuable to passersby. Kelly Bell, who works in the Waste Management Division of the Lane County Public Works as the master recycler volunteer coordinator, said that while the community has employed several strategies to help encourage donation, these strategies have almost always been met with poor participation. “When things are left out on the curb rather than donated, they become degraded and may never be reused,” Bell said. “The volume of this material is staggering. Abandoning home goods on the street or near dumpsters is extremely wasteful — wasteful of time, money, the reusable items themselves and all the natural resources that went in to making those products.” UO’s Zero Waste Program, a student initiative committed to reducing waste and reusing resources, is just one of many resources that offers extra help to students who are looking to discard large items during finals week. “We set out extra collection sites to ensure we capture as much material as possible,” Karyn Kaplan, Zero Waste program manager said. “A typical year yields over 20 tons of materials that get donated back to the community in areas that are needed, and that doesn’t include the increased recycling that is captured at the same time.” Alana Birkeland, who recently graduated from UO’s School of Environmental Sciences, spent a night at the end of finals week digging through the dumpsters near the dorms. In addition to recovering items that could potentially help those in need, Birkeland was concerned about the environmental impacts this type of waste could have on the community. “I found tons of brand new toiletries and kitchen appliances that still worked,” Birkeland said. “People

don’t realize that when you throw something in the trash it doesn’t just disappear. It ends up somewhere where those chemicals can leach into the ground, or the electronics basically never decompose.” According to Kaplan, dumpster diving is still not permitted on campus, and aside from the costly trespassing fee, there are plenty of health risks to be aware of before descending into an aluminum dumpster. “Dumpster diving is not safe. There are many hazardous and sharp materials that pose a safety and health risk when digging in a dumpster,” Kaplan said. “We try and encourage students to donate or post their items on a for sale or free e-bulletin board. There is also a donation drive held in the residence halls during the last two weeks of the year.” For many, the risk seems to be worth the reward. Phillip Martin works near campus and looks forward to the day when the students leave for summer, having found numerous valuables and clothing items in dumpsters over the years. “One year, I found a $1,000 Asus gaming laptop in a trash can at the house next to Tom’s market on 18th and Agate,” Martin said. “Also found about ten dollars in silver fifty cent pieces, and three pairs of Ray Ban sunglasses.” Martin also mentions finding brand new Nike sneakers on multiple occasions, as well as many other clothing items. These are the types of materials that thrift store donation bins encourage with their conveniently placed drop boxes. Over two weeks since finals week ended, the streets surrounding campus are still littered with couches, mattresses and desks. Many of the items have been picked through and will probably remain there until the garbage collectors come prepared to pick them up. By the time that happens, students will more than likely be returning to campus for fall term, bringing their junk with them.

At the end of each school year, and simultaneous expiration of many student housing leases, the dumpsters and curbs around the greater campus area are subject to an assortment of things left behind. (Dana Sparks)

ARTS & CULTURE

John Mayer and Bob Weir play together on stage at Autzen Stadium on June 20, 2018. (Sarah Northrop)

EUGENE CELEBRATES GRATEFUL DEAD’S LASTING LOCAL IMPACT AT RECENT AUTZEN PERFORMANCE BY ZACH PRICE • TWITTER @ZACH_PRICE24 In June of 1978, thousands of Dead Heads made their way to Eugene for The Grateful Dead’s first performance at Autzen Stadium. Many were in search of a spiritually transformative musical experience — others just came for a good time. Santana, Eddie Money, and The Outlaws joined The Grateful Dead for the first concert ever hosted at the Ducks’ home field. Music reporter Jock Hatfield wrote on the Emerald’s cover in ’78 that the concert was a “merger of California and Oregon culture, rain and weird.” According to Hatfield, the event’s coordinators expected a crowd of 40,000; 45,000 showed. Not to mention the thousands standing outside the stadium listening from afar, looking for a “miracle” — a term Dead Heads use when in search of a free ticket. On June 30, 2018, The Grateful Dead found its way back to Autzen Stadium for the 40th anniversary of its first show at the venue. The performance also marked the first concert held at Autzen since U2’s performance in May of ‘97. This time, the group appeared in the form of Dead and Company, which is an offshoot that consists of Bob Weir, Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann, John Mayer, Oteil Burbridge and Jeff Chimenti. The Grateful Dead’s return is more significant than just the anniversary of a concert and the reopening of Autzen’s musical gates, though. “We thought it would be a good show for Autzen Stadium due to the Grateful Dead’s long connection to Eugene,” Associate Athletic Director Mike Duncan, who played a significant role in coordinating the concert, said in an email to the Emerald. “Their connections to Eugene, going back to the early years of the band, were an important factor in Dead and Company wanting to play Eugene.” The history of The Grateful Dead in Eugene goes further back than ’78, and the impact the group has had on the region’s music scene and the Eugene-Springfield community as a whole is more significant than many may know. “The Grateful Dead’s connection has a much more broad base impact on Eugene than them just playing music here,” Kit Kesey, the owner, founder and president of Kesey Enterprises, said. He also sat in on planning meetings for Dead and Company’s performance as a consultant. Kit is the son of Chuck and Sue Kesey, who founded the Springfield Creamery in ’60. Chuck is also the brother of University of Oregon alum and author Ken Kesey, famous for his novels “One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest” and “Sometimes

A Great Notion.” Downtown Eugene’s Kesey Square is named after him. Ken, who passed away in ’01, was also well-known for his involvement in The Grateful Dead. Often regarded as a founding member of the group, Ken held the infamous Electric Kool-Aid Acid Tests throughout the ’60s and ’70s at his home in La Honda, California. The Grateful Dead subsequently became the house band for those gatherings. Ken also brought the band to play shows at the Springfield Creamery. So, when the creamery fell under hard financial times in the early ’70s, Chuck decided to visit the band in the Bay Area to ask if they would be interested in playing a benefit concert. “The Grateful Dead came to the benefit for Springfield Creamery, which basically saved the creamery and allowed us to continue on,” Kit said. “And that was the beginning of my involvement in the music industry.” More than 20,000 people were in attendance at the benefit, which took place on the Oregon Country fairgrounds in ’72. Chuck and Sue printed tickets for the benefit on the back of Nancy’s Yogurt labels, a product the couple had launched out of their creamery just two years before. Today, Nancy’s Yogurt sells in all 50 states and select locations in Canada. The couple still own the creamery. The Keseys helped coordinate more Grateful Dead shows in Eugene, including the Autzen performance in ’78 and the 10-year anniversary of the creamery benefit show in ’82. The ’82 Field Trip performance was another benefit show that took place on the fairgrounds. This time, the concert was a fundraiser for the Country Fair itself. In prior years, the fair had leased the fairgrounds, but continuing to do so was no longer a viable option. The Grateful Dead’s performance drew a crowd of 20,000, according to The Register-Guard. The large turnout helped raise enough money for the fair to purchase the land on which it still operates. The 49th annual Oregon Country Fair will take place July 13-15. The Grateful Dead returned to Eugene again in ’83 and ’84 at the Hult Center, becoming the first rock group to ever perform at the event center.

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TEARING DOWN

TRACKTOWN BY DONNY MORRISON • TWITTER @DONNYMORRISON26

Hidden among the debris of the famous grandstands, which on six separate occasions bore witness to the U.S. Track and Field Olympic Trials, lies a nearly century-old legacy that came to embody the tradition of running at the University of Oregon and the surrounding community of Eugene. Hayward Field lent credence to Eugene’s claim as “Tracktown USA.” The venue’s name derives from Bill Hayward, whose near mythic status as a UO track coach from 1904 to 1948 led him to be referred to as the “grandfather of UO track and field.” So the track and field community was divided after UO announced that the historic grandstands would be demolished and the field would be renovated in preparation for the 2021 IAAF World Track and Field Championships. Locals roared in protest against the decision, while the university trudged on in pursuit of a world-class stadium. Questions of whether the demolition and ensuing construction was handled correctly, or even needed at all, began to surface. For many, the decision to tear down the historic East Grandstand felt poorly planned and lacked the type of thoughtful execution it deserved. Others are looking to the future, hoping to start the construction as soon as possible in order to have a working stadium in time for the upcoming championships in 2021.

Michael Carrigan is an organizer for the Community Alliance of Lane County, a nonprofit that, according to its website, aims to “create a more just and peaceful community.” Carrigan was heavily involved in the myriad of protests that occured since the April 17 announcement of the demolition. “Hayward Field is a special, publicly-owned facility that belongs to all of us, and not just Phil Knight,” Carrigan said. Carrigan, like many other Lane County-natives, has long-standing ties to the historic Hayward Field. He remembers one event in particular. “Hayward is where I and many others watched Mary Decker and Bill McChesney run, and where we watched one of the greatest Hayward races of all time — the 800-meter Oregon sweep at the 2008 Olympic Trials,” Carrigan said. “It has provided wonderful memories for many and has great energy that students, fans like me and track athletes of all levels loved.” Of course, not everyone is upset about the new stadium, which will increase the seating capacity from 10,500 to 12,900 and can be expanded to accommodate 30,000 people when necessary. Larger crowds and state of the art amenities are some of the reasons athletes and coaches frequently cited as reasons they are excited about the renovation. UO

Hayward Field’s East Grandstand lies in wooden pieces on the ground. (Sarah Northrop)

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track and field head coach Robert Johnson is happy to finally have a stadium that matches the excellence of the athletes he oversees. “The University of Oregon track and field program is one steeped in a tradition of excellence,” Johnson said. “The new Hayward Field stadium and facilities will now be a fitting reflection of that tradition.” Raevyn Rogers, who won the 800-meter race at the 2015 NCAA Division 1 championship in Eugene as a freshman, believes that to be successful over time, you have to adjust and evolve. “When you think about historical groups that were successful, they were successful through evolution,” Rogers said. “A new facility will add to the mystique, the motivation for what’s next for the university and the program.” Originally built in 1919 to house football games, it wasn’t until 1921 that the field expanded to begin featuring track and field events. Since then, the field and the surrounding grandstands have been renovated numerous times, with the last significant renovation taking place in 1988, when the East Grandstand was moved 11 meters east and completely reconditioned. Jonathan Stafford, one of the architects who helped facilitate the moving of the East Grandstand in the ’80s, said that preservation of historical sites isn’t

HAYWARD FIELD IS A SPECIAL, PUBLICLYOWNED FACILITY THAT BELONGS TO ALL OF US, AND NOT JUST PHIL KNIGHT.” - MICHAEL CARRIGAN After the demolition of both east and west grandstands, piles of rubble and debris remain at the site of Hayward Field. (Sarah Northrop)

always possible due to outdated functionality or lack of economical use; however, he believes that the East Grandstand he helped renovate could have been saved. “In addition to being a sophisticated design, the east stands were right on the track, both horizontally and vertically,” Stafford said. “Allowing the fan to get close to the athletes.” Previously, The Oregonian reported that the University had officially accepted a redesign of Hayward Field submitted by former UO architecture student Tinker Hatfield, who currently sits as the vice president of design and special projects for Nike. Hatfield was instrumental in the creation of Nike’s iconic shoe, the Air Jordan. His design would have kept the 99-year-old East Grandstand intact while still updating Hayward Field to meet the necessary requirements to stage the scheduled 2021 Track and Field Championships. But UO later decided to withdraw their acceptance of the design in favor of another rendering. “I would have preferred Hatfield’s scheme that kept the grandstand, but money talks,” Stafford said. “The demolition train has already left the building.” One of the large investors in the project is Nike co-founder Phil Knight. Knight told the Register Guard that he thinks the new stadium will help UO continue its pursuit of excellence in track and field, and that even legendary Oregon track and field coach Bill Bowerman would have wanted a state-of-the-art training facility for his team. But Knight seemed to understand how unpopular this renovation would be, saying in an interview that he was sure to be the most reviled man in Eugene when the demolition on the East Grandstand officially started. And he wasn’t altogether wrong. The public outcry following the initial unveiling of demolition plans this past April was swift. A number of community driven groups, such as Save Hayward Magic and East Grandstand Supporters, objected to the removal of structures and trees on the Hayward site. A vigil was held on June 19 to protest the eventual demise of the East Grandstand. Bob Hart, executive director of the Lane

County History Museum, believes in the importance of historical preservation as a tool to help those in the present be reminded of their not so distant past. “It makes one aware that people in the past approached similar problems, but with different technologies, and different mindsets,” Hart said. “It has the potential to lift us out of our frequent preoccupation with ourselves and the present moment and the doldrums that frequently are a result of such narrowly focused attention.” According to Hart, Eugene has a long and uneasy relationship with historic preservation. The 1898 leveling of the first Lane courthouse, built in 1855, is a prime example of this hasty nature to build new. “It is interesting to note that we are the only sizeable community in the valley that has this reputation,” Hart said. “And it’s not always cheaper to build new. Environmentalists argue that the energy costs for new construction far outweigh the costs of rehabilitation of older buildings and that a true bottom line needs to take this into consideration.” Liz Carter, who obtained a master’s degree in historical preservation at UO and later went on to teach in that same program for over a decade, disagrees with the demolition and the way it was planned. “Given the high-profile and international recognition of this publicly owned property, the public certainly should have been included in the discussion,” Carter said. “They did not endeavor to preserve anything in a way that will allow the public to recall with any accuracy the ambiance, energy and overall feeling of the Hayward Field that has been the home of track and field in Eugene for nearly a century.” Carter, among many others, says that the university missed an opportunity to preserve the stands that witnessed history and united a community for nearly a century. “With the destruction of the East Grandstand and Hayward Field, the tangible thread that tied us to the people and events that brought us to where we are today are lost,” Carter said. “The opportunity to add to that long line of generations who contributed to that heritage has been taken.”

A man known as Doug Signmann waves his American flag and shouts “The end is near!” as many others around him grieve at the destruction of Hayward Field. (Sarah Northrop) M O N D AY, J U LY 9 , 2 0 1 8

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H MUSIC DEAD AND COMPANY: Continued from pg 5

The Grateful Dead would go on to play at Autzen in ’87 with Bob Dylan for the Alone and Together Tour, in ’88 as the sole main act and again in ’90 with rock group Little Feet. Little Feet frontman Lowell George produced The Grateful Dead’s ’78 record “Shakedown Street.” Vicky Gelatt, the owner of the Lane County Music History Project, described the atmosphere at Eugene Grateful Dead shows as “one big happy family,” and “A journey. Always left feeling like I was on a journey.” In June of ’93, The Grateful Dead played Autzen again. Along with Bill Graham, a San Franciscobased concert promoter, and Double T, a Portlandbased concert promotion company, Kit organized for the band to perform back-to-back nights at the stadium. Following the ’93 performance, there was community outcry that the university was condoning the use of illegal drugs by hosting The Grateful Dead at Autzen. In response, the university banned the group from returning to the stadium, according to the Register-Guard and Willamette Week. But the ban didn’t last long. Dead Heads quickly organized a protest and the ban was lifted. The Grateful Dead returned to Autzen in ’94 for what would be its last performance at the stadium. Kit and the other promoters were able to arrange for the band to play three consecutive nights. “There was nothing like it. No other band had that,” Kit said of those live performances. “Grateful Dead was truly a unique concert experience because it was much more than a concert. At that point, they

had 25,000 people follow them out to door wherever they went. I always said you could’ve put Grateful Dead in Burns, Oregon, and you could’ve got 34,000 people, and you can’t say that about any other band.” But in August of ’95, tragedy struck The Grateful Dead community. Lead singer and guitarist Jerry Garcia passed away from a heart attack. Garcia previously suffered a drug relapse that sent him to a rehabilitation center in central California, where he died in his room. The Grateful Dead was never the same following the loss. Throughout the late ’90s and ’00s, the remaining members tried organizing several offshoot groups, such as the Other Ones and the Dead. The group’s first return to Eugene following Garcia’s death was the Further Festival in ’96. In ’97, U2 and Rage Against the Machine hosted the first concert at Autzen following Garcia’s death. It was also the last performance at the venue prior to Dead and Company’s recent show. “In my opinion, it was just a financial reason,” Kit said of the university’s decision to stop holding shows at Autzen. “There were no other bands that really had the traveling fan base that could support a show of that size.” Throughout the process of organizing The Grateful Dead’s ’90s performances, Kit founded Kesey Enterprises, which is a concert and event production and promotion company. Kesey Enterprises now owns Eugene’s McDonald Theatre, which Kit began leasing in ’01 and later purchased in ’09. The company also has a joint concessions agreement with Double T productions and the city of Eugene to produce concerts at Cuthbert

Dead and Company perform at Autzen Stadium on June 30, 2018. (Sarah Northrop)

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Amphitheater. The venues are some of the most popular music performance facilities in the region and bring 100s of artists to Eugene every year. Kit directly credits The Grateful Dead’s performance at the benefit for the Springfield Creamery as means of his current livelihood with Kesey Enterprises. “They basically reboosted Springfield Creamery, they boosted me and then they allowed me to get back involved in the music industry,” Kit said. “That then started me up looking at venues and buying the McDonald Theatre. It goes full circle.” In a way, one concert opened an avenue for music to thrive in Eugene for decades. So when Dead and Company packed Autzen with thousands of fans on June 30, it was more than the 40-year anniversary of The Grateful Dead’s first show at the venue and first performance there in over 20 years. For many members of the Eugene-Springfield community, the concert served as a reminding symbol of the unmatched, everlasting impact the band has had on the region’s music, economy, politics, culture and everything in between. “[The Grateful Dead] put my life on a course that, without their participation, it wouldn’t have been on,” Kit said. “I actually can’t see anybody that was much more influenced by it. It changed what I’m doing and how I’m doing it. Individual band members, it’s way past that to more what the band itself did to influence my world.” Go to dailyemerald.com to see more archive photos and newspaper clippings of the band from past editions of the Emerald.

The Grateful Dead performed at the Oregon Country Fairgrounds in 1972. The concert was a benefit to save the Kesey’s family-owned Springfield Creamery, which is where Nancy’s Yogurt is produced. (Courtesy of Kesey Enterprises)

SPORTS

Professional steer wrestler Colin Wolfe competes at the Eugene Rodeo on July 4, 2018. (Sarah Northrop)

MY FIRST RODEO BY MAVERICK PALLACK • TWITTER @MAVPALLACK The expression “This ain’t my first rodeo” is thrown around a lot, but what do you do if it actually is your first rodeo? First, I should explain myself. I have never watched a rodeo in my life and have only been on a horse once, when I was five. I’m a suburban boy. I knew nothing about what makes a rodeo great, but I took my pen and my notebook and attended opening night of this year’s Eugene Pro Rodeo in order to document the perfect rodeo spectator experience. Don’t be afraid if you have no clue how the events work, it’s all right. I didn’t know how to spell “barrel” before I arrived. The announcers explain all the events in great detail to ensure maximum enjoyment. Although I was terrified the entire time, my favorites were barrel racing, when female riders race around three barrels, and bull riding, when a cowboy tries to make it eight seconds on a bucking bull. Before you set out on your journey, you need to get dressed. Flannels, jeans and a hat will do. If you are tough enough, wear pink. The Eugene Rodeo has a motto of “Tough Enough to Wear Pink” for

its breast cancer night. It would also be wise to pack a bag of things to make your time more enjoyable. “You should bring a sealed water bottle because they are $3 here,” said Larry Jensen, a rodeo spectator who has gone to every Eugene rodeo. Bug spray and a blanket were other helpful suggestions. I arrived with none of those things. The events started at 7:30 p.m., but Jensen recommends arriving before the gates open at 5 to avoid crowded lines. Which brings me to a very important line. First thing you do once you get through the gate is get your “CHITS,” which are used to buy alcohol. That line gets really long once events start, so it’s best to stock up early. Next, you should get in the food line where people bond over their favorite rodeo memories and what food looks good. Apparently it’s weird to have never eaten an “Elephant Ear” before, so get one of those and find a seat up close — you won’t be sorry. “If you can’t taste the dust, you should stay home,” said Ron Bowker. “And you can quote me on that.”

Ron and his wife Laraine love rodeos. Laraine Bowker has been to around eight while Ron has been to more than 30, including ones in Montana and Reno. In fact, Ron used to help groom the animals for his local rodeo when he was growing up in Wisconsin. “Been to a lot of rodeos, this one is topnotch,” Ron Bowker said. “All events are great, but the top is bull riding.” There is naturally a debate on what’s best, however. Eugene native Opal Burdge, 23, worked the rodeo for five years and is now a spectator. “Team roping is the best, but barrel racing is a close second,” Burdge said. After the events, stick around for fireworks and the 21-and-over dance. After the festivities, go home and come back tomorrow. “Come with other people you can have fun with,” Laraine Bowker said. Overall, there is so much going on that it’s incredibly hard to find a dull moment. “Have fun and watch and learn about the events,” Burdge said. “These are sports, too. Just kind of depends on if you want to see blood or you want to see speed.”

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Oregon softball players react as their teammates run in to home plate after Oregon Ducks infielder DJ Sanders’ grand slam against the Kentucky Wildcats in the super regional round of the NCAA tournament. (Emerald Archives)

REPORTS: OREGON SOFTBALL TO HIRE OKLAHOMA ASSISTANT MELYSSA LOMBARDI BY SHAWN MEDOW • TWITTER @SHAWNMEDOW Oregon softball has hired Oklahoma assistant coach Melyssa Lombardi, who accepted the job on Saturday night, according to the Oklahoman. Former head coach Mike White left the Ducks for Texas after nine seasons and a 435-111-1 record that included five Women’s College World Series appearances. UO has not made an official announcement, but told the Register-Guard that an announcement regarding the softball head coach vacancy would be announced in “the coming days.” After losing their starting catcher, third baseman, shortstop and second baseman, the Ducks were already preparing for a rebuilding season before White left for Texas. Lombardi served as an assistant on

Oklahoma’s coaching staff for 21 years, including as a graduate assistant following her playing career for the Sooners. Over those 21 years, she helped the Sooners win four national titles in 12 WCWS appearances. Lombardi, who played catcher, was named the Oklahoma pitching coach in 1997 and held that position for a decade. She will inherit one of the most talented pitching staffs in the nation with senior Megan Kleist and juniors Miranda Elish and Maggie Balint. The trio combined for a 1.38 ERA as the Ducks went 53-10 in 2018 in a run to the WCWS as the No. 1 overall seed. Oregon beat Oklahoma 5-0 in a one-game exhibition in Eugene during this past season and fell to the Sooners, eliminating the Ducks from the WCWS in 2017.

Eleven of the 30 current MLB managers were catchers. In fact, seven of the last nine MLB World Series winners were managed by a former catcher. The position is one of the most physically and mentally taxing in all of sports. Assuming the role of on-field general, they are constantly relaying signs, plays and pitches. In his long career behind the dish, new Eugene Emeralds manager Steven Lerud watched and learned and is using his experience to get each of his players where they ultimately want to be — Major League Baseball. “You learn a lot from a guy like Juan Pierre or like Chase Utley (both World Series champions and former teammates of Lerud) and watching them go about their business,” Lerud said. “You try to relay some of that to these guys in this clubhouse right now. That’s the kind of player we want all of them to be, because that means the Chicago Cubs are going to be really good.” It’s not often you see a player hang up his cleats and go right into the coaching ranks, but that’s what Lerud did. Playing 13 years in professional baseball and parts of two seasons in the MLB created a lot of good and bad memories, but one triumphed over the rest. “I think working as long as I did to finally get the opportunity to get up to the big leagues — that was pretty cool,” Lerud said. Lerud was drafted in 2003 by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the third round out of Galena High School in Nevada. Nine years later, he made his major league debut on Aug. 30, 2012 with the Philadelphia Phillies. “I think the best moment was getting that first hit in the big leagues,” Lerud said. “My mom was there and to be able to do

that in front of her was pretty cool.” Lerud is in his first year as the manager of the Chicago Cubs’ short season team, but he still remembers the struggles of playing professional baseball, noting the toll that offensive droughts have on teams. “I think the biggest thing is not being that far removed from it and understanding how hard it is,” Lerud said. “I’ve been there and I know the feelings. … I know that these guys are working hard everyday.” The coach is not just a baseball player, however. When he was 14, he became a second-degree black belt in taekwondo and said he “competed in that at a pretty high level for a really long time.” “That was actually my first love,” Lerud said. “I wanted to do martial arts. I was hoping to fight in the Olympics at one point, but I realized they didn’t get scholarships for that.” Luckily for the Ems, Lerud chose baseball and is continuously trying to make his team better, especially his old position. Lerud puts his catchers to work, helping them learn all the different pitchers while also helping their technique. “I have only been here a few days, but I am already getting some early work in to become a more solid defender,” catcher Brennon Kaleiwahea said. With the constant changing of rosters that minor league baseball brings, Lerud is working on building relationships between players as they get their first true introduction to professional ball. “It’s a big jump for these guys,” Lerud said. “They’ve never played in front of fans. I think they are starting to get used to it. … I think the biggest thing is trying to develop a relationship with the guys you have to work with everyday.”

Eugene Emeralds Manager Steven Lerud. (Henry Ward)

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Eugene Emeralds infielder Nico Hoerner (44) runs to first base. (Devin Roux)

CUBS’ TOP PICK MAKES EARLY IMPACT WITH EMERALDS BY MAVERICK PALLACK • TWITTER @MAVPALLACK Rarely does someone get to live their dream at the age of 21. But new Eugene Emeralds shortstop Nico Hoerner is one step closer to doing just that. Hoerner was the No. 24 overall pick in the 2018 MLB Draft and the first true collegiate shortstop pick. “It was one of the best moments of my life for sure,” Hoerner said. “To be able to be with my teammates and my best friends and my family as well — it was really special.” He officially signed for the Chicago Cubs in late June after the completion of his junior year at Stanford. The AllPac-12 selection hit .345 in 2018 with the Cardinal, including hitting his first two collegiate home runs. “There’s a little bit of a different experience level coming from a program like Stanford and playing in the Pac-12,” Emeralds manager Steven Lerud said. “You’re gonna see a lot of that from him. He’s a fun player to watch.” Despite just being called up to Eugene on June 29, Hoerner has had quite an impact for the Ems. As of July 7, Hoerner is batting .438, with four runs scored, a home run, two RBIs and no errors in the field. He also had a clutch, two-out single on July 1, when he knocked in the first run of the ball game and scored the eventual game-winning run. “He’s kind of the catalyst for a lineup,” Lerud said. “The at-bats he puts together, you see the quality atbats, and I think that is something that these really young players are gonna learn a lot from.” With the jump from college to the

pros, routines must be established in order to succeed, and Hoerner loves the freedom his manager has given him in that area. “I appreciate that [Lerud] lets the players go about their business the way they want to,” Hoerner said. “He’s working hard but definitely letting us develop our own routines. It’s a big part of pro ball: understanding your own routines. That will be important moving forward.” Hoerner is not the only recent collegiate bat called up to the Emeralds. Jake Slaughter (LSU), Tyler Durna (UC San Diego) and Brennon Kaleiwahea (Tennessee Tech) all made their debuts during the last weekend of June. Slaughter and Hoerner already have experience playing together. The two played for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox in the Cape Cod League in 2017, using each other’s talent to help elevate their game. “Any time you have a previous connection with someone entering a new team, it helps that transition,” Hoerner said. “It’s nice to play with him again.” Given his years in the Pac-12, Hoerner has previous PK Park experience. During his sophomore season, the Cardinal swept the Oregon Ducks in Eugene. Hoerner went 8-for14 with five runs scored and three RBIs over the three-game series. “Staying on the West Coast is nice. I got to see my family this weekend (June 29-July 2),” Hoerner said. “Baseball is the same 90 feet and 60 feet, 6 inches. That’s definitely more my comfort place than anything else.”

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