Venture 2019

20 19

STAFF

Editors Sheila Embers Luke Clements Writers Cassie Wilson Summer Frickey Jeni Salazar John Persell KC Merkt Andrea Ahlson Designers Abbey Kolpin Luke Clements Ann Snodderly Sheila Embers Summer Frickey Bella Tolmatsky Photographers Fletcher Wold Stephanie Backlund John Persell Advisers Dan Ernst Howard Buck 1

\\ Venture

EDITORS’ NOTE

The 2019 Venture magazine in your hands was produced by Integrated Media students at Mt. Hood Community College. It is a compilation of our strong voices, individual talents, and the education we have received here.

This college has a proud legacy of bringing the local community together. One popular definition of “community” is a group of people with diverse characteristics who are linked by social ties, share common perspectives, and engage in activities together.

The process of pulling together this year’s issue of Venture has helped to create a community environment within the IM department. It also has tested each and every one of us involved.

The reward is the growth we have all gained by delving deeper into our wider community resources, as well as expanding our views of what we as individuals are capable of.

The theme of the stories we chose this year reflect a curiosity that surfaced during the selection process. We wanted to showcase people, groups, and places that we found not only fascinating, but that also are underutilized resources in our community.

People tend to gravitate to the tried-and-true, and the wellknown; we wanted instead to highlight some of the lesser-known topics that deserve to be acknowledged and enjoyed.

We couldn’t have come this far without the support and guidance of Venture faculty advisers Dan Ernst and Howard Buck. We wish to thank them, along with Morel Ink for its generous contribution and expertise, in making sure the physical form of this publication is of the highest quality. And thank you, to all the Venture staff, for your exceptional hard work and perseverance.

The content of Venture magazine embodies the spirit of the greater Portland area, and its diverse interests. We hope you find it as intriguing to read this as we found it inspiring to create.

Without all of you and your noteworthy talents and endeavors, there would be no magazine to enjoy.

Sheila Embers Luke Clements

CONTENTS

Jazz in the Hood

3

Design Portland

Mt. Hood’s Jazz Festival

Dogs' Paradise

10

Design Week Portland takes a step forward

7 At the Thousand Acres Park

With love, Murmur Creative

19

17

All In Local poker player’s cards are on the table

Bonded

by Nature

Ankrom Maison

WLEE–A pathway to wilderness leadership

27 Rose City Rollers

23

Step into the world of our very own champion roller derby queens

MHCC photography 2019//

2

If you grew up in the Gresham area, there’s a great chance you have some sort of memory associated with the Mt. Hood Jazz Festival. Whether you attended it as a kid or your parents have a festival poster hanging in the garage - it’s often one’s first memory tied to Mt. Hood Community College.

I caught up with Greg Gomez, who served on the festival’s board of directors for six years, to talk about what made the festival such a big part of the Gresham community.

Gomez, who currently works in the Public Safety office at MHCC, was working at the college’s jazz FM radio station, KMHD, as the music director. His knowledge of jazz runs deep, and did so especially during the festival's heyday. When there were openings on the jazz festival’s board, he said the thenmanager of KMHD was asked if anyone at the station would fit the role, and Gomez was recommended for the position because he knew all of the current and new artists in jazz.

Gomez explained that there were about 20 people on the board, and each year they quickly broke up into smaller groups to tackle different parts of planning the festival. He was always on the talent committee, but also got to be part of the poster committee some years.

That’s right – the posters were such a big deal that they had their own committee. In one poster design, a piano can be seen resting atop a lake. Gomez said, “There was a platform on the water and they used a helicopter to bring the piano in and then placed it on top of the platform.”

He said that local framing shops would offer special deals for folks interested in getting their posters framed after the festival. Looking back, he said that they’re really only valuable to people who are passionate about jazz. To him, signed jazz festival posters have a lot of value, while, “If you gave me a Justin Bieber poster that was signed I wouldn’t care about it,” he said. It’s all about perspective.

The origin of the festival owed to the Gresham Area Chamber of Commerce, which wanted to create an event to draw people out to East County, specifically Gresham. As Gomez puts it, “MHCC just really presented a natural setting for the event.”

There were a few factors that allowed jazz, and this festival, to thrive in the time that it did. Mt. Hood’s jazz program was highly regarded in the nation and student musicians who got their education here in the music program often went on to become wellknown in the jazz world. The festival was started in 1982 and then two years later, in 1984, KMHD first went live on the air and played a jazz format, which supported everything else happening at Mt. Hood at the time.

2019//

4

The Mt. Hood Jazz Festival was the place where patrons could see an average of seven artists a day the first weekend of August (Friday night, Saturday, Sunday) and only have to pay $20-$30. The MHCC vocal jazz group also got to perform every year.

“You had all these people in one place at one time. You buy one ticket and you could see all of them,” said Gomez. “You had six-to-nine groups from each day and out of those you had three-to-four really big-name acts. And every single year the college and jazz festival tried to program to that – to get the hottest names out there.”

Planning an event of this size took time. The board always started work for the next year’s festival the month after the current year’s event concluded. Gomez said the festival was also made possible with the help of volunteers, and if you look through the festival programs, many are listed.

“It was a volunteer-driven festival, and there was no way that the event could happen without the volunteers. It was really great because back in those days there was a great involvement – not only from the college and college employees, but also the Gresham community,” he said.

The jazz program was highly regarded in the nation and student musicians who got their education here in the music program often went on to be well-known in the jazz world.

It was a volunteerdriven festival, and there was no way that the event could happen without the volunteers.

But all good things must come to an end. Over the years, attendance began to dwindle. When the festival started, it was something for the community to do in the summer because there wasn’t a ton going on around the metro area in 1982.

People who didn’t even listen to jazz regularly would attend the festival because it was the thing to do; and because it was always the same weekend, everyone could plan around it.

Over time, the jazz festival audience began to age. Gomez explained that sitting outside on the hottest weekend of the year began to be intolerable for those folks. People also began to complain about ticket prices, so as sales started to drop, so did the budget for the following year’s festival.

Eventually the venue was moved to a smaller space in downtown Gresham.

Other events around Portland started springing up, including street fairs, and people started to look to other venues, such as McMenamins Edgefield, for entertainment.

That said, it’s clear that the Mt. Hood Jazz Festival served the purpose of what the Gresham Area Chamber of Commerce wanted to see happen. The festival was an event that brought the community together over a shared love of music and a good time when it was needed in Gresham.

Today, folks who used to enjoy the MHCC event can likely be found at the annual PDX Jazz Fest that started up in 2004 and takes place in late winter/ early spring each year, in concert venues around Portland.

THOUSAND ACRES PARK Story Jeni Salazar Photos Stephanie Backlund

7

\\ Venture

T

There are many activities families do weekly to get away from the hectic city life most of us have. We shop, we try new restaurants, or we stay in and watch movies all day – but when living in Oregon, there also are endless amounts of outdoor activities you can do to experience a nature getaway.

There are hidden hikes everywhere and all the grasses and trees growing here are beautiful.

A lot of people are lucky enough to live close by these places. Others have to travel from a long distance to get a peek at the jaw-dropping places the state has to offer.

While many attractions on the list can fill quickly, as Oregonians we are lucky to even have such a list. And Sandy River Delta Park, better known by locals as Thousand Acres, is one of the state’s (and metropolitan Portland’s) finest destinations, especially for the fourlegged set. That’s because Thousand

Acres is often said to be a dog’s paradise. The 1,400 acres of open field, wetlands, blackberry bushes, countless trails, and two rivers that meet is a place where any family can feel free, their companion dog(s) included.

Susanne Martin, who has been visiting for almost three years now, says the one thing that makes this park so special is its vastness. The same response is very common for almost every visitor.

Thousand Acres is especially famous, and valued, for many dog owners because it’s one of the few wide-open places that allows dogs to be off-leash.

The U.S. Forest Service obtained this parkland in 1991. The dike that blocked the main channel of the Sandy River was constructed in 1931 to improve fish movement, and for the next 60 years, the delta filled in to become what visitors

2019//

8

often just to see other dogs, after his black lab had recently died. Thousand Acres was the dog’s favorite place and visiting the park has become a form of remembering the lab.

see today, where the Sandy meets the Columbia River at the west end of the Columbia River Gorge.

enough space to properly run a dog that is as high-energy as a working breed like a German Shepherd.”

The park has become many families’ favorite stopping point, when entering or returning from the Gorge – or when just trying to relax outside of the big city. It has taken an important place in their hearts, and some locals have been coming for generations.

Newberry said her dogs are used to having a lot of room and Thousand Acres is the closest feeling they can get to that when traveling around the city.

It wasn’t hard to find visitors willing to share why Thousand Acres is so unique for them.

Sean Newberry told us she has been taking her 2-year-old German Shepherd for almost two years now, and she tries to go two-three times a week when the weather is nice.

“For me, it’s really wonderful to be able to let him be completely free and have a lot of room to roam around,” she said.

“I find that smaller parks just don’t have

Another visitor told us she drives around 40 minutes just to get to get to this park.

This was one of the first places she was suggested to visit when she moved to Portland, and now it’s the first place she recommends to others. There are other parks for dogs, but nothing compares to Thousand Acres, she says. “For me, this place is special because my dog isn’t so great with other dogs getting too close to him, so the amount of space we have here is perfect.”

Luke Clements, a frequent visitor, says that on one occasion he spoke to an elderly man who visited the park

For me this place is special because my dog isn’t so great with other dogs getting too close to him, so the amount of space we have here is perfect.

9

\\ Venture

Even though the Sandy River Delta Park is mainly popular among pet owners, it isn’t just for those with dogs. In fact, it’s still a wonderful place to visit without having one. The park is open to horseback riding, hiking, fishing, biking, and even hunting in the allowed areas. Amaren Colosi has been visiting for almost three years and always with the company of her dog, Loretta. But Colosi spends a lot of time hiking and even swimming at the park, if the water is nice.

“There are hidden hikes everywhere and all the grasses and trees growing here are beautiful,” said Colosi. “To be able to walk along a river is great.” What’s more, she said, “You’ll always see plenty of smiling faces as the people watch their dogs live their dreams.”

Sure enough, when visiting Thousand Acres Park you might be surprised to see so many dogs, in all shapes and sizes.

It’s a definitely a place for dog lovers.

But you can also enjoy the kids running with puppies and even elderly people with their older dogs hiking slowly along the trails.

Everyone’s life is so different from one another, but all here come with the same mission: To get away into paradise, with their best friend along.

DESIGN WEEK PORTLAND TAKES A STEP FORWARD

STORY

KC MERKT

Portland is well-known for its eclectic and diverse community of artists, as well as being a hub for creative entities like Wieden+Kennedy, Nike, Intel and Columbia Sportswear. It is no surprise that Portland has an entire week dedicated to showcasing the talent that resides in this city. And in its seventh year of bringing our city together through design, Design Week Portland (DWP) is growing into its very own entity that will run year-round as Design Portland.

Design Week Portland was started in 2012 by Tsilli Pines and Eric Hillerns, with over 100 events that first year. DWP is a nonprofit organization centered around increasing appreciation and awareness for design. The founders began the festival as a way to celebrate the diverse community of designers in Portland by creating a way for people and businesses to show their work and their process. They wanted to showcase the far-reaching effects of design, how design effects our lives on a daily basis, and how it can help solve problems.

11

\\ Venture

Truly seeing that Portland is made better by the design community, DWP has since grown to over 350 events and has introduced a diverse set of programming, with events in categories such as the built environment, architecture, interior design, graphic design, user design, augmented and virtual reality, and nonprofit design for good.

DWP offers experiences for just about everyone. There are two different types of events: open houses, and time-based events that include panels, skill-based workshops, and specialized experiences. These events are hosted by studios, shops, agencies, restaurants, manufacturers, and retailers.

DWP has provided the chance for folks to come together between disciplines and create some interesting events. An event called “Amplifier: A Multi-Sensory Tasting Event� combined the talent of a sound designer, a visual artist, and a mixologist. Participants were led through three immersive rooms where the

WEIDEN+KENNEDY INTERIOR

teams created a distinctive mood and environment. The occasion showcased how sound, vision, and taste combined can create a unique and experimental presentation.

Other events that started through DWP have become ongoing projects. The Green Loop concept was a yearlong project between Design Week Portland headquarters and the City of Portland’s Bureau of Planning and Sustainability that came together for the 2017 DWP festival, starting as a design concept for a pedestrian/bike promenade that linked Portland’s east and west sides.

The University of Oregon, Yeon Center for Architecture, and the Landscape held a design competition called Loop PDX, where a group of designers from Untitled Studios won a $20,000 prize for work that refined and expanded the concept, based on public outreach.

That project has now been folded into Portland’s formal Central City 2035 Plan. The Green Loop would serve as a linear park that connects people to places within and beyond downtown neighborhoods and the Willamette River, according to the city’s website.

It is with events and programming like this that Design Portland hopes to further engage the city and its people. By tackling bigger issues such as city infrastructure, organizers want to show how design can be used as a tool to make a positive impact.

The focus of DWP every year is to grow its membership and quality of

programming, and to ensure that programs are unique, well-produced and executed in a positive manner.

One of the main beneficiaries of Design Week is the student population. Studying a creative field can have its challenges, once a person is ready to enter the workforce. There can be a steep learning curve and stark realization that there is always more to learn.

Design Portland staff members want to increase student exposure to the realities of working in these industries.

By allowing students to be a part of different events and introducing them to design work environments, they are building the next generation of designers from the ground up, by investing in them directly. With just a $5 membership, students will have access to a curated calendar of events and updates that spotlight current industry happenings, interviews, and directories.

Design Portland will carry the essence of Design Week Portland throughout the year. The festival will continue to run in April every year. But Portland is full of artists and the founders of Design Portland want to provide opportunities to look deeper into the community and see what events are available on a year-round basis.

Putting on an event of this caliber takes a lot of work. The process of joining the Design Portland group may seem overwhelming, but the staff and

volunteers at DWP are there to help at each step. They spend a lot of time reaching out to community members to see if they would be interested in participating in the event.

After submitting an application, potential participants are evaluated to see if they will be a good fit for Design Week. Once an application has been accepted, the DWP team works tirelessly to help them manage their promotions, media content, photos, and site before the launch. It helps oversee everything for its new partners, from securing a venue to helping with layout of furniture for an event.

And yet, Design Portland is more than just a festival and programming.

It is inclusive, dynamic and truly innovative. The group’s mission statement says it all: “We’re the thread that weaves together the process, practice, and content of our city’s diverse creative community.

Because here, design is lasting.

Evergreen. It is the thoughtful assembly of culture – a texture woven of people and perspectives pulled together by ambition. By action. Right here. And throughout the year. A whole made greater by the sum of its many parts.”

When we step back and recognize all of the contributions of Design Week Portland, we can say that the city is made a better place by this festival and all the events designed to enrich Portland every day.

2019//

12

STORY

13

\\ Venture

KC MERKT

Murmur Creative is an agency that operates from the heart, first and foremost as an empathic force for its clients and for the city of Portland.

The firm focuses on branding, websites and design or in its own words, “Art, Copy & Code: Under One Roof.”

It’s a comprehensive agency that has an abundance of talent on each team.

Also, from the beginning, the sense of caring for the community and really being a part of Portland has been written into the DNA of the agency – named after Andrew Bolton’s own experience with a heart murmur and also his love of the band, REM. Bolton started Murmur Creative in 2007 with the idea of keeping a good work/life balance, and now one can see its creative genius throughout Portland. A Portland State University graphic design graduate, he got his start working for Laughing Planet as a contractor and web developer in his last year at PSU. He freelanced for some small agencies and was able to branch off on his own once he had established his own client base.

was a rebranding for Central City Coffee, a branch of Central City Concern, a Portland nonprofit. Murmur took their mission of empowering women and put it into strong characters such as “Serene Sorceress” and “Magic Mama,” which correspond with the different kinds of coffee the spin-off roasts.

The rebrand was so successful, the effort won the branding excellence award from AMA PDX Max awards.

Murmur approaches every project with empathy, compassion, and a desire to empower its clients and its agency through strategic growth. As Portland grows, new businesses, people, and ideas are sure to come. As they do, many admirers hope to see Murmur continue to enrich and elevate the community, old and new alike.

Starting a small business from scratch meant that Bolton had to really learn as it was happening. With the help of his mentors from PSU and family members, he was able to lock in some essential skills, such as sending his first invoice. In an episode of “The Creative Agency” podcast, he laughed with his brother, Chris, as he described the first experiences as crash-course learning.

Murmur really started to grow in 2014 after the firm landed a job with Melvin Mark, one of the largest commercial real-estate companies in Portland. At first, Bolton thought that the request for proposal from Melvin Mark had to be a mistake but after being contacted a second time and realizing it was a very real request, Murmur put together a brief, pitched its idea and not long after, began to build the website that exists for the real-estate power today.

Growing cautiously and carefully, Murmur had already been able nearly double in size year to year.

One of the agency’s driving forces is its work with nonprofits: It is abundant, wonderful, and compelling.

This year for Design Week Portland, it partnered with Trans Lifeline, a national grassroots hotline and microgrants organization that offers direct support to the trans community. Their poster event hosted several designers and agencies that in turn created posters for Trans Lifeline, and 100% of the profits went to support the work the organization does.

Miranda Schmidt, content strategist for Murmur, said the agency works to help nonprofits articulate their packaging in an appealing and eye-catching way, so it stands out on the shelves to help connect consumers with the client’s mission. One of its most recent projects

approaching every single project with empathy, compassion, anD desire.

2019//

14

AKROM MOISAN Story and Photos

Stephanie Backlund

A

Ankrom Moisan Architects designs buildings for the people who use them, as you can tell as soon as you walk into any building they’ve built over the last 35 years.

Stewart Ankrom and Tom Moisan created this firm with the stated mission to ”Create Places where People and Communities Thrive.”

As you walk through their buildings, you can see the thought and heart put into every single decision. Every little piece is part of a bigger concept, and has an impactful reason to be there.

Even in their own workspace, they showcase how much the design of a building can impact a work community.

Walking down the hallways of the Ankrom Moisan offices, you can see concepts, designs, inspirations, sketches pinned to sliding doors that open to various working areas. The creative principals leave it all out in the open to keep themselves centered on their concepts, open to discussion from all who happen to walk by.

The team’s influence has spread across Portland, and beyond. Just in the Pearl District alone, Ankrom Moisan has designed over 2,100 new housing units and worked on 22 projects. In the last few years, they also have branched out to open offices in both Seattle and San Francisco.

One of Ankrom Moisan’s driving forces is to be the best architecture firm in affordable housing, and anyone can see they are making an impact, in leaps

“We really want to push each other, that’s really the key, but you also want to be inspired.” and bounds. They have been working on a collaborate healthcare building that includes affordable housing with six Oregon healthcare organizations. The Blackburn Building, aka the Eastside Health and Recovery Center (rising over the corner of East Burnside Street and 122nd Avenue in Portland), is one of five buildings in North America to offer healthcare services and respite housing to the homeless population.

The American Institute of Architects awarded Ankrom Moisan with the National Healthcare award for their work on the Blackburn Building, a project that couldn’t explain their mission any better.

Affordable housing is always on the minds of those at Ankrom Moisan.

In early 2019, for the first time the firm hosted an event for Design Week Portland and they wanted to have more than a open house party showing off their new building. Instead, they strove to stage a panel discussion, with various industry leaders, to talk

about the interdependent ecosystem of affordable housing. Panelists included Julie Livingston, senior project manager at Home Forward and the chair of the Portland city Design Commission; Mike Steffen, director of innovation at Walsh Construction Co.; Stefanie Kondor, vice president of development at Related Northwest; and Eric Cress, principal at Urban Development+Partners.

The leaders at Ankrom Moisan know that urban development is equally affected by public policy, developer funding, construction costs, and social responsibility. To help the community thrive for all, everyone at every level needs to participate, they suggest in their words and their actions.

Another great event set up by the architecture firm is its Push Play, a series of workspace activities and events that encourages their employees to grow and learn. It’s held every other Thursday at 4:30 p.m. to tie in with First Thursday cultural events in downtown Portland. By joining these activities, the company’s employees push themselves as designers, even as they gain new inspiration.

The firm even offers 24 hours of paid education time for employees to further push their limits. Employees can also apply for work scholarships to learn something new and bring that new information back to the firm.

It seems clear Ankrom Moisan really cares both about their employees, and the people they create buildings for.

They approach every building with intent, resourcefulness, and humanity to empower each person to thrive in their environment.

2019//

16

P

Portland is known for many things – the Blazers, Voodoo Donuts, and keeping everything just a little extra weird. But there’s another attraction gaining traction: poker.

“Portland poker is a dreamland for the players, because anywhere else you go the house can take up to 10% of the pot,” a retired local player said. “(That) doesn’t seem like a lot but on average you get a hand every two minutes; so if every two minutes (the house makes) even $5, it adds up. Here, it’s different because these places aren’t casinos.

You pay a $10 door fee and you can play all day long. It’s the best deal for the players.”

In this atmosphere, the game isn’t just a hobby. Some players dedicate their lives, and while it might seem an easy task, it quickly becomes daunting.

“You can be the best player in the world and still have streaks where you’re losing more than you’re taking home.

It’s stressful and it can take a toll on anyone, so you need to have a healthy bankroll to withstand those swings,” the former player said.

In the poker scene right now, over 96% of players are male, dealers included.

Many women can feel dehumanized.

“Being a female in the field is like stepping foot inside a boys’ clubhouse, and the rules of reality are thrown out the window. But Portland is the place to be for poker, regardless of your gender,” said the retired player.

However, new attention can hurt the scene because even though cardrooms aren’t illegal, they often skirt regulatory guidelines. And since the city, the state, tribal casinos and even the Oregon Lottery all protect their cut of gambling, cardrooms feel endangered. It’s hard on the people whose lives depend on them, wondering each day if they’re going to be shut down.

“Most people that play are the degenerates you think they are – they’re drinkers, they’re drug users, and they can’t make a livelihood out of the game,” the veteran said. “But that’s not to say that they’re aren’t wholesome people who love the game. They’re doctors and lawyers, and these affluent people who aren’t concerned with 17

\\ Venture

whether they win or lose because they have the money either way,.”

One of the wholesome few is Jacqueline Burkhart of Boring, Oregon.

And on Jan. 6, 2019, she found herself 2,800 miles from home, at the PokerStars Players No Limit Hold’em Championship.

After stumbling across an ad for the PSPC event on Twitter, Burkhart decided to take a stab at the competition – held in the Caribbean – seeing as she already had a few significant poker wins under her belt.

In June 2018, Burkhart paced fifth in the No Limit Hold’em Ladies Championship in Las Vegas, and took home $28,000. That came after winning $29,000 in the June 2015 No Limit Hold’em Monster Stack, also held in Las Vegas. Clearly, Burkhart was more than qualified to try her hand on the big stage.

The rules of the ad were simple: Write an essay about how your life relates to poker, and win a full-expenses-paid trip to the Bahamas and a seat in one of the world’s biggest poker tournaments.

Local poker player's cards are on the table

change for me. I’m used to $1,500 buy-ins, with people I know from the Portland poker scene, but this was nothing like that,” Burkhart said “This was a $25,000 buy-in, meaning you have to pay that before you even got a shot to play.”

After hours of competing in the event, against some of the world’s best poker players, Burkhart placed 38th out of 1,039 players, and brought home $86,000 in prize money.

The first-place winner pocketed $5.1 million.

“The story was about how growing up my parents taught all of us kids how to play, but back then the stakes were just nickels and dimes,” Burkhart said.

Being a full-time dental hygienist, and a mom to a 9-year-old son, Burkhart has her hands in quite a few pots, in fact. But somehow she still manages to professionally play poker, as well as skateboard and snowboard in her free time.

“As we got older, we kept playing, and somewhere along the line, my mom started to develop Alzheimer’s. She’s starting to forget things – names, and other things – but she can still play with us, and it’s become a safe haven for all of us,” she said.

“I grew up in northern Idaho, and had dreams of becoming a professional snowboarder. Eventually I went for a more realistic approach and started taking classes at Mt. Hood Community College to get my degree” in dental hygiene, she said.

Burkhart’s essay was chosen, among a few others, and with that she landed herself a round-trip ticket to the championships.

Burkhart never lacks passion, and finds a way to have a good time in whatever she ends up doing. Not needing poker to put food on her table, unlike a lot of prolific players, she has the luxury of waiting for just the right opportunities to go all-in – and the skills to make it pay, impressively.

The prize pool was over $9 million, plus an extra $1 million for the winner.

“The whole atmosphere was a complete

Photo Fletcher Wold

Story Summer Frickey

“Portland is a dreamland for poker players�

Jacqueline Burkhart

WLEE — A Pathway to Wilderness Leadership

Story

John Persell

Photos contributed by WLEE program

O

On the snowy flanks of Mt. Hood Community College’s namesake peak, our group of seven crosses an open flat, a mix of snowshoes and skis making the first impressions in a wide expanse. With a stiff January wind at our backs, we trudge toward a steep slope rising to the rim of White River Canyon. We reach the top and take in the glaciallycarved terrain just two drainages east of Timberline Lodge.

Its parking lot is barely out of eyesight, but civilization seems miles away.

Gabe Chladek, our instructor, points out features along the canyon’s walls. A seasoned backcountry skier and searchand-rescue leader with an easy laugh, he leads us through drills to find buried avalanche beacons and demonstrates how to dig pits to identify unstable and weak layers in the snow, indicators of a potential slide. We are here to learn the fundamentals of avalanche awareness and avoidance.

When the weekend is over, my classmates and I will be certified as having completed a “Decision-Making in Avalanche Terrain" course. We will also be one credit closer to earning a college degree.

Developing an Experienced-Based Curriculum Affectionately called “wheelie” by students and instructors, the Wilderness Leadership and Experiential Education (WLEE) program at MHCC offers both a one-year certificate and two-year associate’s degree to those seeking careers in outdoor education. Situated within the physical education department, the WLEE program features a student-run climbing wall, a gear room to outfit students for all types of activities, and a blend of classroom and field instruction.

With emphasis on providing students technical skills, “real-

world” experience, and useful certifications, it is unique to the Portland metro and to Oregon.

Existing in various forms for over a decade, WLEE’s current iteration owes mostly to program coordinator Josh Stratman, who joined the MHCC faculty in 2013.

Born and raised in a remote corner of Wyoming, Stratman’s career in the outdoors may have been a foregone

THERE’S FOCUS ON “SOFT SKILLS,” QUALITIES THAT A LEADER NEEDS TO BUILD TRUST, MANAGE RISKS, AND HELP OTHERS SUCCEED. 2019//

20

conclusion. “I always liked taking friends out to fish or show them how to climb. I thought, ‘It would be great to do this forever,’ ” he recalls. He describes teaching outdoor education full-time in the Pacific Northwest as his dream job.

The year-round opportunities here provide a perfect field setting in all types of elements, he says.

With support from MHCC administrators, Stratman overhauled the WLEE curriculum and secured necessary park permits to focus on hands-on experience. Students learn how to stay dry on rainy fall weekends in the Mt. Hood National Forest, build snow shelters on winter backcountry trips in Mount Rainier National Park, and climb in the spring sun at Smith Rock State Park.

Close attention is paid to basic safety and comfort: “You can’t really look after others in the outdoors if you can’t first keep yourself dry, warm, and safe,” Stratman says.

There’s also focus on “soft skills” – qualities a leader needs to build trust, manage risks, and help others succeed. New students self-assess their leadership skills and areas that need work. On backpacking and climbing excursions, students take turns leading, setting a reasonable pace and checking on everyone’s comfort and energy. An entire course focuses on facilitating group activities such as name games, icebreakers, and problem-solving challenges.

WLEE instructor Petra LeBaron Botts says the focus on equipping students with hard skills and tough-to-obtain field experience sets MHCC apart from the handful of similar programs offered by four-year universities. “Graduates can demonstrate a variety of skills and finish with a full complement of relevant certifications,” she says.

While WLEE offers a number of valuable professional certifications, including rescue training and wilderness first responder, Stratman encourages most students to complete a bachelor’s degree. Whatever their destination, basic outdoor skills, combined with general credits in psychology, public speaking, and writing, equip them with a solid foundation.

Experience in the Field and Beyond Graduation WLEE attracts and caters to students from a wide spectrum. Each fall brings a new mix of recent high school graduates, experienced pros looking to add skills and certifications, and others returning to school seeking more personal fulfillment. The diversity allows students more ways to mentor one another, and to assist instructors in the field.

Current student Maya McKelvey stumbled upon WLEE while looking into trade programs. “I had already tried two different colleges, and I knew traditional programs weren’t going to cut it for me,” she says. WLEE’s emphasis on handson learning was “something I was desperately craving,” she adds. Field outings push her beyond her comfort zone and show the importance of the soft skills – finding encouragement and positives, no matter the setbacks. She hopes for a fulfilling outdoors career “I can get excited about every day,” she says.

WLEE graduates have found work in many types of roles, as outdoor educators around Portland, running Boy Scout camps in California, and as National Park Service rangers.

They work in all seasons, leading ski and snowshoe trips in the winter, guiding mountaineering and rafting clients in the summer. Many have found WLEE pointing them in surprising directions.

Andrew Rupp, a graduate of Stratman’s inaugural WLEE class, spent the past several years running outdoor education programs for the Next Adventure retail store. He chose WLEE over pricey, semester-long options offered by the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS), and is now looking to pursue a four-year degree in earth sciences, with an eye on using his training during future field work.

“Josh is a wonderful teacher,” Rupp says, “and the program definitely set me up for success.”

Another graduate, Kyler Speich, discovered WLEE just before Spring Term in 2014. “I had to change jobs, drop out of PCC, and change my living situation to attend, but it was worth it,” he says. Outings built his confidence and especially his perception of risk and how to keep a level head in intense situations. “Applications of risk management go far beyond the wilderness setting,” he notes.

JOSHUA

STRATMAN Program leader Josh Stratman has worked

Speich now works for Portland-based outdoor brand Mountain Hardwear, and is enrolled at Portland State University. He credits WLEE for helping him realize he had an innate understanding of geography. He uses that knowledge to study human migration caused by climate change, and looks ahead to doctorate programs. “I was never an academic before this. The WLEE program gave me a perspective on life that made everything else seem easier,” he says.

to connect WLEE with the surrounding

Outdoor Living at Zero Degrees Fahrenheit

department to teach wilderness survival to

Several weeks after the Mount Hood outing, eight students listen as LeBaron Botts explains how to safely construct and spend the night in snow shelters. We are now on a wide ridge-top below Mount Rainier, the jagged Tatoosh Range to our south. Temperatures flirt with single digits, and when we rest between rounds of digging snow, we quickly feel the chill.

middle-schoolers the basics of Leave No

“Let your shelters sinter for at least an hour before excavating them,” she reminds us. Otherwise, our piled-up snow domes will not consolidate and could collapse as we dig out entrances and sleeping platforms.

students helped Trailkeepers of Oregon

LeBaron Botts joined Stratman as a full-time instructor in 2017. She is an experienced climber and former NOLS mountaineering guide, steeped in survival skills that literally saved her and climbing partners trapped four days on an Alaska mountain.

Each WLEE graduate must complete an

As the sun slips lower and the temperature drops further, in our dug-out kitchens we finish meals by headlamp, then pack away stoves and stow food in bear canisters. “Did you make your ventilation holes?” LeBaron Botts asks. We confirm we used trekking poles to poke through our shelter roofs to allow air to circulate, then retreat into our zerodegree sleeping bags.

Hours later, we crawl outside to catch the morning sun lighting Rainier’s glaciers ablaze. On almost every WLEE trip, LeBaron Botts observes, a student will say with a huge smile, “Guys, we’re at school right now!” Here’s just such a moment – hoots of joy at the surrounding beauty fuel us through the chore of deconstructing camp.

We may be physically exhausted, but the bond of collective survival invigorates us as we descend back to civilization, another step closer to our college degree.

MHCC community. He leads summer rafting trips for Mt. Hood’s athletic teams, and students craft challenge courses to build athletes’ problem-solving skills. WLEE will soon partner with Troutdale’s recreation local youths. Already, students show area Trace ethics. Each incoming WLEE class picks a conservation project to complete, pitching in with regional agencies or nonprofit groups. In November 2018, 16 build trails in Milo McIver State Park.

internship in the outdoor education field.

Instructors help match students with their strengths and goals, utilizing employers such as Camp Collins, Trackers Earth, and Timberline Mountain Guides.

Stratman volunteers with Portland Mountain Rescue, while LeBaron Botts has built connections with the Mazamas Mountaineering Club. Stratman also worked a month in early 2019 as a Mount Denali climbing ranger, eager to share insights from North America’s tallest peak with WLEE students.

2019//

22

23

\\ Venture

Did you know that PDX is home to a World Champion sports team you’ve probably never heard of? That’s right! PDX is home to the Rose City Rollers League’s team the Wheels of Justice are the 2018 World Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) World Champions. This is a threepeat for these all-star team rollers, who thundered to victory in Manchester, United Kingdom this past season.

STORY ANDREA AHLSON PHOTOS FLETCHER WOLD

STEP INTO THE WORLD OF OUR VERY OWN CHAMPION ROLLER DERBY QUEENS

Did you know that Portland is home to a world champion sports team you’ve probably never heard of?

That’s right! PDX is home to the Rose City Rollers League team, the Wheels of Justice, who are the 2018 World Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) champions.

This is a three-peat for these all-star team rollers, who thundered to victory in Manchester, United Kingdom, this past season.

Don’t know what Roller Derby is?

Don’t feel bad. Neither did I, until I sat down with blocker Sarju D., aka “Yermoms Favorite” of the Break Neck Betties, and she rolled me in the right direction.

During the 1940s, derby rolled out as cheap entertainment in the form of speed races, later developing into a performance that was scripted and popularized. Winners and losers were pre-selected, much like the pro wrestling on television in the 1980s and 1990s. The treacherous, old, bankedtrack style popular during that time was terribly unsafe. Early derby had lots of violence, and injuries were commonplace, which led to the evolution of improved regulations and safer match (jam session) rules.

By 2004, a group of women in of Portland birthed their own league – the Rose City Rollers (RCR), a charter member of the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association.

Today, roller derby is a radical, complex, and strategic contact sport, played mostly by women, but Portland also has a men’s league, as well as a juniors and a young players team.

Players wear colorful uniforms and adopt unique personas. Rose City Rollers have both international traveling teams, and a stayat-home league. The international traveling teams are the Wheels of Justice (the “A” team) and the Axles of Annihilation (the “B” team). Our city’s stay-at-home teams are the Break Neck Betties, the Guns N Rollers, the Heartless Heathers, the High Rollers, the Rockets, and the Wreckers. They practice, train, and jam together on their home flat track, currently located in The Hangar ballroom/event hall at Oaks Amusement Park, in Portland’s Sellwood neighborhood.

boot camps like the springtime Derby Daze, for junior, beginner, intermediate, and advanced skaters. While coaches and officials are dedicated to teaching strategies that ensure players’ safety, pre-registration and insurance are required.

The best part about this organization it’s here in Portland and we can get involved. So, go check out a jam! You won’t regret the excitement and positivity you see flying around that track. Volunteers are always needed; check their website for more information.

Who knows, maybe you’ll even roll on The Wheels of Justice yourself one day!

Then you probably don’t know how to play, either…

With up to 15 players on the roster cruising on traditional, four-wheeled skates, speeding counter-clockwise around a flat, oval track at breakneck pace for intense, 2-minute periods called "jams," derby action is grouped into two 30-minute jam sessions.

It’s no wonder they call the hour-long competition a bout!

Five rollers at a time from each team jostle (okay – they slam each other around) for position - the jammer, and four blockers. When the whistle blows, the two jammers roll out as fast as they can (without fouling) trying to become lead jammer by being the first to “lap” the other team. Points are scored by the jammers lapping the opposing team’s members. Blockers attempt to prevent the other team’s jammer from scoring, while their jammer tries to score.

It isn’t easy to score with “Yermoms Favorite” trying to stop you! Whoever scores the most points by the end of the allotted time wins the jam.

“Winning and goals aren’t achieved if you don’t check your ego with humility and love.

This is 100% a team sport.”

Sarju “Yermoms Favorite” D.

Who are you rolling with at the RCR? Women from all walks of life, from all over the state – Sarju makes the trip from her home in Astoria at least twice and often four times per week for practices. Everyone pitches in, proving the saying, “Many hands make for a light load.” The women who make up these teams are all about taking care of each other.

“Winning and goals aren’t achieved if you don’t check your ego with humility and love. This is 100% a team sport,” Sarju says.

She found derby when a friend invited her to try out. It can get pretty competitive and intense, but fun is always the main goal. Teams hire their own DJs to pump up the crowd with exciting tunes and good energy. Far from the average 501(c)3 nonprofit, the league is like a large extended family.

The RCR is the largest and best-funded league for women, by women, and yet they still encourage everyone, of any gender, to learn and enjoy this sport.

The leadership and coaching team at RCR are dynamic and dedicated to advancing the sport. They host trainings and 2019//

26

Clockwise from top left: Sazhil Lopez, Stephanie Backlund, Ben Carscallen, Stephanie Backlund, Sadie Knox, Fletcher Wold

MHCC Photography

27

\\ Venture

2019//

28

29

\\ Venture

Clockwise from top left: Ben Carscallen, Stephanie Backlund, Ben Carscallen, Stephanie Backlund, Sazhil Lopez, Sadie Knox

2019//

30

31

\\ Venture