It’s no secret that Southern Oregon is home to many amazing athletes, not only historically but as of late as well. Nate Biddle, a former Crater High School basketball player for example is seeing some amazing growth in playing time this season at the University of Oregon. And not just individual athletes either. The Medford School District just sent all but one of its Fall high school athletic programs into the post season this past season. But what about non- traditional sports, sports not normally offered at the high school level or not usually discussed? And more specifically, what about our outstanding female athletes that continue to compete and represent Southern Oregon as a whole? A few months back we released a blog which discussed the growth and expectation for women’s hockey here in Southern Oregon, and we’d like to piggy back off that theme and discuss a few additional sports that have seen tremendous efforts and performances by Southern Oregon female athletes as of late.
Two sisters who have really made a name for themselves in the world of BMX are Morgan and Sierra Samhammer. In November of 2022, the two traveled to Tulsa Oklahoma to compete in the Grand National BMX Championships, which is the culminating event of the 2022 USA National Season for BMX. These young women competed all year long, as BMX is known for being a year-round sport, and worked hard to qualify in their respective age groups and races. After competing through countless moto’s, or heats, and against nearly 1,000 other races from across the nation both young women came away having done extremely well in their selected events. Sierra took home first in her Race of Champions event, and placed 5th overall in her group which totaled 58 riders. Morgan finished 6th in her group of 33 riders, and ended the season 7th overall in the league scores. With both girls having many seasons ahead of them yet to come, the skies the limit for these two sisters, and we will certainly be cheering them on as they look to return to Tulsa at the conclusion of next season.
SOU Women’s Wrestling season begins Friday December 9 and will continue through the end of February 2023. With a number for school and youth club programs available to help promote the sport at a younger level, we want to encourage parents and coaches of those young female athletes to get them out to a match at SOU this season to support the program. What a gift it is to have such an amazing program, right in our backyard, that these young ladies can look to as a goal to help them reach their full potential within the sport. I’m sure that’s exactly what happened for Bailey Grecco, a freshman wrestler at SOU who attended Crater and grew up wrestling in the area. Bailey is just one example of what our young female athletes can achieve if they put in the work and set their minds to it. Visit souraiders.com and click on the athletics tab for more information about their 2022/2023 Women’s Wrestling season.
Cascadia Axe Throwing Company is quickly becoming one of the most talked about places in town. Whether you are looking for a fun night out with friends, or a new way to feed your competitive nature, Axe throwing is quickly becoming a well-known and popular sport. Just ask Ashley Clack, a regular patron and participant at Cascadia, and one of three local throwers who will be traveling to Wisconsin in December 2022 to compete in the World Axe Throwing Championships. Clack will compete in the dual category with fellow local thrower Ty Scheifer. These two will be the only league members representing Oregon at the Championships, which will be televised on ESPN! Once again, goes to show that not all athletes score baskets, touchdowns, or goals.
Our hats off to these outstanding female athletes, finding their way and excelling in these male-dominated sports. Your countless hours of practice have paid off and you make southern Oregon proud! The future is bright for you all.
