Archive - 2012 - Sports Article
July 27th
By
George Shirk - Times News Editor
The runners are back, the Olympics are on, and the Nike Outpost is open.
Hmm. Must be summer in Mammoth.
Situated in the old Volcano Sports space in Mammoth Mall (Ocean Harvest, Good Life, Command Performance, et. al.), the Outpost is almost a summer staple around here.
But this time, it’s even better.
Each night during the Olympics, the Nike Outpost will have television coverage on two huge television screens, with couches and deep-cushioned lounge chairs for the members of the 60 or so running clubs who use Mammoth as a training ground for their upcoming cross-country seasons.
July 20th
By
George Shirk - Times News Editor
Mammoth schools superintendent Rich Boccia said this week he is pushing to make the town a designated training site for U.S. Olympic athletes.
Boccia, who has Olympic organizing experience in Colorado Springs and the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, made his pitch to the town’s Recreation Commission on Tuesday.
“It would appear to me, based on the conversations here in town and given the athletes we have, we should find, somehow, to build an action plan to apply to the Olympic Committee to become an Olympic training site,” Boccia said.
July 13th
Peter Korfiatis is back at Mammoth Mountain after five years in multiple coaching roles with the U.S. Ski Team, a spokesperson for the Mammoth Mountain Ski Team said Friday.
Korfiatis will be filling a new role with the Mammoth Mountain Ski Team as Performance Director. In the new position, he will be overseeing the implementation, evaluation and further development of Mammoth’s world class athletic programs.
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Korfiatis coached for Mammoth 2000-2007.
By
Caelen McQuilken, age 10, 5th Grade, Lee Vining Elementary School
I was so disappointed when I found out about June Mountain closing, I refused to believe it. I mean, in my position, it just seemed impossible that all of those people would lose their jobs. I just couldn’t bear it. But when the problem finally sunk in, my sister Ellery, best friend Jordyn, and I began to brainstorm all sorts of ideas left and right.
July 6th
High up in a big, rock-strewn Sierra basin, below a little-known ridge that overlooks everything, a little turquoise lake disappears into a big hole in the ground, water rushing down, sounding like nothing so much as a bathroom shower drain.
Another lake—rockbound and swimming-warm even in late June—lies teal and clean down the road a ways and another—dark blue and icy—lies a bit farther on.
July 4th
UPCOMING WALKS AND CAMPFIRE PROGRAMS AT DEVILS POSTPILE
Now that the Reds Meadow Road is open again, there is a lot going on in the Valley. Here's a summary of some of the events:
Ranger-led walk to Devils Postpile
This 1 hour, 1 mile walk includes topics such as wildlife, resource conservation, and the geology of the Devils Postpile formation. It begins every day at 11:00am at the Devils Postpile Ranger Station (shuttle stop #6).
Evening Campfire Programs
June 29th
By
George Shirk - Times News Editor
It is hard enough to spot downhiller Stacey Cook on a downhill course.
Mammoth’s Olympic downhiller is by you in a whoosh—a split-second of wind and snow, set against an audible backdrop of oohs and aahs.
But last week, she outdid herself.
With a roar of jet engines, Cook and Olympic teammate Kelly Clark buzzed by Mammoth Mountain in a U.S. Navy fighter jet from Fallon, Nev., leaving her and Clark as exhausted as a downhill race or a day in the halfpipe.
Thirty-four years ago, on a hot July day in Idaho Falls, Idaho, my mother grabbed her five kids, ages 6 to 13 years old, her reluctant husband, a long-nosed collie dog, and herded us all into the wilderness backcountry for the first time.
We wore Levis and flannel shirts and giant, five-pound leather boots with thick soles that killed our young and tender feet with gleeful abandon.
We carried awkward, heavy external frame packs that killed our young and tender shoulders and hips with equal abandon.
The Summer Solstice—the longest day and shortest night of the year—occurred last week, heralding the beginning of summer in the Western Hemisphere.
The long days make summer the idyllic time for outdoor pursuits and backyard barbeques. But for stargazers, the short nights present something of a challenge.
“It doesn’t really get totally dark until after midnight and it begins to lighten up by 4 a.m.,” said local, retired astronomer Ron Oriti.
June 8th
By
Aleksandra Gajewski - Mammoth Times Publisher and Editor
"If you never want to go hiking with me again, I completely understand."
May 25th
It was supposed to be a quick run up to the White Mountains to watch last Sunday’s eclipse, then another quick run down the mountains and home to Mammoth in time for Monday morning’s work deadline.
I wasn’t expecting much—just a few hours away from home, a good campfire and meal, and a glimpse of the eclipse.
May 11th
Disabled Sports Eastern Sierra held its annual Springtacular for all the “Stars” (participants) with cognitive and developmental disabilities from April 23 - 26.
By
George Shirk - Times News Editor
For veteran downhiller Steven Nyman, Mammoth is a re-start.
May 4th
By
George Shirk - Times News Editor
Fishing entrepreneur Ronnie Kovach, who last weekend led seminars for anglers in the Village, got a surprise phone call at the otherworldly time of 8 a.m. last Saturday.
April 27th
By
George Shirk - Times News Editor
It sure would be a bummer if you came up all the way to Crowley Lake, only to wait in long lines for a boat inspection.
