Sports

Hunting Buddies Hunting Co. in Litchfield, Calif. partnered with the Fregoso Outdoor Foundation to put on a three-day pheasant hunt for veteran soldiers. Jonathan Belli, top left, Dave Ramirez, Larry Ayers, Vince Herbert, Jim Brown, Adam Ingram, bottom left, Max Fregoso, Chris Berg, Howard Hanlon, and Wyatt the dog pose with the pheasants they got during a hunting excursion Monday, March 18.  Photo by Maddie Musante

March 26 — When Jim Brown and Howard Hanlon, of Hunting Buddies Hunting Company in Litchfield, Calif., were approached by the Fregoso Outdoor Foundation to host a special pheasant hunt for veteran soldiers, the pair didn’t hesitate to put together an unforgettable weekend. In fact, within 10 days the hunt was on and five soldiers were having the time of their lives hunting pheasant on Hunting Buddies’ 191 acres of land with the gorgeous high desert scenery as a backdrop.

Larry Ayers, Adam Ingram, Jonathan Belli and Vince Herbert of the United States Army and Chris Berg of the United States Marine Corp, along with Max Fregoso, who worked with Brown and Hanlon to organize the event, enjoyed three days of pheasant hunting with Hunting Buddies Sunday, March 17 through Tuesday, March 19.

Fregoso and his wife started the Fregoso Outdoor Foundation in 2010 as a way to support soldiers, veterans and military families in coping with combat, deployment and adjusting to coming home after war. According to its brochure, the mission of the foundation is to connect soldiers, veterans and military families with the great healing power and natural blessings of nature. Since it’s birth, the Fregoso Outdoor Foundation has taken hundreds of soldiers and their family members on various outdoor adventures.

When he started the foundation, Fregoso said he planned to take just a few guys on a hunting trip or two in the first year. However, word spread amongst soldiers and their friends and within 40 days of the foundation’s birth 18 men were out hunting together. “It just grew and grew,” Fregoso said. And grow is exactly what the Fregoso Outdoor Foundation has done. Last year Fregoso took 138 people on outdoor excursions, including trips to Tahoe for family members of deployed soldiers and a summer trip to Lake Shasta that included 56 soldiers and their families. This year Fregoso will organize another summer trip to Lake Shasta, this time with 70 people, houseboats, ski boats, bass boats and wakeboards.

“You’ve got young guys like this coming out of the military and, you know, in this economy its tough for them to find jobs and different things to do. So our focus is getting them not only into a new hobby or something they used to do, but getting them connected with the right people for jobs … it’s not just going out and having a good time on a one-time hunt,” Fregoso explained while hanging out with the guys after a pheasant hunt on the Hunting Buddies’ land.

Ingram chimed in, saying it was his third time participating in an event that was organized by Fregoso. “September was the first time I did a hunt since I was 14 years old, so he kind of brought me out of a slump,” he said. Ingram is now hooked on hunting again and has invited several friends who are also veteran soldiers on hunting trips with the foundation. According to Ingram and Fregoso, a lot of the events gain participants through word of mouth, which is part of the foundation’s goal—to get veterans talking to one another and enjoying the outdoors together.

“A lot of times this is the first time these guys have held a weapon since being in Afghanistan or Iraq,” Fregoso said. He added that a lot of times soldiers tell him hunting trips are their first time being able to hold a weapon without the fear of somebody shooting back at them.

Hunting Buddies Hunting Co. was the perfect place for Fregoso and the soldiers he works with to enjoy a weekend of pheasant hunting. With the help of several local businesses, Brown and Hanlon showed the group a great time. Brown was amazed at the support they received from the community, saying he was able to walk into local businesses and explain the hunt they were organizing and received sponsorships and donations with no hesitation. On Sunday, Gould Ficardt, owner of Way Station Bar in Greenville, traveled to Hunting Buddies Hunting Co. and cooked the soldiers a dinner of corned beef and cabbage in honor of St. Patrick’s Day.

Ingram had such a good time at Hunting Buddies he plans to bring his son back for some hunting. “My son’s getting of age, so after hooking up with Howard and Jim, I’m going to bring him up and have him do a pheasant hunt,” he said.

The weekend was a huge success for all involved. The five veterans enjoyed hunting 75 pheasants on the Hunting Buddies’ picturesque property and plan to return for more outdoor adventures with the Fregoso foundation.

For more information on the Fregoso Outdoor Foundation, or if you know a veteran soldier interested in getting outdoors, visit fregosofoundation.org or call (916)-275-5372.

Westwood High School senior Destiny Richardson prepares to field a ball in the Lady Jacks’ non-league game against Quincy High School Saturday, March 16.  Photo courtesy of Scott Nordstrom

March 21 — The Westwood High School girls’ softball team traveled to compete in the Los Molinos tournament Friday, March 15 and Saturday, March 16.

In their first game against Fall River High School, the Lady Jacks won 11-7. They then went on to beat Big Valley High School, 15-5.

On Saturday, Westwood went up against Quincy High School. The game ended in a loss for Westwood. The final score was 4-1.

Local fireman, Joe Johnson, competed in the 2013 Scott Firefighter Stairclimb to support the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Johnson raced up 1,311 steps in full firefighting gear.  Photo submitted

March 19 — Local firefighter Joe Johnson set out to prove he and other federally employed firefighters are made of the right stuff, and that’s exactly what he did when he finished the 2013 Scott Firefighter Stairclimb in the top 15 percent of competitors in his age group.

The Scott Firefighter Stairclimb takes place each year in downtown Seattle, Wash. More than 1,000 firefighters from all over the world race up the 1,311 steps of the Columbia Center in full structural firefighting gear (boots, pants, coats, gloves, helmets and a breathing apparatus). Participants are required to fundraise a certain amount of money prior to the event and proceeds support The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. According to the Scott Firefighter Stairclimb website, the stairclimb supports the mission of The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society by raising money through sponsorships, individual and department fundraising and entry fees.

Johnson, who has been a fireman for 11 years, is currently stationed at Ravendale Fire Station. He spent 10 years as a member of the Diamond Mountain Hot Shot fire crew before deciding to transfer to an engine so he could spend less time traveling and more time with his daughter.

Johnson got the idea to compete in the stairclimb from his boss, whose brother has participated in the event for the past four years. “It started off kind of as a joke at work,” Johnson said. However, something that started as a joke quickly turned serious, as he became determined to compete in the stairclimb. According to Johnson, registration for the event opens online at a specific time and sells out almost immediately. Last year, the event sold out in about an hour. This year it sold out in 11 minutes. Luckily, Johnson was prepared and was able to complete his registration in about eight minutes.

Registering for the event was only the beginning for Johnson, who spent 12 weeks training for the physically grueling event.

“I did everything from CrossFit in full gear to the Versaclimber and running stairs. I went to Reno and ran the Grand Sierra,” he said. The Grand Sierra Resort in Reno, Nev. has 27 flights of stairs, compared to the Columbia Center’s 69. According to Johnson, the race actually ended on the 73rd floor. Johnson also mentioned that he ran, hiked and biked in full firefighting gear while training.

When the day of the race arrived, Johnson said he was nervous. Although he had wrestled and participated in small competitions before, he had never competed in an event as large and physically intense as the stairclimb.

“This was huge. This was the crown jewel, the big daddy. There were people from nine different countries. There were a lot of people,” he said.

However, his nervousness was quelled by all the friendly and welcoming people he met before the race began.

Overall, the race went well for Johnson who said he had a few minor hiccups, but still competed at a high level and made it to the finish. “I definitely was somewhat hypoxic by the time I got to the top, but it felt good,” Johnson said.

He finished the race number 157 out of 950 people in his age group.

“It was a competition and I really had to prove myself,” he said, “as far as I know, I’m the first federal employee to do this competition, so that was another incentive … to show that we can compete.”

There is no doubt Johnson reached his goal of competing at a high level and proving himself, all while supporting a noble cause.

For more information on the Scott Firefighter Stairclimb and a video of the event, visit www.llswa.org.

Garrison Collier gets ready to run to second base in the Grizzlies’ home game against Foothill High School Wednesday, March 14.  Photo by Maddie Musante

March 18 — The Lassen High School boys’ baseball team played its first home game of the season against the Foothill High School Cougars Thursday, March 14. The game ended in a 14-2 loss for the Grizzlies.

The grass and bleachers of Memorial Park were crowded with fans excited to cheer on the Grizzlies and the warm, sunny weather made it the perfect afternoon to enjoy a baseball game. Lassen Community College baseball players were there to show their support for the local high school team and helped out by operating the scoreboard and manning the snack bar.

Senior Joey Beck pitched 3.1 innings for the Grizzlies. Senior Jarrell Cunningham pitched 1.2 innings. Daniel Perry and Nate Freeman each hit RBIs. Beck hit a double.

Foothill High School is currently undefeated with an overall record of 9-0. The Grizzlies overall record is now 5-4.

Lassen High School’s next home baseball game is against Central Valley High School at 3 p.m. tomorrw afternoon, Tuesday, March 19.