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Nye met challenges as Challengers' AD By GREG STILES Being athletic director at a high school without baseball or football stadiums, a gym suitable for basketball or volleyball and no track or soccer field is no easy task. Perhaps that's why Cascade Christian's teams are named the Challengers. Wally Nye has been the man in charge of developing the athletic program for a school that has grown from slightly more than 100 students to nearly 300 in a seven-year period. "It's a constant scramble, but I've had a lot of very good coaches helping in the scramble," says the 55-year-old Nye, who is leaving his administrative duties this summer at the Jacksonville school. "I get three periods a day and spend a lot of nights on the job. It's never been boring trying to work all this in." Although Cascade competes in nearly every sport available to Class 2A schools, the athletic budget is less than $55,000. "At a public school, the same programs would take much, much more," Nye says. "Just the coaches alone would be paid that much.'' Coaching stipends are minuscule and bus drivers donate much of their time as well, he says. That alone is worth thousands of dollars. Athletes pay to play ($100 for the first sport, $75 for the second and $50 for the third) and sell ads for a coupon book given out at games. There have been plenty of changes during Nye's tenure. Cascade moved up to the Class 2A ranks in 1994. Then, in 1998, the Oregon School Activities Association switched Cascade and St. Mary's to the Southern Cascade League from the Big Fir League. Although Cascade has enjoyed steady growth, it probably won't get too much bigger in the immediate future. "It's been good working with athletic directors from the SCL," says Nye. "They were glad to have us in the league. They were tired of playing each other four times in basketball." "I think the athletic program will stay fairly static until we can get a sports complex where we can grow, with a gym with a couple floors, a baseball field, soccer field and track," Nye says. "I really think that will attract more kids. We lose some kids because we don't have the facilities right now." School backers are in the process of acquiring land for such facilities near Jacksonville. "I keep telling people, we don't want to go to 3A," Nye says. "Playing Phoenix and schools like that wouldn't be much fun right now. Most of the Skyline (Conference) schools are on the upper 3A end. When we get all the facilities, then we'll be ready." Nye began his teaching career in 1970 at Sams Valley, then spent nine years in Idaho at Boise and Nampa before returning to his hometown of Prospect. He taught there a dozen years, then joined the Cascade staff just in time to help remodel the old Jacksonville School. He's coached girls basketball and softball during his stint as well. FIELD EVENTS -- After years of talk and months of action, folks in Rogue River are excited about a new on-campus high school football stadium and all-weather track. "A couple of times, things started and then it was never continued; we got it going," says George Tocher, a member of the Chieftain Field of Dreams steering committee. With Hidden Valley and North Valley building on campus stadiums in recent years, Rogue River boosters figured aging Beck Field and the surrounding granite track at the downtown middle school needed to go. "We decided it was time to do something," Tocher says. "We have kids coming up in the program and we wanted a better place for our kids. Everyone else in the Skyline Conference has an all-weather track or football stadium. We also wanted to get (the facility) back up to the high school, where it would be safer for kids, rather than driving down to the football field. "We're almost completed with the first stage. The work on the practice field and moving the pond are done, and we're getting the irrigation system going again." Tocher estimates more than $40,000 has been raised in funds and donated labor. If all goes as planned, the base for the track will be ready by the end of the summer, so the soccer team can use the field next fall. The football field is scheduled for completion for the 2001 season. A 1,000-seat grandstand will be in place for the 2002 season. The current seating at Beck Field is 400. "We want to be able to have invitational and district track meets there," Tocher says. ROAD WARRIORS -- Grants Pass' softball team played 12 of its first 14 games on the road, and 17 of its 27 contests have been away from home. All that travel has prepared the Cavers for the Class 4A state playoffs. They bused north to Tualatin for a sub-tournament victory last Friday. Today they meet Portland Interscholastic League champion Wilson at Delta Park. Should Grants Pass win and should Pendleton defeat Westview, the Cavers would travel again on Friday. "The girls should get some kind of college geography credit for all that travel," says Grants Pass coach Clay Rounsaville. COACHING CHANGE -- Grant Pine is out after three seasons as Henley's girls basketball coach. Taking Pine's place is Ron Smith, who has piloted the Hornets to three state girls track and field championships and three girls cross country titles. Pine's clubs compiled a 42-26 record the past three years and reached two Class 3A state tournaments. They were 29-11 in the Skyline Conference. Today's Edition : News | Sports | Business | Weather | Tempo | Classifieds Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA