Benny Westcott
By Benny Westcott
Of The New Era
Five local high-school juniors were named Wednesday, May 4, to the 2022 Sportsman’s Holiday Court as part of the annual Sportsman’s Holiday Weekend, scheduled for Thursday through Saturday, July 7-9, at various Sweet Home locations.
This year’s members are Sweet Home High School’s Meeja Bitter, Brooke Burke, Zoey Erevia and Kelsie Rush, plus East Linn Christian Academy’s Luka Ogden.
A number of qualified applicants performed well in interviews, according to Court committee member Michelle Knight.
“The girls all did great, and we’re working with them to give them tips and pointers on how to improve their interview skills in the future,” she said. “Everything we’re doing is to improve their skills for their future.”
“We’re really excited,” she added. “It’s a good group of kids, and they all have a diverse set of things they bring to the court. It will be fun to watch what they do over the next year.”
The 2022 Sportsman’s Holiday Court:
— Meeja Bitter, the daughter of Ron and Angie Moore, is a National Honor Society member and a three-year member of Leadership Class. She has played basketball at Sweet Home High School for three years and participated in its cross country and track-and-field programs for two. She works at The Point restaurant.
— Brooke Burke, the daughter of Aaron and Amy Burke, serves on Sweet Home High School’s Class Board, Leadership Class and its Social Media Committee. The multi-sport athlete has received First Team All-League honors twice for basketball, where she was captain of the varsity team; Second Team All-League distinction in softball and two All-League Honorable Mentions in soccer. Last summer she worked for Bruce Burke Logging.
— Zoey Erevia, the daughter of Richard and Heather Erevia and Aurora Bechtel, is a National Honor Society inductee as well as a two-year member of the Leadership Class. She holds a 4.0 GPA while playing volleyball and wrestling. Since the summer of 2020, she has worked at the Boys & Girls Club of Sweet Home.
— Kelsie Rush, the daughter of Timothy and Heather Rush, is a letter winner in softball and wrestling, as well as a recipient of the OSAA Academic Achievement Award. She has volunteered for Mid Valley Little League and has worked as a waitress at Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 584 in Albany.
— Luka Ogden, the daughter of Jason and Pam Ogden, received the 4.0 Award at East Linn Christian Academy for 2020-21, the same year she was named Art Student of the Year. She’s been active in Sweet Home Cheer for 11 years and was named All-State 4A Individual Champion in 2022. Ogden has also taken piano and violin lessons for 10 years.
All five will be present when Sportsman’s Holiday Weekend festivities begin Thursday, July 7, for the Queen’s Coronation.
Other activities planned over the three-day period include the Sweet Home Chamber of Commerce’s Cut the Gut cruise night from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, July 8. Saturday kicks off with the Elks Breakfast from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Elks Lodge No. 1972, 440 Osage St .; the Sweet Home Singing Christmas Tree’s Artisan Alley; the Sportsman’s Holiday Parade at 11 a.m .; the Logging Olympics from noon to 4 p.m. on the grounds of the Sweet Home Event Center, 4001 Long St .; and the Chips ‘n’ Splinters event at 4:30 p.m .; followed by the culminating Downtown Fireworks Show at dusk.
For more information and updates, visit http://www.sweethome chamber.com/sportsmans-holiday-weekend.html.