A couple of noteworthy sports items for local consumption in the Salem-Keizer area.
Look out for the Iron-People: About 2500 participants, and 9000-plus total people when factoring in volunteers—will be all over the greater downtown Salem area Sunday, July 10, for the annual Ironman race—known as Ironman 70.3 Oregon.
This is the second year for the Salem event, which involves cycling, running, and swimming. It serves as a dual qualifier for both the 2022 Ironman 70.3 World Championship in St. George, Utah, as well as the Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Lahti, Finland.
The race begins with the swimming portion in the Willamette River at 6:00 am Sunday. The swim will be followed by 56 miles of cycling that involves South River Road and the Ankeny Wildlife Refuge. The final segment is a 13.1 mile run that meanders through Minto-Brown Island Park.
Observers take note: organizers expect the majority of the competitors to finish their races between 11:00 am and 1:00 pm, but some could finish as early as 9:00 am, and as late as 3:00 pm. ALSO VERY IMPORTANT is that there will be road closures and lane restrictions around the area, including the Minto Island Bicycle and Pedestrian Bridge, which will be closed to the public from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm on Sunday.
Marketing officials with Travel Salem estimate the race will add about ten million dollars to the local economy.
Saxon Football Fundraiser: South Salem’s football team is taking an extraordinary road trip to start their 2022 football season in September. The Saxons will be traveling to Renton, Washington—where they will face Liberty High School—coached by South alum (1983) Steve Valach. Valach has arranged for the home and away series because he wants to coach on his old home field before he retires. South will host the match up next season. Estimated cost for the South High team adventure to the greater Seattle area is about ten thousand dollars. Those wishing to donate cash to help with the football team’s transportation, meals, and lodging can do so at the following link:
https://checkout.square.site/merchant/MLMK6YX877XAT/checkout/5CWCNPM3B5KXVMPOKGVFTWQX?fbclid=IwAR1OQjJohcOq-UAWaOCSEo5OUepyBPX6vfAG9OE_h9G64XpmQfmLeB70h4w
Hoopla 2022: Just about the time streets return to normal after this weekend’s Ironman event, Salem’s roadways near the state capitol will be shut down next weekend for the annual Hoopla 3 X 3 basketball event.
Event organizers are still tabulating team totals, but they do anticipate the numbers to exceed last year’s record of nearly 1100 teams. Competitors range in age from grade school to senior citizens.
The tournament begins with preliminary events mid-week. The Unified Basketball Clinic for physically-challenged middle school student-athletes takes place on Championship Court at 9:30 am on Wednesday, July 13. The high school edition of that same clinic is slated for the same place and time on Thursday, July 14.
The complete event schedule can be found at this link: