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Sisters, Oregon
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The contents of the on-line edition of The Nugget represent a selection among the stories that appear in the weekly print edition.

Sisters youth soccer makes changes
By Rongi Yost

Last minute changes will alter the make up of Sisters Soccer League teams this season.

U-10 ("Under 10") and U-12 teams will now be co-ed, and hold a roster of six players instead of eight. Instead of competing against Redmond teams the Sisters teams will play each other.

The change was made after the league, which is run by the Central Oregon Park and Recreation District (COPRD) in Redmond, decided it did not want Redmond teams to play teams from Sisters and Madras.

Susie Peterson of the Sisters League said she did not find out about the change until nearly August, when she finally got in contact with Mike Elam of the Central Oregon Park and Recreation District.

Katie Hammer, General Manager of COPRD, told The Nugget that Elam had left messages on Peterson's home answering machine in February and again in July. Hammer did write a letter to Peterson dated August 25, apologizing "for the confusion with fall soccer this year."

Hammer also wrote that many Redmond coaches had agreed to play Sisters teams on Tuesday evenings, rather than on Saturday, the day games are normally played.

Peterson said she has been given a variety of reasons for Redmond's decision, ranging from lack of fields in Redmond to the fact that Redmond coaches, players or parents did not want to travel to Sisters.

Marsha Marr, who is on the Board of Directors of Sisters Soccer, said, "For whatever reason, even if Redmond did say they notified us in February, fine and dandy, but they should have dropped us last fall when the Redmond coaches were complaining of traveling, if that was the reason they dropped us. We could have made other arrangements and played with Bend."

When Sisters realized they were officially dropped from the Redmond schedule, Marr said they begged and pleaded with Redmond to let Sisters stay in one more season and told them they'd change next year.

Marr stated that Sisters offered to do the work involved in changing the schedule to include the Sister's teams and to pay for all the referees.

"Basically they told us no, that their schedule was complete and their coaches didn't want to travel," Marr said. "If we had known about Redmond's decision just two weeks earlier we could have played in the Bend League."

Marr said the Sisters Board of Directors and coaches met and regrouped. The Sisters League decided to adjust its U-10 and U-12 teams. Instead of all-girl and all-boy teams fielding eight players at a time, teams will be co-ed and field six players.

"Our kids will be playing in a Round Robin Tournament amongst themselves. It's gonna be great!" said Marr.

Games will start on Saturday, September 20 and continue for five weeks.

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