Chairlift rescue results in good-natured ribbing

Skiing instruction didn't include details on how to be rescued from the chair lift.

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By TAMMY MALGESINI

Inside my shoes

Published on January 26, 2016 1:28PM

Watching all the snow falling on the East Coast this past weekend made me long for the ski slopes. While I have only skied once since having a knee replacement in 2005, I still dream about powder days.

I got into skiing while running residential programs for adults with developmental disabilities. Several clients had expressed an interest in Special Olympics skiing, so I became a coach.

I met Buzz Fulton, a longtime ski instructor who died two years ago at the age of 93, at Spout Springs Ski Area. Receiving a 50-year membership pin from the National Professional Ski Instructors of America, he was a wealth of knowledge when it came to skiing.

Over the years, I often ran into Buzz at Spout Springs and Anthony Lakes Mountain Resort — picking his brain on everything from techniques to proper attire. And then it happened. No amount of discussions could have prepared me for the time I had to be rescued from the chairlift.

Not only was I cold, I also was up pretty high. And, I suffer from anxiety-induced bronchospasm. Oh, and did I mention, I would be the first one rescued, so my behavior would set the example for the Special Olympics athletes stuck on chairs behind me.

I understand mechanical failures sometimes happen. However, this sudden malfunction occurred courtesy of Matt DeLong. Matt came up to see how his daughter, Bailey, was doing on the slopes.

A little hesitant to get on the chairlift, Matt, who wasn’t wearing skis, offered to ride with her. Seated in the chair behind them, I was to ski down the trail with Bailey while Matt continued down on the chairlift. In theory, it was a seamless plan.

In theory.

Bailey disembarked perfectly from the chairlift. Gliding on the snow, she swooshed forward and to the side to wait for me.

Matt, however, got caught up in the moment. Failing to follow the lift operator’s instructions regarding lifting his legs, the emergency brake engaged and the lift came to a screeching halt.

When the lift wouldn’t re-start, the lift operators and ski patrol set the rescue plan into action. After kicking off my skis and dropping my poles, I waited for them to shoot a rope up over the cable.

After the rope gun jammed, one of the rescuers finally threw it up. Attached to the rope was what they called a “seat.” In actuality, it resembled the old paddleball toy from my youth, sans the attached rubber ball.

After directing me to place the paddleball seat between the chairlift and my bum, they said to slide off the chairlift. I was getting pretty cold, which probably contributed to my lack of hesitation. (It was nothing for me to stand on the cliffs at Warehouse Beach for 30 minutes or more before taking the plunge).

I sucked on my asthma inhaler and pushed off the chairlift. Dangling in the air, they slowly lowered me to the ground to a waiting snowmobile.

The athletes followed rescue instructions like champs. And, they particularly enjoyed the snowmobile ride back to the lodge for hot chocolate.

I wanted to catch up with Matt and rib him about the whole ordeal. However, he had already taken off.

Sometimes when I run into Matt, I still give him a bad time. But I haven’t seen him for awhile. So do me a favor, if you happen to see Matt, ask him about the time he stranded the Special Olympics ski team on the chairlift at Spout Springs.

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Tammy Malgesini is the community editor. Her column, Inside my Shoes, includes general musings about life. Contact her at tmalgesini@eastoregonian.com or 541-564-4539.

Celebrate, Remember, Fight Back: Relay for Life kicks off 2016

The fight against cancer gets personal.

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By TAMMY MALGESINI

Inside my shoes

Published on January 19, 2016 1:38PM

Cancer sucks.

Most of the time, my column is light-hearted. However, when it comes to cancer I have a tough time. Between 2011-2013, three people important to me were diagnosed with cancer — two of them have since died from the disease.

That’s why Relay for Life has become so personal for me. It’s not a faceless disease. It has taken my friends and afflicted my pops. Actually, I don’t think there are very many people out there that haven’t been touched by cancer in some way.

The premise behind Relay for Life is to Celebrate, Remember, Fight Back — Celebrate those who have beaten cancer, remember those who have lost their lives to the disease and fight back by raising awareness and money for cancer research in pursuit of a cure.

Hermiston Relay for Life is kicking off its 2016 event with a rally Thursday from 6-7:30 p.m. at the Hermiston Church of the Nazarene, 1520 W. Orchard Ave. The event will feature information tables — including how to start a team, fundraising ideas and general information about cancer. Also, food will be available for purchase and there will be a silent auction. There is no fee to register a Relay for Life team. The actual Relay for Life is June 25 at the Umatilla County Fairgrounds.

Lynn O’Halloran, one of my old college roommates was diagnosed with breast cancer in January 2011. She died just over two years later. Lynn was a great friend — a Coke drinker, yet she always had Pepsi on hand when I visited.

She kept her sense of humor throughout her fight with cancer. Back in our college days, I had several friends by the name of Lynn. To keep them straight, my mom called her “long-haired Lynn.” My mom still referred to her with this moniker even after Lynn cut her hair. And, when she lost her hair from chemotherapy, Lynn suggested my mom could call her “no-hair Lynn.”

My pops was diagnosed with prostate cancer in November 2013. He had surgery the following January. While the waiting was the hardest part, the doctor said it was best to reduce the risk of infection after the biopsies. He continues to do well and is turning 78 this weekend.

Diagnosed with lung cancer in May 2012, Judy Hayes participated in the following month’s Hermiston Relay for Life for the first time. I was privileged to be able to walk with my friend during the opening lap.

At one point it looked like she had beat the cancer and some of the herd gathered to celebrate with Dairy Queen ice cream cake. We got a good laugh about the inscription on the cake, “Cancer sucks Judy.”

Judy died Dec. 15, 2015. During this year’s Relay for Life, I will walk in her memory.

For more information about Hermiston Relay for Life, contact Miranda Hunt at 541-720-0369, mlhunt06@gmail.com or visit www.relayforlife.org/hermistonor.

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Tammy Malgesini is the community editor. Her column, Inside my Shoes, includes general musings about life. Contact her at tmalgesini@eastoregonian.com or 541-564-4539.

New year brings ch ch changes

Community Editor Tammy Malgesini pays tributed to the late David Bowie's classic song "Changes" by going through several of her own in the new year.

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By TAMMY MALGESINI

Inside my shoes

Published on January 12, 2016 3:47PM

The new year is in full swing and with that, my life is full of change.

Whether it’s good, bad or indifferent, one thing is for sure ... it’s different.

Finally catching up with the 2010s, I am now the proud owner of a flat screen TV and blu-ray player.

While the TV made its way into my house on Thanksgiving (yeah, yeah, I’m one of those who went shopping while the turkey settled), it didn’t actually make it out of the box until after Christmas.

My husband, John, who successfully conquered my 4 Gift Christmas Challenge list, decided to go beyond the quartet of presents and slapped a bow on the boob tube and called it a gift. I’m not sure how right it is that an item I ventured out in the cold to get turned into my own Christmas gift. Wasn’t it enough that I had to stand in line to see if I was lucky enough to get one of the last remaining 40-inch specials at Wal-Mart?

But it’s all good, the wait resulted in only one evening of frustration rather than two because on Christmas morning, I opened a package to reveal a blu-ray player. We messed with cords, input jacks, remote controls and on-screen instructions to update my daybed room entertainment set-up. Sure, technology is awesome, but gone are the days of merely plugging something in and pressing the on switch.

“How do people like my parents deal with stuff like this?” I exclaimed.

After what seemed like forever, I was finally able to kick back and enjoy the fruits of our labor.

Another recent change in my life has to do with what’s in my cup. I’ve been a Pepsi fan for years. As a senior in college, among the “remember whens” was “Remember when Tammy Stockman didn’t have a Pepsi in her hand?

Disdaining the aftertaste of Diet Pepsi, I finally relented and began drinking Pepsi Next several years ago. With a third of the calories of regular Pepsi, my physician has still suggested I continue on the path leading to calorie-free soda.

Right around Christmas, I noticed a decline in the number of half-racks available on store shelves. Initially I thought maybe others were easing into a change to calorie-free soda as the new year approached.

Unfortunately, my switch in soda had nothing to do with a New Year’s resolution. Due to declining sales, Pepsi quit producing Pepsi Next. I was sent into a panic. I didn’t want to go back to the full-calorie product.

And the cost of Pepsi Next was soaring on Amazon.com. At nearly $90 a half-rack, that’s like paying $7.50 per can or 63 cents per swallow.

After much research and a few taste tests, I am now officially a drinker of Pepsi Max. According to the tag-line, the max stands for maximum taste.

However, I think it also has to do with more than twice the amount of caffeine. If my hands would stop shaking, I cccould read the label and tell you exactly how much additional cccaffeine is in the cccan.

“That’s all you need — more caffeine,” said Renee Struthers, our records editor.

Yup, ch ch changes for the new year. (RIP David Bowie.)

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Tammy Malgesini is the community editor. Her column, Inside my Shoes, includes general musings about life. Contact her at tmalgesini@eastoregonian.com or 541-564-4539.