Jess McComb

Eugene

Editor at Daily Emerald

Editorial Intern at Bend Magazine

Featured in: Favicon

bendmagazine.com Favicon

dailyemerald.com Favicon

bendsource.com

Articles

Life on the hill: JoAnna O’Neill reflects on 12 years as a ski patroller

2 weeks ago | dailyemerald.com | Jess McComb

When JoAnna O’Neill moved to Los Alamos, New Mexico in second grade, the Pajarito Ski Area ski patrol room became her second home. Her dad had been hired as a patroller, and she said she “pretty much grew up hanging around the patrol room.” When she turned 14, O’Neill took the Outdoor Emergency Care Course and at 15 she became the youngest patrol on the mountain.
Pick your poison or power: Students report superhuman experiences at Drink Wheel

3 weeks ago | dailyemerald.com | Jess McComb

When University of Oregon seniors Lucy Menendez and Danielle Bonada attended Drink Wheel at Rennie’s Landing on March 13, they were prepared for an uneventful night. But after one AMF, the evening took a turn for the unexpected. “I swear to god I’m not making this up,” Menendez said. “Five minutes after I finished my drink I started feeling this tingling sensation in my ears, and then all of a sudden I knew.
UO Alpine Women's team heads to nationals on home turf

1 month ago | dailyemerald.com | Jess McComb

When the UO Alpine women’s team qualified for nationals in 2024, it couldn’t swing the plane ticket to Lake Placid, New York for the race. So when USCSA announced that nationals would take place at Mt. Bachelor in 2025, the team made it a priority to qualify. “I think we all thought that because the race is right here at Bachelor, it would be such a shame if we didn’t get to go,” Sage Sappenfield, UO Alpine freshman, said.
UO Alpine prepares for a week at regionals in Steamboat

2 months ago | dailyemerald.com | Jess McComb

When the UO Alpine team lined up for their first race this year, it was most of the athletes’ first time on a course that season. In years prior, the team trained at HooDoo weekly, but the cost and time commitment became too much, so now the team saves their ski legs for race day. Throughout their ten week season, UO Alpine spends four to six weekends traveling to races. Travel and funding is coordinated by the athletes, as the team is entirely student-run.
Big rocks, no ropes: Climber Kalel Chester faces great heights

2 months ago | dailyemerald.com | Jess McComb

When Kalel Chester is on a boulder, climbing 50-plus feet off the ground, he prefers to be untethered. The crash pads below would not be enough to protect him should he fall at this height, but he’s not scared. When he’s climbing with ropes, Chester said he doesn’t feel the same mental clarity as when he’s free climbing. “You get into this flow state and it’s really meditative,” Chester said. “It gets you to really focus on where you are, what you’re doing, your breathing (and) your environment.
Competing with the clock: triathlete Liam Bielat finds any time he can to train

Jan 8, 2025 | dailyemerald.com | Jess McComb

The CDC recommends Americans exercise at least 150 minutes per week, but for UO triathlete Liam Bielat, a typical week of training is 18 hours. “I don’t have rest days,” Bielat said. “My coach doesn’t really believe in them.”Prior to joining UO’s triathlon team in 2023, Bielat had never done a triathlon. He has now completed two half Ironmans and is the practice director for the team as well as President of UO’s cycling team.
Going the distance: Ultrarunner and triathlete Elise Miles-Colthup talks all things endurance

Jan 8, 2025 | dailyemerald.com | Jess McComb

When Elise Miles-Colthup competed in her first triathlon, she was 9 years old. Her dad was training for an Ironman, and she felt left out, so she signed up for a mini-triathlon. Eleven years later and a month before her 20th birthday, Miles-Colthup became an Ironman. In the pool of endurance sports, triathlon was not Miles-Colthup’s first love. She ran cross country throughout high school in Colorado and began competing in ultramarathons when she was a sophomore.
Treasures of the trails: the best places to run in Eugene

Oct 2, 2024 | dailyemerald.com | Jess McComb

It’s easy to justify treadmill running when the heat has peaked or rain is pummeling the ground. But as fall brings us those wonderful crisp, bluebird days, the great outdoors is the only acceptable place to rack your miles. These three trails are running distance from most university housing and make for some scenic runs.
Five Days on Oregon’s Pacific Crest Trail — Bend Magazine

Aug 20, 2024 | bendmagazine.com | Jess McComb |Cali Clement

In the thru-hiking community, Oregon gets a bad rap. Nicknamed the Green Tunnel by Pacific Crest Trail hikers, Oregon is known for having repetitive, wooded scenery and hordes of mosquitoes. The bug problem held true, but the five days I spent on trail were anything but boring. The PCT spans 2,650 miles of wilderness from Mexico to Canada and can be traveled in many months as a thru-hike, but many break it up into smaller section hikes.
Rookie Runner returns: racing my first triathlon

Jul 14, 2024 | dailyemerald.com | Jess McComb

While training for the Eugene Marathon, I was a magnet for stress injuries, and while cross-training for rehab, I accidentally fell in love with swimming and biking. Already hooked on racing, I decided to sign up for the Pacific Crest Endurance Sports Festival Olympic triathlon — a 800 meter swim, 25 mile bike and 10k run. I had only six weeks to train after finishing the Marathon, and I was committed.