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The Story Behind an Icon

If you've ever attended a game at Crater High School, you've undoubtedly noticed the massive concrete sculpture standing proudly next to the gym. While nearly everyone in the Crater community knows it as "Jock Rock," its official name is The Competitors.

For more than four decades, this remarkable landmark has symbolized the pride, determination, and tradition of Crater athletics.

The story begins in 1982, when Crater High School Shop and Industrial Arts teacher Marvin Hayes envisioned creating a lasting monument to student athletics. Hayes assembled a team of students and student teachers, including future longtime Crater teacher Ron Craft, to bring the vision to life.

The group first created a detailed clay model of the sculpture and presented it to the school board for approval. Once the project received the green light, it truly became a community effort. Students, staff, and the school district all contributed financially, while local businesses donated much of the wood and steel used to build the massive forms that shaped each figure.

Over many months, the forms were constructed, concrete was poured, and the four individual figures gradually came together. Weighing an incredible 62 tons, about the weight of more than eight adult elephants, the finished sculpture depicts four athletes representing Crater's competitive spirit: a wrestler, basketball player, football player, baseball player, and sprinter. The design was entirely Marvin Hayes' own creation.

In 1984, the completed sculpture was assembled beside the gymnasium and formally dedicated to the Crater High School graduating classes of 1983 and 1984.

The following year, photographs of The Competitors were entered into a statewide engineering and concrete construction competition, where the project earned first-place honors in 1985, recognizing the outstanding craftsmanship and engineering behind its construction.

Today, more than 40 years later, "Jock Rock" remains one of the most recognizable landmarks on campus. It has stood the test of time remarkably well and continues to serve as a gathering place, a backdrop for countless team photos, and a symbol of Crater pride for generations of students.

This summer, I had the privilege of reconnecting with Marvin Hayes, one of my own former teachers, to hear the story firsthand. Mr. Hayes retired from Crater in 1992 and, until this visit, had not returned to campus since his retirement. Now 92 years old, he resides at Horton Plaza in Medford, remains active, and is enjoying life. Walking with him back to The Competitors and hearing him share the memories of designing and building one of Crater's most recognizable landmarks was a special reminder that our school's greatest traditions are built by dedicated people who invest their talents in future generations.

As Crater High School celebrates its 75th Anniversary, The Competitors stands not only as a tribute to athletic excellence but also to the creativity, craftsmanship, and community spirit that have defined Crater for generations.

Here's to many more years of meeting at Jock Rock—where tradition, pride, and Comet history stand together.

Chef Chef is known around the valley for his amazing BBQ Sauce and food. Their bottler went out of business and for the last handful of years he was unable to produce BBQ Sauce to sell. This year Chef Jeff bottles his amazing BBQ Sauce at CraterWorks and has plenty for sale!

"We are absolutely delighted with our relationship with CraterWorks," says Chef Jeff.

A Pathway Built to Last in Central Point

In Jackson County, Central Point School District serves just under 5,000 students, representing a community rich in language, culture, and lived experience. Across the district, students speak 20 languages, and classrooms reflect a wide range of identities and learning journeys.

It is within this context that Central Point made a deliberate, long-term commitment to multilingual education. In 2013, the district launched its Two-Way Immersion (TWI) program grounded in a simple belief: language is not a barrier to overcome, but an asset to be nurtured.

More than a decade later, that commitment has grown into a full K–12 pathway—one designed to support students academically, culturally, and socially from their earliest school years through graduation.Central Point remains the only district in the region offering a dual-language pathway that spans kindergarten through high school, with its first graduating cohort set for spring 2026.

As the district prepares to celebrate this milestone, Title III and Two-Way Immersion Coordinator Tess Siemer and district leaders remain focused on what comes next—deepening impact, strengthening pathways beyond high school, and continuing to center student experience in every decision so that language, belonging, and opportunity remain at the heart of the system.

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"Congrats Mr. Dippel,

You're the reason why I didn't drop out. You deserve this and so much more. The best teacher/coach/principal anyone could ever have!!!"

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