Faces of MAC

Lara Tennant

Among the club’s competitive senior athletes, there are certain names that seem to constantly be on someone’s lips. None have been pitched for features in The Winged M as many times in the past five years as Lara Tennant, who says she’s “surprised” at all the attention.

“First and foremost, I am a wife and mother of five kids,” she replies to the notion that she’s popular among fellow members. “I am fortunate that I am able to be competitive in a sport I have played all of my life. I love the game — love to practice and play with my family and friends. Golf has been very good to me.”

Former MAC President Stuart Hall was the most recent member to sing Tennant’s praises despite — or perhaps due to — knowing she’d likely try to deflect the attention. After suggesting that hers would be an excellent story for The Winged M, he followed up with, “The only problem is, she is so humble you may have to press her to get her to tell you how impressive her honors are.” As it turned out, the only challenge to getting a response was that Tennant was out of town competing in yet another highprofile tournament!

“I was a medalist in the recent U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur and lost in the round of 16. It’s always disappointing to lose, but I always learn more from my losses than my wins. If I can learn from those losses, then it is worthwhile and will help me in the future,” she explains. “Golf is a difficult game. It’s not easy to win any tournament, whether it’s a local club event or a national championship. But that’s what makes golf unique. Anyone, at any level, can compete and have fun with the game.”

That might be true, but not everyone can be successful at the same level as Tennant. Since 2018, she’s been crowned U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Champion three times, as well as winning the Senior Women’s British Amateur in 2019. A seven-time Oregon Senior Amateur Champion, Tennant was inducted into the Pacific Northwest Golf Association Hall of Fame in 2022 and the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame this year.

Still, despite all of these achievements, Tennant remains grounded, especially on the green. “I always have a family member caddy for me, whether it is my father, husband, brother, sister, or one of our children,” she says. “It’s special to spend four hours alone with them, and I am confident I play better knowing I have someone I love by my side.”

Nora Pitman

Coloring outside the lines doesn’t always produce a pretty picture, but when the crayon is in the right hands, it has the power to tint the world a happier hue. Onetime Sports Pub placemat Picasso Nora Pitman demonstrated this when her quest for conservation spilled over from bat mitzvah project to MAC recycling effort, and it’s putting the healing power of art into the hands of those who need it most.

“I thought it was so cool that The Crayon Initiative melts down old, used, and broken crayons and makes them into beautiful packs of new crayons, which they donate to children’s hospitals around the country, including four here in the Portland area,” Pitman says. Bat and bar mitzvahs — for girls and boys, respectively — are comingof-age ceremonies within the Jewish faith when a child is considered ready to take part in public worship.

They often include a community service or outreach component, and Pitman explains that she knew she wanted to do something related to art for her bat mitzvah project. “I learned about The Crayon Initiative when we contributed to a crayon recycling event through Ridwell, our extended recycling program at home. These crayons bring joy to kids in the hospital and help them pass time and relieve stress. And as a bonus, the old crayons don’t end up in landfills!”

After asking all of the guests at her ceremony to bring in old crayons for recycling, Pitman ended up with 30 pounds worth from family, friends, and neighbors. “When I saw how easy it was, I decided to see if the Sports Pub would mind if I collected their used crayons, too. In a little under a year, I collected almost 100 pounds of crayons from the Sports Pub,” she recounts. “I’m so excited that MAC has agreed to take on this great service project indefinitely, will continue to save the crayons from the trash, and continue the process of getting new crayons to the children’s hospitals. Thank you, MAC!”

The Lincoln High School freshman says she doesn’t have a lot of free time, but she makes space in her schedule for the pursuits and communities she values. “I’m very involved in volleyball, both at my school and at the MAC. I also enjoy spending time with friends when I get a chance.”

Pitman also loves art, in case that isn’t obvious. “I’ve taken art classes at school and like creating art at home, too. I definitely remember coloring on the kids’ menus in the Sports Pub with my sister when we were little. We had a lot of fun doing it.” Now that she’s a Cardinal, it’s easier than ever to enjoy MAC’s amenities.

“It’s great to be able to walk over after school and hang out before volleyball practice. I also think it’s great that MAC has so many sports options in one place and brings so many different people together.”