West Seattle, Washington
21 Saturday
(WSY Dolphins cheering other swimmers; March 5th photo by Jacqueline Nokeo Muongchanh)
One week from tomorrow, four swimmers from the Dolphins swim team based at West Seattle Family YMCA (WSB sponsor) will compete in the last regional meet of the fall/spring season. Just last weekend, more than 50 WSY Dolphins swam in the last big competition – and we have a report tonight from their head coach, Kyle Homad:
The West Seattle Y Dolphins swim team took 12th place at the Pacific Region North YMCA Swimming Championships last weekend in Federal Way. Twenty-five teams from across five states, including Alaska, Oregon, Wyoming and Idaho, competed in the meet.
The WSY Dolphins 12-Under girls relay team of Brynn Snodgrass, Maya DeGasperi, Angelica Gil, and Julia Olson raced to a 9th place finish in the 200 medley (2:24.49) and 8th place in the 200 Free (2:05.07).
The 12-U boys Dolphins relay team – Oliver Starkweather, Carlos Morales, Ricardo Martinez and Tyler Barker – finished 5th in the 200 medley (2:22.56) and 7th in the 200 freestyle relay (2:06.66).
The 14-U WSY Dolphins relay team of Darla Long, Karen Woodworth, Rose Morgan and Haley Kormanik came in 7th in the 200 medley (2:10.66) and 6th in the 200 freestyle (156.74).
An almost-last-minute addition to the lineup for Saturday’s gala celebration of the Delridge Playfield renovations – Seattle Parks confirmed late today that six drummers from the acclaimed Chief Sealth International High School Drum Line will perform as part of the festivities, right before the speeches. That means they’ll be on between 1 and 1:15 pm. (Our video above shows the drum line performing at the Tacoma Dome last week while the Sealth boys were in the state tournament.) The West Seattle Soccer Club is co-sponsoring the celebration with DiscNW; there’ll be disc games as it starts at 12:30, and soccer games after acting Parks Superintendent Christopher Williams and City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen lead the formal dedication around 1:15. As planned during the design meetings we covered back in xxx, the field now has playing zones for soccer, baseball, softball, disc sports, and lacrosse (which was added to the plan by request during the community meetings we covered a year and a half ago). Its new lights use a third less electricity than the old ones, according to the city. The $3 million-plus project was paid for by the Parks and Green Spaces Levy, approved by voters in 2008.
(Photos by Deanie Schwarz for WSB/WCN)
When WSB/White Center Now contributor Deanie Schwarz broke the news two weeks ago about reopening plans for the once-and-future Southgate Roller Rink in White Center, excitement ensued. So she has been checking back on what’s happening there. When she dropped by Wednesday, she discovered two updates – one including the sports stars who got their start at Southgate, the Rat City Rollergirls!
First, the renovation work is beginning: The photo above shows the 10,000-square-foot original maple floor under many coats of paint. A contractor with a stripping/sanding “tractor” will soon begin work; refinishing will then involve a unique urethane finish “which reacts specifically with the materials the skate wheels are made of,” Deanie reports, adding that the finishing touch will be a three-foot wall around the perimeter. Meantime, electrical work briefly exposed a bit of the old high ceiling (top right, in the photo):
That’s why it was “the Rollerdrome” in the ’30s. But its new managers do not have immediate plans to remove the newer dropped ceilings to expose the original beams; this was just a glimpse.
Now, on to the Rollergirls:
In Deanie’s photo, from left, RCRG chief operating officer Alyssa Hoppe, Jessica Ivey from the Grave Danger team, Josh Rhoads of new Southgate management, and “MaxMillion” from the Throttle Rockets team.
They told Deanie this was their first meeting to explore bringing RCRG back to the Southgate rink for special events offered to season-ticket holders (“The Rat Pack“). The discussions are in far too preliminary a stage for any details, even dates, but more talks will follow.
Ivey added: “There’s a possibility you’re going to be seeing us around [White Center] a lot more. We’re just really excited about the possibility to bring the season-ticket holders this opportunity. They’ve been asking to come to some of our events and they haven’t been able to attend because of the location at a private facility; we might be able to bring the ticket holders here to Southgate. “
She shone some light on derby’s roots at Southgate, too: “Back in the 20’s and 30’s, to ease the Great Depression, they had to be creative and were looking for new activities that were inexpensive. They would have dance-a-thons at the then-Southgate Rollerdrome, and eventually roller-skating marathons. As was the case in the dance marathons, whoever could endure and was the last skater on the floor would be declared the winner of the contest. As they extended the hours of these marathons, from 24 to 36 hours, participants would become tired and the competitors would start deliberately knocking down the other skaters to get an advantage to win the marathon contest. It was out of those physical and uber-competitive marathon skating events that derby skating arose into a spectator sport of co-ed teams.” Then came the TV heyday of roller derby, as stations tried to fill time with everything they could find in the ’50s.
A little more history, from RCRG COO Hoppe – She told Deanie that her grandmother was the Queen of the Rollerball at Southgate before WWII – forbidden by her family to attend events lest she become a “rink rat,” undesirable for a “proper young Christian woman of that era,” so she made up alibis and sneaked away with a friend to travel from Green Lake all the way to Southgate to roller-skate far from the watchful eyes of anyone they knew from the north end!
P.S. Southgate Roller Rink has launched a Facebook page with ongoing updates – you can “like” it here. More updates as the pre-reopening renovations continue in the weeks ahead.
(WSB photo from October 2010 Halloween Ski [etc.] Swap)
Another winter-gear-swap event is in the works, organized by the folks at Mountain to Sound Outfitters (WSB sponsor) in The Triangle. Dropping by the store today, we heard from M2SO staff about the plans for a followup to the first-ever Halloween Ski Swap last year: The swap event will be at the VFW Hall (3601 SW Alaska, across the street from M2SO), Saturday and Sunday, March 26-27 – with dropoff on Friday the 25th, 4-7 pm; the swap 10 am-6 pm on Saturday and 11 am-5 pm on Sunday (retrieve the leftovers 4-6 pm). M2SO tells us 20 percent of the proceeds will benefit nonprofits. Details are being finalized, so more info is yet to come, but go ahead and mark your calendar if you’ve got gear to swap! P.S. M2SO’s winter-clearance sale is in its final week – including 50% discounts.
The signs of spring just keep stacking up. West Seattle Little League president Mark Terao sends word of WSLL tryouts tomorrow (Sunday), for both minors and majors. The tryouts are at Hiawatha Playfield (2700 California SW, next to West Seattle High School). Check in at the tent alongside the field to get a number; Majors Division check-ins start at 9, with tryouts 9:30-11:30 am; Minors Division check-ins start at 12:30 pm, with tryouts 1-3:30 pm. According to the WSLL calendar, the season officially begins April 4th, with a ribbon-cutting scheduled for their new Bar-S Playfield improvements on March 26th.
One more game at the Tacoma Dome today for the Chief Sealth International High School boys’ basketball team – and a tough one because of foul trouble. In the consolation round, North Central (from Spokane) topped Sealth 53-46. That’s the acclaimed Sealth drum line in our top clip; game details and video after the jump:Read More
(The team taking the floor at the start of tonight’s game)
A boys-basketball state-tournament heartbreaker just ended at the Tacoma Dome – Bellevue 49, Chief Sealth International High School 48. We tweeted live from Tacoma (see the tweets here); more details here on WSB, and video, when our crew’s back at HQ. (Sealth plays a consolation game, vs. winner of tonight’s Glacier Peak-North Central game, tomorrow at 2 pm.)
ADDED 11:20 PM: Details and video from our Tacoma Dome coverage, after the jump:Read More
This morning, they were the guests of honor; in less than eight hours, they’ll be the main event. A pep rally for the Chief Sealth International High School boys’ basketball team (and others who’ve won big in competition lately) just wrapped up at the school gym about an hour ago, revving up the 1,000-plus student body for tonight’s 3A state-tournament game at the Tacoma Dome. That of course meant the fight song, starring the Sealth band and cheerleaders:
Two youth-sports notes this morning:
NEW CROSS-COUNTRY MOUNTAIN-BIKE-RACING LEAGUE: The Washington High School Cycling League is forming statewide, with a “composite club” being set up in this area for high-school students (public, private, or homeschool – it’s not affiliated with any specific school or program). Prerequisites are “a working mountain bike and a bike helmet,” but experience not required, say organizers – league events will include riding-skills clinics, safety guidelines, and equipment awareness. The first race is in early April; if you are interested in joining as a rider or as a ride leader/volunteer, e-mail West Seattle club director Nikole Rock, nkrck@yahoo.com.
LAST DAY FOR WEST SEATTLE SOCCER CLUB SPRING SIGNUPS: Today is the final day of registration for the West Seattle Soccer Club‘s spring season; as of tomorrow, players will only be accepted on a “space-available basis.” Games are played at eight fields around West Seattle; this year’s theme is “Champion’s League,” after a major European competition – each team represents one of the clubs in that league (and gets to keep her/his jersey). For signup info, go to this WSSC webpage.
From Auburn: In a hard-fought game, the Chief Sealth International High School boys beat Lincoln HS this afternoon as the state 3A basketball tournament continued. Final score: Sealth 63, Lincoln 56. The Seahawks are in the final 8, off to the Tacoma Dome next to play Bellevue at 7:15 pm Thursday. (Here’s a PDF with the brackets.) More to come.
ADDED 6:18 PM: After the jump, our game summary, and video reaction from Sealth principal John Boyd:Read More
From Auburn: The Chief Sealth International High School boys-basketball team beats Foss HS, 68-46, to advance in the state tournament. Next game tomorrow afternoon. Video and details when our crew returns to HQ.
11:38 PM UPDATE: Sealth plays Lincoln at 3 pm tomorrow (Saturday), again at Auburn HS. More on tonight’s game after the jump:Read More
1:06 PM: From Bellevue College: Chief Sealth International High School‘s boys-basketball team lost to O’Dea, 67-51. Next game: Auburn on Friday (part of the state tournament). More details on today’s game later.
ADDED: As promised, details, and two video clips, after the jump:Read More
The first seeding game for the 3A State Basketball Tournament was a matchup of two teams that were very familiar with each other’s offense. That led to a tight and low-scoring affair, but in the fourth quarter Seattle Prep built a lead that Chief Sealth was never able to completely overcome. Prep beat Sealth 51-48, and while the Seahawks went from being 10 points down to being tied with the Panthers in the last minutes of the game, Prep was able to close them out with these last second free throws by their junior forward Mitch Brewe.
(Clip is silent, to excise personal chat by people who were nearby)
Prep was effective underneath the basket only at the end of the game. Sealth managed to build a lead in the first half off long-range shots and a steady supply of free throws by senior guard Keon Lewis. Sealth moves on to play on Saturday in Bellevue at 11:30. They’ll meet the loser of tonight’s O’Dea-Bellevue game, which is under way right now.
(CSIHS practice on Wednesday)
At 3 this afternoon, we’ll be covering the Chief Sealth International High School game vs. Seattle Prep in Bellevue – a game that’s technically for “seeding” purposes for the upcoming state tournament, which the Seahawks are in, regardless of whether they win. WSB co-publisher Patrick Sand talked with head coach Colin Slingsby for a preview – read on:Read More
From Bellevue College: Chief Sealth International High School over Mercer Island HS, 68-54. That guarantees the Seahawks a state-playoffs spot. More to come.
ADDED: More details, and video, ahead:Read More
The Cascade Bicycle Club‘s Major Taylor Project, to help get tweens and teens into bicycling, is rolling into West Seattle, and you can be part of it at a “Spinathon” this Thursday night. 5-8 pm at Allstar Fitness in North Delridge, there’s a fundraiser for expanding the project to South King County sites including Chief Sealth International High School. Organizers say there are 2 ways to help:
1. Ride in the Spinathon – some spots still open! You can ride for 1 hour, 2 hours, or all 3 hours – from 5-6pm, 6-7 pm, or 7-8pm time slots. To register: e-mail opa@cascadebicycleclub.org or ed.ewing@cascadebicycleclub.org. Cost is a minimum $25 per hour donation. Checks can be made out to ‘Cascade Bicycle Club Education Foundation‘, which is a (501)(3)c. Participants can bring their donation the night of the event or mail to the address below.
2. For those not riding – you can help the program reach more kids in West Seattle
by donating to the Major Taylor Project. Two ways to donate:Online (you’ll need to set up an account)
shop.cascade.org/content/major-taylor-project-stp-donationor postal mail:
Cascade Bicycle Club Education Foundation Major Taylor Program
7400 Sand Point Way NE, Suite 101S
Seattle, WA 98115
Thanks to Derek Page for sharing the photo and the results of this afternoon’s big game:
“The 6th Grade Holy Rosary boys defeated St. Joseph today in a hard-fought battle to win the citywide CYO championship. The final score of 20-13 reflects the excellent defense played by both teams. Congrats, Gators!
ADDED 9:58 PM: We now have the results of the HR 8th-grade boys’ championship game; they lost to Lakeside, 43-29.
(Video added: Last :30 of Sealth game, with the victory celebration)
HIGH SCHOOL: In district tournament play – Chief Sealth International High School just beat visiting Eastside Catholic, 44-42. Seattle Lutheran‘s boys also won, 49-35 over Shoreline Christian. Earlier, West Seattle High School lost at Bellevue, 82-60.
MIDDLE SCHOOL: Madison Middle School‘s girls and Denny International Middle School‘s boys both played Eckstein Middle School in championship games at Sealth this afternoon. Eckstein won both games, boys 73-51 (we’re still verifying the final girls’ score).
(added) HOLY ROSARY BOYS: Derek sent word the 6th graders beat St. Luke’s today and will play for the CYO championship on Sunday at 1:30 pm against St. Joseph, at Bishop Blanchet High School. (added) And the 8th graders are in their championship game at 6 pm Sunday at Blanchet, according to Dan.
ADDED EARLY SUNDAY: More details and more video, ahead:Read More
Both West Seattle High School and Chief Sealth International High School had home games tonight in Metro League tournament play. The Seahawks defeated Lakeside; close game for the Wildcats, but they were on the losing end. More after the jump:Read More
Final scores are in from both of tonight’s postseason high-school boys’ basketball games: At Chief Sealth International High School, the Seahawks beat Eastside Catholic, 61-50; West Seattle High School lost its road game at Lakeside, 57-42.
ADDED: Sealth advances to the next round. More on tonight’s home game, ahead:Read More
(Photo courtesy Tim McMonigle)
The Super Bowl was not the only sports event of note this afternoon! As reported here last night, two West Seattle Soccer Club teams made it into the finals of the prestigious Founder’s Cup statewide tournament. We just got official word of the results. Both games went into overtime, according to WSSC’s Tim McMonigle, who says the BU-13 West Seattle Jets won 1-0, while the BU-16 West Seattle Moctezuma lost 3-2: “Two very exciting games!”
(Photo courtesy WSSC)
Congratulations to the West Seattle Jets (BU-13) and West Seattle Moctezuma (BU-16) teams for making it into the championship round of the Founder’s Cup state tournament! West Seattle Soccer Club‘s Tim McMonigle sent word tonight that both won their games today, and it’s the first time WSSC has had two teams in the finals (Moctezuma is defending champ in its age group). The Founder’s Cup, Tim explains, is for both recreational and select teams, so: “This means these two recreational teams have beat select teams to become one of the best (two) teams in the state at their age group, which is a very big accomplishment for these boys.” Tomorrow’s games are at the Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila, with the Jets playing on field 3 at 2:45 pm, Moctezuma on field 2 at 3:15 pm. Good luck! (P.S. As noted here earlier this week, registration is now under way for WSSC’s spring season – more info on the club’s website.)
Last night was the final scheduled home game of the season for Chief Sealth International High School‘s girls-varsity basketball team, so that meant special honors for the seniors on the team, which went on to defeat West Seattle High School, 65-50. Details and a video clip after the jump:Read More
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