West Seattle, Washington
04 Wednesday
Friday’s the last day of school – and Monday’s 
the first day of Basketball Camp at Chief Sealth High School – for students who will be in the 2nd through 9th grades this fall. Sealth’s incoming athletic director Sam Reed just e-mailed a reminder about the camp (here’s the story we published in April); you can see the brochure here, and he notes you can even sign up at the door Monday morning. That’s not the only sports camp in West Seattle this summer – we’ve also published notes on our Announced page about West Seattle High School basketball camp (details here), WSHS volleyball camp for middle- and high-schoolers (details here) and Lee’s Martial Arts summer camps (details here). Got a West Seattle summer camp with room? Let us know!
Jersey Jill shares that triumphant photo of a winning team from the West Seattle Girls Softball playoffs, and explains:
Friday night, the West Seattle girls’ 10U Fast Pitch softball team Liberty Tax aka “The Dolphins” took home the Championship Title for the season. The Dolphins entered the tournament as the team to beat with only one loss for the season. After losing the first game, they rallied back and beat the Steelers 10-6 in the second game to become the league 10U Champions!!!!
Here’s their official team photo:
(Back Row- Coach Dave Turpen, Carynia Smith, Taylor Picinich, Bridget Haney, Elise Turpen, Emily Schuster, Coach Brandon Pedersen
Front Row- Ashley Raines, Isabella Johnson, Sydney Page, Natalie Pedersen, Isabella Sarkies, Regan Nagle, Coach Jimmy Picinich
Not Pictured- Brett Smith, Pitching Coach; Albert Raines, Batting Coach)
Got a success story to share? Sports, athletics, business award, whatever? We’ve got a place for it. editor@wsb.blackfin.biz any time.
Cami MacNamara e-mailed to make sure everybody involved with West Seattle Little League knows about this event this afternoon:
All current West Seattle Little League families are invited to attend our end of season Annual Picnic today. 3pm at Bar-S Fields. Hotdogs and burgers, plates and cutlery are provided by the league, the rest is potluck by division. To see what your division is assigned:
http://www.westseattlelittleleague.com/docs/picnic.pdf
We will also have a dunk tank this year! Please bring your child’s uniform to return to your team manager. A trophy presentation for the players will also occur.
From Tim McMonigle with the West Seattle Soccer Club:
Thanks to all who participated in our spring soccer season. We were blessed with sunny and 70+ degree weather on each of our Sunday game days. Join us for another exciting season this fall. The WSSC serves players from 5-18 years old. The open registration period for the West Seattle Soccer Club is through June 30th.
Returning players that register by June 30th will be given priority placement on their former teams. Players that register after that date will be placed in the general pool and assigned to a team on a space available basis. Coed U7 registration will close on August 15th. To register, go to www.westseattlesoccer.org and click on the Register link on the left, then follow the instructions.
A new option this year is to order WSSC hoodies with your registration. Attached is a picture of the new hoodie [photo below], or you can view another sample on our website. The cost of the hoodie is $25 and will be added to your registration total. If you don’t have a child playing in the WSSC but would still like to order a hoodie, please send an email to the WSSC at wsscboard@gmail.com with your size. Represent WSSC proudly!
By Kathy Mulady
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
Park and playground updates filled most of the agenda at the North Delridge Neighborhood Council meeting Wednesday night.
As we’ve been reporting, the anxiously awaited Delridge Skatepark is moving forward with a total of $750,000 virtually secured, and plans in the works for a 12,000-square- foot skate bowl with trimmings.
Some had hoped for a slightly larger skateboard park, maybe a little closer to 15,000 square feet, but there are also many advantages to the more compact counterpart:
Lots of school news tonight, including the School Board meeting from which we’re still reporting “live,” but maybe it’s just a final-weeks frenzy. At any rate, we got that fun photo from Tom Myers, who explained:
Sanislo Elementary School had its annual unicycling performance (last night) at 7 PM. Miss T retired a few years ago, but can’t stay away, so still teaches in the unicycling P.E. program after school. Great fun for the students and parents too!
When we covered the Delridge Skatepark schematic-design presentation at the Seattle Design Commission last month (WSB report here), project manager Kelly Davidson mentioned the third and final design meeting was almost finalized. Now we have the official date and time – 6:30 pm June 22, Youngstown Arts Center – for the official presentation of the design (shown above with Grindline’s Micah Shapiro during the SDC meeting) to the community. (Our coverage of the 1st design meeting in July 2008 is here; the second one, last January, is here.)
From the WSB West Seattle Events calendar, for today/tonight:
VYING FOR VOTES: This just might be one of the biggest candidates’ forums of the primary season in West Seattle: Four of the major King County Executive candidates declared so far — Dow Constantine, Ross Hunter, Fred Jarrett, Larry Phillips — will be at Fauntleroy Church (WSB sponsor) at 7 pm tonight in a forum presented by InSPIRe, all welcome. Audience Q/A for the candidates is part of the plan, and you can even submit a question online right now (via this page).
PICK A PLAYGROUND (DESIGN): 7:30 tonight at Delridge Community Center, come share your thoughts about the three proposed designs for the new DCC playground to be “built in a day” next month — see all three designs here — so the eventual choice will truly be the community’s choice.
BINGO’S BACK: The popular Monday night bingo games at Alki UCC resume tonight after a Memorial Day hiatus. Doors open 5:30 pm, games start at 6:30.
FOOD DRIVE: All Bartell Drugs locations have a food drive this month, starting today – they’ll be collecting nonperishable food items at their stores. Read more here.
TAE KWON DO: The Hiawatha (Community Center) Tae Kwon Do Club is inviting new members (18 and up) to its classes, Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays – find out more at (206) 684-7441.
The lion’s share of tonight’s activities – plus Saturday and Sunday – will be in the West Seattle Weekend Lineup later this morning. But we wanted to mention a few things early on: First, two local high-school softball teams are in state tournament play starting today – Seattle Lutheran High School vs. La Salle in Yakima, West Seattle High School vs. Columbia River in Tacoma. (See coach Carrie Burr‘s extensive report in the WSB Forums.) Second, it’s the last day for online registration for Sunday’s West Seattle 5K (WSB sponsor), which kicks off “Celebrate Summer Streets” on Alki (aka “car-free day”) on Sunday – you can sign up online till 6 tonight, or register in person Saturday or Sunday – full details on both options here. 1:09 PM UPDATE: West Seattle lost to Columbia River this morning, 4-2, but is playing Sedro-Woolley right now (1 pm start). 7:07 PM UPDATE: As rockergirl points out in comments, SLHS won the first game, and is playing a second game right now. WSHS lost its second game.
Thanks to Benita for the tip that in turn led us to the news that West Seattle has two softball teams in state tournament play – West Seattle High School and Seattle Lutheran High School. WSHS is in the 3A tournament, starting play Friday vs. Columbia River at SERA Fields in Tacoma (brackets here); SLHS is in the 2B tournament, starting play at 9 am Friday vs. La Salle at Gateway Sports Complex in Yakima. Both teams are mentioned in this story posted today on the West Seattle Thunder Fastpitch organization site, noting that 22 current and former WS Thunder players are in state play, representing schools including WSHS and SLHS. Good luck to all – we’ll post updates!
SIGN: Amy reports a sign sighting on the Fauntleroy “overpass,” which would be the first one in a long time, since extra DON’T YOU DARE DO THAT-type signs went up … Unfortunately, she says the sign bears an unfriendly message we won’t repeat. Off to check it out as soon as we hit “publish” on this item. (Added later – Nope, it was gone.)
LINK #1: Remember the Cat’s Eye Cafe’ on Fauntleroy north of Lincoln Park, closed after a car hit it three years ago, now the Four Aims Center? Its former owner Julie Malcolm is in the street-food business up north, according to this Edmonds article about Here and There. Sounds a little bit like the Snohomish County version of Skillet
LINK #2: Husky football players visit Roxhill Elementary, and gohuskies.com tells the tale.
RAINOUT: How rainy is it, you ask? West Seattle Little League just announced via Twitter that all games for today are rained out.
TEACHERS: When we reported about this time yesterday that Seattle Public Schools confirmed teacher layoffs had begun, we also said SPS expected to release more details today on how many people would lose their jobs. Spokesperson Patti Spencer now says that district HR is reviewing the information to “ensure that (it) is totally accurate”; no new timeline for when it will be made available.
PARKING: The agenda was just sent out (see it here) for next Tuesday’s City Council Transportation Committee meeting at which the Restricted Parking Zone changes — which have sparked concern in West Seattle community groups — may be voted on. Two of the three agenda items have to do with RPZs, and public comment will be taken toward the start of the meeting, which is at 9:30 am Tuesday in the council chambers at City Hall downtown.
Photos to share from more of what West Seattle students (and their teachers!) are up to: That photo is from Pathfinder K-8, where PE teacher Lou Cutler has assembled a Performing Team — hula hoops, jump rope, juggling and more — to go entertain local audiences, with a special focus on seniors. That photo’s from the Senior Center of West Seattle stop; their next stop is Bridge Park in High Point this Friday. Meantime, Explorer West Middle School shared photos of its students joining with 4th graders from nearby Roxhill Elementary on a trip to Seola Creek for cleanup and rehab work:
Thanks to Explorer West science department chair Kristin Moore for sharing the photos. Besides cleanup and restoration, the students also got to hear from a Seattle Parks rep regarding native/non-native plants and the local ecosystem.
At tonight’s meeting of the city Skatepark Advisory Committee, a big step was taken toward cobbling together the money needed to build the Delridge Skatepark, even though its original funding was pulled from the city budget: With Parks Superintendent Tim Gallagher and two managers in attendance, 
as well as what one committee member called “the largest number of people we’ve ever had in this room over the age of 12,” the SPAC voted to recommend moving a quarter-million dollars in Parks Levy money to Delridge. The $250,000 was originally earmarked for a “skate spot” at the future Myrtle Reservoir park, but as committee member Matthew Lee Johnston of West Seattle (center, in photo at left) noted, multiple community meetings last year turned thumbs down on the idea of a skate feature at Myrtle. It’s still in the citywide Skatepark Plan and could resurface someday if money appeared from elsewhere, but for now, if the necessary approvals ensue, it’s going into the Delridge pot. First, the Parks Levy Oversight Committee will have to give its blessing; then, City Council approval, which also would be needed to seed the Delridge Skatepark funding with $500,000 saved from other Parks projects (first revealed at a Parks Board meeting last month). However, with the community support reiterated tonight — Pete Spalding spoke on behalf of the Delridge District Council and the Pigeon Point Neighborhood Council (he’s on the Levy Oversight Committee too), while Nancy Folsom spoke on behalf of the North Delridge Neighborhood Council – department leadership didn’t think that would be much of a problem. “Everybody’s blown away by how amazing the process has been,” Johnston noted. However, he called for one additional demonstration of community support: Fundraising. The site apparently can support a skatepark of up to 14,000 square feet; it’s being designed right now to 10,000 square feet because that’s what the original budget would have paid for, but Gallagher says $750,000 would buy 12,000 square feet. Perhaps the community could chip in enough to cover the rest of the way to 14K, Johnston suggested. West Seattleite Mike Shaughnessy – a former SPAC member – said he supports the maximum possible size for the skatepark, as he could imagine it becoming overcrowded quite quickly. Meantime, the design process continues – two meetings already have been held, and project manager 
Kelly Davidson said she hopes to schedule the third meeting soon. First, the money matters have to be worked out; Parks executive Kevin Stoops said the Levy Oversight Committee likely will be asked May 26 to consider the Myrtle-to-Delridge transfer. Also ahead in late May, Folsom said a Request for Proposals will be published for the art project that’s proposed to be built by the skatepark site at the northeast corner of the Delridge Community Center playfield/park. Though it’s not technically part of the skatepark, designers are working with art-project planners, Folsom said.
West Seattle photojournalist Matt Durham – who also is assistant coach for West Seattle Little League‘s Diamondbacks and Stingers – shares those photos from the Mariners’ Little League Day at Safeco Field today:
(Clockwise from upper left) 1: West Seattle youth honor the flag during the National Anthem.
2: Cheers accompanied West Seattle’s recognition on the megatron.
3: Young baseball players were able to parade on field during before the game.
4: 15 innings didn’t deter West Seattle’s Diamondback Jack from rooting on his team.
5: West Seattle players turn their hats inside out to rally the Mariners batters.
The Mariners beat the A’s in the bottom of the 15th inning, 8-7.
You can find out more about West Seattle Little League at westseattlelittleleague.com (also via Twitter at @wslittleleague).
Folk-music legend Pete Seeger co-wrote “If I Had a Hammer,” but Peter, Paul and Mary made it famous. Seeger – whose impending 90th birthday will be celebrated in West Seattle and other locals nationwide – is much better known for his songwriting than his singing – this classic performed by The Byrds, also from the ’60s, is a prime example:
Here’s Seeger explaining how he wrote that:
So, after those clips, are you in the mood to sing along with songs like “If I Had a Hammer” and “Turn, Turn, Turn,” along with many others? On Seeger’s 90th birthday, Sunday 5/3, a day with celebrations planned around the country, the Seattle party will be right here in West Seattle, at the historic Admiral Theater. The singalongs will be part of an evening music slate, starting at 7 pm, following a documentary screening at 4 pm. West Seattle author/historian Clay Eals is the one who came up with the idea for the historic theater to host this celebration of living history – during an interview at the Admiral last Wednesday, he explained what it’s going to be all about:
Read on for more about the celebration, more from Eals – who explains the synergy between this event and the musician-biography project he worked on for years – ahead:Read More
Steph just sent that photo of her kids with their brand-new Tony Hawk-autographed skateboard, procured – sort of – via Twitter. It’s part of a nationwide “Easter egg hunt” promotion in which boards have been hidden in various locations, then announced at the @tonyhawk Twitter account. We happened to be checking West Seattle “tweets” right after this got announced about an hour ago; didn’t get there in time to capture the “find” but got Steph’s photo and note shortly afterward:
Luckly we had Tony Hawk on our twitter an my husband was looking at it during the time his tweet went out. We were picking up my daughter from school and got the call from him to go to the location. The skateboard is sweet! The kids are so excited!
The board was hidden at Shadow Land, by the way. (On Twitter, you can find us at @westseattleblog for 24/7 human-powered updates, including immediate word of breaking news, and @westseattlenews for a feed of WSB links as they’re published. Hope you’ll “be our friend” on Facebook too, where we are WS Blog.)
More than six months after first word of a plan for the city Parks Department to seek a private operator for West Seattle Stadium, the plan is dead (for now) – because no one submitted a proposal in response to the official Request for Proposals. Thanks to Becca for the tip on this, which we confirmed with Parks spokesperson Dewey Potter:
You’re correct that Parks received no proposals in response to the RFP. The stadium will continue to be open to the public, but there is no funding for the needed repairs (those funds come from a fund whose money comes from real estate excise taxes, which are far below projections because of the economic downturn).
What this means is that we are unable to make needed upgrades to improve access for people with disabilities, and that the facility will continue to deteriorate.
We published details of the stadium RFP in February (WSB coverage here), with a shorter wish list than the original draft proposal had outlined months earlier.
Just got word from the Seattle Mariners that West Seattle High School‘s varsity baseball team plays Newport HS in a non-conference game at Safeco Field at 6:30 pm Saturday, as part of the M’s third annual High School Baseball Classic. Admission is free – Safeco Field garage parking will cost you $5; WSHS baseball players also are currently selling fundraising tickets to the May 20th M’s-Angels game (scroll down the WSHS home page to find the order form – only $12 for tickets that could cost up to $23).
On behalf of West Seattle Little League, Cami MacNamara wants you to know: “West Seattle Little League is still accepting registrations for Big League Baseball, 17-18 years of age. Season begins mid-May (after regular-season high-school ball) and runs through late June. One to two games per week and double-headers on Sundays. Our combined All-Star team won the State Tournament last season. Please visit our registration page and sign up today!” You’ll find that page by going here.
Football’s back on the field tonight at Southwest Athletic Complex (across from the permanent Chief Sealth High School campus), as local officers and deputies from Seattle Police Department and King County Sheriff’s Office coach a flag-football jamboree with players from all over the metro area — our video captured a few lively plays. Both agencies sponsored the tournament through the Greater King County Police Activity League, with grant assistance from NFL Youth Football; according to the original announcement, tonight’s jamboree marks “the beginning of an eight-week long series of games which will include elementary, middle, and high schools kids from the inner city as well as five tribal communities.” The PAL has previously sponsored youth boxing, too. Big day for local law enforcers in the many community activities they are involved with in their “off-hours” – today was also “Tip A Cop” day at local Red Robin restaurants, per this item on SPDBlotter, the department’s blog-style site (which just launched a new look, by the way).
Will add this to the West Seattle Weekend Lineup too, but wanted to share the entire announcement just in from King County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson John Urquhart – a big football event in West Seattle tomorrow, presented by an organization led by both KCSO and Seattle Police – read on for details:Read More
By Keri DeTore
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
It’s 8:00 Thursday night — do you know where your roller skates are?
If you do, and you’re a female over the age of 21, with current health insurance and a “badass” attitude — you may be a prime candidate for the Rat City Rollergirls.
RCRG was founded in 2004, based back then at the Southgate rink in White Center. Though Southgate has since closed and RCRG skaters now practice at rinks in Lynnwood and Bellevue, they maintain their ties to the White Center/West Seattle communities. For starters, at least eight skaters live in the area, including Bird on a Wire coffee shop owner Heidi Herr (skate name: “Skate Trooper”). Also — community outreach is a core value for RCRG, and they participate in local activities including helping clean up Longfellow Creek, and a stretch of road they’ve “adopted” in White Center (where their next cleanup is scheduled for April 25).
West Seattle Rollergirl and “Derby Liberation Front” team co-captain “Deadly Aim” (aka Aimee Ettel) took some time off the track to provide some insight into the world of RCRG and to talk about their upcoming home game at RCRG’s big new home “rink,” KeyArena, this Saturday.
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