West Seattle, Washington
16 Monday
(Photo tweeted by Special Olympics Washington – @SO_Washington)
FIRST REPORT, 6:25 PM: In a few hours, after the Sounders–Rapids soccer match in Colorado, West Seattle-area student players and coaches, many from the Seattle Schools Unified Soccer League, will take the field for their own match. Chief Sealth International High School athletic director Sam Reed shared the news that they’re traveling with the Sounders and Special Olympics of Washington. The SO Sounders headed out on Friday. Three weeks ago, a similar delegation came here when the Rapids visited the Sounders; the Seattle team won that game, and is now in the Rockies for the rematch against the Colorado team. Reed explains that “more than half of the SO Sounders team (in) Colorado come from Chief Sealth International and West Seattle High Schools. Chief Sealth Head Coach Andrew Saldana is on the coaching staff, while players Morgan Hegge, Cameron O’Donnell, Christian Freitas, Ben Lee, Sydney Proctor, Karina Silva, Eric Swenson and Xahil McDonald all represent the Seahawks as either athletes or partners. Christian Estaban is on the team representing West Seattle.” Traveling with them is Angie Bounds, who’s been publishing updates at sosounders.blogspot.com; she tells WSB the game at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, CO, is around 9:30 Colorado time tonight. We’ll update this story after the game (you can check out the SO-WA Twitter feed, too).
11:16 PM UPDATE: SO Sounders win, 2-0, according to Twitter updates. And someone recorded the entire match on phone video – you can see and hear it here.
(MONDAY UPDATE: A medal for Ginger’s grandson! Scroll down …)
26-year-old Olympic athlete Nick Thoman is from Ohio – but you can call him an honorary West Seattleite if you’re looking for specific people to cheer during the 2012 Summer Olympics, since his grandmother Ginger Brewer lives on Alki. She headed to London a few days ago to join other family members there. We’ve heard from Ginger before regarding Nick’s swimming success; a neighbor of hers told us he made it to the Olympics, so we e-mailed her, and heard back from daughter-in-law Lauri, who says Nick’s in the 100m backstroke “and may also swim in the 4x100m medley relay.” Lauri says those competition dates are:
July 29 – 100 m prelims
July 30 – 100 m finals
Aug 3 – 4x100m medley relay prelims
Aug 4 – 4x100m medley relay finals
She adds, “He has the third fastest Olympic qualifying time in the world for the 100m backstroke, so he is definitely in the running to bring home some hardware, although we are just super excited that he is even going! He currently holds the world record in the 100m short-course backstroke. The Olympics is a long-course pool. Short course is a 25 meter pool, long course is a 50 meter pool.” Nick is 26 and has been swimming since he was 4, Lauri says, adding, “Go Team USA!!” (P.S. Nick of course has an official “fan page” on Facebook. Here’s the lineup for his preliminary competition at 11 am Sunday, London time.)
SUNDAY MORNING UPDATE: Nick finished first in his heat very early this morning (results here), and is in the second heat at the semifinals tonight, 8:28 pm London time.
SUNDAY AFTERNOON UPDATE: And … he’s in Monday’s finals!
MONDAY AFTERNOON UPDATE: Nick scored silver today – here are the results (thanks to Ben for sharing the link in the comment section). He is also scheduled to be part of the USA relay team in competition later this week.
Evergreen Tang Soo Do Academy student Tamela Thomas has won her third world championship, reports the academy’s Master Steve Elmore (with her in the photo above). Thomas, 52, is one of nine students who went with Elmore to the World Tang Soo Do Association‘s world championships in Greensboro, North Carolina, last weekend, an every-two-years event at which more than 1,600 people from 34 countries competed. He says Thomas became Senior Female Black Belt World Champion “by winning gold medals in weapons, forms, and free fighting. This was her 3rd consecutive world title but her first in the black belt division.” (Back in 2008, we mentioned this Seattle Weekly story about her first world title.) He also reports that the recent death of the association’s founder, Grandmaster Jae C. Shin (reported here), loomed large over the event, with a memorial service following the ribbon-cutting for a new WTSDA in nearby Burlington, N.C.
(Video of the race’s start and first 2 photos, by Christopher Boffoli for WSB)
About 300 people ran and/or walked in the first-ever West Seattle Float Dodger 5K, a kind of opening act for the West Seattle Grand Parade, was a big success, reports Tim McConnell of West Seattle Runner (WSB sponsor), which played a big role in making it happen. Tim and wife/co-proprietor Lori McConnell both participated, too, in costume (which was encouraged):
The race started under cloudy skies, but no rain:
The “float dodging” happened after participants walked/ran the first leg of the race, north from California/Charlestown to California/Lander, the starting line of the parade – where the West Seattle Hi-Yu float was parked, minus royalty, for them to run around:
(WSB photo by Tracy Record)
From there, they ran southbound along the entire parade route to the finish at California/Edmunds. The results are available online now – go here. The top male finisher was 29-year-old Mark Mandi, with a net time of 15:28; top female finisher was 30-year-old Bekka Martin, with a net time of 20:17. Other winners included the beneficiaries, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and the Rotary Club of West Seattle, whose members helped with race staging/organizing – here’s Gary Potter of Potter Construction (WSB sponsor) with some of the course markers:
(WSB photo by Patrick Sand)
This was one of two Rotary events on parade morning – the other was the Kiddie Parade; photos from that are coming up. Run for Good Racing Company was a partner in making the Float Dodger 5K happen, too. So far, sounds like the first one won’t be the last – so watch for the registration announcement next year!
Just in from Mount Vernon, the West Seattle Little League Seniors Division team (15/16-year-olds) scored their second victory in three games, advancing them in the state tournament. They beat South Kitsap today, 5-1. They’ll play again tomorrow at 1 pm (here’s the bracket). They made it into the state tournament by winning the District 7 tournament earlier this month (as reported here).
Just in from Chief Sealth International High School athletic director Sam Reed:
Chief Sealth International High School football players will be partnering with the Seattle Seahawks to host the Gatorade Junior Training Camp on July 25th at Alki Playfield. Participation in this 2-hour clinic is FREE to all youth ages 7-14, and with 200 participants the Seattle Seahawks will make a generous donation to the Chief Sealth football program. Details and registration found by following this link. For additional information, please contact Chief Sealth Head Football Coach Luther Carr at luther_carr@yahoo.com
In case you haven’t seen it already in the WSB West Seattle Events Calendar – Our Lady of Guadalupe‘s brand-new Alex J. Brunett Gymnasium will host Hoopfest this weekend, and sign-ups are open now for boys and girls going into 3rd through 12th grades this fall. It’s a three-on-three basketball tournament this Saturday and Sunday, with these brackets:
3/4th grade Boys 3/4th grade Girls
5/6th grade Boys 5/6th grade Girls
7/8th grade Boys 7/8th grade Girls
9-12th grade Boys 9-12th grade Girls
The cost is $50 per team, with proceeds benefiting the OLG CYO sports program. Questions? E-mail olghoops@gmail.com – or if you just want to sign up, go here!
This afternoon in Mount Vernon, the West Seattle Little League Seniors Division team (15/16-year-olds) shut out their first opponent in state play, 5-0. A game scheduled for 4 pm game today will determine who they play tomorrow (here’s the bracket). They won the state berth by winning the District 7 tournament earlier this month (as reported here). More to come!
We’ve reported here before on the Seattle Unified Soccer League, with teams including Special Olympics athletes as well as athletes without disabilities. This past Saturday at Starfire, the Unified Soccer coaches from West Seattle High School and Chief Sealth International High School led a team representing the Sounders in a match against Colorado counterparts who came to town with the Rapids (who played Sounders FC that night). WSHS coach Alex LaRosa e-mailed today to let us know about it and to share the link for the clip above, a Sounders-produced story by longtime local sports journalist Tony Ventrella, featuring the teams, the coaches (you’ll hear from Alex), and the game. She says the team that she and Sealth’s Andrew Saldana coached featured athletes from both their schools as well as Franklin HS. And they won – congratulations!
(From left, back row: Manager Vinnie Sposari, Coach John Coats, Buick MacNamara, Larry Jensen, Merle Rowan-Kennedy, John Roach, Cody Jones, Geoffrey Wukelic, Coach Fred Jensen. Front row: Alex Coats, Joey Werlech, Daniel “DJ” Kemp, Vinnie Sposari, Jack Larsen, Jayme Kelly. Photo by Lisa Roach)
A victory last night in Seatac means a state-tournament spot for the West Seattle Little League‘s most veteran players. This report is courtesy of Cami MacNamara:
West Seattle Little League’s Seniors Division Team (ages 15-16) has advanced to the Little League Seniors State Tournament in Mount Vernon on July 16th with a 3-2 win over South Highline Nationals.
The District 7 tournament was hosted at PacWest and West Seattle lost their first game on Sunday, July 1st to South Highline. This placed West Seattle in a must-win situation in double elimination play. They played again on Tuesday, July 3rd, winning 4-3 over Renton, and then handed South Highline their first loss on July 4th, winning 4-3 in extra innings, which forced a rematch last night.
West Seattle was home team, and pitcher Larry Jensen, supported by a strong defense, got the game started the top of the 1st with only 7 pitches. In the bottom of the 1st, lead-off batter Jack Larsen walked, stole second, and was brought in with an RBI single by pitcher Jensen. West Seattle led 1-0.
The game remained tied until the top of the 4th when South Highline pitcher Jimi Fay hit a solo home run to tie the game at 1-1. In the bottom of the 5th, left fielder Joey Werlech walked and three bats later, second baseman Vinnie Sposari hit an RBI single to bring in Werlech. West Seattle was now up 2-1.
In a final attempt to tie the game, South Highline second baseman Jorge Esqueda hit a single. Larry Jensen then struck out a batter and that was followed by an out at first. With 2 outs, South Highline’s first baseman Ryan Macri then hit an RBI single to bring in Esqueda across the plate for a 2-2 tie. Joey Werlech was brought in to relief pitch and the final out was made by shortstop Alex Coats, throwing South Highline’s batter out at first.
With one last shot before extra innings, West Seattle first baseman Geoffrey Wukelic hit a solid double. Pitch runner DJ Kemp came in for Wukelic. The next two batters flied out to center field, and lead-off batter Jack Larsen ended the game with an RBI single. DJ Kemp slid head first into home plate for the photo finish, beating the throw home and securing the 3-2 victory in the bottom of the 7th.
West Seattle will now play on July 16th at Sherman Anderson Field in Mount Vernon at 1 pm. Follow all tournament results on website, Facebook, and/or Twitter.
Congratulations and good luck!
Something else big happening in the Alki area tomorrow, along with the Seafair Pirates Landing – a baseball tournament hosted by West Seattle Little League! Thanks to Cami MacNamara for sharing the news:
We are proud to announce the District 7 Little League All-Star Tournament for 11-12 year olds will commence at Bar S [64th & Admiral], beginning this Saturday, July 7 at 10 am!! Come on down to watch some great baseball with your entire family while five teams battle it out in this double-elimination tourney to determine who moves on to the State Championships! West Seattle Little League plays on Sunday at 1 pm.
If you and your kids enjoyed their season at Bar S, this is an event not to be missed! There will be vendors, a 50-50 raffle, and, of course, the comestibles available at the Snack Shack so as to round out that full-body Little League experience. Come on down and join the fun!
Cami adds that WSLL’s Senior Team, ages 15-16, is playing the South Highline Nationals tonight at PacWest Field in Seatac – and the winner will advance to the state Little League Senior Tournament in Mount Vernon. Watch westseattlelittleleague.com for updates (and we’ll update here later, too).
11:30 PM UPDATE: WSLL won that game and is off to the state tournament!
Just stopped by West Seattle Runner (WSB sponsor; California/Charlestown) to say hi to (from left) co-proprietors Tim McConnell and Lori McConnell and Ilana Balint from Run for Good Racing Company, as they sign up participants for the first-ever Float Dodger 5K. Till 4 pm, you can get a $5 discount on registration, plus some of Lori’s birthday cake (raffles and giveaways too):
The run/walk will precede the West Seattle Grand Parade on July 21st, as a charity fundraiser (Leukemia/Lymphoma Society and Rotary Club of West Seattle) and a fun way to make the day even more fun, for participants and spectators. If you missed our earlier mentions and don’t see this till after 4, you can still sign up online – just go here – or by stopping by WS Runner.
Go see a Mariners game while helping the West Seattle High School baseball team! They play in the annual High School Baseball Classic at Safeco Field every spring, and part of the deal is for WSHS to help sell tickets to an M’s game. This year, they’re selling tickets to a second game to meet their quota, and offering you the chance to buy in: The game is Saturday, September 22, vs. the Texas Rangers. You can get what would be an $20 ticket for $8 (***that’s the corrected amount – we had the numbers transposed previously**). If you’re interested, call Gina at 206-779-9793.
Thanks to Bev Corey – who edits West Seattle High School‘s comprehensive weekly newsletter “Westside Weekly” – for sharing the news that WSHS head baseball coach Velko Vitalich has been honored as the 2012 High School Varsity Coach of the Year by the Northwest Baseball Umpires Association:
The members of the Northwest Baseball Umpires Association recognize Coach Vitalich for his outstanding contributions to the lessons he imparts to his West Seattle High School team and students. Coach Vitalich exemplifies the extension of the classroom to our athletic fields by his consistent and exceptional portrayal of the highest ideals. The West Seattle High School teams and students all benefit from their participation in the opportunities to experience competition, leadership, honor, respect, confidence, teamwork, focus, discipline, humility, pride and determination.
President : Rich Johnson
Director: John Philbeck
Last month, the WSHS varsity team made it all the way to the state tournament. Congrats to the coach for this honor!
Ta-da! You saw it in the shop at South Seattle Community College‘s Automotive Technology zone one week ago (WSB coverage here), and today, the Schumacher Racing hydroplane rolled out, showing off its new look. (Official name, so you can watch for it during Seafair in August: The #37 Miss Beacon Plumbing H1 Unlimited Hydroplane.) Video and more photos, coming up.
ADDED 9:54 PM: Scroll through our sequence of photos and video as the event unfolded, starting as one last component was carried over to be placed atop the hydro:
As reported here last month, there’s a youth sport here in West Seattle that hasn’t gotten as much buzz as field sports like soccer and baseball, but has athletes achieving big things: Riflery. Tonight, we have an update from coach Joe Matter on a team that’s just gotten word of major national success, and will be off to a championship event later this month:
The West Seattle Thunderbirds have had a busy junior season. These four girls: 9th Graders Lily Voynick, Corinne Blair, Juniors Emma Carey and Lauren Phillips, are one of only a few all girl teams competing nationally.
These girls won the NRA National Junior Sectional – Indoor Conventional Position Smallbore Rifle team title, shooting an 1573/1600. Lily Voynick placed 2nd with a 398/400. They are also awaiting confirmation of breaking the National Women’s Team record for metallic sights, last set in 1969.
They further went on to win their age group, Intermediate Junior, and finish 4th overall in the NRA National Junior Sectional – Precision Air Rifle Position team competition. Lily Voynick finished 11th in the Intermediate Junior Division, shooting a 581/600.
And finally, they took 2nd in the Intermediate Junior division of the NRA National Junior Sectional – Indoor Metric Position Smallbore Rifle, shooting a 2203/2400. Lauren Phillips led the team with a 566/600 and finished 6th in the Intermediate Junior division and 15th overall. They are also awaiting confirmation of 2 more National records: The Intermediate Junior Team Record and the Women’s Team Record in this event.
The team is heading south to Anniston, AL to compete in the NRA Jr. 3P Air Gun Championships and the CMP 3P Air Rifle Championships at the end of June.
(Photo courtesy SSCC)
Remember our story last week about the Schumacher Racing hydroplane getting paint and refinishing work courtesy of the Automotive Technology program at South Seattle Community College? It’s almost done and tomorrow, you are invited to the event “launching” the hydro. Just in from SSCC:
The public is invited to the “launch” of the No. 37 hydroplane owned by legendary Billy Schumacher as it departs the South Seattle Community College campus at 2 pm, Thursday, June 14. It will be the first time the boat’s 2012 racing season colors and sponsor graphics will be revealed. Owner Billy Schumacher, former driver, will be on hand.
The boat has been housed at the college while Automotive Collision Repair students have given it a complete make-over, including stripping the old paint, and applying the new color and clear coat. At the same time, Heavy Duty Diesel and Automotive Technology students have performed major maintenance on the truck that will tow the No. 37 across the US during the racing season.
The boat is owned by legendary Billy Schumacher (“Billy the Kid”), the former unlimited champion driver who won 17 races from 1967-1976, and is perhaps best known for his unprecedented string of wins with the Miss Bardahl team. Schumacher Racing has paid a shop fee and materials costs for the student project.
The newly-painted and refinished boat will carry the South Seattle Community College name and logo on its side as it competes throughout the U.S. and in Qatar this season.
The automotive program is just south of the north parking lot on campus, accessible from the north entrance at 6000 16th SW on Puget Ridge.
Still have room in your summer-camp program? Let us know – we’re putting together a list this week. For starters, here’s an update from Chief Sealth International High School basketball coach Colin Slingsby:
Sealth Basketball and Life Skills Camp is hosting three sessions this summer, and registration is still open for all sessions! The dates are as follows:
Session 1- June 25th to June 29th (about 20 spots left!)
Session 2- July 9th to July 13th
Session 3- August 6th to August 10thHere is a direct link to the camp brochure and registration info.
ORIGINAL 3:21 PM REPORT: Thanks to Michael for sharing the photo of the Marlins. They’re the winners of the West Seattle Little League end-of-season tournament minor-league championship after beating the Nationals 13-4 on Saturday.
ADDED 6:05 PM: And congratulations to the Cubs, who won the WSLL EOS major-league championship this afternoon, per this report, winning 10-1 over the Cardinals.
For the second time in less than a year, a deadly heart attack has felled a youth-sports coach on the sidelines of a field in West Seattle. Last October, it was 38-year-old West Seattle Soccer Club coach Ed Kingston, at Riverview Playfield; last Thursday, KIRO TV reported today, 34-year-old baseball coach Ian Holding died on a field at the Southwest Athletic Complex. The KIRO report links to a memorial website for Coach Holding, which says family and friends are gathering tonight in Normandy Park to remember him. The tribute website says he was a coach for the 15U team of the Burien-based Washington Brewers, part of the Seattle Elite Baseball League, and that his 15- and 7-year-old sons were there when it happened. A memorial fund has been set up; donation information is here.
(Photo by Dave Howard, courtesy West Seattle Running Club)
Notice something suddenly more visible on the Alki Trail? The West Seattle Running Club has repainted its mileage markers. Club member Melissa Ransdell shares this report:
The mileage markers along the outside edge of the Alki Trail are now easier for runners, walkers and others to spot. Members of the West Seattle Running Club recently repainted them. Four miles of trail are accurately marked off in quarter mile increments beginning at the start of the paved trail on Alki Avenue, continuing north around Harbor Avenue, then heading east under the West Seattle Bridge. The four-mile mark is just before Chelan Café.
The markers were first installed in the late ’90s by West Seattle Running Club members, using an engineer’s wheel for accuracy, to make it easier to calculate distance and pace. City of Seattle provided permission and Salty’s funded the cost of the initial materials. Club members donate time and materials to keep them maintained.
Joggers and runners who are 40 years old and over and looking for year-round motivation and support are encouraged to check out West Seattle Running Club. Newcomers who can jog at least three miles at any pace are welcome. Meet members and learn more on Sunday mornings at 8:30 at the Statue of Liberty (the ¼ mile mark on the Alki Trail) or at www.westseattlerunningclub.org.
Even with summer still a few weeks away, it’s fall-registration season for West Seattle Soccer Club, and they’re asking everyone to register early – not just players, but also coaches and volunteers. Players who sign up by June 30th get “priority placement on their former teams,” per the WSSC announcement. Sign up online at westseattlesoccer.org. (And when you do, you get to buy the new WSSC scarf for $10 – more pics on the club’s Facebook page.)
Just announced by Greg Whittaker, proprietor of Mountain to Sound Outfitters and Alki Kayak Tours, a new venture right on the beach!
Mountain to Sound Outfitters has finalized a permit for Stand Up Paddleboard Rentals on Alki Beach with Seattle Parks and Recreation.
The concession will be located off of 55th Ave SW and Alki Avenue at the human-powered launch area of Alki Beach. This Saturday, Mountain to Sound Rentals will be open and renting Stand up Paddleboards (SUP) for the sunny weather and to start setting up the season’s program.
Mountain to Sound Rentals will also be providing sit-on-top kayaks, skates, and longboards as the season progresses.
Come by and check out the new expansion Saturday, and hop on a Stand Up Paddleboard, or just swing by and say hi.
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