West Seattle, Washington
10 Wednesday
(At left, Steve Sundquist, who hit a home run just before we left for breaking news, with Tom Rasmussen and Tim Burgess)
5:13 PM: Exactly one month till the primary election – but the challengers-vs.-incumbents match that just got under way here at Lincoln Park may be even more of a thriller – mostly because of the weather; it began just as the downpour hit (and now, a bit of sun).
(Video added, game’s start during the aforementioned downpour)
Back at their endorsements meeting, the 34th District Democrats publicly invited just about every politician in the room to come join in a softball game at their annual picnic – and most if not all of them accepted. Officeholders we’ve seen include five Seattle City Councilmembers (Tim Burgess, Sally Clark, Jean Godden, Bruce Harrell, Tom Rasmussen), two U.S. Reps. (governor candidate Jay Inslee and Jim McDermott), State Reps. Eileen Cody and Joe Fitzgibbon, King County Councilmember Joe McDermott, and School Board member Steve Sundquist; candidates include Diana Toledo from the King County Council Position 8 race; Maurice Classen, Bobby Forch, Michael Taylor-Judd, Brad Meacham from City Council races, and pro/anti Referendum 1 (tunnel) reps.
7:56 PM: Finally got a chance to add some of our photos – after the jump (PLUS – added 1:48 am Sunday – game recap courtesy of Michael Heavey):Read More
From West Seattle Little League president Mark Terao:
Our 11-12 West Seattle Little League All-Stars beat Rainier Little League All-Stars 12-3 in 6 innings (Friday) night, capturing the District 7 Championship. This title sends the 11-12 West Seattle Little League All-Stars to the State Tournament in Vancouver, Washington, the week of July 23rd.
Manager: John Coats
Coach: Howard Chilcott
Coach: Tim Johnson
Players: Jackson Chilcott, Anthony Coats, Jax Cramer, Matt Dietz, Zach Gerhardt, Anthony Goss, Tyler Hammond, Blue James, David Johnson, Tim Roach, Adam Wickler
This team is the second WSLL All-Stars team to win the district championship this season; the 10-11 All-Stars go to state later this month, and their fundraising car wash is coming up this Sunday (details here).
A brand-new fundraising 5K is launching in West Seattle this summer – and this one will be in Lincoln Park instead of the popular route along Alki. The date for the Breathe Deep Seattle run/walk is August 13th; it’s a fundraiser to fight lung cancer. And tomorrow, noon-4 pm, you can find out more about it at a registration party at West Seattle Runner (WSB sponsor; California/Charlestown).
Another side note from the West Seattle/Admiral 4th of July Kids’ Parade (full report still in the works): At the end of the route, Hamilton Viewpoint Park, we found Ethan, Austin, and Kevin, promoting a fundraising car wash next Sunday, 10 am-2 pm at Bar-S Playfield on Alki Point, to raise money for the West Seattle Little League 10-11 All-Stars‘ upcoming trip to the state tournament in Eastern Washington. (If you can’t read the fine print – free coffee while you wait!)
It’s a learning experience not only for campers, but for their coaches, at Chief Sealth International High School‘s 14th annual Basketball and Life Skills Camp. We stopped by the school Friday as the first of this summer’s three weeklong sessions concluded. Coming off his CSIHS team’s amazing year, going all the way to the state 3A Final Four at the Tacoma Dome, award-winning Coach Colin Slingsby was talking with some of the young men and women who help coach the campers.
Slingsby co-directs the camp with Sealth athletic director Sam Reed and Denny International Middle School‘s Coach Diallo Jackson. (When we stopped by on Friday, we spotted CSIHS principal John Boyd there too.) Check out the brochure here – it breaks down the typical day and explains how “life skills” figure into it as well as basketball skills. Two more one-week sessions for 2nd through 9th graders (fall ’11 grades), for both genders, are ahead, one starting July 11th and another starting August 8th;
Congratulations to the West Seattle Little League 10-11 All-Stars team for winning the District 7 All-Star Tournament, which sends them on to state-level play. WSLL president Mark Terao (who shared the photo) says that tournament will be in Cheney, July 16-24. The WSLL 10-11 All-Stars won the district title after beating PacWest 6-2; that followed their 12-1 win over Rainier and a tournament-opening 9-1 win over PacWest. Mark O’Neil manages the team and Terao coaches; players are Ethan Chen, Kevin Chen, Dylan Diggdon, Chris Drake, Austin Grambihler, Grayson O’Neil, Kai Osaka, Alex Pastrana, Gage Rowlands, Max Rubin-Stencel, Jacob Terao, Grant VanDerHijde. Between now and the team’s state-tournament games, WSLL has an 11-12 All-Star Tournament starting this Saturday at Alki’s Bar-S Playfield, and a Juniors/Seniors All-Star Tournament starting that same day at Rainier Playfield.
A rocky spot for the future skatespot in Roxhill Park: It had full funding from the Parks and Green Spaces Levy and a green light from the city – and then came a donation. Usually a cause for celebration, but in this case, the city Skate Park Advisory Committee wants the Parks Department to turn it down. They say the donation announced early last month is locking the city into a contract for the skateboarding facility to be built by a company that ranked low when the Request for Qualifications went out. Read on:Read More
From proud coach Marc McCann, the photo and this report:
Congratulations to the West Seattle Peewee Baseball 9U All-Stars for their excellent performance on the diamond over the weekend of June 24 to 26. On their way to the Jr. Mustang Championship, the West Seattle “Snakes,” as they call themselves after their reptilian garter-snake friends at the field, won seven straight games, allowing less than five runs per game and scoring on average 19.7 runs per game. The team also executed many flawless innings in the field during their three days at the tournament. The “Snakes” will continue to play fierce on their quest toward the PONY Regional Championship to be held in Enumclaw, WA, in mid-July. The team is grateful for the support of their fans, and especially the family members who assisted in preparing and maintaining the fields, running the Snack Shack and cheering them on throughout the tournament.
For those who like marking their calendars way in advance, today’s postal mail brought word of a new 5K added to the Alki schedule this year: October 16th is the date for the first-ever Beat the Burn 5K run/walk and “kids’ dash.” It’s co-presented by Port of Seattle Fire Department Local 1257 Firefighters and the Northwest Burn Foundation, which the event’s proceeds will benefit. More info to come later this summer.
(August 2010 Alki Beach 5K photo by Christopher Boffoli for WSB)
It’s a gorgeous course for a great cause – August 28th is this year’s date for the Alki Beach 5K walk/run benefiting Northwest Hope and Healing, which helps newly diagnosed breast-cancer patients. You can save the online registration fees if you stop by West Seattle Runner (WSB sponsor) to sign up – and in fact, while you’re out and about, they’re having a registration party right now, till 4 pm.
ADDED 2:16 PM: At the store this afternoon, we found Shari Sewell (left) and Camille Boushay (right) from NW Hope and Healing, with WS Runner’s Lori McConnell. Treats for those who stop by to register! The table is right inside the store door, upstairs on the west side of the building.
The water and newly opened beach at Jack Block Park are alive with activity as the first day of the first-ever Northwest Paddling Festival continues. Both veteran paddlers and beginners are taking the chance for a closeup look at what’s new:
And if you’re just curious – not sure if you’re ready to try it out – you can wander the booths on the boardwalk:
KING 5 was live at the festival during their newscast this morning, with Alki Kayak Tours/Mountain to Sound Outfitters‘ Greg Whittaker (and others) – here’s one of their reports:
Today’s events continue till 6 pm – and then 9 am to 5 pm again tomorrow; the full schedule is here.
No, the semi-truck trailers lined up in the parking lot at vacant Boren School on Delridge don’t mean anyone’s moving in. They’re staging for a move involving two other campuses – the big migration, starting tomorrow afternoon, from the old Denny International Middle School to the new one alongside nearby Chief Sealth International High School.
When we asked Seattle Public Schools about the truck trailers, suspecting they had something to do with the Denny move – which precedes abatement work to prepare for demolition, as explained at last week’s informational meeting – we learned something else: Boren, 2+ miles from Denny, is being used as staging because of a big sporting event at the Southwest Athletic Complex east of Denny this weekend, so that parking lot is off-limits. That’s according to SPS spokesperson Teresa Wippel, who says this notice went to Denny-area residents today:
Denny International Middle School will be relocating, beginning this Thursday, June 23rd. School District staff will be moving furniture and equipment to the new building, continuing into early next week. “No Parking” signs will be posted along the west and south sides of the building as well as along 29th AVE SW between SW Cloverdale St and SW Trenton St. and you will see moving trailers on these streets.
On Saturday, June 25, and Sunday, June 26, the Southwest Athletic Complex will be the site of the Pacific Northwest Junior Olympics Track and Field Championships. A large crowd is expected.
Information about, and the schedule for, the track/field meet is on its website.
(Photo courtesy Paul Riek)
In addition to Saturday’s Morgan Junction Community Festival, there’s another festival in West Seattle this weekend, and it’s a first-time event. Maybe you’ve seen the banner hanging over the entrance to Jack Block Park (a public park on Port of Seattle land off Harbor Avenue SW) – it went up a few days ago, and it’s your invitation to the Northwest Paddling Festival this Saturday and Sunday (June 25-26).
The festival is not just for the hardcore kayaker/stand-up paddleboarder. If you’ve been thinking about trying the sport – or if you prefer to be a spectator – it’s for you too. An Olympic-medalist kayaker will even be on hand. The marine-life protectors of Seal Sitters will too.
And it will kick off with a historic moment: The beach at Jack Block Park is being reopened to the public, in a ceremony on the festival’s eve.
We spoke Monday afternoon with two of the organizers, Paul Riek from Sea Kayaker Magazine and Rob Stowell from West Seattle’s Mountain to Sound Outfitters, to get more details on what you’ll see if you go:Read More
(WSB photos by Patrick Sand)
“Dreams do come true,” exulted West Seattle Little League president Mark Terao as he and WSLL leaders past, present, and future cut the ribbon formally dedicating the Bar-S Playfield improvements they fought hard to make happen.
Central among them, the new “Snack Shack” in front of which the ribbon was stretched for the brief ceremony, led by Terao:
(WSB video by Tracy Record)
The architect who donated his time was part of it too, Rich Murakami, ski-jacketed in the chilly drizzle:
(Murakami is not only a nearby resident, he’s also made his mark on West Seattle in another very-visible project – the Southwest Precinct.)
The dedication was part of a celebration that defied the day’s off-and-on rain, bookended by a season-ending barbecue, among other things. More after the jump:Read More
Three more sign-up events are ahead for the Southwest Athletic Club (SWAC) youth football and cheer programs – and the next one is tomorrow. The SWAC Football/Cheer program recently joined the WSB sponsor team and is signing up boys and girls, ages 7-14, for the season that starts with August 1st practices. SWAC is a West Seattle-based nonprofit organization; board president Eric Larse says its purpose is to teach “youth teamwork, discipline and self-esteem through participation in youth football and cheer activities. We provide a safe structured and positive environment that stresses dedication, teamwork, and sportsmanship, which teaches as much about life as it does football and cheer.”
Practices are at the Southwest Athletic Complex, across SW Thistle from Chief Sealth International High School. Tomorrow’s sign-up event is 11 am-2 pm at Roxbury Safeway, 9620 28th SW; others are listed on the SWAC website.
As West Seattle Little League families look toward the end-of-season barbecue and Snack Shack dedication this Saturday (3 pm, Bar-S Playfield – bring a donation for the West Seattle Food Bank), they also have just been through the excitement of the championships. Sharon Eldredge shares the top photo with the news that the Blue Jays won the WSLL Minors championship last Sunday and will represent West Seattle this weekend at the Tournament of Champions in Normandy Park. (That’s particularly big news around her house, since she’s mom to two of the players!) “They had a pretty young team with amazing positive energy and team spirit,” she says, with words of congratulations for first-year minors coach Stan Debiec. Congratulations to all the WSLL players, and good luck to the Blue Jays as well as everyone else going on to TOC!
A championship weekend for West Seattle Pee Wee Baseball! League president Eric Olson shares the photo and this report:
West Seattle Pee Wee Baseball played their championship games for the Pinto (7-8 year olds) and Mustang (9-10 year olds) on Saturday. Congratulations to the Menashe Pinto and Alki Lumber Mustang teams for their hard-fought wins. The championships were extremely close, requiring a double-header and extra innings in the second game for both divisions.
For more pictures and a complete update on how the championship games went on
Saturday, visit the WSAPWB website, and the West Seattle Association of Pee Wee Baseball Facebook page.
(Photo courtesy Serevi Rugby)
One more addition to our roundup of West Seattle summer camps (initiated after some camp providers sent word they still had room for kids to sign up): 2-time Rugby 7s World Cup Champion Waisale Serevi and his team from Serevi Rugby are teaching “the basics of seven-a-side rugby” in four sessions at Hiawatha Playfield this summer. The introductory camps are for ages 7-18, both genders. More info and online registration at serevirugby.com. (Our previously published list of camps is here – no guarantees they all still have room, but if you’re looking, it’s worth checking!)
West Seattle Little League had hoped this would happen as the new season begun … but the stars just didn’t align. Now, they have, and the long-awaited “snack shack” dedication date has been set. From WSLL president Mark Terao:
The day has finally come.
Along with the Seattle Parks Department, we at West Seattle Little League will perform our official dedication and ribboncutting ceremony celebrating the completion of our new concession building and storage building at Bar-S Playfield.
Please come and celebrate with us as we give a big Thank You and show our appreciation to all of the people and companies that helped this dream of over 50 years come true.
Through the help of many, we were able to construct a first-class facility that will be enjoyed by thousands of families throughout the Seattle area for years to come.
The dedication will be held at 3:00 Saturday, June 18th, at Bar-S Playfield.
WSLL has been chronicling the project – photos and more – here.
One more event happening tonight: Chief Sealth International High School‘s spring-sports banquet celebration (6 pm at the school). To accompany that event, athletic director Sam Reed has written one of his trademark season recaps, calling the season “one of the most successful” spring-sports seasons ever at Sealth – read on for the details:Read More
Even without a taste of true summer yet, you’ll want to look ahead to fall if you’re involved with – or thinking about getting involved with – the West Seattle Soccer Club. Fall registration is open now online, and they’re looking for coaches/volunteers as well as signing up players. Returning players who register by June 30th get priority placement on their former teams; after that, players go into the “general pool” for assignment on a space-available basis. Got questions? E-mail wsscboard@gmail.com if you can’t find the answers at westseattlesoccer.org.
One more to put on your radar for next Saturday: The West Seattle High School Girls’ Volleyball Team will be at the West Seattle Produce lot (10:30 am-2 pm) to wash your car. They need to raise money for new gear and fees for next season, and your donation in exchange for car-washing will be more than welcome. WSP is on Fauntleroy just south of Alaska (map); the WSHS volleyball coaches point out you can shop for produce or dine at the Beloved Mexico truck while you wait for your (shiny) car.
Two years in a row, and it starts to feel like a tradition: A late-night triumphant homecoming for the Seattle Lutheran High School baseball team, hours after winning a state-championship game. After the bus rolled up to the north-of-The-Junction school late Saturday night, it was time to gather in the gym for a prayer of thanks:
As reported here earlier, the Saints beat Warden High School in Yakima, 7-1, for the state 2B championship, which they brought home to West Seattle last year too.
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