(Photo courtesy Andrew Malinak)

3:09 PM: After about four and a half hours of swimming – starting at about 10:30 this morning off Bremerton – 25-year-old West Seattleite Rose Filer is getting close to Alki Point. She’s on what the Northwest Open Water Swimming Association calls the Amy Hiland Swim, named for the first person to complete it. It’s only been completed by a handful in the half-century-plus since, and Rose is the latest (backstory here). You can see live tracking here; we’re off to Alki Point to see if we can catch up with her at the finish.

(WSB photos/video from here down)

3:45 PM: She did it! 5 hours, 12 minutes, 30 seconds.

5:24 PM: Added a few photos above, and here’s the congratulatory champagne:

It’s been two years since Erika Norris became the first person to complete the swim since Hiland herself. With today’s swim, Rose Filer was the fourth person to do it since then – see the list here.

Want to help launch a new sports league? Still room for teams, says Queen City Futsal League co-founder Ashlee Henderson:

Queen City Futsal League will be launching its first season this fall and we couldn’t be more excited! The sport of futsal is the way the world plays indoor soccer. It is played on a hard surface (think basketball court) with out-of-bound lines rather than arena walls. It is played by more than 12 million people, in over 100 countries, on all of the continents in the world. Futsal has become a rapidly growing phenomenon in the United States, especially in places like Los Angeles and Portland. We want to pave the way with our league being the first of its kind in Seattle.

For the past year, we have been hosting drop-in futsal nights (both co-ed and women’s), as well as putting on tournaments, and we’ve learned that there is a real demand for an actual league. This first season will be co-ed, held on Sundays at the Salvation Army (in West Seattle – 9050 16th Ave SW), and we’re hoping to have 10 teams of 10 players between the ages of 18-40 years old.

Futsal is an ideal environment for developing one’s soccer game, but more than anything, it’s just fun and it creates community! For more information, you can check us out at hoodvshood.redpodium.com/queen-city-futsal-fall18.

If you have any questions, know of any players that might be interested in playing, and/or know of any businesses that might want to sponsor us or be a part of our league, you can email us at queencityfutsalsea@gmail.com.

As explained on the QCFL website, teams are co-ed, age 18 and up.

Another achievement for a young West Seattle runner whose family has sent updates over the years (2014, 2015, 2016) – and his next project is something you can help with:

Miles Trius, age 13, completed his first marathon, the Santa Rosa Marathon in Santa Rosa, CA, today.

Miles has been running in half marathons since he was 8 and wanted to try a full 26.2 marathon before high school. Miles will be an 8th grader this year at Our Lady of Guadalupe School in West Seattle. He has been inspired by his dad Ernesto, a retired Navy Chief. They trained for this marathon together.

He finished with a time of 4:21. He also placed 3rd for his age group (1-19). Thank you to The Santa Rosa Marathon for suppprting his running. Also, a thank you to his coach and mentor Daren Monroe of Our Lady of Guadalupe School for helping him the last 9 years become a great runner.

Miles is also currently raising money for his cross country/track team. He would like to buy new uniforms and scholarship money for future runners. Miles will be mentoring the younger runners this year during the Fall.

You can read about – and contribute to – Miles’s crowdfunding campaign by going here.

(Winners Taylor and Hirtle)

Story and photos by Randall Hauk
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

28 human-powered watercraft and their humans braved unseasonal weather and subpar air quality to participate in the 2018 edition of the annual Great Cross-Sound Race, which launched off Alki Beach at 9 am Saturday morning.

The race, presented by Sound Rowers Open-Water Rowing and Paddling club, is open to all human-powered watercraft Event organizer Jeff Knakal said he was pleased with the turnout for the race, in light of the lingering smoke in the area.

“It’s great to see the variety of boats,” said Knakal (photo above), who, with wife Theresa Knakal, has been directing the race since 2001. “We have everything from a prone paddler to a four-man rowing shell, and beginners to very experienced rowers.”

While the vast majority of entrants used kayaks or rowing shells, this year’s race also featured a pedal boat and a stand-up paddleboard.

James Taylor and Peter Hirtle completed the course in 53:15 in their two-person open-water boat to best the field of 28. The final finisher was Ralph Allen, who crossed the sound in a wooden fixed-seat boat, finishing in just under two hours and 21 minutes.

¨I am surprised that it went as well as it did, considering the weather and the smoke,” said Knakal, who has been directing the race since 2001. ¨The boats came in really fast for the conditions. I thought the chase boat might turn some of the less-experienced people back, but that didn’t happen, so that was great.¨

(Club photographer Michael Lampi in his pedalboat)

Knakal says the race originated from a bar bet over whether the Sound could be rowed across in an hour. The 1988 race was the last to finish at Bainbridge Island, with all subsequent races starting and ending off Alki Beach. The current course, adopted in 1994, runs more than seven miles in a triangle starting from Alki and going around Blakely Rock and a buoy near Decatur Reef before returning to West Seattle.

¨It got really windy toward the island and got super-tough going around Blakely Rock,” said stand-up paddleboarder Zak Abeles, a student recently transplanted here from the San Francisco bay area who completed his route in 1 hour, 42 minutes. ¨It was raining out there, but it was pretty fun.¨

Watch this page for full results. Meantime, Sound Rowers’ next race is the Bainbridge Island Marathon on September 15, which is their longest race of the year. Club membership is not required for participation.

(August 2017 photo by David Hutchinson, from Boiland/Leslie swim)

Last August, Lauren Boilini and Jerome Leslie did it, one year after Erika Norris became the first swimmer to do it in more than half a century. We’re referring to what’s known as the Amy Hiland Swim, Bremerton to Alki Point, named after the woman who did it in 1959. In two weeks, a West Seattle woman’s going to take on the challenge. The announcement was sent by Andrew Malinak, president of the Northwest Open Water Swimming Association:

Rose Filer, 25, of West Seattle will attempt a solo swim crossing from Bremerton to Alki Light. Ms. Filer will make the attempt accompanied by a boat and crew, along with an official from the Northwest Open Water Swimming Association. The 10.4 mile swim, first completed in 1959 by Amy Hiland, will begin on August 31st at about 10:30 am and should finish at Alki Light around 4:00 pm.

Rose Filer is originally from Nederland, CO and moved to Seattle to attend the University of Washington where she competed in rowing. She has been training regularly at Alki Beach for the past two years, and is very familiar with the challenges posed by the cold water, weather, and currents in this part of the Puget Sound. This will be Ms. Filer’s first marathon swim attempt.

The swim will be sanctioned and recorded by the Northwest Open Water Swimming Association (NOWSA), a 501c3 non-profit promoting the sport of marathon swim in the Northwest. In the spirit and traditions of marathon swimming, this swim will follow rules that do not allow for any assistance from heat-retention or buoyancy aids. NOWSA has sanctioned 4 successful attempts at the Bremerton-to-Alki route.

You’ll be able to track the event on August 31st, as with other NOWSA swims, at track.rs/nowsa.

(Photo courtesy West Seattle YMCA)

The West Seattle YMCA (WSB sponsor) is registering kids for fall outdoor soccer through Friday! Here’s the reminder:

Get in the game this fall with Y soccer. Kids learn the rules of the game, sharpen skills like dribbling, passing, defense and offense while learning teamwork and sportsmanship. YMCA youth sports encourage and promote healthy kids, families, and communities by placing a priority on family involvement, healthy competition rather than rivalry, the value of participation over winning, team-building as well as individual development, a positive self-image and a sense of fair play and mutual respect for others. Parents are encouraged to be more than mere spectators, by contributing their time as volunteer coaches—as well as being their kid’s greatest fan. Learn more and sign up here.

It was the first time the West Seattle Little League All-Stars (12-year-olds) had won the state championship and advanced to the Northwest Regionals … and tonight, after their third game, the history-making season finally came to a close. WSLL lost to the Oregon state champs from Beaverton, 7-3, in San Bernardino, California. Congratulations to the team, their families, and the WSLL organization for achievements that turned many local eyes to youth baseball for the first time!

(WSLL viewing party at Great American Diner & Bar tonight – photo tweeted by @olysportsblog)

The final score is in: The West Seattle Little League All-Stars won tonight’s must-win game at the Northwest Regionals, 11-2 over Alaska. (See the game stats here.) That means they play again tomorrow (Wednesday, August 8th), this time vs. the Oregon state champs (from Murrayhill LL in Beaverton), 4 pm, for a ticket to the semifinals.

The cheers resounded from 1,000 miles away, but the end result was disappointment from San Bernardino to Seattle as Little League Northwest Regionals play opened with a 16-6 loss for the West Seattle Little League All-Stars. Barry J. White sent the photo from the local viewing party we mentioned here last night, reporting:

A large contingent of 60+ Westside fans watched from the Great American Diner. It wasn’t the result anyone hoped or expected, but the crowd was loud and enthusiastic throughout. Despite the 16-6 result after five innings, many expressed confidence the team would bounce back on Tuesday.

The state-champion WSLL players’ opponents today were the Idaho champs from Coeur d’Alene; here are the game stats. At 7 pm Tuesday, West Seattle will play either Alaska or Montana.

Want to join neighbors in rooting for the state-champion West Seattle Little League All-Stars as they start the next phase of their quest to get to the Little League World Series? A viewing party is planned, says Kathy Powers of WSLL:

We’d love to invite the community to join together and cheer for our West Seattle Little League boys at a viewing party at the Great American Diner and Bar. They have subscribed to ESPN+ and will be airing the games. If you can’t join the fun in person, you can always follow along with ESPN+ (7 day free trial right now for the app).

Great American is at 4752 California SW. WSLL’s first game is 4 pm Sunday, vs. Idaho – you’ll find the listing here. This is WSLL’s first trip to the regionals; the same team won the state championship as the 11-year-old All Stars last year, but that age group doesn’t go to regional competition. Meantime, the crowdfunding campaign to cover expenses continues here.

The state-champion West Seattle Little League All-Stars traveled today Southern California today to get ready for their first game at 4 pm Sunday in the Little League Northwest Regionals. The photo is from a team mom, Brooke Gosztola; she reports, “The team met bright and early (5:00 a.m.) at Sea-Tac Airport for their flight to So Cal. Regionals, here they come!”

P.S. As mentioned here Thursday, there’s a crowdfunding campaign to help cover expenses, if you would like to pitch in.

Thanks to West Seattle High School track and field head coach Will Harrison for the report:

Wanted to pass along some special summer accomplishments from some of our Wildcat Track athletes who continued their spring season into a special summer season:

JUNE

At the U20 USA Track and Field Junior Championships held in Bloomington, IN, June 15-17, state champions Cass Elliott and Chloe Cunliffe competed well. This meet is considered to be the most prestigious youth/junior meet in the country, in which many of the top competitors have just finished their freshman year in college, and in which the top 2 athletes in each event qualified to represent the US at the World Junior Championships in Tampere, Finland. Elliott, now graduated and UW-bound, wound up 4th in the 400-meter hurdles in a personal best 51.72, and was the top high school finisher. Senior-to-be Cunliffe, representing NW Pole Vault and Seattle Speed TC, wound up 6th in the pole vault with a vault of 13 feet, 3.5 inches, the second high-school finisher.

JULY

(Chloe Cunliffe setting the 17-18 Junior Olympic National Meet Record in North Carolina. Photo courtesy of Tim Reilly)

At the USATF “Junior Olympic” regional in Bend, OR July 5th through 18th, Cunliffe cleared 14 feet even to equal the #1 jump for any high-school athlete in the nation in 2018. This mark also broke her own Washington state record. She would go on to capture the Junior Olympic National title in Greensboro, NC on July 27th for ages 17-18, in a meet record 13-11.

Also at the regional meet, senior-to be Rylee Farrison, representing Seattle Speed, ran a big personal best in the 400 meters, 50.12 seconds, to advance to the national finals. Now-graduated Joe Kirk-Woodbury (High Voltage TC), who placed 3rd at State this spring in the discus, qualified to the national finals in 3 events- shot put (45’10”), discus (143’8″), and hammer throw (157’2.5″). Elliott competed in the Junior Olympic National Meet and wound up 2nd in the 400-meter hurdles for the 3rd straight year, running in 52.13 seconds. All 3 athletes competed in the 17-18 age bracket.

The photo and report are from team manager Jenny Ancich:

The West Seattle HSA Select Girls’ U12 team won the Outpatient Physical Therapy Summer Challenge tournament held in Maple Valley July 27 -29. They were undefeated, winning their 3 regulation matches, then winning their semi-final, making it to the final match. It was a penalty-kick shootout, with HSA coming out on top! Many thanks to the girls for toughing it out in the heat, and to head coach Kevin Broveleit and assistant coach Brett Ho!

(Photos by Barry J. White)

4 PM: Just in from Sedro-Woolley – the West Seattle Little League All-Star 12s are state champions, beating Pacific (in their third faceoff) 8-4. Thanks again to Cami MacNamara for the updates, and thanks to Barry J. White for the photo above (added 4:13 pm). Barry adds, “The team now plays as Washington in the Northwest regional. Play begins next weekend in San Bernardino, CA.” More later!

ADDED 4:28 PM: The double play that ended the game:

Thanks for the video (by Stephen Foster)!

ADDED 8:32 PM: More photos/highlights from Barry J. White:

The teams and umpires arrayed for the national anthem.

Tristan Buehring is greeted at home following his three-run homer to right that capped a five-run second inning for Westside.

The players huddle before each at-bat to motivate for hits and runs. It seemed to work. West Seattle scored 60 runs in seven games to easily outpace the tournament field.

Eli Palmer got the start three days after a rough outing against the same Pacific side. He came through in the clutch today, pitching into the fifth inning and giving up three runs on six hits.

Caden Fahy steams to third following Palmer’s double in the bottom of the fifth.

Robbie Foisy reacts to his teammates in the dugout after a two-out double that scored Fahy and Palmer. It put Westside up 8-4 after Pacific had rallied to within a run.

Parker Eley jumps into the arms of Miles Gosztola after third baseman Bobby Trigg started a crisp 5-4-3 double play to end the game. Eley recorded the final five outs to pick up his second save in as many days.

Scenes of delirium on the infield.

Skillful play, camaraderie, and class won Westside a lot of new fans during their runs through the district and state tournaments. West Seattle can be proud of their first representative on the regional stage. Manager Mike Fahy and coaches Sean Eley and Brian Sherick have done a masterful job keeping the kids motivated and focused during their winning run.

And Kathy Powers, WSLL communications, wants to be sure you know the names of all the state-champ players:

Blake Taft, Bobby Trigg, Caden Fahy, Eli Palmer, Jake Daily, Joe Sherick, Matthew Hazlegrove, Matthew Henning, Miles Gosztola, Parker Eley, Robbie Foisy, Simon Vance, Tristan Buehring, Wyatt Glover

Regionals, she tells us, start one week from today – August 5th.

P.S. Thanks to Cami and Kathy for word that this is the first WSLL 12s (Majors) team to win a state championship. This team won the 11s championship last year but that age group does not move on to regional competition – this one does, and it’s a WSLL first.