West Seattle, Washington
08 Monday
First they won the district championship, and now they’ll play for the state championship! Thanks to Darrell Glover for the update:
The West Seattle Little League 10/11-year-old All Stars have gone undefeated at the State Tournament in Vancouver thus far.
After a walk-off nailbiter against Kirkland yesterday, they advance to the State Championship game Saturday morning at 10 am.
Score of the game against Kirkland was 6-5; they have won 4 straight games against the best teams in the State, a special bunch of kids.
GO WESTSIDE !!!!
Thanks to Darrell for the photo and report:
The West Seattle Little League 10 /11 year old All-Star Team went undefeated in winning the District 7 championship Wednesday night. The team is off to the state tournament in Vancouver, Washington. Please wish them luck in their first game, which is Saturday at noon.
The team is made up of coaches Mike Fahey, Sean Ealey, and Brian Sherrick. Players are Miles G, Tristan B, Caden F, Robbie F, Matthew H, Bobby T, Parker E, Blake T, Matthew H, Joe S, Will S, Simon V and Wyatt G.
(Janine Surge with first-place trophy from Western Open)
Congratulations to Janine Surge, a West Seattle resident who’s won a prestigious golf tournament and is on her way to another one. Here’s the announcement:
West Seattle resident Janine Surge is one of four female high-school golfers who will be representing Team Washington at the Girls Junior Americas Cup (GJAC), hosted from August 1st – 3rd, 2017 at Reflection Bay Golf Club in Nevada. The GJAC tournament brings together teams from 17 western states and one (1) team from British Columbia, comprising of the top four girls from each state/country.
En route to earning a spot on Team Washington, Janine claimed a 1st-place finish at the WA State Junior Golf Association’s Western Open, firing rounds of 69 and 70 (two-day total of 5 under par) at Capitol Golf Course in Olympia. She also earned an exemption into the prestigious IMG Junior World Golf Championship, to be contested in San Diego July 11th – 14th, 2017 at Torrey Pines Golf Course by carding rounds to 73 and 74 at the qualifier tournament at Tumwater Golf Course.
Good luck, Janine, at Junior Worlds and GJAC!
Janine is a former Madison Middle School student who will be a junior at Holy Names Academy this fall (but is not currently on the school’s golf team).
(WSB video showing 2016 Float Dodgers leaving the start line)
Continuing our summer-event countdowns … we’re less than three weeks from the sixth annual Float Dodger 5K, 
a fun costumed-if-you-want run/walk that precedes the West Seattle Grand Parade on Saturday, July 22nd. West Seattle Runner (WSB sponsor) presents it:
8:45 am – Free Kids Dash around the track
9:00 am – California Ave SW closes to traffic
9:30 am – Race starts
10:00 am – Awards ceremony and costume contest
10:15 am – Afterparty at West Seattle Runner
10:30 am – Parade floats are unleashed
“The track” is at Hiawatha Community Center (right across the street from WS Runner!), where the Float Dodger 5K starts and finishes again this year. Here’s the course map. The Float Dodger 5K benefits My Team Triumph; you can register online here (or in person at WS Runner, 2743 California SW).
Another baseball team with congratulations due! Sue sent the photo and reports that “the Cardinals won the championship of the Pony level of West Seattle Baseball last Saturday. They beat the Cubs but it took them 10 innings.”
(Added: WSB photos/video from the end of Melissa’s swim)
12:56 PM: If all goes well, distance swimmer Melissa Blaustein of San Francisco will arrive on shore at Alki Point in 4 hours or so. She left Bremerton as of about 12:30. She’s swimming in tribute to Amy Hiland, who did the same swim in 1958, one year after making history by swimming the Strait of Juan de Fuca. You can track Melissa’s swim here. Updates to come!
3:40 PM: The tracker shows Melissa out of Rich Passage and off South Bainbridge Island. She explains on her “Chasing Amy” website that this is the first of her tribute swims, as she hopes to “undertake the challenge of completing as many of Amy Hiland’s swims as possible.”
4:39 PM: She’s now out in the open Sound between Bainbridge and Alki Point. The Northwest Open Water Swimming Association has posted a few updates, including people on a ferry cheering Melissa on. (And yes, this is the same swim that Erika Norris completed last year.)
She made it! pic.twitter.com/XKOdI9RCY2
— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) July 2, 2017
5:54 PM: She made it! As of a few minutes ago, yelling “That was fun!” Video’s on Twitter and we will add here when back at HQ added above – that’s her brother Billy getting out of the water just ahead of her to record her arrival.
7:02 PM: Local marathon swimmer Andrew Malinak, who tipped us to this swim, says two locals, Jerome and Lauren, are planning to do it in late August, so stay tuned for word on that later this summer. Meantime, according to the list on Melissa’s website, she plans to try the Strait of Juan de Fuca in September.
If you’re a runner with some time to spare to help others in your community – Jim McCue has an offer for you. We’ve featured him on WSB recently 
in his role as head coach of the Chief Sealth International High School cross-country team, but he’s also a program manager with the Somali Family Safety Task Force, which has a youth mentorship program coming up titled Run For Change. Jim explains that it “combines long-distance running, health education, and civic engagement” to assist immigrant and refugee youth, many of whom attend Chief Sealth or Denny International Middle School: “Our plan is to align our program with the start and end of each academic year (approx. August to June), culminating in the running of the Seattle Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon. We’re currently in the process of recruiting potential running mentors that would be paired with each student to guide them through both (a) the highs-and-lows of pursuing a dedicated training schedule and (b) a discussion of ways for each student to better approach their personal lives through making healthier decisions for greater behavior change!” Further details:
Mentor Ages: Anyone 20 years and older, preferably in or graduated from college
Gender: all welcome
Skill Levels: all welcome. We’re hoping for a range from technology professionals to artists to engineers, and everyone in between!
Commitment: Mondays and Wednesdays from 4:00 pm to 5:30 pm and Saturdays from 8:00 am-10:00 am. We start August 19 and end with a Turkey Trot during Thanksgiving weekend. We’re hoping to continue the program until the June Rock ‘n Roll Marathon, but that depends on securing additional funding.
An information session is coming up on July 10th at the task force HQ in NewHolly – you can RSVP and get more info here. You’re also welcome to e-mail Jim at ambrosemcq@gmail.com with questions.
First day of summer vacation for Seattle Public Schools students, and some summer-camp decisions have yet to be made. If a 3rd- through 8th-grader in your house is interested in basketball, here’s an offer: Four days of training with the West Seattle High School girls-basketball team – which benefits from the proceeds – focusing on “integrating individual skill into game concepts, (concentrating on) dribbling, shooting, ball handling, footwork, and game-situational skills and drills.” 9 am-noon each day, Monday, July 17th, through Thursday, July 20th, at the WSHS Gym (3000 California SW). $100 for the whole week – you can register right now here, and then pay here. Questions? wshsgirlsbball@gmail.com
(Photos courtesy Clay Eals)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
“It has drama, it has charm, it has youthful exuberance.”
So enthuses Bob Kendrick about “Legends of the Road,” the locally produced documentary that will be screened at the historic Admiral Theater tomorrow night to raise money to restore its murals.
Most of all, it has history – history that Bob knows well. He is president of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, visiting West Seattle to be part of the screening, which is the story of a Chief Sealth (pre-International) High School teacher and his students who made a groundbreaking 5,100-mile bicycle trip at the turn of the millennium to recreate the leagues’ “barnstorming” trips.
(Bob Kendrick and Gary Thomsen)
That since-retired teacher, Gary Thomsen, was part of our conversation today with Bob and with Clay Eals of the Southwest Seattle Historical Society, which is presenting Tuesday night’s event.
Even if you’re not a baseball fan – or history buff – there are reasons to go see it. Read More
More end-of-school year sports news: West Seattle High School has a new girls-soccer coach. We met Todd Veenhuizen at his meeting for prospective players after school on Thursday.
He shared his expectations – including positive attitudes – as they look ahead to tryouts in about two months. And he told them about his background, including serving as an assistant coach for women at UW and Seattle University. The new coach says he believes the team has a solid core to build on, losing only two players to graduation (one of whom happens to be his daughter Sara Veenhuizen). First league game in the fall, by the way, will be against crosstown rivals Chief Sealth International High School.
Zach Jones shares the photos and a report about two championships for West Seattle Baseball All-Star teams last weekend. First, their 8U tournament at the Pee Wee Fields below Riverview:
We had 16 teams from around the area (Seattle, Silverdale, Bellevue, Maple Valley, Renton, etc) in our 8U Hardball Classic. It’s one of the biggest 8U tournaments around. The West Seattle All Stars took the championship in a great win over the Rain City Royals (Maple Valley). 12-4 was the final.
Players on the team are: Avery, Emery, Kingsley, Micah, Jackson, Nolan, Julian, Max, Will, Kaipo, Ivan, and Tate. Coaches: Jorge, Dave, Zach (me).
In addition, we held a mini-tournament Sunday for the 7U teams that entered. Our own West Seattle 7U All Stars won the championship against Puget Sound Powerhouse.
[Atop this story] is a picture of all of our WS kids celebrating the victory together. It was a great moment as the 8U teams stormed the field to celebrate with their 7U buddies!
(WSB photo, September 2016)
As first reported here last March, West Seattle High School‘s football team has a new head coach, Marcis Fennell. As he and his team get ready for the fall season, they are asking for community help with equipment and supplies that they need for success and safety. WSHS athletic director Corey Sorenson explains, “Basically we have far more kids out for football this year than we currently have proper equipment for. Having a high number of kids turn out for a sport is a good problem to have. Unfortunately it’s also an expensive problem. The headset system for our football coaches is also inoperable. This usually runs around $20,000. We also need to purchase shoulder pads, agility bags, etc.” They’re hoping WSHS alumni and other community members can help, and they’ve set up a GoFundMe page here.
P.S. Here’s a look at next season’s schedule.
One week from today – June 28th – is the annual Peace in the Hood basketball tournament presented by North Delridge-headquartered Southwest Youth and Family Services. There’s something extra this year, and it’s not too late to be part of it. Here’s the announcement:
Peace in the Hood is a collaboration with Worksource and our Violence Prevention programs in Seattle and South King County. This year we are pairing the event with a job fair for the youth – over 30 vendors will be there to provide job opportunities, and some are even doing interviews on-site.
Vendors interested in attending can register here: peace-in-the-hood-jobfair.eventbrite.com
Registration starts at 2 pm. Tournament starts at 3 pm.
Location: Steve Cox Memorial Park in White Center
Tournament Team requirements:
· The following age groups must be in your team and all members of your team must fit the age group: 12-14 or 15-18.
· All teams can be Co-Ed
· Each team is allowed one substitute, but the substitute must fit the age range of your team
· If you are in the age group 15-18 you are allowed but not required to have one adult community partner (Mentor, Case Manager, Outreach Worker, etc)
· Early registration is encouraged due to limited spots, each team must have 1 Team Captain and contact the Registration Coordinator Waz Thay: wthay@swyfs.org or 206-937-7680 or visit the Log Cabin Teen Center.
· Day of registration will be on a first come first serve basis.
Questions? E-mail jcox@swyfs.org, wthay@swyfs.org, or iokeke@swyfs.org.
(Photo courtesy Duwamish Rowing Club)
School ends for the year, a new adventure starts for the summer. That’s what the Duwamish Rowing Club is offering to youth interested in learning to row. Here’s the announcement they asked us to share:
Duwamish Rowing Club is looking for youth rowers! With the school year coming to an end, learning to row is the perfect way to get outside and involved in a fun team sport with top-notch coaching from DRC’s experienced coaching staff.
We’re a non-profit organization and operate on a donation-only basis for our youth. We offer 3 coached practices per week: Monday and Wednesday from 6-8 pm and Saturday from noon-2 pm. We also offer leadership and volunteer opportunities for our youth via engagement in DRC board activities and events (fundraising, event planning, work parties, etc.), and coxing boats for our masters rowers (ie: bossing around the adults for a change!). All experience and fitness levels are welcome. We’ll teach you everything you need to know…. and you’ll get in great shape along the way.
DRC rows on the Duwamish River near South Park. It’s a much overlooked waterway but offers near-perfect conditions to learn the art of rowing with gentle currents and calm water. The Duwamish is very much a working river, and we share the water with tugs and barges throughout the summer, and fishing boats in the fall. It is also a river that is in recovery from years of environmental damage, and you will get an up-close view and gain an appreciation of the recovery efforts taking place along the river banks.
Sound interesting and want to learn more? Please email Coach Mike at duwamishrowingclub@gmail.com, or visit duwamishrowingclub.org
Thanks to proud mom Regina Arceo-Schulz for the news that Reece Schulz and Cole Graham are the USRowing Junior National Champions in men’s lightweight doubles. Reece, who many know from West Seattle Scout Troop 282, is at right, below, with Cole:
They won the championship last weekend in Sarasota, Florida. Regina adds, “This is Reece’s second win at this title … He won last year with Nick Angelillo. Many thanks to his Coach Conal Groom and Assistant Coach Derek Deleuw at Seattle Rowing Center.”
One more championship report from West Seattle Little League – the Majors’ winners:
The Red Sox played a great game against the White Sox and came out on top 15-5. The Red Sox are managed by Art Holloway and Matt Schlede. Players are: Milo Stover, Aiden Hsu, Isaac Wortzel, Jayden Holloway, Mason Holmes, Eli Palmer, Harrison Gaikowski, Sean Quinn, Felix Schlede, Bo Gionet, and Jordan Holloway.
Thanks to Robin Graham for the photos and report:
The West Seattle Little League Rookies Champions are the Chiefs, who played against the all-girl team the Peaches.
Both teams played great ball and it was a nail-biter till the end! Congratulations to both teams for playing so hard and for making it to the championships!
Final score was 7-5.
Thanks to Janine for the photo and word that the Rangers won the West Seattle Little League Minors championship tonight, 12-7 over the Quakes. Their coaches are Dave Sazama and Justin Buehring.
(Photos courtesy Manya)
Congratulations to Madison Middle School‘s volleyball team for a hard-fought citywide championship!
Head coach Charles Maher tells the story of what led up to Saturday’s win:
From a base camp close to home (Chief Sealth IHS), the 2017 Lady Bulldog Volleyball team overtook the Summit of Seattle Schools, Middle School Volleyball. Madison defeated the 3-time defending champions, Hamilton IMS, in three sets, to remain alone, standing at the top as 2017 League Champions.
While the ascent was challenging, the large squad of 18 eighth-graders worked together throughout. On April 8th, 2017, Madison ended the 3-year undefeated streak of Hamilton in a preview of what would be a Championship of two powerhouse teams with one goal on the table. The regular season matchup was decided in favor of Madison. The 3-set battle was only separated by 6 points. (27-25, 25-27, 15-13)
The regular-season victory brought the true potential of Madison into full view. Madison had been chasing the Hawks of Hamilton each year. While appearing in the last three playoffs with a chance to bring home a title, each year the Lady Bulldogs suspended their climb early while watching the Hawks soar to the top with ease.
NOT THIS YEAR: Madison mounted a 7-2 season record and was the #2 seed going into the Seattle Schools Volleyball Championship Playoffs.
This year the middle-school-volleyball Mountain has been conquered, and the Summit belongs to MADISON. Madison defeated Hamilton in the Championship game (25-17, 22-25, 15-7). The gym was a loud and electrically charged environment.
Our many thanks to the hosting sites throughout the year. (Boren K-8 STEM, Washington MS, Whitman MS, Denny IMS and Chief Sealth IHS). Thanks to Coach Rod and his staff at CSIHS and Denny IMS for a wonderful job hosting the 2017 season, and playoffs. Thank you to the officials and scorekeepers. Much appreciation to all the Varsity and program coaching staffs throughout the district. Thank you to the Hamilton volleyball players and coaching staff. Much respect!
The Bulldog team would like to extend a special thanks to the Madison MS Front Office Staff and Athletics Department. You All Rock!
FIRST REPORT, 9:54 PM SATURDAY: Congratulations to the boys-soccer teams of Madison Middle School and Denny International Middle School for playing for the city championship this afternoon! Thanks to Jodi Bennett for the first game report and photo:
Under sunny skies and the shadow of the Space Needle, Madison Middle School won the city championship for boys’ soccer today at Memorial Stadium. The final match came down to a good old-fashioned rivalry of West Seattle – Denny vs Madison. Final score was 3-2 with Sam Dagg and Ben Lapchis scoring the goals for Madison. It was a nice ending to a great season. Go Bulldogs!
ADDED 11:23 AM: From Denny principal Jeff Clark:
On Saturday, Denny and Madison both won semi-final matches at Memorial Stadium to set up an all-West Seattle city-wide championship game! Denny had won the West Seattle Cup earlier in the season. On Saturday, it was Madison’s turn as they won a highly competitive match 3 to 2 to win the championship. Congratulations to the Bulldogs on the win!
It was an amazing year for Denny boys soccer — we are very proud of all of our players, coaches, supporters and fans! A special thank you to Coaches Holland, Gutierrez, Vargas, and Tschida, Athletic Director Rodriguez, and everyone who has supported and encouraged our players all season! Go Dolphins!
We told you back on Thursday about the brand-new Snack Shack built for West Seattle Baseball at the Pee-Wee Fields in lower Riverview – and today, it was dedicated. We photographed project manager Karen, league president Erik, Peter from Charter Construction, and Eric from JEM Contractors as they got ready for the early-afternoon ribboncutting. Inside – classic snacks:
Hot dogs, popcorn, and nachos are available too. In our Thursday story, we mentioned the business donors who made it happen; today, Harvey and Sam displayed a thank-you banner with other contributors:
As we left, families were arriving for an afternoon of baseball – and, of course, snacks.
Spectacular morning to run and/or walk in Lincoln Park – exactly what more than 30 people did in the first-ever Chief Sealth International High School Roll Hawks 5K.
And the first Chief Sealth @SealthAthletics Roll Hawks 5K is on, at Lincoln Park. pic.twitter.com/2epnD6d4Wj
— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) June 10, 2017
It’s a benefit for the cross-country team; coach Jim McCue (below) told the group just before the run that this is going to be a great year for the growing program, which was just chosen to get a boost from Brooks Running.
Unique to the course setting, the coach told runners to be careful in an area where a mother raven is protecting her babies. And at the nearby Fauntleroy ferry dock, the ferry happened to be at the dock as the run got going (it’s at the end of our starting-line video above).
Results will be online later.
Early catch at WS Sportsmen's annual kids' fishing pond at Seacrest – until 11 or until they run out of fish! pic.twitter.com/JCEzW0KYaI
— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) June 10, 2017
ORIGINAL REPORT, 9:22 AM: Until 11 am – or until the ~250 rainbow trout are all caught – kids and teens 14 and younger are invited to fish at Seacrest with the West Seattle Sportsmen’s Club. It’s free; pole provided.
Already a good turnout when we stopped by shortly after the once-a-year event’s 8 am start.
11:48 AM: Added a few more photos.
That’s Eric Iwamoto at the fish-cleaning station, beneath which a savvy sea gull was waiting:
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