Patriots’ track coach leads by example
June 30, 2009
Michael Smith (right) starts his watch and heads out with other runners June 13 on the 7.6-mile Cougar Mountain Trail series race. By Greg Farrar
A little more than 30 years ago, Michael Smith loaded his running shoes and his other earthly belongings into a pint-sized Honda 600 car and moved to Seattle from his San Francisco Bay-area home.
He never moved back to the city by the bay and the two-cylinder, 36-horsepower micro car bit the dust decades ago.
In the past three decades, Smith has made quite a name for himself in the local running community after winning several Cougar Mountain Trail series and other races. Smith, who coaches the Liberty High School track and cross country teams, can hold his own with runners half his age.
Fresh out of high school, a friend suggested Smith enroll at Highline Community College.
“He said, ‘It’s really green up here and you really have to come here,” Smith said. Read more
Eagles four-year track star Johanna Carr heading to UW
June 30, 2009
Johanna Carr, of Issaquah, bolts from the starting block for the first leg of her 4x200 team's relay race during the girls 4A state championships May 30 in Tacoma. File
Johanna Carr is on the fast track to a successful athletic career at the University of Washington.
She recently graduated from Issaquah High School after four years as one of the school’s top sprinters.
Carr competed in state in the 100-meter dash each year. During her high school career, she primarily ran the 100 and 200 dashes and the 400 and 800 relays. This year, she won Issaquah’s Rotary Athlete of the Year.
“It’s pretty unusual for a high school student to compete all four years, especially in the same event,” said head coach Gwen Robertson. “It speaks to her ability to stay consistent. She is definitely a hard worker.”
There have been hurdles, too. This season’s state competition didn’t turn out exactly how Carr had planned, but she said she still looks forward to continuing her track career with a scholarship at the UW. Read more
Jevon Green is hired as Patriots’ boys hoops coach
June 30, 2009
Jevon Green enjoys studying history, especially Roman. In fact, it seems his entire family likes history. On a quiet summer morning, you might just catch all of them viewing a program on the History Channel. Read more
Local golfers vie for district, Junior World tournaments
June 30, 2009
Christopher Kobak putts on the 18th hole June 24 at West Seattle Golf Course. Kobak barely missed the cut for the Washington Junior Golf Association District 2 Championship, shooting an 83. By Christopher Huber
Skyline High School golfer Jordan Windsor wasn’t satisfied with the way he drove the ball June 24 at West Seattle Golf Course.
But he executed enough decisive putts throughout the 18-hole Junior Worlds qualifier to help him tie for third in the 16-17 age group with a 75-stroke finish on the par-72 course.
“It’s definitely on the better side of what I’ve played,” he said after the match.
On the par-5 fourth hole, Windsor sunk a 40-foot putt for birdie, he said. He attributed some of his setbacks to numerous 2-putt holes.
“It’s mostly putting that got me,” he said. But “it was just putting that saved the round.”
A handful of Issaquah and Sammamish youth golfers gathered with dozens of Seattle-area youth at West Seattle to vie for the Washington Junior Golf Association District 2 Championship. The one-day tournament served as the qualifier for the final, to be held July 20-21 at Willows Run Golf Course. Read more
Issaquah Silver wins Battle of Bothell
June 23, 2009
Nate Bean (8), Issaquah Purple midfielder, drives the ball against Puyallup, in one of the Battle of Bothell tournament games that got them into the finals against the Lake Oswego, Ore., lacrosse team. By Charles Mauzy / Issaquah Youth Lacrosse
They didn’t have it in the bag, but going into last weekend’s Battle of Bothell, the Issaquah Silver fifth- and sixth-grade lacrosse team was confident about its chances of winning the tournament championship.
The boys, from Issaquah and Sammamish, had won it in 2008 and looked to capitalize on their experience and disciplined conditioning. They did, and after easily winning the first few rounds on the waterlogged North Creek playfields, Issaquah Silver outshot and outhustled Beaverton, Ore., in a 7-3 championship victory.
“In the early rounds, it was pretty easy, but it started getting a little harder. In the championship round, it was pretty tough,” said standout attackman Jordan Greenhall. “Beaverton, they had a couple of really strong middies that were really good.”
The annual Battle of Bothell tournament featured 62 teams from the Northwest, including dozens of local teams and some from Oregon and Canada, with players ranging from fifth to 11th grades. Parents and players gathered at the playfields June 19-21 to enjoy a weekend of lacrosse.
In the end, the teams had played 107 games combined, said tournament coordinator Stan Kosick. It was the first year Battle of Bothell had rain. Read more
Lakeside drops two doubleheaders
June 23, 2009
Sarah Lowes (No. 8), of Newcastle, a water polo player for Castaway Polo Athletic team, in action during the state championship match against Mercer Island High School. Contributed
Two Newcastle athletes were members of the Castaway Polo Athletic team that won the state water polo title last month with a 10-7 win against Mercer Island High School.
Mackenzie Maynes and Sarah Lowes both scored goals and had assists in the May 15 championship match against Mercer Island.
Castaway Polo Athletic surged to an 8-2 lead before the half and held off a late surge by the Islanders to capture the title.
Maynes, a senior at Liberty High School, will attend Marist College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., on an athletic scholarship to play water polo. Lowes is a junior at Liberty. Read more
Molly Nelson: A catcher’s last play
June 23, 2009
Molly Nelson, Issaquah fastpitch team catcher, hits a two-RBI single for her team against Bellevue in a 2007 game, as she also hit three doubles that day. By Greg Farrar
Molly Nelson was a four-year Issaquah High School softball starter with an outstanding record and a lifelong passion for the game.
Crouched at the knees, her eyes keenly focused dead ahead, she played catcher like a pro. During her last two years, she called all pitches — often without intervention from a coach.
“In my opinion, there was no one better at catcher or (who had) the ability to play that position,” said Jim Magnuson, who recently stepped down as Issaquah softball coach.
In addition to her great arm and imposing defensive skills, Nelson had a .400 batting average this year and led the team in total hits. She earned 4A KingCo Conference first-team honors and helped the Eagles tie for first place in the Crown Division.
“There is no doubt in my mind that if you had to describe someone as a leader on our team, she would be at the top. The girls respect her and her work ethic,” said assistant coach George Bray. Read more
Eagles fastpitch coach Jim Magnuson resigns
June 16, 2009
Jim Magnuson
Jim Magnuson, who directed Issaquah High School’s fastpitch team to an 18-7 record in its first season at the 4A KingCo Conference level, is stepping down as the head girls fastpitch coach.
“I felt it’s time,” he said. “I wanted to stick out this season because of the seniors on the team. I wanted to get another run at state, but unfortunately, it didn’t work out.”
Issaquah tied with Redmond for first place in the Crest Division during the regular season, but the Eagles’ season came to an end when they were eliminated in the consolation finals of the league tournament.
Magnuson has been at Issaquah for the past seven years. During that time, the Eagles won four 3A KingCo Conference championships and reached the 3A state tournament five times, including a run of three consecutive years, from 2006-2008. Read more
Trout Unlimited, others ‘tagging’ lake fish to better understand endangered salmon
June 16, 2009
Dallas Cross
If you listen carefully with your head underwater or place a sonic microphone in Lake Sammamish, you might hear some clicking fading in and out.
No, it isn’t freshwater submarine sonar. The clicks are from acoustic tags emitting information from fish recently caught and released. Tagging was conducted by a task team led by the Bellevue-Issaquah chapter of Trout Unlimited working with the King County Department of Resources, the state Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Save Lake Sammamish organization.
In a continuing effort to understand different life-cycle elements of the possibly endangered kokanee salmon-trout, Trout Unlimited volunteers and members of the public initiated a program to tag several fish species in the lake. Although partially supported by a grant, funds still are needed to complete the project. The local Trout Unlimited chapter has initiated an “Adopt a Kokanee” fund raising program described on its Web site, www.tu-bi.org. Read more
Inexperienced Lakeside still has high hopes
June 16, 2009
Pitching and defense have long been the strengths of the Lakeside Recovery Senior American Legion baseball team. That appears to be the case again this summer for the club, which has one of its youngest and inexperienced rosters in years. Read more
