West Seattle Blog…

West Seattle Little League Dodgers finish 20-2, 2nd in district

Thanks to Laurie Rasmussen for one final report on the West Seattle Little League Dodgers:

WSLL Dodgers played in the Championship game (Monday) night at the District 7 Tournament of Champions in Normandy Park. They won their Friday night game against Southwest Little League with a score of 16-2, and the second game on Sunday against Seattle Central Little League, 10-3.

(Monday) night, they played South Highline American.

It was a hard-fought game, ending the regulation 6 innings tied 8-8. In the extra inning, SHA went ahead and closed out the Dodgers in the bottom of the 7th inning, score 14-8. Dodgers took home second place for their District. WSLL Dodgers won 19 games in a row and ended their season with a 20-2 record. We couldn’t be more proud of these boys.

Players: Nate Rasmussen, Dylan Mastroianni, Michael Schwartz, Connor Berry, Jake Goulet, Evan Johnson, Cole Kirkland, Robbie Foisy, Aaron Johnson, Alex Lindholm, Owen Caufield, Emmett Weber.

Congratulations on a great season!

From the WSB Forums: Volleyball overkill? Parks responds

For about a week, WSB Forum members have been discussing Alki Beach volleyball tournaments and a perception that they’re taking up more of the sandy beach than past summers. Many questions were asked about matters such as permits, parking, and rules; we asked Seattle Parks for answers, and have added the reply to the Forums thread, which you’ll find here – as the discussion continues. (One thing we learned from the Parks reply: The department publishes a regularly updated list of big events coming up at its parks citywide.)

West Seattle Little League Juniors win Tournament of Champions

Thanks to West Seattle Little League for sharing the photo of their victorious Juniors, who won the District 7 Tournament of Champions today in Renton, 4-3 over the Pac-West Angels. The team is coached by Mark Terao and Mark O’Neil; pitchers in the victory were starter Grayson O’Neil (through 5) and Jacob Terao (through the 7th). Shoutout to the other players, as listed by WSLL: Jax Cramer, Chris Drake, Blue James, Jackson Oehling, Trifon Papahronis, Elijah Phouangphet, Timmy Roach, Gage Rowlands, and also, though they couldn’t play today, Zach Gerhardt and Marcus Titialii. This comes just one week after the regular season ended for WSLL. Congratulations!

Update: AC Seattle women’s soccer wins 1st game @ Delridge

West Seattle’s newest soccer team is playing its first game of the season right now at Delridge Playfield. AC Seattle is part of the Women’s Premier Soccer League (WPSL), with many of its players visiting from Italy (we put out the call last spring for home-stay families to host them). They’re playing the Spokane Shine tonight, and “shine” was the word for the early-evening sunshine as spectators took their “seats” on the slope over the field:

AC Seattle got off to a lead fast.

They’re doing play-by-play on Twitter, and as we get ready to hit “publish” on this story, AC-Seattle is leading Spokane 4-0. We’ll update when the game’s over; your next chance to see the team play is 7 pm Thursday (June 13) at Southwest Athletic Complex (2801 SW Thistle), vs. Emerald City FC.

10:08 PM UPDATE: And that was the final score – AC Seattle 4, Spokane Shine 0.

P.S. The goalWA.net website has been covering AC Seattle as they got ready for the season, and published this sweet story Friday about some help from a young West Seattleite.

Congratulations to West Seattle Little League division champs: Orioles take majors, Dodgers win minors

(Click image for larger view)
Meet the West Seattle Little League‘s champion teams, who received their trophies at the end-of-season barbecue celebration at Bar-S Playfield today: At left, the players and coaches from the Majors Division champion Orioles; at right, players and coaches from the Minors Division champion Dodgers. Thanks to Porter Hammer and Laurie Rasmussen for the photo; they also have shared information about and photos from the two teams’ respective big wins:

Click to read the rest of Congratulations to West Seattle Little League division champs: Orioles take majors, Dodgers win minors…

Also tonight: Women’s soccer in Delridge with AC Seattle

Back in March, we wrote about AC Seattle, a new women’s soccer team including athletes visiting for the summer from Italy. Somehow time got away from us – and their first game is almost here, we are reminded by e-mail that arrived a short time ago. 7:45 tonight, AC Seattle makes its WPSL debut against the Spokane Shine. (Read more about AC Seattle here.) Coached by Antonio Cincotta, AC Seattle invites fans to the game at Delridge Playfield (Delridge/Alaska); the team also plays Thursday night, vs. Emerald City FC at Southwest Athletic Complex (2801 SW Thistle). P.S. We’re checking on ticket info – prices, etc. – and will add it when we get a reply.

Mariners draft West Seattle High School pitcher Sam Hellinger

(April photo by Greg Slader)
The Mariners have drafted right-handed pitcher Sam Hellinger, who was Metro League MVP as a member of the West Seattle High School baseball team that just finished its season as the state’s #2 3A team. Here’s the news from the Mariners’ website; the tip came from Shirley Tupper (thanks!), who adds:

He and Tim Adams are playing in the All State Baseball Tournament in Yakima, coached by WSHS’s Velko Vitalich, Kerry Tupper & Bryan Tupper. They won their first game and will be playing for the championship tomorrow afternoon at Davis High School in Yakima.

As the Mariners’ online story about the draft notes, Sam Hellinger already has ties to the organization – his dad is the team’s ticket-sales director Bob Hellinger.

Congratulations, champs! Our Lady of Guadalupe’s baseball win

More baseball champions in West Seattle! Our Lady of Guadalupe‘s 5th/6th grade team has won the CYO championship, according to this report from Coach Jon, who also shared the photo:

They came from behind to beat St. Louise of Bellevue. Down 8-1 in the 3rd inning, the team comes back to win 10-8. With good defense, solid pitching and timely hitting, the OLG Bulldogs came back in thrilling fashion to claim the CYO title, in a game played at Walt Hundley Field.

Players: Kellen, Cristian, Nathan, Matthew, Caitlin, Jackson, Issac, Issac, Brandon, Aidan, Luke, Jaiden, Chase

Coach Jon also credits Coach Peter and the fans for their roles in the big win.

3 West Seattle community centers offering QuickStart tennis

Kids 7-10 years old have the chance to learn tennis this summer at three of West Seattle’s city-run community centers. The announcement:

QuickStart Tennis is intended for beginning youths with little to no playing experience. QuickStart Tennis is unique and fun because kids learn the game playing with smaller rackets, smaller courts, low pressure and foam balls. They play fun games and do exciting drills. Practices are twice a week on Mondays and Wednesdays starting June 24th. Practice times are 6-7 pm for 7-8 year olds and 7-8 pm for 9-10 year olds. In late July, there will be FUN matches against other teams.

QuickStart Tennis runs for 8 weeks and concludes on Wednesday, August 14th with a FUN PLAY DAY. Cost is $35 per child and equipment is included. Teams will be forming at local West Seattle community centers: Alki Community Center, Delridge Community Center, and Southwest Teen Life Center.

You can sign up via any of those three centers. Questions? Jeannie Shek – jeannie.shek@seattle.gov – 206-684-4764

Triumphant return: West Seattle Baseball honors WSHS visitors

As a big day of playoff games got under way Saturday morning for West Seattle Baseball, they paid tribute to the West Seattle High School baseball team that just finished its season as the #2 3A team in the entire state. As Greg Slader, who shared the photos, notes, “Many of the high-school players played their first baseball at the Peewee Fields by Riverview. Even Coach Velko was once a baseball player in the West Seattle league.” Above, that’s WSHS Coach Velko Vitalich with some of his players, receiving a commemorative baseball from West Seattle Baseball president Eric Olson. And here’s WSHS third baseman Cameron Slader talking to those on hand:

The WS Baseball schedule shows playoffs resuming next week.

Followup: WestSide Unicycle Collective, off and pedaling

Did you catch the unicycling on Alki last night? Sisters Addison and Riley (above) led a successful first meeting of their WestSide Unicycle Collective. Following up on the announcement published here May 20th, we stopped by the beach to see how things were going. Unicyclists from several local schools showed up – and everybody headed out:

Keep an eye on the WUC’s Facebook page for word of upcoming meetups, generally 6:30 pm every other Thursday; they remind you, it’s not just for kids, unicyclists of all ages are welcome!

Two West Seattle Baseball teams win at ‘Superbash’

More local baseball success to celebrate! The photo and report are from Bob St. Clair:

The summer baseball tournament season started in grand fashion this past weekend for West Seattle Baseball’s 11U and 10U All-star teams. Both teams played in the 15th annual SuperBash Memorial Day tournament hosted in North Seattle. Competing against the finest Puget Sound Pony League All-star and independent select teams, the 11U and 10U teams won the overall championships in their respective age divisions. In the championship game, the 11U team beat Stod’s Cobras by a score of 3-2, and the 10U team beat Seattle Select 11-8. Congratulations, West Seattle Baseball All-stars!

In the photo are the aforementioned 2013 10U (Red) & 11U (Blue) Superbash Champions: front row from left, 10U: Max, Bryce, Jesse, Liam, Ben, Aidan, Daniel, Teagan, Nathaniel, Connor; back row, from left, 11U: Cristian, Kellen, Isaac, William, Aidan, Reuben, Nuh’Kosi, Isaiah, Dominic, Max, Isaac, Jackson, Brandon.

Golf and help Make-A-Wish, in honor of ‘Waz’

Three months ago, lifelong West Seattleite Mark “Waz” Wasielewski died too soon, at 52. His friends are carrying on with his annual golf tournament to help Make-A-Wish, and wanted to share the invitation here too. The tournament is set for Friday, June 14th, at Foster Golf Links in Tukwila, “2 pm shotgun start/scramble format,” according to the announcement, which lists the entry fee as “$80-$120 – You decide; remember, it’s for Waz’s Make-A-Wish kids.” For registration information, e-mail jim@jwsales.com.

Followup: West Seattle Soccer Club scores a crowd at The Admiral

Big game on the big screen = big success! Today’s West Seattle Soccer Club event featuring a food drive and Champions League final match screening at the Admiral Theater was “very successful,” reports WSSC’s Tim McMonigle:

Over 300 people showed up, the vast majority to watch the game, with a few watching the movie.

We had giveaways, visits from our professional women’s soccer team, the Seattle Reign and a very exciting game that was won in the last couple of minutes of the game, with Bayern Munich beating Borussia Dortmund 2-1.

We hope to make this an annual event, possibly including the World Cup next year. Thanks to all our West Seattle community for coming together to watch the game in a great venue. Looking forward to our last two weekends of our spring season (June 2, 9) and the opening of our fall registration on June 1, at westseattlesoccer.org.

Tim says more photos will be up soon on WSSC’s Facebook page.

Update: West Seattle High School baseball finishes #2 in the state

(Added: Postgame photo by Greg Slader)
5:57 PM: The West Seattle High School baseball team finishes an incredible season as #2 in the state. Championship game final score: Auburn Mountainview 7, WSHS 1.

9:18 PM NOTE: The team is due back at WSHS sometime after 11 pm, and as suggested in the comments, fans are welcome to greet them.

1:47 AM: As Coach Velko Vitalich told The Times, “… the accomplishments of this team are amazing.” They arrived back at WSHS a little over two hours ago:

Earlier:

4 PM: The game is on! West Seattle High School vs. Auburn-Mountainview for the state 3A high-school-baseball championship, happening right now in Pasco. You can see a live video feed here; below, it’s play by play via Twitter, thanks to WSHS team-parent volunteers (refresh this WSB page to see the newest tweets, or if you use Twitter, you can directly follow @wseattlestate):

P.S. Our partners at The Seattle Times took a closer look at the team and its big semifinal win yesterday in this story published today.

Another championship game: Big soccer, big screen, at Admiral Theater tomorrow (food drive, too)

Another championship game happening tomorrow (Saturday, May 25th) – as shown on The Admiral Theater‘s marquee, and previewed here a week and a half ago, tomorrow is the day you can join the West Seattle Soccer Club for an open house and live screening of the 2013 UEFA Champions League final match between German powerhouses Borussia Dortmund and FC Bayern Munich. Doors open at 10:30 am and close when they reach capacity – but everybody’s welcome, first-come, first-served. No admission charge, but please bring a “kid-friendly food item” to benefit the West Seattle Food Bank. One change from the original announcement, according to WSSC’s Tim McMonigle (who also shared the marquee photo) – the kids’ movie (for children not interested in the game) is now a free bonus showing of “Oz, the Great and Powerful,” one of the Admiral’s current films. It’ll start at about 11 am, and end around the same time as the match, which starts around 11:45, after 11 am preliminaries.

Update: West Seattle High School baseball team to play for state championship!

(TOPLINE: WSHS plays Auburn-Mountainview tomorrow, 4 pm in Pasco, for state 3A baseball championship)

(Sam Hellinger pitching the final strike of the game; photo courtesy Greg Slader)
11:45 AM UPDATE: As you saw “live” if you followed the tweets below – West Seattle High School won its state-semifinal game minutes ago, 3-1 over Mt. Si, and will play for the state championship at 4 pm tomorrow! (Their opponent, either Kennewick or Auburn-Mountainview, will be determined by a game at 1 pm today.)

Game recap to come – and archived video (thanks to commenters for finding it!) is here.

ADDED 1:06 PM: Photos and notes shared by Greg Slader:

The Offense popped for two runs in the First inning as Spencer reached on a Mt. Si error, Sam Hellinger doubled, and Tim Adams (photo above) drove them in for a 2-0 Lead. Two runs would be plenty as Sam Hellinger (top photo) pitched another complete-game gem. Ground ball after ground ball, West Seattle’s defense continued its excellent play, holding Mt. Si to Five hits and only one run.

4:13 PM: We now know their opponent: Auburn-Mountainview, which beat Kennewick 6-4 this afternoon.

****

EARLIER, 10:21 AM: The big game is on now, and parent volunteers are providing live play-by-play via Twitter, as West Seattle High School‘s baseball team faces Mount Si in the state 3A semifinal game. Even if you don’t have a Twitter account, you can see the latest here:

The game’s being played in Pasco; the winner advances to tomorrow afternoon’s championship game. If you keep this page open, refresh to see the latest tweets on top.

Good luck! West Seattle High School baseball team on the road to Final 4

A low-key, but high-hopes, sendoff this morning for the West Seattle High School baseball team. Around 9 am, they boarded a bus and headed eastward, bound for Pasco, site of the Washington Interscholastic Athletic Association‘s high-school-baseball semi-finals and finals, a trip made possible by their two wins last Saturday. Tomorrow morning at 10, at GESA Stadium in Pasco, WSHS faces Mt. Si. The winner will advance to Saturday’s 4 pm championship game against the victor in tomorrow’s 1 pm game between Kennewick and Auburn Mountainview. (Here’s the official bracket.)

Know a future Chief Sealth ninth-grader? Special open house May 28

Everyone who’s going to be a Chief Sealth International High School ninth-grader next year is invited to an open house one week from tomorrow (Tuesday, May 28th). Athletic director Sam Reed says it’s a chance for incoming ninth-graders to find out about sports at Sealth – whether they’re already playing a sport, or “thinking about trying something” – read on for the official invitation:

Click to read the rest of Know a future Chief Sealth ninth-grader? Special open house May 28…

WestSide Unicycle Collective: New student-founded group for all ages announces 1st meetup

Schmitz Park Elementary fifth-grader Riley Nachtrieb, an avid unicyclist (on trails as well as pavement, as shown in the video above featuring Riley and her 9-year-old sister Addison), couldn’t find a nearby group to join – so she’s starting one herself, the WestSide Unicycle Collective. Riley and Addison are organizing and running it by themselves, according to an announcement forwarded by their parents, who are lending “a watchful eye.” The group has a Facebook page and will have public meetups every other Thursday, 6:30 pm-7:30 pm, beginning next week (May 30th) at Alki Statue of Liberty Plaza. Future locations will be listed on the FB page, and Riley stresses its purpose: “Meet new unicyclists and ride with us. Learn new skills and tricks or just ride and have fun! Unicyclers of any age or ability welcome.”

West Seattle 5K 2013: Fifth year for fun(draising) walk/run

(Photo by Debra Salazar Herbst)
Some of the runners and walkers in the fifth annual West Seattle 5K on Alki are still making their way to the finish line.

(Photo by Tracy Brigham – those are her boys in the PJs, the high-five cheering section!)
We have the official list of the top three finishers for both genders and their chip times:

Female

#858 – Kelley McKean, 35, 19:23
#617 – Adrienne Salzwedel, 29, 19:32
#937 – Roxanne Wegman, 25, 19:36

Male

#237 – Josh Fountain, 25, 16:44
#295 – Keefe Hanson, 20, 16:53
#900 – Wyatt Golding, 28, 17:00

America’s best grocery bagger, Andrew Borracchini of Metropolitan Market (WSB sponsor), was the celebrity starter – he posed for us pre-race with a celebrity WSHS alum, County Executive Dow Constantine:

ADDED SUNDAY NIGHT: More scenes from the 5K – starting with WSHS principal Ruth Medsker on the run!

Click to read the rest of West Seattle 5K 2013: Fifth year for fun(draising) walk/run…

Congratulations, West Seattle Wildcats baseball! First time to the state’s Final Four

ORIGINAL REPORT, 8:01 PM: After two victories in state tournament play this afternoon/evening in Mount Vernon, the West Seattle High School baseball team is off to the state semifinals next Friday in Pasco. They shut out Ferndale and then beat Bonney Lake. More to come!

ADDED 10:10 PM: Greg Slader, the WSHS parent who has shared game information and photos all year, sends more details along with photos, starting with this quote from assistant coach Brian Tupper:

“From the coaches’ perspective, these were the best team games we have played all year. Our focus was so good that we didn’t play uptight in either game something that has plagued West Seattle in the past at State. It was what we have been looking for all year, couldn’t have asked for it a better time for it. Two outstanding pitching performances by Sam Hellinger and Ben Wexler, superb team defense and team offensive execution. We had at least 6 sac(rifice) bunts in the 2 games, 3 sac(rifice) flies, and one perfectly executed squeeze play.

“First Team All-Metro freshman shortstop Morgan McCullough seemed to make every play in the field, collecting almost 10 putouts himself, starting a huge double play in the 7th of game two and then ending the game with a diving stop and stepping on second base 6 unassisted, he also ignited the offense getting on base 6 times out of his 9 plate appearances, finishing 4-7 with a triple and double, 5 runs scored, and 2 RBI’s.

“Metro League MVP Sam Hellinger had a no-hitter broken up in the 4th inning of game one and finished with a complete game 2-hit shutout with one walk and 10 strikeouts on 93 pitches.

“At the plate (above), he continued his hot hitting in the playoffs, extending his hitting streak to 21 games going 5-6 with 3 2B’s 5 RBI and 3 runs scored

“Wexler (above) threw a complete game 5-hitter, allowing 2 runs while striking out 2 on 76 pitches to help seal Westside’s victory and first trip to the State 3A Final Four in school history!”

Greg adds: “West Seattle will be traveling on Thursday morning over to Pasco to play Mount Si in the semifinals at 10 am on Friday, May 24th at Gesa Stadium. Winner to play for the 3A State Championship on Saturday at 4 pm.”

Youth sports: More success for West Seattle Totems

(Front row: Corinne Blair, Alec Patajo; second row: Casey Iwamoto, Emma Carey, Lauren Phillips; not pictured, Owen Yeasting)
More big success for the West Seattle Totems riflery team, reports coach Joe Matter:

The West Seattle Totems recently competed in the American Legion National Air Rifle Postal match, which was locally sponsored by the Vashon American Legion Post #159. The American Legion match has two elements, a team competition and an individual competition.

In the individual competition, a match was worth 600 points. Lauren Phillips shot a 584 to place in the top 30 of the competition and qualified for the second round of competition. Lauren then shot a 586 to finish 5th in the second round which qualified her for the final round of competition which will be hosted at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs this summer.

In the team competition, a match is worth 2400 points. The team of Lauren Phillips, Casey Iwamoto, Owen Yeasting, and Emma Carey shot a 2302 to finish 2nd in the first round of competition. Only the top ten teams were invited to the second round. In the second round, the team of Lauren, Emma, Corinne Blair and Alec Patajo shot a 2322 to capture the team national bronze medal.

The Vashon American Legion Post as well as the West Seattle Sportsmen’s Club have been supportive of organized youth rifle sports, helping to build leadership skills and scholarship opportunities for youth and young adults. Focus skills required for shooting well are enormous and this further supports academic focus. NCAA rifle scholarships are not earned without having good grades also. We congratulate Lauren Phillips on earning a rifle scholarship to The University of Nebraska, a CMP Scholarship, as well as additional academic scholarships. We know that her opportunities have just begun.

The team practices at the West Seattle Stadium and has members from the peninsula, north Seattle, Puyallup, Ellensburg and Vashon. This summer will include a trip to nationals in Anniston, Alabama, for 8 shooters. The team was thrilled to get one team invitation last year and is stoked to have two teams qualify this year. What an accomplishment for these kids.

The volunteer coaching staff includes Joe Matter, Kurt Oberloh and Alan Carey.

High-school sports: Three postseason losses; 1 game ahead

Disappointing day on Wednesday for three local high-school sports teams:

SOCCER: In a first-round state-tournament match played at Snohomish High School last night Chief Sealth International High School lost to Glacier Peak, 2-1.

SOFTBALL: On Wednesday afternoon, district softball play resulted in defeats for two local teams:

4-1 was the final score in Chief Sealth’s game with Mercer Island, played at Lower Woodland, which is also where West Seattle High School‘s softball team played Interlake:

13-3 was the final score in that game, with the Wildcats on the lower end.

NEXT UP: The West Seattle HS baseball team awaits its first-round state-tournament game this Saturday, facing Ferndale at Dream Field in Mount Vernon at 1 pm.

West Seattle Soccer Club invites you to watch big-time soccer on the big screen @ Admiral Theater

Want to watch a soccer-championship match on a big screen? The West Seattle Soccer Club is offering you the chance, sponsoring the 2013 UEFA Champions League final match live at The Admiral Theater on Saturday, May 25th. Doors open at 10:30 am and will close when they reach capacity – everyone is welcome, first-come, first-served. Free admission; you’re asked to bring a “kid-friendly food item” to benefit the West Seattle Food Bank. Read on for the full announcement, as shared by WSSC:

Click to read the rest of West Seattle Soccer Club invites you to watch big-time soccer on the big screen @ Admiral Theater…

Chief Sealth soccer: State tournament play starts Wednesday; new summer camp announced

Chief Sealth International High School‘s soccer team opens state-tournament play Wednesday – and looking ahead into the summer, the program is offering a new camp program for 3rd through 9th graders. Just announced:

Following a 3-0 win over Ingraham last Thursday in the Metro League tournament, the Chief Sealth International High School boys soccer team is headed back to the WIAA 3A State tournament for the 2nd straight season. Reigning 2-time Coach of the Year Ron Johnson will lead the Seahawks back to the tournament after their 2nd consecutive undefeated Metro Sound Division season and as one of the true favorites to fare well in this year’s tournament. The Seahawks, ranked in the top 5 in State all season long, will travel north to play Glacier Peak High School on Wednesday, May 15th at 6 pm at Veterans Memorial Stadium (on the campus of Snohomish High School; map).

Chief Sealth Athletic Director Sam Reed would also like to announce a new opportunity for area youth to experience the Chief Sealth soccer culture first-hand, with the debut of the Chief Sealth Soccer Skills Camp. Modeled in part after the long-standing success of the Chief Sealth Boys Basketball Camp, now in its 16th year, this soccer camp will take place July 22-26th and is open to all kids entering grades 3rd-9th (Fall 2013 grade level). The camp will be directed by Reed and Johnson and will feature many of the boys and girls players that have built their respective program’s into regional powerhouses. Registration is now open!

Here’s the brochure/application for the new camp (PDF).

High-school baseball postseason: West Seattle HS to state

A 2-1 win over Seattle Prep this afternoon gives West Seattle High School third place in the Metro League and a state tournament berth, reports Greg Slader, who also shares the photos:

West Seattle seems to prefer the hard road into the state tournament, After losing to Bainbridge island in round one. West Seattle needed to beat Ingraham, Eastside Catholic, and Seattle Prep to advance to the state tournament. Mission complete. Pitcher Rex Lakey (#17, top photo) surrendered only one run through five innings as the defense was solid. Down 0-1 in the sixth inning, Sam Hellinger hit a two-run home run. Andy Snook pitched the seventh inning as the defense (below, Morgan’s tag at second) stepped up and completed the victory 2-1.

State regional playoffs begin for West Seattle in Mount Vernon next Saturday.