West Seattle, Washington
29 Wednesday
That’s a preview of “Explore: Catalina,” a stand-up paddleboarding “adventure film” that’ll have its Seattle premiere next Tuesday (August 16th) as part of a big night at Seacrest. Greg Whittaker from Alki Kayak Tours says it’ll be shown outdoor at the Alki Crab and Fish lounge right next to his business, at the end of an evening that starts with SUP demos at 6 pm (first 40 people free), continues with the weekly SUP race at 7, and then the movie – free – at 8. Raffles too. (Co-sponsors for the evening include WSB sponsor Mountain to Sound Outfitters, which is celebrating the launch of its online store – discount code here; the full sponsor list is on the official flyer, which includes even more details.)
It’s the fitness equivalent of zero-to-sixty – a “couch-to-half-marathon” training plan. West Seattle Runner (WSB sponsor) has led a successful group through it before and is getting ready to do it again – so if you’re interested in running/walking a half marathon (13.1 miles) but stymied about where to start, you’re invited to the info night for the next group, this Thursday (July 28). If you’re interested in the (free!) training, the 17-week plan starts Sunday, culminating in walking/running the Amica Seattle half-marathon on November 27th. The shop’s at 3727 California SW, northwest corner of Calif/Charlestown, upstairs; Thursday night’s info session begins at 7 pm.
P.S. WS Runner’s Tim McConnell also has a shoutout for Team WSR’s finish in the recent Ragnar Relay – 190 miles in 23 hours and 48 minutes: 15th overall, 5th in mixed-gender, 1st in mixed-gender running stores, all accomplished in WSR’s first-ever entry in the relay.
Roxhill Park in Westwood is about to get a skatespot (which has not been without controversy) and a playground renovation, and Seattle Parks has set the date for the first public meeting about the project. According to a postal-mail notification that, as of this morning, seems to have preceded the full online notification, the meeting will be 6-7:30 pm on Wednesday, August 10, at Southwest Library (35th/Henderson). The postcard says Parks staffers will “outline the project scope and schedule, and learn what the community priorities are for transforming the play area and incorporating a new skatespot into the park.” The skateboarding area is expected to cover about 8,000 square feet, which is about two-thirds the size of the under-construction Delridge Skatepark. The $1 million-plus Roxhill project funding is from the Parks and Green Spaces Levy.
After leaving from Alki Statue of Liberty Plaza just after 8 this morning, Don Wennerlind (front of photo) and more than a dozen friends are off on a 40-mile journey to a spot just south of Sumner in Pierce County.
Actually, 40 1/2 miles … 81 total round trip … which is important because today is Don’s 81st birthday, and for six years now, he tells us, he and a group of friends have celebrated by biking the number of miles equal to his age. The first birthday ride, “there were three of us,” he told us at Alki this morning; today, as you see in the top photo, the entourage is closer to five times that. They know each other from spinning classes at the West Seattle Family YMCA (WSB sponsor), one participant explained. We heard about this from Clemens Pera, who knows Don as “Coach” – no wonder, since, as he explained, Don taught athletics for many years and “is one of the founding fathers of the Special Olympics.” Oh, one more thing: “Last year, (Don’s) biking prowess included riding the STP, his birthday ride, and a senior race, which he won, all in a week and a half.”
West Seattle High School girls’ basketball coach Sonya Elliott shared that photo from Friday’s Hiawatha Fun Fest – where some of her players volunteered for a dunk tank. Next up, some WSHS players are scheduled to join Elliott and fellow coach Ashley Ioane for Westside Basketball Camp for Girls, July 25-28, at WSHS – and it’s open to girls going into third through eighth grades. Sessions are 9 am-1 pm each of those four days, and the cost is $65. Registration is under way – contact Coach Elliott at sonya@sonyaelliott.com.
(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!)
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