“Way to be!”
That’s the salute rowers got as they passed the finish buoy this morning at the Sound Rowers-sponsored Great Cross-Sound Race from Alki to Bainbridge and back. Here are the 60-plus participant boats as they lined up just before the 9 am start:
Less than 52 minutes later, the winner finished the 7 1/2-mile course. Here he is, Evan Jacobs (who with a partner finished first last year too), coming ashore:
Next to finish, the team of Todd Silver and Rainer Storb (fifth place last year). As the dozens of others continued to arrive at the finish buoy, each one got the hearty “Way to be!” and an air-horn blast from race managers at a tent by the bathhouse. Alki spectators’ side note: A few other inspirational feats of physical achievement will be making their way along Alki, on land, soon — Courtney wrote to tell us that it’s just been announced that the Breast Cancer 3-Day Walk will include Alki this year, with a cheering station to be set up in the 1700 block on Sunday, September 9th, between 7:40 and 10:15 in the morning; we also heard today from organizers of One Race/One Village, a fundraiser 5K happening on Alki on October 6th.
WS weekend lineup: Cross your fingers for sunshine
Last weekend in August, and we just can’t bear to see any more rain. We’ve got rowing & volleyball at Alki, the Art in Nature Festival, a narrated history walk around eastern WS, and a job fair (today!) … 31 ways to have fun without leaving the peninsula:Read More
Muscle beach
Dropped by the Bench Press and Dead Lift Championships happening right now at Alki (between the Bathhouse and the sand). We caught a couple of the more senior lifters in action (their ages were announced with their names), lifting somewhere around 200 pounds. First, Richard, 75 years old, before and during his lift:
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This is Leroy, 67, before and during:
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Goodnatured crowd on hand, some sponsor freebies, and demonstrations between lifters’ “flights” — as we left, a group of young martial artists was about to show their stuff. ALSO HAPPENING IN WS RIGHT NOW: The first annual C & P Coffee arts & crafts fair, till 3 pm. One WSB reader already has written in with a rave review – “some great stuff.”
A place of their own
7:30 tonight @ Delridge Community Center, the West Seattle Skatepark Action Committee meets; WS-based city skatepark advocate Matt Johnston says it’s open to anyone wanting to join (or find out more about) a group of people “working hard to create safe public facilities for skateboarders in West Seattle, that respect the communities they are placed in, and provide healthy and active places for kids and big kids to enjoy this popular sport.” (You can read more about where WS falls into the Citywide Skatepark Plan here.)
WS Little League update
Big games tonight for two teams in WS Little League, which has been hosting a regional All-Star Tournament at Bar-S Playfield (atop Alki Point): The 10-11 team moved on to the state tournament and plays in Kirkland tonight; the 9-10 team is in a double-elimination round and has a must-win match tonight (6 pm @ Bar-S). The 11-12 team has two wins under its belt too; good luck to all!
Batter up!
If you heard the screaming and cheering from high atop Alki Point over the weekend (we did, while out walking before the deluge) — Cami from AlkiNews.com lets us in on what’s going on — West Seattle Little League is hosting the District 7 All-Star Tournament at Bar-S Playfield. So far the WS 9-10 and 10-11 teams have racked up victories; more games to come for them (6 pm Wednesday), and the 11-12 team will play later this week too.
Alive & kickin’
Starting today, you can register kids/teens ages 5-18 to be part of the West Seattle Soccer Club for its fall youth soccer season (mid-Sept. through mid-Nov. for most players). League officials 
(who provided the photo below, from a 4/29 visit to WSSC by Seattle Sounders players) say “the emphasis is on fun and soccer skills” — and a wide variety of playing environments are offered, including coed. You can learn more about WSSC, and you can register online, at their website, or click here to e-mail the league if you have questions. P.S. They’re offering soccer coaching clinics in June and summer soccer camps in July & August, too!
New disc-overy
Tonight’s the kickoff for a weekly West Seattle Ultimate Frisbee pickup game — just one catch; the first three sessions are in Tukwila, apparently because of a field-space crunch. If you want to join the fun, show up at the Tukwila Community Center field tonight @ 6:30. (Weather should be splendid.)
If you see this before 3:30 pm or so
Got a request for a WS Super Bowl poll. Bears or Colts? We don’t have time to go find some site that’ll give us real poll code but tell everyone your prediction in this post’s comments! (P.S. If you’re making Super Bowl guacamole — which we did LONG before it was trendy — Thriftway has a killer deal, tons of mega-ripe avocadoes for 45 CENTS EACH.)
On the run
Don’t go to Lincoln Park this Saturday looking for a quiet stroll among the trees. It’ll be the site of the Sundodger Invitational college cross-country meet. Haven’t found the exact times yet, but did find this course map.
(Also on Saturday — one more festival before we officially say goodbye to summer — the Morgan Junction Community Festival. The entertainment lineup is posted here.)
Ten days till 
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