West Seattle, Washington
31 Sunday
Highland Park has no sports bar/lounge where you can go for a big game like today’s Seahawks victory over the Saints – or a small game, for that matter – but the Highland Park Improvement Club transformed itself into a viewing venue – same way it morphs into the pop-up Corner bar one night a month. Members and neighbors gathered to watch today’s game – and yes, there was at least one Saints fan in the crowd:
That’s Mike in the Saints jersey and Jim in the Seahawks jersey. By now, of course, you know who won. The Seahawks stay home to host the NFC Championship next Sunday, 3:30 pm, vs. either Carolina or San Francisco, depending on who wins those teams’ faceoff tomorrow; tickets for the January 19th game go on sale this Monday at 10 am.
Hours till game time … and we’ve collected some West Seattle scenes from “Blue Friday.” First – from left, Sue, Ardeen, and Doree are the “Lunch Ladies” of Denny International Middle School, and they rocked the ‘Hawks spirit – personally as well as decoration-wise:
In true Seattle-sustainability spirit, they made decorations out of old pizza boxes during winter break. For as far as the Seahawks get this season, they’ll keep it going – and by the way, they have a wish list, maybe Russell, Marshawn, or Richard visiting the Denny lunchroom? Of course, other West Seattle schools sported spirit too. Josh shared this photo from Westside School (WSB sponsor):
From K-5 STEM, here’s 7-year-old Brooklyn, whose mom Stacey explains, “She put this outfit together on her own……even painted her nails! Takes after her mom. . Go Hawks!”
Also at STEM, Robin Graham from the K-5 STEM PTA shares this link – kids spotted around Boren today who instead of Owls were “Hawks for a Day.” Meantime, you might call these kids “Hawklets”:
Mindi shared the photo from Munchkin Junction. In The Triangle, The Grove-West Seattle Inn added the Seahawks flag to their roster:
And we have to take one more look at the downtown skyline – from the Russell building’s #12 to the CLink color:
Thanks to Craig Young for the photo. And just as we were about to hit the “publish” button, we received this unique alternative view of the building:
Those are twins Eudora and Guthrie Itano Parson, age 7, whose granddad Steve shared the photo and noted, “This is how we ‘Do’ in Seattle: Our kids learn to live in the rain, they read ‘Books’ and cheer for the Seahawks.” Kickoff is 1:30 pm Saturday.
Close one last night for West Seattle High School, whose athletics staff shares this summary:
The West Seattle HS boys basketball team traveled across town to play Seattle Prep, the #10-ranked team in the state, on Tuesday night.
The Wildcats played hard throughout the game and were prime for the upset on the road, but a few late turnovers cost them the game, falling 60-56.
The Wildcats took the lead in the early stages of the fourth quarter and held that lead until the five-minute mark, but empty possessions let Prep jump ahead for good.
WSHS senior DeAndre Love was game-high scorer with 30 points. He also grabbed eight rebounds and added 5 blocks. Freshman point guard Nate Pryor and sophomore guards Andre Moore and Carter Golgart also played well for the Wildcats.
WSHS travels to Franklin on Friday to play the Quakers in a grudge match after WSHS beat the then-#4 -ranked Franklin team a year ago. Varsity tips Friday at 8 pm.
The WSHS girls face Prep tonight.
(Photo courtesy Erik Nachtrieb)
A new chapter in the saga of West Seattle’s “Archer Addy,” the young champion whose story we brought you back in August. She’s now the subject of an in-the-works series of books, and the team is seeking a young artist to add images to the words:
West Seattleite and author/producer Erik Nachtrieb is looking for a youth illustrator, 8-17 years old, to illustrate for the Archer Addy chapter book series. The first book in the series is completed, in text form, and with the editor.
“The real-life adventures of the Archer Addy book series follow Addison (Archer Addy), a 9-year-old girl determined to enter a man’s sport and become a World Champion target archer in the midst of balancing homework, friends, her sister, and parents. Written on the positive themes of dreams, determination and self reliance, Archer Addy, in her own voice, brings the 8-12 year-old reader into her experiences and inspires them to think differently, try new things, and never give up.”
The Archer Addy series is written from the voice and experiences of Addy, who is a real-life West Seattleite and competitive target archer. We, the Archer Addy Book Team, feel utilizing a child from greater Seattle to illustrate the book would keep within tone and message of the book. We are hoping to find a young person with the same passion and drive for art as the character Archer Addy has for archery.
If you are between 8-18 years old, please have your parents contact us at: 1iOpenProductions@gmail.com. We will then deliver you a few excerpts from the book along with illustration titles from which you can derive inspiration for your drawings.
Further details ahead:
Read More
(Photos by WSB’s Patrick Sand)
9:57 PM: Both games are over now, and both of West Seattle High School‘s varsity basketball teams won tonight against host Chief Sealth International High School – girls 65-31, boys 62-46.
ADDED 1:48 AM: Scenes and notes from the games.
Unless the fog rolls back in sometime soon, you should be able to see this firsthand looking right across the bay. Carolyn Newman sent the closer look above – and then Jeff Pond shared the wider view, below:
You might also remember the building, as we did, for its Valentine show almost six years ago.
And just as we were about to publish those two views – another sign of spirit came in:
Doree, who shared the photo, says she and her fellow “lunch ladies” at Denny International Middle School are going all out to cheer the Seahawks on.
The Duwamish Rowing Club, based in South Park, is the one and only rowing club for this area – West Seattle too – and even though it’s not quite rowing weather yet, you can get ready for the summer with classes about to start at SP Community Center, Tuesday nights and/or Saturday mornings, starting next week – specific dates and times here. SPCC is at 8319 8th Avenue S., just a few miles east of West Seattle, where you can sign up in person at your first class.
Tomorrow morning, among those who have told us they plan to take the (polar) plunge into Puget Sound, you’ll find Kayleen Dunson – the West Seattleite who is Umpire in Chief for the Seattle Metro Area Softball Umpires Association. She tells WSB her first year in that role has been great “We trained more umpires than ever before … sent 20 umpires to work National and/or State tournaments (and one umpire who got to work the World Cup of Softball), and made everything about umpiring more FUN!” They got regional/national media attention, too. But she’s particularly proud of Shani Neamen, a recruit who won the “Rookie Umpire of the Year” award.
Kayleen shares the story:
When Shani Neamen read about the need for Softball Umpires on the West Seattle Blog in January, she decided to give it a try. She joined the Seattle Metro Softball Umpires Association, went through the top-notch training program, and became a certified softball umpire. She had a blast, and did a great job – and in October she was chosen as the Seattle-Tacoma region’s “Rookie Umpire of the Year.”
One day after he and his teammates won the NFL’s NFC West division, Seahawks defense star Cliff Avril is at West Seattle Bowl tonight – playing a different ball game:
As first announced here last month, Avril is leading tonight’s Strikes for Kids “Live United/Bowl United” fundraiser for United Way of King County. And not only is it a great chance to celebrate and help the nonprofit, it’s also a celebration of Seahawks fever:
…old-school Seahawks fever, too:
Then, there’s just plain fun:
Big crowd tonight, which should be good news for United Way; whenever we get a fundraising tally, we’ll update the story.
The West Seattle High School Wildcats boys-basketball team is back from its holiday-weekend road trip, and WSHS staff shares this report:
The West Seattle varsity boys-basketball team traveled and played in the Wenatchee Holiday Basketball Classic this past weekend.
The Wildcats played the host school Wenatchee on Friday night and lost to a very good team 71-65.
Senior DeAndre Love scored 27 points and had a game-high 14 rebounds, also adding 3 blocks.
WSHS then played Eastmont High School Saturday and again played tough, but fell 60-46. Eastmont was a state finalist last year in class 4A and have a team primed for yet another trip to Tacoma.
The Wildcats’ next game is Friday, Jan. 3, at Chief Sealth.
AC Seattle, the Italian/American cultural-exchange soccer club that was based in West Seattle for its debut season last summer, will be back – and is expanding. Its 2013 women’s team (photo above) won the Northwest Conference of the WPSL and the Evergreen Cup; for 2014, AC Seattle tells WSB it will add a men’s team and a summer camp. You won’t find many details on their website yet but AC Seattle says camp registration is open, so they’re taking inquiries at soccer@acseattle.com, which is also the address where soccer professionals are invited to send resumes if they are interested in joining a staff expanding to cover the new team/camp (players too).
You didn’t think Santa Claus went right back to the North Pole as soon as Christmas deliveries were done, did you? Al shares these scenes from the West Seattle Golf Course on Thursday – the day after Christmas.
Keep an eye out for the Easter Bunny next.
(Photo by Greg Slader)
Just sent to us to share with you – another big honor for a local sports standout, whose proud relative writes:
Earlier this month, Sam Hellinger of West Seattle became the first player from West Seattle High School to ever be awarded the Washington State Baseball Coaches Association’s State Player of the Year.
Hellinger, who helped West Seattle get to the 3A State championship game for the first time in its history and who was drafted in the 39th round by the Seattle Mariners in the 2013 June Amateur Draft, was earlier named 3A Player of the Year, Metro League MVP, and was the first West Seattle player ever named to the Seattle Times All-Area Team.
Sam currently attends and plays for the College of San Mateo in the Bay Area (California).
Congratulations to Sam!
West Seattle teenagers interested in running are invited to be part of a new group launching early in the new year. The announcement was shared by Emma:
Starting January 4th, West Seattle Runner will offer a free teen running group every Saturday at 11 am for those in high school and college. This will be a great place to meet other youth who enjoy running, train for races like 5Ks and half marathons, and improve overall fitness.
Lori McConnell, co-owner of West Seattle Runner, wanted to start this group because “As a long distance runner, the owner of a running store, and a therapist for youth and athletes, I saw the need. I have heard from teens that they would like to run more, but in the dark winter, they are limited because they don’t want to run alone. I also want to introduce the joy of running to youth. It is a healthy activity for them to spend time doing, it gives a sense of belonging, and it increases confidence. Also, running is a way to build good mental health and helps with learning. I wanted an opportunity to connect like-minded teens in a social way.”
A Facebook group called “West Seattle Teen Running Group” has been created and will be the central place for future information about this upcoming running group. If you have questions, contact Lori at lori@westseattlerunner.com or call West Seattle Runner at 206-938-0545.
Congratulations to the West Seattle Force, citywide U-17 soccer champions after Saturday’s 2-0 win over the Ballard Huskies in the City Youth Soccer Association finals. The Force is a West Seattle Soccer Club team, coached by Wayne Johnson and Greg Postel.
Victory tonight for West Seattle High School over visiting Auburn HS, according to this staff report:
The West Seattle boys’ basketball team improved to 2-3 on the season with a 66-61 win over the Auburn Trojans of the SPSL on Saturday night. It’s the Wildcats’ second win over an SPSL opponent this year, having beat Kent Meridian earlier.
The Wildcats were powered by senior DeAndre Love with 24 points and 9 rebounds. Also playing well for the Wildcats were senior Malachi Cain and Ruslan Burduzha, both scoring in double figures.
Cain hit three 3-point field goals in the fourth quarter to help the Wildcats pull out a gritty win.
See more stats here, via our partners at The Seattle Times.
Ready to run? West Seattle Runner (WSB sponsor) is about to launch another session of Get Fit, West Seattle – with an informational meeting tomorrow night, per WSR’s Lori McConnell:
We are back at it! After just successfully coaching about 15 runners and walkers off the couch across the finish line of the Amica Seattle Marathon, we are ready for more. Starting on January 5th, we will invite another group to get off the couch and begin training for the Seattle Rock ‘N Roll Marathon in June. Participants will receive a training plan that is guaranteed to get them to the goal. Additionally, we will host clinics on nutrition, proper training and footwear and injury prevention. Along the way, walkers and runners can expect support, camaraderie and a wealth of knowledge. All of this at NO COST!!
The informational meeting is at 6:30 pm tomorrow (Monday, December 16th) at WS Runner, second floor on the northwest corner of California/Charlestown.
One more sports report from the second-to-last week of school before winter break: Chief Sealth International High School hosted Bainbridge in Friday night basketball. The girls-varsity team lost 53-43; stats are here, with Samantha Scroggins leading the Katie Jo Maris-coached Seahawks’ scoring, 16 points. She and teammate O’Shae Walker are in the photo above, flanking Bainbridge’s Maddie Ketcheside.
In the boys-varsity game, Bainbridge also left with the win, 48-41 despite a run by the Colin Slingsby-coached Seahawks in the last few minutes.
Stats are up now (also via our partners at The Seattle Times). Alluney Burris was top Sealth scorer with 12; in our photo is the Seahawks’ Ahmed Mohamed, who had 7 points Friday night.
Next up for Sealth – road trips to Rainier Beach High School, where the boys’ teams play Tuesday, the girls on Wednesday.
Seattle Lutheran High School‘s basketball teams hosted Mount Vernon Christian last night. Top photo is from the boys-varsity game, which SLHS won, 54-41; that’s Abijah Smith, who was the team’s top scorer with 20 (next was Ben Sanders with 14). Next, the girls’ game:
Abbi Sanders is in that photo, bringing the ball upcourt; she had 14 points in the Saints’ 53-30 loss. Also during the busy night of basketball at Seattle Lutheran, there was a bonus game:
Third- and fourth-graders from nearby Hope Lutheran School hit the court.
(Photo courtesy Lorie Bennett)
Thursday afternoon rain didn’t stop students from Lafayette and Schmitz Park Elementaries from playing the first-ever West Side Flag Cup – Leopards vs. Foxes, respectively. We’re told it started with the Lafayette after-school football class and coach – third- through fifth-graders – challenging their Schmitz Park counterparts. Above, the two teams before the game (thanks to Lorie for sharing that photo!); below, action on the field at Hiawatha:
(This and next 2 photos by WSB’s Patrick Sand)
We stopped by for a bit of the early action. According to the Schmitz Park Facebook page, the Foxes won. Lots of family and friends out to cheer for both teams.
The SP page also notes: “The score ranges from 49 to 42, 42 to 35, it was a close game with back-and-forth touchdowns. We forgot to assign an official scorekeeper.”
But you know the saying – “it’s not whether you win or lose …” The Foxes and Leopards are hoping to make this a tradition, trophy and all, with another faceoff as soon as late spring.
Just announced: West Seattle Little League registration is open for next year, and change is in the wind:
2014 is shaping up to be an exciting year for West Seattle Little League. A new division of play called Double-A Rookies is being introduced and is specifically designed for 8 year old kids moving up from Coach Pitch before playing in the Minors. This division will continue the focus on education and development, and will introduce players to pitching, hitting against kid pitchers, more advanced defensive play, and umpires calling balls and strikes.
Also new for 2014 is a revised Little League rule regarding residency and boundaries. Now children that attend schools within the West Seattle Little League boundaries will be able to play in our league even if they live outside the boundaries. This is a wonderful rule change that will enable friends from our schools to play baseball together even though they may live in different parts of West Seattle.
And finally, WSLL is honored to have been selected as the host league and site for the 2014 Washington State Little League 11-12 year old All-Star Tournament. The tournament will take place in early July at Bar S Fields. This promises to be an outstanding culmination to the 2014 season with 13 of the best teams in Washington coming to West Seattle to battle for the opportunity to represent the state at the NW Regional Tournament. Many of you may recall our “neighbors” from Lake Sammamish who advanced all the way to the National Semifinals in Williamsport, PA, last year.
To learn more about WSLL and to register for the 2014 season, please visit the league’s website at: westseattlelittleleague.com or contact us at playeragent@westseattlelittleleague.com.
Wednesday night at West Seattle High School, it was the Wildcat girls’ turn to host Lakeside, whose varsity left with a 42-39 win. Above, that’s WSHS’s Charli Elliott in the foreground, fighting for control of the ball. Here are the game stats, via our partners at The Seattle Times; leading scorers for head coach Sonya Elliott‘s WSHS team were Gabby Sarver with 14 points and Lydia Giomi with 12. Friday night, they are on the road at Rainier Beach.
High-school basketball season has begun in earnest, and the boys of West Seattle High School hosted Lakeside tonight. The Lions left with the win, 57-48, though the Wildcats had been on top at halftime, 28-25. Our partners at The Seattle Times have the stats; Ruslan Burduzha led West Seattle scoring with 18 points, while DeAndre Love and Malachi Cain had 12 each. (That’s Cain in our top photo, #21, with Spenser Elder, #10.) This was the first Metro League game of the year for head coach Keffrey Fazio’s 2013-14 WSHS varsity squad; its first game, non-conference, was a home-court win over Kent-Meridian, 72-58. Next up, the Wildcats visit Rainier Beach on Friday.
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