Vaughan leads U.S. Open in Sammamish
July 30, 2010
NEW — 11:05 a.m. July 30, 2010
Bruce Vaughan, a former fireman who didn’t take up golf until he was 20, shot a 4-under-par 66 Thursday to take the first-round lead in the U.S. Senior Open golf tournament at Sahalee Country Club.
Vaughan had a two-stroke lead over Loren Roberts and amateur Thomas Jackson.
Seattle native Fred Couples, who had three straight birdies on the back nine, finished at even par, tying for ninth place. Tom Watson, who was the early leader, also finished at even par.
Defending U.S. Senior Open champion Fred Funk started the day with a bogey and things never got better. His opening day score was 6-over-76.
Lakeside returns to state tourney as favorite
July 27, 2010
Marcus Gaan, Lakeside Recovery second baseman (right) attempts the tag, as John Schmedding of the Spokane Cannons squirms around him and is called safe on a steal in the second inning July 24 at Bannerwood Park. By Greg Farrar
Lakeside Recovery coach Rob Reese has his senior American Legion baseball team rolling again and at just the right time.
Despite a dubious beginning, Lakeside Recovery is headed to the AAA state tournament with hope of defending its championship.
Bears capture Koufax title
July 27, 2010
The Bears Baseball Club’s 14-under team didn’t begin the season looking like a state champion.
But the Bears, based out of Field of Champions in Preston, defeated the top-seeded Green Sox Baseball Club 7-3 July 12 to capture the Sandy Koufax 14-under state championship.
The Bears began the season 4-5, but finished 17-7 and qualified for the state tournament as the No. 7 seed.
In the tournament, the Bears opened with a 10-3 victory against the RIPS Brewers, the No. 2 seed. Pitcher Nate Gibson held the Brewers to two earned runs and struck out six.
In their second game, Tommy Medawar hurled six strong innings as the Bears downed O’Brien Autogroup 7-4. Medawar had six strikeouts.
Senior Open has top golfers from Champions Tour
July 27, 2010
Some might go to the U.S. Senior Open hoping to see their golfing heroes from decades past and present, but the tournament is not just a trip down memory lane. The top golfers in the PGA Champions Tour, open to pro golfers over 50, are coming to the Sahalee Country Club.
The tournament begins July 29 and runs through Aug. 1. The first groups to tee off July 29 will be Jerry Johnson, of Ocean Shores, amateur Martin Rifkin, of Fort Wayne, Ind., and Kim Dolan, of Las Vegas, on hole 1 at 7:15 a.m. Teeing off on hole 10 at the same time will be amateur Kevin Klier, of Colbert, Wash., Eddie Terasa, of Waukesha, Wis., and Dave Bell, of Canada.
Local favorite Fred Couples, 50, tees off at 7:45 a.m. at hole 10 with Tom Watson and 2008 U.S. Senior Open champion Eduardo Romero.
Lakeside Recovery baseball team reaches state tournament
July 26, 2010
NEW — 3:40 p.m. July 26, 2010
The Lakeside Recovery Senior American Legion baseball team is headed for the AAA state tournament again.
The defending state champions earned a berth in the tournament Sunday by beating the Kennewick Bandits 10-7 in a sub-regional game at Bellevue’s Bannerwood Park.
Record-wise, Lakeside Recovery enters the state tournament with a modest 22-18 mark.
Lakeside Recovery won two contests at the sub-regional.
In the opening round July 24, Lakeside Recovery defeated the Spokane Cannons 6-5. Issaquah High School graduate Shane Yarnell provided Lakeside Recovery with clutch relief pitching. He blanked the Cannons over the three final innings to protect a one-run lead. Mikey Smith, of Skyline, had three hits and drove in two runs to lead Lakeside Recovery. Issaquah graduate Spencer Rogers also had two hits and drove in a run.
Issaquah grad Colin Curtis slams first major-league home run
July 22, 2010
NEW — 10:45 a.m. July 22, 2010
Former Issaquah High School star Colin Curtis was sitting on the New York Yankees’ bench and savoring a cup of cold Gatorade when he was unexpectedly called to pinch hit in Wednesday’s game against California Angels.
Curtis came through for the Yankees, smashing a three-run home run in New York’s 10-6 victory.
Manager Joe Girardi summoned the rookie outfielder when Brett Gardner was ejected by home-plate umpire Paul Emmel in the seventh inning. Gardner left the game with a 0-2 count. Curtis looked at three fastballs outside the strike zone from Angel reliever Scott Shields before belting a pitch into the right field seats.
Leaping for the record books
July 20, 2010
Jim Crittenden, of May Valley, stretches at Fitness Together of Issaquah, on Northwest Gilman Boulevard, where he has done his conditioning in preparation for the 2010 Masters Outdoor Track & Field Championships July 22 in Sacramento, Calif. By Greg Farrar
60-year-old man attempts to break world long-jump record
After a lifetime of competition, local long-jumper Jim Crittenden, 60, is ready to bring home more than a gold medal — he wants the world record.
Runner keeps the beat to second place at Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon
July 20, 2010
Kim Harding holds her framed award for the second place finish among women June 26 in the 2010 Rock ‘n’ Roll Seattle Marathon. Contributed
“I’m a nobody. I’m just this little girl from Issaquah,” Kim Harding said.
The 22-year-old Issaquah High School graduate began to make more of a name for herself on June 26, however, as she finished in second place for women in the 2010 Rock ‘n’ Roll Seattle Marathon.
Harding finished in 2 hours, 56 minutes and 43 seconds, breaking three hours, an important marathoner landmark. She did so with little training, and no coach or team.
“What she showed us was this red-faced determination like nobody else I’ve seen,” her father, Jim Harding, said.
Kim Harding began her running career at age 9 after watching her older brother, Jon, at a race. Through high school, she ran cross country and track, but also participated in cheerleading and spent time with friends. She didn’t have the passion for running yet, she said. Read more
Powered by gravity, steered by fun
July 20, 2010
More than 50 special-needs children suit up for 13th annual Rotary challenge race
By Greg Farrar Mary Hartung (left), co-driver, waves at the crowds and Caitlin Gaylord, driver, prepares to pilot their gravity car
By Greg Farrar Mary Hartung (left), co-driver, waves at the crowds and Caitlin Gaylord, driver, prepares to pilot their gravity car
On July 17, Second Avenue Southeast was transformed into a racetrack as soapbox cars full of grinning children whooshed down the hill in lieu of the usual streams of weekend traffic.
The road was closed off for the 13th annual Issaquah Rotary Challenge Gravity Car Race.
More than 50 special-needs children of all ages came to participate in the race as co-drivers. Each was accompanied by a driver, one- or two-dozen children ages 11-13 who were trained to operate the cars earlier in the day. Read more
Patriots coach chosen for football summit
July 20, 2010
Liberty High School football coach Steve Valach has been selected to participate in the 11th annual NFL-USA Football Youth Summit July 21-23 at Canton, Ohio.
Valach was one of 51 coaches chosen for the conference. Each state plus Washington, D.C., had one coach chosen.
Former Pittsburgh Steelers great Merril Hoge will address participants about the importance of coaching, while two-time Super Bowl-winning Dallas Cowboy Darrin Smith will speak about the importance of education. Pro Football Hall of Famer Mike Haynes; former Green Bay Packer all-pro and Vince Lombardi protégé Dave Robinson; and Canton native and former Chiefs quarterback Todd Blackledge will also address the group.
Leaders in the fields of sports medicine and sports psychology will present various topics facing youth sports. Dr. Stan Herring, of the NFL’s Head, Neck and Spine Committee, will discuss the importance of concussion education and awareness in youth sports while Dr. Linn Goldberg, of Oregon Health & Science University, will lead a steroid and supplement education session and discuss the NFL’s Atlas & Athena Anti-Steroid Education program. Read more
