Sportswriter of the year 2015

Thursday, April 17, 2014 - Mason County Journal - Page B-1

SHS alumni take on varsity

SPORTS MASON COUNTY JOURNAL

page B-5

Heads up!

North Mason girls tennis playes two page B-3

County runners return to Boston One year after bombings, Peggy VanBuskirk goes back to finish race

NMHS boys soccer earns second victory of the season

By EMILY HANSON emily@masoncounty.com It was a hat trick for Danny Wiseman.

The North Mason junior forward scored three goals against Olympic on Saturday to lead the boys soccer team to 3-1 victory at Phil Pugh Stadium.

Wiseman scored off assists from junior midfielder Bjorn Van Dijk in the 36th minute and freshman forward Cruz Pedro in the 51st minute. He completed the hat trick in the 55th minute with an unassisted goal.

It was the Bulldogs’ second victory of the season.

“The guys dominated the game and created a lot of scoring opportunities,” head coach Brian Holloway said. “Danny again was finding himself in behind their back line and converted on the three, but had four or five more great chances.”

Holloway credited senior keeper Alex Floathe with limiting Olympic’s opportunities. Floathe stopped a penalty kick in the second half.

Olympic failed to score until the 77th minute when Olympic’s Maxx Plum scored off an assist from Robie Rivera.

“It was definitely a team effort and everyone contributed,” Holloway said.

The victory came four days after the Bulldogs lost 3-0 to Sequim on April 8 at home.

“We started slow,” Holloway said. “We weren’t organized and they got a free header on a corner kick.”

He described Sequim’s second goal as a looper from 40 yards out.

“I’m not blaming anyone for the second goal,” Holloway said. “It would’ve gotten any keeper.”

He said it looped into the top corner of the goal.

By EMILY HANSON emily@masoncounty.com

Goldsby said. “We had it in the bag.”

Mitchell had thrown a three-hitter through six innings.

“I asked her to come in hard on the first hitter and she did, right on the left gluteus maximus,” Goldsby said. “Loretta (LaClair) then barely misses a hard-liner toward right and once they get the bases loaded, we have a mental error and they score instead of us having out No. 2 and possibly a double play.”

Mitchell struck out five batters and allowed four hits.

At the plate, Lindsey Corey led the team. She went 2-3 with two runs and one stolen base. Aurora Gouley went 2-3 with two runs, three stolen bases and an RBI while Cassie Crabtree had two RBI. Finally, on April 8, Central Kitsap trounced Shelton 14-4.

For Peggy VanBuskirk, the most difficult part of the 2013 Boston Marathon was the waiting.

S h e ’ d waited for years to qualify to compete in the race.

S h e ’ d w a i t e d hours for the race to VanBuskirk begin April 15, 2013.

About 1 mile from the finish line, VanBuskirk then had to wait for an hour to know for sure that her loved ones were safe after a bomb went off just blocks away from the finish line on the north side of Boylston Street.

VanBuskirk’s family was supposed to be waiting near the finish line.

And now, after more than one year of waiting, VanBuskirk, 61, is returning to Boston to run the 2014 marathon April 21. She is intent on finishing this time.

“You can’t run a marathon without finishing,” she said.

Last spring, VanBuskirk ran the race with her daughter, Stephanie Neil and Neil’s best friend Miranda Thygesen. Neil’s and Thygsesen’s husbands and children watched with the crowd as did VanBuskirk’s husband, Ken. Tomorrow, VanBuskirk, Neil, 35, and Thygesen, 37, fly back to Boston. This time without their families.

“The whole point was for all of us to qualify, go and finish,” Thygesen said.

While VanBuskirk waited about 1 mile from the finish line after the bombs went off just before 3 p.m.

EST near the finish line on Boylston Street, Thygesen and Neil were in changing tents about one block from the blasts.

“I could’ve been about 2 miles away when the first bomb went off, but it took them a while to get organized and get everyone to stop running,” VanBuskirk said.

see FASTPITCH, page B-6

see MARATHON, page B-6

Journal photo by Emily Hanson

North Mason sophomore midfielder Austen Bullion heads a ball April 8 during see SOCCER, page B-6 the Bulldogs’ home game against Sequim at Phil Pugh Stadium.

Lady Highclimbers shut out Foss Senior pitcher throws near-perfect game

By EMILY HANSON emily@masoncounty.com Shelton senior pitcher Morgan Mitchell was four outs from a perfect game.

For 6 2/3 innings, Mitchell kept Foss from reaching base April 9 at Mason County Recreation Area.

A mental error then killed the perfect game.

“Morgan throws a drop, gets an easy ground ball with an easy throw to first, easy catch, but too easy,” head coach Kim Goldsby said. “Mental errors have been our nemesis this year, but it has normally been on the base paths. Perfect game gone.”

Despite a couple of late errors, the Lady Highclimbers shut out Foss 9-0.

“I’m always telling the team how difficult it is, no matter the opponent, to record a no-hitter, much less a perfect game,” Goldsby said. “We did make some amazing plays on some hard liners throughout the game.”

Mitchell struck out eight batters. For the final inning, Taylor Hitsman took the mound, striking out one.

At the plate, Allie Simon led the Lady Highclimbers. She went 3-4 with two runs and two stolen bases.

“Offensively, Allie stroked the ball very well and has been filling the role of our No. 2 hitter very well,” Goldsby said.

The victory ended three games in three days. On April 7, Wilson overcame a 4-1 deficit to defeat Shelton 5-4 in the seventh inning in Tacoma.

“I have been at a loss for words and having a hard time letting this loss go,”

Page B-6 - Mason County Journal - Thursday, April 17, 2014

FLY ON THE SIDELINE

To high school athletes: Are sports still fun?

I

heard an intriguing comment last week.

I was watching the North Mason boys soccer team’s home game against Sequim on April 8 when a team member sitting on the bench said: “I miss soccer when we were 6. We didn’t care if we won or lost; we got snacks and that’s all that mattered,” he said.

Are sports still fun for high school athletes?

I’ve often said that I enjoy watching and writing about

high school sports more than college or professional sports because athletes show more heart.

College athletes

By EMILY seem to HANSON treat their sports more like a stepping stone to the bigger and better world of professional sports.

For pros, their sport is

their job. It’s how they make a living and support their families.

I’m sure fun is still had by college and professional athletes, but when the game becomes more than just a game, it appears to lose its entertainment value for the athletes involved.

And now I think, at least for some high school athletes, the game might not be so fun anymore.

I’ve seen a high school pitcher throw a complete game that his team won and

he didn’t even crack a smile afterward.

I’ve talked to football players after a victory who mostly noticed what the team did wrong. They emphasize moments when they should have scored, but didn’t.

These are signs that the game isn’t fun for those athletes anymore. I could be wrong; I don’t read minds, after all, but that’s what it looks like.

That’s a shame. At the true heart of athletics, there should always be fun. It

doesn’t feel like exercising because you enjoy what you’re doing. It doesn’t matter if you win or lose because you had a great time with your teammates and friends.

I just find myself wondering how many high school athletes are no longer having fun playing their sports.

And if there’s no fun to be had, why do they continue to play?

Also, what can the coaches do to make the sports enjoyable once more?

Marathon: Not afraid to return continued from page B-1

Journal photo by Emily Hanson

North Mason junior midfielder Bjorn Van Dijk boots the ball back into play April 8 during the Bulldogs’ home game against Sequim at Phil Pugh Stadium.

Soccer: NM boys suffer ‘mental defeat’ continued from page B-1 Wiseman said the Bulldogs need more since the team has so many newcomers.

“We need to re-evaluate our back line,” he added. “Defensive positioning is all we have to work on. From there, we would have more solid outcomes.”

Holloway and Wiseman said Sequim played a physical game.

“They tend to get into our heads and then once we lose our heads, we start breaking down in our possessions,” Wiseman said. “It was partially a mental defeat.”

Holloway said it was a defeat for the Bulldogs in that Sequim prevented North Mason from playing

its mental game.

“We like controlled passes and we want to possess the ball,” Holloway said. “When you’re behind, you start to feel pressure to score.

I don’t want them to play that way.”

The Bulldogs (2-5) play at 6:45 p.m. today at home against Kingston at Phil Pugh Stadium.

Fastpitch: Rain hampers SHS efforts continued from page B-1 “Central is one of the top 4A schools and has good pitching,” Goldsby said. “We have drastically cut back on our strikeouts of late and that has helped us stay in the running in all of

our games.”

In pouring rain for the most of the game, the Lady Highclimbers struggled to grip the ball, Goldsby said.

Mitchell allowed 12 hits and walked 11 batters. She recorded two strikeouts.

Shelton had just six hits on Central Kitsap.

Corey went 3-4 while Kelsey Albaugh went 2-3 with three RBI and a home run.

“Kelsey crushed a ball over the right fielder’s head for a three-run home run in the first, which

woke Central Kitsap up after they had scored two in the top of the first,” Goldsby said. “Lindsey Corey continued her hot bat.”

The Lady Highclimbers (5-4) play at 4 p.m. tomorrow against Olympia at Stevens Field.

And then the waiting began as she stood in a crowd of runners, unaware of what had happened and whether their families were safe.

“People from nearby houses were giving us water but no clothes or blankets,” VanBuskirk said. “I was wet from sweating and then the wind started. We were all freezing.

“Here’s all these people waiting, who knew their loved ones were waiting for them at the finish line,” she continued. “The waiting wasn’t easy.”

Thygesen said she and Neil knew VanBuskirk was safe, because their children were keeping track of her on their phones. Neil was able to reach her husband, Jeff, who knew where Thygesen’s husband and children were.

The only missing person was Ken VanBuskirk.

VanBuskirk saw her husband near the mile 18 marker, when she gave him her warmer shirt, but the plan was for him to meet her at the finish line.

“I assumed my family wouldn’t be in the stands, so everyone would be fine,” VanBuskirk said.

She was right. Once VanBuskirk reunited with her husband, they traveled back to the house the group had rented for the week they stayed in Boston. The VanBuskirks beat the rest of the group back, in fact.

Although none of the women were focused on the time they ran the race in, Thygesen earned a personal record at 3 hours, 35 minutes, 56 seconds. Neil finished at 3:36:09.

VanBuskirk’s projected finish time, based on the pace she’d set at other checkpoints, was 4:34:42.

“I keep thinking I could’ve run a little faster, but I was just trying to enjoy the race,” VanBuskirk said. “It’s probably a good thing I didn’t.”

She said that runners who were projected to finish were invited back to the marathon this year without having to requalify.

Because Thygesen and Neil finished last year, they were also eligible to return this year.

Instead of running separately, the three women said they would run the race together next week.

“Stephanie and I are going for fun,” Thygesen said. “We’re going to take our GoPro and stay with Peggy.”

Neil said she’s excited to return to Boston for her third marathon there.

“I’m looking forward to the three of us running together,” she said.

She said it was unfortunate her mother couldn’t finish the marathon last year.

“It’s such a cool experience and it’s a bummer it had to end that way,” she said.

All three stated they are not thinking about the possibility of a similar attack occurring.

“You can’t go through life being scared,” Thygesen said.

“That kind of thing is just chance,” VanBuskirk added. “If I was scared, I’d never leave the house.”

Neil said she wasn’t thinking about it.

“I really want my mom to be able to finish,” she said. “It took a long time for her to be able to qualify and then she didn’t finish.”

Thursday, May 29, 2014 - Mason County Journal - Page B-1

North Mason runs at districts page B-3

SPORTS MASON COUNTY JOURNAL

SHS track competes in tournament page B-4

Journal photos by Emily Hanson

After ACL surgery, Jake Lindley, pictured in December 2013, uses a continuous passive motion machine during the long process of recovery.

An athlete recovers After rupturing his ACL, Jake Lindley works to rehabilitate knee, return to sports

By EMILY HANSON emily@masoncounty.com Almost one year ago, Jake Lindley was on the road toward reaching his goals after high school.

An injury while playing rugby that spring changed all of that.

Future disrupted The then-senior at Shelton High School in February 2013 had signed a letter stating his intention to sign a letter of intent to play football at the University of Oregon.

Lindley was offered the option of playing as a preferred walk-on for the Ducks. He was excited to have the opportunity to impress the coaching staff enough to earn an official spot on the roster or a scholarship to the university.

“The thing about being a preferred walkon is (the coaches) know who you are and what you’re capable of, so you have to show them your work ethic and what they don’t know,” Lindley said last spring. “The thing I like about it is I have to … prove my worth.”

He was about one month away from graduating with the Class of 2013.

He planned to attend the University of Oregon, where he’d already been accepted as a student, with the intention of studying either business management or health science.

Before graduation, Lindley began his final season playing for the Shelton community

Sweat pours down Jake Lindley’s face while using the stair-stepper machine at Group Health in Lacey during a physical therapy appointment last month. boys rugby 7s team.

And that’s when his plans changed.

Crawling off the field With the rugby team, Lindley was in Seattle playing at a round-robin tournament the week after spring break. At the tournament, Shelton players were mixed up with

players from other teams to form new teams.

“A Shelton guy was trying to tackle me and I tried to stiff-arm him,” Lindley said.

“His weight, plus mine when I tried to juke is when I think I fully ruptured my ACL.” see LINDLEY, page B-5

Thursday, May 29, 2014 - Mason County Journal - Page B-5

Journal photo by Emily Hanson

Jake Lindley does leg extension exercises in the Shelton High School weight room in fall 2013. Lindley, a 2013 SHS graduate, ruptured his right ACL playing rugby last spring.

Lindley: Athlete on track to return to sports next spring continued from page B-1 Lindley crawled off the field and didn’t play the rest of the tournament.

After two weeks off, he returned to the field.

“I played all the rest of the games besides the state final,” he said. “My knee was too bad and I couldn’t do it anymore.”

He compared the pain in his leg to that of a shoulder dislocation.

“There was quite a bit of pain,” Lindley said. “It would dislocate and relocate at once.

The full process happening in an instant is super painful. It was enough for me to drop to the ground and not be able to move for a little while.”

Despite the continuous pain in his knee, it wasn’t until Sept. 5 that Lindley heard the news: He’d fully ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament.

After informing the Ducks of his injury, Lindley lost the offer to be a preferred walk-on.

“Considering I couldn’t follow through with a workout process, there wasn’t really a future at UO,” he said. “I’m pessimistic in certain ways, but also open-minded. I feel everything happens for a reason and this may open up a greater opportunity.”

With that in mind, Lindley began a workout schedule designed to help him drop body fat and strengthen his core stabilizing muscles so he’d be as physically fit as possible when he went in for surgery.

“You have to rely on your core muscles after surgery because there’s no bend in the knee until later on during physical therapy,” Lindley said.

During his workouts in the

fall, Lindley said his knee felt “weird.”

“It’s like when you get old and stuff gets sore,” he said.

“It hurts less than you’d think.

There are athletes who’ve played their sports with a torn ACL. They just wear a brace.”

He said he told his surgeon, Dr. Patrick Halpin at Olympia Orothopaedic Associates, about his workout routine and that he wanted to maintain it.

“He said that would be best because it would make my rehabilitation smoother,” Lindley said. “I think it’s important for each surgery to sustain (that routine) if you’ve worked out at a high level up until the surgery.”

While working out and preparing for surgery, Lindley enrolled at South Puget Sound Community College to take general education, English, math, history and writing classes so he wouldn’t fall too far behind in school.

A 45-minute surgery Lindley went under the knife Dec. 19, 2013, for an ACL/MCL and meniscal reconstruction surgery that would replace his ACL with that of a healthy ACL from a cadaver.

Although the surgery was projected to take 90 minutes, Lindley said his was finished in 45 minutes.

“The surgery went really well,” he said. “I had a previous medial meniscus ligament tear that had healed itself. My ACL was fully ruptured. (Halpin) said my medial collateral ligament was pretty tattered as well, but still useable. He said it looked like that of a 30to 40-year-old’s.”

After his surgery, Lindley said he decided to only take

pain medication when he needed it.

“There’s always a little bit of tingling pain, it’s really lowkey,” he said. “My calf and ankle hurt worse. My calf does because it’s been super compressed and is not used to me walking. My ankle’s just swollen, like a pregnant woman’s, so it hurts sometimes.”

During the resting period, Lindley stuck closer to the RICE technique of rest, ice, compression, elevation.

“If I still ice and elevate using the RICE technique, that’ll make the recovery process smoother and faster,” he said. “It could be up to six months before I’m working strenuously on it.”

Lindley also used a continuous passive motion machine.

He would strap his leg into the machine, which would then slowly force his knee to bend at slightly increasing angles.

“It’s all self-weighted and it’s to stress out tissue so you don’t get a buildup of scar tissue, which is bad juju,” Lindley said. “You don’t want that if you’re looking to exercise or do sports after surgery.”

He used the machine for a minimum of four hours per day in two-hour segments.

“I can do as many hours as I want, as long as I do at least four,” Lindley said. “It depends on how sore I feel with it.”

He said he fell asleep using the machine once and woke up a few hours later feeling fine.

At this stage of the process, Lindley decided to take a break from college.

“I was planning on taking online courses, but I’m torn on that and going back to work,” he said.

Despite the slow recovery,

Lindley said his long-term goals haven’t changed.

“Playing college football is still my goal,” he said. “There are so many places out there and so many opportunities.

I’m looking to take advantage of those. I’d also like to pursue playing rugby at the club level or if it’s a scholarship sport, which is looking likely at some schools.”

He said he’s set in his ways and will figure out what he needs to do to make himself happy.

“I haven’t lost any positivity or motivation,” Lindley said.

“I’m driven to reach my goals and be successful.”

Strong progress in physical therapy After four months of physical therapy at Group Health in Lacey, Dr. Scott Tebeau said Lindley would likely be discharged from physical therapy appointments by the summer.

“We try to get (athletes) ready in one year,” Tebeau said. “Jake’s in a critical point at the four-month mark, but he’s good about doing the home program … allowing time to do its thing.”

When going through the rehabilitation process, Tebeau said an athlete needs to know what he’s in for.

“The higher your base-level of condition and endurance is before the operation, the smaller the amount of decline is post-op,” he said. “Peoples’ tissues are different. They can struggle early on with range of motion post-op.

Sometimes patients can try to go too fast, which causes more swelling, inflammation and pain.”

He said Lindley’s rehabili-

tation was going well.

“He’s one patient I don’t have to worry about. He makes my job easy,” he said.

Lindley said when he first began physical therapy, he felt a little bit of pain, but that going through the motions became easier.

“In a way, you appreciate the fact you’re going through it like it let’s you know how hard you’re willing to work,” Lindley said.

At physical therapy, Lindley worked to improve his core strength and proprioception, or the internal sense of knowing his body’s position.

“Strength is good, but you need good joint strength,” Tebeau said.

His appointments included putting his weight on his right leg while tossing small balls against a trampoline, balancing on his right leg while tossing a 15-pound ball back and forth to Tebeau and using the stair-stepper, a machine designed to mimic the motion of using stairs.

After four months, Lindley was able to use the stairstepper for 10 minutes at the maximum level of resistence.

In that time, he traveled the equivalent of 636 steps.

Lindley said this machine was his least and most favorite.

“It makes me feel weak,” Lindley said. “But it’s also the one I love the most. Not liking the stair-stepper doesn’t stop me from reaching my goals.

I can physically tell that it’s making me work.”

He said some of the exercises don’t fatigue him, so he couldn’t feel his progress. see LINDLEY, page B-6

Page B-6 - Mason County Journal - Thursday, May 29, 2014

Lindley: Journal entries show progess in first 4 months continued from page B-5

Progress reports from January through April

Working toward new goals Although Lindley is on schedule to finish rehabilitation roughly one year after his surgery, he said his goal to play college football hasn’t changed.

Being cleared for athletics by the end of December means Lindley will be ready for the boys rugby season at Washington State University, where he’s been accepted to begin school in fall 2014.

“Based on my progression, I feel I can play rugby without getting hurt again next spring,” he said. “I’m planning on trying to walk-on for the football team in fall 2015.”

Lindley said he’s learned from this experience that anything in life can change and to not put all of his eggs in one basket, which he felt he’d done with the Ducks.

“There are parts of me that say ‘no’ I wouldn’t play rugby (last year) if I could go back and do it all again and parts that say ‘yes, I would,’ ” Lindley said. “If I didn’t play, I wouldn’t be where I am: Cutting down on weight, improving my work ethic. It wouldn’t have been as valuable or mean as much without the injury.”

tomorrow instead of looking backward …

For the first trimester of Jake Lindley’s recovery, he agreed to do weekly progress reports. The following are exercepts from those updates: Jan. 2 update: I have started walking almost regularly as well as being instructed to work my quad more to stop any dystrophy occurring to my muscle.

(My knee is) tight and quite a bit of lingering pain, but as far as weight goes, I can put most of my body weight on it, but I am just being very cautious …

Jan. 9 update: ... I’ve upped my stretches and quad workouts.

It’s not a lot of pain, but just due to it not being active as it used to be …

Jan. 16 update: … I’m still a little gun-shy on walking carelessly and what you would consider regular activity, but there is progress, which is an upside. It’s a lot more mental than people would think and your mind can play tricks on you with stuff like this. It’s just about keeping an optimistic mindset and looking forward to

Jan. 23 update: … You always subconsciously wish that you could be good to go within, you know, a week after surgery at the most, but you also have to take into account that it truly is a very long and grueling process if you don’t want to have to go through the situation again …

Jan. 30 update: … At my check-up appointment before physical therapy, my doctors said the implant was very solid and that the first healing stage went very well and they were very pleased with how strong it healed …

Feb. 13 update: … It’s kind of a grind during physical therapy because you have to do certain exercises that you don’t get to do on your own yet. You have to push your pain tolerance a little bit but not to a point of it being overbearing …

Feb. 20 update: … I’m pretty much going about normal life just more cautious …

Feb. 27 update: … Between appointments, I’ve been using

A 12-1 loss ended it all for the Shelton fastpitch team last week.

Bonney Lake defeated

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the Lady Highclimbers in Shelton’s second game of the 3A West Central District III Tournament at Sprinker Recreation Center in Spanaway.

Although head coach

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March 13 update: … (My doctor) said he was very impressed / pleased with my work ethic and that it is healing very strong. Just that I need to slow down and pace myself more. Having to slow down is fighting against my athletic instincts, but I also understand why I need to just because I’m vulnerable …

March 20 update: … My knee definitely feels stable enough to work. It’s still very vulnerable, but just in

April 3 update: … I had my third or fourth post-op checkup and the doctor was very impressed with my leg strength and muscle definition. He also mentioned that my implant has healed very strong …

April 11 update: … Sometimes when I’m deeply wondering my thoughts, I can kind of get down on myself and a bit hypocritical. I am usually fairly quick to boost myself back to confidence. I am fairly independent as well, always have been, but I tend to get the feeling that I am going at things and obstacles alone …

April 17 update: … The rate I’m healing is pretty much going as I anticipated. I’m starting to spread my physical therapy appointments even further apart because of the money spent on commuting and co-pays. This will only show more progression in my visits because of the exercises I’m doing between appointments.

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Bonney Lake scored two runs in the first inning, and Shelton held until the bottom of the fifth inning when Bonney Lake scored again.

Aurora Gouley and Cassie Crabtree led Shelton at the plate, going 2-3.

Kennedy O’Connor went 1-3 with a triple, while Lindsey Corey went 1-3 with a double. Loretta LaClair hit a sacrifice fly for an RBI. “We had some real shots that their right fielder made great plays on,” Goldsby said. “Kennedy towered a shot in

MCSA

This Week

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Kim Goldsby said she felt confident going into the game against Bonney Lake, the team scored eight runs on the Lady Highclimbers in the bottom of the sixth inning to 10-run Shelton and win by mercy rule.

Morgan Mitchell pitched a complete game for Shelton, giving up 10 hits and walking one. She struck out one batter.

“Morgan was throwing well even with a tweaked ankle from the horrible mound surface and our defense was playing really well,” Goldsby said.

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AT THE RANGE

Non-Members Welcome Memberships Available

May 30 Friday 6:00 pm Bullseye .22 Pistol on 6 targets, runs about an hour. $3.00 for members $5.00 for non-members 60 rounds June 3 Tuesday 6:00 P.M. Action Pistol League Move and shoot for .38 special, 9mm, and up. 48 rounds on a mix of targets, awards after 5 matches. This is a very popular event at the range, $6.00 for members and $8.00 for non-members. Spectators are welcome, bring eye and ear protection.

June 4, 6:00 pm General Business Meeting with a public program by Sheriff Salisbury, who will give a 1 hour presentation before our business meeting. The meeting will be held in the PUD #3 building on Johns Prairie Road, the public is welcome and encouraged to attend.

Coming up: June 7, 2014 10:00 am-3:30 pm First Steps Pistol Class.

Firearm and ammunition provided. Applications and payment information on the club website. There are still a few spots available. $50.00 per person.

June 14, Saturday 10:00 am-2:00 pm Open Range Day The range is open to the public to shoot, $12 per lane, two shooters may share a lane. Targets available at $.25 each, first one’s free. .22 lr and pistol caliber rifles and most hand guns up to .44 mag.

Please bring guns to the range in a box or bag.

We have a fund raising gun raffle, tickets are $2.00 per ticket.

See the gun and buy tickets at Renegade Guns in Shelton, they are open 10am-5pm Monday-Friday or contact a club member.

We will have tickets for our new raffle available soon, a very nice 1911 .45 semi-automatic.

We have scheduled orientations for new member candidates on the third Saturday of each month at 10:00 AM at the range. No appointment is necessary, plan on at least and hour and a half presentation.

Mason County Sportsman’s Association W. 521 Business Park Rd., Shelton Message Phone 427-1102 www.masoncountysa.com

19082

By EMILY HANSON emily@masoncounty.com

for the week of May 29 through June 5, 2014

Mon

March 6 update: … The exercises were never really hard. They were just uncomfortable and I didn’t have a whole lot of confidence and am still a little weary, but it is going great. I missed working out to an amount you wouldn’t believe. I just feel better when I work out.

certain ways, like cutting, single-leg weight bearing exercise and single-leg stability exercise. It’s mostly vulnerable when it’s isolated workouts focused on my knee.

Lady Highclimbers fall at district fastpitch tourney

Your Local Tides

Mon

the stationary bike for 30 minutes to an hour, using the elliptical for 30 minutes to an hour, doing hamstring curls with 10- to 20-pound weights, doing three sets of 10 heel slides and doing body weight squats on a machine.

During the exercises, I just am not comfortable with squatting, so I don’t like it too much yet.

And after I’m usually a little sore, but nothing extreme …

the gap in right-center for a triple that easily would have flown over a regulation 200-foot fence. It was held up in the longer grass of the outfield and she made a spectacular diving slide from about 18 feet to fire everyone up.”

The loss came after Columbia River defeated Shelton 10-6 Saturday at Sprinker in the doubleelimination tournament.

“Columbia River is fast and primed to squeeze the most out of any crack their opponents provide,” Goldsby said. “The first three innings, our girls had their eyes opened to great base-running techniques. Once we calmed down and realized we needed to pick up our pace to keep up with theirs, we did great.”

Going into the sixth inning, Columbia River led 7-0. Shelton scored two runs in the top of the sixth and another four in the top of the seventh, but it wasn’t enough to close the gap.

“We were really proud of our never-say-die attitude,” Goldsby said.

“There were seven underclassmen that we were able to get into this game and they represented us well.”

Mitchell pitched five innings, giving up six hits and three walks.

O’Connor pitched the sixth inning, allowing three runs on four hits and one walk.

Gouley led Shelton offensively, going 2-3 with three runs and an RBI. Simon went 2-4 with two runs and Corey went 1-4 with one run.

Goldsby praised the Lady Highclimbers for how far they came this season.

Thursday, Jan. 22, 2015 - Mason County Journal - Page B-1

Owls face North River page B-4

SPORTS MASON COUNTY JOURNAL

Bulldogs take down opponents page B-3

Lady Climbers THE STREAK CONTINUES win two

By EMILY HANSON emily@masoncounty.com The Shelton girls basketball team began last week with an 0-12 record and faint hopes of reaching the postseason.

The team needed to win Wednesday to keep its goal of going to districts within reach. In preparation of the game, head coach Aaron Leth added a new press to the team’s defense.

It worked.

Shelton defeated Foss 3823. In route to victory, the Lady Highclimbers snagged 25 steals, grabbed 37 rebounds and handed out seven assists.

“The Foss game Wednesday was a big night for us,” Leth said. “We really needed that win in league to keep our goal within reach. The girls played very well.”

In addition to handling the new press, the girls were physical and aggressive, Leth said.

Senior Jessica Johnson led the team with 12 points. She also had 10 rebounds and five steals.

Sophomore Paige Johnson, not related to Jessica Johnson, cleaned the glass for Shelton, grabbing 18 rebounds.

The Lady Highclimbers followed up with a come-from-behind victory Friday night against Capital, 46-40.

“We started Friday’s game a little slow and made some mental errors in the first quarter, turning the ball over 12 times,” Leth said.

“We gave up some easy baskets in transition.”

At halftime, Capital led 25-17.

Shelton held Capital to three points in the third quarter and nine in the fourth while putting up 29 second-half points.

“During halftime, we talked about pressing the rest of the game and executing on the offensive end,” Leth said. “The girls came out and ran their offense perfectly. Our point guards took control of the game on the offensive end and set us up in the offense.”

Jessica Johnson scored 14 points, and grabbed 14 rebounds and nine steals to lead the Lady Highclimbers.

Paige Johnson scored nine points with 12 rebounds, while junior Kiara Budge contributed eight points and five rebounds with seven steals.

As a team, the girls had 43 rebounds, 10 assists, 25 steals and only turned the ball over six times in the second half.

“With a victory against Capital, that puts us in a two-way tie for sixth place in the 3A Narrows League, which is the lowest seed to go to districts,” Leth said.

“The game Friday puts us in a great spot. After the game, the girls were very confident they can come out and play hard against anyone.”

The Lady Highclimbers (2-12) play at 7 p.m. tomorrow at home against Central Kitsap.

Journal photos by Emily Hanson

Mary M. Knight junior Emily Ackley attempts a shot Friday night during the Lady Owls’ home game against Wishkah.

11-0 Mary M. Knight girls to face challenge Saturday

By EMILY HANSON emily@masoncounty.com Lance Valley wants to know how good his team really is.

With an 11-0 record so far this season, the Mary M. Knight girls basketball team is having its best season.

But the girls haven’t faced any challenges, often dominating their opponents from start to finish.

That might change Saturday when the Lady Owls play Neah Bay at 2 p.m. in Matlock.

“Neah Bay has been going to state the past few years and they’ve been consistently good the last six years,” Valley said. “We played them three

times last year and they gave us a good game each team. We lost all three times. I’m looking forward to Saturday to see how good we really are.”

To be successful against Neah Bay, the Lady Owls will have to improve their rebounding and free-throw shooting.

“We’ll need to contain their top shooter and stay out of foul trouble,” Valley said.

Valley’s concerns for this Saturday’s game came after the team scored two more victories last week.

Friday night, the Lady Owls defeated Wishkah 65-9 in Matlock.

“I knew (Wishkah was) inexperienced, so we tried new things with our defense and in the first quarter it seemed to work,” Valley said. see LADY OWLS, page B-5

Mary M. Knight senior Lauren Dierkop makes a jump shot.

Lady Bulldogs snag one victory last week

By EMILY HANSON emily@masoncounty.com The North Mason girls basketball team capped last week off with a victory.

On Friday, the Lady Bulldogs defeated Port Townsend 48-37.

“The Bulldogs traveled to Port Townsend to face a younger, less experienced Lady Redhawk team,” head coach Don Farrell said. “The Bulldogs pressed out of the gate and led 11-0 before Port Townsend scored their first points.”

By halftime, North Mason

led 26-15.

Senior Quincy Satran led the Lady Bulldogs with 18 points.

“It was nice to see Quincy get back on track, as she started the season shooting very well and then hit a cold spell,” Farrell said. “We are all hoping her shot sticks around for the last few weeks of the season. When she is on, it really opens so many other options for us.”

The victory came after the team lost two games earlier in the week.

On Jan. 12, Kingston beat North Mason 63-37.

Kingston, the No. 1 team in the 2A Olympic League, led 37-25 by halftime and held the Lady Bulldogs to six points for each of the final two quarters.

“Kingston has enough weapons that when you think you have held their star post to a respectable 14 points and you turn your head, one of their guards has 14 and another has 11,” Farrell said.

“Kingston has a great youth program and their high school players work in the offseason on their game.”

Farrell said the Lady Bulldogs will have to follow

this example to be competitive in the Olympic League.

Two days later, Olympic defeated North Mason 51-31 on Jan. 14.

Olympic, the No. 2 team in the league, had canceled its games last week before Jan. 14 when three of the school’s students died in a car accident.

“North Mason lost the game, but something I’m most proud of is the fact that our girls have the hearts and sportsmanship qualities that see NMHS, page B-5

Thursday, Jan. 22, 2015 - Mason County Journal - Page B-5

FLY ON THE SIDELINE

Boys shouldn’t wrestle against girls

A

Journal photo by Emily Hanson

Mary M. Knight eighth-grader Kaylee Sowle looks for a teammate to pass to Friday night during the Lady Owls’ home game against Wishkah.

fter watching North Mason junior Antonio Ocasio struggle to earn points while wrestling last week, I came to a conclusion I know some people won’t like.

Boys should not wrestle against girls.

Kingston’s Peyton Reece, a girl, was Ocasio’s opponent in the Jan. 13 meet in Belfair.

For the entire 126-pound bout, which went into overtime, Ocasio seemed frustrated. Despite that, Ocasio won by decision, 7-5.

When I asked head coach Bill McCarty about it after the match was over, McCarty said this was the fifth time Ocasio and Reece had met on the mat during the past two seasons. Reece had defeated Ocasio the other four times.

McCarty also said that moves male wrestlers use against other boys don’t work against girls.

“Girls don’t have the strength (boys have), but they’re more flexible,” McCarty explained.

There’s also a stigma attached to boys wrestling against girls.

“If the boy wins, his teammates say, ‘It was a girl,’ ” McCarty said.

“And if he loses, they tease him about losing to a girl.”

It’s just the nature of teammates to tease each other.

So why do I think boys shouldn’t wrestle against girls?

Some might think I’m being

By EMILY sexist.

HANSON That’s not the case. I’m not saying girls shouldn’t wrestle or that boys should forfeit matches against girls. Just that they shouldn’t compete against one another.

Some might think I’m concerned that it’s inappropriate or improper.

That’s also not my reason. I understand that the moves used in wrestling are the techniques required for success.

I oppose these types of bouts because they’re unfair to both wrestlers.

I have spoken to male wrestlers before a match against a girl and they were concerned. They didn’t want to hurt the girl, they didn’t want people to think badly of them if they won and they didn’t want people to tease them

if they lost.

Wrestling is very much a mental sport. From my years of talking to wrestlers and their coaches, it seems to me that often what is going on in the wrestler’s head can be more important than what happens on the mat.

As for the girls, McCarty is right. Females often do not have the upper body strength males have, so even if they’re the same weight, the boys have the advantage.

I once saw a boy pick up a girl immediately after the starting whistle, drop her on her back and pin her in about 10 seconds.

If that girl had been wrestling another girl, that may not have been the case.

I know that girls wrestle boys so they can gain experience, but I also know tournaments strictly for female wrestlers exist.

What the sport needs is more of these tournaments.

It would also help if more girls turned out for the sport at more schools.

Not only would that increase the level of competition among the girls, but it would level the playing field, so to speak.

By EMILY HANSON emily@masoncounty.com

cable in just about every match.”

He said Olivas is having a stellar season.

“It seems like Benny is wrestling a state-level competitor in almost every match,” Lacy said. “He has a great mindset and is getting better, win or lose.”

Lacy praised Colton Paller for going 2-2 at 182 pounds.

“Colton had his best day of the year,” the coach said. “Colton is learning to trust himself more and more in competition, which is allowing his athleticism and aggression to take over matches.”

The tournament followed a narrow dual-match loss to Central Kitsap on Jan. 15, 37-36.

“It was a very competitive dual match, but Central Kitsap took it to us for a majority of the night,” Lacy said. “They were more aggressive and physical and that was the difference in the individual matches and the team score.”

He said freshman Gregory Jenney had the best match of the night.

Central Kitsap’s Matthew Milholm, wrestling at 126 pounds, pinned Jenney in 3 minutes, 30 seconds.

“Jenney did not prevail, but had his best match of the season and as always, he wrestled for his team,” Lacy said.

He added that Quinn Rodius at 106 and Alec Manke at 152 each earned impressive falls.

“Quinn was able to overcome a 9-2 deficit and earn a big pin,” Lacy said. “Alec wrestled a very competitive match, but turned on the intensity in the final period.

Alec finished with a dominant bottom leg cradle.”

The Highclimbers wrestle at 7 p.m. today at Capital.

The girls wrestling team will compete beginning at 9 a.m. Saturday at the Lakes High School Tournament.

Lady Owls: Team practices during Climbers prepare for postseason second halves continued from page B-1

He added that the second half — Mary M. Knight led 47-5 at halftime — the Lady Owls worked on being patient, controlling the clock and their inside shooting.

“We can’t do full-court scrimmages in practice, so we do it in the second half of these blowouts,” Valley said.

Junior Emily Ackley led the team with 26 points, 11 rebounds and three steals, while senior Miranda Sowle had 15 points, 15 rebounds, four steals and six assists.

The Lady Owls achieved their 11th consecutive victory Saturday, defeating Lake Quinault 74-28 on the road.

“We did a good job on their stud shooter,” Valley said. “Our defensive pressure led to a lot of transition baskets.”

Eighth-grader Kaylee Sowle led the team with 25 points, seven rebounds and seven steals, while Miranda Sowle scored 20 points and had eight rebounds, 10 steals and nine assists.

The Lady Owls (11-0) play at 5:45 p.m. tomorrow at home against Oakville before facing Neah Bay at 2 p.m. Saturday in Matlock.

The Shelton wrestling team uses the CK Matman Tournament as a trial run for the state tournament every year.

“Matman is one of the toughest 16-man tournaments in the state,” head coach Chris Lacy said about the Tournament Saturday at Central Kitsap High School. “We use Matman as a preparation for our postseason and by the end of the day, almost every match resembles the second day of the state tournament.”

Although just one Climber placed at the tournament — senior Benny Olivas finished fifth at 152 pounds — Lacy was encouraged by what he saw Saturday.

“The win-loss record is not very impressive, but our wrestlers competed at their highest level of the year,” he said. “We got back to being aggressive and our focus was impec-

Shelton swimmers rake in best times NMHS: Lady Bulldogs honor Olympic students

By EMILY HANSON emily@masoncounty.com

continued from page B-1 will serve them and their communities in the future very well,” Farrell said.

The North Mason girls decided to make a banner to honor the Olympic students. After the team and coaches signed it, the Lady Bulldogs presented it to the Olympic players before the game.

Olympic’s Olivia Williams led all scorers with 16 points, while North Mason senior Mikaela Shumaker led her team with 12 points.

“We just could not get the offense up and running early and had some letdowns defensively at times,” Farrell said.

The Lady Bulldogs (6-8) play at 7 p.m. tomorrow at North Kitsap.

For the third meet in a row, the Shelton boys swim team earned a variety of best times.

“What’s impressive is these times keep dropping,” co-head coach Chad Youngquist said.

On Jan. 15, the Highclimbers defeated Central Kitsap 118-61 in Silverdale, earning 15 best times.

Two swimmers — Alec Brown-Garcia and Chris Frost — also qualified for the 3A Narrows League Championship.

Brown-Garcia qualified in the 100-yard freestyle. He saw the event

in 55.80 seconds, fast enough for second place.

Frost earned a league qualification in the 100yard breaststroke with a third-place time of 1:19.53.

Youngquist said he was impressed with Brayden Ordonez at the meet.

“Brayden is so passionate about swimming that he’s very intense about dropping time,” the coach said.

Ordonez earned two best times at Central Kitsap. He took second in the 200-yard individual medley in 2:31.17 and finished third in the 100yard butterfly in 1:08.34.

The team then com-

peted at the South Sound Relays, hosted by Olympia High School at The Evergreen State College.

Shelton finished third with 646 points among 10 teams behind Olympia (723 points) and Steilacoom (691).

“Olympia did what we expected and Steilacoom is a very good team,” Youngquist said. “They were in the hunt for the 2A state championship last year and took second.”

At the relay meet, three teams from each school took part in each event.

The regular relay events — 200-yard medley, 200-yard freestyle and 400-yard freestyle

— swimmers were required to swim twice the distance, while the individual events featured teams of two swimming double the usual distance.

“All of our guys were duking it out with Olympia and Steilacoom in every event,” Youngquist said. “If you didn’t have three relay teams for each event, you were toast in the team scores.”

Youngquist said the relay meet was good practice for the team.

“We’re going to have to drop a lot of time to qualify for state in our relays,” he added. “It was also good preparation for districts.”

Thursday, Feb. 12, 2015 - Mason County Journal - Page B-1

North Mason girls close out season

Bulldogs ready for postseason

SPORTS MASON COUNTY JOURNAL

page B-5

page B-3

National signing day

Journal photos by Emily Hanson

North Mason senior Daniel Burggraaf signs a letter of commitment Feb. 4 to play baseball for the United States Military Academy at West Point. Burggraaf leaves June 29 for New York.

Next step: West Point

North Mason senior to play baseball at prestigious academy

By EMILY HANSON emily@masoncounty.com

When Daniel Burggraaf talks about baseball, a twinkle shows in his eyes and he smiles.

“Baseball’s my love,” the North Mason senior said Friday. “I’ve been waiting until graduation to focus on one sport and do what I love.”

His commitment to the sport came sooner than graduation.

On National Signing Day on Feb. 4, Burggraaf signed a letter of commitment to pitch for the United States Military Academy at West Point.

“They take the best of the best, so I was very honored to be accepted,” Burggraaf said.

A GRUELING PROCESS Acceptance to West Point wasn’t easy.

The school has 12,000 applicants per year and accepts about 9 percent of them.

In addition to passing the SAT — Burggraaf scored 1,650 (620 math, 520 reading, 510 writing) — Burggraaf had to pass a fitness test, supply three teacher evaluations of him, send in staff recommendations and have a congressman or senator nominate him for West Point.

The process began in August in Centralia. Burggraaf tried out for the 2014

Journal file photo

Last season, Burggraaf had a 4-3 record, recording 52 strikeouts in 47 innings to go along with his 1.19 ERA. Junior Baseball Northwest Championships. As a pitcher for the academics team — a squad for athletes who sport high GPAs — Burggraaf said he threw the hardest half inning he’s ever thrown.

“I topped out at 88 mph,” he said.

That’s when he caught the eye of Anthony DeCicco, West Point assistant baseball coach and head recruiting coordinator.

“Daniel stuck out to me at the Northwest Baseball Classic in Centralia where he showed a tremendously athletic delivery, quick arm and an above average breaking ball,” DeCicco said.

After talking with DeCicco, Burggraaf decided to visit the campus in West Point, New York.

“There’s nothing else like it,” Burggraaf said. “It’s an amazing place.”

During a tour with members of the baseball team, Burggraaf said he tried to imagine himself in his possible future teammates’ shoes.

“Everything I saw there, I liked,” Burggraaf said.

From there, he began to complete the necessary steps to gain acceptance.

“The main reason why we continued recruiting Daniel was because of the type of person he is and how well he represented himself in every facet of the recruiting process,” DeCicco said.

U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer (D-Gig Harbor) nominated Burggraaf for acceptance to West Point. see SIGNS, page B-6

Page B-6 - Mason County Journal - Thursday, Feb. 12, 2015

Climbers 2nd at sub-regionals Two Shelton wrestlers win individual honors

By EMILY HANSON emily@masoncounty.com The Shelton wrestling team’s success was a team effort last weekend.

“Every effort from every wrestler was exceptional and we finished the tournament with a 41-30 record,” head coach Chris Lacy said after the 3A Narrows League Sub-Regional Tournament.

As a team, Shelton took second place with 261.5 points, behind Lincoln with 300.5 points.

Additionally, two wrestlers — Quinn Rodius at 106 pounds and Benny Olivas at 152 — won their weight division championships.

Olivas, Rodius and 10 other Highclimbers advanced to the 3A Region 3 Tournament on Saturday at Bonney Lake High School.

“Benny is now 33-8 and has faced some of the toughest competition the state has

to offer,” Lacy said. “Benny earned his league championship against a wrestler that had beaten him several times in the past.”

Lacy said Rodius had to battle back from deficits in both the semifinals and finals.

“Quinn thrives under pressure and is able to keep his cool while placing his opponents under relentless pressure,” the coach added.

“In the finals, he was behind 0-5, then 2-5. By the end of the second period, he was ahead 7-6. Halfway through the third period, he earned a fall and a league championship.”

To advance from subregionals, wrestlers had to place in the top four of their weight classes.

Caleb Ragsdale (132 pounds), Chase Salisbury (138) and Colton Paller (182) took second place.

Alec Manke (145), Michael Hackler (170) and John Parson (195) took third place.

Austin Watts (145), Irvin Garcia (170), James Bragg

(182) and Riley Lambert (220) took fourth place.

Fifth-place wrestlers are alternates for regionals.

Josiah Sears at 106, Jimmy Ye at 113 and DarQuae Jennings at 285 took fifth.

For the girls team, two wrestlers — Amy Gilliland at 130 and Matlyne Mecham at 155 — advanced to regionals.

“Amy dominated her opponent in the match for third and fourth, leading 4-0 heading into round three, she found a pin,” assistant coach Nick Stigall said.

“Matlyne’s only loss was to third-ranked DJ White of Lincoln. She competed well against her and dominated the other opponents in her bracket.”

Stigall added that Mecham seems to be hitting her stride at the right time.

At 140 pounds, Izabel del Bosque and Sheila Bloomfield, at 170 pounds, took fifth place to advance as alternates.

The Girls Region 3 Tournament is Saturday at Kelso High School.

MMK boys split final two games Knight Owls’ season ends

By EMILY HANSON emily@masoncounty.com The Mary M. Knight boys basketball team ended its season last week with a 6-11 record.

“This entire season was a huge learning process and opportunity for the young guys,” assistant coach Cory O’Neil said.

“While we struggled at times this year, our future is very promising with eighth-graders Jason Kenyon, Zack Thompson and Adam Goldsby all improving and learning how to play at the high school level.”

O’Neil’s comments came after Neah Bay defeated the Owls 6724 Saturday.

“We struggled mightily in the first half, but ended the season strong with a tough second half, showing our guys had too much heart to just get run out of the gym,” O’Neil said.

Senior James Anderson led the team with 11 points, seven rebounds, two steals and two blocks.

The night before, Mary M. Knight beat North River 49-39.

“We played well the first half, but they started to make a run in the second,” O’Neil said. “Our rebounding improved tremendously from previous games and we were able to hold on for the win.”

Anderson led the Owls with 16 points, 14 rebounds, two assists and three steals.

Eighth-grader Jason Kenyon scored 12 points, while sophomore Harley Kenyon contributed 10 points.

O’Neil praised Harley Kenyon’s all-round performance and toughness during the game. He also grabbed 10 rebounds and had four assists.

The assistant coach said he believes that if all the players continue to work during the offseason, the Owls can have a rebound season next winter.

Signs: Military baseball team to be like family for senior continued from page B-1 Three North Mason High School staff members — math teacher Jody Olson, science teacher Ramey LeRoy and English teacher Kelli Reichstein — filled out evaluation forms West Point sent them regarding Burggraaf.

Counselor Lizzy Martin and football coach Jeff Bevers also wrote letters of recommendation for him.

Burggraaf then completed a 30-minute fitness test. The test included required him to do pull-ups, a shuttle run, sit-ups, push-ups and a timed 1-mile run.

He also had to do “basketball throws” which required him to make three standing baskets.

“I did a practice test to see where I’d land because we found the average scores online,” Burggraaf said. “I wasn’t real happy with my scores, so I kept working out to get better. I liked my scores from the second test and submitted those ones.”

Finally, Burggraaf

had to write three essays to complete his application.

“Everything had to be perfect,” Burggraaf said.

JOINING A NEW FAMILY By signing to play baseball for West Point, Burggraaf isn’t just joining a new team.

“They call it the Army Baseball Family,” Burggraaf said. “They really emphasize being a family and sticking together.”

Burggraaf’s own family played a role in the process. “(Daniel’s) family presented itself as the backbone for Daniel,” DeCicco said. “At West Point, there is no bigger word than family and what it means to be a part of the Army Baseball Family.

Daniel’s family fits that mold.”

Burggraaf’s mother, Cheryl, said she and her husband Ralph are extremely proud of their son and his accomplishments.

“It is the culmination of many years of working hard and taking chal-

lenging classes while playing sports yearround along with some great coaches and teachers that have poured into his life to make him the young man that he is today,” she said. “We know that taking him to New York on June 29 will be difficult, but we are confident that Daniel is ready for the challenge and excited for him to begin this next chapter of his life.”

He said the team’s motto is that one’s back is vulnerable unless he has brothers.

“They’re always looking out for each other,” Burggraaf said.

West Point plays in the Division I Patriot League against Bucknell, Lehigh, the Navy, Lafayette and Holy Cross. The Army finished tied for first in league last season.

DeCicco said Army baseball has produced eight professional players in the past 13 years and has qualified for seven NCAA Regionals Tournaments.

Burggraaf said he

wasn’t sure whether he’d play as a freshman.

“There’ll be some talent and I’ll have to work as hard as I can to get on the mound somehow,” he said.

DeCicco said no athlete is guaranteed playing time during the recruiting process.

“The positions they win are solely based on merit,” DeCicco said.

“This type of philosophy gives the ownership and the responsibility to the player. Daniel’s ability will speak for itself.”

For the past eight years, North Mason head baseball coach Bill Geyer has coached Burggraaf in one way or another.

“Daniel is one of a small number of players I have coached over the years that I respect and admire greatly because of their hard work, drive and passion on the field and in the classroom,” Geyer said. “Daniel is a leader on the team and when I heard he was thinking of West Point for baseball, I thought to myself, ‘What a great fit.’ ” Geyer added if anyone

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can become an Army officer, it’s Burggraaf, who is a 3.9 GPA student.

“I have watched him grow and develop into a fine pitcher who is able to perform even under great pressure,” Geyer said. “Daniel is a wonderful young man and I think West Point made the right choice by choosing him.”

As a junior, Burggraaf went 4-3, pitching 47 innings. He sported a 1.19 ERA with 52 strikeouts compared to 18 walks.

A LARGER COMMITMENT THAN BASEBALL By signing with West Point, Burggraaf has taken on a bigger commitment than that of a student-athlete.

He’s joining the Army.

“I think it’s a great career start,” Burggraaf said. “It’s a really great opportunity because you hear about people doing well after graduating. I’ll get a good education and I’ll be prepared for whatever I want to do after graduation.”

Once he graduates from West Point, the lowest officer ranking Burggraaf could have is second lieutenant. He will then be committed to five years of active duty and three years of Army re-

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serve duty.

“Daniel will be a great fit as a baseball player at West Point, but also as an Army officer upon graduation as he has had an impact in his hometown, current baseball team and family,” DeCicco said. “He is a tremendously giving young man and a great person.”

While in school, Burggraaf said he plans to study engineering.

Because Burggraaf will be in the Army, school is paid for and he’ll receive a monthly stipend.

GETTING THE MOST OUT OF NMHS As a student at North Mason, Burggraaf has been near the head of his class. He’s ranked fourth out of 183 seniors at the high school.

He’s been a member of the National Honor Society for four years, and played football and basketball for the Bulldogs.

This year, Burggraaf enrolled in difficult subjects: chemistry, Advanced Placement calculus, anatomy and physics.

“I took AP calculus because I enjoy math and wanted to be challenged, chemistry I needed to graduate and anatomy just interested me,” Burggraaf said. “I wanted to get the most out of what you can get out of North Mason.”

Between school, sports and homework, Burggraaf said he doesn’t have much down time.

“I try to manage my time so I can do things on the weekends,” he said.

When he does have time off, Burggraaf said he enjoys hiking and fishing.

Thursday, Feb. 19, 2015 - Mason County Journal - Page B-1

Bulldogs face River Ridge

SHS grad returns to powerlifting

SPORTS MASON COUNTY JOURNAL

page B-5

page B-4

Nine Highclimbers swimmers head to state Shelton takes fifth place at district meet

By EMILY HANSON emily@masoncounty.com The Shelton boys swimming and diving team had its most successful trip to the 3A West Central District III Championship on Friday and Saturday.

The Highclimbers took fifth at districts held at Hazen High School in Renton among 15 teams. Shelton had 135 points, behind Hazen (206), Kennedy Catholic (203), Wilson (137) and Enumclaw (136).

Co-head coach Chad Youngquist pointed out the Highclimbers finished ahead of all 3A Narrows League teams except Wilson.

“In a big meet like this, people get spread out so highscoring teams at league can’t rely on their depths as much,” Youngquist said.

The Highclimbers will compete next at the 3A WIAA Swim and Dive Championship at 9:45 a.m. tomorrow and at 10 a.m. Saturday the King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way. Shelton senior Harrison MacAlevy helped the Highclimbers’ efforts over the weekend with two championship performances.

MacAlevy won the 50-yard freestyle in 21.76 seconds and the 100-yard butterfly in 52.55.

Shelton will compete in six other events at state: n 200-yard medley relay; at districts, senior Dalton Green, sophomore Taylor Toney,

MacAlevy and junior Alex Brown-Garcia finished sixth in 1:46.73; n Diving; at districts, junior Jon Netzel took second with 414.40 points, junior Troy Krumpols took third with 372.80 points, sophomore Zach Netzel took fifth with 341.40 points and sophomore Luke Netzel took sixth with 329.25 points; n 100-yard freestyle; at districts, Brown-Garcia took ninth in 52.95, while junior Levi Vance took 11th in 54.00; n 200-yard freestyle relay; at districts, MacAlevy, Vance, Brown-Garcia and senior Ryan Taylor took second in 1:33.42; n 100-yard breaststroke; at districts, Toney took 10th in 1:09.22; and n 400-yard freestyle relay; at districts, Vance, sophomore Ryan Youngquist, sophomore

Jacob Schreiber and Green took 10th in 3:41.92.

“Where we sold ourselves short was we had two or three events where swimmers didn’t make it to the second day,” Youngquist said.

He praised Brown-Garcia and Vance for their performances in the 100 freestyle.

“Levi and Alex were disappointed with their 50-free preliminaries,” Youngquist said. “An hour later, they both exceeded my expectations in the 100-free to reach the finals. I think it was just pre-meet jitters because they’d never been to districts before.”

Co-head coach Rob Phelan, who oversees the divers, said he was pleased with the four boys’ diving performances.

“It was a tough meet,” Phelan said. “Friday was very

DISTRICT CHAMPIONS

tough to prepare for because of some bad news. It was a distraction.”

Phelan referred to the Shelton School District Board of Directors’ decision during its regular meeting Feb. 10 to close the SHS pool.

Before leaving for districts Friday, SHS students, staff and community members lined the parking lot to wave the Highclimbers off.

“People were being really supportive in every way you can imagine,” Youngquist said. “I’m grateful to the community for helping my team heal from the pain they were feeling Wednesday after the board’s decision. Without that support, I’m confident our results would’ve been different. As it was, we also had the best district meet we’ve ever had.”

FLY ON THE SIDELINE

Closing the pool is the wrong choice

I

Journal photo by Emily Hanson

Mary M. Knight senior Lauren Dierkop looks to pass around a Taholah defender after grabbing a rebound in the second quarter Saturday during the Lady Owls’ 1B Southwest District IV Tournament game at Castle Rock High School.

Lady Owls defend title, advance to regionals

By EMILY HANSON emily@masoncounty.com The Mary M. Knight girls basketball team defended its district title in a dominant fashion Monday.

With a 72-29 victory against Lake Quinault in the 1B Southwest District IV Championship on Monday at Castle Rock High School, the Lady Owls (16-2) secured their second consecutive district title.

The WIAA won’t post regional draws until 10 p.m. Saturday. According to its website, team names will be added to replace seed numbers the morning of Sunday, Feb. 22 after they are reported by the districts. see OWLS, page B-7

think the Shelton School District Board of Directors made a grievous error in judgment last week when it decided to close the Shelton High School pool.

During its regular meeting Feb. 10, the Board announced it would close the pool in July, citing financial reasons.

Interim Superintendent Art Jarvis recommended the pool closure based at least partly on a recent study showing the facility needs $2.4 million in short-term and long-term work.

Financial difficulBy EMILY ties are tough. I’ve HANSON gone through them personally, I’ve been at companies that have experienced them and I know many people who struggle financially on a day-to-day basis.

That’s not a good enough reason to close this vital facility for the Shelton community.

High school swimmers are not the only people affected by this decision.

Children and adults learn to swim at the pool. For one period a day, students at risk of not graduating from high school teach younger children to swim.

That responsibility helps turn them around.

I’ve spoken to those kids.

But that’s not my primary concern here.

My issue comes from what this decision said to the boys swim team three days before 15 swimmers and divers — the most in school history — went to the 3A West Central District III Championship in Renton.

see SIDELINE, page B-7

Thursday, Feb. 19, 2015 - Mason County Journal - Page B-7

Sideline: Board seems to rush decision continued from page B-1 To me, this decision says that high school swimming is less important than other Shelton sports.

To me, this decision said, “Let’s ignore the fact that the swim programs at this school are consistently successful.”

Did the Board look into the possibility of grants for the pool?

Yes, it did. It even approved applying for one.

The minutes from the Sept. 23 regular School Board meeting stated that “the district has an opportunity to apply for a grant from a Capital Projects Committee of the legislature for the repair of the swimming pool. Dr. Jarvis said he is in support of approving the application.”

According to the minutes, the $250,000 grant, which could pay to fix the pool pit lid, among other among other repairs, was put to a vote.

Then-Board Vice Chair Jim Carnahan made a motion to approve submitting the grant application.

Board member Gene Crater seconded the motion and it passed unanimously.

What happened with that? I’ve been told the grant is still in the works with the state Legislature.

Why has the Board decided to close the pool before finding out if it will receive this grant?

I understand the district is close to its borrowing limit, making a bond unwise. Bonds can also cost taxpayers money to run.

But it seems to me that this decision should have waited until the Board received word on its grant application.

Plans are underway for both the boys and girls teams to continue competing, I would imagine. Possible options could include transporting the teams to either the Squaxin Island pool or to The Evergreen State College in Olympia.

The cost of transportation could be as high as $25,000. Although the swim teams would still be around, it wouldn’t be the same. The teams would no longer have a space to call home. If this happens, the teams could share space with other schools or organizations, taking away any sort of home-pool advantage the boys and girls had by swimming in the SHS pool.

I want to know what else is going on. Why was the Board in such a hurry to close the pool? Has the Board told the whole story?

Journal photos by Emily Hanson

Mary M. Knight head girls basketball coach Lance Valley instructs the Lady Owls during a time out in the third quarter Saturday during the team’s 1B Southwest District IV Tournament game against Taholah at Castle Rock High School.

Owls: Team waits to know regional opponent continued from page B-1 “Our defense took Lake Quinault out of the game,” head coach Lance Valley said. “We held their top shooter to 15 points when she averages 20 points per game. As a team, we just shut them down.”

He said the Lady Owls played exceptionally well, shooting 57 percent from the field and handing out 22 assists, a season high.

“The girls really share the ball,” Valley said.

Kaylee Sowle, an eighth-grader, led the team with 20 points, six rebounds, six steals and five assists.

Junior Jaycee Valley contributed 17 points with three rebounds and three steals, while junior Emily Ackley scored 11 points and had seven rebounds and six steals.

Senior Miranda Sowle led the defense, grabbing 18 rebounds.

The victory came after the Lady Owls defeated Taholah 59-46 Saturday to reach the championship round.

“We played well at times,” Valley said.

“It seems we relaxed a bit in the second quarter.”

After a 21-8 lead in the first quarter, Mary M. Knight slowed down before halftime, scoring just nine points in the second quarter.

“We were a little timid, but not facing Taholah all season or knowing what they were like was nerve-wrecking,” Valley said. “We had girls in foul trouble all game long and they battled through.”

Before the game, the coach said all he knew about Taholah was who its players were and that the Lady Owls would have to rebound to win.

Miranda Sowle and Jaycee Valley led the Lady Owls, scoring 18 points apiece.

Sowle cleared the boards, grabbing nine rebounds with two steals, five assists and two blocks, while Valley had 10 rebounds, five steals and six assists.

Jaycee Valley said she thought the Lady Owls struggled in the second quarter.

“But we cooled out and played our game again,” she added. “All-in-all, I thought we played well.”

She said Taholah threw Mary M. Knight off its game by running a manto-man press when the Chitwins usually run a zone defense.

“We got frazzled because no one ever plays man against us,” she said.

Mary M. Knight cheerleaders Melodie Snyder, left, and Taylor Sell perform a cheer late in the fourth quarter.

Mary M. Knight junior Jaycee Valley attempts to block a Taholah pass in the first quarter.