March 2012

TACOMA--Two and out was nothing to pout about for Kennedy Catholic High School head coach Don Hoffman and his Lancers.

After all, they were playing in the state final eight to cap off an impressive 17-4 overall season.

"It was a great run for us," said Hoffman after a 61-41 loss to the O'Dea Fighting Irish from Seattle that ended his team's season Friday. "It just didn't happen like we wanted it to, but it was a great season. It was a fun season."

JFK drew No. 1-ranked Kamiakin to open the tournament action in the Tacoma Dome and hung tough against the Braves before losing, 58-47.

"Last night we had great chances of winning many times," said Hoffman of Thursday's game.

The Lancers fell behind, 9-2, in the first quarter and still trailed, 17-9, at the end of the period. They continued to fall behind, 22-11, and 25-13, in the second quarter, but came back to close the halftime gap to 30-23.

The battling back continued in the second half.

TACOMA - Inside domination opened up outside firepower in a Bellarmine Prep 66-50 boys basketball win against Mount Rainier in a quarterfinal match up of the 2012 state Hardwood Classic on Thursday, March 1, at the Tacoma Dome.

"Basically, we lost it on the boards," said Ram head coach Brian Johnson.

Statistics amply supported this statement.

For the first half, Bellarmine Prep out rebounded No. 9 Mount Rainier 20-10 and for the game the Lions ripped the Rams 39-19 with Sefo Liufau corralling more caroms in the first half (12) and for the game (22) than the entire MR team.

Bellarmine's 6-foor-4 junior center Liufau also finished with 20 points as part of a Lion 40-point powering in the paint.

"We definitely pounded it inside, so they would come and collapse inside and leave our shooters open," said Liufau. "We knew we had the size. We had to muscle our way through."

Girls Fight Night Out! is a fundraiser hosted by Lee's Martial Arts Academy, 3270 California Ave. SW, 7:00p.m. to 10:00p.m, March 8.

$30 through Brown Paper Tickets. Tickets must be purchased ahead of time.

The fundraiser is headed by Lee's Lisa Skvarla, self-defense expert and chair of the American Women's Self-Defense Association, to help fund "The Collectibles," a new, Seattle-based comedy Web series that will be launched in early April. Skvarla plays a lead character "Ultrafemme", in the comedy, a sort of "Star Trek meets The Office" spoof.

We have featured Lisa Skvarla here.

We have also featured Skvarla and The Collectibles here.

TACOMA - It was a scintillating season that ended on a fitting note of victory for the high-achieving and deserving Mount Rainier girls basketball team.

An early surge and a late stand powered the Rams (27-2) to a 56-51 victory against Gonzaga Prep in trophy game round action at the 2012 Class 4A WIAA/Dairy Farmers of Washington/Les Schwab Tires girls basketball Hardwood Classic state high school championship tournament held at the Tacoma Dome on Saturday, March 3.

Collecting the third place team hardware was the highest finish in school history and the first trophy since 1979.

"The girls put forth a great effort," said a pleased Ram head coach Bob Bolam. "We got hot with the threes and proved we're as good as anyone in the state."

Clutching a shaky 53-51 lead with 46 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Mount Rainier braced itself for a Gonzaga Prep possession that could tie or give the lead for the Bullpups.

Five seconds later, Lindsey Stockton stepped in front of Brittany McPhee who was dribbling down the sideline at mid court, drawing a player controlled foul on the Ram star who fouled on the play.

In celebration of Ballard's green spaces, Groundswell NW features and celebrates a "Park of the Month" and the community around it. After a winter hiatus, Groundswell NW recognizes the 14th Ave NW Park Boulevard as their first Park of the Month for 2012.

From Groundswell NW:

The 14th Ave NW Park Boulevard project is a culmination of over six years of community building by the East Ballard Community Association and the neighbors and businesses of East Ballard. The current phase of the project proposes to convert two blocks of 14th Ave NW between NW 59th and 61st from existing roadway and parking median to community park green space, green infrastructure, and incorporate safety improvements for pedestrians, cyclists and vehicles. This proposal builds on a Visioning process begun in 2006 (14th Ave NW Visioning Project, Carlson Architects) which seeks context-appropriate safety improvements and green infrastructure and park‐space from Salmon Bay to NW 65th Street along 14th Ave NW.

Project Goals:

Create a community park and greenspace
Address environmental concerns by converting existing stormwater treatment from piped conveyance into on‐site biofiltration

UPDATE Mar. 9 2:50pm
Due to a power outage in South Seattle, Seattle Public Schools has extended the open enrollment deadline to March 12.

press release:
Seattle Public Schools Open Enrollment for the 2012-13 school year continues through Friday, March 9 for new and current students. During Open Enrollment, families may register their child to enter SPS in fall 2012, apply for a school other than their assigned school, and/or apply for Montessori, Spectrum or APP.

Families enrolling students for the 2012-13 school year may visit the Enrollment Services website at http://district.seattleschools.org/enrollment for forms and detailed information.

More information is also available on the Recorded Information Line: (206) 252-0410
Or call the SPS Service Center: (206) 252-0010

NOTE: If sending an application by mail, the documents must be received in the Service Center by 4 p.m. on March 9. Postmarks do not count.

“I got homeboys, they got guns, and they’ll shoot you dead”
On Feb. 28 a female passenger was taking a Metro bus on her way to work downtown. She was traveling on Delridge Way S.W. shortly after 3 p.m. when she received and answered a phone call. As she talked a nearby male grabbed both of her hands and jerked them down forcibly, squirting the phone from her hands. The suspect timed the robbery for an upcoming stop and as the bus pulled over he exited with four friends. Not giving up so easily, the victim exited as well and started asking for her phone back. A female in the suspect group responded, “I got homeboys, they got guns, and they’ll shoot you dead.” The victim asked that they at least give her the SD (data) card and she would not call police. The suspects gave her the SD card and the victim walked to a nearby gas station where the clerk refused to let her use the phone to call 911. A woman pumping gas overheard the situation and let the woman use her cell phone to call police.

From Paris to ransacked home

It was somewhere between a scream and a yell. "Don't feed him!" the Redhead said when he came to the door and stared at us. He turned this way and that so we could get a good look at the tuxedo he wore. He arched his back and gave us the once-over.

For a few years, it was just the two of us in that house on the river. Once in a while, a deer walked through the yard. And sometimes an Eagle perched nearby. But we weren't pet lovers. Friends had dogs. A neighbor had a big burly cat named Orangie.  But neither of us had 'owned' a pet for years.

When that young critter in the tux came to the door, I decided the polite thing to do was feed him.  I gave him a taste of tuna on a plate on the deck and he went at it like a cat on a mouse. 

We watched him through the glass door that first afternoon. With a full belly, he curled up on the deck and napped. In the morning, he was still there. 

The Redhead said "I told you not to feed him."

We went outside and watched him lick the last of the tuna juices off the plate. We gave him water in a bowl. That ritual was to be repeated many thousands of times over the next twenty-plus years.

By Jerry Robinson 
 
    In case you have forgotten, hot summer days still happen here and will again. Many kids in Burien will run through sprinklers or frolic on slip & slides. One thing they will not have is a local free pool.
 
     Normandy Park has a pool, Arbor Heights has a pool, Tukwila has a pool, Gregory Heights has a membership pool. Burien has a roller skate park. Burien used to have a pool on 153rd but that is now gone. You can't swim in Lake Hicks, too many toxins. Lakes are okay but are not very safe. 
 
         I had a close call when a friend let me take my kids to Lake Burien years ago. It is private and there is no lifeguard. Luckily my friend had an 8-foot dinghy with no oars at his dock. 

Son number one swam out too far and got in trouble. I raced over to the dock, grabbed the boat in a flash and was able to paddle with hands and arms to rescue him. Tragedy averted.

     The YMCA has a fabulous membership with two first class indoor swim pools. I sure wish we had one in Burien. Costly but it would help kids stay out of trouble. Swimming kept me out of trouble as a youth. 

By Georgie Bright Kunkel

Many years ago I wrote a letter to my adult children. I wanted to convey my thinking about letting go of the role of managing parent while accepting the role of friend, mentor and advisor. Here is what I wrote with a slight revision as I have grown in wisdom since I wrote the first draft:

Dear Grown Children:
I have been doing some soul searching about my relationship with you as mother and have begun to get some insights into what relationship I would like to maintain and ways to maintain it. So here goes.
You are unique so not one of you is like the other. Yes, you are separate from me and yet connected through all the experiences and memories that we have accumulated over the years.

Of course, you do not have to be what I wish you to be. I can enjoy you as you are and trust that you can make your own decisions. You need not reflect my way of life but hopefully you will take what I have offered you in the way of guidance and make of it a foundation for living your own life. No longer is my hand on the helm, so to speak. It is time for you to set your own course.