Sports Shorts

Published 10:56 pm Thursday, October 2, 2008

asquez continuing to make mark in youth wrestling

By Rhett Workman

Contributing Writer

NORTH BEND – It has been a busy first six months of the year for one young North Bend wrestler.

Vince Vasquez, who had a strong showing at last year’s National Open Wrestling Championships, has picked up right where he left off and continued his success in tournament competition.

He started off the year back in January with a win in the 125-pound weight class in the schoolboy/schoolgirl division at the Washington State Folkstyle Wrestling Championships in Edmonds. That was then followed up by another win in the 125-pound class in the schoolboy/schoolgirl Greco-Roman division at the Tom Shaw Memorial/Northwest Regional competition back in March down in Battle Ground.

This spring was just as successful. Vasquez finished second in the 125-pound class in the schoolboy/schoolgirl division at the Washington State Kids Freestyle Championships April 16 in Spokane; then the next week, on April 23, picked up another second-place showing in the same division at the Washington State Greco-Roman Championships in Shelton. He also scored second at the Viper Quad Classic in the 125-pound schoolboy division.

All of this success has left Vasquez as one of the top-rated schoolboy wrestlers in the state; a ranking that could go higher based on his performance at a national competition in Indianapolis that runs from June 15-26. Vasquez is one of 27 young wrestlers from Washington on the 2005 Washington State Schoolboy National Dual Team that will be participating in the national event, and the only one from the Valley.

Vasquez, much like he did last year when reflecting on his accomplishments, put his current success in perspective.

“My success has been OK,” said the soon-to-be eighth-grader at Chief Kanim Middle School.

Kelly wins U.S. Open qualifier at Ridge

Bremerton golfer Troy Kelly was the winner of a U.S. Open golf sectional qualifier tournament last Monday at the TPC at Snoqualmie Ridge Golf Course in Snoqualmie. His rounds of 70 and 68 (total of 138) left him six under par on the par 72 Ridge course, and gave him the only confirmed slot available out of this sectional for the upcoming U.S. Open golf tournament from June 16-19 in North Carolina. Four other golfers, led by amateur James Lepp, received alternate designations, meaning that they will be able to play if other golfers aren’t able to compete.

The Snoqualmie sectional was one of a number of regional sectional tournaments around the country where golfers could qualify to compete in the United States’ most prestigious golf competition, sanctioned by the United States Golf Association.

Hole-in-one

Kirk Derby recently made a hole-in-one at Mount Si Golf Course. The shot was made on the fourth hole at a distance of 125 yards using a pitching wedge. It was his second hole-in-one.

Football camp open to boys and girls

The Seattle Seahawks-Gatorade Junior Football Skills/Training Camp is set to take place at the Snoqualmie Ridge Athletic Fields from noon to 3 p.m. Tuesday, June 28. The camp is offered to boys and girls between the ages of 7 and 14 at no charge. The Mount Si High School football team will host the event.

* For information, contact Charlie Kinnune at (425) 831-8147.

Wildcat girls basketball holding summer camp

The Mount Si Wildcats girls basketball program will be hosting basketball camps June 27-30 at Snoqualmie Middle School for girls in third through ninth grades entering the 2005-06 school year. The camp for third through sixth graders will be held from 9-11:30 a.m., and the camp for seventh through ninth graders will be held from noon to 3 p.m.

The fee to enroll a child in the camp is $55, and the camp will focus on developing the skills of young players in order to prepare them for the rigors of high-school girls basketball.

The camp instructors will be Mount Si head girls basketball coach Dirk Hansen, and other coaches and players associated with the Mount Si girls basketball program.

* For more information or to request a brochure, call (425) 831-8172.