Showing posts with label frank workman. Show all posts
Showing posts with label frank workman. Show all posts

Frank Workman on Sports: Memories of Muhammad Ali

Sunday, June 5, 2016

Frank Workman March 1971

By Frank Workman

The weathered old photo seen here was taken back in March of 1971, when I was but a mere lad going to school at the late great George Williams College in Downers Grove, Illinois.

The photo itself is unremarkable on many levels, merely depicting another day in the life of me with my nose buried in a local sports page.

(My first recollection of reading the sports section would have been in 1957 when, at the age of seven, I asked, “Daddy, what does S-P-A-H-N spell?” during the World Series. It seems the first girl I ever kissed, Delette Ziggleman, had an Uncle Del from our home town who was the Milwaukee Braves catcher, and I must have wanted to keep up on the important current events of the day.)

The memory that does come flooding back, though, is of the time itself. March 1971. For it was in that month when the single biggest sporting event of my lifetime was played out, one that has yet to have seen its match, nor is it likely to.

It was on March 8, 1971, that the first Ali-Frazier fight was held, in Madison Square Garden. It brought together two undefeated champions.

Up to that time, the only 'defeat' Ali had suffered was in 1967 when the ruling boxing commissions stripped him of his title for failing to serve in the armed forces when he was called to duty. “I ain't got no quarrel with them Vietcong” the champ famously said, citing his Conscientious Objector beliefs as a justified reason for sitting out the increasingly unpopular Vietnam War.

With a felony conviction to his name and stripped of both his title and his license to fight, Ali was dormant for three years until October 1970 when, with his case under appeal to the U. S. Supreme Court, he was able to mount his boxing comeback. (The Supreme Court overturned his conviction in June of 1971.)

With the heavyweight crown having been vacated in Ali's exile, a tournament of sorts was arranged by the boxing powers, and Smokin' Joe Frazier emerged from the morass as the new/ other undefeated champion.

After Ali won a pair of tuneup bouts in late 1970, The Fight Of The Century was scheduled for March 8.

The hype leading up to the fight was unprecedented for its day.

This was back before there was the March Madness that we know today; before there was an ESPN, CNN, or cable TV for that matter. The only way news was conveyed over the air was on the national and local news. And with that year's Super Bowl still in its infancy and well in our collective rear-view mirrors, and Opening Day of the baseball season still a month away, Ali-Frazier had our full, complete, and undivided attention.

From a pure boxing point of view, it was a fight fan's delight. Two contrasting styles;  the tall and graceful Ali with his lightning fast hands that matched his feet, and his remarkable ability to evade punches, against the short and squatty-bodied Joe Frazier, forever relentless in his attack, willing and happy to let you hit him twice, three, four times for each blow he'd deliver.

As a crystallizing social event, this fight was in a class by itself. Those of us from a younger generation had taken Ali to our heart as a man who had the courage to stand up to his moral convictions, consequences be damned, while Frazier was depicted by Ali as an 'Uncle Tom', with all the demeaning racial overtones that term carried in its day.

The promoters smelled a giant payday, and they made the most of it.

There were only way two ways to see the fight live – either in person at MSG, or at various auditoriums, halls, and theaters around the country, where the fight was being shown on what was called closed-circuit TV. Steep admission prices were charged. To further boost their live gate, promoters restricted the use of ringside blow-by-blow announcers, allowing only a post-round analysis given in narrative form. For months afterwards, highlights of the fight could only be seen at selected theaters during intermissions of what used to be called 'double-features'. It was only after the cow had been almost completely milked dry that the fight appeared (amidst much pomp) on free TV, with Howard Cosell narrating on Wide World of Sports.

We college students huddled around the radio in our dorms, awaiting one man's opinion of what happened and who might have won each round, a scene that was duplicated throughout living rooms, bars, cars, and other dorms around the country.

The fight seemed pretty even going into the fifteenth and final round.

When the final round was described, shock turned to horror when we heard first that our hero Ali had not only been knocked down (!!), but that Frazier had won the match.

Muhammed Ali had lost.

Stunned disbelief was on the faces of my dorm mates as we all emerged from our rooms to try to sort out what had just happened, and to find out if they had just heard what we had heard.

I remember going to class the next morning, walking outside, thinking it odd that the sun still managed to come up that morning after.

It wasn't until we saw the photographs of Ali on his back, his tassels dangling from his shoes, that it truly sank in with me that he had, indeed, lost.

Yes, there were rematches between the two, both of which Ali won. A second fight 2 ½ years later in MSG paled in comparison to the original, as Frazier had lost his title to George Foreman. Their third fight, the 1975 epic Thrilla In Manila, damn near killed them both. Smokin' Joe couldn't get off his stool to face the fifteenth round. Legend has it that Ali would have done the same if Frazier hadn't beaten him to it.

But no match, not the Thrilla in Manila, nor any ballgame or sporting event since, matched the hype, the build-up, that we saw in March of 1971 with the first Ali-Frazier fight.



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Frank Workman on Sports: The High School Football Play of the Year

Monday, November 2, 2015

Frank Workman calling
a live broadcast
By Frank Workman

Another regular season of high school football ended this past weekend. I made it to at least one game each Friday night, sometimes two.

My most memorable play of the year wasn’t a long pass or a blind-side sack. It wasn’t a pick-six or a scoop-and-score. It didn’t happen on a goal-line stand or a wacky play with umpteen laterals.

It wasn’t even a scoring play that found its way into the box score.

But to me it epitomized everything I love about the sport that I’ve been attending since the late 1950’s.

I was helping out this one Friday night about a month ago, working on the chain gang for the Meadowdale/Shorewood game, holding a down marker on the Meadowdale’s sideline.

(By the way … the game is SO much different down on the field than it is up in the stands. It’s faster. No wonder officials need super-slow-motion replays to tell if the ground caused a fumble. It’s louder down there. Coaches are constantly barking reminders to players on the field. The subs behind the bench are exhorting their teammates on, bringing an added level of noise. Players and officials are communicating with each other on every play. And if a beefy lineman runs past you late in a game on a warm night, the game even smells different down on the field.)

On this particular night, Shorewood trailed by three points with just a couple of minutes remaining in the game. But they were driving, across midfield, and with a breeze at their backs, they were a couple first downs away from field goal range.

Their workhorse running back had carried the ball maybe twenty times already, in addition to catching a couple passes and doing all the kicking.

On the play in question, he came in motion to his left, toward our sideline, from his wingback position on the right side.

His team had already run this same play ten times or more, with some success. Maybe it was the wind, maybe it was the rain, maybe it was just plain fatigue, but this time the pitch from the QB slipped through the workhorse’s hands and started bouncing our way to the sideline.

A mad scramble for the ball was on, and the workhorse had the best chance of recovering it and keeping his team’s chance for victory alive. If not, it would be game-over for the home team.

About five yards from the sideline, he made a dive for the precious pigskin on the wet turf. But as footballs will do, it squirted out from underneath him, just to his right, and as he skidded to a stop at the feet of Meadowdale’s head coach, the visitors pounced on the ball, a foot away from the workhorse running back, assuring them the win.

The sideline erupted in jubilation. A hard-fought victory – sporting, if not artistic - had been won.

Meadowdale players, those on the field and those on the sideline, all converged on the boy who recovered the fumble, jumping up and down in celebration.

Meanwhile, Shorewood's running back remained in a heap on the field, inches from the epicenter of the other team’s celebration. He seemed to be in no hurry to get up. He had to have been gassed. Maybe he was looking for a hole to crawl into, thinking he’d messed up his team’s chance of gaining a rare win.

In the swirl of emotion and activity, that’s when Matt Leonard, Meadowdale’s head coach, made the play of the year.

He dropped onto his hands and knees, covering the prostrate body of the workhorse, protecting the player, shielding him from inadvertent harm at the hands of his team which was oblivious to the presence of their worthy opponent.

After ten seconds had passed, Coach Leonard stood up. He helped the workhorse to his feet, gave him a hug, looked him in the eye, and patted him on the helmet.

And I got to see it unfold from ten feet away.

For all the football games I’ve seen, over all the years, this play – this quick-thinking show of sportsmanship, humanity, and compassion from Coach Leonard, encapsulated everything that is good, right, and decent about sports, and taught an invaluable lesson along the way.



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Frank Workman on Sports: Rotary Cup game preview

Friday, September 25, 2015

Frank Workman
By Frank Workman

When our community's annual biggest gathering commences Friday night at Shoreline Stadium with the 7pm kickoff of the Rotary Cup Game, the focus will shift from the Booster barbecue and the bands, the color and the pageantry, to the two teams that will battle it out in the friendly rivalry that exists between the Shorecrest Scots and the Shorewood Thunderbirds.

Fans are advised to arrive early (6pm) to avoid long ticket lines, bring their appetites, seat cushions, blankets, and binoculars, and maybe even a neighbor kid or two. Do partake of the Booster barbecue's $5 Full Meal Deal and the concession stand's Best Popcorn In WesCo.

There will be no live video of the game this year, for the first time since 2008. If you want to see the game, buy a ticket.

For those fans wanting to focus on football, here's some of what you'll want to know.

Both teams appear to be improved from where they were last year.  

Shorewood is 0-3 but has played the more rigorous schedule in Everett, Mountlake Terrace, and perennial league champions, Glacier Peak.  

Shorecrest is 2-1, their wins coming over lightly-regarded Sultan and Sammamish; their loss was by a single point to Lynnwood.

The Scots won this game nine straight times from 2004-2012. But the T-Birds took the Cup back in 2013 with a thrilling 17-14 win, on an Isaac Whitaker field goal at the gun, and retained it last year with a 33-7 romp over the Scots.

Shorecrest leads in the series 23-13.

The best athlete on the field Friday night is Shorewood senior Ronnie Gary (#1).  He high-jumped 6' 9" this summer. From his wide receiver position, he can go up and catch almost anything thrown his way.

Last year the T-Birds had a big-but-young offensive line. They haven't shrunk any, and they're all a year older and more experienced. The Blair brothers (Andrew, #59, and Justus, #71) are the anchors.

SW's most versatile athlete is Isaac Whitaker (#24), now a junior. He'll run the ball out of the wing formation, he catches passes with aplomb, and he does all the kicking. 

Running backs Kaimana Aki and Justin Cho are small but quick. They're both a threat to squirt through the line and pile up big yardage whenever they carry the ball.

T-Birds' Head Coach Brandon Torrey is in his first season leading his team.

Senior QB Aaron Okamura will be starting his third Rotary Cup and gives his team a big experience edge at the position. He's a threat to run or pass on any play.

For the Scots, gritty junior QB Jack Koss is starting just his first Cup game. He has an array of receivers to choose from, in Brig Weaver (#1), Ian Prieve (#7), Race Treat (#3), and Aubry Victor (#22), who also handles the kicking chores.

Their offensive line features Isaiah Banks (#59) and Diego Fountain (#61), both seniors.

Their middle linebacker with the splendid football name, Jake Smotherman (#53) figures to have his name called over the PA frequently Friday.

Head Coach Brandon Christensen is in his sixth season at the helm for the Scots.

Who's going to win the 2015 Rotary Cup? The game could come down to a single play. Or the recuperative powers of a rivalry game that brings an injured player onto the field for the first time all season.

Most likely it will be the team that lifted the most weights over the summer, listened most intently to their coaches, practiced perfectly this week, and devoted themselves to the collective effort that's necessary to win a rivalry game.

Getting a favorable bounce of the ball wouldn't hurt, either.



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Frank Workman on Sports: Women's World Cup

Friday, July 10, 2015

Frank Workman
By Frank Workman

Like many Americans, I watched Sunday’s Women’s World Cup finale. I was drawn to the stars, the sport, and the spectacle. I was intrigued by what the players on the team represent to the millions of young girls who play youth soccer, who were glued-to-the tube rooting on their heroes.

While much of the national dialogue this week has focused on the future viability of women’s pro soccer in this country (as if that is what’s required for the sport to validate itself), I've been pondering the effect this championship will have on the next generation of players who were inspired by this team’s example, in the same way that this year’s team was inspired by the 1999 USA team, which was inspired, in turn, by the champions of the first WWC in 1991.

It’s not a stretch to think that local high school seniors like Maddy Schultz from Edmonds-Woodway, Lisa Jensen from Shorewood, or Alexa Iacalucci and Sophia Viviano from Shorecrest, could someday compete for a spot on the roster of Team USA in 2023 or 2027, knowing the example has already been set locally by Shorewood’s Lori Henry, who captained the 1991 team, and Shorecrest’s Michelle Akers, who starred for the team in 1991, 1995, and 1999.

Soccer is, if nothing else, a team sport, and its true team nature was never better displayed than in the role Abby Wambach played during the tournament.

Over the years, Wambach has been the team’s star, captain, leading scorer and most recognizable face. Yet over the course of the World Cup she was demoted from starter to substitute as the tournament wore on.

Many players, in all sports (from peewees to pros), when faced with a change in playing time, position, or place in the batting order, have been known to pout and pitch a fit, creating drama and distraction that tears at the fabric of the team.

Had Wambach done so, there might have been a celebration parade in Tokyo this week instead of in NYC’s Canyon of Heroes Friday morning.

Instead, she put the team first - as should always be the case with team sports.


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Frank Workman on sports: Is a level playing field too much to ask?

Monday, June 8, 2015

Frank Workman
By Frank Workman

I am an avid sports fan. I follow the NFL and Major League Baseball closely; not just the fates and fortunes of our home teams. Same with college sports – I keep up. (It’s a dirty job, but somebody has to.)

Both the pros and colleges give us ample entertainment, but not without forcing us to look past their many flaws.

We know going in that professional sports involve money. Lots and lots of money. If a player has a checkered, if not criminal past, we are forced to look past his faults, so long as he can block, tackle, or hit thirty home runs a season.

The players no more represent our town or region than the Man in the Moon. The playing field is kept relatively level, what with enforced salary caps and revenue sharing (so long as nobody deflates footballs or fudges the books). And we, as a community, faithfully rally behind them in hopes of being able to see them bring home a championship.

Hypocrisy and greed abound in college sports. From on high, the NCAA ceaselessly pounds into our brains the mythical image of the ‘student-athlete’, all the while raking in money by the billions, steadfastly doing their legislative best to make certain the ones helping to generate the revenue never see a dime of it.

We've come to expect that any sporting purity in the pros and colleges is long gone and hard to find.

Now comes the news that bad behavior isn't confined to those playing for the big bucks, as shown by last week’s announcement that perennial football power Bellevue has admitted to illegally recruiting players and giving financial compensation to a player’s family.

It would take a true Pollyanna to think that Bellevue is the only school trying to destroy the sporting ideal of a level playing field (or that this latest incident is their first offense - more likely it’s just the first time they've been caught).

There have been recent reports of other successful programs dismissing winning coaches (rather than giving them raises), making one wonder what other forms of skullduggery must be afoot.

It is hoped that further investigations are under way by the WIAA, especially given the amount of smoke that has been generated around the subject of rule-breaking.

As one who attends about 75 high school sporting events each year, I want them to be just that --- sporting.

Is it too much to ask that High School sports remain above the fray and maintain the ideal of a level playing field for all?

I sure hope not.



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Sports by Frank Workman: Shorewood's Chris Diaz - Track Athlete of the Meet

Sunday, May 3, 2015

Chris Diaz in the SW - Marysville Getchell meet
Photo by Wayne Pridemore

By Frank Workman

The conditions couldn't have been better for records to fall at the Shoreline Invitational Track Meet Saturday afternoon.

Shoreline Stadium was all gussied up for the throng of athletes and fans who attended. The shrubs were sculpted to perfection, colorful bunting hung around the track's perimeter, even extra porta-potties were brought in to accommodate the patrons and participants.

The sun was out, the sky was blue, and there was a slight breeze at his back when Shorewood junior Chris Diaz put his feet into the starting blocks before the finals of the 110 Meter Hurdles.

Five of the race's eight contestants had qualifying times this year that were in the top ten in the state, a fact that no doubt pushed Diaz to his best.

It took all the pieces to be in place to help Diaz not only win the 110 Hurdles, he also broke the Meet Record that had stood since 1996, with a time of 14.20.

Chris Diaz at Shoreline Invitational
Photo by John McAlpine
Minutes after being awarded the Track Athlete of the Meet Award,  Diaz cited the inspiration that led him to the record.

"My coaches and my teammates believe in me, they push me, they inspire me.  I was running for all of them," a modest Diaz said.

Shorewood finished in 9th place in the meet with 25 points.

Wenatchee took home the team championship trophy, amassing 55.5 points.




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Frank Workman on Sports: Shoreline Invitational - a day of drama

Friday, May 1, 2015

By Frank Workman

It always seems to sneak up on us, the first Saturday in May.

To most of the country, the first Saturday in May is known as Kentucky Derby Day.

But for 1,000 or so of the best male track athletes here in the Puget Sound region (representing 80 high schools), it's known as Shoreline Invitational Day.

The field events start at noon. Fans can get an up-close-and-personal view of long-jumpers flying through the air, discus throwers spinning across the ring, great big shot-putters heaving their steel ball, and javelin throwers sending their spear on its majestic, breath-taking arc --- not to mention high jumpers and pole vaulters leaping for the sky.

Foot races begin at 1 PM, with multiple heats of hurdlers and hundred-meter men leading off the festivities.

The entire afternoon is one dramatic event after the other, especially when the distance runners come down the stretch, buoyed by the roar of the crowd spurring them to greater speeds.

The scene is colorful and spirited. 

Prices   Adults $7     Students W/ASB $5   Seniors and Children $4    are reasonable. 

But the metal bleachers can be cold and unforgiving, so blankets and cushions are advised, as are binoculars.

Shoreline Stadium is located on NE 185th St., just west of I-5, between 1st Ave NE and 5th Ave NE.



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Frank Workman on Sports: Rob Petschl steps down as Shorewood football coach

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

2013: Shoreline district athletic director, Don Dalziel, presents
the Shoreline Rotary Cup to Shorewood Head Coach Rob Petschl
Photo by Wayne Pridemore


By Frank Workman

Being a Head Football Coach at the high school level is beyond a full-time job.

During the season, the hours are long, emotions high, demands many. Administrative duties don't allow for much of a let-up during the off-season, either.

But when a coach already has a full-time job, sometimes there just aren’t enough hours in the day to put in a decent performance at either, much less both.

Add to the mix the devotion, time and energy required to be a great husband and father of three kids, it's a miracle anybody signs up for the task.

Such was the case with Shorewood's Head Coach Rob Petschl who has resigned his position after five years at the helm of the T-Birds' football program.

Coach Petschl tendered his resignation Tuesday afternoon.

He gathered his team on Wednesday for what turned out to be a tearful and heartfelt goodbye to the seventy-plus players in the program.

“It is time for me to make a change for my family. This has been a great experience with great kids," said Coach Petschl.
“Thanks are in order to many people. The in-building administration of Principal Dunbar, Mrs. Swanson and Mrs. Gorman have been extremely supportive for all 5 years.”  Petschl also praised his coaches. “I'm proud of my coaching staff and all the work they did for the program. They are a very hard working group.
“The majority of our practices for my five years were at Shoreline Stadium, where I got the opportunity to experience the best district staff in the state in Don Dalziel and Vicki Klein, who couldn’t have been more supportive and accommodating. This entire community is great and I wish them the best of luck", Petschl said.

Petschl took over a struggling program, and while his 12-38 record may not sound like much, the increased number of players his ebullient and positive personality was able to add would indicate that he's leaving Shorewood football in a better position than where he found it.

At the beginning of his tenure, Shorewood had only 36 varsity players turn out for the team.  Five years later, that number had grown to 59.

If nothing else, Petschl will point with pride to his T-Birds' victories in the last two Rotary Cup Games against Shorecrest, snapping the Scots' nine-game winning streak in the crosstown rivalry.


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Celebrations: Frank Workman celebrates his first grandchild

Sunday, January 4, 2015

Frank Workman and Emma

By Frank Workman

A month ago my son Tim and his lovely wife Jena had a beautiful and healthy baby girl named Emma Roo Workman.

Blessed events call for reflection, and our flight down to San Diego to spend the holidays with them afforded such an opportunity.

I got to thinking about all the different names my son has been called.

Before he was born, while just a bun-in-the-oven, we called him PeeWee.

His Birth Certificate says Timothy Marcus. (As did I on those occasions when he took a called strike three to kill a rally.)

As a pre-schooler, he went by Timmy a lot.

Once he started school, he was just plain Tim. Although many nights when I tucked him into bed and kissed him good night, I called him Champ.

Tim was a baseball player, and as he got older, teammates affectionately called him Timmy.  

He wore uniform #20, and was frequently referred to as Two-Oh on the ballfield.

When he was still living at home during his high school days, I would return his salutation of  'Hey Pop' with a 'Hey Boy' back to him.

When he got off to college and then law school, my greeting changed to 'Hey Son'.

Emma Workman and her Daddy

Christmas Eve found me wrapping presents.

The last one was small - a kid's-sized edition of 'Twas The Night Before Christmas'. It was a book I used to read to him every year before he went to bed prior to Santa's big visit.

As I reached for the gift tag to attach to the present, I paused. A lifetime's worth of events flashed by.

FROM   and   TO    read the tag.

I thought about it for a minute.

I wrote 'Emma', as if she herself was giving the book to him.

I took a breath.

After TO, I wrote 'Daddy'.


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Frank Workman on Sports: Playing like champions

Sunday, November 23, 2014

O Captain, my captain

Our fearful trip is done; 
If it wasn't for Squalicum
We'd be Number One. 

(With apologies to Walt Whitman)

When the Shorecrest girls' soccer team opened the season at home on September 9 with a 4-0 loss at the hands of Lakeside, few in attendance could have imagined that 74 days later they'd take the same field to play for the State Championship. Many would have been happy with them just making it through Districts and simply qualifying for the sixteen-team State tournament at that point.

Along their way to a 19-5 record and a second place finish in the State's 2A ranks, they soared to phenomenal highs. 

They split their first four non-league games, including a 1-0 loss to crosstown rival Shorewood. But then the bell rang to start the Wesco 3A South season and the Scots came out smoking hot. They won their next eleven straight games, outscoring their opposition 33-5 along the way. They avenged their earlier loss to Shorewood, 3-0. They knocked off this year's 3A State Champions Edmonds-Woodway, 1-0. A surprising 1-0 loss on the last day of the regular season against a desperate Glacier Peak team only served to remind the team of their vulnerability and may have been the kick in the pants they needed to refocus their efforts. 

They won their league with an 11-1 mark. 

All this while being a smaller 2A school playing up a level against 3A competition.

None of this happened by accident.  

Head coach Mindy Dalziel has been at the helm at Shorecrest for ten years. She played for a pair of Scots State Championship teams herself. Her assistant, Lori Henry, is a Shorewood grad who matriculated to the holy grail of womens' college soccer, the University of North Carolina, where her Tar Heels teams went undefeated for three straight years. Henry then went on to play for the US Women's National team that defeated Japan to win the first Women's World Cup. Between the two coaches, they've forgotten more about the game of soccer than most others will ever know.

The coaches did what all great teachers do .... they got the players to want to get better. A position in the starting lineup wasn't given, it was earned from game-to-game based on what went on in practice the days leading up to each match.  

In time, the players meshed. A scorer emerged in junior Sophia Viviano, whose 31 goals accounted for more than half the team's total for the season. Kate Wiper, a sophomore goalkeeper with enormous shoes to fill (following the graduation of four-year starter Frida Swensen) proved the adage that 'you never replace a hero with a zero'. Wiper improved as the season progressed, helped in great part by a defense that boasted three of the team's four seniors (MacKenzie Parry, Kayla Holland, and Alex Murphy). The fourth senior, Meghan Wicken, was deemed the team's unsung hero by Coach Dalziel by season's end.

The team won their first two games at Districts and faced undefeated Squalicum in the District title game. The Storm prevailed 3-0.

Shorecrest blistered Black Hills in the first round of State, 4-0. In the Quarter-finals, they knocked off Liberty, last year's defending 3A State Champs, 4-3, with Miss Viviano scoring all the goals.

Friday night they shot to a 2-0 halftime lead in the Semi-Finals over Ridgefield, and when they took a 3-0 lead in the second half, it appeared as if they were going to mash, shred, and fry the Spudders.   Instead, Ridgefield pushed the Scots to the brink by scoring two late goals before time ran out.

Saturday night's final game saw the Scots score first, and the huge throng representing the entire local soccer and Shorecrest community got their hopes up, dreaming of a sixth championship banner to hang in the gym. But Squalicum proved their mettle by putting intense pressure on the Scots, knocking them onto their heels, scoring the tying goal early in the second half, then the game-winner with six minutes to play.

In the end the Scots just ran out of gas. It was not to be. But they thrilled their fans, not just Saturday night but all season long, including countless young players from the youth ranks who ringed the field as honorary ball girls-and-boys at most games, getting an up-close view of a team that played the game hard, unselfishly, the right way.

A team that played like champions play.


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Frank Workman on Sports: Do the Scots have what it takes to win the championship?

Thursday, November 20, 2014

By Frank Workman

The Shorecrest girls' soccer team takes the field at Shoreline Stadium Friday night at 6 against the Ridgefield Spudders, in the first of two 2A semi-final games.

After a roller-coaster ride of a back-and-forth 4-3 quarter-final win over Liberty last Saturday, deemed by many in attendance as the most exciting game they'd ever seen, and a week's anticipation building up to Friday's game, six o'clock can't come soon enough for the team and its fans.

The question on everyone's mind --- do the Scots have what it takes to win the championship?

What, exactly, are the attributes of championship teams?

Championship teams are unselfish. They don't care who gets the credit as long as the team succeeds.

Championship teams are ferocious. They don't just win the individual battles, they dominate them.

Championship teams are focused. They play each play with their minds on only that play, not the prize that awaits them.

And championship teams are confident. A confidence that is earned over the summer when captains led voluntary conditioning drills, out of the public eye, trying to impress nobody.

The question, again .... do the Scots have the attributes of a championship team?

You're damned right they do.


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Shorecrest and Shorewood girls soccer teams face an uphill climb

Saturday, November 8, 2014

By Frank Workman

Both Shorecrest and Shorewood's girls soccer teams are facing an uphill climb when they play for the District One  2A and 3A championships, respectively, on Saturday.

The T-Birds (10-5-3) square off against a powerful Edmonds-Woodway (14-3-1) at Arlington HS at 7 PM for the 3A championship.

The Warriors sport four Division-1 players on their roster. While the two teams dueled to a 2-2 draw on October 27, the explosiveness of the Warriors' attack makes them a threat to score on every possession, and it will be all the T-Birds can do to hold University of North Carolina-bound junior Maddie Schultz in check.

But T-Birds coach Bill Wilkins has a hard-earned reputation as a master tactician and it wouldn't come as a huge surprise if he's able to come up with a game plan that will help his Shorewood team bring home the District Championship. A win for the T-Birds would find them hosting a first round State tournament game - a loss sends them on the road to an as-yet-undetermined site.

The 15-3 Scots have an even taller task ahead of them. The Squalicum Storm come into Shoreline Stadium for the 6pm 2A Championship Game sporting a near-perfect 17-0-1 record and the #1 ranking in the state (as per the Seattle Times). The Storm is led by a pair of midfielders with college scholarships already wrapped up in Michelle Saunders (BYU-Hawaii) and Julia DeVere (SPU). Squalicum has outscored its opponents by an impressive 67-8 margin, including 11 shutouts.

The Scots hope their rigorous schedule of 'playing up' all season against their 3A WESCO opponents has left them battle-tested to go up against the #1 team in the state.

Junior forward Sophia Viviano has led the Scots with her 24 goals, while Coach Mindy Dalziel has enjoyed solid defense from seniors Alex Murphy, MacKenzie Parry, Kayla Holland and junior Sydney Coe, to go along with outstanding mid-field play from junior Alexa Iacolucci.

Before the Squalicum/Shorecrest match at 6, Burlington-Edison plays Sehome at Shoreline Stadium, to determine the 3rd and 4th place State qualifiers.

Win or lose, the Scots will host a first round 2A State tournament game next week.


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Frank Workman on Sports: The Big Game

Thursday, September 25, 2014

By Frank Workman

In the moments leading up to the 7pm kickoff Friday night in the Rotary Cup Game between Shorecrest and Shorewood, a perfect confluence of energy, enthusiasm, and emotion will merge to create an electricity that all those in attendance will never forget.

The biggest annual gathering in Shoreline will be comprised of a cross-section of humanity from the immediate area.

Students from each school will try their best to out-do each other, both in school-colored garb (with face paint to match) and hoarse throats.

Band members from each school will be ready to blast their teams’ fight songs at full blast, equating volume with quality.

Parents of the players will watch intently, their emotions mixed. Many would grudgingly, if not gladly, trade in a victory for their team for assurance that their own son emerge uninjured from the fray.

Some moms and dads will be bringing their grade school kids to their first high school football game, and they’ll marvel at the wide-eyes and broad smiles on their kids’ faces as they take in the whole grand spectacle. Those same moms and dads will take a minute and recall when they were back in school, and they’ll remember a long forgotten memory of Friday nights in their youthful days.

Seemingly ever single junior high student in the district will be in attendance, as if an extra-credit reward was being offered by their teachers. Oddly, none of them will even sit down for a minute, and hardly any of them will even face the field, much less watch the game. But they will observe how their elders (the HS students) dress and behave.

Down on the field, the players will have churning stomachs and dry mouths – hopeful and fearful at the same time. Hopeful of a win, and perhaps to wear the mantle of ‘hero’ at night’s end; fearful of defeat and being remembered (if only by himself) for the rest of his life for costing his team the victory.

And then eleven boys from each team will take the field - one team to kick off, the other to receive. The referee will blow his whistle.

One player will approach the ball in his run-up to kicking it away.

And the biggest crowd of the year will rise to their feet, the fans will feel a charge go through their bodies, and electricity will be in the air.

After that, it’s anybody’s ballgame.


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Frank Workman on sports: the path to the State Soccer 3A Championship goes through Shoreline Schools

Friday, May 16, 2014

By Frank Workman

For the last ten years, it has been said that the path to the State Soccer Championship in 3A goes through the schools of the Shoreline School District.

Last year, Shorecrest ran a late-season hot streak all the way to the State Championship Game before losing in the finals, 1-0. They won State in 2005 and 2009.

Two years ago it was their crosstown rivals Shorewood that went undefeated throughout the regular season, only to lose in an extra-frame shootout in the quarter-finals, to eventual champion Bainbridge.

When the boys' soccer teams from Shorecrest and Shorewood square off Saturday night at 7pm at Shoreline Stadium, a great deal will be at stake.

The teams will be playing for the District One 3A championship, no less.

In addition, the victor will host a first-round game in the State playoffs on Tuesday, May 20  (which will be televised on Channel 26 by the SC/SW Live Video Production Club). 

Both teams have already qualified for State. Saturday's losing team will have to play a first-round road game next week. 

And if Saturday's winner can win that first round game, they would host a quarter-final game next weekend.

But perhaps the most important thing the two teams will be playing for Saturday night is .... pride.

The Scots (15-3) and T-Birds (11-3-4) split their two meetings during the regular season. Shorewood defeated the Scots 3-2 in their first match on April 4, while the Scots turned the tables on the T-Birds 3-1 on May 5.

It would seem the two teams couldn't be more evenly matched.

The players from both teams are products of the local youth soccer organizations, Hillwood and Shorelake.

Coaches, parents, and current players from the two youth clubs are encouraged to come watch what promises to be a hotly contested District Championship Game between two of the best teams in the state.

Our teams.


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Frank Workman on Sports: Shorecrest basketball pulls off one of the great upsets in school history

Monday, February 24, 2014

Scots Advance to Regionals Friday -- Face O'Dea at Mountlake Terrace

Daniel Ghebremichael, in Scots green
The score is tied in the 4th period
Photo by Geoff Vlcek
By Frank Workman

Years after he had retired, legendary UCLA basketball coach John Wooden was asked which were harder to coach – white players or black players. 

He paused for a second before responding “Seniors”.

It’s not likely that Shorecrest basketball coach Brian Fischer would disagree with much of anything the Wizard Of Westwood ever said, but this one time might be an exception.

Friday night Fischer’s team of 8 seniors and one lone sophomore pulled off one of the great upsets in school history when they won the District One Championship Game with a 63-59 win over undefeated and #2 ranked Stanwood.

With the win, the Scots advance to a Regional game this coming Friday at 8 PM at nearby Mountlake Terrace HS. They’ll play the Fighting Irish of O’Dea from the always stout Metro Conference.

As remarkable as it was, knocking off a Stanwood team that had beaten all but two of its opponents this season by more than ten points, it was more how the Scots did it that left their fans aglow afterwards.

When you attend a game, you know you’re going to see sport. Some games the outcome is in doubt right up to the final play; other times, you can figure out pretty early which is the better team. Regardless, it’s always competition, and you see sport.

Friday night the Scots transcended sport and crossed a magical line.

They turned their play into a beautiful form of art.

We find beauty in all sorts of places.

...A morning’s sunrise or a colorful sunset.
...The scent of an orange blossom on a cool spring evening, or dew on a rose.

In basketball, beauty shows itself in the form of the pretty pass – that extra pass that an unselfish player makes to a teammate to set up an easy basket – even when the passer had an open shot of his own. 

Friday night the Scots consistently made the pretty pass. 

They defended as if their pants were on fire, covering so much ground that you had to count sometimes to be sure there were only five of them on the court.

Playing on the biggest stage of their basketball lives, they settled down after taking Stanwood’s best shot in the first few minutes of the game and proved not only that they belonged on the same court as the #2 team in the state - they proved that they were the better team.

We won! Daniel Ghebremichael #10 rejoices with his teammates
Photo by Geoff Vlcek
I had three favorite moments from Friday night.

With right at a minute left to go and the game tied, Daniel Ghebremichael found himself open and nailed a three-pointer to give the Scots the lead. With their undefeated record on the line for their last two meaningful possessions, Stanwood’s top scorer passed the ball rather than take the sort of clutch shot his team frankly hadn’t needed all year. Their second-leading scorer then passed the ball, as did their third and fourth top scorers. I’ll not forget that when the Spartans most needed a leader to step up and make a basket, almost everybody passed on the chance. That left it to their fifth-best scorer who missed the shot on both possessions. Ghebremichael grabbed the rebound on the second miss and made both ends of a one-and-one, giving the Scots an insurmountable 5-point lead with :10 to play.

On Stanwood’s final missed shot, SC’s Alex Hofstrand was called for his fifth foul of the night …with :00.6 remaining on the clock. His broad smile as he walked to the bench and into the arms of his jubilant teammates, knowing his team’s victory was set, hearing the roar of all the Scots fans in attendance, was a spine-tingling moment.

We won!
Caleb Fischer carries the trophy
Photo by Geoff Vlcek

But my favorite moment of a memorable night came about 30 minutes after the game had ended, after the team had cut down the nets, posed for pictures with the Championship Trophy under the netless rim, and gone to their locker room.

Fans and students were milling on the court, basking. Nobody was in a hurry to leave on such a special night.

In the midst of all the revelry, I saw an out-of-place worried look on the face of Coach Fischer’s wife, Amber. While her older son, 6 year old Brendan, was present and accounted for, dribbling his ever-present basketball through the crowded court, she couldn’t find her youngest, Caleb. 

We walked downstairs to the hallway that led to the locker room ..... no sign of the boy.

Amber asked if I'd go into the locker room, hoping he'd followed his dad there.

Just as I was getting to the door, out marches the little shaver with Greg Marshall, the team scorekeeper -- and Caleb was holding the heavy District Championship trophy high over his head, with both hands.


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Frank Workman on Sports: Underdog Shorecrest boys on the brink of a championship

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Frank Workman
calling a game
By Frank Workman

You might think a team that has won ten straight games would be considered the favorite going into Friday night’s District One 3A Championship Game at 8pm at Jackson HS.

But instead the scrappy Shorecrest boys (16-6) go into the game a decided underdog against an undefeated (23-0) Stanwood team that is ranked #2 in the State.

After a dreadful 0-5 start to league play (including a 68-51 drubbing at Stanwood on January 10, the last time SC tasted defeat) the senior-laden Scots squad has rallied behind the masterful leadership of Head Coach Brian Fischer to assure themselves of a game the following week, with a chance to go to the State Tournament in Tacoma in two weeks at stake.

Coach Fischer attributes the team’s success to a great work ethic; a workman-like attitude of never getting too high after a win (as well as never getting too low when the losses stacked up in the early part of the season); a conscious recognition of the fact that there is always more work to be done and improvement to be had; and a genuine love and affection the boys have for each other.

The core of the team has been together since grade school, playing for the SC feeder team at the Select level.

Here’s a photo of the 8th grade team the boys played for, with all eight seniors on the present team among the eleven players shown.

8th grade team has all the current SC senior players

Conin Oishi (#21 in the photo) leads a cadre of six guards that play the sort of agitating, irritating and frustrating defense that makes them an opponent’s nightmare. He is joined in the backcourt by Daniel Gebremichael (#1), Connor Hyppa (#10), Zach Lawson (#8), and Benny Ortega (back row/far right, with the Super Fly hairdo), as well as sharp-shooting sophomore Drew Magaoay. Fischer rotates the guards in and out, keeping them fresh so they can all be at their ball-hawking best. While any one of them is capable of having a hot hand on any given night, every one of them is looking to pass to an open teammate as often as he is to take the shot himself.

Masamba Njadoe (back row, fourth from the left) anchors the middle, leading the team in scoring (12.9 ppg), blocked shots, and rebounds. He is joined in the starting lineup by Alex Hofstrand (back row, second from the left). It was Hofstrand’s three-pointer with :06 to play against Shorewood in Hoopapalooza V that was the winning margin in their 50-49 win January 25. Aaron Kelly (barely visible, back/left) is the most athletic player on the team. He is the first of the ‘bigs’ to come off the bench.

Defense, balanced scoring, and unselfishness have gotten the Scots to where they are – on the brink of winning a District Championship – a Championship that not too many people think they can win.

Except for the boys on the team.

~~~
Correction: Conner Hyppa is in jersey #10 - his number this year is #5


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Frank Workman on Sports: It's up to you

Sunday, February 9, 2014

Frank Workman
calling a game
By Frank Workman

It happened this week at a high school basketball game.

If it didn’t involve your school, it could next time.

The short player for the home team had inside position for the rebound. A taller opponent went for the ball and knocked it out of bounds. The taller player began to stumble, and the shorter player gave an overly firm, emphatic two-handed shove, driving the opponent to the ground - followed by a clenched fist, cocked back as if ready to deliver a blow.

The short player was immediately wrapped up in a bearhug by a teammate and escorted away from the baseline scene, heading to their bench at the far side of the court.

A mom from the visiting team charged down the bleachers, walked onto the court, and wagged a finger into the face of the short player for a couple seconds before she returned to her seat.

In the stands, a home team dad hollered something toward the adjacent visitor’s section. A visiting dad took exception to what was said and the two dads soon were nose-to-nose. Two other dads became similarly engaged.

A quick-thinking gym manager bounded up the steps into the stands and came between the involved adults, bringing a semblance of order to the proceedings.

If not for his actions, a powder-keg could have erupted, mayhem might have ensued. Arrests wouldn’t have been out of the question.

With the local regular season now at an end, the playoffs begin this week. The stakes are higher and emotions will run hotter than usual for the next three weeks.

Perhaps it’s time for a refresher course on what youth sports are about.

In order of importance, this is the cast of characters (and their locations);

1) Players. (Field of play)

2) Officials. (Field of play)

3) Coaches. (Bench)

4) Fans. (In the stands)

In this arrangement, it is the role of the players to play. The refs officiate. Coaches coach.

It’s not complicated.

And fans cheer. (By the way, it’s always OK to give approval to ALL the players on the field of play, not just those on your team.)

Too many times the fans forget their role and feel compelled to play ALL the parts, especially #2 and #3.

It might be a good time for all fans involved to take a deep breath and re-evaluate.

Go to a game that you have no interest in – observe the behavior of those fans (especially those who are overly loud and critical).

Maybe a lesson can be learned and you can avoid having a scene like this happen at a game you attend.

It’s up to you.

See previous Frank Workman columns by clicking the link under the Features list in the first column on our webpage.


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Frank Workman on Sports: SC / SW Girls Hoopapalooza Preview

Thursday, January 23, 2014

Frank Workman
By Frank Workman

Expect the new gym at Shorewood High School to be rocking Saturday night when the Shorecrest girls invade the T-Birds home at 5pm (ahead of the boys’ 7 o’clock tip-off) for this year’s much-anticipated Hoopapalooza.

The Scots come into Saturday’s game with a WESCO League record of 7-1, 12-3 for the season, while the T-Birds are two games behind the Scots in the standings at 5-3 (11-4 overall).

Both girls’ squads are off to very impressive starts and showcase young talent that only figures to get better in the years to come.

Both teams feature balanced scoring. The Scots are led by senior Oniye Chibuogwu’s 11.1 points per game, followed closely by impressive freshman point guard Keyonna Jones (10.6 ppg) and super-speedy sophomore Wurrie Njadoe (10.1 ppg).

Leading the scoring for the T-Birds is sophomore Lily Gustafson with 13.3 per game. Free-spirited freshman Taryn Shelley (all 6’ 2” of her) is averaging 8.5 a game, and the fiercely determined Karrin Leazer chips in 8.2.

When these two teams met mid-December, it was Shorecrest who escaped with a hard-fought 44-41 win. Since then, the Scots, with veteran head coach Dori Monson at the helm, have knocked off defending District champs Everett in the Seagulls’ gym, as well as giving league-leading Mountlake Terrace its only loss.

The T-birds first-year coach Erica Merkley has her girls playing better basketball in the last few weeks, as home wins over Everett and perennial power Glacier Peak will attest. Instilling a new system, philosophy, and values is a tough task for any coach, but Merkley’s team is responding, proving themselves to be abundantly coachable.

The girls’ game at five o’clock precedes the boys contest, and as such it may be seen as an appetizer.

But for those who love the girls’ game, it figures to be enough for a main course.


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Frank Workman on Sports: Nothing promises to be easy Sunday

Saturday, January 18, 2014

Frank Workman

By Frank Workman

I think it’s fair to say that if this weekend’s NFC Championship Game was to be played a day later than Sunday, the waiting could prove to be too much for some Seahawk fans, many of whom might spontaneously combust, so eager is the anticipation for Sunday’s game with the San Francisco 49ers.

Home field advantage was to have made Sunday’s game a coronation.

Instead, it could serve as a beheading.

As kickoff nears, those not blinded by 12th Man Fever have to view Sunday’s foe as formidable, battle-tested, and more than capable of dashing the dreams of every fan in Washington and bordering Northwest states, as well as several Canadian provinces.

Home field advantage throughout the playoffs was supposed to provide a golden ticket to the Super Bowl.

Such was the case with the 2005 Seahawks, who sliced and diced their way past the despicably nicknamed team from our nation’s capitol, and the badly overmatched Carolina Panthers, before being derailed by the Pittsburgh Steelers (and Bill Leavy and his Merry-Men-in-Stripes).

Nothing promises to be easy this time around, though.

The Niners come north with more big game experience than the Hawks, a stout defense, and a QB with a hotter hand of late (aided by healthier receivers).

The slightest thing can skew the final result ….. a tipped pass, a funny bounce, an inopportune penalty (are there any other kinds?), a disputed spotting of the ball.  Football is, if nothing else, the quintessential game of inches.

One thing’s for certain – you can throw the statistics out the window.


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Frank Workman on Sports: Beloved local figure inducted into his college Hall of Fame

Sunday, October 27, 2013

Henry Akin, third from left, inducted into
Morehead State (KY) University Hall of Fame


Saturday afternoon Henry Akin, long-time Lake Forest Park resident and original member of the Seattle SuperSonics, was inducted into the Morehead State (KY) University Hall of Fame.

Akin played two seasons for the Eagles of the Ohio Valley Conference in the mid-60's.

He was selected 11th overall in the 1966 NBA draft by the NY Knicks, who used the first pick in the draft to take Cazzie Russell.

After his rookie year with the Knicks, the expansion Sonics selected the 6' 10" Akin for their inaugural team.

His playing career shortened by injury, Akin worked for the Sonics as a scout for several years before going to work for Boeing.

Akin's greatest contribution to the game he loves has been locally, most particularly serving as a mentor to a generation of players from the Shorecrest girls basketball program. Over the years, his has been a constant presence at practices and games, offering advice, guidance, and instruction when asked, and he is a beloved figure to all the girls who have benefitted from knowing him.


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