The Washington Sidewinders/Rabb 16-and-under girls fastpitch team won the Seattle/Tacoma Metro championship last month and received a berth into the 16U National Championships in Owensboro, Ken. The team includes shortstop Hannah Kiyohara and outfielder Erin Fujita. Both attend Thomas Jefferson High School.

• The Des Moines Waterland Festival 3-on-3 Streetball Tournament will be held Saturday at the Des Moines Marina. There will be many divisions to choose from for players of all ages and abilities. The cost is $100 for adult teams and $80 for youth teams in 12th grade and under. For information or to sign up, go to www.desmoineswa.gov or call (206) 870-6527.

• The Summit at Snoqualmie has received the green light from the United States Forest Service to begin the installation of a new high-speed quad chairlift, named Silver Fir Express. Located just East of The Summit’s Central Base Area , the new Silver Fir Express will replace the current Silver Fir triple chair, originally installed in 1988. Construction is expected to be completed in November, 2008, meaning the chair will be open to the public in time for the start of the 2008-2009 winter season.

Work is beginning this week on disassembly of the current Silver Fir triple chairlift. The project, costing an estimated $4.5 million, will continue throughout the summer and fall and involve the use of a helicopter to install the new chairlift towers. The process will be documented through photos and video on The Summit’s website.

While this new lift will serve the same terrain as the existing chair, ride times and lift capacities will be dramatically improved. The length of ride time will shorten from its current 10-plus minute ride to just over four minutes. Lift capacity will increase to 2400 skiers per hour.

“We are very excited to break ground on this highly-anticipated improvement project. Silver Fir serves as a means of access to many of our gladed trails and allows for easy connectivity between two of our base areas – Summits Central and East,” said Dan Brewster, general manager for The Summit. “This improvement marks the start of an exciting new phase at The Summit.”

Several other summer improvement projects are currently underway at The Summit.

• The Western Washington Football Officials Association is looking for candidates to begin officiating in the 2008 season. No experience is necessary and officials are paid. Training meetings will begin on July 29. For more information, call Jan Wolcott at (253) 826-2460 or e-mail jswol@comcast.net.

• The Sudden Impact Girls Fastpitch Organization is looking for players for its 10 and under, 12U and 14U teams for the 2009 season. The teams feature ASA Junior Olympic affiliation, pitching and catching instructors, private instruction by the University of Washington, Seattle University and high school players/coaches. Practices are at Decatur High School. The 14U and 12U teams play various weekend tournaments, mostly in the Seattle-Tacoma area. The 10U team plays in a recreational league and some tournament play. No previous fastpitch experience required. For more information about Sudden Impact, e0mail SuddenImpactFP@aol.com.

• Water Polo has returned to the Marine Hills Pool. Marine Hills Pool brings water polo to boys and girls ages 8 to 18, who are able to swim 50 yards.

Practices are held at the pool Mondays and Wednesdays from 8 to 9:30 p.m. with preseason scrimmages scheduled for Saturday mornings. Regular season play begins in August. Coach Peter Larsen is currently offering a free two-day trial to anyone interested in learning more about the sport. The water polo team is open to the public.

The Marine Hills Swim and Tennis Club is located at 600 S. 302nd St. in the Marine Hills neighborhood.

For more information, call the Marine Hills Swim and Tennis Club at (253) 839-4960 or visit the Web site at www.marinehillspool.org.

• The Kiwanis Club of Greater Federal Way will hold a charity golf tournament at 7:30 a.m. July 18 at Whispering Firs Golf Course at McChord Air Force Base in Tacoma. The cost per foursome is $320. Proceeds benefit Federal Way service organizations.

Contact president Donavan Knight at (253) 719-8257 or Wayne Moritz at (253) 941-0354 or visit www.greaterfedwaykiwanis.org.

• Fall soccer registration in Federal Way is currently open for players age 5 to 17. The Federal Way Mod Soccer Club and the Federal Way United Club os taking on-line registration at the Club’s Web site at www.federalwaysoccer.com.

Players will be placed on teams by the Club Coordinators. The deadline for registering for fall soccer is June 27. For information, call (253) 529-7774 or email www.fwsoccerfamily@comcast.net.

• The world’s largest touring grill will be at Emerald Downs in Auburn from 4 to 10 p.m. on July 3 and from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. on July 4.

The Johnsonville Big Taste Grill is no ordinary backyard barbecue. Weighing more than 53,000 pounds and measuring 65 feet long, this giant grill requires its own semi-truck to haul it from one location to another. It is equipped with hot and cold running water, a prep station, and a refrigeration unit. The grill has the capacity to cook more than 750 brats at a time — approximately 2,500 per hour — and can accommodate more than 12 grillmasters.

Proceeds from sales at the grill benefit local charities and other non-profit organizations. To date, the Big Taste Grill has raised over $2 million for charities across the United States and Canada.

“People who see the Big Taste Grill™ for the first time are awestruck because of its enormity and uniqueness,” says Cory Bouck of Johnsonville. “We think it’s a memorable way for people to try the great taste of Johnsonville bratwurst while supporting their favorite charities.”

• Three Senior teams from Bally Tennis in Federal Way will be competing in the 2008 USTA League Pacific Northwest Senior Sectional Championships to be held through Sunday in Sunriver, Ore.

The Bally Tennis Federal Way teams are: Men’s 3.0 and Women’s 3.0, captained by Judy Ronning, and Men’s 3.5, captained by Donald Brennan. They will join 60 teams and 350 players that will compete in the Section Championships.

The tournament will feature the best senior tennis teams from throughout Oregon and Washington. The teams, which represent various tennis clubs and facilities, have finished at the top of their local leagues and will now play for a United States Tennis Association Pacific Northwest (USTA/PNW) Section title.

The 2008 USTA League Pacific Northwest Senior Section Championships features teams of players who must be age 50 or over who are grouped into three different ability levels. Play consists of the best of three doubles matches with the outcome decided by team scoring.

In addition to the Senior Section Championships, the USTA/PNW will hold a Super Senior League Championship June 29-July 1 in Sunriver. Super Senior League players must be age 60 or over.

Established in 1980, USTA League has grown from 13,000 participants in its first year to over 625,000 players across the nation today, making it the world’s largest recreational tennis league. Chrysler is in its third year as the presenting sponsor and official vehicle of the USTA League program.

• Highline Community College’s new personal fitness training program is already helping dozens of students find new careers in a rapidly growing industry.

“We’ve got a wide range of students,” says program manager Josh Baker. “Most of our graduates will pursue careers as personal trainers and group exercise instructors. This is a high demand area and we expect continued growth in the Puget Sound area.”

Baker notes how the profession has grown in recent years, spurred by rising demand for quality instruction from increasingly health-conscious consumers.

“There’s a need for more qualified personal trainers,” he says.

The Highline CC program offers an associated of applied science degree, as well as a one-year certificate. Both degrees include coursework in functional training, special populations and body composition.

“Our curriculum was developed off of industry standards with input from local employers,” Baker says, providing one of the best programs in the Greater Seattle area. “Our faculty is excellent. We have great connections with local businesses and opportunities to continue on to four-year schools.”

Baker’s background includes a master’s degree in physical education from Brigham Young University. He has worked as a fitness specialist, strength and conditioning coach, and has long had an interest in creating such a program to help train people to help others improve their overall health and fitness.

For more information, contact Josh Baker at (206) 878-3710, ext. 3997, or email jbaker@highline.edu.

• The Federal Way United Soccer Club is offering a variety of soccer camps for youth this summer. The Mod and under-11 camp is for players age 6 to 10 and it will be held June 30–July 3. This camp will focus on skill and tactical development with attention to dribbling, passing and shooting. Registration fee is $85 and registration deadline is June 24.

In addition, there are two camps that are geared toward players 11 and older and those will be offered the week of July 14-17. The two camps for older players are a goalkeeper camp and a speed, agility and skills camp.

The goalkeeper camp provides the basics to the complex and is geared toward both new goalkeepers, as well as very experienced goalkeepers. Each two-hour session in the speed and agility camp will feature a warm-up, a speed and agility component and skill activities and games.

Registration forms for all three camps can be found on the Federal Way Soccer Club Web site at www.federalwaysoccer.com on the United Club “news” page.

For additional information or questions, email fwsoccerfamily@comcast.net or call (253) 529-7774.

• Lance Glasoe, Pacific Lutheran University pitching coach, and a staff of current college softball players will be conducting a fastpitch camp at the South County Ballfields on Military Road, July 21-24.

The camp is for players ages 7 to 15 years old and will teach fundamentals. The fee is $99.

For more information, visit www.grandslamcamp.com or call (360) 802-2232.

• The Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center is offering a lifeguard training class from noon to 5 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, through July 2.

The American Red Cross class costs $105 and includes training and first aid, CPR/AED for the professional rescuer and bloodborne pathogen training. For more information, call (206) 296-4444 or (253) 927-5173.

• The Marine Hills Pool in Federal Way is currently offering swim lessons to the public. Experienced, qualified instructors provide lessons for children as young as 2½ with all ability levels.

The Marine Hills Swim and Tennis Club has the largest outdoor pool in greater Federal Way and is located at 600 S. 302nd St. in the Marine Hills neighborhood. Tennis lessons are also available to general public.

“We’ve recently installed a state-of-the-art energy efficient boiler, which is keeping the water a comfortable 84 degrees,” said pool manager Robin Hoof.

For more information, call the Marine Hills Swim and Tennis Club at (253) 839-4960 or visit www.marinehillspool.org.

• The Federal Way school district will be heavily represented at the annual East-West All-Star Football Game July 3 at Spokane’s Central Valley Stadium.

Four football players will be making the trek east of the mountains for the prestigious game. Beamer lineman Evan Cook will play for the East squad and Federal Way’s Justin Southern, Jefferson’s Bryant Cameron and Decatur’s Israel Kinlow will take the field for the West.

The 6-foot-2, 270-pound Cook has already signed a national letter of intent to play next season at Eastern Washington University as a defensive lineman, as did Cameron. The 6-4, 215-pound wide receiver physically dominated smaller cornerbacks on his way to 71 catches for 1,018 yards. He also caught a league-leading 14 touchdown passes and had a high game of 174 yards for the Raiders.

Southern completed 59 percent of his passes for 1,919 yards in 10 games as Federal Way’s quarterback and led the Eagles’ to their first SPSL championship since 1976. He threw for 16 touchdowns, ran for five more and also caught a touchdown pass on a throwback.

Kinlow was a monster up front for the Gators. The lineman is listed at 6-6, 330 pounds.

• Season ticket packages for the new Seattle Major League Soccer franchise will be based on an 18-home match schedule with prices starting as low as $288 for a full-season ticket package. All home matches will be played at Qwest Field.

“We’ve created a variety of season ticket packages to meet the needs of our passionate soccer fans in the Pacific Northwest,” said majority owner Joe Roth.

Season ticket prices per match are $16, $20, $24, $29 and $35. Ticket prices in Club Wells Fargo are $39 and $75 per match.

Fans seated in $75 ticket sections will receive exclusive benefits that include reserved parking and an all inclusive menu hosted in the FSN Lounge. The menu will feature regional flavors and local ingredients prepared by a personal Chef.

In the north end of the stadium, fans seated in $24 ticket sections will enjoy an all inclusive experience featuring classic stadium food and beverages.

Each season ticket holder will be assigned a personal customer sales representative to assist with their seating selection. Fans who placed deposits for Sounders FC will be sent an e-mail this week inviting them to submit their seating preferences through an interactive website.

The team has created a unique site to help fans find their ideal seat location based on personal interests such as group affiliations, teammates from the soccer leagues they play in, or the desire to sing, chant and stand during matches.

With a seating capacity of 24,500 in the lower bowl, soccer fans will enjoy excellent views in a stadium that was built to host professional soccer matches. Qwest Field’s upper bowl will be covered to create a more intimate atmosphere.

“To create a world class environment, we will encourage fans to bring horns, banners, streamers and noisemakers to replicate the atmosphere similar to the great international matches,” said Vulcan Sports & Entertainment CEO Tod Leiweke.

Launched in November 2007, Seattle Sounders FC became the 15th club in Major League Soccer and will begin play during the 2009 MLS season. The ownership group includes film producer Joe Roth, Adrian Hanauer, Vulcan Sports & Entertainment and comedian Drew Carey. The team has received deposits for more than 14,700 season tickets since the announcement.

For information on Sounders FC season tickets please visit www.soudersfc.com or call 1-877-MLS-GOAL.

• Thirty-five stakes races worth over $2.3 million will be run at Emerald Downs in Auburn, including the $300,000 Longacres Mile on Aug. 17. The minimum stakes purse is a record $50,000, up from $45,000 last year.

During live racing (April 18-September 28), the $5 fee includes access to the first five levels of the stadium, the Paddock and Park. Kids 17 and under get in free and kids 13 and under must be accompanied by parent or guardian. You must be 18+ to wager.

Preferred parking is $5, while valet parking is $10. Parking in the general lot is free.

Live racing will take place Friday through Sunday through April 25 and will switch from Thursday through Sunday through Sept. 28. Racing starts at 6 p.m. on weekdays and 2 p.m. on weekends.

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