The Thriftway Washington State Women’s Open will once again be played at the Twin Lakes Golf and Country Club in Federal Way, June 2-4.

This is the eighth year for the Washington State Women’s Open. This year’s purse for the Washington State Women’s Open will be a minimum of $20,000, with $4,000 going to the winner. There will be a $1,000 senior purse, as well.

Each year some of the best professional and amateur golfers from the Northwest, Canada, Australia, Thailand, England, South Africa and Japan compete in this tournament, as well as players from all over the United States.

Last year, Russamee Gulyanamitta, of Rayong, Thailand, took home the first-place prize of $4,000. She is currently playing full-time on the LPGA Tour and experiencing great success. Corina Kelepouris, of Dayton Valley, Alberta, Canada was runner up.

Renee Skidmore, of Everett, received top honors as the leading amateur, with Kelly Brown of Bellingham, coming in second. Last year’s senior division winner, a former LPGA tour player, Kitty Young-Robyn of Imperial Beach, Calif., will be returning to defend her title.

In the history of the tournament, more than $150,000 has been raised for local charities. This year, the Muscular Dystrophy Association will receive a charitable donation.

For more information about the Thriftway Washington State Women’s Open, contact tournament director Erin Szekely at (425) 488-9738, or e-mail at erin@golfingwitherin.com.

• The Harlem Wizards will perform an evening of “Trick-Hoopz and Alley-Oops” at Todd Beamer High School on Thursday, May 1. The Wizards, who have wowed audiences since 1962, will play the Federal Way Slammers, a team of Federal Way teachers and administrators, at 7 p.m. in the Todd Beamer gym. The event is a fundraiser for the Todd Beamer basketball program and is sponsored by the Todd Beamer Booster Club.

Joining in for the evening will be Jashaun Agosto, a fifth-grade student in Federal Way who is already gaining national attention for his basketball skills, including profiles on ABC World News Tonight and the Ellen DeGeneres Show. Jashaun will suit up for the game.

To purchase tickets, go to your local middle or high school office. Tickets purchased at a school will also benefit that school’s PTA. Or go to Todd Beamer High School, 35999 16th Avenue South, Federal Way, WA 98003, from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays to purchase tickets. The cost is $10 in advance or $12 at the door for students. Adults’ general admission is $12 in advance or $14 at the door.

At halftime during the game, one adult will be chosen based on ticket stub number to take a half-court shot. By making the shot, he or she will win two free flights for two, anywhere that jetBlue Airways flies in the United States.

The Wizards will be signing autographs and souvenirs will be on sale at the game. The Wizards will also be making surprise visits to lunchrooms and at assemblies at participating schools in the district during the day.

For more information about the Wizards, go to www.harlemwizards.com. For more information about this event, contact Ed Flanigan at (206) 669-6302.

• All Nations Cup, a soccer tournament comprised of teams from throughout the Puget Sound’s

immigrant communities, celebrates its return for the sixth year in a row in June with a larger tournament and expanded arts and cultural celebration.

Founded in 2003 by Sister Communities, a South-end nonprofit organization, All Nations Cup 2008 is expanding to a three-week celebration of cultural diversity in the Pacific Northwest. This year the event is getting started early with the kick off the event on June 6 at Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila.

This year All Nations Cup is further celebrating soccer’s diversity by expanding the Women’s

Tournament to include six regions — Europe, Middle East, East Asia, Africa, North America, and Latin America — and will be introducing the first-ever All Nations Cup Youth Tournament. For the first time, young players will have the chance to mimic what they see on the fields of the adult tournament. Teams will be divided into two age brackets of four regional teams — Africa, Americas, Asia and Europe. The ANC Freestyle Soccer Competition will also return with two youth brackets and an adult bracket for players to show off their skills.

After two weeks of tournament and finals play, the Championship Game Day will be held at Starfire Sports Complex on June 22. An all-star game will be held for the star players

of the teams that did not make it to the semi-finals, coached by two guest coaches from the Puget Sound area.

Participating countries in 2008 include Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bosnia, Brazil, Burma, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, China, Colombia, Egypt, El Salvador, England, Ethiopia, Europe, Fiji, France, Gambia, Guatemala, Honduras, Iran, Ireland, Japan, Kenya, Korea, Kurdish Community, Mexico, Moldova, Morrocco, Nepal, Nigeria, Oromo Community, Peru, Poland, Romania, Russia, Somalia, Spain, Tanzania, Turkey, Ukraine, USA and Vietnam.

• Average daily purses for the 2008 meeting – which began last week – are projected to be an all-time Emerald Downs record, according to track president Ron Crockett.

Crockett said the projected total purse money for the 91-day season is $10,612,403, up 4.52 percent from 2007, when a track record $10,152,760 was distributed in purses. The projected daily average purse is $116,620 compared to $111,569 in 2007.

This increase in purses is made possible in part by the continuing partnership of the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe.

Thirty-five stakes races worth over $2.3 million will be run 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.

• Tickets are currently available for the 2008 Des Moines Sports Night Dinner and Auction on May 10 at the Des Moines Field House. The event will include casino games, silent and live auction, event emcee Bruce King, and a keynote speech from former University of Washington football coach Jim Lambright.

Tickets are $40 each or $300 for a table of eight. Des Moines Sports Night is a fundraiser put on by Des Moines Legacy Foundation, Des Moines Dollars for Scholars and the Des Moines Rotary Club to provide scholarships for underprivileged youth in the greater Des Moines Community. Tickets can be purchased at the Des Moines Field House, 1000 S. 220th St. in Des Moines.

• 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.

• High school football players trying to get noticed by NCAA Division II, III or NAIA programs will get the opportunity May 17 at Sunset Chev Stadium in Sumner.

Coaches from Central Washington University, Western Washington University, Linfield College, Pacific Lutheran University and the University of Puget Sound will attend the combine, event organizers said. NCAA rules prohibit Football Bowl Subdivision and Football Championship Subdivision coaches from attending high school football combines.

Registration is $50 before May 5 and $65 after. For more information, visit www.gottheedge.com.

• The “Night with Apolo” benefit gala scheduled for April 19 in Seattle has been cancelled because of scheduling problems. The event, which was set to have Apolo Anton Ohno as the master of ceremonies, will take place next year, according to organizers.

• The Federal Way Boys and Girls Club is currently enrolling youth for its 2008 spring baseball and softball leagues. The deadline for registration is April 18. Late registration will be accepted on a space-available basis.

The leagues are programs for boys and girls in kindergarten through seventh grade. Grades 1 and 2 will be a co-ed, coach-pitch baseball league. Grades 3 and 4 and 5/6/7 will be separate baseball and softball leagues for boys and girls. Teams are formed from local elementary and middle schools, area and grade. The season runs from April 21 to June 14. Games are played in the surrounding Federal Way-area school ball fields.

The club is also offering a Kindergarten Clinic for 4 and 5 year olds, held on Saturdays from 10 to 11 a.m. The clinic runs from May 3 to June 14. The program costs $60 for 1st-7th grade and $55 for the kindergarten clinic (plus $20 club membership fee).

Registration can be done online at www.fw-bgc.org or in person at the club, 30815 8th Ave. S.

• Teams are now forming for the upcoming softball league with the Federal Way Girls Fastpitch Association. No experience is necessary. The organization focusus in on girl’s athletic development and self esteem. For more information, visit www.eteamz.com/fwgfa or call (253) 520-6514.

• Federal Way Public Schools is establishing an Athletic Hall of Fame to honor past employees who have made a major impact on the district’s athletic programs. Nominees to the Hall of Fame will be evaluated based on the following criteria — has served the district for a minimum of 10 years, has been retired for at least five years or deceased and has made a significant impact on the district’s or a school’s athletic program.

The Hall of Fame inductees will be honored at a regular-season football game in the fall of 2008. Each Hall of Fame member will receive a certificate and have his or her name inscribed on a special banner placed at Federal Way Memorial Field.

A renovated Memorial Stadium will serve as the backdrop for the ceremony and Hall of Fame football game. The stadium’s turf and track are due to be renovated this summer with the use of state match funds the district received as a result of the passage of the bond measure.

In addition, the new electronic scoreboard purchased as a result of a donation by Federal Way’s Del Taco will be installed and operational. The district will dedicate the stadium’s new turf, track, and scoreboard during the Hall of Fame ceremony.

Send nominees to Greg Flynn, 1300 S. 308th St., Federal Way, Wash. 98003. Nominations can also be faxed to (253) 945-5577 or emailed to gflynn@fwps.org.

The deadline for nominations to be received is April 1. A 15-member committee of present and former district coaches and administrators will select the first class of inductees.

• The 73rd running of the $300,000 Longacres Mile is set for Sunday, Aug. 17, the centerpiece of a 35-race stakes schedule at Emerald Downs in 2008.

A total of $2,310,00 will be offered in stakes purses, including a record $50,000 minimum for every stakes race. The 91-day meeting begins April 18, with the first stakes race the $50,000 Seattle Handicap for older sprinters on May 4.

The Grade III Longacres Mile tops a stakes doubleheader with the $100,000 Emerald Distaff. This year’s Longacres Mile champion automatically qualifies for the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile at Santa Anita Park on Oct. 25.

Longacres Mile weekend also features the $100,000 Washington Oaks for 3-year-old fillies on Aug. 16.

Other leading stakes races are the $100,000 Emerald Downs Derby for 3-year-olds on Labor Day, Sept. 1, and the $100,000 Gottstein Futurity for 2-year-olds on Sept. 27.

The season concludes Sept. 28 with the Stanislaw Ashbaugh Claiming Challenge, a series of six starter handicaps ranging in distance from 6 furlongs to 2 miles.

• USSSA softball is looking for umpires for King County and the south end. Umpires are paid monthly and set their own schedules. For more information, contact Paul at (425) 870-1043 or Dale at (425) 481-2005.

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