“It’d been awhile since the Bainbridge High School baseball team had seen a pitcher like Klahowya’s Jeff Berend.In fact, it had been awhile since the Spartans had seen any opposing pitcher at all.Coming off an 11-day layoff, the Sparts had trouble dealing with Berend, the senior ace of the Eagles’ staff, and lost the opener of an Olympic League doubleheader 4-1 last Friday at Klahowya. They came back to win the nightcap 7-1 behind the strong starting pitching of Matt Luria and an errorless performance by the defense.”
“Lots of 40-year-old moms kick up their heels. But not all of them aim their heels at your head.Step onto a taekwondo mat with Sue Unger, though, and that’s just what you’ll see. Unger, an administrative secretary for the city building department, demonstrated her prowess in the Korean martial art by taking home two gold medals at the recent Washington state championship in Seattle.She competed in both the sparring and the form portions of the state tournament, and won top honors in both.The sparring is full-contact with chest protectors, mouthpieces and pads, Unger said, and each fight has two one-minute rounds, which doesn’t sound like much until you try it. In my first fight, the timers made a mistake and let the first round go two minutes, she said. I thought I was going to die.Taekwondo, which originated in Korea, has some similarities to Japanese karate, with a different emphasis. Karate is mostly arms, Unger said. Taekwondo is mostly legs.Competitors in the sparring competitions score points for landing kicks to designated portions of their opponents’ anatomy. The chest and sides are designated target areas, while the back is out of bounds.”
“With a perfect 5-0 record at spring break, the Bainbridge girls’ lacrosse team is on track to make another appearance in the state championship game.And to bring home the trophy.Last Thursday, the team won 8-4 at Lakeside, the school that beat the Spartans in the state championship game two years ago. It was a great game by the girls, coach Tami Tommila said. We had played a tough game on Tuesday (against defending state champion Overlake), and were short-handed again, being down four starters with vacations and injuries.Leading scorer against Lakeside was Lindsay Newlon, who scored three goals despite being injured. Rebecca Williamson scored twice, while Erika Holsman, Ashley Pedersen and Adrianne Moon each added a goal.”
“On a gloriously sunny afternoon that finally looked like spring, the Bainbridge track and field team came out of its burrow Thursday to best Sequim and Klahowya in the year’s only home meet.The Bainbridge girls tallied 89 points to Sequim’s second-place 52 and Klahowya’s 50. The Spartan boys totaled 76, with Klahowya scored 56 and Sequim 49. Junior sprinter Luke Preble led the way for the Spartan boys with a sweep of the sprints. Preble won the 100, 200 and 400 meter dash events, and anchored the Spartans’ winning 4×400 meter relay team.”
“It was the best of times and the worst of times for the Bainbridge varsity lacrosse team. An overwhelming first half more than made up for an underwhelming second, as the Spartans hung on the beat Mercer Island 14-10.The Spartans were masterful in the first half, taking an 8-1 lead. But the visiting Islanders roared back with nine second-half goals to turn what had been a laugher into a nail-biter.We have some very strong players on this team, coach Dave Low said, but we’re maybe not as deep yet as we would like to be. The second half, we were a little tired – maybe more mentally than physically.The Spartans raced out of the blocks with the all-around form that has made them six-time state champions. After blunting Mercer Island’s initial attacks, Bainbridge scored when Jesse Savage took a long clearing pass from the defense and fed Jeff Pratt for a fast-break goal. After Adam Smith logged an unassisted goal, senior co-captain Peter Vander Hoek took over. He scored a flashy over-the-shoulder goal off an assist from Jesse Fairbank, then scored off a Kelten Johnson assist as the first quarter ended with the hosts ahead 4-0.The second quarter was more of the same. Johnson, a senior, quarterbacked the offense, and logged assists on all four Bainbridge goals – two by Fairbank, a junior, one by Vander Hoek and one by Pratt, a senior.”
“Blue-collar hard work, rather than dazzling footwork, will be the key to this year’s Bainbridge soccer team.We really work hard on conditioning, third-year coach Alex von Reis Croooks said. We tend to wear people down. We stay close, then tear them apart in the last 10 minutes. Our fitness helps us do that.We don’t have the outstanding individuals, von Reis Crooks said. We’re more a team of equals. Quickness and skill level will be our strength. On the front line, the Spartans start senior Jeremy Lehv in the middle, sophomore Mitka von Reis Crooks on the left side and junior Alex Ruder on the right. Offensive midfielders are senior Mark Kanev and sophomore Cam Lawer. The defensive midfielders are senior Stefen Paige and junior Matt Dick, while the starting backline consists of seniors J.D. Fisher and Anders von Reis Crooks, plus sophomore Adam Brennamen.Starting in goal is senior Kyle Twitchell, whose development will be one of the keys to the season. He is a good player, von Reis Crooks said, but has not played as much soccer in the past as some of the other net-minders around the Olympic League.”
“A new season and a new beginning for the Bainbridge fastpitch softball team?Consider the following:* For the first time in memory, so many girls turned out that cuts were necessary, and both the varsity and JV squads have full complements of players;* First-year coach Bill Clement has eight solid years of fastpitch coaching experience, including two years leading the North Kitsap team;* The Spartans have experience and depth at pitching, especially in the person of newcomer Brooke Hilton, a junior immigrant from Utah, and* The team opened the season with not just a win but a domination – a 14-0 victory over Nathan Hale, called after five innings when the 10-run rule kicked in.”
“Flying Juniors, Lido 14s, 420s, Lasers, and C-Larks are the equipment – can you name the sport?Bainbridge Island Sailing Club members have to be able to handle all varieties of sailboats as they compete in regattas throughout the state, with the difference in the craft from race to race perhaps the team’s biggest challenge. Last year we won districts sailing Lido 14s in Port Hadlock. Then the team sailed 420s in national competition, said Coach John DeMeyer. Our boats on Bainbridge are Lasers, and they are small and fast, echoed co-captain Chris Utley. The other boats are bigger and harder to sail – we have to move farther, and it’s more awkward for us because we’re not used to them.Formed by DeMeyer at the urging of local kids, the club – co-sponsored by Bainbridge Island Park and Recreation District – is in its fourth year at BHS.”
“If you watch a game, it’s fun. If you play it, it’s recreation. If you work at it, it’s golf. – Bob HopeOn a balmy day, with the sun shining on the pristine clipped green of the course, it’s hard to think of golf as hard work. But the Spartan golf team is a serious crew, out to better last season’s almost unblemished record. And in a game where individual effort tallies for the team’s composite score, there is always something you can improve on, says BHS senior Ian Faddis. You can always play better.The girls’ varsity team went undefeated in league play last year, while the boys placed second in league with an 8-1 record, losing only to Bremerton in the last match of the season. The team boasted a 13-2 overall record. Now, with the spotlight on senior Nicole Hebner and junior Joe Lanza, the Spartans hope to contend for the league championship this year, says BHS Athletic Director Neal White.”
“Most high-school sports teams take a year or two – or a lot longer – to recover from the loss of a dozen or more key seniors on a state-championship squad.Not the Bainbridge High School boys’ lacrosse club, however. As they have every year for the last six seasons that they’ve entered the spring as defending champs, they simply pick the best of who they’ve got waiting for a chance and reload.So if Bainbridge wins a seventh straight title this year, don’t call it lucky seven. It’s pure skill and peerless program development.”
“The Bainbridge High School girls’ basketball team is in trouble as it heads into next week’s West Central District playoffs.Leading scorer and rebounder Kim Beemer is only playing at about 75 percent capacity after returning for the last three games of the Spartans’ regular season this week from a slow-healing ankle injury. Emily Pierce, second on the team in both categories, is suffering from a relapse of the same flu bug that’s bit her hard over the past three weeks.And Bainbridge, which closed its regular-season slate last weekend with a 15-6 overall record – and a 13-2 Olympic League mark – staggered to the finish line with a narrow win Saturday over North Kitsap.”
“For the second straight game, it was the same story for the Bainbridge High School boys’ basketball team.First half, terrific.Second half, THUD.The latter term could also be applied to the Spartans’ playoff hopes after their 62-42 thrashing at the hands of the Port Townsend Redskins Tuesday night for the team’s fourth Olympic League loss in its last five games.”
“At first glance, a studio artist, a Bible studies major and a future Marine Corps officer would seem to have little in common.But Matt Pedersen, Danny Pippinger and Chuck Gilmore share a deep bond, honed through countless hours on the mat and off as four-year members of Steve Hohl’s wrestling teams – and reinforced as volunteer assistant coaches on this year’s Spartan squad.”
