CV Grad Jacque Clark Beats The Heat In Tucson

As passengers boarded Southwest Airlines Flight 350 departing Seattle on Sunday, already seated during the layover was former Central Valley and Cheney basketball player Jacque Clark.

She was coming home from Tucson, Ariz., to begin spring break, her first real visit here since school started last August.

“I had two days off at Christmas but was visiting family and was not really relaxed then,” she said.

Now playing at the University of Arizona, Clark was one day removed from the Wildcats’ 81-72 seasonending victory over rival Arizona State.

The center on CV’s 1993 state champions completed her sophomore season at Arizona where she played 15 minutes per game as a backup post player.

“I only played in about 12 games as a freshman,” said Clark. “After a back injury and missing three weeks, this year I was in each game.”

Clark suffered what was thought to be a herniated disk in practice and could not put pressure on her leg. She went through therapy before returning to action.

During the year she played against Tennessee, top seed in the NCAA Tournament’s Midwest Region, Vanderbilt and Stanford which are rated one and two in the West.

Inconsistency plagued Arizona, which finished seventh in the Pac-10 Conference with seven freshmen and a junior college transfer on the roster.

Clark said that her season could have been better, also.

“My defense has gotten a lot better since last year,” she said. “I need to work harder on rebounding and offensively need to be more of a threat.”

Her parents got to watch her play during games against the Washington and Oregon schools and made trips to California and Arizona.

If she can handle the heat of summer, the accounting major said she will likely remain in Tucson this summer and take a job.

“When it’s over 100 degrees I think, ‘I have to get out of here,”’ Clark said. “Right now it’s 85 degrees and nice. I was wearing T-shirts, shorts and sandals. Here I’m wearing sweatshirts and jeans.”

Gymnasts travel to Kennewick

Northwest Gymnastics Academy’s boys team recently traveled to a meet in Kennewick and won first place.

Class 1, age 14 performer Beau DeWitt and Class 4 11-year-old Tyson Byers were first all-around, winning floor exercise, pommel horse, vault, parallel bars and high bar.

In Class 3, age 13 Aaron Sheck and age 16 Chris Jones each won pommel horse, parallel bars and high bars to be second all-around.

Nick Antich was also second all around in Class 4, age 12-13 by winning floor exercise and finishing second during pommel horse, parallel bars and high bar competition.

Other placers in the classification were Brian Velategui, who won rings and was third in floor exercise, Ryan Brewer and Dominic Francis who were second and third respectively on vault.

State competition for the team is April 1 in Lynnwood.

Valley YMCA spring registration

Registration deadline for Valley YMCA spring activities is March 24.

Among the offerings are tee baseball for boys and girls grades K-1, coach pitch baseball for grades 2-4 and softball for grades 4-7.

Games are played at Greenacres Junior High and teams play six games. Cost to register is $48 for nonY members and $25 for members.

Other program offerings form April and May are junior high and middle school activities, Spring Fever Madness and Spring Funhouse, gymnastics and karate.

Registration can be made at the Spokane Valley YMCA office in Tidyman’s at 13014 E. Sprague. For information phone 927-1474.

Former EV baseball players return

A pair of former East Valley High School players will be with the team when Centralia Community College plays baseball this weekend at Community Colleges of Spokane.

Mike Kinney, who graduated last year, is a third baseman and first baseman with Centralia. Chad Fowler, who graduated in 1993 from EV, is a freshman relief pitcher.