Mike Vlahovich

Catcher Megan Dormaier, 10, of Pioneer Title, waits for the ball as Jennifer Norwood, 9, of E.S.S. slides into home during the East Valley Girls Softball 10U title game Sunday. Photo by Steve Thompson/The Spokesman-Review

Sports have helped one extended north Spokane County family maintain a link with Germany. Four cousins have stayed or will stay for a year in the country their great-great-grandfather left when he immigrated to the United States decades ago.

Spokane Valley Baseball championships will be decided today at West Valley High School. Finalists were determined in a series of games this week in the Giant, Midget and Pee Wee Leagues. In the league for 13- and 14-year-olds, Greenacres Gypsum won a pair of 11-10 games to reach the finals against Jim Frazier Pro Shop, 3 p.m. on the WV junior varsity baseball field.

A pair of Valley baseball teams with identical records had contrasting luck when it came to qualifying for the AA American Legion playoffs. Spokane Olympic Sports (University High) and Strike Zone (West Valley) each finished 13-7 and placed third in their respective divisions. On Friday, lucky Olympic found itself one win away from a berth in the Legion AA State tournament. Fortuitous circumstances enabled Olympic simply to reach the playoffs.

1. Ron Sloan 2. Rick Sloan has a scrapbook to remember the days when he and his brother Ron played basketball for Central Valley. Photo by Dan Pelle/The Spokesman-Review

Registrations are up and things are progressing smoothly for this year's 5th Annual Valley Hooops 3 on 3 Basketball Tournament. What tourney officials now need are volunteers. "We need people for set up and takedown, to run beverage stations, scoreboards and we need officials, lots of those," said YMCA representative Pat Estes.

Maybe it is because they and their team are having banner summers, but two baseball players are enjoying this summer's inaugural Spokane American Legion AAA season. Matt Armitage and Grant Reeves of the league-leading North Stars, are among the leaders in just about every offensive statistical category and - in some pitching categories as well - in the new league.

It took the flip of a coin and a tiebreaker to complete seedings for the first round of Spokane Valley Baseball Giant League playoffs. Giant and Pee Wee tournaments got underway Monday and the Midget tourney started on Tuesday. Games continue throughout this week and next before champions are determined on Saturday, July 27.

Statistics and scores tell a conflicting story for the Cannons in AAA American Legion baseball. The Cannons, made up of players from last spring's regional qualifier Central Valley and Frontier League co-champions East and West Valley, are tearing up the league offensively. Winning games is another matter. Thursday night was a case in point. The team outhit league leader North Stars 12 to 4, but lost 6-5.

Making the rounds at Liberty Lake Golf Course are, from left, Frieda Beckman, Alice Shattuck (walking), Louise Newtson and Marie Nelson. Photo by Steve Thompson/The Spokesman-Review

1. Bill Mazurek and Gib Brumback of the Spokane Valley Junior Soccer Association stand in the field near Plantes Ferry Park where they hope to establish 15 soccer fields. Photo by Steve Thompson/The Spokesman-Review 2. The Plantes Ferry Park master plan shows the location of proposed playing fields. Soccer fields are to the righr and softball fields are in the upper left.

After two decades of watching other people's children wrestle, Dean Largent said the time has come to watch his own. Deer Park's quietly successful wrestling coach has resigned. "It's that time," said the personable and soft-spoken Largent. "Twenty years is just a nice round number to end it on."

1. Carolyn Berg 2. Heather Harding

Rob Ryan, a regular starter for Washington State University's baseball team this year, has signed on with the Arizona Diamondbacks, a new major league franchise. WSU photo

Jim Frazier Pro Shop made last week's series of games against its closest Spokane Valley Baseball challengers look easy. The Giant League American Division team beat then co-leader Valley Firefighters 15-2 and third-place Leo's Photography 9-2 to win the division. National Division Olympic Sports stayed unbeaten with a 9-6 win over third-place Greenacres Gypsum.

1. Lane Morgan traveled with his family to Germany for a gymnastics festival. Photo by Steve Thompson/The Spokesman-Review 2. Megan Morgan

The Liberty Lake Golf Course club professionals had to go some to beat the women from the Ladies 18-Hole Club. Pitted against the ladies' net totals, a one-over par 73 wasn't good enough. Four A flight golfers, six in B flight and another in C flight all were under the score of Kit DeAndre and Bob Scott.

One of Ron Sloan's short-term goals was to live long enough to watch his brother, Rick, coach Central Valley High School's basketball team. "He didn't make it," Rick said.

Thanks to my 9-year-old daughter, I have finally tasted the full flavor of Hoopfest. For the better part of two days last weekend, Linse played and continued playing on Seafirst Court in front of the STA Plaza on Wall Street. It gave me time to savor the best and worst of the pageantry.

After 43 years of coaching, Joe Schauble has reached the finish line of his career. Photo by Dan Pelle/The Spokesman-Review

Carol (Zimmer) Preston, an assistant coach in three West Valley High School sports, has been named to head the Eagle volleyball program. She replaces Peggy Wells who resigned after three years to devote more time to her family. She will remain a teacher at WV. "There were times when I'd have to leave practice and get my children from day care when they ran a 102-degree temperature and have them lie around in the gym," Wells said.

The Valley View Ladies Golf Club President's Cup tournament ended in a tie. Joyce Jacobs and Pat Thompson had best two-round net scores of 58 to share the Cup. A and B flight winners respectively were Tina Marie Reger and Sue Matsui with 61.

For the past 10 years Ralph Collins has been on a crusade for kids. He has sought to preserve the Central Valley School District's current classroom configuration - kindergarten through sixth grade in elementary schools, seventh through ninth grade in junior highs, and sophomores, juniors and seniors in high schools - in order to provide more sports opportunities for more kids for as long as possible.

A record-setting punter for the U.S. Army team, an adrenal gland deficiency forced Ian Hughes out of the academy. Under treatment and physically fit, he now plays for the University of Washington. Photo by Steve Thompson/The Spokesman-Review