New Date Boosts Hooops Popularity

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.

The tournament had referees, instead of court monitors like at Hoopfest, for last year’s tournament, said Estes, and the results were positive.

This year’s Valley Hooops, which will be July 27-28 in the Lamonts parking lot, is solely a YMCA project after joint-venturing the tournament with the March of Dimes a year ago.

“They decided to put their efforts elsewhere,” said Estes. “They gave us their blessing and said, go and make it a Valley event.”

Major sponsors, said Gail Offield, are Pemco Insurance, Safeco Insurance and White’s Boots. Brunette Sportswear is the T-shirt vendor and Pepsi is providing drinks. There will be as many as 12 backboard sponsors, said Offield.

Four food vendors will be there and Central Valley’s gymnastic team is sponsoring a car wash to benefit their program and the YMCA.

Harry Beckous is in his second of a five-year stint as tournament director.

“Last year was all a new experience for me,” he said. “I learned a lot about putting on an event. This year has gone so much smoother and easier.”

He said the shift in date from September back to July was conducive to attracting more teams.

“We ran into so many things. We were competing with a High-5 trip to the UCLA-WSU football game, back-to-school and Freeman’s 3-on-3 tournament at the Southeast County Fair,” said Beckous. “July is the middle of the summer and kids are looking for things to do. It’s a perfect time.”

To volunteer, call the Valley YMCA office, located in Tidyman’s at Sprague and McDonald, at 927-1474.

Tracksters win medals, ribbons

The Cubs Track Club from the Valley made a successful appearance in the Region XIII Junior Olympics last weekend in Pullman.

“Seventeen of 19 went,” said coach Bill Berg, “and all came back with a ribbon.”

Bryeanne Putney won a gold medal by throwing the discus 76-3, a personal best by 11 feet. She beat silver medalist and national age group placing teammate Carolyn Berg who also had a PR of 72-11-1/2.

Berg was fifth in the shot put at 28-0, her best by 1-1/2 feet. Finishing sixth were Heather Harding at 31-7-1/4 in the shot put, Melissa Loss in the triple jump at 28-8-3/4 and 100 hurdles in 18.2 and Tina Terry in the 1,500 at 5:56.01.

The club also had several relay placers including second in the Youth Girls 4x800, fifth in the 4x400 and sixth in the 4x100. Rachel Higel and Lacie Dahnke ran on all three. Molly Cheney, Jessie Torres and Angel Wilson ran on two apiece.

The Intermediate 4x400 team of Adrienne Nowaski, Amy Nickerson, Stephanie Sanborn and Kris Oberhelman ran 4:39 for fourth, a personal best by 40 seconds.

And the Midget 4x400 team of Jackie Button, Linase Neal, Casie Ray and Terry finished fifth in 5:22.4.

Mertens saves the day

Even though injured, Megan Mertens played a big part in the River City Rivals championship of the Walla Walla 18U Invitational softball tournament.

Mertens is still recuperating from thumb surgery for a break suffered during the school season with University. She played in Walla Walla when the 16U team needed a ninth player on Sunday in order to field a team.

Although unable to swing a bat, Mertens could sacrifice bunt and had a single and RBI in the championship win over Walla Walla Air Ops.

In the semifinals the team beat LaGrande Smoke. The Rivals scored 30 runs during the tournament.

They also won Spokane Girls Fastpitch 18U Red Division and play this week for the league title.

, DataTimes