UNPUBLISHED CORRECTION: The name of football player Jeremey Williams is misspelled in this story. The correct spelling was confirmed by his mother.

The Inland Empire Cup resulted indirectly from a ruined skiing trip.

North Central gymnastics coach Bob Litton created the IEC eight years ago as a kind of novelty.

How Litton ended up at NC is novel in itself.

Litton had retired from teaching and coaching in Oregon when he visited the Spokane area with an urge to ski. An absence of snow led him to a gymnastics meet and rekindled his interest in the sport.

Litton worked one year as an NC voluntary coach before taking over as head coach 10 years ago. He’s now in the second year of a two-year term as state coaches association president.

The IEC format allows two girls from the same team to compete in two events apiece and combine their totals for an all-around score.

“It’s early in the season and some kids aren’t ready for all four events,” Litton said.

The varsity portion of Saturday’s meet is set for 4 p.m.

Litton expects athletes from the best teams in the Greater Spokane League, including first-place University, plus five teams from the Tri-Cities area and a contingent from Port Angeles. Lakeside of Nine Mile Falls, a first-year team, is also expected.

Central Valley won last year’s team title with a meet-record 129.15 points. The Bears return Lindsay Zacher and Lindsay Linerud.

The Ferris duo of Kimberly George and Kacey Frederickson is expected back after finishing second in last year’s all-around. Frederickson scored a meet-record 9.3 in the floor exercise. Both also did well at the 1995 IEC.

Also back are NC’s Heidi McCullough, whose 8.95 on the uneven bars last year set a record, and Kaysi Crouse of Port Angeles, one-half of the ‘96 champion all-around team.

The Perils of Hulbert

U-Hi’s Tara Hulbert has fallen into our Twilight Zone.

The senior gymnast’s luckless streak began last year when she was called “Amber” in an article detailing one of her better meets. U-Hi assistant coach Amber Hulbert is Tara’s older sister.

A 1997 preseason feature about Tara Hulbert contained a gigantic photo - of teammate Coleen Pierce.

We thought apologies were over until last Thursday’s GSL roundup, when we again called her Amber.

When we had her name right, after U-Hi’s season-opening meet, it was because we corrected the reporting coach, who called her Tara Holbert.

Please, Tara, Amber, or whoever you are, give us a fourth chance.

New streak for Stags

The fine folks at Lind recently took us to task for reminding the world about the school’s (now former) losing streak in boys basketball.

We would be remiss, therefore, not to congratulate the Deer Park boys on ending their 25-game losing streak. The Stags defeated Springdale 65-54 on Dec. 9.

DP had last won Jan. 30, 1996, at Colfax.

Hoping for calm without

Prazak Curlew’s Erich Prazak is expected to miss five weeks after separating a shoulder last week against Columbia.

Prazak is averaging 16.2 points and 8.2 rebounds per game.

Also in the Panorama League, Selkirk’s Molly Carlson passed 1,000 career points, and has 1,085.

Open-door policy

Chief Leschi (7-0), of the Chinook 1A/B League, could have six transfers this year if they clear eligibility.

The Warriors’ potential lineup has three 6-foot-8 players.

The Warriors led all boys B teams last year with 74 points per game, but missed the state tournament.

New kid on the block

White River freshman Trisha Hermanson, in her second varsity game, scored a school-record 41 points against Tyee on Dec. 9.

Hermanson, a 5-foot-5 guard, scored 27 in the first half and finished 16 of 16 from the free-throw line.

White River is a 3A school in Buckley.

Williams also on team

Ferris sophomore defensive lineman Jeremy Williams was omitted when we listed the players who were selected All-State by the Newberry Washington Prep Football Report.

, DataTimes