Mccaslin Hits 9Th Hole-In-One

It wasn’t one of Bob McCaslin’s better golf outings or one of his more exotic shots.

But the longtime Washington state senator’s ninth career hole-in-one made the day worthwhile.

McCaslin aced the 17th hole at MeadowWood on Tuesday, using a 7-iron.

“I couldn’t hit a bull in the butt with a banjo,” said McCaslin of his outing. “I was chili dipping, smother hooking and had hit only one good iron previously.”

That came after knocking his last iron shot into the water on an earlier hole.

On the next-to-last hole of his round, McCaslin made the kind of shot that keeps golfers coming back.

McCaslin has been golfing since 1949. He had his handicap as low as a 3, although the ravages of time and a bad back have produced a continual rise in scores.

His affinity for golf once drew criticism from political opponents who contended subsidized outings to such places as Pebble Beach made him a tool of lobbyists.

“Every time I played golf out of town they said it was a golf trip,” said McCaslin. “All it was was a trip and I played golf.”

The lobbyists in question, he explained, never appeared before his committee.

His nine holes-in-one have come on various courses, mostly local, including a pair at Liberty Lake, one of them on a temporary green.

The best, said McCaslin, came years ago on a day when he followed a round at Downriver with another at Wandermere. At Wandermere, he dropped in a 3-wood on a 225-yard hole. The funniest was on the third hole at Avondale near Hayden Lake, Idaho.

“This guy is mowing the green and wouldn’t move,” he recalled. “I went up and said `Hey, we’re paying to play here, and you’re holding us up.”’

McCaslin asked where the flag was. When the groundskeeper couldn’t find it, he stuck a rake in the cup instead.

“I go back and, bingo, a hole in one,” said McCaslin.

Then there was the one earlier this week on the 133-yard par 3 at MeadowWood, capping his day-long struggle.

“Golf’s a wonderful game, it really is,” said McCaslin. “Almost everything was horrible, and then I got a hole-in-one. That’s what’s crazy about it.”

Records fall in junior high track

Throwing events records fell, the javelin in droves, during last week’s junior high/middle school Vern Fox All-League track meet.

The most impressive mark came in the shot put where East Valley’s Andy Roof obliterated the one-year old Class A boys record by more than 4-1/2 feet with a massive 57-9-1/2 throw.

Three javelin records were established by Chris Marrazzo of Evergreen at 149-10 in boys Class B, Jessica Vega of North Pines at 109-9 in girls Class A and Carollane Ingalls at 105-2 in girls Class B.

Two other records were established as well on the track.

Tasheen Garry of North Pines tied the 65 meter hurdles Class B boys record of 9.9 seconds.

A four-event winner, he sparked North Pines to 143 points and a perfect season, unbeaten in duals and champion of the all-league meet.

Garry also won the long jump, 100 and 200 meter dashes.

In the same meet, Evergreen’s Joe McFarlane set a pole vault record of 10-0. His teammate, Ryan Robinson won the 800 and 1,600.

North Pines was also unbeaten season long in Class A, scoring 132 points to win all-league.

Robert Harris showed the way with wins in the pole vault, 1,600 and 800, events in which the Cubs accounted for 57 points.

Bowdish leap-frogged into second place behind four-event winner Marcus Miller in the long jump, high jump at 5-9, 100 and 200.

Final girls record was set by North Pines 1,600 runner Aime Dahnke who ran 5:36.9 to win.

The Cubs finished behind meet winner Horizon, which won only the 1,600 relay but had plenty of depth.

Centennial’s Kayla Mainer won the high jump and two sprints.

Greenacres, led by Kera and Kelsey Giese, was the girls Class B champion, completing the league’s third perfect season.

Each won an event, ran on the victorious 1,600 relay and placed in four others.

North Pines’ Katie Wood in the distances and Bowdish’s Shea Purcell in the dashes were double winners.

Including ties, Horizon and East Valley divided baseball championships with two each. Greenacres and Horizon won tennis.

For the year, Horizon won 12 of 36 Junior High Activities League titles, more than double the five each of East Valley, Evergreen and Greenacres.

Liberty Lake T-shirt tourney

Liberty Lake Ladies 18-Hole golf group conducted a T-shirt team tournament last week.

Or was that “tee” shirt?

Winning foursome included Caroline Arnot, Connie Hatfield, Cec Schucker and Jan Hussey.

They combined for a net 54, one shot better than Sandy Mooney Ellen Boudewyns, Marie Baker and Joan Rassley.

Third with a 56 were Jean Hatcher, Raouleen Grimes, Reiko Takimori and Margaret Brashears.

Hangman tourney completed

Hangman Valley Ladies Club completed its three-week handicap tournament.

Overall winner was Fran Nord with a 215 net. Flight leaders were Lynda Begler with 223, Kitty Duvall with 232, Louise Robeson with 224 and Margaret Brashears with 248.

April eclectic winners were Diane Joss with low gross 81 and Kathy Schneider with low net 63 in A flight.

In B flight Alice Hamilton had 88 and Donna Ogilvie 68.

Robeson and Marie Nelson tied with 94 in C and Dottie Blosser had 64 net.

Marge Harden with 102 and Susan Crosby with 71 led in D.

Rain can’t thwart magnificent seven

It was rainy and it was cold. But don’t tell that to the seven Valley View Ladies Club golfers who played their appointed round.

Betty Grassl, Dee Elder and Deanna Hauser represented A group, Grassl shooting 52, Elder 55 and Hauser netting 36.

B flight golfers were Emma Long with 60 and Edith Rains with net 40. C flight golfers were Carol Deal with 74 and Angie Schauer with net 48.

Medal play for Liberty Lake 9s

Marian Edwards earned honors during medal play for Liberty Lake Ladies 9-Hole golf club.

She shot 51 to pace A flight golfers. Leading in B was Joanne Ruddell with 56, Patsy Angelo had 63 in C and Jean Skredsvig shot 67 in D.

Net winners were Nancy Lampe with 37 in A, Cindy Steiner with 36 in B, Sue Matsui with 40 in C and Emma Long with 35 in D.