Three Spokane Skaters Qualify For Sectional Championships

Three Spokane skaters have qualified for the Pacific Coast Sectional figure skating championships Nov. 13-18 in Anchorage, Alaska.

Kim Ryan and Samira Banna of the Lilac City Figure Skating Club advanced from the Northwest Pacific Regionals that were held in Spokane Oct. 11-15.

Johnnie Bevan, 24, of the Spokane Figure Skating Club earned a bye into the sectionals and will skate in the senior men’s division.

Ryan, 16, a Gonzaga Prep junior, was first in junior ladies, capturing first in both technical and artistic programs. Banna, 13, a home-schooled eighth-grader, was first in novice ladies, finishing third in technical and first in artistic.

Two juvenile skaters from Lilac City, Ashley Beekman and Jeff Smith, both 11, advanced to the U.S. Junior Championships Dec. 12-16 in Colorado Springs, Colo. Beekman, a sixth-grader at Finch Elementary, was first in juvenile ladies. Smith, a home-schooled sixth-grader, was third in juvenile boys.

Placings for other Lilac City skaters in the final rounds: Novice ladies-Whitney McMillin, 13, fifth overall (first in short program); Tanya West, 14, 10th; and Lindsay Malcolm, 13, 11th.

Intermediate ladies-Stephanie Smith, 13, fifth; Anna Stokes, 14, seventh; and Vanessa Smith, 13, 11th.

Intermediate men-Alex Heaney, 14, 12th.

College scene

The National Golf Coaches Association named Washington State’s Jenny Ballou and Tasha Browner to their 1999-2000 All-Scholar Team.

Ballou, who won the award for the second straight year, graduated in 1999 and captained the golf team last spring while working on her master’s degree. The Portland native maintained a 3.59 GPA in finance.

Browner, a junior from Tarzana, Calif., was named All-Scholar in her first year of eligibility. She carries a 3.71 GPA in psychology and was named to the Pac-10 All-Academic team last May.

Sarah Menard of Spokane (North Central) leads the Northwest Nazarene women’s volleyball team in digs with 240. The Crusaders are 13-8.

Golf

Casey Murphy, 14, of Rathdrum won the Future Collegians World Tour event for 13-14-year-olds last weekend at the University of Notre Dame course in South Bend, Ind. Murphy shot rounds of 78 and 71, the latter featuring seven birdies.

Murphy has won two of the four events he’s entered on FCWT. Murphy, whose home course is Twin Lakes Village, attends St. Mary’s Elementary in the Spokane Valley.

Softball

Twelve individuals, eight of them players, were inducted into the Inland Empire Softball Hall of Fame at a banquet Oct. 21.

Players in the Class of 2000 are Buzz Adams, Pat Callan, Sherri Callahan, Jon Heimbigner, Jack Koentopp, John Nuedorfer, Ron Soss and Woody Woodard.

Also inducted were George Albano, in the coach-manager category; Jerry Amicarella, sponsor; Jerry McElroy, umpire; and Ed Martello, a former player, manager and contributor, in the Hall of Honor.

Randy Hummel, an umpire for nearly four decades, the last 32 in the Spokane area, was presented with the Bruce Campbell Award at the Spokane Softball Umpires Association Banquet on Oct. 21.

The prestigious award, given in the name of the retired former umpire in chief, is awarded for longevity and dedication to softball umpiring.

Other award winners: Clint Nelson and Gary Kuck, umpires of the year; Dave Berghammer, most improved at the adult level; Chad Erickson, most improved/ youth; Dave Vulcano, rookie of the year/adult; Mark Harvey, rookie of the year/youth; and Chuck Stewart, Presidential Pride.

Sports officials

Big Sky Conference official Denny Peterson has announced his retirement after 32 years of working football and basketball games.

Peterson, 62, a Spokane native and North Central High graduate, was scheduled to work his last game as head linesman Saturday when Idaho State played host to Weber State. He will serve as TV liaison Nov. 4 when Eastern Washington entertains Northern Arizona.

Peterson was asked to be a side observer and critique conference officials in the future. Most of his jobs will be at Eastern games.

The System TWT Transportation training manager’s officiating career spans five decades. He has not worked basketball games since 1996.

Aside from his Big Sky Conference responsibilities, Peterson officiated Pac-10 Conference football from 1973-82. He left the Pac-10 when his son, Mike, played football at Washington State. Mike and another son, Tim, also are officials.

A couple of winter sports programs, wrestling and basketball, have issued a call for officials.

While the number of competitions in all sports has increased in recent years, the pool of available officials has decreased. The end result is some events do not get covered by certified officials when the demand surpasses the supply. Experience, while helpful, is not required. All programs provide training.

To become involved: Inland Empire Wrestling Officials Association, Jeff Sullivan, 467-3079 or 467-6497; Randy Santora, 448-7816.

Men’s basketball, David Hoden, 233-8491.

Women’s basketball, Dan Mencke, 323-5692.

Tennis

Earl Blanchard of Spokane was to receive the USTA/ Pacific Northwest Section’s distinguished service award at a luncheon Saturday in Portland.

It is given to a USTA member with five-plus years of service, who unselfishly volunteers time to help with the growth of tennis throughout the section.