Fast Break: EWU retiring Roos’ number

Football

EWU retiring Roos’ number

Former Eastern Washington University All-American and current Tennessee Titans All-Pro offensive tackle Michael Roos will have his jersey retired this fall.

Roos, who played in this past February’s Pro Bowl after earning the first All-Pro honor of his four-year NFL career, will return for EWU’s Homecoming game on Oct. 24 versus Montana State (the Titans have a bye in their schedule that weekend).

Although several jerseys have been honored/retired previously in school history, only the No. 84 jersey worn by Bob Picard (Eastern wide receiver in 1968-69-71-72) is no longer being used at Eastern.

Roos has started every game in four seasons as a Titan after earning NCAA Football Championship Subdivision All-America honors and Lineman of the Year accolades as an Eagle senior in 2004.

Senior Chris Thomas, who also plays offensive tackle, currently wears No. 71 for the Eagles and will presumably be the last to wear that number.

Bloomsday

Bad hamstring sidelines favorite

Ridouane Harroufi, the 27-year-old Moroccan distance runner originally favored to win Sunday’s 2009 Lilac Bloomsday Run, has pulled out of the 12-kilometer road race because of a nagging hamstring problem.

Jon Neill, Bloomsday’s Elite Athlete Coordinator, was notified of the scratch by Harroufi’s agent.

“We wish him a swift recovery from this injury,” Neill said of Harroufi, who had already won two prestigious road races this spring, “and we hope to have this very talented athlete back at Bloomsday in 2010.”

Extreme kayaking

Paddler plunges over Palouse Falls

A 22-year-old Missoula-area kayaker reportedly paddled over Palouse Falls on April 21 to set a world record for surviving the highest waterfall plunge.

The Spokesman-Review could not reach witnesses this week to confirm the feat, but kayaking daredevil Tyler Bradt apparently had a crew for safety, rescue and filming the drop, which they measured at 186 feet.

Washington State Parks lists Palouse Falls at 198 feet.

In an interview with the Tri-City Herald, Bradt said, “This is something we’ve been working up to for a while. We were really making calculated decisions.”

Bradt said that after plunging underwater about 20 feet and being submerged for 7 seconds, he surfaced from Palouse Falls’ deep pool with little more than a sprained wrist and windless lungs.

“I actually expected more of an impact,” he said. “Considering the waterfall, the injuries were pretty minor.”

Bradt plans to release photos as well as video.

The kayaker already has video of a 2007 record-setting drop off 107-foot Alexandra Falls along the Hay River in Canada’s Northwest Territories.

A post-Palouse Falls interview is available online at www.kayaksession.com.