Archive | Alumni RSS feed for this section

Oly soccer community rallies again for Friends of Mia Alumni Soccer Cup

24 May

FoMCrestMedium

After an extremely successful first season as an eight team, single day event in 2012, the Friends of Mia Alumni Soccer Cup returns and will expand to two days this season, June 15-16, at The Regional Athletic Complex in Lacey.

Tumwater's Corey Johnson and Olympia's Bryce Brown battle in 2012 tourney

Corey Johnson and Bryce Brown battle in 2012 FoM tourney

Eight teams representing alumni from the soccer programs at Black Hills, Capital, North Thurston, Olympia, River Ridge, Shelton, Timberline and Tumwater will compete in honor of Mia Deligeannis, who passed away from childhood cancer last year at the age of five. Proceeds from the tournament go to Friends of Mia, a Seattle Children’s Hospital Guild that provides support for families going through treatment of childhood cancer and to support research at Children’s Hospital founded by Mia’s parents Casey Deligeannis and Lelani Benavente.

miaandfamily

Mia and family

The registration deadline for the tournament is fast approaching and all teams are still in need of players, especially the Black Hills and Shelton squads. And for the first time, a free agent pool has been created for players interested in playing in the tournament but don’t have ties to an area team. Free agents will be assigned to teams needing players. All players, alumni and free agents, can find more information on the Facebook event page and can register on Brown Paper Tickets. Registration is $65 and players are guaranteed at least three games.

Today is the last day to register and guarantee that you will receive the official 2013 Friends of Mia Alumni Soccer Cup jersey complete with new crest designed by Oly Sports (above).

IMG_2907_edited-1

River Ridge’s Kenny Turner performs his patented karate kick defense at the 2012 FoM tourney

Last year’s tournament was one of the highlights of the area sports calendar, a great event that showcased the camaraderie and generosity of the soccer community in the Olympia area. To see everybody come out to support Mia, the Deligeannis family and Friends of Mia just a couple months after her tragic passing at such a young age was extremely humbling and uplifting.

Capital celebrates their 2012 tourney victory

Capital celebrates their 2012 tourney victory

Teams played their hearts out and the tournament was eventually won by Capital in a penalty shootout over Olympia in their fifth 70 minute game of the day. With everybody wiped out after one day of games, the decision was made to break the tournament up over two days with pool play taking place on Saturday the 15th and the semifinals and championship game taking place on Sunday the 16th.

O’Blarney’s will host the after party on Saturday night with a portion of sales going to Friends of Mia.

Olympia native LaValla in the nude

4 Dec
Click the picture to see Lavalla's more revealing, kind of NSFW picture

Click the picture to see LaValla’s more revealing, kind of NSFW picture

North Thurston football player, Budd Bay Barbarian, star collegiate rugby player in Ireland, Rugby World Cup participant with Team USA, Stade Francais Paris lock….nude calendar cover boy?

Yes, it’s true. Scott LaValla adds another title to his impressive and growing resume as he graces the cover of the 2013 Stade Francais Paris calendar. You can order the calendar at the Stade Francais Boutique for 26.60 Euros (around $34).

LaValla has started six games and played in nine of Stade Francais’ 12 games so far in the 2012-2013 Top 14 season. Stade Francais sits in 10th place at 5-6-1.

River Ridge grad is back in baseball…in Croatia

24 Oct


Sam Mirkovich, a 1998 River Ridge graduate who went on to play baseball at Centralia College and Central Washington, recently moved with his wife and dog to teach at an American school in Zagreb, Croatia. And not only does Sam get to enjoy an absolutely beautiful city and country, but he is once again playing baseball, now for Baseball klub Zagreb.

And in his first start for the klub, Mirkovich pitched a complete, nine inning shutout striking out ten batters while giving up just five hits and walking just one.

Mirkovich remarked on his Facebook page, “Somebody pinch me. If you asked me after college if I ever pitch a complete game again I tell you “no way”, on top of that in Croatia. Unbelievable experience. I’m having the time of my life here.”

Sam has agreed to write a diary of his experiences as the only American on a Croatian baseball team for Oly Sports, at least when he has time. Teaching, playing ball and enjoying his beautiful new home with his wife and dog are first and foremost and I’d hate to take him away from that, but it is truly a unique experience and I look forward to his dispatches soon.

You can watch a video of highlights from his first start here…

My first start in Zagreb from Samuel Mirkovich on Vimeo.

Brodin hits “waddle-off” homer, gets Clemens next

6 Sep


It is a big couple of days for North Thurston graduate Joash Brodin. On Wednesday, Brodin hit a three run “waddle-off” home run for the Long Island Ducks in their 6-5 win over the Somerset Patriots. Brodin also had a two run single in the seventh inning driving in five runs total for the Ducks in game one of a doubleheader. And in the nightcap, Brodin went 1-for-2 and drove in the Ducks only run in a 5-1 loss. You can see all of Brodin’s highlights in the video above from the team.

You can also see Brodin play on SportsCenter, ESPNEWS and ESPN3 Friday night when the Ducks travel to Texas to take on the Sugar Land Skeeters and seven time Cy Young Award winner. Clemens will be making his second start for the independent Skeeters as he explores the possibility of a comeback at 50 years-old. The game starts at 5:05 PM local time and SportsCenter and ESPNEWS will be cutting into their programming to show every inning that Clemens pitches.

It has been a wild ride of a season for Brodin who is with his second independent club this season after the London Rippers of the Frontier League folded on July 24th in the middle of their inaugural season. Brodin was hitting .370 and leading the Frontier League in batting when he became a free agent following the team’s dissolution.

He quickly had offers from other independent clubs and was on his way to Wichita of the American Association when he received a call from the Atlantic League’s Ducks, arguably the most successful team in the best league in the independent ladder. Brodin went from a league where no player is older than 28 years-old to a team that features former Major Leaguers Armando Benitez and Timo Perez. Adjusting to a higher level of play, Brodin started off slowly but quickly adjusted and is now hitting .283 with three home runs and 20 RBI in 35 games with the Ducks.

The level of play is not the only thing Brodin has had to adjust to. He went from playing in all red pajamas in front of just a handful of fans in a horrible situation in London to a beautiful ballpark on Long Island where they pack in over 5,000 fans a game. And no more road trips to Normal to face the Cornbelters. Instead, he hits the road for an opportunity to take his hacks against Roger Clemens in a game televised worldwide on ESPN.

Tags: , ,

Today (8/29): Saints face PLU in volleyball opener

29 Aug

20120829-111512.jpg
The Saint Martin’s volleyball team gets their season underway tonight with a scrimmage against PLU at Marcus Pavilion.

The Saints were picked to finish eighth in the GNAC this season after finishing seventh last season with a 5-13 league record and a 7-18 overall record. The Saints are led by two seniors, middle blockers Katy Ferguson and Teilissa Tua and freshman-of-the-year outside hitter and Capital graduate Kristyn Ross.

This is an extremely young Saints squad with 13 of 17 roster spots taken up by freshmen or sophomores including Northwest Christian’s Kelsey Minton, Tumwater’s Nicole Grisham, North Thurston’s Julia Wabinga and River Ridge’s Halee Hernandez.

Game time tonight at Marcus Pavilion is at 6:00 PM.

Stewart inks $36.5 million extension

13 Aug


Over the weekend, 2004 Timberline High School graduate Jonathan Stewart signed a five year, $36.5 million contract extension with the Carolina Panthers. The contract comes with $22.5 million worth of guaranteed money and could be worth up to $42.5 million.

Stewart, the Panthers’ first round draft pick in 2008, has rushed for over 3,500 yards for the Panthers teaming up with DeAngelo Williams in the Carolina backyard. According to the Charlotte News & Observer, since Stewart’s rookie year, the Panthers have rushed for a league best 9,189 yards.

For more on Stewart’s signing, see the News & Observer’s story.

Olympia area alumni list – Update

6 Aug

Baseball

Minor League Baseball
Jared Sandberg (Capital HS) – Manager, Hudson Valley Renegades
Adam Conley (Olympia HS) -  Jupiter Hammerheads
Seth Harvey (River Ridge HS) – Brevard County Manatees
Kramer Champlin (Olympia HS) – Lansing Lugnuts
Alex Phillips (Tenino HS) – Connecticut Tigers
Jacob Pettit (Hawks Prairie Cardinals – PSCL) – Bowie Baysox
Cody Hebner (Olympia Athletics – PSCL) – Fort Wayne Tincaps
Chris Scholl (Hawks Prairie Cardinals – PSCL) – Arkansas Travelers
Jake Shadle (Hawks Prairie Cardinals – PSCL) – Giants extended spring training

Independent Baseball
Joash Brodin (North Thurston HS) – Long Island Ducks

Collegiate wood bat summer baseball
Jason Monda (Capital HS) – Brewster Whitecaps
Kellen Camus (Capital HS) – Waterloo Bucks
Jourdan Weiks (Capital HS) – Herndon Braves
Tanner Nielsen (North Thurston HS) – Klamath Falls Gems
Cabe Reiten (Olympia HS) – Wenatchee Applesox

Basketball

German Pro-B
Blake Poole (Saint Martin’s) – BG Topstar Leitershofen Stadtbergen

Football

National Football League
Jonathan Stewart (Timberline HS) – Carolina Panthers
Matt Johnson (Tumwater HS) – Dallas Cowboys

Rugby

French National Rugby League Top 14
Scott LaValla (North Thurston HS) – Stade Francais

Buckland finishes fifth at Olympics

3 Aug

20120803-040501.jpgCapital High School grad Brodie Buckland and his teammate James Marburg finished fifth in the Olympics men’s pairs rowing final at the Eton Dorney Rowing Centre outside of London this morning. The Australian pair fell well behind the pack halfway through the race but rallied near the end to finish with a time of 6:29.28, just ahead of the Canadian team of David Calder and Scott Frandsen.

20120803-041049.jpgNew Zealand’s Eric Murray and Hamish Bond led almost from start to finish and won the gold medal by nearly five seconds over silver medalists Germain Chardin and Dorian Mortelette of France. The hometown favorites George Nash and William Satch of Great Britain took the bronze medal.

Oly Sports would like to congratulate Brodie Buckland on his run through the Olympics. It was fun having a local to cheer for and we hope to see you again in Brazil in four years. Now go enjoy that athlete’s village.

Buckland qualifies for finals with third place finish in semis

1 Aug

Olympia’s Brodie Buckland and partner James Marburg will row for a medal on Friday


Capital High School grad Brodie Buckland and his partner James Marburg took third place in their semifinal race this morning at Eton Dorney outside of London at the 2012 Olympics. The third place finish was good enough to qualify them for the finals and the Australian pair will race for a medal on Friday.

The team had a time of 7:02:12, well behind Great Britain and France in the second semifinal race. Buckland and Marburg were the slowest boat to make the finals. In the first semifinal race, New Zealand, Italy and Canada qualified for the finals with the USA boat fourth with a better time than Buckland and Marburg. But the top three from each race get the chance to row for a medal regardless of overall time.

The finals will be run at 2:20 3:50 AM on Friday morning.

Buckland takes second in first heat at Olympics

28 Jul

James Marburg and Olympia’s Brodie Buckland prepare to row in the Men’s Pairs first heat at the 2012 Olympics


Capital High School grad Brodie Buckland and his partner James Marburg took second place for Australia in their Men’s Pairs rowing heat this morning at the 2012 Summer Olympics. Buckland and Marburg trailed the pack for much of the heat as Canada took a commanding lead but the Canadians faded and the Aussies turned it on in the end and finished just three tenths of a second behind the Canadians and ahead of the Netherlands and United States teams.

The second place finish qualifies Buckland for the semifinals on Wednesday, August 1st starting at 3:00 AM Olympia time.

You can watch Buckland’s heat and all the rowing action on the NBC website here. Buckland’s heat starts at the 2:44:00 mark in the video.

← Older Entries

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 640 other followers

%d bloggers like this: