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February 19, 2014
COMMUNITY
SAMMAMISH REVIEW
Adrenaline fuels man’s climb up ‘scariest summit’ By Neil Pierson
Fear seems to be a foreign concept to 44-year-old Brian Hodges, who has taken on numerous challenges that are either physically daunting or flat-out dangerous. Hodges, a 10-year Sammamish resident, has trekked across the globe seeking adventure. He swam with great white sharks in South Africa, was chased across the African savannah by rhinoceroses, commanded a dog sled along the Arctic Circle, and fished for piranha in the Amazon River. “I’ve actually climbed one of the Egyptian pyramids one time
on a dare,” he said, “which is rough, because you can actually get in big trouble for that.” Many of those activities have occurred during annual trips that Hodges plans with his buddies. Last October, the group went to Moab, Utah, where they enjoyed hiking, mountain biking and driving Razors – souped-up dune buggies – around the picturesque desert landscape. But the trip was mostly inspired by a Citibank commercial Hodges saw on television. In the commercial, a woman is shown climbing to the top of a slender rock formation. After doing some research,
Contributed
Brian Hodges (above) said the descent was actually worse than the climb. Don Tasanasanta, of Woodinville, (right) rapels down the side of the cliff wall after climbing corkscrew. The peak is visible in the top left.
Hodges found out the location – Corkscrew, part of a cluster of towering red rocks known as Ancient Art, which has been called the “scariest summit” in North or South America.
Hodges, an experienced rock climb, described the ascent up Corkscrew as deceptively difficult. “The funny thing about Cork-
screw is that it’s only about 30 feet tall,” he said. “And you go, ‘Well, that’s not too bad,’ except for the fact that it’s sitting on a 400-foot cliff, and on three sides, it’s just straight down.” With the aid of a guide, Hodges and his climbing partner, Don Tasanasanta, of Woodinville, managed to scale Corkscrew. The top of the rock is about as big as a medium-sized pizza box, Hodges said, and he had to negotiate windy conditions in order to stand. Just to reach Corkscrew, he said, requires crossing a 20-foot long bridge that’s about one foot wide. The view includes red cliffs and expansive valleys in every direction, and the winding Colorado River. “It’s one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen,” Hodges said. “But it’s absolutely terrifying … The climb itself is so difficult that there’s parts where you’re literally hanging on by your fingernails, just trying to claw your way up.” The descent might have been worse, he said. Hodges and Tasanasanta had never rappelled before, and their guide had already descended, so they were left to figure it out on their own. They burned their hands on the 400-foot rope but managed to make it down. A self-described “adrenaline junkie” who works as a technology marketing representative, Hodges said he’s been doing See CLIMB, Page 7
Local girls contribute to national title-winning dance squad By Neil Pierson
After months of intensive training sessions, the Bellevue Performance Dance Academy’s senior squad was handsomely rewarded. The team of 11 highschool girls – including four Sammamish residents – put forth an exceptional performance at the National Dance Team Championships, held Feb. 1-2 in Orlando, Fla. After showcasing routines in hip-hop and jazz dancing, the team had the second-highest combined point total in the senior small division, and won the hip-hop competition to earn a return trip to Orlando for the April 26-28 world championships. The four local participants – Demi Peterson, Gabbi Beahm and Tory Thomas of Eastlake High, and Morgan Drouillard of
Eastside Catholic School – said the experience was something they’ll always remember. “It was pretty stressful, but I think, working as a team, we all calmed each other down,” said Peterson, a senior. “We relaxed, had fun, but we still were very serious about everything.” “We put just as much work into it as some other teams would put into their sports, and it’s just as competitive as any other kind of sport,” said Beahm, a freshman. Most of the dancers have trained for years under coach Kristen Couch, although Couch didn’t establish Bellevue Performance Dance until the past year. Most local dance studios have to share time with competitive cheerleading, but the Bellevue See DANCE, Page 7
Contributed
Members of the Bellevue Performance Dance Academy’s senior squad hold their braids aloft at the national championships.
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February 19, 2014
sports
SAMMAMISH REVIEW
Eastlake owns fourth quarter, beats Ballard in playoff opener By Neil Pierson
With a tenuous four-point lead entering the fourth quarter, the Eastlake Wolves figured to have a fight on their hands to close out a playoff win over the Ballard Beavers. Then the Wolves started to make critical plays. Davis Woerner buried a 3-pointer off a designed play. Mason Pierzchalski twisted through traffic, was fouled, and completed a 3-point play. Mick Vorhof stole the ball and fed Jordan Lester for a layup. Woerner and Jake Davidson drew the fourth and fifth fouls on a Ballard starter. The plays added up to a dominating fourth quarter and a 62-46 victory for the host Wolves on Feb. 11 in the first round of the Class 4A KingCo Conference boys basketball tournament. The fourth quarter started with one of Eastlake’s favorite plays, “Money,” in which Woerner starts in the middle of the court, fakes one way and goes to the opposite corner. He hit the shot that started a 21-9 surge
down the stretch. “From there, we called a timeout to keep things going, and it just took off,” said Eastlake senior guard Vorhof. “All the seniors, playing their last game at home, just took off.” Eastlake (11-10 overall) earned home-court advantage against Ballard (12-9) thanks to a win over Redmond in its regularseason finale. A raucous student section helped propel the Wolves to their first playoff triumph in head coach Brian Dailey’s fouryear tenure. “We wanted the students to come out,” assistant coach Blake Hawksworth said. “It was a cool thing to host it, so it was great for the community to have a win here, and just to see the total body of work kind of come together on a night like this was special for us.” The Wolves seemed bolstered by the home crowd early in the game – they scored the game’s first 10 points and led 18-8 after the first quarter. The Beavers didn’t score their first points for nearly five minutes. Eastlake beat Ballard, 67-60,
in a Jan. 7 conference game, but the Wolves felt they had to play better interior defense in the rematch. They did so, holding the Beavers’ top three scorers – Nick Brown, Chase Deger and Darius George – to 28 combined points, six below their season average. George led the Beavers with 12 points, but fouled out with about four minutes left after Woerner drew an offensive foul, and Davidson collected an offensive rebound, forcing George to hack him. “They’re a scrappy team,” Vorhof said. “We knew they were going to come all out, and we just thought we had to out-play them, out-scrap them, dive on the floor before they dive on the floor, and that’s what we did.” Hawksworth said the Wolves focused on defense leading up to the game, and felt the players followed through on the game plan to emulate Ballard’s “gritty, grimy” tactics under the basket. “We just wanted to make it tough for them, and they’re a See BASKETBALL, Page 9
Photo by Greg Farrar
Mick Vorhof, Eastlake High School senior guard, signals three with his hand after releasing a three-point bucket in the first quarter Feb. 11 against Ballard.
Skyline, Eastlake grapplers heading for Mat Classic By Neil Pierson
Joseph DeMatteo is no stranger to the unique pressures of Mat Classic, and he’ll be one of the most experienced wrestlers on the Tacoma Dome floor this weekend. DeMatteo, a Skyline High School senior, clinched his fourth bid to the state wrestling tournament by finishing third at 145 pounds at the Class 4A Region 2 championships, held Feb. 15 at Inglemoor High School in Kenmore. He’ll be looking to finish in the top eight and win his first medal, after previously coming up short at 126, 113 and 103 pounds. Being a state veteran should help him. “I think I really just have a mental edge on the competition because I’ve been there four times, so I know what mindset I need to be in,” DeMatteo said. “New guys kind of get nervous when they’re at state, and it’s just a lot to take in with 24 mats at the T-Dome.” DeMatteo will face Kentwood senior Dalton Meyers Feb. 21 in a first-round state match.
Photo by Greg Farrar
Zach Froeber (left), Skyline High School freshman, attempts to take down Heritage High School senior Jordan Zuniga in their 106-pound title bout. He had to work hard to become a four-time state qualifier. In his regional opener, he
trailed Union’s Judah Reynolds 2-1 late in the third period. But he used a Whizzer, a common defen-
sive tactic, and a half-Nelson to flip Reynolds onto his back for a near fall and a 4-2 win.
DeMatteo lost 12-2 to Woodinville’s Dalton Mann in the semifinals, but clinched his state berth by pinning Battle Ground’s Taylor Stewart. That earned him a rematch with Reynolds, and DeMatteo won 6-1 to claim third place. Skyline scored 74 points to finish eighth out of 17 teams at regionals. The Spartans qualified five wrestlers for Mat Classic XXVI. Their other top-four regional placers included freshman Zach Froeber (second, 106 pounds); junior Nathan Swanson (third, 120); senior Tristan Steciw (third, 132); and sophomore Bo Longmore (fourth, 170). Swanson will make his second trip to Mat Classic after an 0-2 finish as a sophomore 106-pounder. He also believes prior experience should bode well. “It helps a lot to not get blown away once you get there,” he said. “It’s just so unbelievable how many people are there, how many mats are there. I think the second time I’ll do a lot better, See WRESTLE, Page 9