The Issaquah Press
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SPORTS
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Wednesday, March 28, 2012
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Coaching a community John Martin happy to take the helm of Liberty’s baseball squad
By Christina Lords Issaquah Press reporter While he always had an interest in the game, Liberty High School coach John Martin never anticipated he’d end up dedicating the past 20 or so years to coaching it. “What I really want to do is try to produce and mentor these kids so they’re leaders and young men coming out of the school first,” he said. “Baseball is really secondary. It’s a way to teach life skills, like teamwork, decision-making and ethics. I want to develop them as people first.”
Martin returns to Liberty after working for a three-year stint under coach Glen Walker, a former Liberty head coach himself, at Auburn Mountainview High School. “I’m kind of a local fixture,” Martin joked. “That’s part of the reason why I’m here. The environment I was at Mountainview was really good. Coach Walker is just a super good friend of mine, and I love working with him in baseball. Probably the only job that would have gotten me to come back to this area was this one.” Liberty High School athletic
director Stark Porter made the announcement in September that Martin was hired to be the Patriots’ new baseball coach. He replaces Steve Darnell, who directed Liberty to a 6-8 record last season. The Patriots were knocked out in the first round of the KingCo Conference 3A tournament in 2011. Martin was an assistant varsity coach at Liberty through the 2001 to 2008 seasons. He was on the staff when Liberty won its 3A state title — with the help of future Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum, of the San Francisco
Giants — in 2003. Martin has also coached summer select baseball teams. “I’ve enjoyed being an assistant and learning as much as I can,” he said. “I’m a consummate learner from a number of people and sources. I hadn’t thought about head coaching, so when the opportunity came up to come back here and interview, I really had to think about what I really wanted to do.” Martin, who has lived in the BY GREG FARRAR
See COACH, Page B5
John Martin, the new Liberty High School baseball coach, works his team in the gym while it’s snowing outside March 13 on the Patriots’ baseball field.
Tennis teams overcome challenges from weather to conference foes By Matt Carstens Issaquah Press reporter The high school girls tennis season in Western Washington starts for most youth athletes not on a court made of clay, concrete or grass, but in a gym. “The girls always get the crappy weather,” Issaquah head coach Shannon Small said. With most teams only getting a few outdoor practices, preparation time for the players and coaches is short. “We’ve had probably 14 or 15 practice days,” Liberty High School head coach Mike Salokas said. “And because of weather we’ve been able to be outside probably four. If we were having this interview a few days ago that would have been very different, because you would have asked me who my best players were and I would have told you who could run around the gym floor the most times.” For teams like Issaquah and Skyline, it’s even tougher when they have opening matches against foes like perennial powerhouse Newport. “We will meet Newport in the first week, which is not necessarily beneficial to us,” Skyline head coach Bettina Gehle said. “Usually, we play a little bit better at the end of the year, but we can’t change that.” With brighter weather on the horizon, all three teams look to surprise. As a matter of fact, some already have.
PHOTOS BY GREG FARRAR
Inviting all-comers Above, Megan Chucka, Liberty High School junior, holds fourth place ahead of the rest of the 1,600-meter field during the Liberty Invitational Track and Field Meet March 24. Her time was a new personal record of 5 minutes, 21.9 seconds. Chucka finished fourth as well in the 3200 meters with a time of 12 minutes, 6.2 seconds. At right, Lauren Bruner, Issaquah High School junior, knocks down the last fence during her 100-meter hurdles race, finishing second with a time of 16.3 seconds. Bruner came back to win the 300-meter hurdles race in a time of 48.5 seconds.
A win for the ages If history and precedent had
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anything to say about it, Issaquah would have lost to Newport on March 22. In fact, as long as Small has been the coach of Issaquah tennis, the Eagles have never beaten Newport, and neither has anyone else. “Basically, Newport has won KingCo for the six years I’ve been at Issaquah, and all I’ve heard is that they’ve won all the years before that as well,” Small said. In the past two years, Issaquah has finished second to Newport in conference play, each year by just one match. With a combination of Newport’s No. 3 singles player having quit and the Issaquah girls all having great matches, the Eagles were able to take the Knights down, 5-2. “It was pretty huge,” Small said. “The girls were excited, the fans were excited. [Newport] was, to say the least, shocked and awed. They didn’t expect it.” Small said that the news was so big in the tennis world they were receiving calls from coaches from Las Vegas and California to congratulate them. “What this means is that if my girls keep their heads on their shoulders, keep working, there is a possibility that we could win KingCo for the first year ever,” Small said. It also means a season’s worth of pressure not to lose.
“The parents go, ‘How do you feel after you won that match?’” Small said. “I say I feel more pressure than ever because I need to win the rest of the matches.” Despite losing two seniors, Small is bringing back five seniors, including Seattle University commit Dayna Bennett, who is Small’s No. 1 singles player. “We’ve got some pretty good kids on this team,” Small said. “We’ll see if their nerves get the best of them.” The up-and-coming star at Issaquah is freshman Kristin Cheung. Slotted in the three or four spot, Small looks for big things from her this year. “She’s got a little bit of the freshman nerves, but we’ll see where she is at the end of the season,” Small said. Small said she tries to coach her team with firm style with an emphasis on conditioning. “I make the girls work hard but try to do it with a sense of humor,” Small said. “They may not agree with that,” she said with a laugh. “They might not think I’m funny at all. They might think I’m some mean tyrant, I don’t know.” Mentally tough For a very talented, young Skyline squad of players, believing in themselves will be what coach Gehle will emphasize this season. We have “very, very new players,” Gehle said. “Lots of talent and hopefully we will see how strong they are mentally. That is probably the toughest part — to see how mentally strong they are on the court.” Despite their youth, Gehle said she wouldn’t be shocked if her team members surprised the league. “It will probably be a building year, but I can see how we could surprise some teams with our strength,” she said. “I have some experienced players that can help the younger players. We have a pretty good mix. We have a lot of juniors as well as a couple seniors, but mostly freshmen.”
BY LILLIAN TUCKER
Ali O’Daffer, of Skyline High School, chases a volley against Bellevue’s Karen Park on the way to winning the No. 2 singles match 6-1, 6-3.
See TENNIS, Page B5
Paddling association picks Issaquah for annual event Issaquah girls lacrosse By Tom Corrigan Issaquah Press reporter The Northwest Paddling Association has tabbed Issaquah and Lake Sammamish State Park as the future location of its annual Paddling Festival. The event will feature paddling industry vendors, product demonstrations, kayak tours and more, according to the Issaquah Chamber of Commerce. The first event on Lake Sammamish is set for May 11-12. “The Northwest Paddling Festival found a perfect home here in the Issaquah area,” Issaquah Mayor Ava Frisinger said in a
ON THE WEB Learn more about the Northwest Paddling Festival at www.northwestpaddlingfestival.com.
press release. “Our community has quickly become a regional destination for outdoor enthusiasts, who travel here to enjoy our majestic Issaquah Alps, beautiful waterways and vibrant downtown.” “We are thrilled to welcome the Northwest Paddling Festival to Lake Sammamish,” Keith Niven, the city’s economic development
director, said in the release. “These events enhance our city’s economic vitality by not only bringing new visitors to town — who eat, sleep and shop here — but also support Issaquah’s growing reputation as a top outdoor destination.” Paddling association officials approached the city about moving the event from its previous home on Seattle’s Alki Beach, Phillip Morris, co-chairman of the Issaquah Tourism Committee and general manager of the Issaquah Motel 6, said in an interview. “We feel we are forming a longterm partnership,” he said, adding he expects the festival to return to Issaquah and become an annual
Lake Sammamish event. The association has met with the city and the Issaquah Chamber to help bring in local vendors and sponsors, Morris added. The event is expected to draw more than 1,000 people to the area from south of Tacoma to north of Vancouver, he said. The paddling association decided to move its festival to Lake Sammamish for a number of reasons. First, there is a larger area available for launching boats, Morris said. The launch area also is protected from strong winds. Morris further talked about the state park simply being a more intimate and secure setting than Alki Beach.
dominates Forest Ridge
Haley Mincin hit eight goals to lead Issaquah to a 22-3 girls high school lacrosse win over Forest Ridge on March 22 at Eastlake Community Field in Sammamish. The win elevated the Issaquah program, which draws students from across the Issaquah School District, to the best girls record in the state at 5-0. Issaquah got out of the gates early with a 12-1 first-half lead and continued to pull away from Forest Ridge in the second half
with 10 more goals. Mincin, a Skyline High School junior, also had an assist and three ground balls in the win. Issaquah freshman Suzie Emerson had four goals, and Skyline’s Jacqueline Marber and Robin Ringman each had a pair of goals. Delly Brennan, Nicole Durham and Lindsay Stone all scored for Forest Ridge. Issaquah (5-0-0) next faces Bellevue (3-0-0s) at 7 p.m. March 26 at Robinswood Park in Bellevue.