Covington/Maple Valley Reporter, March 29, 2013

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Reporter

covington | maple valley | Black diamond

newsline 425-432-1209

local | Kentwood JROTC blows drill competition away [page 3]

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FALCONS TAKE FLIGHT | Kentlake track and field team makes the most of Friday, March 29, 2013 returning athletes and new talent [10]

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Green light for new Kentlake program

Open Black Diamond council seat filled

by KATHERINE SMITH

By Dennis Box

ksmith@covingtonreporter.com

dbox@maplevalleyreporter.com

The boards of the Kent School District and Renton Technical College unanimously approved the formation of the Medical Career Pathways program at a special joint board meeting on March 20. The program, which will allow students to earn a two-year associates degree in pre-nursing alongside a high school diploma at Kentlake will enable students to go directly into the work force or transfer those credits to another school. The program will begin in the fall. Steve Hansen, the president of RTC, sees the program as a chance to seamlessly blend high school and college and give students hands-on experiences that lead to career options. “What we really value in the education we do is it’s hands-on

The Black Diamond City Council filled an open seat Thursday, selecting Janie Edelman from a pool of three applicants. The seat opened when Joe May resigned his Position No. 3 seat Feb. 5. May was elected in 2011. Edelman’s term will run to the Nov. 5 general election. The council voted unanimously to select Edelman after interviewing the trio of candidates. The other applicants were Patrick Nelson and Bill Roth. “I will do the best job I can to support the town, council and mayor,” Edelman said after she was selected. “You may think I am coming in with an agenda but I am not.” Edelman added her “door is open.” Councilman Craig Goodwin said his criteria for selecting

Rohit Tripathy, 11, sings while drumming with his band, Heat, during Dace’s Rock ‘n’ More’s quarterly Rockcital at the Maple Valley Creative Arts Center March 23. Heat, made up of three boys from Maple Valley, was one of seven bands to perform. dennis box, The Reporter To view a slide show go to www.maplevalleyreporter.com

Mattson math teacher by day, roller derby blocker by night BY MICHELLE CONNERLY mconnerly@kentreporter.com

By day, Nicolle McDowell is a math teacher and yearbook advisor at Mattson Middle School. By night, she leaves sweet Nicolle behind and embodies her alter ego, Narca-Lexie, a bruising blocker for the Toxic 253 roller derby team. McDowell routinely makes the evening drive from her Covington home to the Tacoma skating rink,

shedding business wear to don a helmet, pads and skates. It didn’t take long for McDowell to get hooked on the fast paced, physical game. She began skating in her youth but revisited the rink when a friend invited her to a roller derby bout in Tacoma. McDowell soon was swerving and skating alongside other Toxic ladies at the Nicolle McDowell Rollin’ 253 Skate Center in Fircrest. “When I got into it, I just wanted to do something fun,” said McDow-

ell, who joined the lineup last August and has been a regular ever since. “I’ve never felt exercised like this. I’ve never sweat like this in my life. I feel healthy.” The name Narca-Lexie came from something relevant to her life. Being narcoleptic, McDowell turned her condition into a rough-and-tough roller derby personality, complete with starry knee high socks, blue hair and glittery leggings, telling her opponents “I can knock you out.” That’s one reason why McDowell enjoys the game and why most spectators watch. She likes being able to hit people. The diminutive McDowell absorbs her share of bruises and scrapes from being thrown by her teammates into other players in order to block the jammer, the position on the team that scores the points. But she doesn’t shy away from the pain. It’s

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expected in this sport and something she chats about with her students after class. “If I was worried about getting hurt, this wouldn’t be the thing I’d join,” McDowell said. “I love to come to work because my kids think I’m bizarre. (They) love to see when I have bruises (and) hear my stories about how I got hurt.” McDowell, who is training to become a jammer, brings energy and grit to the team, a mixture of women of all ages and abilities. They invite players from all skill sets to skate with them. While the team does not promote violence on the track, roller derby is a fullcontact sport. And for Adrienne ConnollyPoe — assistant coach and fellow skater from Covington — the hitting, falling and

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[ more KENTLAKE page 8 ]

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