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A fastpitch family on a quest to win By Dennis Box
T
Editor
he heart of the Enumclaw Hornets fastpitch team begins with a hand-and-glove pairing of pitcher and catcher. Two high-school girls who communicate with a glance, a hand signal or a smile – and win. The Hornets have pitched, hit and played nearly flawlessly and the payoff is the team is now standing on the brink of a perfect regular season with the drive to win a state title. Senior catcher Becky Forza and sophomore pitcher Quinn Breidenbach have led this team of talented competitors through the South Puget Sound League 3A, racking up wins and having the fun. Breidenbach throws a rising fastball hitting 62 mph, blowing past most hitters. Forza is enjoying her fourth year as a varsity player and showing herself
Becky Forza, above, drives a ball against Auburn Mountainview April 30 at the sixplex and Quinn Breidenbach throws a fastball. Photo by Dennis Box to be a top catcher and athlete. Beyond the athleticism and fastpitch smarts on the team, Forza said the
secret to the team’s success involves both off and on the field commitment. “A lot of time there is drama and selfishness
Welcome Center on life support as time runs out By Kevin Hanson Senior Writer
The Enumclaw Welcome Center has floated in the political ether for more than a dozen years, wallowing in the planning stages, targeted by millions of dollars in grant funding while subjected to backand-forth banter between local and federal agencies. Now, the long-talked about proj-
Coming to Enumclaw May 31st! 1st Annual
PLATEAU COWBOY GATHERING
ect is seemingly headed toward an ignominious death. City administration has recommended that the project be scrapped, though members of the City Council are willing to give the idea a bit more time.
The early days
The Welcome Center burst on the scene more than a dozen years ago, spawned by the advent of
on teams, but not on this team,” Forza said. “We are more than teammates. We are family. It’s just a fun group of girls. If one of the
the Chinook Scenic Byway. The Welcome Center was seen as a local offshoot of the federal designation highlighting a mountainous stretch of state Route 410. The facility was originally conceived as a logical stopping point for anyone headed into Mount Rainier National Park – a building that would include an interpretive center and would be shared by the National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service and the Enumclaw Chamber of Commerce. The Welcome Center was originally earmarked for a spot of land fronting SR 410 on the city’s eastern edge. An early change came when the city took ownership of the golf course and adjacent King County
Deadline: May 13, Published: May 28
girls is having a hard time, she will go to the team first.”
See FAMILY, Page 3
Fairgrounds. Plans evolved and the center was destined for a parcel adjacent to the fieldhouse, a move that trimmed $1.1 million from the anticipated price tag of $5.7 million.
Troubles arise
The roster of anticipated players was cut by a third when the Chamber of Commerce decided to stay put, preferring its Cole Street quarters to sharing digs in the Welcome Center. The scale of the planned project was diminished in 2008 when
See Center, Page 3
Deadline: June 3, Published: June 25
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