Stories for June 2005

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Thursday, June 30

State softball tourney will begin

Three area softball organizations have teams entered into this weekend's NSA State Championships at Edmonds Sports Complex and Centennial Park, beginning today.

This may be it for the RTO

When the annual Reno-Tahoe Open gets under way in mid-August, there will be some bittersweet feelings among PGA officials, PGA players and golf fans in the Sierra Nevada region.

Wednesday, June 29

Locals taking ultimate Black Belt test

Three Minden/Gardnerville area residents are going to be taking the ultimate test in kindness when it comes to self defense

One last look at summer

Tennis' third major of the year, the Wimbledon Championships are winding down at the historic All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club just outside of London. T

Heavyweights returning to Reno

RENO -- There is a rich history when it comes to the heavyweight division and the Fourth of July weekend in Reno.

WNCC soccer receives $10,000

Western Nevada Community College's new women's soccer team has received two $5,000 donations from Carson City's American Youth Soccer Organization and Capital Soccer Club.

Fitzhugh named Douglas girls soccer coach

The search didn't take long, and Douglas High athletic director Jeff Evans sure didn't have to look far.

Tuesday, June 28

Boxing club to host amateur event

There's no horse play in Frank Peralta's gym. Just many young boxers working as hard as they can to improve their craft.

Buyten, Miller are in X Games again

The area will again be well-represented in this year's X Games as Carson City's Matt Buyten and Gardnerville's Dustin Miller will compete in the event.

Moon Dogs win another tourney

The Reno Moon Dogs 14 and under boys soccer team continued its successful run by recently winning the Placer Prestige Invitational in Sacramento

Local mother-daughter duo ranked nationally

Carson High teacher Linda Hixenbaugh can say something that not to many other daughters can claim: Being nationally ranked with their 70-year-old mother.

Monday, June 27

Carson teams fall in Little League event

It was an extremely painful night for Carson American's Hooligan squad.

Roundup of holes-in-one in the area

A foursome playing at Sunridge Golf Course had the chance to see something that doesn't happen every day - two holes-in-one in the same group on the same day.

Sharks win third straight tournament

The Carson Sharks 10 and under softball team won its third straight tournament this past weekend in the Lassen Summer Slam in Susanville, Calif.

Firecracker 100 set at Champion

Champion Speedway will host its annual Firecracker 100 - also being billed as the California Asphalt Sprintcar Association's inaugural Mike McCreary Memorial 100 - with cars from Nevada, California, Oregon and Washington on Saturday night.

More than 400 in Silver State Rodeo

The Silver State International Rodeo office does not resemble a sea of tranquility this week.

Improving mental approach to game

Here are some great ways to improve your score without trying too hard. Most golfers hurt their chances of improved scores by having a poor mental approach to the game.

Fagan, Greenlee lead Cardinals past Dawgs

Tony Fagan and Brooks Greenlee took turns pitching and delivering clutch hits as they helped the Carson Cardinals defeated the Ridgecrest (Calif.) Desert Dawgs 5-4 in a nine-inning summer baseball contest Tuesday afternoon at Ron McNutt Field.

Tigersharks shine in Santa Clara meet

Kevin Dyer and Abby Niehoff had impressive showings to help lead the Carson Tigersharks Swim Club as it wrapped up an impressive effort over the weekend at the Santa Clara International Grand Prix and Junior meets.

New director at Thunder Canyon

David La Fata brings his 16-years of professional golf experience to Thunder Canyon Golf Club in Washoe Valley where he will serve as the Director of Golf Instruction.

Sunday, June 26

Check out Cathedral in the Desert

Sometimes natural and human events combine to repair bad decisions by governments. Like the damming of Glen Canyon, 1960-63.

Carson American Hooligans defeat North Valleys

David Feltner pitched a two-hit shutout and his teammates pushed across six runs in the first two innings to lead Carson American to an easy 11-0 win over North Valleys in a District 1 Hooligan Little League game at Edmonds Sports Complex.

Danburg, Hadler, Robbins win main events at Champion

Three drivers who have proven they can win races - Chet Danburg, Kim Robbins and Denny Hadler - all added to their collections and did so under memorable circumstances Saturday night at Champion Speedway.

Saturday, June 25

Long night at Reno-Fernley Raceway

FERNLEY - It was a long night at Reno-Fernley Raceway Saturday night, as yellow and red flags combined with over exuberant track watering to slow the program.

Jinkerson wins Western Modified Shootout

Some timeliness, not to mention help from the family, helped Dan Jinkerson go the distance and win the Western Modified Shootout 100-lap feature race at Champion Speedway on Saturday night.

Friday, June 24

DeMoss wins all-around title

RENO - Cody DeMoss won not one, but two sets of spurs, in the Reno Rodeo championship round Saturday night at the Reno Livestock and Events Center.

Bergman named as an all-star

Carson High graduate Dusty Bergman can now call himself an all-star.

Fiasco in F1 caused by politics

A couple of weeks ago I commented in this space on the state and future of Formula 1 racing.

Thursday, June 23

Marlins sign Osborne

Donovan Osborne is keeping his dream alive.

Pack to receive plenty exposure

The Nevada Wolf Pack football program is hungry for exposure, and for at least one year, the Pack will get it.

Tough day for local Little Leaguers

Jacob McClelland went 2-for-3 with a triple, but it wasn't enough for the Carson American 9-10-year-old Renegades as they lost to Reno American West 11-4 on Saturday in the district Little League baseball tournament at Edmonds Park.

Farrell is not bewitched in rodeo

RENO - One by one, the bull riders dropped. Fifteen in a row to be exact. Staying on was the exception and not the rule. If a rider lasted more than two seconds, it was a moral victory.

Flag football championships held

The Outlaws defeated Raiders 20-13 to capture the Carson City Flag Football League title in the B Division for 8-10-year-olds on Friday at Mills Park.

Cardinals settle for a split

The Carson Cardinals baseball team settled for a split on Friday in the Doc Stewart's Invitational in Roseburg, Ore.

Clay sets world record

Olympic silver medalist Bryan Clay set a world record in winning the decathlon on Friday at the U.S. National Championships in Carson, Calif.

Open wheel returns to Champion

Western Modified open wheel racing returns to Champion Speedway when the Western Modified Shootout Twins 50s feature race is held tonight.

Wednesday, June 22

NBA finals have provided excitement

Say whatever negative things you want about the NBA, but at least this season's Finals delivered some excitement. It is clear that the two best teams with the two best coaches and the two best defenses deservedly battled for the title.

Carson National Hooligans win

Tyler Nolan drove home the winning run with an RBI double to give the Carson National 11-12-year-old Hooligans an 8-7 win in their opener of the district Little League tournament on Thursday at Edmonds Park.

Willert's luck changing in Reno

RENO - Jeffrey Willert's luck in Reno hasn't been good.

Hooft, ASU eliminated

Galena High graduate Joey Hooft had another solid game for Arizona State, but it wasn't enough as the Sun Devils were eliminated by Florida 6-3 from the College World Series on Thursday in Omaha, Neb.

Cardinals win tournament opener

The Carson Cardinals got off to an impressive start despite not being at full strength at the Doc Stewart's Invitational.

Niehoff sets meet record

Abby Niehoff set a new meet record to lead the Carson Tigersharks on Thursday at the Santa Clara International Meet.

Tuesday, June 21

A 'Marvel-ous' showing at Rodeo

RENO - Matt Marvel said the Reno Rodeo is the most stressful one of the season.

Upton keeping her dream alive

It may be just a small taste, but Lynda Upton's appetite remains whet enough to keep pursuing her budding professional golf career.

Monday, June 20

Crosstumblers shine in event

The Crosstumblers' Girls Gymnastics team of Carson City performed extremely well at the USAIGC State Championships held June 5 in Santa Rosa, Calif.

Built Ford tough at the Reno Rodeo

RENO - The Ford family is trying to turn the bareback riding competition into a family affair.

Starting the forward motion

The initiation of the forward swing from the completed back swing position is a critical part of the golf swing.

Cardinals defeat South Tahoe

The Carson Cardinals baseball team warmed up for the Doc Stewart's Invitational in Roseburg, Ore., with an 8-3 win over South Tahoe on Tuesday at Ron McNutt Field.

Savidge honored as state's top track athlete

Smith Valley's Jordan Savidge has been honored as the 2005 Gatorade Nevada State Boys Track and Field Athlete of the Year.

Sunday, June 19

Season pass makes a lot of sense

Ever since the Coloado ski resorts began offering season passes at lower rates, the industry has awakened to the fact that season passes are healthy: the resort gets its money up front and makes sure that snowsporters return, buying food and beverage and equipment.

Zink places third in world event

Carson High graduate Cameron Zink continues to make his mark on the professional mountain bike circuit.

Denny heading for nationals

Keston Denny is an accomplished athlete who has run cross country and competed as an alpine ski racer. He also happens to be the epitome of a rodeo cowboy, a blue collar worker who always shows up to compete and never quits.

Shields leads bronc riding at Reno Rodeo

RENO - Davey Shields Jr. is no stranger to the Reno Rodeo.

Saturday, June 18

Fallon cowboy gets his payback

RENO - It was payback time for Fallon's David Howard.

Bell, Keller win main events

Kris Keller sped to his first main event victory of the season in the Hornet class and Mackena Bell won her second Legends race in three weeks during local action at Champion Speedway on Saturday night.

Wes Miller wins WESTCAR Series race

Wes Miller knew if he was going to have any chance of winning the Desert Rose 100 Series Late Model race at Champion Speedway on Saturday night, he needed to be patient, avoid any collisions and make sure he finished the race.

Friday, June 17

Wonders fall to Orange County

The one thing about losing streaks is that sooner or later they come to an end.

Roush is a sure bet

Since everybody else in the world has picked the Pocono tire problems to bits, all I am going to say about last week's Nextel Cup race is congratulations to Jack Roush for finally winning one there!

Thursday, June 16

WESTCAR Late Models return to Champion Speedway

Round two of the Desert Rose Series for WESTCAR Late Model touring cars will be staged tonight at Champion Speedway.

Reno Rodeo set to begin seven-day run

RENO - The Reno Rodeo starts its annual seven-day run Sunday at the Reno Livestock & Events Center.

Shrader chosen to coach in world meet

Mike Shrader has been coaching swimming for 21 years, including six at Nevada, and his most memorable moment came approximately a week ago when he was named as an assistant coach for Team USA for the 2005 Wolrd Games in Montreal, Canada.

Silver holds off Blue in Sertoma

RENO - In some ways, the 24th annual Sparks Sertoma Classic on Friday night looked like a summertime all-star high school football game. Just consider that the opposing Blue and Silver teams combined to turn the ball over six times and missed a number of other scoring opportunities.

Yankees win Little League crown

Don't look now, but the Yankees may be starting a dynasty.

Kugler win first go in cutting

Alyce Kugler won the first go-round in girls cutting to lead what's been an outstanding effort so far for the Carson-Douglas Rodeo Club at the Nevada State High School Rodeo Championships being held at the Lyon County Fairgrounds in Yerington.

Hooft's RBI double not enough

Galena High graduate Joey Hooft belted an RBI double, but it wasn't enough as Arizona State fell 5-3 to Nebraska in the College World Series in Omaha, Neb.

Cardinals roll to easy victory

Rob Valerius and Bryt Lewis combined on the shutout as the Carson Cardinals baseball team defeated Damonte Ranch 7-0 on Friday at Ron McNutt Field.

Wednesday, June 15

Miller earns second-team All-American honors

That's how Joe Cirelli, Mesa Community College baseball coach, talks about former Douglas outfielder Bryan Miller, who hit .353 and played a key role in helping the Thunderbirds reach the Division II World Series.

Top Gun racing is this weekend

All the testing and tuning in April and May will be put to the test at the Top Gun Raceway 14 miles south of Fallon.

Squaw Valley offering skate pass

Squaw Valley USA, home of the mountaintop Olympic Ice Pavilion at High Camp, is offering a summer Community Skate Pass, a "season pass" offering unlimited Cable Car rides and ice skating opportunities to local Tahoe & Sierra area residents.

Low scoring NBA Finals

To no one's surprise, television ratings are way down for the NBA Finals as compared to last year.

Ellison

To no one's surprise, television ratings are way down for the NBA Finals as compared to last year.

Tuesday, June 14

Different styles in Sertoma Classic

Smashmouth football will meet Fun 'N Gun when the annual Sertoma Football All-Star Classic commences at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Mackay Stadium.

Monday, June 13

State high school rodeo this week

Kassi Venturacci believes that good things happen in 3's.

Fred Schmidt steps down as girls soccer coach at Douglas

An era at Douglas High came to an end on Monday when Fred Schmidt retired after 11 seasons as head coach of the school's girls soccer program.

Nevada will host Bracket Buster game

Nevada will definitely host a Bracket Buster game this year, and six games will be televised this year instead of the usual five.

Pincock and Sparks look ahead to future at Colorado

George Pincock and Shanna Sparks have seen their respective running careers follow two distinct paths since leaving Carson High School for the University of Colorado in 2003.

Hurricanes take second in ASAevent

The Carson Valley Hurricanes 14 and under softball team took second in the American Softball Association Junior Olympic 14 and under Tournament held recently in Sparks.

Cardinals come back for win

The Carson "Cardiac" Cardinals baseball team rallied not once, but twice for a wild 18-17 win over the Reno Muckdogs on Tuesday at Ron McNutt Field.

Sunday, June 12

Teixeira bound for Central Methodist University

Carson High graduate Tony Teixeira will sign a letter of intent to play baseball at Central Methodist University, an NAIA school in Missouri.

Wilson leaves legacy for local kids

Aarik Wilson hates to lose and he's the first to admit it.

Powers signs two in baseball

The ink is barely dry on the professional contracts of Brett Hayes and Ben Mummy, and Nevada baseball coach Gary Powers and his staff have been busy pounding the pavement for their replacements.

Good MVP, Carson players shine in Kelley Baseball showcase

RENO - Carson High flexed its collective muscle and stole the show at the eighth annual Kelley Showcase Monday night at Reno High.

Saturday, June 11

Miller Wins Another at Reno-Fernley

FERNLEY - Five racing divisions took to the track at Reno-Fernley Raceway Saturday night, with drivers working their way from the back of the field to the front in three of the main events.

Humphreys races to first feature win at Champion

Everything considered, Robert Humphreys and Al Goss might have been happy just to make it to the finish line. As it turned out, both finished under the checker flag in their respective Legends and Late Model Sportsman feature races at Champion Speedway on Saturday night.

Heilman runs 10.60 to place second at Golden West

FOLSOM, Calif. - Josh Heilman's ultimate dream is to run track at USC. If he keeps running the way he has been, there's a good chance he'll realize that dream - if he doesn't eventually accept a scholarship somewhere else.

Tigersharks' Abby Niehoff, Cody Gillenwater win trophies

Abby Niehoff returned home with the high point trophy and Cody Gillenwater with the high point runner-up trophy for the Carson Tigersharks as the Reno Gamble long course swimming meet came to an end on Sunday at Idlewild Park in Reno.

Friday, June 10

Danica, not Danny

When it comes to putting spin on something, the denizens of Washington, DC have nothing on the Indy Racing League.

Ashmore shines for Tigersharks

Samantha Ashmore followed up her strong performance in the 800-meter freestyle the day before and placed in two more events to provide one of many highlights for the Carson Tigersharks during the Reno Gamble Invitational long course age group swimming meet on Saturday.

Wonders beat the Gold

The Nevada Wonders men's soccer team took their first step to making a Premiere Development League playoff run by finishing off a two-game sweep of the California Gold of Modesto, Calif., with a 5-1 win on Saturday at Carson High.

Thursday, June 9

Carson's Heilman running at Golden West Invitational

In his quest to run faster times, Carson High's Josh Heilman decided to work on the mental approach with the help of a book he picked up. And could there be a better teacher than Michael Johnson?

Wilson goes into the finals

Aarik Wilson of Indiana University and Fallon wasted little time as he rebounded from a heart breaking finish one day before in the men's triple jump qualifying at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Sacramento.

Champion Speedway resumes tonight

The Legends, Late Model Sportsmen and Hornets divisions will headline the racing program tonight at Champion Speedway.

Wednesday, June 8

WNCC may have five players drafted

Without even taking the field, yet, the Western Nevada Community College Baseball team had four players taken in the Major League Baseball draft, which was completed on Wednesday. Within a week, that number could rise to five.

Series is an even one

With an NBA Finals match-up of San Antonio and Detroit, much of the country will be sleeping through what should be a television ratings nightmare. Since there is no Shaquille O'Neal, no Los Angeles Lakers and really nothing terribly interesting to look forward to in this series, many people on the East Coast aren't going to stay up until midnight to finish watching it.

Sertoma, Kelley are slated

The best high school athletes in Northern Nevada will be featured next week in all-star football and baseball games.

Dahl now with 49ers

Sometimes, a career move may be a blessing disguise.

Tuesday, June 7

WNCC has 4 players drafted

The final day of the Major League Baseball draft on Wednesday turned out to be a busy time for several players with local ties.

Bacon and Rankl are honored

The term student-athlete is a term that shouldn't always be used. But Kyle Bacon and Liz Rankl are truly student-athletes.

Monday, June 6

S&S has mixed results

Supermodified Racing League team S&S Motorsports of Carson City headed to Meridian, Idaho Friday for the annual Diamond Cup at Meridian Speedway.

More honors for athletes

Yesterday, the Nevada Appeal published its All-Sierra Nevada baseball and softball teams, recognizing players for their accomplishments in an area covered by this newspaper as well as the publications in the Tahoe-Carson Area Newspapers group.

Wilson looks for a double repeat

He's done it once already this year. Today, Fallon's Aarik Wilson will take the first step toward repeating as a triple jump-long jump gold medalist when the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships open in Sacramento.

Second step in the back swing

With my more advanced students I like to break the back swing into three steps. Step one is the hinging of the wrists described in last week's column.

Northern Nevada players taken in draft

The University of Nevada didn't take that big of a hit on the first day of the Major League Baseball Draft on Tuesday.

Nuthall, Vega play for championship team

The Reno Moon Dogs 14 and under boys soccer team won the prestigous San Francisco Cup held over Memorial Day weekend.

Sunday, June 5

Peewee quads packed a punch at Carson City Raceway

Peewee Quads ran a special exhibition race at the AMA-sanctioned Carson City Raceway at Fuji Park May 21, along with their Open Pro Quad counterparts, and the race fans roared with approval.

Saturday, June 4

Diamond Cup race starts well for S&S Motorsports,goes to the dogs in the second day's main event

Supermodified Racing League team S&S Motorsports of Carson City headed to Meridian, Idaho, Friday for the annual Diamond Cup at Meridian Speedway.

Fernley hosts Midget Lites

FERNLEY - The quick and exciting Bay Cities Racing Association's Midget Lite division made a stop at Reno-Fernley Raceway Saturday night, joining four of the track's regular racing divisions for a stellar night of racing on dirt.

Bell wins first feature race at Champion

Mackena Bell celebrated her birthday a a little early, but very appropriately Saturday night when he sped to victory in the Legends main event at Champion Speedway.

Friday, June 3

Recap of recent racing

Last week I was enthused about the upcoming race weekend. As is usually the case, the reality turned out to be a mixed bag.

Locals dominate swim

The Carson Tigersharks Swim Club continued their tradition of dominating the Lake Berryessa Open Water race held on Saturday near Napa, Calif.

Gillenwater shines in Tahoe meet

Cody Gillenwater posted a Junior Olympic qualifying time of 28.30 in his 50-yard leg of the 200-yard freestyle relay to highlight the Tigersharks' effort at a Zone 4 invitational short course meet held at an outdoor pool in South Tahoe.

Thursday, June 2

Carson, Douglas place four on all-Sierra Nevada team

Douglas and Carson High Schools placed four players each on the all-Sierra Nevada baseball team.

Relay run set for July 8-9

The Reno Tahoe Odyssey Relay Run Adventure - a new running event pattered after Oregon's well-known Hood To Coast Relay - will be held on July 8-9 in the Reno-Carson-Tahoe area.

Nevada to be on ABC TV

It was nice to see that ABC will televise two Western Athletric Conference football games next season.

Local volleyball team takes second

Four local women recently helped the Reno Raw take second in their division at the USA Volleyball Adult Open recently held in Denver.

Wednesday, June 1

Sticking with the Spurs

With the NBA Finals scheduled to begin next Thursday, the San Antonio Spurs earned themselves some extra time off to rest and heal their injuries. If the Detroit-Miami series goes the seven-game distance, that will become just one more advantage in favor of a Spurs championship.

Mathison, Strauss shoot aces

Jeff Mathison and Augie Strauss each recently shot holes-in-one at Silver Oak Golf Club.

Carson sixth in NIAA standings

The Carson High athletic program placed sixth for the 2004-2005 school year in the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association final Award of Excellence standings.

Black named to all-league second team

Carson High graduate Rodney Black was named to the all-Foothill Conference second team in baseball this past season for Cerro Coso Community College in Ridgecrest, Calif.