White Center Now: The blog about White Center

Back in June, we reported on the White Center-based (former) Highline Bears‘s plan to pursue a new name. Now it’s down to the final two, and they’re inviting you to help choose. From today’s announcement:

Today the Highline Bears summer collegiate baseball team announced the final two possible new team names. The final names are the DubSea Seal Slingers and the DubSea Fish Sticks. The team will now let the community vote online for which name they want to see on the field next summer. Fans can vote online at RenameOurTeam.com, and they can also vote by pre-ordering merchandise of the logo and team name they like best. Voting will remain open for four weeks and the final team name will be announced on November 15th.

Back in June the team announced they would be renaming the team and ran a “Name the Team” contest for 2 weeks. After receiving more than 200 entries, they flew in the baseball-branding company Brandiose. The branding company has helped name dozens of teams in minor league baseball over the past fifteen years, including the Rocket City Trash Pandas and Armadillo Sod Poodles. While in town in July they canvassed the area, ran community focus groups, and brainstormed with the team about what direction they should go. Over the course of the past three months the team has been working on narrowing down all the fan entries, checking trademark statuses on potential names and developing the final two brands,

The team plays more than two dozen games during regular summers (not the past two years, though) with a 40-player roster of college players from around the country, who stay with host families during the season. Their home field is Mel Olson Stadium at Steve Cox Memorial Park.

A big bike ride in and near White Center, West Seattle, and beyond is set for Sunday (June 27th), and Cascade Bicycle Club spokesperson Paul Tolmé emailed the announcement to be sure you know:

Cascade Bicycle Club’s Ride for Major Taylor will take place this Sunday. We would like to alert residents that there will be bicycles on the roads (and many youth bicyclists) and we ask for drivers to be alert and aware of our youth bicyclists. Cascade and its Major Taylor Project would also like to thank residents for being courteous to our riders.

And due to the forecast heat, we’d also like to let residents know that we encourage them to come out and cheer on our riders — and maybe offer willing riders a spray from the garden hose to cool off :)

Above is the 26-mile route map (see the route’s turn-by-turn description on the second page here); below, the 65-mile route (or here, with turn-by-turn on the second page).

Both start from the bicycle playground at Dick Thurnau Park. Registration is closed, as they maxed out at 500 riders. P.S. The ride is a benefit for the Major Taylor Project; read about its namesake, a superstar runner and rider in the 19th/20th centuries, here.

The Highline Bears, the White Center-based summer collegiate baseball team, are looking for a new name and inviting you to suggest one (or more!).

This all began with the recent news that the team’s mascot Buntly the Bear was retiring.
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“Buntly has been the heart and soul of this team since day one. Replacing him with just another bear didn’t seem like the right thing to do,” general manager Justin Moser explained in a video released this morning.

So the Bears have launched a naming contest. You can suggest a name and send it with an explanation of “why the name embodies the community and greater Pacific Northwest.” Submit your idea via RenameOurTeam.com. The team will narrow the list and then ask fans to vote for a winner.

Moser says the team is looking for “a name that’s original, that’s fun, crazy, and embodies our community and the great Pacific Northwest.”

Backstory from the team’s announcement:

The Highline Bears launched the team in 2015 and have steadily grown a following in the greater West Seattle/White Center area. The team is a summer collegiate team where players from colleges around the country come to hone their skills during the summer months. Players stay with host families or bunk with local players that are on the team, while playing a rigorous game schedule.

While the baseball is always competitive, the Bears games are beloved for their affordability for families, fun promotions and intimate atmosphere.

The contest runs through 9 am July 4th. Prize: Lifetime tickets for Bears – or whatever the new name is – games!
For more information on the Highline Bears visit www.HighlineBears.com

Baseball season hasn’t even started yet and already there’s been a snow-out. Southwest Little League had to postpone last Saturday’s planned in-person signups to THIS Saturday – so you can go register noon-2 pm February 20th at the Log Cabin at Steve Cox Memorial Park (1321 SW 102nd). Here’s our original report on this year’s SWLL registration.

From Southwest Little League: Spring baseball registration will start January 1st. You’ll be able to do it online at southwestlittleleague.org, or wait for word on their TBD in-person sessions when safety allows. SW Little League is for girls and boys 4-16.

You knew this was coming, but still … The Highline Bears have sent their final word on
2020:

The local summer collegiate baseball team, the Highline Bears, announced to their players this past Monday evening that they will be canceling their entire 2020 season, due to the lack of potential fields being available in a reasonable amount of time.

The Bears would have been starting their season on Friday, May 30th, but the opening night and all home events had been canceled due to Covid-19. In the letter to fans in May the Bears had stated they were planning on having the team play on the road with no fans, if permitted in phase 3. “The likelihood of Pierce and Snohomish county going to phase 3 by our deadline of July 6th and fields being available for us to play at in phase 3 was just too uncertain for us to continue to move forward,” said the General Manager, Justin Moser.

The Bears said that they lost most of their partners and sponsors when the stay at home order went in place in March. The Bears did say even though local businesses were unable to purchase advertising this summer that they will continue to offer advertising to all businesses at no cost for the next year, even though they aren’t playing.

“We were hoping to be able to have some sort of season for our players this summer but the uncertainty is just too big right now. Making our players and coaches wait even longer with the odds of playing dwindling, just didn’t seem right. It’s sad and unfortunate for a ton of reasons, I feel for our players and coaching staff. Ben Harley did an amazing job putting this team together. On paper this is the best team we’ve ever had, including 9 Division 1 players,” Moser said.

The Pacific International League that the Bears play in, are hoping they can play sometime later in July but that will be dependent on certain counties moving into phase 3 and fields being available. The league continues to meet every week to plan and discuss if playing this summer will be possible.

The Highline Bears said that they are planning to come back in 2021 “stronger, bigger and better” bringing the community the “best show in town”. Moser also said that Covid-19 has affected this like so many other businesses: “I’m not going to lie to you, this has been a huge hit to our club financially and we can use all of the support we can get from our community.”. If you would like to support the Highline Bears during this difficult time, you can purchase new 2020 merchandise on their website at shop.highlinebears.com

Just announced by the Highline Bears:

The local summer collegiate baseball team, the Highline Bears, announced Wednesday that they will be canceling all their home games and events this summer at Mel Olson Stadium inside Steve Cox Memorial Park.

The Bears would have been starting their season on Friday, May 30th but the opening night had been postponed due to Covid-19. In the letter to fans from the team, they state that they are planning on having the team play on the road with no fans, if permitted in phase 3.

The Bears stated that they lost most of their partners and sponsors when the stay at home order went in place in March. The Bears did say even though local businesses were unable to purchase advertising this summer that they would continue to offer advertising to all businesses at no cost for the next year, whether or not they play.

The Pacific International League that the Bears play in, has voted to start playing games in phase 3 when permitted but do have a drop dead date of July 6th for games to start before having to cancel the season indefinitely.

The Highline Bears exclaimed that they are planning to come back in 2021 “stronger, bigger and better” bringing the community the “best show in town.” If you would like to support the Highline Bears during this difficult time you can purchase new 2020 merchandise on their website at shop.highlinebears.com

Here’s the full letter to fans:

Dear Fans,

The Highline Bears have made the tough decision to not host any home games, or events for the
2020 summer.

After discussing different contingency plans with our staff and King County Parks we have decided
that we will not be able to host anything at Mel Olson Stadium this summer. With that said, we will
be letting our players play on the road if permitted, when the state moves to Phase 3 of the
reopening plan.

Our priority every summer is to bring the best experience to our fans, community and of course the
players we host from all over the country. Unfortunately, with the current state of events we will not
be able to have the normal summer we are used to, playing baseball and putting on a show in front
of hundreds of fans every Friday and Saturday night. This summer will be 100% committed to
providing our players a safe opportunity to play if allowed to. Our players college seasons were
canceled, and we will do everything we can to get them back out on the field when it is deemed safe
to do so.

The Pacific International League has voted to move back the first day of the season to June 24th
which would be the first day possible for our state to move to phase 3. The Bears will play games in
Tacoma, Edmonds, Redmond and Everett along with some other locations this summer, all with no
fans in attendance. The league hopes to play games into the second week in August.

In early March we spoke with our partners/sponsors and nearly all of them had to pull their
commitment this summer to continue to support their employees and make sure their business
could continue to operate. We have decided that we will continue to offer advertising for all of our
partners throughout the year at no cost to them. In times like this we need to support our local
businesses as much as we can. We ask that our fans please do their best to patronize all of our
partners and continue to support our local business community.

We are optimistic that 2021 we will come back stronger, bigger, and better than ever, bringing our
community the best show in town. All single game and season ticket holders will be given a credit
for tickets in 2021, or can receive a full refund by contacting the Highline Bears.

If you would like to support the Highline Bears during this time you can do so by purchasing new
2020 merchandise at shop.highlinebears.com. We can’t wait to see you all back at the ballpark in
2021!

Thank You,
Highline Bears

(WCN photo from 2013 Rat City bout at Southgate)

You may remember back when the Rat City Rollergirla were based in White Center. This Saturday, they’re returning (as Rat City Roller Derby)! Here’s the announcement:

Rat City Roller Derby is going back to where it all began for a special single-header, mash-up bout at Southgate Roller Rink in White Center. On Feb. 8, the Big Grief Maples will play the Western HemBlocks in a nod to not only RCRD’s roots, but also its home in the Evergreen State.

Details
Time: 6:45 p.m., doors open at 6 p.m.
Date: Saturday, Feb. 8, 2020
Location: Southgate Roller Rink, 9646 17th Ave. SW

For the founders of RCRD, the throwback game is an important acknowledgement of the league’s history and how far it has come.

“Rat City Roller Derby has come a long way since its days at Southgate,” said Carmin Thomas, also known as Clobberin’ Mame, who was one of the founding members of RCRD and still skates with the Sockit Wenches today. “And we’re thrilled to be returning to where it all began for this very special game.”

During the game, RCRD will give back to the community that supported it in its early days by collecting donations for the White Center Food Bank. Audience members are invited to bring unopened, unexpired, non-perishable goods to the game to help RCRD support the food bank’s mission to keep White Center fed. In addition, local band Burn Burn Burn will play a live halftime show.The after party will be held at Zippy’s Giant Burgers, 9614 14th Ave. SW, immediately after the game.

Last chance to see the Highline Bears this year! Tonight (Saturday, August 3rd) is their final game of the season, 7:05 pm at Steve Cox Memorial Park vs. the Redmond Dudes. It’s Fan Appreciation Night, too. Need tickets? Go here!

The 12-3 final score was only part of the story as the Highline Bears opened the 2019 season at Mel Olson Stadium in White Center’s Steve Cox Memorial Park on Saturday night. So many other fun touches were part of the night – like home-team players high-fiving fans in the stands as they were introduced (above, catcher Owen Napieralski). Then there were the Shorewood Elementary students who sang the national anthem:

The “unofficial mayor of White Center,” Christine Spencer, threw out the first pitch:

And there was the guest base runner:

Hudson Borg had his own cheering section at home plate:

Mascot Buntly the Bear roamed the stadium:

Other sightings ranged from his between-innings Macarena to a moment where he sat down and checked out our laptop (hard to type with paws, so he moved on). All that and we haven’t even gotten around to the baseball yet. Yes, there was a full nine-inning game between the Bears and the visiting Laces:

That’s #12 Cody Chavis. You can see the full Bears roster here. They all had a lot to high-five about:

The night also included facepainting, live games, the youth league West Seattle Baseball running a 50-50 raffle, and … chair-throwing. See for yourself next home game, which is Friday night (June 7th):

It’ll be National Donut Night on Friday; can’t miss that. Here’s the schedule; here’s where to get tickets. (Kids 8 and under are free!)

Play ball! Tonight at Steve Cox Memorial Park’s Mel Olson Stadium, the Highline Bears open their 2019 season – pregame festivities at 6:45 pm, first pitch scheduled for 7:10 pm. The Bears (see the roster here) are collegiate players with a two-month schedule of home and road games. Ticket prices are low (get your tickets in advance here) and the games are full of fun. Here’s the promotion schedule, including fridge magnets for the first 350 tonight. See you at the ballpark!

The recent snow threw a curveball at registration season for Southwest Little League, so it’s gone into extra innings – with one more chance, 9 am-noon this Saturday (March 2nd), to register in person at the Steve Cox Memorial Park log cabin (1321 SW 102nd). Southwest Little League serves southern West Seattle, White Center, and South Park. Go here for full details on who’s eligible and what to bring to register. If you can’t make it to the park on Saturday, you have two weeks beyond that to register online – go here before March 15th.

Today’s announcement is from the Seahawks:

Highline Public Schools will install a synthetic turf field at Evergreen High School thanks in part to a $250,000 grant from the Seattle Seahawks through the National Football League Foundation Grassroots Program.

The grant from the Seahawks, the NFL Foundation, and Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) is part of more than $3 million in field refurbishment awards allocated this year.

The NFL Foundation/LISC Grassroots Program, a partnership between the NFL Foundation and LISC, the nation’s leading community development support organization, has committed nearly $46 million to the program since 1998, supporting 336 projects nationwide. Fields are newly built or significantly renovated, with improvements including irrigation systems, lights, bleachers, scoreboards, goal posts and turf. Grassroots grants are issued once established funding thresholds are reached for each project.

LISC identifies local, nonprofit, community-based agencies that have an interest in building or refurbishing football fields in schools and neighborhood parks. Through the program, local agencies are provided with the necessary financing and technical assistance to improve the quality and safety of fields in their communities. The agencies oversee the construction, maintenance and programming of the fields.

“In many ways, the community of White Center and our scholar-athletes attending Evergreen and Cascade will significantly benefit from the facility improvements on campus thanks to these generous grants by the Seahawks and King County,” said Highline Public Schools Athletic Director Phil Willenbrock.

“This investment represents more than just a new field to play on – it is also about creating a gathering space to help build community, teach important life lessons, and continues to allow our children to dream big. Thank you to the NFL and the Seattle Seahawks for helping make a difference for families as the lives of many will be touched by this award,” said LISC Program Vice President, Joseph Horiye.

When we covered the North Highline Unincorporated Area Council earlier this month, Highline Bears president Russ Pritchard talked about some of the promotions coming up, including Buntly the Bear bobblehead tonight. That’s tonight! Gates open 6:05 pm at Mel Olson Stadium (1321 SW 102nd), game time vs. the Redmond Dudes is 7:05 pm. More info here.

Just announced today – with local organizations on the list!

King County Executive Dow Constantine today announced a series of youth sports grants totaling $3.6 million. The grants increase opportunities and access for young people to engage in healthy physical activity through new or improved facilities or programs, especially those serving under-resourced communities.

“From new sports fields in North Bend to a mountain biking program in Auburn, these grants will not only support traditional sports, but will open opportunities and improve access for youth wanting to enjoy more active lifestyles,” said King County Parks Director Kevin Brown.

The Youth and Amateur Sports Grants program evaluates programs and projects based on community need, with an emphasis on projects in underserved areas with low- to moderate-income families and higher health disparities.

“These grants support healthier communities by providing more places and more pathways for kids to play and be active,” said King County Council Chair Joe McDermott. “This is especially important in neighborhoods that have been historically under-resourced, so there is a focus on addressing disparities to access and facilities.”

The grants, which range from $6,750 to $250,000, are administered by the King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks, Parks and Recreation Division.

The program is funded and sustained through a 1 percent car-rental tax authorized by the Legislature in 1993. Funds can only be used for programs or capital projects that increase access to health-enhancing physical activities.

Formerly called the Youth Sports Facilities Grants, King County has awarded roughly $15 million in grants since the program’s inception in 1993, creating nearly 350 new or renovated youth sports facilities throughout the county.

In 2017, the King County Council restructured the program, providing Council-directed grants, as well as competitive grants, to non-profit organizations, local governments, and school districts. Funding is available for sports and recreation programs, as well as for capital improvement projects.

The local grants:

Highline Public Schools
Evergreen Turf Field
$250,000

****

The Salvation Army
Salvation Army White Center Gym
$41,000

White Center Youth Futsal
$20,168

****

White Center Community Development Association
Wolverine Boosters Summer Camp
$77,100

Whitewater Aquatics Management
Evergreen Pool (White Center)
$46,836

Thanks to the White Center Community Development Association for sending the info:

Friday, October 6th Evergreen High School is celebrating its 58th homecoming. Please join us for an evening of reminiscing as we support Evergreen HS Athletics! Alumni and community members are invited to participate in the following events:

HOMECOMING ASSEMBLY:
Friday, October 6 – 11:00am
Evergreen High School
(830 SW 116th St, Seattle, WA 98146)

EHS HOMECOMING FOOTBALL GAME
Tickets sold at the Gate- $6.00 Cash for adults
Friday, October 6 – 7:00 PM
Highline Memorial Stadium
400 S 156th St, Burien, WA 98148

5TH QUARTER – EVERGREEN WOLVERINE BOOSTER CLUB
Friday, October 6 – After the Homecoming Football Game*9:30PM
Azteca Mexican Restaurant
Address: 153 SW 157th St, Burien, WA 98166
There will be an opportunity to win amazing prizes like Evergreen SWAG and “White Center Night Out” date night package.

The photo and announcement are from the White Center-based Highline Bears:

On Wednesday, September 13, Highline Bears Manager Josh Evans signed a new contract through the 2018 summer season. Evans will be the Bears’ first two-year manager since the team’s inception in 2014.

“We’re excited to bring back Josh Evans for another season and I’m excited to see what he can do with a full off season to build his team. Last year we were late on getting a manager signed but now we’re hitting the ground running,” explained General Manager Justin Moser. The Bears have already started the recruiting process, attending fall practices for local colleges and reaching out to programs in hopes of finding top talent for their 2018 summer season.

The Bears got off to a rocky start, struggling to put up runs against opponents in early June. But in the second half of the season under the leadership of Evans the Bears came out fighting in big games, taking 3 wins from the West Coast League, the premier summer college league on the west coast, and taking down the league champion Seattle Studs, as well as the Everett Merchants. “We start off slow every year, it was expected. We are a home for a lot of freshmen and red shirts who have very few at bats and innings pitched coming into the season. Our job as a summer collegiate team is to give these guys an opportunity to get better, and go back to their school in the fall ready to win a starting job. Most of the teams we play are older and much more experienced, which is great for our guys to compete against. The teams we are playing now are much more competitive than ever before. We played four or five guys who were drafted or signed to pro contracts this year,” said Moser.

“I’m excited to be resigning with the Bears for another season, and even more excited to have a full off season to recruit players. I’m just pumped!” exclaimed Evans, who is currently looking to sign two additional coaches for next year. “We’re looking for a first base coach and bullpen coach. Guys who can help with throwing B.P. (batting practice) and hit fungos. I’m just really excited to be a part of building this organization, and can’t wait to see what we can do.”

“It’s going to be a great season for us next year, we’re starting at the right time and getting things rolling on and off the field. Steven Finch is going to move full time into a front office role, helping me with marketing and running the business, and we’re going to let Evans run the baseball side of things.” Moser explained that the team will be adding more home games to their schedule in hopes of having 25 games, along with promotional nights and lots of fun and exciting events for kids.

The Bears are currently looking for businesses to partner with for the 2018 season and anyone interested in partnering can contact General Manager Justin Moser at Info@HighlineBears.com. Anyone interested in playing for the Bears can contact Manager Josh Evans at Josh@HighlineBears.com.

The only rowing club in our area invites you to its second annual Dieter Hotz Cup Regatta on Saturday:

The Duwamish Rowing Club invites you to a fun free event this Saturday, July 15th, in Duwamish Waterway Park (S Elmgrove St. and 10th Ave S). Duwamish Rowing Club is hosting a regatta with races between local rowing clubs between 8 am and 12 pm. There will also be a free community breakfast. This event is a great opportunity to learn more about rowing and recreational activities on the Duwamish River.

The regatta will also be a kickoff for the free Learn-to-Row classes hosted by Duwamish Rowing Club on Saturdays in August and September. There is more information available on our website at www.duwamishrowingclub.org or contact us at duwamishrowingclub@gmail.com. Se habla Español. These programs are funded by the Seattle Parks District Recreation for All Initiative.

The Duwamish Rowing Club is a nonprofit organization with the mission of brining the sport of rowing to the residents of South Park, Georgetown, White Center, and surrounding neighborhoods, and to offer recreational access to the Duwamish River that is affordable for everyone.

(WCN video and photos by Patrick Sand)

Perfect setting for this year’s White Center 5K, a sunny Saturday morning. Organizers told us at least 370 people were signed up, between preregistration and same-day signups. This year’s theme was again a celebration of superheroes, and many costumed participants joined in:

We also caught some of the runners passing by the north side of White Center Heights Elementary:

As noted here, proceeds benefit three White Center nonprofits. According to the results posted online, first finisher was 27-year-old Samuel Bradley-Kelly, just under 17:57 … first female finisher was 48-year-old Jen Hiner, just under 24:05.

Early Olympic fever swept through the Southwest Boys and Girls Club in Greenbridge this afternoon, as the club welcomed some special visitors:

Members of the USA Women’s Olympic Rugby team are training in the Seattle area before heading to Rio, and they took a side trip today to White Center to meet local kids and run through some basic rugby skills with them – passing, kicking, and formations.

With them, head coach Richie Walker.

The team will make history because rugby will be an Olympic sport this year for the first time in almost a century.

According to the USA Rugby website, the women will compete August 6th through 8th.