Image provided by: West Linn High School; West Linn, OR
About The amplifier. (West Linn, Oregon) 1921-current | View Entire Issue (May 1, 2007)
<^07 Sports 15 Super sets school javelin record, claims State title J on H elmkamp co-Sports Editor Ali Super, junior, w ho has been throw ing javelin since seventh grade continues to add to her illustrious high school track career w ith a new personal best, school record and State-w inning throw of 154' 5" set on M ay 17 at the State m eet in Eugene. Super also claim ed the D istrict title on M ay 10 w ith a throw of 137' 4." Last year, Super proved she deserves to be a nam e that everyone know s, entering into the w inners circle w ith the Javelin State title in the 4A division as a sophom ore, and this year she repeated the feat, claim ing the 6A State tile. Super w on this year's State title w ith second place falling 17' 7" behind her. "W inning the State title w as really exciting," Super said. Com ing off of last year's success, she set her goal: both, breaking the school record by alm ost four feet. . Her interest in throwing javelin started in seventh grade. G ary Reddaway, a javelin coach for W LH S, is a close friend of Super's dad, Scott. Reddaw ay began coaching Super in addition to her regular track practices, giving her an incredible leg up on the com petition. "Reddaw ay Ali Super, junior, follows through on a javelin has been one throw during a meet at home against Oregon City. of the best Super won the State title for a and set a school coaches I've record with a throw of 154'5". ever had. His Photo by Malia Chong help has been throw ing over the 150' m ark really im portant to m y and setting a new school im provem ent," Super said, record. She accom plished Super feels that some people don't understand how challenging throwing javelin is. "I think there's a lot more technique than a lot of people see," Super said. Because of her talent in javelin, she has received letters of interest from various colleges. "Tve gotten letters from a lot of colleges like Princeton, N otre Dam e, N orth Carolina and the Air Force Academy. I really w ant to go to the Air Force Academy," Super said. H er goals for javelin go beyond com peting in high school, she also dream s of m aking the O lym pic trials. "I doubt I'll m ake it that far," Super said. Girls 1 tennis finishes strong D anielle L evine Staff Reporter Finishing off the season strong with a 13-1 record, the Girls' Tennis Team finished second in league behind a Lake Oswego team that is favored to win State. They placed second at Districts, held May 10,11 at the Portland Tennis Center. Danika Tonning, sophomore, placed second in singles; Kellie Kawasaki, sophomore, team of Haley Graham, junior, and Victoria Bechtold, senior, also reached the semifinals of doubles consolation. At the State tournament which was held May 17-19, Tonning competed against Sprague's top singles player in the first round lost but came back in the consolation finals, beating Marina Todd of South Medford 6-3. In doubles, the team of Kawasaki and Smith defeated a young McMinnville Boys' Varsity Tennis sends members to State C hris G arfield Staff Reporter The Boys Varsity Tennis Team returned to top form after struggling during its non-conference matches. The team posted victories over Rex Putnam, Clackamas and rival Lakeridge Pacers. The wins ^ moved them to second prcrce overall in the Three Rivers League. The biggest of these wins came against undefeated Lakeridge. Strong performances from singles players led to an early lead for West Linn. At first singles, Christopher Erbin, sophomore, won 6-1, 7-5 and Miles Rifkin, sophomore, at second singles matched the result with a 6-4, 6-3 victory. At fourth singles, Anthony Bonduce, senior, led 5-0 before his opponent was forced to quit. Strong performances in singles put West Linn ahead 3-1, only needing its doubles teams win to gain the victory. At first doubles, Brett Wright, sophomore, and Kevin Kirkemo, senior, competed well but fell (5)6-7, 6-4, 6-2. The team of Samuel Chipperfield and Kyle Wickert, seniors, also won a set but lost the match. With the overall match score tied at 3-3, third doubles team of Sam Tingey and Ryan Beam, sophomores, and fourth doubles team of Brian Fuchs, senior, and Nick Russel, junior, came away straight set wins to give the match to the Lions, 5-3. The win against Lakeridge came at an ideal time as the Lions had also defeated Rex Putnam 8-0 and Clackamas 5-3. At third singles, Colin Bundy, junior, beat his Putnam opponent 6-2, 6-1, while the third doubles team of Beam and Tingey, topped Clackamas The team also competed in the Jesuit Tournament, the biggest of the year outside of State. The Lions took seventh beating out Lakeridge. Rifkin posted the best result for the team, finishing fourth in the second singles bracket. The fourth doubles team of Fuchs and Russel, along with third singles player Bundy, won as well, before having trouble in the later rounds of the tournament. The Lions continued its success tying a Barlow team that beat them a year ago. Just a day later, the team recorded a 6-2 win over Clackamas to get second place overall in the TRL. The Lions finished the season at Districts at Portland Tennis Center. The top doubles teams entered with high standards as Kirkemo/Wright received the number five seed, while Erbin/Rifkin were the top seed overall. Erbin and Rifkin qualified for State on their way to their second district title with a 6-3,6-3 victory over the fourth seed. The team of Kirkemo/ Wright fell one match short of qualifying for State, losing 6-4, 6- 2 to the third seed from Lake Oswego. In singles, Tingey and Bonaduce posted the best results. Tingey came within one win of State, losing to the top seed. Bonaduce lost a tough first match, but went on to win the consolation bracket. At State, Erbin and Rifkin held their seeding and reached the championships. They defeated teams from Lincoln, 7- 6(4), 6-1 and North Medford 6-2,6-1. In the semifinals they defeated the Metro league champions from Westview 6-2, 6-1. They fell in the finals 6-3, 6-3 to the number one seed from North Medford. As a team, the Lions finished fifth in State, improving two spots from last year. Rifkin and Erbin also earned places on the First All- State Team. "Were a very young team and the most exciting thing (this season) was the way they matured and how seniors helped develop the younger kids," Ward Lewis, head coach, said. Alexandra Smith, junior, winds up to serve in a match against Milwaukie on May 3. Smith went on to advance to State in doubles. Photo by Colton Reyes and Alexandra Smith, junior, placed second in doubles; Christiana Cha and Kaitlan Locke, seniors placed third in doubles. Lisa Kirkemo, freshman, and Katelyn Beck, sophomore, were the only JV members that went to Districts. Beck, despite losing her first round match to Tonning, advanced deep into the consolation draw reaching the semifinals. The doubles Coaches name next year's Dance Team captains K aitlyn R agan Staff Reporter D a n ce Team tr y -o u ts are usually nerve-racking with skills being tested and w atched and critiqued by coaches. However, try-outs can be really fun too, especial ly for returning members. "I love try-outs! It's fun to m eet our new possible teammates and finally dance again after a few months off," Mindy Orolin, junior, said. The Dance Team season begins in Septem ber and team m em bers dance and condition at a studio during the summer. The try-outs took place May 7,9, and 11. Routines were performed in small groups on the final day in front of the coaches and various guest judges. Close to 60 girls came to tried out and 35 made the team. Captains for next year will be Tami Horton, junior, Laura McKinley junior, Mindy Orolin junior, Kaitlyn Ragan junior, Courtney Sunderland, junior and Katie Warmack, junior. Since there is only one dance team at W LH S, all grades, including incom ing fresh man, try out. The graduating seniors help lead warm ups and across-the-floors. "It can be intimidating but it's worth it. The returning members usually work hard to make sure everyone feels comfortable and confident," Rachel Tennis, sophomore, said. 'T am really excited to be a senior next year. This year we were so successful and I know next year is going to be even better," Katie Warmack, junior, said. team, and later took on Cougill and Remmers, from Lake Oswego. Cha and Locke matched up against Sprague's top doubles team and lost. As a team, the girls finished fifth overall in State. "This season was an absolute success and one of the best in West Linn history. This was a great group of ladies and they played very well together. They were very fun to coach and they were very competitive. Our seniors Kaitlan (Locke), Christiana (Cha), Susan (Zack) and Victoria (Bechtold) displayed great leadership and will be sorely missed," Aaron Downs, coach, said. Downs, will be coaching summer tennis with the help of Nikki Stroup, coach. They hope to help improve the girl's game while enjoying themselves at the same time. "I'm very excited to be working with the tennis team this summer! They are such a great group of girls, and watching them play and improve each week is amazing," Stroup said.
