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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (July 27, 2016)
Page 8 July 27, 2016 S PORTS Runner Wins Gold Jefferson senior achieves at state n adine e lhanafi The Olympics are just a couple of weeks away, but we don’t have to be an Olympian to demonstrate a commitment to something we love to do. Mason Williams, a 17-year-old who has autism is an excellent example of this. Williams is a senior at Jeffer- son High School in north Portland who enjoys playing video games, swimming, and most importantly – loves being on the track team. Less than two weeks ago, he went to Newberg to compete in the Special Olympics Summer State Games. Although it was his first time competing, Williams successfully completed and won the 100 meter dash, 200 meter dash, and 4×100 meter relay. Williams expressed that he enjoyed representing the autism community at state and winning, but what he really enjoyed was be- ing on a team, I met people from other teams and got really close to people. I made a lot of new friends,” he said. Although it was Williams’ first by Mason Williams, second from left, with his team members at the Special Olympics Summer State Games. time going to state, he’s no strang- er to running track. He has com- peted indoor against other teams on numerous occasions, and won first place! Whether it’s during season or off season, Williams spends his days in the weight room training. He is striving to be the best he can be. Williams expressed that the gold medals didn’t come easy, but that it was his determination that brought him the success. He expresses gratitude to one of his biggest supporters, his mom, who he said he appreciates “for coming to his meets even if C ontinued on P age 14 Inducted to Baseball Hall of Fame C annon ’ S r ib e xPreSS 5410 NE 33rd Ave, Portland, Or Call to Order: 503-288-3836 Open (Summer hours) Sun-Thurs: 11a-8p Fri-Sat: 11a- 10p Cannon’s, tasty food and friendly neighborhood atmosphere. (AP) – Ken Griffey Jr. was in- ducted Saturday into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Griffey, the first No. 1 draft pick to be selected for enshrinement, played 22 big-league seasons with the Mariners, Reds and White Sox and was selected on a record 99.32 percent of ballots cast, an affirma- tion of sorts for his clean perfor- mance during baseball’s so-called Steroids Era. A 13-time All-Star selection Ken Griffey Jr. and 10-time Gold Glove Award winner, Griffey hit 630 home runs, sixth all-time, and drove in 1,836 runs. Griffey also was the American League MVP in 1997, drove in at least 100 runs in eight seasons, and won seven Silver Slugger Awards. In the 1995 ALDS, he became just the second player in major league history to hit five home runs in a postseason series.
