A10 FRIDAY August 16, 2019 Summer Sports SeasideSignal.com ‘RUN TO BREAK THE CHAIN’ AIMS TO CURB TRAFFICKING By EVE MARX For Seaside Signal On Saturday, Aug. 17, at 8 a.m., the registration table opens for “Run to Break the Chain” a 5K run on the Prom in Seaside. The race starts at 9 a.m., the route beginning at 12th Avenue and the Prom, continuing south on the Prom to Avenue U. Runners will head east on Avenue U to Downing Street, where they will turn around and head west back to the Prom, following the Prom north back to 12th Avenue and the fi nish line. The cost is $30 … and you get a tee shirt. “We’re really excited about the run,” said Skyler Archibald, Executive Director of the Sun- set Empire Park and Recre- ation District. “It’s our second year working with Shannon Symonds and the awesome volunteers from Operation Underground Railroad. It’s an amazing cause.” The partnership to bring funds to a well-deserved program and give people an opportunity to run the beautiful Prom of our commu- nity is a win-win, he said, with about 40 participants in the 2018 run. Proceeds from the run benefi t Sunset Empire Park and Recreation District and Operation Underground Railroad (http://ourrescue.org), whose mission is to end human traffi cking. Human traffi cking may not be readily apparent as a problem in Seaside, but it is a national issue that can’t be ignored. “We are a tourist area with many hotels,” Symonds said. “People come in and out. When you raise your awareness, you can be those eyes and ears on the ground and contact police.” Symonds said this is the second time the race is being run. “It’s one of the few races done on the Prom,” she said. Operation Underground Railroad works here and throughout Oregon. Working with Seaside Park and Recreation helps fund youth activities that keeps them in safer places. Organizers and participants in the 2018 Run to Break the Chain in Seaside. Symonds has been a volunteer with Operation Underground Railroad for about two years and writes their monthly newsletter. Operation Underground Railroad has been in exis- tence for fi ve years and has rescued 2,603 victims and assisted in the arrest of more than 1,365 traffi ckers around the world. The organization has been profi led on nationwide media. Grace Lee, Recreation Manager with Seaside Park and Recreation, said, “When Shannon fi rst approached us with this run, we were very interested,” Lee said. “Obviously, human traffi cking is tragic; our job as a community is to do what we can.” Lee said providing community events and offer- ing healthy activities can help keep potential traffi ck- ing victims feel connected and lead healthy lives. “It’s wonderful when our missions converge.” For more information, check the Facebook page “Run to Break the Chain” for more details. Meanwhile, dust off those running shoes, and on Aug. 17, hit the Prom. Family participates in the 2018 Seaside Run to Break the Chain. Highlights from 2019 Seaside Beach Volleyball The view from the off icial’s stand Seaside Signal By R.J. MARX Seaside Signal Thousands came to Seaside last weekend to participate and enjoy the Seaside Beach Volleyball Tournament. Katie Spieler and Del- aney Knudsen took first place in the women’s vol- leyball finals Saturday. Julia Scoles and Carly Kan took second place. Molly Turner and Brittany Tiegs took third place honors. Bill Kolinske and Mike Evans defeated Adam Roberts and Andy Benesh for the championship. Lev Priima and Jake Landel took third place. Jeff Ter Har Adam Roberts goes to the net in the men’s volleyball fi nal. Along with Seaside Beach Volleyball Head Off icial John Rich, Greg Clark is the man who makes the call: Is the ball in or out? Did it touch the line? Was it a carry or a hold? We spoke with Clark on the beach before Saturday’s matches began. Q: Can you tell me a little about your role?” Clark: For myself person- ally, I got started about five years ago and started work- ing my way up the ranks, I got national certification which made me eligible me to work AVP events. Q: Do you travel frequently? Clark: I pretty much stay in the Pacific Northwest, because I’m new around the tour. John (King) travels around quite a bit. Q: Is it a full-time job? Clark: It’s a side job. Q: Where do you live? Clark: I live in Vancouver, R.J. Marx Offi cial Greg Clark with tournament co-director Deng Thepharat. Washington. Q: What will you look for- ward today? Clark: It’s a pretty straight- forward event. We’ve got a lot of those guys on tour or work- ing to get into the tour. We’re expecting some good play through all of it. It’s been a really good tournament so far, and we’re expecting that to continue. Q: Volleyball is known for its sportsmanship. Do you find that here in Seaside? Clark: Especially on the beach, volleyball is really an honorable game. You get a lot of honor calls, where peo- ple say, ‘I touched the ball.’ I did something. A lot of times on the beach, you don’t have off icials, so it’s up to players to police themselves. Yesterday we had a play right near the net. I was the down off icial. I thought I had seen it touch, but I wasn’t 100% sure — and the guy goes, ‘it was me.’ They know. Q: It’s unlike any other sport. Clark: True. And it goes both ways. They know that if they do it, they’re going to get it back. Q: How is the quality of play? Clark: We have some of the great up-and-coming players. We have some guys playing Day One, maybe Day Two, playing in some of the major events. They come here because it’s a great tourna- ment, it’s a grassroots tourna- ment and a way to get moving on to get their AVP points. It’s a win-win for them. Jeff Ter Har Picture perfect weather greeted the 2019 Seaside Beach Volleyball event.