Vancouver wrestlers Tommy Strassenberg and Damon Thomas were among the champions at the Washington State Wrestling Association Whirlwind Folkstyle State Tournament.
The youth wrestling tournament was held on Feb. 17 at the Tacoma Dome.
Strassenberg went 5-0 to win the cadet age division (born in 1997-98) 126-pound tournament. He wrestles for Southwest Washington Wrestling Club.
Damon Thomas won all four of his matches in the 128-pound weight class in the schoolboy age group (born in 1999-2000). In the semifinals he defeated Kione Gill, who has won national tournaments. Thomas is an eighth-grader at Cascade Middle School and wrestles for Askeo International Mat Club, which trains at Evergreen High School.
Also, 6-year-old Marcos Corrales of Columbia River Braves wrestling won the 54-pound pee-wee division.
Local cyclist wins Vancouver time trial
Colby Wait-Molyneux, 19, of Vancouver won the elite men’s race on Sunday at the Jack Frost Time Trial. The first race of the Oregon Bicycle Racing Association 2013 road racing season took place at Vancouver Lake Park.
Wait-Molyneux, who competed internationally as a junior cyclist, set a personal-record over the 12-mile course by finishing in 25 minutes, 10.27 seconds. He won the race by more than a minute, and improved upon the 25:12 he recorded on the course in 2004.
This was the third year in a row Wait-Molyneux won the Jack Frost Time Trial. He is racing in 2013 for the Seattle-based Hagens Berman Cycling Team sponsored by Jamis bicycles.
Rowers compete at UP indoor meet
Corinna Niebur of Vancouver Lake Crew won the high school girls competition during the Tough Love Indoor Rowing Races, held on Feb. 17 at the University of Portland. It was the second consecutive year Niebur won the competition.
Both high school and masters rowers from Vancouver Lake Crew took part in the event. Donn Venema of VLC won the men’s over-60 division.
Other top finishers included Gabi McClure (second in girls coxswain race), Oscar Golberg (third among high school boys), Zoe Hill (third among high school girls), and Karissa Hampson (fourth in lightweight division).
Among adult rowers, Greg Borchers was third among men older than 50, and Ken Yamasaki placed fifth in the men’s masters lightweight division. Leah Davidson placed third among women older than 50.
Young swimmers win state championships
Andrew Chang of the Columbia River Swim Team won two state titles at the 11-14 age group Oregon Swimming Championships, held Thursday through Sunday in Corvallis. Chang won the 400-yard individual medley for 13-year-old boys with a time of 4 minutes, 27.08 seconds. He won the 1,000-yard freestyle in 10:35.78.
The previous weekend, Justin Xue of Columbia River Swim Team won the 25-yard breaststroke with a time of 19.15 seconds at the 10-and-younger Oregon Swimming Championships in Springfield.
High school rugby teams gearing up
High school rugby teams are gearing up for the 2013 season with preseason tournaments in advance of March 9 season openers.
The Prairie Wolf Pack beat teams from Pendleton and Bend, and tied with Wenatchee High School, at a preseason tournament in Pendleton over the weekend.
The Battle Ground Bulls lost 14-10 on Saturday in a preseason match against the defending Oregon Youth Rugby varsity division champion Reynolds Raiders. Trevor Ingram scored a try, and Quinten Martinez kicked a conversion and a penalty kick from 35 meters for the Bulls’ points.
New this year, high school teams in Oregon Youth Rugby’s Varsity Premiership must represent only one high school. Battle Ground and Prairie are the two schools in that division.
The former Camas team is now a Clark County entry in the Club Championship league for teams of players from multiple high schools.
Battle Ground has the only Clark County team in the 2013 Oregon Youth Rugby girls league.
Equestrian teams compete in Spanaway
High school equestrian teams from Prairie, Ridgefield and Battle Ground participated in the second meet of their season over the weekend in Spanaway.
Event winners for Prairie were Kendall Pedigo (working rancher and over fences), Lacey Ailshie (breakaway and steer daubing), Alex Barber (showmanship), Paige Rinta (stock seat) and the Falcons’ drill team.
Event winners for Ridgefield were Amy McDonald (reining), Courtney Erickson (saddleseat) and the working fours team of McKenzie Derheim, Brooke Killinger, Brianna LaRoy and Erickson.
See the Community Sports Scoreboard for a list of top-10 finishers from Prairie and Ridgefield. Complete Battle Ground results were not available for publication. They will be published in the Community Sports Scoreboard when they are available.
Miracle League holds baseball sign-up event
The Miracle League of Vancouver, Wash., will hold a registration opportunity from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday at the Cascade Park Burgerville restaurant at 11704 S.E. Mill Plain Blvd.
Miracle League provides baseball for youths and young adults with special needs.
The spring season begins in April, with the first of eight weekly games scheduled for April 13. Teams have one practice and one game each week.
Cost for the eight-week program is $35.
This league was founded as Columbia River Miracle League and recently changed its name.
To learn more about the program, or about how to register, contact league president Ralph Heiser at 360-980-6898.
Fort Vancouver runs set for March 3
Runners can choose among three distances during the fifth edition of the Fred Meyer Fort Vancouver Run on Sunday in Vancouver.
The races start and end at the Fred Meyer Grand Central shopping center. The 15-kilometer run starts at 8:15 a.m. The 10-kilometer and 6-kilometer races will start at 8:45 a.m. Races will end by 10:30 a.m. Short runs for kids ages 3-6 and 7-12 will happen at 10:45 a.m.
Cost is $50 for the 15K race, $43 for the 10K and 6K races.
Day-of-race registration begins at 7 a.m. Participants can register and pick up their race packets on Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., at Fit Right NW at 700 S.E. 160th Ave., Ste. 111 in Vancouver.
A portion of the proceeds supports the Fort Vancouver National Trust. Race organizer Brian Davis said on Monday that he anticipates close to 1,000 participants, including about 100 kids.
Runners will primarily use bike lanes and sidewalks, but several intersections will be monitored by flaggers for safety: Columbia House and Grand Boulevard, Columbia House at Columbia Way, Columbia Way at Marine Park, the land bridge entrance on Columbia Way, and East 5th and Reserve streets.
VTC youth tennis results posted
The Vancouver Tennis Center hosted its Boys and Girls Winter Champs Tournament Feb. 15-18, with singles and doubles competitions for players 18 and younger. Results of all semifinal and final matches are in the Community Sports Scoreboard.
COMMUNITY SPORTS NEWS is published each Tuesday. Submit items by sending e-mail to paul.danzer@columbian.com, or call 360-735-4521.
