Sports & Recreation

Pools & community centers closed for furlough Friday

Submitted by KOMO Staff on Thursday, March 11th, 04:40pm

Oh no, it's a furlough! Seattle's pools, community centers, and neighborhood service centers are closed Friday, March 12.

City of Seattle employees are taking 10 days off without pay in 2010 to help fill the budget gap.

These facilities and services are closed on Friday, March 12:

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Blood, sweat, but no tears in roller derby

Submitted by Amy Roe on Wednesday, March 3rd, 05:27pm

She calls herself “Clobberin’ Mame,” but Carmin Thomas insists she’s a softy.

“Everybody will tell you I cry at the drop of a hat,” she said.

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The need for tweed

Submitted by Ballard Gal on Thursday, February 11th, 06:32pm

All you "missing link" Ballard bike-commuters in your yellow rain gear, please, for the love of Campy, mix up your kit.

Take inspiration from members of the London-based Tweed Cycle Club, who ride for style, not speed. They eschew Lycra, spandex, and other modern “technical fabrics” for glen plaid caps and herringbone knickers, and adjust their pace accordingly. No need for “wicking,” if you don’t break a sweat.

This type of sartorial cycling is gaining momentum. When it spins over to Capitol Hill soon, you should be there. Kindly mark Feb. 21, noonish, on your schedule.

A friend in tweed is a friend, indeed.

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Backside Bow ties yoga to outdoor sports

Submitted by Amy Roe on Thursday, February 11th, 06:07pm

In a sublet space above King’s Hardware and Rudy’s, Danielle Harvey is working things out.

Backside Bow, her Ballard Avenue yoga studio, opens March 1. It’s just part of Harvey's dream to create community among climbers, skiers, surfers, and other outdoor athletes.

“If somebody wanted to learn how to do something, they could come to yoga class and, that weekend, take lessons.”

But insurance costs kept Harvey, who is 23 and has practiced yoga for seven years, from offering such excursions. She hopes her students will network among themselves.

As yogis know, to get outside, sometimes you must go inside.

Take breathing. “I think a lot of people underestimate breathing,” and what it can do for sports performance, she said.

Inhaling can help expand your body, allowing climbers to do a “big grab,” she said.

“Exhaling, you get smaller, and your muscles release, and you can go further into the stretch.”

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The road to a better Ship Canal trail

Submitted by KOMO Staff on Monday, February 1st, 04:53pm

If you run or bike W. Ewing (paralleling Nickerson) near the Ballard Bridge, you know the Ship Canal "trail" all but disappears and things feel kind of industrial and sketchy.

The gap is about to be closed. SDOT began work Monday on the extension of the multi-use trail along the south side of the Ship Canal from 6th Avenue West to 11th Avenue West.

Work includes paving the trail, clearing, removing railroad ties and rails, installing several low retaining walls, and installing chain link fence and wheel stops. (Is it too much to ask for some nighttime lighting, pretty please?)

The work should be completed by Mid-march, pending weather conditions, and is not expected to have an impact on public use.

Once the entire Ship Canal Trail is completed, tentatively scheduled for late this year, it will be possible to bicycle from Redmond to downtown Seattle almost entirely on dedicated bicycle facilities.

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See designs for the new park

Submitted by KOMO Staff on Thursday, January 21st, 01:39pm

Want to see designs for Ballard's newest park?

Next Thursday, Jan 28, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.,
Seattle Parks and Recreation will host the third and final public meeting on the new 9th Avenue NW Park development.

The meeting will be at Whittier Elementary School, 1320 NW 75th St.

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Ballard girls need coaches

Submitted by KOMO Staff on Thursday, January 14th, 06:22pm

Girls on the Run, an after-school self-esteem program for girls in grades 4-6, needs volunteers for coaches and assistant coaches for its programs at Seattle schools, including Loyal Heights Elementary and Greenwood Elementary.

The twice-weekly program, offered on a sliding-scale fee, follows a curriculum that covers issues like body image and smart decision-making for pre-teen girls combined with running, and culminates in a noncompetitive 5k fun run, as shown in the above Little Heroes video.

You can sign up to volunteer online,see the contact information below, or call 528-2118.

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Seeking superheroes for Saturday event

Submitted by Amy Roe on Tuesday, December 8th, 05:49pm

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's The Girls on the Run 5k Saturday!

GOTR is an after-school self-esteem program for girls in grades 3-5 that operates at Coe and John Hay Elementaries in Queen Anne; Greenwood Elementary; and Loyal Heights in Ballard, among others.

The 5k, which takes place at 10 a.m. Saturday at Seward Park, is the crowning achievement for the girls in the program as well as its main fundraiser. This superhero-themed event is so much fun that I became a volunteer.

Wear a cape. Bring your girlfriends, spouses, dogs, kids, strollers, and skip, walk, run or strut to the finish line. You'll be fueled by tasty treats and lots of girl power at this noncompetitive run, where every entrant gets the same race number: #1!

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Are you faster than a Republican "going rogue?"

Submitted by Amy Roe on Thursday, November 26th, 03:34pm

Lots of people took part in turkey trot races today, including former vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin, who entered a 5k Turkey Trot in Richland, Wa. this morning.

Are you faster than the rogue-going Republican? Hard to tell, since Palin left the course before finishing to avoid the crowds, the Tri-City Herald reports.

For comparison, you'll have to flashback to 2005, when Palin ran a 10k in 49:01, a 7:53 pace. And as she revealed in this Runner’s World Q&A , her marathon PR is 3:59, which makes her a moving target for some partisan participants.

Hollywood liberal Ed Norton recently made good on his pledge to beat Palin's time at the NYC marathon.

Norton ran a 3:48, for those keeping score at home. How did you race go? Tell us about it in the comments.

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Video: Down n' dirty at the Ballard Locks

Submitted by KOMO Staff on Tuesday, November 17th, 02:17pm

The Army Corps. of Engineers has closed one of the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks for maintenance-- scrubbing off barnacles and such-- and they invited us down there to check it out.

It's no place for claustrophobes, but fortunately KOMO photographer John Laarsgard is pretty much fearless.

The large lock will remain closed until 5 p.m. Nov. 25. The small lock is open for boats.