Sports in 2009 combined amazing performances with some heartbreak and a few championships. Here are just a few of the big stories that appeared in the Kirkland Reporter.
January
Local World Cup and two-time Olympic downhill skier Scott Macartney injures his knee at the beginning of the year. The injury knocked him out of competitive racing for the second year in a row. Macartney, 31, suffered the injury after crashing in the Lauberhorn race at Switzerland. It was feared that the injury would cost him a chance at the Olympics but the Kirkland resident made it back in time to compete for the United States team.
The Juanita cheerleading team qualifies for the WIAA State Cheerleading Championship on Jan. 10. The team would finish third at state.
A Lake Washington boys basketball game is suspended Jan. 31 after an altercation between a Bothell player, a referee and the player’s father.
February
Kirkland resident Katie Meyer, 27, wins two Gold medals and a Bronze medal at the 2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games on Feb. 7-13 in Boise, Idaho. More than 3,000 athletes from 85 countries competed in seven different Olympic-type sports.
Juanita gymnastics’ duo Theresa Hoey and Natalie Dean earn top-40 finishes in all-around at the state gymnastics meet. Hoey finished 30th, with a score of 32.800. Dean placed 40th, with a score of 31.450.
Lake Washington’s Grant Haschak ends a stellar high school wrestling career by placing second at the state wrestling meet in the 215 weight class. The senior would be named an All-American in April. Juanita senior Jake Brown placed fourth at 119 pounds.
The Juanita boys basketball team falls to O’Dea 49-41 Feb. 24 in a Sea-King district game to end the Rebels’ season. Juanita (6-19) makes a surprising late-season run through league playoffs into the district playoffs.
March
The Lake Washington School District announces that Juanita High School’s swimming pool is on a budget-cutting shortlist as officials brace themselves for a projected $5 million cut in state funding. The pool would stay open after WAVE Aquatics agrees during the summer to take over the day-to-day operations.
The Lake Washington High School Boy’s Basketball Team is named the WIAA 4A State Academic Champions for winter 2008-2009.
The Lake Washington High School Dance Team travels to Yakima on March 28 and brings home the 4A State Championship.
April
Kylie Sparks dominates the Mount Si lineup, pitching a no-hitter while striking out 13 for the Rebels in a 9-0 win against Mount Si in Kirkland.
Sarah Nagashima, a 2006 Juanita High graduate and junior at the University of Arkansas, earns first-team All-American honors at the NCAA National Gymnastics Championships in Lincoln, Neb.
May
The Juanita girls softball team wins the league title by destroying Bellevue 14-0.
Sparks supplies all the fuel that the Rebels need as the team wins the district title to state. The senior pitches both games of a double header, throwing 15 innings and giving up just one run to win the title.
Lake Washington beat Newport 9-2 in the KingCo 4A championship game at Woodinville High School on May 14 to win the 4A KingCo title. The team lost in the second round of state.
The 7 Hills bike ride, presented by the Kirkland Interfaith Transitions in Housing, or KITH, brings 1,500 participants to the streets of Kirkland. Riders come from as far away as France.
Nearly 2,500 people take part in the fifth annual Kirkland Half Marathon on Mother’s Day. The event was presented by Kirkland business Everyday Athlete.
June
James Russell of Juanita finishes in fifth place at the 3A state championship tennis tournament, held at the Vancouver Tennis Complex.
The pool, in St. Edward State Park, reopened its doors June 6 after months of speculation about its future. West Coast Aquatics would shut the pool down again during the fall.
George Crowder is named the new Athletic Director for Lake Washington High School. Crowder was the softball coach at Eastlake High School for 15 years, culminating with a 4A state title last spring.
July
Kirkland’s Hans Struzyna is one of three University of Washington rowers selected to represent the United States in the 2009 Under 23 World Rowing Championships July 23-26 in Racice, Czech Republic.
August
Kirkland Criterium brings hundreds of bike riders to downtown streets.
Latin America wins the Softball World Series this year, which brought nearly 7,000 people to Kirkland and Everest Park. The host team from Redmond placed eighth overall.
September
The Juanita High School football team gets off to a good start with a 5-1 record but would lose four consecutive in-league games to finish out of playoff contention.
October
Rebel Tansey Lystad wins the 3A KingCo cross country meet Oct. 22. Lystad would go on to win the district title and take third at state. She would also qualify for national invitationals to finish the year.
November
The Juanita girls soccer team pulls huge upset by beating Sammamish 1-0 to win the 3A KingCo tournament. The Rebels finished the regular season in the middle of the pack with a 4-4-8 record.
The Juanita girls swim team finishes second at the state meet to Mercer Island by just 4.5 points. Juanita senior Emilie Kaufman wins swimmer of the meet honors. The Rebels would take first place in six different events.
