Attention all coaches and youth basketball players...

In conjunction with the WIAA 3A State Basketball Championships, the WIAA and the Seattle Storm are proud to partner and host both a Youth Basketball Clinic and a Basketball Coaches Clinic at the Tacoma Dome on Saturday, March 13.

Participation in the clinic includes one (1) First One's On Us ticket voucher which is good for up to four (4) complimentary tickets to a 2010 Storm game, as well as a 2 for 1 Coupon for entry into the WIAA/Dairy Farmers of Washington/Les Schwab Tires 3A State Basketball Championships following the clinic.

    * Youth Basketball Clinic
      When: 8:30-10 a.m.
      Who: Boys and Girls grades K-6
      *Please bring your own basketball
      
    * Coaches Basketball Clinic - featuring Jenny Boucek, the Seattle Storm's Director of Player Development and Scouting
      When: 8-10 a.m.
      Who: All youth and high school level coaches
      
    * 3A State Basketball Championships
      When:  Games at 11:30a, 1:30p, 3:30p, 7:00p, and 9:00p

Register here:
http://www.wnba.com/storm/jrstorm_clinic.html

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Tacoma, WA - Come join in the fun and celebrate the first day of spring with the Surfrider Foundation at the Great Place Paddle Race on Saturday, March 20th, 2010.  The South Sound and Capitol Chapters in partnership with Tacoma-Pierce County Sports Commission will host the first race at Tacoma’s Hyde Park.  Thanks also to Tacoma Metro Parks and the City of Tacoma.

This paddle race is a family friendly event with heats for all ages and abilities. The event's 4-mile course is open to standup paddlers, kayakers, and prone paddlers. There will also be a kids' heat that is a shortened half-mile distance.  Pending weather join in the afternoon fun with a wild and crazy inflatable vessel heat, think blowup orcas and various other pool floaties.  Do not forget your personal floatation device (PFD’s), as they are required to be with you while in the water. Youth must wear them.  We are also requiring wetsuits for all prone and stand-up paddlers due to the water temperature in March.  Visit www.surfrider.org/southsound and follow the links to the Great Place Paddle Race for more information.

There will be onsite vendors and don't forget all the yummy food along Ruston Way. This truly will be a spectator race as the course runs along the Ruston promenade.  Registration opens at 8:30AM under the Surfrider tent at Hyde Park.  Registration per division is $35 non-members, $25 for Surfrider members, and $15 for ages 15 years and younger.  This event benefits Surfrider Foundation's South Sound Chapter's Blue Water Task Force water quality lab and Capitol Organizing Committee's youth outreach projects. 

Blue Water Task Force (BWTF) is Surfrider Foundation’s water quality monitoring, education, and advocacy program.  BWTF is primarily a citizen science water-testing project, although we have partnered with various scientists and groups in Washington.  Surfrider has various labs created by the chapter network and volunteers.  In Washington we currently have four labs, the newest is in Tacoma at SAMI and run by the South Sound Chapter.  In Tacoma we will be testing in the marine waters along Ruston Way’s waterfront. We will be measuring for Enterococcus bacteria.  Enterococcus is a type of fecal bacteria that can indicate the presence of more dangerous microorganisms and viruses. 
About Surfrider Foundation

The Surfrider Foundation is a non-profit grassroots environmental organization dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of our world’s oceans, waves and beaches.  Now in its 25th year, the Surfrider Foundation has grown from a small group of dedicated surfers in Malibu, California to a global movement made up of over 50,000 members and 90 chapters worldwide. For more information visit us at http://www.surfrider.org.

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Congratulations to the Tacoma Rainiers and Cheney Stadium on the Tacoma City Council approved improvement bond. The $28 million dollar bond will go toward major improvements to Cheney Stadium and will help keep the Rainiers in Tacoma until 2041. Stadium improvements include replacing much of the grandstand, add a kids play area, increase the size of the dugouts, add restrooms, add new bullpens, and will add money-generating features such as suites and restaurants. Additional money was also donated by the Ben B. Cheney Foundation.

Read more about the Stadium improvements in the Tacoma News Tribune here:
http://www.thenewstribune.com/sports/rainiers/story/947034.html

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The Tacoma-Pierce County Sports Commission is proud to announce that the Triple Crown Sports Pacific Northwest Regional Qualifier will be hosted in Tacoma, Lakewood, and Puyallup on July 2nd-4th, 2010. This event will host teams from U9 to U18, with the U18’s will be playing wood bat. Each team is guaranteed a minimum of 4 games (weather permitting.) The top two teams in each division will be granted berths in Triple Crown’s Championship events (World Series, Summer Nationals, and Fall Nationals.)

Registration is currently open. If your club is interested in competing in this tournament, visit: http://www.triplecrownsports.com/tourny_detail.asp?tournyid=3685

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The Tacoma-Pierce County Sports Commission is proud to announce a new event to our community: The “Cross Clash” Cyclocross race, which will be held on Saturday, October 10th. The “Cross Clash” race will take place at Fort Steilacoom Park and is expected to attract a strong contingent of Oregonians to Lakewood.

The “Cross Clash” race is part of the MFG Cyclocross series and is the first stop of two that is being billed as the “Cross Clash” weekend. This "Cross Clash" weekend pits Oregon versus Washington athletes against each other in a Pacific Northwest cyclocross rivalry. Day two of the “Cross Clash” weekend will take place at Rainier High School in Rainer, Oregon on Sunday October 11th.

To learn more about this race, visit http://www.mfgcyclocross.com/series-information/cross-clash/.

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