Redmond High graduate Steven Toyoji is a man on a mission for gold.
The 22-year-old University of Arizona senior will be traveling to China in early September to compete in track events of the Beijing Paralympics, a division of the Olympic Games reserved for the physically handicapped.
Twelve-year-old Laura Combs of Redmond has been ice skating for just two and a half years, and has already put together quite an impressive record.
When 45-year-old Paula Tomlinson was diagnosed with Stage III breast cancer in late 2003, the prognosis was not good.
Studies have shown that anywhere from one-third to one-half of Stage III diagnoses don’t survive.
Even facing the possibility that she may not live to see her 50th birthday, she was able to remain strong-willed and optimistic throughout the ordeal, as she knew her cancer could be beaten.
Mustang faithful that followed the excellent Redmond High girls’ basketball team in the early part of the decade may recall a flashy southpaw point guard with long braids and an undying tenacity on the court to get the job done.
Ashley Graham, who graduated in 2003, enjoyed one of the most stellar prep careers of any Redmond athlete in recent memory.
Anyone that has ever walked into their favorite restaurant or bar and been greeted on a first-name basis knows how great it feels to be part of a family.
Anyone that has ever walked into their favorite restaurant or bar and been greeted on a first-name basis knows how great it feels to be part of a family.
Many larger, national-chain gyms, however, operate by key card, where clients simply scan themselves into a system before beginning their workout. Very little interaction, with the gym staff is required, if at all, which may pose problems should an issue arise.
Eleven-year-old Priya Rastogi of Redmond has been skating for almost as long as she can remember.
Priya, and her sister Pooja, 8, trek up to the Marysville Skating Club several times a week to practice and train for figure roller skating competitions, the next of which will be the Roller Skating National Championships in Lincoln, Neb. later this month.
Some teams may hold car washes or make the rounds going door-to-door selling magazines, but the Redmond High School’s annual fund-raiser to help fund its travel-intensive basketball seasons goes back to their love of the game.
Last week, hundreds of campers from grades three to nine met at the Redmond High gym for the boys’ and girls’ basketball camps, hosted by the high school head coaches as well as numerous varsity players and alumni.
For senior citizens living at Emerald Heights, staying in shape has never been so much fun.
Most of the retirement community’s 400-plus residents have been working out regularly with fitness trainers in an assortment of classes to prepare for the annual Senior Fitness Games, a week-long event with different competitions scheduled each day.
It used to be that the only way to experience rock climbing was to drive out to the mountains, find a crag to conquer, and take your chances.
With the advent and recent popularity boom of “extreme sports,” however, indoor rock climbing on man-made walls has developed quite a following among athletes seeking a safe challenge.
Let’s admit it, unless you’re a fan of sticking soft spikes on to a pair of galoshes, summer is the best time to play golf in the Pacific Northwest. Golfers wait year-round for that precious two-month stretch from late June through August when clear blue skies, temperatures in the 80s and dry conditions abound.
Redmond, surprisingly, only has two public golf courses within its city limits. What the city may lack in quantity, however, is more than made up for in the quality of golf that can be found — if you can afford the greens fees.
Even before Redmond High soccer sensation John Fishbaugher set foot on the campus of Seattle University, he had already put together quite a resume.
While a Mustang, Fishbaugher was a two-time first-team all-4A Kingco selection and was also named the league’s MVP in 2004, his senior year. The talented midfielder also had the honor being named to the first-team all-state squad. He scored 15 goals and set the all-time assist record during his time at Redmond.
And that was just the beginning.
The road to the Class 4A state softball tournament was long and arduous for Redmond and particularly head coach Jackie Bloom, who took over the helm in 2006.
In her first season as coach, the team ran a perfect 16-0 record before losing a heartbreaking winner-to-state, loser-out game against Inglemoor, 2-0.
This year’s team also had its fair share of make-or-break moments, including three games during the 4A Kingco playoffs where Redmond’s season could have ended prematurely with a loss.
Twelve-year-old Brandon Burditt of the Redmond West Majors Phillies achieved one of the rarest feats in Little League baseball by pitching a perfect game last month against the Athletics.
Four years ago, The Bear Creek boys’ basketball team was in shambles.
The Grizzlies, in their 2004-2005 campaign, did not win a single league game and won only one other contest all season, which was on par with their previous years — the team only won a total of four games from 2001-2005.
Enter Scott Moe.
The Grizzlies, led by a strong core of seniors in guard Nate Castle and forwards Jimmy Rehfeld and Garrett Bensen, went undefeated in the 2B Sea-Tac League on the way to their first league crown and won 20 games for the first time.
At 6 feet and 165 pounds, Redmond senior Marcus Flynn is hardly the imposing type of pitcher that one would envision as the closer on a state-title contending baseball team.
What Flynn may lack in size, however, he more than makes up for with his guts, determination and a will to win at any cost. Flynn’s competitive fire on the diamond and on the hardwood was unmatched and that is why he is the Reporter’s Male Athlete of the Year.
Many star athletes relish being in the limelight and enjoy reminiscing on their own achievements.
