SPORTS
By Neil Macdonald

McGee shoots to state win
Blaine senior Nik McGee won the boys shot put with a toss of 55 feet, 3.25 inches at the 2A state track and field championships held May 23-25 at Cheney’s Woodward Field.
Borderite Becky Riddle, who is also a senior, was second in the girls shot with a distance of 39 feet, 9 inches and fourth in the girls discus with 128 feet. Kit Schumann, a sophomore and Blaine’s other state participant, finished 14th in the boy’s pole vault, clearing the bar at 10 feet, 6 inches.
McGee’s golden arch came on his first attempt of the day. Steilacoom’s Scott Banning placed second, his put of 54-8.75 falling 6.5 inches short of McGee’s throw.
McGee came into the state tournament as his district’s second seed. He had been winning consistently until May 17 when he ended second to Mike Allinson of Meridian, 55-3 to 53-11.
McGee exceeded his state-winning distance during practice with a 58-foot-plus put and had a toss of 55-4 at the Tisdale Invitational April 27 and a 56-3.5 at the NCC championships May 10. But the key is to plant the put out there further than any one else when it’s state time and that is exactly what McGee did. McGee was 7th at state in ’01 with a 49-1.
Riddle’s respectable put of 39-9 was a tad short of Kiona-Benton’s McKenzie Burgess’ winning throw of 42-5. It was a 2A meet record toss, surpassing the 40-8 mark set by Ilwaco’s Cathy Schmidt in 2000.
Riddle was 7th with a 35-1.5 put in the shot and 6th with a 116-8 throw in the discus at state in 2001. She won at district with a put of 41-2 and at the NCC championships with a 40-9. Riddle had winning discus distances of 132-11 at district, 130-9 at the NCC championships and 124-7 at the Tisdale Invite April 27. Her career best before the NCC toss of 130-9 was a 126-11 throw at Junior Olympic Nationals in July, 2001.
Schumann’s “athlete on a stick” efforts of late have seen him go from a 10-0 vault in a dual meet with Lynden Christian May 2 to a fifth-place 10-6 elevation at the NCC championships May 10 and to a second-place 11-0 levitation at District May 17.
Schumann, a sophomore, was one of 13 sophomores who made up only 8.4 percent of the field at state. This suggests that just making state before your junior year is something of significance. .

Borderite golfers win at state
Blaine’s Becky Riddle, Nik McGee and Kit Schumann will represent Blaine at the Class 2A State track and field championships on May 23-25 at Eastern Washington University in Cheney.
Riddle qualified by winning the girls discus and shot put at the 2A District 1 track and field championship meet at Sultan on May 17. Qualified? Perhaps, over-qualified would be a better bit of verbiage. Riddle sent the discus for a spin of 132 feet, 11 inches – 17 feet and a cloud of dust further the runner-up throw of 115-5 by Meridian’s Cassie Braaten. Becky put the shot 41 feet, 2 inches – 6 feet, 9 inches beyond the 34-5 toss by Nooksack Valley’s runner-up Porcia Jackson.
McGee finished second in the boys shot with a put of 53-11 and Kit Schumann was second in the boys pole vault with a height of 11-0.
Riddle is Blaine’s best bet for gold at State. The University of Utah recruit has the appropriate track record for optimism. She was 6th in the discus with a 116-8 throw and 7th in the shot with a 35-1.5 toss at State in 2001. Her 41-2 put at District this year would have won in 2001 and would have set a record for 2A State finals. Her discus distance would have placed her second at State in 2001.
McGee placed 7th in the shot with a 49-1 put at State in 2001. McGee has a good shot (pun intended) at placing in the top three or four at State. His 53-11 at District would have placed him 2nd at State in 2001 and in 2000. Schumann’s 11-foot vault would place him 12th at State in 2001.

Neil's Notes
Jorgensen finishes Sixth
Blaine’s Chris Jorgensen shot a two-over 76-70 – 146 to finish sixth and earn $275 in a Cascade Tour event at The Course at Newcastle in Spanaway on May 7-8. Tacoma’s Troy Kelly won the tourney with a 71-70 – 141.

Tough Open for Coston
Blaine’s Jeff Coston, Semiahmoo director of golf instruction and Washington Open defending champion, shot 69-73-75 – 217 to end in a tie for 21st place at this year’s Open on May 20-21-22 at the 6,652-yard (par 72) Meridian Valley Country Club course in Kent.
Coston was 11 back of Lakeview CC’s Bill Porter, who carded 66-69-71 – 206, to win. Semiahmoo’s Keith Henderson finished in a tie for 66th with 76-74-75 – 225.

Golf Tournaments
The 9th annual American Red Cross “Get on Course” tourney tees off on June 14 at Dakota Creek GC in Custer. Registration fee is $50. To register or for info, call 366-3131 or the American Red Cross at 733-3290.

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