Port Angeles’ Nicholls receives Grandmaster upgrade
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Grandmaster Robert Nicholls, owner of White Crane Martial Arts in Port Angeles, spent a week training and testing black belt candidates in Colorado Springs earlier this month at the CHS Traditional Martial Arts school.
When Nicholls returned to Port Angeles, he found that his Grandmaster upgrade had arrived during his trip. Already a certified Grandmaster with four different international organizations for years, this was still a major achievement because the Kukkiwon is the only Taekwondo Association recognized by the Olympic Committee, and it is the hardest license in the world to get.
Nicholls, the only taekwondo competitor in the United States to win medals at the national championships in five different decades, is now one of just a handful of Americans to be ranked as Grandmaster with this prestigious group.
Queen of Angels hoops
PORT ANGELES — The Queen of Angles middle school girls basketball varsity and JV teams faced their Quilcene and Clallam Bay counterparts on the road last week.
■ Varsity: Queen of 48, Quilcene 8:
Queen of Angels ran out to a 17-2 lead by the end of the first period, keeping Quilcene away from the basket with a tough man defense.
Bella Money scored 13 points, mostly under the basket, for Queen of Angels in the Feb. 17 game, while Anna Petty added 11 on fast breaks. Margaret Ruddell and Kynzie DeLeon each added eight points.
■ JV: Queen of Angels 30, Quilcene 10:
Queen of Angels started slow, but used a 20-point second quarter to pull away.
Katelynn Glass led all scored with 14 points. She also had a handful of steals. NaTasha Zavodny chipped in six points, and Lica Kennedy and Taylor Rixon added four points apiece.
■ Varsity: Clallam Bay 37, Queen of Angels 28:
Clallam Bay earned a hard-fought win over Queen of Angels on Thursday, Feb. 18.
Queen of Angels was led by 12 points from Bella Money and six by Kynzie DeLeon.
Anna Petty and Bridget Catterson played tough defense as Queen of Angeles played the Bruins fairly even the second half after falling behind 20-13 at halftime.
■ JV: Queen of Angels 7, Clallam Bay 6:
Clallam Bay did not have enough players to for a full JV team, but agreed to play one 10-minute quarter.
NaTasha Zavodny, Kira Commerton and Sara Hopf each scored two points for Queen of Angels. The winning basket came off a nice assist by Commerton to Hopf.
Queen of Angels plays its first home game against Quilcene today.
Port Angeles boys golf starting soon
PORT ANGELES — The high school boys and golf seasons are starting soon.
Gil Stockton, who has coached the Port Angeles boys tennis teams the past two seasons, is taking over the Roughriders boys golf program after the retirement of longtime coach Mark Mitrovich last year.
Stockton said those interested in trying out for the team should meet at Peninsula Golf Club on Monday at 3:30 p.m.
New clinic date set
SEQUIM — A new date has been set for the baseball and softball coaching clinic that was originally scheduled for earlier this week.
The clinic will be held Monday, March 7, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Community School gymnasium located at 503 N. Sequim Ave.
“I understand that the season will already be underway and it will be hard to rearrange your schedules to attend,” John Qualls, clinic organizer and owner of 360 Sports Performance Training, said in an email.
“However, I promise you all that the content in which will be delivered to you as coaches will benefit our youth athletes immensely.”
Instructors at the clinic include former Major League Baseball utility player Brent Lillibridge; Pierce Rankin, a former University of Washington catcher who spent time in the minor leagues; Stephen Bougher, who pitched in the Independent League in 2015; Danielle Lawrie, a Washington Hall of Famer and Olympian; and Ashley Charters, a former Huskies softball star and member of Team USA.
Qualls is seeking to collect a preliminary count of coaches who will attend. Contact him at
360-461-0482.
Dinius takes 45th
LOS ANGELES — Sequim High School Stephanie Dinius missed qualifying for the Olympics by placing 45th at the U.S. Olympic trials marathon earlier this month.
Dinius finished the Feb. 13 race in 2 hours, 46 minutes, 26 seconds.
The fastest three out of 149 runners at the marathon trials earned spots at this summer’s Olympic Games in Rio de Janiero.
The three who secured spots on the U.S. team were Amy Cragg (2:28:20), Desiree Linden (2:28:54) and Shalane Flanagan (2:29:19).