East Valley Recreation: Valley teams good skates in pond hockey

After three days of “old school” pond hockey play at Dollar Lake, Eagle River, Wis., the third annual USA Hockey Pond Championship came to a close Feb. 18. The Phoenix Scorpions went up against six women’s teams and came home with the Silver Cup after a hard-fought loss in the title game.

In the men’s Gold division, the Shattuck Pioneers from Scottsdale brought home the first-place trophy.

More than 850 players — 142 adult recreational hockey teams from 22 states — braved below-freezing temperatures and snow to play hockey on 18 rinks in a tournament so popular this year that USA Hockey had to put 40 teams on a waiting list.

The championship featured teams of adults 21 years or older divided into eight no-check divisions. The tournament used a round-robin format, with each team guaranteed three games. Players registered and adhered to USA Hockey playing rules for each game, which included a two-minute warm-up period and two 15-minute halves.

The Scorpions went into the tournament with a very strong team but at the last minute lost their sixth player to a family emergency. But the women still went 3-2 and outscored their opponents 52-8.

“Our biggest challenge was trying to keep our feet warm,” Scorpions general manager Kristin Heffern said. “It was brutally cold. Before we could even start our game, two players from each team had to scrape the ice. No Zambonis on the pond.”

Before Sunday’s championship game, the Scorpions lost another player and the four remaining players had to play the entire game — at 11:30 p.m. — with no rest, no breaks and ... a blizzard.

After breaking out to a 4-1 lead by halftime, the Scorpions were overcome by the odds.
“Snow is coming down faster than anything ever experienced living in the Midwest,” Heffern said. “During the second half of play, no one can see the puck. It is no longer possible to pass the puck. The only way to move the puck is to lift it over the snow.”

The Chicago Flash, who had dealt the Scorpions their only loss in the tournament (10-5), rallied for a 6-4 victory.

Still not bad for four women from Arizona.

January Johnson, Sheri Jones, Kristin Heffern, Mary Schlatter and Erin Riley represented the Scorpions. Riley, their strongest player according to Heffern, was not able to play in the title game.

The Phoenix Scorpions’ next adventure is the USA Hockey Rocky Mountain District Championships March 7-9 at the Alltel Ice Den in Scottsdale, where they will attempt to qualify for nationals.

“There are 11 districts in the United States and we are one of the largest districts, with 11 states, but we expect to do well,” Heffern said. “With a roster of 25 strong, we hopefully will be at nationals (March 28-30) in West Chester, Pa.

ANOTHER STRONG OUTING

This past weekend, the Arizona State University men’s gymnastics team was in Oakland, Calif., for the Pacific Coast Classic, the largest NCAA gymnastics meet in the country. This year, there were more than 100 teams from 23 states.

In their four-team session, the Sun Devils finished second with 307.300 points behind a very strong University of Iowa (336.700) team that is ranked ninth in the country.

Washington (252.050) was third followed by Michigan (202.100).

Anthony Naddour, a sophomore from Mesa, led the Sun Devils by placing sixth in the all-around with a score of 80.800. Naddour also placed sixth on still rings and 18th on pommel horse.

“With ASU finishing second in the afternoon session, our athletes’ gymnastics is getting more refined and stronger,” said Daniel Hayden, former U.S. champion and now assistant coach for the ASU squad. “We feel, as a coaching staff, that as our team routines hit- to-miss ratios go up, our overall team score will continue to get higher very quickly.”

Chandler-based Aspire Kids Sports Center, home of ASU men’s gymnastics, also sent 12 members of its Junior Sun Devils to the Classic. Riley Barclay, a Level 10 from Chandler, made the finals on high bar and pommel horse and finished 11th in both events. Kyle Waters, a Level 6 from Tempe, won the rings and Austin Nguyen, a Level 6 from Chandler, finished fourth in vault.

The Sun Devils are hosting the annual Southwest Cup today at ASU PE West. The meet will also feature teams from the University of Washington and Air Force.

Other top 30 ASU finishes were:
• All-around: Charles Baysinger (21st)
• Floor: Naddour (23rd)
• Still rings: Brandon Diebold (15th)
• Vault: Baysinger (28th), Josh Bradley (30th)
• Parallel bars: Naddour (27th), Baysinger (31st)
• High bar: Naddour (15th), Dillon Sauders (27th)

For a full set of results, visit: www.sundevilgymnastics.com.
Sun Devil Gymnastics is a club sport of Arizona State. As a club, all operating expenses for the each season are raised through three sources: 1) booster club memberships and donations, 2) corporate sponsorships and 3) team fundraising events. Of these three, the team members themselves raise more than 60 percent of the needed funds each year by hosting junior meets and clinics, setting up equipment for local junior competitions, building competition floors for local gyms and scoring junior competitions.

RUNNING FOR LIFE

Last week I mentioned the fun to be had pushing on runners along the route of the MyoMed Ragnar Relay Del Sol, which began earlier today in Wickenburg and finishes Sunday at Riverview Park in Mesa.

But the race has many serious sides as teams combine their efforts for a cause.

Twenty-four Avondale firefighters are replacing their boots with running shoes to run in the 182-mile, 24-hour relay race. The Burning Desire and Flame-Outs teams will be running to show their support for organ donation. Their battalion chief’s 6-year-old son is suffering from a rare condition called Autosomal Recessive Polycystic Kidney Disease, making it necessary for him to undergo a kidney transplant.

Another runner with a cause which hits close to home is Kathy Connelly. Connelly and her team, Team Histio, find motivation in Kathy’s 8-year-old son, Sean. He is a survivor of histiocytosis, a blood disease that is caused by an excess amount of white blood cells. The histiocytes cluster together and, in Sean’s case, affect the lymph nodes.

He has endured several surgeries, biopsies, six months of chemotherapy and high-dose steroid treatments but has been in remission for nine months. Sean’s battle with histiocytosis will continue the rest of his life as there is a 25 percent chance of reoccurrence.

There is currently no cure for histiocytosis; Kathy thinks that it is vital to raise money for research. “I am constantly doing running and triathlon events to raise money for research of this disease and hopefully some day soon, a cure.”

Kathy and team Histio have a goal to raise $10,000 for the Histiocytosis Association; they have raised $7,500. Team Histio vans can be found along the race course where donations sheets will be available.

This year’s race is expected to have more than 2,000 participants.

Teams will pass through Phoenix, Cave Creek, Scottsdale, Fountain Hills and the Tonto National Forest as they approach the finish line in Mesa. The finish-line party at Riverview Park will include vendor booths, food and music.

For more information visit www.ragnarrelay.com or call (877) 837-3529.

JUDO CHAMP

Mesa’s Samantha Reilly, representing Heart Judo and the only team from Arizona, won the gold medal in the middleweight division of the 50th West Covina (Calif.) Judo Tournament.

Reilly, who competed in the middleweight girls 8-9-year-old division, was a lightweight, but when the only other lightweight forfeited, Reilly moved up to a class 20 pounds heavier.

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Know someone who deserves mention in East Valley Victories? E-mail or call Billye Jill Paulson at bpaulson@evtrib.com or (480) 898-6862.

Run for Life

Runners will line up on Market Street at DC Ranch 7:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. March 9 for the sixth Run for Life at DC Ranch. The 10K and 5K runs, 5K walk and one-mile family fun run, benefiting the development of Ryan House, will follow a scenic, winding course through DC Ranch and the base of the McDowell Mountains. Awards will be presented to top overall male and female winners of the runs, and to the top three finishers in age groups ranging from 11 and younger to 75 and older. Registration and event information is available at Desert Camp Community Center in DC Ranch and at Runner's Den, located at 16th Street and Maryland Avenue in Phoenix. Fees range from $10-$30. Runners can register online at www.raceplaceevents.com. For additional information about the race, call Raceplace Events at (602) 277-4333.

Assist 4 Africa

Charles Barkley and Kurt Warner are the coaches; Leandro Barbosa is slated to serve as a celebrity referee and numerous local personalities including Anquan Boldin, Larry Fitzgerald, Dan Majerle, Eddie Johnson, Cedric Ceballos, Tom Leander, Jude La Cava, Mark Asher, Keith Poole, Kwamie Lassiter and Brad Steinke are some of the players for the Assist 4 Africa Celebrity Basketball Game scheduled for 4 p.m. Sunday at Wells Fargo Arena. Money raised will go to Partners in Hope Medical Center in Malawi, Africa, which was founded by Dr. Perry Jansen, brother of FOX sports personality Gayle Jansen. Tickets are $10 in advance (ASU ticket office) or $15 at the door. Kids 16 and younger are $5. Call (480) 965-2381 or visit www.assist4africa.com for more information.

Free freestyle

The Fly-N-High Freestyle Wrestling Club practices in the wrestling room at Gilbert Highland High School (4301 E. Guadalupe Road) on Tuesday and Thursday through May 29. Times are 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. for elementary school students and 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. for junior high and high school students. There are no club dues. USA Wrestling cards and tournament schedules will be available during practice. Contact Don Bowles at dojobo74@hotmail.com.
 

Rec calendar

For a complete list of East Valley Recreation events, visit evtrib.com and click on the calendar. You can also post your own event. Just follow the instructions and get the word out!