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Thanks,
Tom Davenport
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Spent some time down at the American Hero's Parade today. Wow! A collection of who's who, at least I felt that way. I saw so many friends and athletes that I have been lucky enough to talk with and enjoy this past year. Thank you all for your community. The parade was very fun for me, here are some of you, friends and hopefully future friends.
Caught the first half of an American Legion double header last night. West Valley came over to take on the CDA Lakers. WV had a tough time of the first game with the Lakers bats on fire. But I'll say this, their fans are among the best I have seen. Zero disparaging remarks that I heard. Great fans, they made the game an enjoyable one.
7-1-07
People in southern states wouldn't think anything of it. It is a thrill here. A hot air balloon. looked like it made a perfect approach and landing at the Coeur d'Alene Airport runway 19. They definitely touched down inside the airport grounds somewhere. It was really nice, especially since the other things I was after, sparrows, were not cooperative. Fun to see.
Check to see if you are on the iron man picture page. If so, feel free to download the image.
| The leaders have come by for the second time. At just over 5 hours, TOM EVANS from British Columbia is leading. GO TOM! Good name. |  |
The leaders of CDA Ironman 2007 just went by my office. Ironman is really cool, these people are incredible. Here are a couple if pictures:
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At almost 3 hours in, BRYAN RHODES is the leader of the pack. This is the first lap of the bike. It's cool but breezy here in Hayden, the riders have a head wind heading to Coeur d'Alene. |
| The media coverage is intense for Ironman. Riding on the back of a motorbike is something I NEVER want to do, especially like this guy. |  |
Special thanks to the lady smoking the cigarette.
Thanks.
6-14-07 - SPECIAL
Today, Thursday June 14th we have one special going. If you are available after 4:00 today, call and if you are the first one, we'll arrange a Prairie Photo Shoot this afternoon.
6-9-07 American Legion Baseball
Suzan and I caught most of the Lakers-Cardinals American legion baseball game at Lakeland High School last night. What a beautiful afternoon! The sun was out for mush of the game and it almost seemed like summer. Great baseball from both sides, the Lakers escaped Rathdrum with a 2-0 victory.
6-1-07 Nuthatch Nest -
Click on the above to see my daily visit to the nuthatch nest.
6-1-07 Jack Blair Memorial
Lake City High school was the venue of the 14th Jack Blair Memorial AAU basketball all star game Thursday night. Ron Adams from the Spokane Stars girls AAU basketball club puts on the event. Probably the most successful athletes that have been through the program are Central Valley's Emily Westerberg and Post Falls' Aubree Johnson. Both signed autographs to future stars players and handed out awards. I am very proud of the pair. The last time I photographed the game was when Westerberg and Johnson played against each other in their last year of high school. Best friends, they went as a team to Arizona State University where I had the pleasure of writing a story about them, Reagan Pariseau and Briann January, all key players on the Sun Devil basketball team.
It was a fun night. If I took one thing away from the evening it is that I did not photograph Jenny McVeigh and Natalie Nichols enough last year. I think Nichols is graduating, congrats!, but I think McVeigh is back for another year. She is an amazing basketball player. I vow to see more of her games next season. I think that the Trojan basketball team will be in the hunt next year.
5-30-07 Community Softball and Stuff
Last weekend, it seems like ages ago, Miss Suzan and I drove by Finucane Park and saw there was some softball happening. Turns out it was a Coeur d'Alene Crush invitational scrimmage. I noticed one of my favorite players on one field and going over there was shocked at what I saw. The senior crush girls were playing Spokane's Black Magic. The Crush was playing in the field. A Black Magic player laid down a PERFECT bunt. But, and I swear on this, Crush catcher Lauren Horton from the state champ Coeur d'Alene High Vikings fielded that bunt before it hopped twice. She was cat-like, pouncing on it and firing to first base. Who was on first? No not Who, it was Amanda Krier from Lake City High School. The was a Black Magic runner on second and Krier fired to second, seeing the runner go back. Guess who was covering? No not Who, but I swear it was Lakeland Hawk Alyana Watson. Holy Crap! It was like an all-star team out there! Rounding out the players I recognized were Katie Bologna - No pic, : ( my bad - from the state champs and Michelle Rowe and Kim Lynn from Lake City. If you see those blue and white Coeur d'Alene Crush uni's on a softball field, stop and watch. Exciting players at all levels.
5-20-07 State Champs all over!
I received an email this morning from a CHS person letting me know that, indeed, Lake City High School thumped Lewiston and are now the Idaho 5A State Baseball Champions! Wow!
Here's a recap that my little mind recalls:
Fall: Coeur d'Alene High School Girls, State Soccer Champions
Lake City High School, State Football Champions, 12-0 undefeated
Winter: Lake City High School Girls, State Basketball Champions
Spring Coeur d'Alene High School, State Softball Champions
Lake City High School, State Baseball Champions
Add to this these two tidbits: 1) LCHS beat CHS in the championship girls basketball game. 2) CHS lost only two softball games this year, both to LCHS. Talk about a rivalry! Yet here is an excerpt from that CHS person -
" .... I wanted to let you know that the Lake City boys dominated Lewiston 7-1. And you know, I'm not gonna lie that's pretty sweet. Don't tell anyone i said that though. After all, they are our rivals. :) "
Yes, there is a great rivalry there. But, at least right now, Post Falls is right in the mix too. This area is full of great athletes, every high school in the area including Lakeland and Timberlake have boys and girls that stand out in the athletic world, the most of that particular group are great citizens as well. Many are off to college this year, I only hope that some of them will make it back to this community.
Finally, I can't remember any high school having 3 major sport champions in the same year. Hat's off to Jim Winger and the athletic program at Lake City High School.
5-19-07 Coeur d'Alene High School, 5A State of Idaho Softball Champions
I don't know what to say any more than thank you. Thank you to all the softball, baseball, lacrosse and track & field athletes I have met or just watched this spring. It has been a great ride. I have not heard how the Lake City Timberwolves faired in their state championship game today. I only hope that they walked away with the championship trophy, because they are champions, regardless.
The Vikings' softball team dominated Borah today in the state championship game. Borah came out in the first and threatened with the lead off runner hitting a double then getting to third, but the Vikings held their composure and went to bat with a blank slate. At the end of the first, the Lions of Borah were down by 5 and in hind sight, the game was over. I'm thinking Lindsey Stark stole at least two bases, she is money when she steps up to the plate. She can do it all, that girl is amazing. Jenna Delong was her usual self, and although Borah scattered some hits and scored a run or two, she dominated them.
Thanks to you all. When does volleyball, soccer and football start?
5-18-07 More State Softball
What a day of softball! The Vikings started out playing Eagle, maybe the toughest team for the Vikings in the tournament. In the bottom of the 9th Eagle got a runner on third. Then, the a pitch slipped by catcher Lauren Horton. A good bounce, a cool-headed Horton and an alert Jenna Delong made a play on the runner at the plate, a desperation play that almost never works, to get the Eagle runner. The Vikings erupted pure emotion. I'm not a huggin' kind of guy, in fact I dislike it for the most part, but I tell you I wanted to go out there and hug the pile. Right then I thought that their emotional release was the key and sure enough, Jessica Kraft scored in the top of the 10th. The Vikings held off the demoralized Eagle team for the win. A pretty darn good 16th birthday present for Kraft! Delong let Eagle scatter a hit in those 10 innings, the Eagle pitcher allowed two hits. That was a good game.
Both teams played a second game later in the afternoon. Eagle went 13 innings to win their game 8-6. Same young lady pitching I was told. So they played 23 innings of softball when they were scheduled for 14. WOW.
The Vikings handled Borah pretty well. A bit of a let up in the late/mid innings prompted a comment ripped with urgency from Delong to her team: "The score is 2-1, not 20-1!" The Vikings responded and held off the Lions 2-1. Birthday girl Kraft drilled a triple, a pretty good game for that young lady. An aside here, if you are playing on a team facing Delong and she looks like this, uh, take an aspirin or something.
Really looking forward to Saturday's game(s).
5-17-07 State Softball
Lindsey Stark drove in the first two runs and Lauren Horton caught a great Jenna DeLong 2 hit shutout against the Meridian Warriors as the Viking advance in the winners bracket in the state softball tournament at Post Falls High School. Amanda Brouillard started the first inning rally with a base hit down the first base line. I have not seen her pull the ball, she seemingly can hit it where ever and when ever she wants. Can't wait for Friday and Saturday's games!
The Pizza Factory - They toss'em and they ARE awesome!
3904 E Mullen in Post Falls * Prairie and HWY 95 in the Albertson's center for Hayden / Coeur d'Alene
See Tom at the state softball tournament for your Pizza Factory discount card
5-11-07 Post Falls' Blake Meredith
The Post Falls Trojans beat the Lake City Timberwolves Thursday to stay alive in the chase for the state tournament. The T-Wolves played well, but it was a gutty, team effort lead by sophomore??!!! Blake Meredith that made the difference for Post Falls. Meredith pitched a great game, making the LCHS hitters hit the ball to someone almost every time they made contact. Then, to add icing to her performance, she drove in the runs that sealed the win. It was TOO SAD! The ball hit the top of the center field fence! A hit like that needs to go out and it had to have been a matter if inches, as in if it was an inch and a half further, it would have been out. I hope the Trojans make it to the state tournament. A Viking - Trojan match-up in the finals would be FANTASTIC!
Hayden Creek Coffee is in the new Hayden Creek Plaza at Prairie and Government Way
Miss Suzan and I caught two district softball games Tuesday, the first was Post Falls and Lake City at Finucane Park. It was an exciting 8 inning game with the lead see-sawing forth and back. Even though LC wouldn't allow Lauran Nagrone to hit, Post Falls rallied in the end to win in an extra inning. Great game, the teams played well, the fans were mostly good and the umpires did a very good job.
The exhausted Trojans then boarded the bus for the 5 minute trip down 4th street to Coeur d'Alene High. Well, maybe they weren't exhausted, but they were drained some. The Vikings systematically put the Trojans away, seemingly with a run an inning. It struck me that it was the last softball game at CHS for the seniors. I don't think they saw it that way though. Although the weather was beautiful at Finucane, it couldn't hold a candle to the weather at CHS. It was almost a perfect afternoon in the sun. The fans were great, the teams played well and the Vikings won a trip to the state championship. I hope a contingent of fans take over the Delong Corner out along the left field line next year. It was fun to see them dodging foul balls all season long.
The next game, Post Falls and Lake City will be a fun one. And the weather report looks like another nice day!
The regular season ended for Lake City High School and Coeur d'Alene High school yesterday. Lake City came out and shelled CHS to take an early lead. For CHS, Jenna DeLong hit another home run, a two run shot to the left-center power alley. Lake City had the energy, the Vikings came out fairly mixed up position wise and they looked a bit discombobulated. And it was chilly although the sun was out. Next Tuesday will be fun with the district tourney promising to be EXCITING. I know all the teams will come out fired up, I'm really looking forward to the LCHS - PF match-up.
Hayden Creek Coffee is in the new Hayden Creek Plaza at Prairie and Government Way
5-1-07 Grand Salamis, Intentional walks and Lauran Nagrone
If Post Falls and Lake City High School meet in another softball game this year, don't rag on LCHS for intentionally walking Lauran Nagrone. She stung the T-Wolves again yesterday with a third inning grand salami to tie the game. Post Falls later scored one more which was the difference in the game. That Nagrone can play softball. I'm not really sure why she hasn't been playing the field lately although she is doing enough damage to opponents with her bat. Districts start sometime soon, if you get a chance to go watch her play, do it. She is worth the price of admission.
Hayden Creek Coffee is in the new Hayden Creek Plaza at Prairie and Government Way
4-28-07 Track and Field IEL Championships
It was a bit breezy Friday afternoon, but what a nice day! Especially at Lake City High School where the Inland Empire League Championships track meet was held. Wowweee! Some amazing athletes there.
A while back, I wrote of a 2 sport athlete, that is, a 2 SPRING sport athlete. Well, here is another: Jake Rhodes. I saw Jake on the base paths at a Coeur d'Alene High School baseball game a couple of weeks ago and yesterday he was running track for CHS. You could say he dominated his events. He's fast, but watching him run was pure pleasure. What a stride! Long, powerful steps and that determined look on his face, wow!
At the pole vault pit, I was talking to a mom of a Moscow vaulter. She casually mentioned that her son Jeremy Klas was just coming back from lung surgery. What?! Yes, about 3 weeks ago, Jeremy suffered a collapsed lung and required laparoscopy ( I think is what she called it) surgery to fix the problem. He even would show people his scars under his arm in his ribcage if they asked. My gosh! This young man took second in the event and he is only a junior.
I was watching Brenna Lawson in a relay event and the girl who handed off to her looked familiar. It was Tabitha Mabrey, a volleyball teammate of Brenna. Nice to see these young ladies, great athletes, keeping busy with healthy activites.
Great job to all the track and field athletes. It was a nice afternoon.
4-25-07 Baseball and Softball, again
Tuesday saw some big fun with Coeur d'Alene High Baseball hosting Lewiston. Lewiston swept the Vikings. Some things I just wonder about, one of them is how opposing coaches can see the exact same play so differently. Most of the time, the official sees it a third way. I guess that is part of what makes sports in general so exciting.
The Coeur d'Alene girls swept the Lakeland Hawks in a softball double header. The part I saw was highlighted by Lakeland catcher Erin "Hank" O'Hara throwing out Coeur d'Alene's Lindsey Stark. I've said this same sort of thing before but, Stark is pretty speedy and Hank had to make a great play, catch and release. Kudos to Lakeland's .... (OK, I'm a little confused here, I think it was shortstop Alisha Watson, but it could have been Alyana Watson so I'm just going to call her Watson .....) Watson for making the dynamic tag.
Hayden Creek Coffee is in the new Hayden Creek Plaza at Prairie and Government Way
4-21-07 Softball and Baseball
Although cloudy, it was a nice day. Coeur d'Alene beat Lake City in a softball game, and the boys of summer played a double header all at Coeur d'Alene High School. I was only able to see the softball game and some of the second game of the twin bill. The one thing that stoold out to me was how all four teams were hitting today. It was a good day for playing the respective sports, hitters got to hit, fielders got to field. Not many errors, a lot of good plays, hats off to all of the players.
4-20-07 - The New Sport
Coeur d'Alene traveled across town to play Lake City in a varsity lacrosse match Thursday. I was only able to catch the first half but those two teams played really well. I didn't see the real CHS or LCHS teams when they played Sandpoint apparently. Lacrosse is the up and coming sport. there had to be 150 people there, easily.
This coming Sunday, April 22nd is the first Mother's Day Special picture day. Come on over to Prairie Photography between 1:00 and 4:00 and for $35.00, sit for a portrait and get an 8X10 print for you or your mom in time for Mother's Day. Some of the proceeds are going to Faith Presbyterian and St. Mark's Lutheran vacation bible school. Hope to see you here!
Hayden Creek Coffee is in the new Hayden Creek Plaza at Prairie and Government Way
4-14-07 - ALL STAR Saturday
I felt I owed it to the players I know through pictures so well to go and watch at least some of the All Star Basketball games Saturday at North Idaho College, you know, to support them.
Thanks to all of you. WHAT A SHOW!
It was pretty neat watching the girls warm up, a collection of a lot of my favorite players. Then, the cool introduction, too much smoke at times. From the tip, the south got the ball. I looked up to see Lindsey Stark and Richelle Fenenbock at the guard positions. It was a sight! Add Jenna DeLong and Sean Topp on the floor at the same time and it was almost overwhelming. I'll admit that it is reassuring to think that I will get to see all of them on the softball field again this year. The sportsmanship from both teams reflected the quality of individuals on the floor. All stars for sure.
Between games was the slam dunk show. I think they called it the slam dunk competition, but with the exception of a showing by Brandon Haas, it was no competition for Lewiston's 5'-11" Shane Moser. Moser enlisted the help of Lakeland's 6'-2" Bubba Bartlett, he used Bartlett as something to jump over for his opening dunk. For the dunk-off against Post Falls' Haas, Moser did the same dunk except over Bengal teammate Andrew Packwood. The significance? Packwood is 6'-8" tall. Moser sold it to the crowd before the dunk, he is quite the showman, besides a great ball player. A couple of sequences are on the Slam Dunk picture Page. VERY Impressive.
Congratulations to both coaches. Coeur d'Alene's Kent Leiss showed not only his professionalism but his passion for coaching young men throughout the game, encouraging all the players. I heard and saw him several times yelling to players to take it to the hole. Fantastic.
Almost lost among all the excitement was the award for Most Valuable Player. From the girl's game Richelle Fenenbock. Not surprising at all, she lead all scorers with 33 points. 33 points. And for the boys, and again, not a surprise, Nate Bligh with 17 points in 21 minutes.
Thank you to all the players. It was a great afternoon. You were all fantastic.
Hayden Creek Coffee is in the new Hayden Creek Plaza at Prairie and Government Way
4-12-07 Lake City CHS Softball
This afternoon, the T-Wolves nipped Coeur d'Alene, actually took a bite out of them. Fresh off a disappointing loss, Lake City came out with that determined look. Apparently they decided they would swing the bat and putting the ball in play was the key. Lake City made things happen, they made their own victory. Both the boy's and girl's athletic programs, in my mind, are shaping themselves as gritty, blue collar, working-their-behinds-off winners. Another double play this time a 1-6-3 for the Vikings and Richelle Fenenbock was the runner so you know it was a bang-bang play. Both teams were, are impressive. They play next on April 28th again at CHS before the final game May 3rd at LCHS.
Hayden Creek Coffee is in the new Hayden Creek Plaza at Prairie and Government Way
4-12-07 "Jesus, Mary and Joseph, Lacrosse and Adam Chadwick"
I had to go see the Vikings' Lacrosse team yesterday to compare them to the LCHS team. CHS passes extremely well and they are very aggressive toward opponent's passing, intercepting quite a few. The match with Sandpoint was MUCH more physical that the Sandpoint LCHS match. There was some banging going on there. I think Sandpoint found out that they can step it up a little. This is a great sport.
I love to roam the sidelines. I get to hear so much that you miss in the stands. There is the good, the bad, and the funny. Yesterday was a funny. It came from the Sandpoint bench, " Jesus, Mary and Joseph, what are you guys doing out there!!!????" It struck me funny and I am still laughing today. I really don't think there is a Mary on the SHS team, but who knows?
Scanning the Viking roster I see the name Adam Chadwick. In no way is this meant to embarrass him, just some observations. Now, just last week I saw Chadwick in a baseball uniform. I had to ask him what was up. Apparently the coaches let him play the two sports. He wanted to do some throwing on the track team, but that is where the coaches drew the line. Some guys want to be three sport lettermen, its common, but three sports in the same season? I understand why coaches want Chadwick on their team though. Obviously he is a great athlete with a football scholarship to Idaho State. But he has demonstrated something more to me. He is like glue, bringing people together and then holding them together. He celebrates other's accomplishments, encourages them when the chips are down. I don't know him personally but I see him around, he's hard to miss, and even though he is only in high school, Adam is an example for us all to emulate.
4-11-07 Lacrosse
There is a new sport in town. It's not really new, but new to me and I think this is the first year it is sanctioned by the school districts. That's right, Lacrosse. I'll go on record as saying that this will be a major high school sport in the years to come. I can't see it overtaking football, or basketball for that matter because basketball is sheltered from the weather and a really fun thing to do in the dead of winter. But for a spring sport, this is really exciting. Continuous action, contact, it has it all. Even some fan support. This is an excellent sport, no doubt the girls will be involved in coming years. If you have not ever seen a match, do a little web searching and read the basics, then go watch a game. You'll be hooked. Check out this website, North Idaho Lacrosse for some history and more information. Also, if you want to see some pictures from Sandpoint's visit to Lake City High School, click here.
Hayden Creek Coffee is in the new Hayden Creek Plaza at Prairie and Government Way
4-10-07 Free Pictures
The remaining black and white free pictures we had here at Prairie Photography from the basketball season are now in the hands of your school's office staff. Miss Suzan and I dropped them off earlier today. Please go to the office and get'em. It was nice to have met those of you who were able to come by and pick up your print.
Thanks for a great hoops season!
Hayden Creek Coffee is in the new Hayden Creek Plaza at Prairie and Government Way
4-6-07 Mother's Day
Make a note of it: Mother's Day is May 13th, 5 weeks away. As always, Faith Presbyterian Church and St. Mark's Lutheran Church combine to provide Vacation Bible School at the Hayden Church. Come on over to Prairie Photography and have a portrait made for your Mom. It's $35.00 and a portion of that will go to Faith Presbyterian and St. Mark's for their VBS. We have three days scheduled for the Mother's Day portraits, check out the specials section for more information. And to all you moms, Happy Mother's Day a little early.
Hayden Creek Coffee is in the new Hayden Creek Plaza at Prairie and Government Way
4-2-07 Spring Break
To all you spring breakers in warmer climates: 1) Quit reading this and get out and enjoy where you are, 2) its snowing here. So, if you are fishing in Cabo or surfing in Hawiia, enjoy yourself and be careful.
3-31-07 The best play in baseball
In my opinion, the best play in baseball is when a catcher throws out a base runner. Of all the possibilities, a runner trying to steal second is the most common, but tops on my list. In order, here is how I rank them after that. A catcher picking off a base runner at second, then first or 3rd, depending on which way the batter hits ( for example, if a catcher picks a runner off 3rd with a right handed batter, that is the play ), then stealing 3rd. I love the play where the runner goes half way trying to draw the throw and for example if the runner was between first and second, the second baseman came up behind the runner, the catcher could just throw at the runner. Most often this play is designed to allow a runner on third to score. If the sorrowful runner tries then my next favorite play is when the catcher blocks the plate and the runner just piles up against him.
Coeur d'Alene catcher Vinnie Lupinacci nailed a Lakeland base runner trying to steal second yesterday in the Viking's win. Now, Lupinacci not only looks like a catcher, he has a catcher's name if I have ever heard one. Kind of like Joe Garagiolla, or Yogi Berra. And to top it all off, the kid can hit. Lakeland showed that they are not a so-so team by giving the Viks a scare.
Seems like summer's over today with all the clouds and rain. At least we had a couple of REALLY nice days for baseball.
Hayden Creek Coffee is in the new Hayden Creek Plaza at Prairie and Government Way
2-30-07 Boys of Summer
It was very close to a perfect afternoon for baseball yesterday. What beautiful weather! It was my first baseball game of the season. I will tell you that I LOVE to watch baseball with the sun shining and warm temperatures. Can't wait for warmer temperatures. Legion ball at McEuen Field is Utopia. But Thursday wasn't bad. Post Falls beat the T-Wolves in a close game 3-2. That is the way baseball is supposed to be.
I may be too much about looks. But hey, I'm a photographer. I don't know his name, but the second baseman from Post Falls Brett Winn (Thanks to Ryan Collingwood from PanhandlePreps.com for the ID) could be the baseball poster boy. That young man looks GOOD out there. Not only his curly locks peeking out from under his cap, but fundamentally he is fantastic. He showed really good range, too. Brandon Haas got a complete game for Post Falls. It was a nice afternoon.
Hayden Creek Coffee is in the new Hayden Creek Plaza at Prairie and Government Way
2-29-07 CHS at LCHS Softball
"...... the best entertainment for five bucks you can get". Who said that? Oh, I did. And just yesterday afternoon at the softball game, I heard someone say "This is better than going to a movie". Darn right. I pity the Boise area teams that get to play Lake City this weekend because the Vikings beat the T-Wolves yesterday and I can see them taking it out on the next few teams they play.
I was expecting a good game, you know, one that swaps leads and goes into extra innings, which is exactly what happened. Congrats to both teams. I know there were a couple of kicked balls, and a mental error or two, but fundamentally, these two teams are about as close to perfect as you can get. Pitching, fielding, catching, hitting - it all was superb. Jenna Delong was a force as per usual. I have noticed that she likes to play ball. Not just pitch or hit, but she likes to get dirty, she goes out there to play softball. I'm going to start watching her more closely because I have started to think that, when she gets on base, her mind starts rolling as to how she can get to dive in to home. I LOVE that. I have to mention how well the Viking rotate. Late in the game, the CHS left fielder (I don't know her name please help me here) ended up covering third, not allowing a LC base runner to advance. Great play.
Which brings me to my beloved catchers. I know that catchers are taught to block the plate. I believe that skill it is innate in Janey Ortega from Lake City High School. In reviewing my image take from the game, she blocks the plate even when there is not a play there. Good job young lady. Way to play the game!
And, on the subject of playing the game, I have to talk about Richelle Fenenbock. First, she LOOKS like a ball player. Peppermint Patty from the Peanuts cartoon comes to mind. I don't know why, maybe its the attitude. And talk about range, I saw her make plays on the other side of second and deep behind third. Lastly for now, I'll talk about her eyes. If you are old enough, think football for a moment and Mike Singletary from the Chicago Bears. Fenenbock has similar eyes. Many players in all sports squint when they play. I have noticed that most great players have saucer eyes when they play. Just watch Fenenbock to see what I mean.
OK, I'm just about done. I can't wait for these two teams to play again!
Hayden Creek Coffee is in the new Hayden Creek Plaza at Prairie and Government Way
2-28-07 Haircuts
My last hair cut was a few days before the boy's state basketball tournament. For the second haircut in a row, the man who cut my hair for 15 years, Jim Stanton, was in the hospital battling a seemingly chronic illness. On February 28th he died. My condolences go out to his wife and all the people who loved him. Jim was one of the good guys in the world and will be missed.
2-27-07 This and That
OK. For you Hayden area coffee drinkers, give Hayden Creek Coffee a try. They feature Doma coffee and it is a NICE environment. The staff is friendly and excellent. Hayden Creek Coffee is in the new Hayden Creek Plaza at Prairie and Government Way across from Albertsons. They have a drive through, but they also have a really nice fireplace inside. Their toasted blueberry bagel is almost indescribably delicious especially when you add cream cheese.
You might need to grab a coffee on your way to the softball game Wednesday afternoon cause the forecast is for 50 degrees. What softball game? Well the Coeur d'Alene Vikings head over to Lake City High School for the first meeting of the two teams this year. Day in and day out these are the two best teams in the area, the experts say that the state tournament could come down to these two squads AGAIN this year. Great athletes and citizens on both teams. Again, the best entertainment for five bucks you can get.
Talk about entertainment, (yeah, its a stretch but had to have some kind of transition) The Arizona State Sundevils women's basketball team was upset by Rutgers yesterday afternoon in the elite 8 of the Women''s NCAA Championship Tournament. Why is that a big deal? Because it was Post Falls' own Aubree Johnson and Central Valley's Emily Westerberg's last college game. Although I don't really know either one, I am extremely proud of them. All of northern Idaho and eastern Washington should be.
2-27-07 Sandpoint CHS Softball
"Throw him a softball". "You throw like a girl". Both phrases that in the past have not been exactly endearing. I've used them both, but as this website as my witness, I will never say again.
Sandpoint High School visited Coeur d'Alene High School Monday. First off, Sandpoint's program is not at quite at the level of CHS, LCHS and Post Falls, yet. I guess since they had to travel so far the game started a half hour later than usual so, I got to see warm-ups and chat with some parents. Head coach Larry Bieber hit ground balls around the infield, the first round almost "softballs". Whoops. Anyway when it came to "turn two" he started hitting the ball. He got to second baseman Amanda Brouillard and drilled a one-hopper to her.
Its funny how your mind can work SO fast at times. As Brouillard fielded the ball, a good 15 feet from the bag, I could see she was backhand flipping it to shortstop Lindsey Stark. NO, move your feet, turn and throw was what went through my mind. But as Stark fired to first I realized that Brouillard's pitch was perfect. It was perfect in placement, it was a strong throw and just simply could not have been any better. The move was all one movement, from getting in position, scooping up the one hopper to her flip, one fluid motion. A bit embarrassing, it brought tears to my eyes.
So now my mind has to deal with Stark. She has changed a little since last year. I can't really reconcile how, but what I can say is someone should write a symphony about her throwing movement. It is melodic, beautiful. The duo of Stark and Brouillard remind me of last year's American Legion pairing of Trent Bridges and Nick Duman.
Now Sandpoint takes their turn at taking infield. Pitcher Jenna DeLong and catcher Lauren Horton decide to throw a little in front of the grandstands. The sizzle of Delong's pitches just made me laugh. Again, my mind was going: "I'd like to try and hit her no I don't think so" is how it went. I had to walk away.
I was down the left field line when the game started. I heard it starting with DeLong's first warm-up pitch. The sound from Horton's glove sounded like a back fire. I know from experience that you need a hard thrown ball to get that. But a good catcher can make or break that sound. Horton was making it I'm sure. I'll bet nobody "noticed" but I guarantee that it caught the Sandpoint subconscious.
I'm partial to catchers, I admit it.
Jenna Delong through a perfect 5 innings when CHS 10-runned SHS. I think only two hitters made contact with the ball, one Delong fielding and the other the Viking third baseman Jessica Kraft ( Thank you to Troy James for helping with Kraft's ID) made the play. A great pitching performance by Delong. But she had some help, catcher Lauren Horton. Horton was a master at framing pitches painting the corners and got some called strikes because of it. Horton's catching ability is all good for the Vikings.
Sandpoint had some positives, too. Left fielder Brinda Bunn was busy. She had to cover ALL of left field from the baseline to where the zone blurs with center field every inning it seemed. All Sandpoint's outfielders made plays.
But the best play of the day, to me at least, was SHS catcher Macaela Brady gunning down a Viking runner trying to steal second. This is a big deal to me. I asked the field umpire how often he sees someone get thrown out at second. He thought I was questioning his call and came back with "With a throw like that, every time". No lie! I was really interested in how often a base runner gets caught stealing, but his answer was right on. The throw was perfect. I have to add that second baseman Molly Givens, a FRESHMAN, hung in there to make the catch/tag which happened simultaneously. This is not easy to do, it is tuff physically, but much more difficult mentally.
Sorry about the length of this commentary, I lost sleep over the game so I needed to get it out!
3-24-07 Free Black and Whites
Believe it or not, many of you still have not come by to pick up your free black and white picture from the basketball season. They are still here, you just have to shuffle through a stack of them to find it now. Today, Saturday March 24th, someone will be here until around 3:30. You are welcome to come by. Other times, just ring me up and I'll be sure to be here. For those of you that have not picked up your picture and are wondering if there is one of you here, click here to see the list.
3-21-07 More Softball
Had the opportunity to see Lake City's softball program for the first time Tuesday. Since I was out of the loop, I missed the first half hour of the game, but heard it was pretty slow. I believe it because until the 4th or 5th inning, it WAS pretty slow. Then Lake City broke the game open and beat Post Falls, held them to zero runs I believe. It was pretty windy, all the pitchers, I think 4 of them, handled it pretty well. I noticed that Post Falls Sean Topp didn't throw the change as much as she did against Lakeland, maybe because Lake City could adjust better to it than Lakeland could. I've seen Topp pitch twice now and both games she has made great plays fielding line shots and a one hopper directly at her. She can play. I noticed Lake City's Lela Work all over the place. Meaning hitting, pitching and making a nice play covering third base. And of course, Richelle Fenenbock is always in the mix. I think Fenenbock could be the designated stander arounder and still make a difference on any team anywhere.
3-16-07 Softball
I have seen two softball games so far this season. The first was Post Falls at Coeur d'Alene. I believe I saw the Viking combo of sort stop Lindsey Stark and second baseman Amanda Brouillard turn a double play. How impressive. Jenna Delong hit an inside the park home run.
Yesterday I saw Lakeland over at Post Falls. Sean Topp was pitching for Post Falls. She struggled in the first two innings with a strike zone the width and height of a softball, centered on the plate and the batter's belt. The only call she could get was with her change-up which absolutely froze the Hawks. I imagine it was easier to see, so she did get a few called strikes with that pitch. She looked rattled there for a couple of innings, but true to the player I know, battled through it, and then figured it out. Hats off to her, she met adversity head on and won. Late in the game, Lakeland was still playing aggressively, I love to see that, and with a runner on first, they tried to steal second. Trojan catcher Lauran Nagrone threw the runner out at second with short stop Lisa Steinbach making a good play to tag the runner out. I've not seen that much softball, but a fair amount, and have never seen that before. Great play. I think any team would love to have Nagrone behind the plate. Lakeland is a good team and started out fired up, but when Post Falls pounced, they just didn't have enough to come back. Topp also drilled a triple to right field late in the game. Great game girls!
3-15-07 Summer
It must be summer or at least it is around the corner because Government Way is under construction. Major reconstruction. My hat is off to the flag men and women on the road crew. There are a lot of them and they are doing a GREAT job. Attentive and on top of things. That big police chase went right by Prairie Photography Wednesday I couldn't help but think of the peril the all the road construction crew was in. But they face it everyday with everyday drivers. Please slow down in those construction zones and give the road crew a break.
3-11-07 Thanks!
A HUGE thank you to CHS's Jenna DeLong for pointing out to me when my softball season starts; Tuesday the 13th. The Post Falls Trojans travel to Coeur d'Alene for a match at 4:00. Although I have not seen either team play, I feel safe in saying it will be more entertainment than you can get for five bucks anywhere.
I had a number in my mind of athletes and/or families that would or could come by the studio Saturday to pick up their basketball pictures. Twice as many of you showed up. But, there are still a ton of pictures here for the taking. Soon, you will have to go through a box of them, one by one, to find your picture. They are still here, just come by and pick them up. Please!
Hoop stars, boys and girls, 3-10-07 is Prairie Picture Day at Prairie Photography Studio and Gallery.
I know, I know, it isn't March 10th yet. But just to let you know...
72 Players, 92 pictures. Are you a player in a Prairie Photography picture?
From Noon to 4:00 on Saturday March 10th, drop by Prairie Photography to see if you are on the picture wall. If you are, you can take the picture with you when you leave. The images will be randomly selected from the '06-'07 basketball season, Coeur d'Alene, Post Falls and Rathdrum area schools. There will even be a few images from the state tournaments. Ms. Suzan said she would bake something good to eat. Email or phone if you have questions, or just come by for a brownie. We look forward to seeing you.
Here's a list, if it's your number, there is a picture on the wall for you:
CHS - 21-30-5-24-11-33-10-22-55-40-3
LCHS - 2-11-3-12-14-33-31-55
Lakeland - 30-12-24-22-34
Post Falls - 11-23-13-31-35-23-45-43-21
Boys:
CDA Charter - 12-22-33-10-21
Timberlake - 15-33-21-45-3-31
CHS - 31-33-2-22-4-11-3-41-21-12
LCHS - 44-12-14-32-20-34
Lakeland - 22-14-32-54-10-24-12
Post Falls - 21-15-41-31-35
3-3-07 PM
Oh Man!, rough day for the northern schools. The Coeur d'Alene Vikings lost to Vallivue, Bonner Ferry lost to Snake River. Viking Nate Bligh was able to wear his own number again after going through several of the white jerseys, getting blood from a back wound on at least 4 of them. Bligh wore 5 different numbers during the tournament. Not as many fans made the boy's tournament as the girl's tournament but I can tell you, the fans that made the trip were terrific. It was so nice to talk with you, parents, relatives, girlfriends and administrators. I am going through withdrawal now that the basketball season is over.
Three more words: Softball, baseball and track. (& field) Didn't want to run more than 3 words!
Thanks to all you players, you are all inspirational.
td
3-3-07
Face paint, road trips, crummy food, good food, comradery, late nights, early morning basketball games, Nate Bligh and 35 points, all things that describe the Coeur d'Alene Vikings at the state basketball tournament. Andrew Prohoska and Calvin Peterson also scored in double figures, but Nate Bligh's 35 lead all scorers in the Vikings 73-66 victory over the Highland Rams Friday afternoon. Wildly entertaining, the Vikings bucked up down the stretch, made their free throws to advance to Saturday's morning game.
Unfortunately, Coeur d'Alene Charter Academy was overwhelmed by the Greenleaf Grizzlies, 59-35. The Panthers' Chris Shaw was unable to play due to illness. David Baker lead CDA Charter with 11 points Josiah Menzies added 9 at the spacious but dark Caldwell High School gym. CDA Charter brought a nice contingent of fans, but it was essentially a home game for the Grizzlies. It was a tough game but fun to watch, I was very pleased to see the sportsmanship from the Panthers. Good job men.
3-2-07
Bonners Ferry beat South Freemont 67-56 Thursday, March 1st at Meridian High School in the first round of Idaho 3A state basketball tournament. The Badgers advance to the quarter finals today, Friday. Josh Hawks led the Badgers with 16 points. Hawks was all over the court harassing the Cougs at both ends of the gym. Jesus Mendez had 13 point to go along with his 9 rebounds. AJ Bennett added 12 points for the Badgers. The game was close for the first half. The Badgers came out in the third with more tenacity than in the first half and gradually build the game winning lead. Great game, great young men.
The Coeur d'Alene Vikings were beaten by the Timberline Wolves (the T-Wolves!) in overtime Thursday evening. The Viks came out a little sluggish in an almost empty Idaho Center. I was surprised at the number (lack of ) of Coeur d'Alene fans there. Timberline has a man they claim as a junior and list him as 6'-4" tall. #23 BJ Shearry could be a junior I suppose, but 6'-4"? No way! The young man is 6'-7" easy. But he plays as a 6'-10" big man. He took away most of the Vikings inside game. I say most because Vikings wing-post-guard Nate Bligh almost single handedly made Shearry sit out much of the game by luring him into foul trouble. Shearry sat out much of the second and third quarters allowing the Vikings to make it a game. But even playing only 28 minutes, Shearry had 14 points, 19 rebounds and 4 blocked shots. I'm pretty sure he had more than 4 blocks. Nate Bligh had 25 points and Nate Clinton had 14 to lead the Vikings. The difference in OT was that Bligh fouled out a minute or two before Shearry. This was a great game, poise and strategy playing a bigger role than in most games. It could have gone either way. If Timberline keeps Sheary out of foul trouble, they should be able to win the championship trophy.
An aside, I am a great proponent of cheerleaders. Here is one that is the BEST tumbler I have seen. He does flips with twists. Unreal!
2-26-07 The End is Near
Darn, the high school basketball season wraps up this week. Fortunately for me, I get to head to the Boise area to photograph north Idaho teams. Unfortunately, I don't get there until Thursday. I plan to shoot Bonners Ferry at Meridian High School Thursday afternoon then the Vikings of Coeur d'Alene later in the day at the Idaho Center. My hope is to photograph Lewiston and Moscow on Friday. Then on Saturday, I would love to see all the teams in the championship games. A Lewiston - Coeur d'Alene match up would be grand in the finale. If any of you are on the fence about heading south for the tournament, take a chance and GO! It is a blast!
2-21-07 Bonners Ferry Takes the 3A Dist 1 Championship
The Badgers of Bonner Ferry High School are the District 1 3A champions. I've only been able to see 1 other 3A game this year, and it was Timberlake. Last night the Tigers played very well through the first half, but the Badgers just overpowered them in the third and fourth quarters. I haven't seen Bonners this year. Two players really stood out to me, Jesus Mendez and Harmon Newhouse. Newhouse came off the bench and is a big boy. I'll tell you, he might have been the quickest man on the court, that big man can move! Mendez plays with confidence, style and grace and showed a lot of maturity out there. Great job men!
Both schools brought what looked like their entire contingent of cheerleaders. They lined both baselines from side to side. It was impressive. I imagine the Bonners cheerleaders are horse this morning as they never shut up! Impressive for sure.
2-17-07 Lake City High School - 5A Girl's Basketball State Champions
Congratulations to " The Team of Destiny". Richelle Fenenbock you deserve this state championship. Emma Hawn you are a warrior. Katie Baker, are you really only a sophomore? The T-Wolves came out firing and except for a spurt in the third quarter, Coeur d'Alene never really was in the game. In a show of pure class, these two bitter rivals put away any game animosity after the final buzzer to embrace each other as, sisters. People who didn't know anything about these two schools could not believe it. One statistician was absolutely dumbfounded. To the Timberwolves, congratulations. To the Vikings, thank you for a wonderful season. Ladies, you ARE the class of north Idaho.
2-16-07 Coeur d'Alene - Vallivue
I've seen Jenna DeLong play all of her four years at Coeur d'Alene. I harken back to the first two years, Jenna was ALL business. But the last two years. I have noticed her loosen up a bit. She laughs and appears to not take things too seriously and I have heard she is quite the jokester. Tonight I saw Jenna come out with that old face, the face of a winner. Finally, in the third period I saw her loosen up a bit, schmoozing with one of the officials. The game was tight in the beginning, but the Vikings played with such confidence that Vallivue was never really in it and the Vikings came out on top 61-44. Deanna Dotts and Jenna Delong lead tall , and all, scorers with 16 apiece. Deanna Dotts is SO quick under the basket. As always, it will be a fun Saturday night when Lake City High School and the Coeur d'Alene Vikings tangle to determine the 5A Idaho State Basketball Champion.
2-16-07 Lake City -Twin Falls
A real barn burner through the first half, Lake City lead at the break 14-13. OK so maybe it wasn't the best basketball from either team. In fact, it was forgettable. The game started out with, in order, Riki Moreland, Katie Baker then Richelle Fenenbock all getting great looks, lay-ups, at the basket and missing them all. The Bruins struck first hitting the back end of a pair of foul shots to take the lead at 1-0 with over two minutes gone. Lake City gutted up in the second half and played hard, really hard. Emma Hawn is such a warrior. She butted heads with someone, it staggered her. But worse than that it opened up a nasty cut above her left eye. I heard someone call her "Rocky". She came back into the game to make a key steal toward the end. Great job Emma! Fenenbock finally missed a free throw towards the end when it didn't matter. Jason Hunt from the Coeur d'Alene Press told me that she was one hundred percent up to that point. Lake City advances to the final game Saturday night with a 45-36 over Twin Falls.
2-15-07 Coeur d'Alene Centennial
The Coeur d'Alene Vikings beat Centennial 58-49 Thursday night. The Viks started out slowly, except that is for Lindsay Stark. She finished the first half with 11 points, keeping the Vikings in the game. Stark and Jenna DeLong, the only seniors on the team, were the only two players on the court for the whole game. Senior leadership. I am so proud of them. Kama Griffitts lead all scorers with 23, Stark ended up with 15 and Deanna Dotts had 12. Dotts also played extremely well. The game was back and forth until the fourth. Sadie Simon started off the quarter with a nifty steal and it was almost all Vikings from then on. GO VIKS!!!!
2-15-07 Lake City defeats Borah
In a nail biter, the T-wolves took care of Borah in overtime 55-51. The combos of Richelle Fenenbock and Katie Baker and Richelle Fenenbock and everyone else was stellar. Fennebock and Caitlin Crimp made some big free shots in the overtime to seal the deal. Caitlin came up huge late in the fourth and in the OT for Lake City. GO WOLVES!!!!
2-13-06 Girl's State Championships
Hi there! Here's the deal. I'm headed down to Nampa for the girl's basketball state tournament. Somehow my travel assistant scheduled my flight for Thursday when Lake City AND Lakeland are playing. I'm going to have to talk to myself. Anyway, I'm going to make all the games I can and even try to update the Events Page daily.
If someone from each team would be kind enough to call and tell me when your team plays starting Friday, I would REALLY appreciate it. I'll try my best to make it to your game. Thank you!
Tom - 208-659-1543.
2-7-07
The softball season started for the Trojans of Post Falls Tuesday night after a DOUBLE overtime loss to Lake City at Lake City. My heart goes out to Post Falls, the girls deserved to win. Lakeland, Lake City and Coeur d'Alene probably need to spend an extra hour or two preparing for this Trojan team next year with Kandice McArthur, Heather Arnone, Jenny McVeigh, Katelyn Loper and Denise Schmidt all returning. The Trojans have a nice mix of young athletes and will be a force again next year, probably more so.
But, just as the Trojans deserved to win, so did the Lake City High School Timberwolves. Richelle Fenenbock and Riki Moreland again showed their toughness, maturity and composure. I'd love to have them on any team, sports or business or otherwise. Among a team of quality young ladies, Fenenbock and Moreland stand out to me as leaders in that they lead by doing. Although they will graduate this year and the program will miss them, the T-Wolves girl's basketball team should still be in good shape next with Emma Hawn and Katie Baker returning.
A CHS parent mentioned to me that he thought Lake City has the best fans around. I might agree with that. Some of it might have to do with ample seating in the student section and the relationship that the administration apparently has with their students. The Den is a great place. After his comment I took a close look last night. I was surprised at how few fans actually showed for this game. But the ones that did were FANtastic. The Den rocked towards the end of the game, possibly contributing to the game as the 6th girl, so to speak. Post Falls had their contingent there as well. Some of the boy's basketball team was there, having a lot of fun, just what they are supposed to do. They were dressed in, well, I guess, retro basketball uniforms, they looked as if they were from my era. How goofy! But here is the kicker; the fans that astounded me the most were the CHS players and parents. Admittedly, the majority of them that I saw were cheering for Post Falls. I expected to see members of the CHS girl's basketball team there, but not with their parents. Most of these girls, and boys for that matter, have grown up playing together or against each other so they all seem to know each other. Although the competition is fierce and occasionally crosses the line, the sense of community I get at these events overshadows all of the gloom and doom I hear and read in the news. This is a great community, we all should be proud of this next generation.
2-3-07
Its 5A district tournament time for the local girls. In the first game at Coeur d'Alene High, Post falls took on Lake City. I mean they took 'em on. It was a good game, back and forth and Post Falls beat the 'Wolves! It sets up a Lake City - Lewiston loser out match for this afternoon. Lewiston had a character building exercise in their game with Coeur d'Alene, I hope they can rebound to give Lake City a game.
The Viking's came out and smothered, suffocated, washed the floor with the Bengals. You had to feel for them. All the Vikings were on their games, but what about Whitney Heleker? She couldn't miss, hitting three 3-pointers and added a couple field goals in the first half. Apparently coach brought up a few JV girls and from what I saw they could play on most varsity teams. One little dynamo I noticed was Amanda Brouillard. WHOOOOEEEE. She's tiny but she can play!
Should be fun today starting with the Boy's final regular home game of the season. The Lakeland Hawks come to play. After that, the girl's district tourney continues. CHS is doing a great job with all the teams and players and there is more light in the gym than any other in the area!
What is going on with the officials? Each of the officials have a helper, it is GREAT FUN! Congrats to all the refs, they have done an outstanding job this year.
2-2-07
The Coeur d'Alene Viking boys drove across town to play the Lake City Timberwolves on the hardwood for the third time this year. The last game proved to be a bit of a surprise for the Viks with Lake City winning the Fight for the Fish game. But on Thursday night, Coeur d'Alene was firing on all 11 cylinders as they dominated the Lake City Timberwolves. The play of Calvin Peterson has been stellar in the last few games, partly I think because he is getting some minutes. Both teams are a pleasure to watch play and when they play each other, well there is not much better entertainment in town.
2-1-07
Honeysuckle Beach Ice Skating
Huh? Beach, ice skating? On a drive over to Hayden Lake's Honeysuckle Beach this afternoon I watched a man shovel snow off the swimming area. I did not talk to him, but I guess he wanted a level place to skate. I have never seen the lake frozen, apparently the whole lake. Here is a picture of this man, enjoying Idaho's splendor.
1-27-07
Moscow High School invaded Coeur d'Alene Friday for a couple of games of basketball. Friday night they played the Vikings, both the boys and the girls. The girls game was pretty much as expected with the Vikings handling the Bears without much trouble. In a way it was shocking to me to hear Lindsey "Scrappy" Stark and Jenna "Mugger" DeLong were "graduating seniors", playing in their last regular season home game. Where have the last four years gone? Quality young ladies that will be leaders in their community some day. Congratulations.
Then came the boys game. The Moscow Bears boy's team came in with a lot of confidence, even beating Lewiston at Lewiston. The bears jumped out to a 4-0 lead. I have seen this before but with Moscow's league leading scorer Shane Miller sparking the Bears, I admit there was a twinge of concern in the back of my mind. But from there, the Vikings turned on the burners and cooked spaghetti, at the half their lead was 20, holding Moscow to 8 points. I'm sure that Viking fundamental basketball was the reason for it. But, there was at least one time where I saw, with my own eyes, Andrew ProHOPSa Prohaska playing the post position. I thought "There's a mismatch" with Prohaska towering under the Moscow player. But then, he got the ball, made a move that I can't find words for, and SCORED under the basket. Coeur d'Alene's Kyle Spurr capped the night off by drilling a three pointer towards the end. If you look at the picture of him, you can see the crowd knows its going in. Fantastic! It was a great show, Moscow brought a busload, literally, of fans to the game. I would venture to say that there were as many Moscow students as Coeur d'Alene students at the game. They are GREAT fans. But then again, they have great teams, both boys and girls. Then there were the two youngsters who stole the halftime show ....
Pizza. My favorite food. In this area, the best pizza joint around for my money is The Pizza Factory in the Hayden Albertson's shopping center. After that, I guess I like the idea of Take and Bake pizza. Valentino's across from Target great mom and pop place for pizza and sandwiches. In Rathdrum, the relatively new Nick-N-Willy's is excellent take and bake Pizza. It is located in near Super 1, not hard to find. Just had their Italian Sausage pizza. Very good. So, there you have it, Tom's pizza take.
1-20-07
Way back on Thursday the communities of Rathdrum and Post Falls met at Post Falls High school to battle for the Prairie Pig. This is a great community event similar to Coeur d'Alene's Fight for the Fish. The highlights of the evening were the halftime shows. At the break in the girls game, both school's cheerleaders performed routines that were amazing. Great Job. But, during half time of the boys game, both schools presented skits that were unbelievable. To who ever was in charge of them, WOW! You should take them on the road! I think I heard that over $7,000.00 was raised, split between two local charities.
To the games, tough well played games on both sides of the court. One thing, during both the Fight for the Fish and Prairie Pig the games there were three officials rather than the standard two. Both spirit nights had this for both the boys and the girls and it makes a huge difference. One thought that kept me preoccupied was that three of the officials for one game sounded like a rock band; John, Paul and Rayna. It would be a good name, no?
One thing bothered me enough to bring it up. Yes, it was a sloppy night outside and there was a lot of water on the sides and on the end lines. But they brought out this mini Zamboni to dry it off? I believe this made the problem worse and after the second time I saw it, someone with some wisdom locked it in the barn. I say Zamboni because it was spreading a film of water wherever it went. I can see it is a great tool to clean a floor, but not to dry it. Here is a picture of it trailing a puddle of soapy water;
Maybe someone can enlighten me....
1-18-07
This post is from the birder side of me. This week I have had Pine Grosbeaks in the Emerald Estates neighborhood. This is apparently a rarely seen common bird at least for this area. If you go to try to see one, respect property rights please. Scan the Mountain Ash trees because that is where you will see them, eating the berries. Good Birding.
1-15-07
There's a lot of sledding going on over at Cherry Hill. As a kid, I wondered why the adults didn't sled down the hill more. As an adult I realize that I wouldn't be able to walk for a week at best if I were to ride one of those contraptions. Looks like a lot of fun though.
1-13-07
Fight for the Fish. I thought my keyboard was broken this morning because it wasn't making that clicking sound as I typed. Turns out my ears are still ringing. Why can't all high school basketball games have that much enthusiasm, spirit, fun and excitement!? Granted, it takes A LOT of effort to plan and execute such a feat, but it is a great event. Come to think about it though, Elmer Jordan Court was rocking the last time these teams met.
A huge congratulations to Lake City High School, the teams, both administrations, the students, parents and fans. The games were great. I think my favorite match up on the girls side would be Richelle Fenenbock and Sadie "Chaquita Cheeta" Simon. On the boys side, Nick "The Rock" Fromm and Nate Bligh play extremely well against each other. Another good one I saw last night was Trent Bridges against Austin Heleker. Whew! Fromm seemed to dominate the game, his poise and presence almost scary.
I'm wearing ear plugs to the Prairie Pig!
1-7-07
Last night, that wrecking crew called the Lewiston Bengals visited Coeur d'Alene High School for basketball. Now the CHS girls beat the Lewiston girls with not much problem. Sadie "Chaquita Cheeta" Simon was all over the court and as usual, an absolute pleasure to watch. But then Lewiston head coach Dave Cornelia took the stage and piloted his Bengals to another nail biting win in overtime. Hoo Haw it was a great game. Too bad for the Viks, but for the Bengals, they completed the first round trifecta beating Post Falls at the Arena, Lake City at Lewiston and now, Coeur d'Alene at Elmer Jordan Court. One last thing, Andrew Prohaska. How many buckets did he have off rebounds over the towering Lewiston team? Man, that kid can jump! And, he is tough as nails. Worth the price of admission just to see him play.
12-29-06
Timberlake High School had a Christmas break basketball game this afternoon. The game started out spectacularly with the National Anthem gloriously sung by Timberlake Cheerleader Whitney Kistler. This young lady has an angelic voice. Although the Tigers played hard, Riverside dominated for the entire game. Must be tough for both teams with some players out of town for sure. A fun game to watch, I have to say that Kistler stole the show.
12-27-06
The Best Of 2006 **** Late Addition to the list!
How fortunate I have been this past year! My camera lens searches for excellence and it has seen a lot of it. Following is the best of the best that has found the lens of Prairie Photography and me, Tom Davenport. All I can say is, WOW!
"The Champs"
The 12-0 Lake City High School 5A state championship football team. What a season, what a team. "Nuff" said.
"The Catch"
In the spring of 2006, I was photographing 10 year-old girls playing softball. Exciting, not really. Until that is, that some unnamed and unknown-to-me player was at bat. I'm sorry I don't have that girl's name. She took a swing and CRUSHED the ball. I swear the ball never got seven feet off the ground and was headed to be a 200 foot on-the-fly inside the park home run. But, the CDA Crush team had Madison Sumner playing left field that day. Sumner stabbed that rocket from the air with a magnificent display of athleticism, the crowd erupted with shouts and applause, even the opposing team's fans! Way to go Madison!
"CHS Girls Soccer"
Another state champion from this area, the Coeur d'Alene High School girl's soccer team bested all others at the state tournament to bring home the championship trophy. This image is from a late season victory over Lake City High School..
"The Hit"
Back to Lake City football, this was the most impressive tackle I have witnessed in football. LC junior Byron Hout came free and showed up in the Meridian backfield to drill the most excellent running back Austin Deck. Hout jarred the ball lose, picked it up and ran for a touchdown, sealing the victory and a trip to the state championship game.
This is a late entry in my best of 2006. The reason is because I didn't know this girl's name until now. I thought about waiting until next year, but no, she was fantastic in 2006 and its only right to put her here. Angie Duke is a cheerleader. I witnessed her perform handsprings the length of a basketball court, ending with a back flip. Then, to top things off, she walked back to the CHS Cheer squad in a straight line. Are you kidding me? Cheerleaders today are not your dad's cheerleaders, all deserve more respect than they get. Great Job Angie.
"2-Time Gaming Champ"
Although Tami Moyer has only been riding horses 9 years, she captured her second State of Idaho gaming championship in 2006. Moyer rode her Appaloosa geilding "Rocky" in all the events across the state. Moyer's husband and children also compete in the sport, all excellent riders. Good clean family fun seems to be the theme of all events horseback. A great lifestyle.
"Idaho's Strongest Teenager"
"And what is the point of all this?" is a question asked of me by another photographer at the 2006 Idaho's Strongest Man contest at the hot Rod Cafe in Post Falls. I really wasn't sure of the "correct" answer, but after ponder it a minute, my answer was "These people are visual examples of excellence and the spirit of human competition". The epitome of my answer was illustrated by 18 year-old New York bound fashion model Travis Wasileski from Post Falls. Wasilesky won 4 of 5 events and dominated the teen category, and even out lifted and out pulled some of the older, bigger competitors. In one event, the former Post Falls High School cheerleader dead lifted 300 pounds 25 times in a minute.
"The Break-Up"
4A Lakeland High School visited 5A Coeur d'Alene High School for a friendly game of football last fall. The game was full of great plays from both teams on both sides of the line of scrimmage. Great competitors, some of them lifelong friends, both teams played well. CHS came out on top, but the best play that I caught was Lakeland defensive back Scott Carr making a great play on the ball on a pass from Viking QB Shea Vucinich intended for receiver Nate Clinton. The speedy Clinton was a chore to cover for every team this year, but on this play Carr came through laying out to break up a play destined for 6 points. I'll never forget it.
"The Rundown"
I'm not sure of her score, her time or how well 19 year-old Shanda Masterson placed this summer day, but I'm damned sure of one thing; This girl can ride, AND she is an expert with a revolver. Cowboy Mounted Shooting is an event where men, women and children test their horsemanship and shooting skills against a clock, with single shot revolvers loaded with "blanks" that easily break a balloon, if the shot is true. Shanda ran a perfect course, this the last balloon on the "rundown", a straight shot, so to speak, where cowboys and cowgirls spur their mounts to full gallop, a "hoopin and a hollerin" all the while, shooting the last five 5 of 10 balloons in a row. If you EVER get a chance to see this event, GO! Great Job, Shanda!
12-18-06
Nicknames:
Howdy. I'd sure like to learn nicknames of all the players from local teams. Is there anyone who can help me with that? If so, please email me. I will start to assign nicknames if I don't hear of one. Here are a couple of examples: Nick Fromm from LCHS could be a natural "Rocky". Sadie Simon could be "Chaquita Cheetah" or "Crazy Legs". I'm looking for nicknames for all the high schools, including Sandpoint, Moscow and Lewiston. Help me out, email me.
td
12-17-06
Lewiston at Post Falls Saturday night Basketball.
A huge CONGRATULATIONS goes out to head coach Dave Cornelia and his Lewiston Bengals for overcoming at least a 16 point deficit to beat the Post Falls Trojans in a no time left clutch basket. The Coeur d'Alene Press reports that the game winner was shot by Lewiston's Shad Strerath. The play involved several players, starting from a rebound from a missed Post Falls free throw with 6.9 seconds remaining, Lewiston players moved the ball down the court and the lane opened up for Strerath. Great Job! For Post Falls, Levi Buckles, and Casey Ward looked great. Personally I'd like to see Brandon Haas handle the ball more for Post Falls. What a great rebounder he is!
12-16-06 Lake City at Coeur d'Alene Friday night Basketball.
Wow! I use that word a lot, but in this case it is legit.
I'm still excited over the basketball games, Lake City boys and girls went over to CHS to take on the Vikings. I guess the terms boys and girls is true but in many cases we are talking about young men and women.
The poise of Coeur d'Alene seniors Lindsey "Scrappy" Stark and Jenna "Mugger" DeLong was a major influence in the game. Those two came out and and dominated with their presence alone. Very impressive especially when you consider the talent that Lake City has. In the first period, Scrappy took a thrown elbow to the throat, totally surprised me and I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Scrappy held her cool and got a little clean revenge in the second half stuffing the elbow thrower. I was surprised that the speedy and gutsy Richelle Fenenbock didn't handle the ball more for LC. The Viking press gave the T-Wolves fits, Scrappy and Sadie Simon seemed flat out smothering at times. I'm glad to see Simon getting serious minutes as her speed, quickness and finesse seem to always make something good happen for the Vikings. LC had the inside game going at the beginning of every quarter with Riki Moreland getting loose under the basket. Apparently the Viking defense forgot about Moreland at the breaks but quickly picked up on their weakness. The final score, 49-35 CHS, doesn't reflect the game's competitive spirit, I can't wait to see these teams play again.
Then came the boys game. I was worried that the Viking press would get to LC's Trent Bridges. Bridges not only handled the press, but played exceptionally well. One of, if not the best baseball player in the area, bridges will give basketball teams fits. Although I would be comfortable with most of the LC top 7 taking the last shot, Bridges and Nick Fromm would now be my first choices. Bridges will make that shot many more times than not and if he is not already, he will become the go-to guy at LC. The Vikings slipped away with this win, Austin Heleker and Nate Bligh leading the comeback. To me, the turning point for CDA was a play late in the third or early in the fourth quarter. At one point, I noticed Bligh and Heleker carrying themselves differently. Then Bligh took the ball off the wing, juked and jived to the basket. He missed the shot but the tone was set. Heleker shot the lights out in the fourth and then a heady play from Bligh calling time out after taking the ball from the T-Wolves late in the game sealed the Viking's one point advantage. Again, I can't wait to watch CDA and LC play again. The next game will be at LCHS and both teams will need to bring their "A" games.