Summer
soccer season
kicks off
page B-2
Thursday, July 3, 2014 -Mason County Journal - Page B-1
Climbers
host hoops
camp
page B-3
...... , Journal photos by Emily Hanson
ABOVE: Britney Chamberlin bats for Shelton Athletic Club on June 26 at Mason County Recreation Area during the team's
Cascade League adult co-ed softball game against Camco. BELOW: Shelton Athletic Club first baseman James Drywater
gets Camco runner Adam Beeler out at first.
Late runs win it
Sheton Athletic Club bats out
of a sixth-inning tie game
By EMILY HANSON
emily@masoncounO/ corn
A late RBI double by Chad Johnson was the differ-
ence for Shelton Athletic Club (SAC) last week.
The squad beat Camco 8-6 in the Cascade adult
co-ed sol, ball league match June 26 at Mason County
Recreation Area.
'%Ve're a very confident team," said SAC team man-
ager Dustin Olson. '%Ve try not to get nervous and try
to just play the game."
SAC took a solid lead in the first inning with five
runs on eight hits.
Sean Howland opened scoring with a two-run home
run, bringing in Olson.
That got SAC's bats swinging. Anne Johnson and
James Drywater knotched consecutive doubles, and
then Corrie Bell's triple.
Drywater brought in Johnson, while Bell scored
Drywater. Chad Johnson brought Bell in with a single.
Camco responded with one run in the bottom of the
first. Judy Miklethun brought in Chad Mentzer with
the help of two SAC errors.
Olson scored again for SAC in the top of the second
on a single by Howland.
Camco once again responded with one run. Brook
Hunter led off the bottom of the second inning with a
triple and was brought in by Brandon Wright's result-
ing single.
In the third, Camco tightened the gap with three
runs.
Lead-off batter Adam Beeler hit a double, as did
Nicole Young (who batted in Beeler), and Mentzer
(who brought Young in). An SAC error allowed Men-
tzer to advance to third base.
He then scored on Miklethun's single.
Down 6-5 heading into the bottom of the fifth
inning, Mentzer hit a double and then scored on
Thor Dobson's single and an SAC error to tie the
game.
Drywater scored on Chad Johnson's double in the
top of the sixth to give SAC a 7-6 lead. Then Fisher
brought Bell in with a single and a Camco error.
Olson said SAC is a solid team, with most of the
athletes playing together for the past four years.
SAC went undefeated in the Cascade League last
year and the year before.
'%Ve're having fun," Olson said.
The Cascade League plays at 6:15 and 7:15 p.m.
Tuesday and Thursday evenings at Callanan Park
and Mason County Recreation Area.
FLY ON THE SIDELINE
Shelton School
District made
right choice
" t's tough growing
up in a family that
, doesn't have enough
money.
This is a difficulty
many families in Shelton
experience. It's also one
I know about firsthand,
having grown up in a
large
family in
Lacey.
That
was part
of why
I didn't
partici-
pate in
sports. I
couldn't By EMILY
afford HANSON
the
pay-to-play fee at Tim-
berline. I also wasn't
very athletic, but if it
hadn't been for monetary
concerns, I might have
suited up and tired more
sports.
That's what makes me
so glad the Shelton School
Board eliminated its $60
pay-to-play per athlete per
sport fee.
At best, the fee was a
monetary supplement for
the athletic department,
mostly used to cover trav-
el expenses.
At worst, it was a hin-
derance to students who
wanted to play sports but
felt they couldn't afford
to.
In an ideal world, all
students would have the
same advantages and
opportunities. By law,
they're required to receive
an education, but money,
or the lack thereof, often
results in students with
the same abilities receiv-
ing quite different experi-
ences.
I consider participating
in sports to be part of a
student's education.
Sports teaches students
to be competitive, strive
for success, work together
and, we hope, to be gra-
cious losers.
Those are all skills
needed in the world out-
side of school, but not
necessarily skills that
can be taught in a class-
room.
By eliminating the
pay-to-play fee, the
school board has taken
an important step toward
leveling the educational
playing field for all stu-
dents.
I hope the elimination
of this fee results in high-
er participation levels for
all Shelton sports.
And who knows? Maybe
an unknown athletic star
who couldn't afford to play
before will find his or her
place now that this hurdle
has been cleared.
