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Shelton-Mason County Journal
By EMILY HANS()N
emily@masoncounty.com
When two Shelton men first started
throwing darts together last fall, they never
expected to win a state championship.
But in January, that's exactly what Mat-
thew Gilbert, 29, and Daryl Alvarez, 24, did.
Gilbert and Alvraez, longtime friends
from Shelton, began throwing darts in the
Golden Pheasant league every Sunday last
fall.
After 10 weeks of league dart-throwing
at theGolden Pheasant, the two were invit-
ed to the Northwest Fall League Finals at
Tacoma's Emerald Queen Casino Jan. 6-8.
Gilbert said he and Alvarez learned their
dart-throwing skills through an unconven-
tional method.
"We play beer pong a lot and it's the
same concept," Gilbert said. "Our friends
would come over and play in tournaments."
When Alvarez's father -- a longtime
dart-thrower -- suggested they start throw-
ing darts, the guys decided to try it out.
"It was a lot of fun," Gilbert said. "I guess
Shelton used to be the Mecca of darts; a lot
of good teams came out of Shelton and we're
looking to start that again."
At the championship in January, there
were 97 boards side-by-side and teams
threw all day long, Gilbert Said.
"We play two games: 501 and cricket
501," he said.
In cricket 501, teams must hit three 15s,
three 16s, three 17s, three 18s, three 19s,
three 20s and three bull's eyes.
In 501, teams start at 501 and count
down, hitting every number to zero or they
bust.
"We're better at cricket," Gilbert said.
The tournament was best two-out-of-
three matches and double elimination. To
win a match, Gilbert said the team had to
win two-of-three games.
"We won our first match, lost the second
and then won the third match," he said.
"Then we had to beat the team we lost to
twice, because they had not lost at all."
Gilbert and Alvarez's team, BangaRang,
defeated Jessica Hester and Anthony Kel-
ley on the team Just Left Dartalica for first
place in the C Flight Doubles champion-
ship.
In the championship game, Gilbert said
BangaRang lost the first 501 game and won
the first cricket game.
"Then we lost the 501 game and won the
cricket game again;" he said. "My partner
closed out the next 501 game to win the
championship."
See Darts on page C-4
Shelton Special Olympics team member Charlie Yang stops to put up a shot while
guards him during the Special Olympics versus SHS staff game on Thursday, Feb.
Journal photos by Emily Hanson
SHS staff member Josh Parker
23.
SHS Special Olympics team
takes 2nd at regionals
By EMILY HANSON had good support from the
ernily@masoncounty.com cheerleaders and parents.
That was very important."
The game came at the
The Shelton Mini Dome end of the Special Olympics
was filled with smiles 'and basketball season, which
laughter during the annual takes place during the first
Shelton Special Olympicsweek of December to the
versus Shelton High School first week of March.
staff game on Thursday, This season was also the
Feb. 23. second time in 14 years that
"The main thing about the Shelton team did not
Special Olympics is it rein- make it to the state tourna-
forces and gives us a chance ment in Wenatchee. Two of
to practice what we teach in the Shelton teams finished
the classroom -- workingin second place at region-
for a common goal, dealing als this year while the other
with stress, learning lead- team took third.
ship skills and dealing with "Our teams did really
winning and losing," SHSwell this season," Thornton
special education instructor said. "We had to fight for sec-
Gar Thornton said. ond place and it was a little
Thornton, along with disappointing because state
Nate Sartori, Scotty Crump is our big payout. Competi-
and Steve Belcher, coaches tion has gotten harder and
three Shelton Special Olym- some teams have left the
pics teams, region so it's a more concen-
"We have a team of high-trated pool of competition."
. ly skilled players, a team of The Shelton Special
players that have learned Olympics team used to
the basics and are prac-bowl, but when the bowling
ticing them and an intro- alley in town burned down,
ductory group that is just that became difficult for
learning about basketball," the group, since the closest
Thornton said. bowling alley is in Olympia.
During Thursday's Thornton said the team
game, most of the programs' has also participated in
27 athletes faced off against ~rack and field in the past,
nearly one dozen SHS staff but that's more for an indi-
members and students in vidual sport.
the annual game. This is"I really like to spend
the fifth or sixth year of the more of our time on team
game, Crump said. sports because they build on
"The game was really, our life skills more," Thorn-
really fun," Thornton said. ton said.
"It's a playful banter that The life skills class at
goes on between the kidsSHS teaches junior high
and the staff all day. We through full-grown adults.
Shelton Special Olympics team member Mike Geddings drives to
the hoop with SHS staff member Tom Toney in pursuit during the
Special Olympics versus SHS staff game on Thursday, Feb. 23.
She,ton-Mason County Journal
Rudy
Award
winner
will play in
college
By EMILY HANSON
emily@masoncounty.com
Walking into the winter
sports assembly, Nic Gove
didn't suspect he was about
to receive an award.
Gove, a senior at Shelton
High School, was therefore
surprised when head foot-
b,all coach Matt Hinkle an-
nounced he was the fall 2011
winner ofthe Rudy Award.
"Nic exemplifies what
the Rudy
Award is
all about,"
Hinkle
said. "He
came from
being a
non-trust-
worthy,
non-dis-
Nic ciplined,
Gove non-com-
mitted
player to
one that was well-respected
by his coaches and well-
liked by his teammates. He
dealt with personal hard-
ships and struggles yet al-
ways seemed to have a posi-
tive demeanor and outlook."
Gove said he didn't really
know what the Rudy Award
was about before Hinkle
told him it was for people
who overcome challenges.
"I felt honored to win the
award," Gove said.
The challenge he over-
came was one not many peo-
ple knew about.
"My sophomore year, I
had a seizure that stopped
me from playing," Gove
said. "No one really knew at
first why I stopped going to
practice that season because
I was really upset."
That was Gove's third
seizure. Gove's first seizure
was caused by sleep-depri-
vation, his doctors told him.
After having one seizure,
Gove said his doctors told
him the next two were be-
cause he was now suscep-
tible to them.
"The only reason I
couldn't play was that it
happened right during foot-
ball season," Gove said.
Being unable to play foot-
ball affected Gove so much
that he stopped caring about
school, he said.
As a senior, he's turned
his academic performance
around.
"I averaged a 3.5 GPA
last semester and I'm hop-
ing to do that again this se-
mester," Gove said.
He returned to the grid-
iron his junior year and
See Athlete on page C-4
- Thursday, March 1, 2012 - Page C-1