Finally, after a two-year delay, join us for the 4th Annual Running of the Beavers to benefit the Ballard High School Foundation 9 a.m. Saturday, March 25 at Golden Gardens. The Foundation provides financial support for wellness and activities at Ballard High School. The 5k walk/run will start and finish at the beautiful Golden Gardens Park along the Ballard waterfront. You’ll enjoy stunning views of Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains on this fast, flat course. The finish will take you right by the famous Beaver Pond at Golden Gardens. Escape the city as you run/walk along the shores of Puget Sound and help raise funds for the Ballard High School Foundation. For volunteer and sponsorship information, contact Dick Lee, rjlee@seattleschools.org. 

Beaver Gear will be selling BHS duffle bags again during the month of January. Stay tuned to the BHS PTSA newsletter, the Ballard Athletics Booster Club website, and our social media sites for info on how to order.

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This is my first year as Head Coach for the Boys Varsity Team. My philosophy is all about dedication and hard work on the defense end. Our defense will determine how we put points on the board. We will speed the game up to force the opposing teams to have to take quick shots. Despite having a team full of sick players, the season is starting off well. The team is working very hard and learning a bunch of new strategies different from last season. They are catching on very fast. The future is looking very bright, and I cannot wait to see where we are in mid-January.

Outside of basketball, other hobbies I enjoy are bowling, throwing darts, screen printing and designing shirts."

From Coach Kyle Morean:

"Our team is off to an incredible start this season! We have a strong team of 29 swimmers and three divers. Thanks to all who’ve come out to Ballard Pool to support us. It was a nail-biter against Blanchet Dec. 16 and as close as a dual meet gets – down to the last race. (Bears topped Beavers 99-87.) We have 10 swimmers who’ve already qualified for Metros (first round of post-season) and six already qualified for Districts! Please come out and support our swimmers and divers at the Ballard Pool at 4 p.m. Friday, Jan. 6 and Friday, Jan. 27!" Photo c/o and follow @bhsboys.swim.

Mixed Ultimate Frisbee is off to a great start! The program has more than 50 players for the season. Varsity is being coached by Stephen Semmens and Ximenna Hofstez and led by six Seniors. Their record is currently 2-1. JV is coached by Ben Goldberg and Daniel Lorigan with a record of 1-2. Both teams are embracing the challenges of playing outdoors in Seattle’s unpredictable weather. Games take place on Saturdays through February. Come check us out! (Varsity schedule; JV Schedule). Also, the Girls Spring season will be here before we know it. Any interested girls, please consider joining BUF! 

From Coach Stephanie Gundel: "The gymnastics team is off to a great start, winning their first two meets of the season. Juniors Alex Bullock and Naomi Kildal, as well as sophomores Brooke Adkins and Dylan Kelly have all won event titles. The team enjoyed a good crowd at their first home meet (first with spectators since 2020!) on Friday, and would love even more people at the upcoming home meets on Jan. 7 and 20, and on Feb. 4!" Follow the team on Instagram @ballardgymnastics

Unified Basketball is off to a great start! On Dec. 7, co-captains Niko Tingleff and Addy Wynkoop led the team as they faced off against Roosevelt for the first in-person game since 2020. Ballard Cheer and Pep Band rooted for the team as countless fans filled the gym for an unforgettable day of stiff competition and community support. Ella Eckhart was presented with a sportsmanship award. The team is looking forward to making Ballard proud in tournaments beginning in January! Kiana Peterson joined the coaching staff alongside existing coach Rachel Schmidt for a season that is sure to be memorable. Photo c/o and follow @ballard_unified

The Road to Tacoma – Mat Classic XXXIV – Building on the success of recent alumni like Ava Olson ('21) and Kayla Rogers ('19), athletes on the Ballard Beaver Girls Wrestling team are grinding through December's practice and tournament schedule in preparation for a strong showing in the postseason. Two Beavers, Junior Jackie Benson and Senior Cass Sylves, trained in freestyle wrestling with Team WA throughout the summer and competed at USA Nationals in Fargo, ND. Under the leadership of Head Coach Jared Daniels, Assistant Coach Anevay Avila the Lady Beavs will participate in tournaments spanning the state, from Sedro-Woolley to Kelso, searching for matchups and mat time to prepare them for state, Feb. 17-18 at the Tacoma Dome. To follow the team visit @ballard_girls_wrestling on Instagram and matches are posted on YouTube at @BallardHighSchoolWrestling.   

From Coach Lorenzo Durant III: "With the Boys Varsity Basketball team losing six Seniors last year, the Beavers team this season has been working very hard and putting in numerous extra hours to try and fill the shoes of last year's team. With returning players Max Sevier, Jack Swartz, Ralph Stinebrickner and swing players Dale Estey and Nirvan Laemmle, the team is learning a whole new system this year. Nothing is stopping them from fulfilling their goal.

"Last week, Ballard took out their respected rivals Lincoln 50-30 which put the Beavers up one more position in Metro. The Beavers were led by Senior Jack Swartz with 18 points and 8 rebounds. The Beavers stand in 6th place as of now in the Metro League. When we come back from Winter Break, that is when the season gets real intense to push to make it to a district playoff game." Photo c/o and follow @ballardbball

From Coach Scott Cachopo: "Our inaugural season of girls bowling has gotten off to an exciting start. In the third game of the season, we had a big win that came down to the final frame where we squeaked out a win by one point! At our mid-point of the season, we’re 3-4 and fourth overall for total pins out of 10 teams." Follow the team @ballardgirlsbowling.

From Coach Laura Lehni regarding Ballard's newest Winter sport: "We have consistently had girls turning out for our practices three days a week. We’ll start games the second week of January. We are ALL still learning the flag football rules and having so much fun together building a new program for BHS. Coach (Robin) Dowdy and I are both very competitive and high energy, and the girls are matching our energy! We’re super excited for this new sport this year!" (Photo of inaugural season teams Nathan Hale and Mount Si at the Feb. 6, 2022 Memorial Stadium Jamboree.)

Ballard Boys Wrestling season has launched with more than 20 athletes participating, ranging from 113 to 285 lbs. This month, many competed in the Larry Brown Invitational in Fife and the Graham B. Morin Memorial Tournament in Squalicum. Sophomore Lazlo Davis-Rudin won 3rd place in the 195lbs class at both events. In the two "Duals" contested in December, the team is 2-2, with the next Dual at 6 p.m. on Jan. 4 at Bishop Blanchet. Watch all the wrestling action on YouTube.

Photo of both Boys and Girls Wrestling Teams at their Thanksgiving Day practice in the Commons (above) and Lazlo on the podium in Squalicum. Follow the team @ballard_boys_wrestling. Go Beavers!

Lakeside High invites members of the BHS community to celebrate Pride Night when the Lions host the Ballard Girls Basketball teams on Friday, Jan. 6. JV tip at 4 p.m., Varsity at 5:30 p.m. Anyone who is wearing something to support the LGBTQIA+ community will gain free admission. At halftime of the Varsity games, there will be a short program to highlight and celebrate members of the LGBTQIA+ community. Follow the Beavers @ballardhs_gbb.

Congratulations to the Ballard Red Team (left) who absolutely crushed their first competition as the winners at the Spirit of the Northshore (Bothell) Dec. 5. Ballard Cheer’s Black Team (right) received a bid Dec. 19 to attend USA Nationals and has already qualified for State after participating in their first competition in two years at River Ridge High School’s Carnival Classic on Nov. 12. Photos c/o and follow @ballardcheer.

Dance Team qualified in both the Dance and Hip Hop categories for Districts at the Dec. 10 Bellevue High School competition. They also hosted a lovely Winter Showcase Dec. 2 in the Performing Arts Center. Their next competition will be Jan. 14 at Redmond High School. Great job, Dance Team! Photo c/o and follow @ballardhsdanceteam.

The Ballard High School Athletic Booster Club is a volunteer group of parents working together to support, promote, and advocate for all BHS athletes. We believe quality athletic programs enrich the high school educational experience. Our focus is on programs that benefit all BHS athletes, and we are especially interested in promoting school-wide community and helping remove barriers to play.

Questions? Email our Membership Coordinator, Beth Sylves at bhsabcmemberships@gmail.com. Go Beavers!