*ABC at Ballard Seafood Fest!
*Alumni at Ballard High School
*From the Athletic Director
& Spring Sports Wrap Up
*Volunteer with the Booster Club!
*ABC FAQ
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June 15th: 2022 Graduation!
July 16th-17th: Ballard Seafood Fest!
Pick Up Your Duffel Bags Now in the Office!
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You are receiving this Ballard Athletics newsletter either because you previously signed up with the Athletic Booster Club or because you registered your BHS athlete through FinalForms.
If you prefer not to receive this newsletter, you can easily unsubscribe using the link at the bottom of the page.
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Why Alumni Come Back to Ballard High School |
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We always wondered why alumni come back to Ballard High School after they graduate! We decided to ask a few people, and this is what information we received back:
My name is Doug Montgomery, and I've been the Head Baseball Coach at Ballard since 2013. I was a 2003 Ballard grad, who played baseball at the school for Eric Chartrand (class of '84), Gary Seefried (class of '64) and Kevin Miller (class of '94). I took over the program from John Lamm (class of '82), and I'm fortunate to have been mentored by Mick McDonald (class of '56). All of which goes to say that dating back to the 70's there has been a Ballard Beaver at the helm of the baseball program- 7 in a row if my history is correct.
Additionally, on our current staff, we have Nick Thornton-Jack (class of '05), Emmett Niland (class of '09), and Frank Airey (class of '13).
When I interviewed for this job as a 27 year old with very little coaching experience, I remember bluntly saying, "this isn't just another coaching job for me. You won't see me coaching at Ingraham or Blanchet. This is it for me. This is where my pride is at."
Nick Thornton-Jack – Assistant FB and baseball coach
C/O 2005
Football, Track and Field, Wrestling
I came back to Ballard because I am extremely proud to be an alum of Ballard High School. I returned in order to give back to the community that allotted me to get a degree and to hopefully supply the students of today with the tools I was given here that allowed me to be successful both athletically and academically.
From John Marshall:
I graduated from Ballard in 2019. I’m now the varsity tennis head coach, while at Ballard I played tennis and swam. I came back to Ballard because I love playing tennis and coaching, especially teaching the right mindset to approach challenges in competition.
Eric Ensign
I graduated from BHS in 1991
I played basketball
I came back to Ballard because without Ballard athletics, I wouldn’t be where I am today. High School sports helped me stay motivated and from my experience, it led me to go into coaching and teaching as a career. I’ve always been proud to be a Beaver!
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From the Athletic Director |
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Greetings Beaver Fans!
What an exciting spring for BHS athletics! Being able to finally have a full season with spectators and regular post season play has been a blessing. A huge shout out to all of our coaches who, over the last couple of years, have had a lot asked of them with the COVID testing, mask monitoring, guest lists when we had limitations on spectators, game streaming, etc. We have passionate coaches who care about our student-athletes, keep winning in perspective, and value academics.
Our coaches and athletic department staff members are always happy to talk about our programs and answer any questions you may have, so please don’t hesitate to reach out to myself or our coaches on staff. With that being said, we have three new head coaches for next year, all excited to start working with our athletes. For girls’ soccer, Emma Sanders is taking over as head coach and Zach Wurtz, a local club coach will be taking over the volleyball program. We also will have a new boys’ basketball coach, an assistant in the program last year. Lorenzo Durant will be taking over for Mike Broom.
Spring sports are wrapping up this week and we’ve had some awesome performances by our Beaver athletes who continue to make the Beaver Nation proud!
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Track & Field
Track is back! Returning to a more normal season, Ballard Track and Field had the opportunity to compete at large invitational meets during the regular season and the post-season for the first time since 2019. Enthusiasm has been high and participation numbers are up with a lot of new faces on the team. Despite so many new students on the team Ballard sent 45 athletes to the Metro Championship where the boys placed 5th and the girls placed 6th. Ballard athletes also won four different events! At the district meet the boys again placed 5th and the girls placed 15th. From the district meet Ballard qualified 9 individual athletes to the State Championship. The coaching staff is proud of all the hard work and excitement this season and are enthusiastic about the positive direction the team is heading.
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Boys Soccer
The Ballard Boys Soccer program had another strong showing, with all three teams ending with a winning record. JVC and JV finished in 1st and 2nd respectively, with each team only losing a single game. Coach Clark and Coach Chris did another great job preparing our kids for the next level, as seen during Spring Break when Varsity was missing 14 players and the younger guys had to step up.
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While the Varsity team did not reach State, it was an amazing feeling to be back to a full season. All 10 of our seniors were fantastic to work with and we wish them well as they move on from high school. The future also looks bright for next year, with a very impressive junior class ready to take the reins. I'd also like to thank our 4 managers who did a fantastic job all season! |
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Fastpitch Softball
The Beavers finished the 2021-2022 season with a 17-5 record overall; winning 14 of its last 16 games and knocked off the Bishop Blanchet Bears (who beat us earlier the season), allowing the team to advance to the Metro Championship game. In the quarterfinals of the District II tournament, the Beavers clinched their first State appearance since 2015 and are seeking their first win at the tournament since 2002.
“We have come a long way since taking over the program back in 2017. Our student athletes have bought in, everyone has had a positive attitude, been selfless, accepted their roles and our school community has been extremely supportive. We have a solid senior class (7 players currently) that lead the charge and an influx of underclassmen who have also contributed in a major way throughout the course of the season. I knew coming into this season that we would be a solid team, win games, and that we had the potential to qualify for State. But to actually be here now is surreal and a moment that I hope each player, manager, coach and parent remembers forever,” said Metro Fastpitch Coach of the Year Dale Griffith.
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Tennis
Led by first year Head Coach and Ballard alum, John Marshall, Ballard Tennis took big steps this year in tangible and intangible results. Varsity Boys Tennis was the champion of the Sound Division in Metro League Tennis going 8-2 in divisional play. Girls’ Varsity progression was equally impressive, going from a no-win team last year to having four wins in the year. As a team, Ballard Tennis consistently showed up with high team spirit. In spite of the cold and windy weather that frequented our matches. players would stay to cheer on teammates after their match was done, and Ballard Tennis was a place players wanted to be. This could not be better seen by their plan to continue to practice twice a week until next season starts.
In the individual Metro Tournament which fed into the District Tournament, there were some outstanding results. Silas Healy placed 4th in boys’ singles, Lucas Bradshaw and Luke Weaver placed 8th in boys’ doubles, and Katherine Mullins and Lauren Oboy placed 7th in
girls’ doubles (top placed public school team in girls’ doubles). These players all advanced to the District Tournament. Three entries into Districts was a Ballard best since at least 2010. Silas Healy went on to place 5th at Districts in boys’ singles and will be competing in the State Tournament May 27th and 28th. Silas will be the first Ballard State Tournament entry since at least 2010.
The end of season banquet was a success! Approximately 80 players and parents across varsity and JV came together to celebrate the year. Overall, the 2022 Ballard Tennis season was a big success with hopefully more to come!
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Baseball
The Ballard baseball team turned their season around to finish 5th in a power-house Metro League. After finishing the regular season 11-10 and settling for a 10th seed, the Beaver Nine went on a surprising run in the playoffs, eliminating Franklin, Garfield, Roosevelt and O'Dea, before losing to a stacked Bishop Blanchet team, 2-1, and barely missing their first State Tournament berth since 2001. All four teams that advanced to state from Metro have a very strong chance at winning it all.
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The Dirt Beavers will graduate 9 seniors, including three players who have committed to college. They were led by senior captains Carson Nakagawara (SS/P) and Gunnar Shiotani (C). Carson earned 1st Team All-Metro pitcher honors, after starting 10 games on the mound and pitching to a remarkable 0.82 ERA. Gunnar earned 2nd Team All-Metro catcher honors, after hitting .328 with a .481 on-base-percentage and guiding the pitching staff to an impressive 2.13 team ERA. Senior 1st Baseman Alex Greb was the hero of a come-from-behind playoff win against O-Dea, smacking TWO home runs in the 3-2 upset. Alex earned 2nd Team All-Metro infielder honors after batting .329 and leading the team with 21 RBI. Senior Sam Carr started 8 games on the mound, including three HUGE playoff starts where he only gave up a combined 3 earned runs and extended the Beavers season. In fact, Sam combined with sophomore Chase Edwards to pitch a thrilling 10-inning NO-HITTER in the playoffs against Garfield. The rookie of the year has to go to freshman Truitt Madonna, who earned the early season call-up, and proceeded to hit .377 with a .493 on-base-percentage, and earned himself 2nd Team All-Metro infielder honors.
After two COVID off years, the Ballard Baseball program returned to T-Mobile Park with their annual Mariners Ticket Fundraiser. All three teams combined to sell a whopping 1,350 Mariners tickets and have a great fundraising spring. The boys had fun playing with the roof open this year.
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Girls Ultimate Frisbee
The Girls Varsity team for the 2022 spring season was coached by Ximmy Hofsetz and Ben Goldfarb. After cancellation of the prior two spring seasons due the pandemic, the team had a lot of new players playing at the high school level for the first time. The Seattle Public School league was packed with top-tier teams this year and featured five teams in the top ten in the Girls High School National rankings according to UltiWorld.com. The team started off strong with wins against Cleveland and Holy Names. By season's end the team was a tight-knit and competitive group, but bowed out of the playoffs in the second round after tough losses to Lincoln and Franklin. Congratulations to our seniors: Millie Atack, Chamonix Reynolds, Willa Behrens, and Erica Richardson. We'll miss you!
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Girls’ Lacrosse
The Ballard Girls Lacrosse teams had a great 2022 season! Our JV team finished 4-5, and our Varsity team finished 6-5-1. The Ballard JV Lacrosse team had 9 new players who had not played lacrosse before, all of whom stepped up and contributed everywhere on the field. Shoutout to Cici Perrino who was our leading goal scorer, and Brynn Cziesla who led the team in draw controls. The JV team was the recipient of the Team Sportsmanship Award from WSLAX. Congratulations!
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The Varsity team was young, with 10/19 players rostered on Varsity for the first time. They had a challenging schedule, playing against 4 top 10 ranked teams, but were able to demonstrate solid team defense, something that was emphasized during the season. We want to highlight Samantha Simpson, who scored 76 goals in 12 games, setting the record for Single-Season Goals Scored and Points Scored. We're so excited that Sam is continuing her career playing D1 lacrosse for Boston University. Varsity players Samantha Simpson and Frannie Clark were selected for the Metro All-Conference teams. Congratulations! Good Luck to our 8 seniors as they continue in their journey: Amy Villegas, Ellie Sabol, Ella Joseph, Lillian Petersen, Kiyomi King, Olivia Zittell, Frannie Clark, and Samantha Simpson. |
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Boys’ Lacrosse
The Boys Lacrosse Team had another terrific season. The team went 9-6 overall and 4-2 in conference play, ending the year tied for first in Metro – Public D1 standings. Although the boys had an earlier exit from playoffs than hoped for, the team defeated both rivals Roosevelt and Bainbridge, and capped of the regular season with a sound win over Nathan Hale. On an individual level, four players were nominated to the First Team All-Metro Team, the most from any school. Next season, the Beavers will surely miss departing seniors Luke Gregory, Noam Cohen (c), Wilson Senan (c), and Jack McLaughlin (c), but are excited for the strong crop of rising upperclassmen to take the helm.
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The Boys Lacrosse Team would like to our parents and Board for all their contributions throughout the season. Go Beavers! |
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Gymnastics Update
The gymnastics team wrapped up its most successful season to date - undefeated in the Metro League in the regular season, winning the Metro League Championship meet, taking 2nd place at the Sea-King District II meet (highest finish ever) and wrapping up the season taking 3rd place at State (also the highest finish ever). The team was led by a strong core of freshmen and sophomores, along with senior Lilly Clarke. Lilly was the Metro League Floor Champion and at State she placed 3rd on beam, 3rd on floor, 10th on bars, and 6th all around. Sophomore Linden Fatland was 10th on vault at State. Other key contributors throughout the season: sophomore Naomi Kildal (Metro League Beam Champion, 3rd on beam at Districts), sophomore Alex
Bullock, freshmen Brooke & Caitlyn Adkins, and senior Audrey Lepper. Thanks to our co-captains Lilly Clarke, Tatum Hadley and Audrey Lepper for leading the team through such a fun and successful season.
We're excited to have a strong core returning next year and can't wait for November! Follow the team on Instagram - @ballardgymnastics and Twitter - @ballardhsgym to stay up to date on all the action!
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Cross Country Update
Cross Country summer training will begin on June 20th meeting at the Lower Woodland track @ 5:00pm Monday - Friday. Open to all current BHS students/athletes and incoming Ballard freshmen. Contact co-head coach Darrin Ganyard with questions djganyard@seattleschools.org
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SUPPORT BALLARD ATHLETICS! JOIN THE ABC BOARD! |
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Are you a Ballard Athletics parent/fan who has been looking for just the right low-key volunteer opportunity with a great group of people? Are you interested in fostering school-wide athletic community and reducing barriers to play for all BHS athletes? Do you like to help parents connect with coaches and each other? We have a spot for you!
Think you might be interested? More info is available HERE. If you'd like to talk to someone about specifics, please email our Membership Coordinator, Beth Sylves (bhsabcmemberships@gmail.com). We would love to work with you!
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With so many different volunteer groups working to support BHS students, we know things can get confusing. Here are some answers to frequently asked questions about the ABC.
What exactly is the ABC?
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 athletes at BHS, and we are especially interested in promoting school-wide community and helping remove barriers to play. Learn more about the ABC here.
Ok, so what does the ABC do?
The ABC Board meets monthly with the Athletic Director to make sure that our efforts align with BHS Athletics values and goals. These meetings are open to everyone and we welcome you to join us!
One of our most important jobs is maintaining financial records and managing bank accounts for all BHS sports teams, so that teams do not have to maintain individual non-profit status and coaches and team parents are not also required to be bookkeepers.
We also:
I want to support BHS athletes! What can I do?
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Sign up for an ABC membership every year. Your membership fees directly support the projects listed above.
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Buy and wear Beaver Gear, especially when you are out supporting our Beavers at sporting events.
- Plan on attending the various social and fundraising events we host throughout the school year. Help us build community while we celebrate our athletes!
- Become a team parent, or offer to help your existing team parent -- volunteering to help out with a team's administrative, fundraising, or communications tasks means that the coach has more time to focus on his or her athletes.
- Make a direct donation to your team!
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