Spring Season in Session! |
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BHS Foundation's Running of the Beavers Returns |
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Thanks to all who participated in the Ballard High School Foundation's Running of the Beavers 5K on Saturday.
Race organizers, sponsors, participants, volunteers, the Pep Band and cheer teams all helped make this community event a great success!
The Fourth Annual Running of the Beavers, delayed after a three-year hiatus, raised money for Ballard Athletics, the Band, Cheer Squad, Dance Team and Associated Student Body.
Congratulations to the top-three finishers:
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Men's Division:
- Jack Rousseau, 16.07
- David Fort, 17.23
- Zachary Fung, 17.26
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Women's Division:
- Emme Rousseau, 19:05
- Sadie Kibelstis, 19:58
- Jill Philbin, 20:58
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This year, the race included a Class Competition, which earned the class with the greatest participation $250 for their class account. Congratulations to the Class of 2026 Freshmen Class for the most participants!
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SUPPORT BALLARD ATHLETICS |
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Learn about activities and events to support our athletes, coaches and teams.
ATTEND OUR NEXT Athletic Booster Club MONTHLY BOARD MEETING: at 6:30 p.m. Monday, April 3 in the Ballard High School Staff Lounge.
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Dance Team Excels at State |
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Congratulations to the Dance Team which participated in the State Dance/Drill State Championships March 24-25 at the Yakima Valley SunDome.
From Coach Bethany Nielcen: "What a season it has been! We competed in five regular season competitions and qualified for Districts in both routines at our very first one! We got second at districts and both routines qualified for State which hasn’t happened for us since 2018! These 12 ladies have worked so hard and had such a amazing season!"
The team earned Excellent ratings at State, and their highest scores of the year in both Dance and Hip Hop. (Performances are linked.) Photo and reels c/o and follow @ballardhsdanceteam.
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New Item from Beaver Gear | Gray Hoodies
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NEW BEAVER GEAR ITEM ON SALE NOW!
Supplies are limited – let the Beaver Gear volunteers know how you like the new color and they'll order more!
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Help Update Our Website, Social Media |
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We're looking for new photos to update the Athletic Booster Club website! Please send your team action shots to bhsabcnewsletter@gmail.com.
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Booster Club Trivia Night "FUN"raiser April 26 |
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Mark your calendars for Athletic Booster Club Trivia Night: Wednesday, April 26 at the Ballard Elks Club. $10/adult guesser, six participants per team ... gather your team parent friends and compete against other teams. Look for more details coming soon!
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Class of '23 Football Signees |
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Congratulations to Senior Lineman Jake Ivester, who signed Thursday to be a Central Wildcat next fall!
From Coach Ross Humphries @ballardbeaverfootball: "A big congratulations to the Leader of our Lineman on his commitment to play for Central Washington! They are getting a great person and player!"
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Jake joins Senior Beaver teammates looking forward to collegiate ball, Linebacker Alex Good (left, with Coach Humphries) and Defensive Back Sir Haney, who signed at Colorado School of Mines and George Fox University respectively in early February.
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Meet the New Boys Lacrosse Coach! |
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What drew you to coach lacrosse at Ballard High School?
Last year I started coaching in the area at the youth level for Props Lacrosse, the youth team that mainly feeds into Ballard. This past summer I ran a youth camp in collaboration with Ballard. Through our collaboration, I got to work with several young Ballard players (Owen Willis, Grant Nordfors, Jack Querry, Spencer Bos, Luke Berard, Davis and Quinton Brewster) and was impressed with what I saw.
After the camp, the Board President, George Brewster, asked to meet about the camp, which I found odd since it was simply a youth camp. He confessed that the former coach, Christian Kelso, had to step down because he was moving out of state and they were looking for a new one. He asked if I would be interested. I was in shock because coaching a high school team was a personal dream of mine and part of me felt it might have been too soon but decided to pursue the position. I met with what was probably 5 or 6 parents involved in the program. It was a little overwhelming but at the same time impressive because it showed the commitment this community had to their team. Family and friends who knew I was going through the process thought I was interviewing for a college position, it was so intense. That process only made me want this position more though and after a little while I was offered and gladly accepted.
What is your background in the sport, as a player and/or coach?
I grew up playing out east in Maryland, where it is our state team sport, at Watkins Mill High School. I played for a year at Montgomery Community College before going on to play at Louisiana State University. After graduating college I went back home and served as a youth coach for Winners Lacrosse in DC for their inaugural year. I moved back down to Louisiana for a year to start working in schools and also refereed games to stay in touch with the sport. I took a couple years away from lacrosse to focus on getting my Masters Degree before finding my way up here. I started coaching again in 2022 at the local youth team, Props Lacrosse Club.
What's your coaching philosophy?
Student-athletes are young people first and foremost. Their development as athletes should not be independent from their development as people living in their community and an ever-changing world. It is my strong belief that skills learned on the field can be lessons for life as well; these lessons include:
- Communication
- Working within a team
- Overcoming challenges, both physical and mental
- Humility
- What it means to be part of something bigger than the individual
Lacrosse is fast paced and physically and mentally demanding. Practices are designed to support success. It is important to be prepared for each practice, ready to work your hardest. I believe in a well thought out plan and being mentally prepared for what to expect. Therefore, there will be a plan attached to the practice in TeamSnap every day for the players to view beforehand to understand what to expect.
A team is as good as its culture. I believe in a culture of players taking ownership, holding themselves accountable, and having the skills and knowledge to make their own decisions. I collaborate a lot with the captains and leaders on this team. Leaders create leaders and it is my goal to create a team culture where all players feel they have a voice and for players to empower each other to become the best they can be.
This is an intense sport, and our team goals are serious but at the end of the day we are fortunate to be involved in a game. This fact can’t be forgotten, and we will ensure players are having fun together through high intensity friendly competition, positive team culture, and pride in being part of this team.
Do you see lacrosse increasing in popularity in the Northwest?
That is certainly the goal! I hope to continue the partnership with the youth program to grow its popularity and create more opportunities for young athletes to compete in an incredible sport. If you have or know of any young athletes, I encourage them to give lacrosse a try. It is a fun combination of strength, speed, agility, endurance, and coordination that can teach lessons far beyond the field. In the future we hope to provide even more opportunities for veteran and new players to play and grow during the offseason.
Hobbies, interests outside of coaching?
When I'm not coaching, I am an 8th Grade US History teacher at Mill Creek Middle School in Kent; you can find me walking my Goldendoodle, Rainier, either in Phinney Ridge or around Greenlake; working out at Ballard Health Club; reading at a cafe; paddleboarding in the Sound or on Greenlake; or in the mountains hiking or snowboarding.
Thanks Coach Pryphun and welcome!
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Boys Soccer (4-1-1) edged out Nathan Hale at home Tuesday, 4-3. Come root for the Beavers as they host the Roosevelt Riders at 4:30 p.m. Thursday. Digging the new kits too!
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Fastpitch has taken two out of its last three games, topping Franklin 15-0 March 23 and and Bellevue 11-1 March 24 before dropping one to Bishop Blanchet Tuesday. The team next hosts Cleveland 4 p.m. Thursday at Lower Woodland Park.
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Beavers Baseball won its last two games against Rainier Beach (11-1) on March 24 and Lakeside (7-3) Monday. Against Lakeside, Max Finklestein went 3-for-4 with a double, Ike McMillen went 2-for-3 with a double, and Kaden Larsen hit a home run. On Friday, the team hosts the Lincoln Lynx 4 p.m. at Whitman Middle School.
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This year's Track team boasts 100 athletes strong. On Thursday, the team heads to Ingraham to face the Rams, Bishop Blanchet, Eastside Catholic and Seattle Prep. The meet starts at 2:45 p.m.
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Jamboree Results March 16 at Nathan Hale
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Meet Results March 23 at Southwest Athletic Center (Hosted by Chief Sealth, also with Franklin, Holy Names, O'Dea and West Seattle)
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The 3-2 Boys Tennis team has wins this season against Eastside Catholic (on March 13 and March 22) and Ingraham (March 21). Girls Tennis dropped a close one March 22 to Eastside. On Thursday, the teams host Nathan Hale at home (Lower Woodland Park).
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Cheer on the Girls Lacrosse teams and enjoy their tasty Brownie Sale fundraiser ($5, cash only) at their next home games Friday.
JV takes on Lake Sammamish JV at 7 p.m., while Varsity faces off against Mount Si at 8:30 p.m.
Great shot of JV competing against SnoLax last night at Glacier Peak c/o and follow @bhs_girlslax.
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From Coach Ray Pryphun: "The season is going great and I haven't had this much fun in a long time. This team is highly skilled with some absolutely dominant players (in first four games: Owen Willis 15 goals, 8 assists; Quinton Brewster 11 goals, 6 assists), strong leadership from our Senior Captains [Aidan Bernard, Quinton Brewster, and Cody Lavin (D1 commit - Monmouth)], and a strong will to fight to win."
The team topped Bainbridge 9-4 in nonleague play Tuesday. Photo of Cody's stellar defense c/o Ed Tanaka/@ballard_lacrosse
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Thanks to the Ballard Cheer team, which helped encourage runners and walkers at the Running of the Beavers on March 25.
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BUF girls season underway and Spring Reign happening April 22-23!
Ballard Ultimate Frisbee (BUF) girls are having a solid start to the season. Come watch upcoming games on April 18 and 20. The full schedule is here. BUF girls are heading to the PNW Girls Invite on April 1 & 2 in Burlington, the premier competitive single-gender ultimate tournament in the region. Following that, the co-ed team (pictured above) heads to Spring Reign in Burlington, WA on April 22-23. Spring Reign is one of the largest mixed-gender youth ultimate tournaments in the world. The tournament hosts school-based teams hailing from Washington, British Columbia, Manitoba, Oregon, Montana, and Idaho, celebrating youth Ultimate in the Northwest! BUF never rests! For the latest on BUF, visit ballardultimate.org.
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SUPPORT BALLARD ATHLETICS!
ATTEND OUR NEXT MONTHLY BOARD MEETING:
at 6:30 p.m. Monday, April 3 in the
Ballard High School STAFF LOUNGE!
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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.
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Want more ways to support BHS athletes?
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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 means the coach has more time to focus on athletes.
- Make a direct donation to your team!
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FALL
Cross Country
Football
Slowpitch Softball
Golf
Girls Soccer
Girls Swim & Dive
Boys U. Frisbee
Volleyball
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WINTER
Basketball
Gymnastics
Boys Swim & Dive
Wrestling
Girls Bowling
Girls Flag Football
Mixed U. Frisbee
Unified Basketball
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SPRING
Baseball
Lacrosse
Boys Soccer
Fastpitch Softball
Tennis
Track
Girls U. Frisbee
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