2008 Sandpoint spring sports: What a long, strange trip it's been
The Grateful Dead penned those famous lyrics nearly 40 years ago, but darned if they don’t describe the 2008 spring sports season to a T. For the coaches, players, parents, administrators and even the media, it was a season to remember. With that in mind, here are a few of the highlights — and lowlights, from a bizarre, snow-hampered season.
An army of one
Junior Bailey Hewitt was nothing short of sensational at the state track meet last weekend, singlehandedly leading Clark Fork to its first ever state track trophy. She won the long jump, triple jump, 300 hurdles and 100 meters, posting season bests in each, to earn 40 points, good enough for a fourth place team finish.
Imagine what Hewitt — arguably the top girls soccer player in the state — could have done had she not spent the first two months of the season practicing track in a gym?
A silver lining
When the Sandpoint baseball team failed to make it to state, it was a blessing in disguise for senior Kyle Gibson. After running track the previous two seasons, Gibson opted to turn out for baseball as a senior, trading hurdles for home runs. He ended up hitting the farthest ball all season at War Memorial Field, finding the sweet spot on a high fastball and crushing a moon shot to straight-away center.
After the baseball team’s season ended, he decided to give track a try, showing surprisingly little rust en route to winning districts and finishing second at state in the 300 hurdles — in the only two races he’d run all year.
When E.F. Hutton talks…
Sandpoint assistant coach Rick Klontz knows baseball. He hits masterful fungo, drilling his infielders with groundballs much tougher than what they’ll see in an actual game. His fielding percentage — without a glove, mind you — as a third base coach on hard-hit foul balls is unrivaled by his peers. And when he tells an outfielder to shade one way or another, there’s a wealth of baseball acumen at work.
Such was the case when Sandpoint pitcher Ben Fisher threw a no-hitter this year against Coeur d’Alene, clearly the highlight of the team’s season. Before one of his pitches, Klontz came out of the dugout yelling at right fielder Billy Vanderpool to move over and shade the rightfield line. Sure enough, on the next pitch, the Vikings’ hitter sliced a ball down the line, only to see it land in the mitt of a diving Vanderpool. It might not show up in the box score, but Klontz gets an assist in the no-hitter.
Road Warriors
What kind of year was it for the Sandpoint softball team? Of the nearly 30 games they played this season, just two came at home. Two. Undaunted, they plugged away and continued to improve throughout the year. By the end, they were playing nearly even with their 4A counterparts, who didn’t have to wait two months for an outside field to practice on. Young and returning seven starters, 2009 could be the best year in recent memory for Bulldog softball.
Calling all golf coaches
Clark Fork golf coach K.C. MacDonald jokes that he’s had numerous people offer to be his assistant coach next season. But why? Especially after a season in which his team spent the entire year hitting balls into a net, putting on a gym floor and chipping around school grounds, with no home course to practice on.
Three words: The Idaho Club.
Next year the Cats golf team will get to practice at the Jack Nicklaus-designed course, which should make them the envy of most golf teams in the state.
A swan in geese clothing, or so I learned
I know that Lynn Swann was a graceful wide receiver with the Pittsburgh Steelers dynasty in the 1970s. I know he made one of the greatest catches in Super Bowl history: Running down the sidelines he leapt nearly four feet in the air, somehow managing to contort his body enough to keep his feet in bounds when doing so seemed impossible. I even know he ran for governor of Pennsylvania in 2006, gaining the Republican nomination but ultimately losing the race.
I know that Eric Swann, when healthy, was one of the most dominating defensive lineman in NFL history as a member of the Arizona Cardinals in the 1990s. The 6-foot-5, 320 pound tackle never played in college, but was drafted in the first round nonetheless. For a few years he was nearly unblockable, his raw strength and power a rarity even in a sport predicated on such traits. Balky knees prevented him from becoming a household name and cut short a promising career.
I even know that the Schwan’s man drives a yellow refrigerator truck and delivers frozen foods to people’s homes.
I didn’t know, however, the difference between a swan and a goose, as a host of Bee readers made abundantly clear recently. Having taken a picture of two white, long-necked birds swimming at city beach, and not being a card-carrying member of the National Audubon Society, I mistakenly referred to geese as swans.
A special thanks to Jennifer at the Bee’s front desk for genially fielding numerous calls pointing out my avian idiocy. Rest assured, I will never confuse the two again.
Eric Plummer is the sports editor of the Daily Bee. For comments, suggestions or story ideas, he can be reached at “eplummer@cdapress.com,” or 263-9534, ext. 226.