King’s Blackmer honored

Meet Dan Blackmer, Hall of Famer.

Now athletic director at King’s, Blackmer spent 27 years as head track and field coach at the Shoreline school.

At the 2008 Washington State Track and Field Coaches Convention in Everett Jan. 18-19, Blackmer was one of four coaches inducted into the organization’s Hall of Fame.

“We did a lot of good things,” Blackmer said of his days coaching track.

Blackmer, a graduate of Evergreen High School in Seattle, competed in sprints and jumps in high school.

He played basketball and competed in track at Highline Community College, played basketball at Simpson University, which is now in Redding, Calif. but was in San Francisco then. He was drafted into the army after he graduated and he served for two years. After leaving the service, he enrolled in Seattle Pacific where he ran track and earned a teaching credential. Blackmer worked at Battleground High School as a P.E. specialist for half a year before he came to King’s to teach and coach in 1976. He became head track coach a year later. Blackmer taught third grade for four years and served as a P.E. specialist at the elementary school for 14 years, before moving over to teach junior high and high school P.E. He now team teaches with his daughter Rachel Blackmer.

In 1979, he had his first state champion, Brad Thompson, in the 400 meters. Thompson also anchored the winning mile relay that year. Thompson is the father of Lauren Thompson, who is a senior soccer and basketball player at King’s, and Brandon Thompson, who was a standout track and cross country athlete at King’s.

King’s had either a boys or girls state champion in every event except the high jump during Blackmer’s tenure.

When asked what the highlights of coaching have been, he said, “it’s always the relationships with the kids. We had so many, besides great athletes, great kids. It’s so fun.”

King’s won its first team state championship in 1995, when the girls took the Class 1A title. Blackmer got a gatorade shower. King’s has won a total of seven girls state team titles and two boys state titles.

When Blackmer started coaching, King’s track was a path around a baseball diamond where Woolsey Stadium sits now. In 1978, the school raised enough money from a jog-a-thon to have an all-weather track put in a year later.

The school ran the league championships for the first time in 1979.

“It was unbelieveable we were able to pull it off,” said Blackmer. He made an awards stand in his basement that the school still uses for meets today.

In 1986, Blackmer started the King’s Invite, a meet that will celebrate its 22nd year this spring. The first year it rained but it hasn’t done so since, he said.

The meet has expanded to include 500 to 600 athletes from about 30 teams, under current track coach Daunte Gouge.

Blackmer has the plaque in his bedroom.

“When the times I’m down and things aren’t going well I can look at that and think of all the great memories I’ve had in track and field,” he said.

Shorecrest advances three

Three Shorecrest wrestlers survived the 3A subregional tournament Feb. 2 at Everett High School to qualify for the regional tournament Saturday, Feb. 9 at Liberty High School in Renton.

Sophomore Aaron Salmon placed third at 103 pounds, freshman Kyle Diaamno finished fourth at 103 pounds and senior Cole Arbanasin took third at 125 pounds. Salmon moved down to 103 after wrestling at 112 during the season.

Arbanasin lost 9-7 to Ferndale sophomore Dylan Krenz, who is ranked seventh in the state in 3A, in the semifinals.

Freshman Drew Arbanasin finished fifth at 135 pounds after wrestling at 140 during the season. He will be an alternate to regionals.

“Getting through the (subregional) tournament is a pretty good accomplishment,” Shorecrest coach Lee Thornhill said.

At regionals the Wesco and Northwest League wrestlers take on wrestlers from the 3A KingCo.

“We’ll keep our fingers crossed that our league is a little bit tougher than the KingCo league and our boys will win,” he said.

King’s Cedarcrest boys basketball game up in the air

The Cascade Conference has seen its share of controversy this year and the latest involves sorting out when the King’s-Cedarcrest boys basketball game should be played.

The game was originally scheduled for Feb. 12 based on scheduling grids that were set two years ago. But King’s had the game scheduled for Feb. 9, because the Knights have a loser-out 1A district playoff game scheduled for Feb. 12. Cedarcrest wanted to play the game on Feb. 11 so it wouldn’t have to play games on back-to-back nights, Feb. 8 and 9. King’s also has a game scheduled Feb. 8 but would prefer to play it’s league finale on Feb. 9 rather than Feb. 11, the latter which would be the night before the loser-out district playoff game against Friday Harbor or Lynden Christian.

The final game no longer has league title implications after Cedarcrest lost to Sultan Feb. 5. No decision on the game had been made as of press time Feb. 6, but principals of the schools planned to discuss the issue Wednesday.

4A District 1 boys swim and dive championships

Time: Finals, 12:30 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 9

Place: Marysville-Pilchuck High School

Admission: $6 adults, $4 students with ASB card, $4 children, $4 seniors.

Outlook: Several Shorewood swimmers including Bryan Michaels, Tim Tan and Max Vincent have qualified for state, but the district meet will give the Thunderbirds a chance to qualify more swimmers. The top four finishers in each event qualify for the state meet Feb. 15-16 at the King County Aquatic Center

Region 1 3A wrestling tournament

Time: 10 a.m., Saturday Feb. 9; third and fifth-place matches start at 4 p.m. and championships start at 5:30 p.m. Placing matches will not start earlier than set times.

Place: Liberty High School, Renton

Admission: $7 adult, $5 student, seniors and children.

Outlook: Shorecrest sends three wrestlers to regionals: 103-pounders Aaron Salmon and Kyle Diaamno and 125-pounder Cole Arbanasin. The top four finishers at regionals advance to the Mat Classic at the Tacoma Dome Feb. 15-16.