Shorelions strike gold

SHORELINE — Heavy-duty hitting and alert defensive play helped the Shoreline Shorelions lock up a ticket to the Special Olympics state championships.

The Shorelions survived a slugfest to earn their shiny gold medals at last weekend’s King County regional softball tournament.

In a back-and-forth battle between familiar foes, Shoreline clipped the Eagle Thundercats 11-9 in the masters T-ball title game Aug. 7 at Hamlin Park.

“We’ve always done real well at these tournaments,” Shorelions coach Christy Wicklander said. “We don’t always get first, though. This is very exciting.”

As two of the area’s top teams year in and year out, the Shorelions and Thundercats have developed a friendly rivalry. Meeting in the regional finals has become a tradition.

“We know we’re going to be evenly-matched,” Wicklander said. “One year they’ll get first and we’ll get second. We just keep trading off. It’s fun. It’s nice because it’s true competition.”

Wicklander noted a common misconception surrounding the Special Olympics is that developmentally disabled athletes don’t understand the difference between winning and losing.

“They know,” she said. “They’re as competitive as the next person. It’s just like being in a Little League tournament.”

Only there’s far less emphasis on the scoreboard.

“I don’t make a big deal of the score until the end,” Wicklander said. “Then we let them know how they did. I don’t want them focusing on that and losing their concentration.”

Most of the Shorelions have been with the team since it was established 10 years ago. The group practices twice a week during the summer at Cromwell Park and it’s not just the players who step up to the plate.

“It’s parents against the kids,” Wicklander said. “What keeps them motivated is if they can get their parents out, or their coach. They love that.”

Parental participation is a cornerstone of the club.

“This team wouldn’t happen without them,” said Wicklander, whose three children play for the Shorelions.

More than 370 athletes representing 25 teams took part in this year’s regional playoffs. Gold medal winners from all nine divisions automatically advance to state.

The state softball tournament is part of the Special Olympics Washington Summer Sports Classic, scheduled for Aug. 28-29 at various Snohomish County venues.

Members of the regional champion Shoreline Shorelions are: Carissa DeMello, Anthony Fatica, Rebecca Hadfield, Ramona Jones, Zach King, Christopher Wicklander, Holly Wicklander, Zach Wicklander, Lisa Wokal, Ryan Wokal and Jeremy Wynne.