Tuesday, May. 06, 2008

Regional hall of fame opens its doors to 3 more

By Jeff Morrow, Herald sports editor

The Central Washington Sports Hall of Fame will welcome three new inductees into its ranks at a noon luncheon Friday at the Pasco Red Lion.

Rodeo cowboy Clint Corey, basketball player Debbie Sporcich, and the Moses Lake High School wrestling program will all be honored.

Former Kamiakin High School athletic director Randy Dolven will be honored as a special contributor for his work in both the Big Nine Conference and as a member of the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association executive board.

Tickets for the event are $25 and can be purchased through the Tri-Cities Visitor and Convention Bureau at 735-8486.

Here's a look at each of the inductees:

Clint Corey

Corey grew up in Silverdale, but he spent nine years living in Finley during the 1990s, where he raised horses and cattle on 60 acres.

Meanwhile, he became a PRCA world champion in bareback riding in 1991. He qualified for the National Finals Rodeo 17 straight years in bareback from 1985-2001, then qualified one more time in 2003 before calling it quits.

"The fondest memory I have is winning the world championship," said Corey, 46. "That was great. That and winning the average title in 2000 at the NFR. I was 40 years old, and I'm riding against those kids in their 20s."

He moved to Powell Butte, Ore., in the late 1990s with his wife and three kids. They have 80 acres there.

Corey hasn't competed for five years.

"I miss seeing everybody, but I don't miss riding," he said. "And I don't miss all the travel and being gone from my family. I'm not missing any sporting events, or school recitals. I get to see all of them."

Besides, he still stays involved with rodeo.

"I am the Crook County High School rodeo advisor and the Oregon state rough stock advisor," he said. "As soon as I retired, they got me. So I still get to go rodeoing."

In addition, he's working with a partner in a company called American Cowboy Coffee.

"I'm the vice president of the company, and I'm also selling real estate," he said.

Obviously, he's staying busy.

"I can't slow down," he said.

He's going to enjoy seeing old friends at Friday's luncheon. But he won't be able to linger afterwards.

"We have a rodeo that night in Prineville," he said. "I'll have to get back."

Debbie Sporcich

Sporcich was a standout basketball player in the late 1980s at Pasco High School, then went on to start at the University of Oregon.

She was a three-time team MVP at Oregon and became the first and only women's player in the program's history to lead the team in rebounding four consecutive seasons. As a 1994 first-team Pacific-10 Conference all-league choice, Sporcich completed her college career as Oregon's fourth-best rebounder (868) and sixth-leading scorer (1,404).

She was named to the Pac-10's women's all-decade team in 1996.

She helped lead the Ducks to the NCAA tournament her senior season, but a torn ACL near the end of the regular season ended her college career.

Sporcich spent four seasons playing professionally in Europe -- mostly in Italy.

"When I got done playing in Italy, I got a summertime job for a marketing position in Seattle, and fall came around and I thought it was best to stay here and keep the steady job," Sporcich said. "Imagine coming out of college and going overseas for five years and being out of the workforce. It's only that much harder to get back in."

Sporcich then spent one season with the Seattle Reign of the defunct American Basketball League before retiring.

She is currently a contractor at Microsoft, where she is a marketer who helps coordinate events.

Sporcich cherishes her basketball-playing days.

"My fondest memories? I'd have to go back to the relationships with my teammates, the community and fans, both at Pasco and at Oregon," she said. "It was a very supportive environment in high school and college. I miss having this tight-knit family around me."

As for top on-court memories?

"The only thing that stands out when I was in college was when we came to Hec Ed and beat the Huskies," she said. "Off the court there was a huge celebration."

Sporcich said playing at state her sophomore and junior years at Pasco were great memories.

"My senior year we lost to Lewis & Clark at regionals," she said. "I think (Pasco coach John) Shimek had me bringing up the ball. I went out and played with a lot of confidence at that time."

That confidence stayed with her game for years.

Moses Lake wrestling

The numbers are astounding: 17 state team titles; 59 individual state championships; countless state placers.

The biggest thing is the enthusiasm the community has for this program. When you were a kid in Moses Lake, you wanted to wrestle for the Chiefs.

"It was great," said Jamie Wise, a three-time state champion for the Chiefs who is now the head coach. "My older brothers wrestled. It was just one of the things you did when you grew up in Moses Lake. Expectations were high, and it's more fun to win. You work hard and learn everything you can."

Wise said sometimes the practices could be tougher than the actual matches.

"Sometimes it was tougher to make our starting lineup," Wise said.

Mel Olson, a long-time Moses Lake resident who coached at the junior high level and has called Chiefs' matches on the radio for 45 years, knows how it all began.

"I think the early start they got with Eric Beardsley is key," Olson said. "Eric and I went to high school together. Beardsley got the program started, and he was ahead of his time. Most of the coaches at Moses Lake, with the exception of one, has been influenced by Beardsley."

Olson said the athletic director at the time, Jim Adamson, was instrumental in promoting the program.

Olson's favorite moment?

"Kris Dexter, now a local chiropractor, defeated Mike Fitzpatrick of Richland for the state title (in 1970)," Olson said. "That was when we had just one state tournament, and it was at Central Washington. The match went into overtime."

Another favorite moment was the first state title team in 1959, in which Chiefs in four straight weight classes (Harry Yamamoto at 108, Phil Crawford at 123, Thad Wolfe at 130, and Spencer Wolfe at 137) won state titles.

There have been a lot of great moments at Moses Lake.

"It's just great to be part of this legacy," Wise said. "It's all been passed down generation to generation. The parents want the kids to do well. It keeps feeding off of each other. It's a tradition."

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