Imagine every bone in your body from the waist down aching. You’re sitting on the couch and you can hardly get up. Once you do get up, you can barely move around. Everything just feels sore.

The day before you had just competed in Seattle’s Inaugural Rock and Roll Marathon. You remember running across that finish line in pain, but triumph. You had done it. You set out to do something and you did it. You almost gave up on mile 24, you started feeling the burn on mile 17, but you had pushed through and accomplished something. You had even finished in 4 hours and 49 minutes. 11 minutes faster than your goal.

Just remember back on mile 13 when you were still fresh and you had seen your family and you were still running strong. Just remember back to when the race started and you could hardly even jog, because there were so many people. That wasn’t even the start. Remember back to when you were training and you ran from Kent to Orting. That felt like an accomplishment too, but it wasn’t like what you were feeling now. Remember that night that you had said, “I’m going to run a marathon.” We thought you were crazy, but you printed out a training schedule and you put your mind too it and look where you are right now. Crossing that finish line. You want to fall to your knees, because of the ache.

My Dad, Nathan Hart, crossing the finish line at the Rock n'Roll Marathon!

You find your family waiting at the other side of the finish line. They are so proud. This wasn’t just about the accomplishment of a marathon. It was much more than that. It was the will power that you had to put your mind to something and 16 weeks later accomplish it. You give people the awareness that they really can do whatever they put their mind too. It would have been impossible 16 weeks prior for you to run that marathon, but you trained in the beating down sun, you trained in the rain, the cold, and the heat. You also trained on the beach, in the woods, at the track, in the valley. You never gave up. You gave inspiration to many people out there. Even though you didn’t finish with the best time, you still did it. You accomplished something very few people accomplish.

This is the story of my dad, Nathan Hart, competing in the Rock and Roll Marathon, which went from Tukwila to Seattle on June 27th.

[EDITOR'S NOTE: Josh Hart is the B-Town Blog's first Intern! He's a 15-year old student at Highline's “Big Picture High School” in SeaTac who loves to write and play soccer.

You can read more of his writing here...]

by Josh Hart

The Boy’s 3A Seamount baseball season is over and it turned out to be an interesting year.

Both Mt. Rainier and Highline High School did very well, along with Kennedy.

Tyee and Evergreen didn’t do so great though and so Highline School District evened out pretty well.

Mt. Rainer High School finished at the top of the standings at 10-1 in conference and a combined win loss record of 11-3.

Kennedy finished second with 13 wins and four losses in league play and a combined record of 14-6.

The Highline Pirates finished third with a 12-4 league play record and went 14-4 in combined play.

Highline School District’s baseball teams are some of the top in the state and many of the players will likely play college ball.

[EDITOR'S NOTE: Josh Hart is the B-Town Blog's first Intern! He's a 15-year old student at Highline's “Big Picture High School” in SeaTac who loves to write and play soccer.

You can read more of his writing here...]

by Josh Hart

Both the State Cup and Challenge Cups finished last Sunday, and here are the champions of each age bracket:

• BU-15 State Cup Champion: Washington Premier FC- For the second year in a row WPFC won at this age level defeating ECFC 1-0.
• BU-15 Challenge Cup Champion: Eastside FC- EFC won in overtime defeating FWU Storm 1-0.
• BU-16 State Cup Champion: Crossfire Premier- Crossfire defeated NWN 2-0 in the final game.
• BU-16 Challenge Cup Champion: Eastside FC- EFC defeated ECFC 2-1 in both teams biggest game of the season.
• BU-17 State Cup Champion: Eastside FC- Once again EFC wins, this time defeating WFC Rangers 4-1.
• BU-17 Challenge Cup Champion: Greater Renton FC- GRFC defeated Snohomish United 2-0 in the grueling game.
• BU-18 State Cup Champion: Eastside FC- EFC managed to win one of the tourneys at each age level. The U-18’s defeated ECFC 2-1.
• BU-18 Challenge Cup Champion: SSC Firebirds- SSC defeated Sparta 1-0 in the very close game.

The fight for the top club in the state completes after the girls and the younger boys play, and here’s a preview of what the standings look like now (KEY: 2 points for a championship, 1 for runner up):

• Eastside FC- 8



• Emerald City FC- 3
• Washington Premier- 2
• Crossfire Premier- 2
• Greater Renton FC- 2
• SSC Firebirds- 2
• Northwest Nationals- 1
• Federal Way Storm- 1
• Snohomish United- 1
• Whatcom FC Rangers- 1
• Sparta- 1

[EDITOR'S NOTE: Josh Hart is the B-Town Blog's first Intern! He's also a 15-year old student at Highline's “Big Picture High School” in SeaTac. He also plays soccer.

You can read more of his writing here...]

All the Highline Premier Football Club (HPFC) teams BU-15 to BU-18 were eliminated in the quarterfinals of the State and Challenge cups.

Here is the quick breakdown of who eliminated them and what the score was.

• BU-15 Blue defeated by Columbia Timbers 0-1
• BU-15 Red defeated by Federal Way Storm 0-6
• BU-16 Blue didn’t make it past preliminaries
• BU-17 Blue defeated by Whatcom FC Rangers 0-1
• BU-17 Red didn’t make it past preliminaries
• BU-18 Blue defeated by Eastside FC 2-3
• BU-18 Red didn’t make it past preliminaries

So with all the boys teams out we have to wait a couple more weeks for the younger boys and the girls’ teams to stand up for our club.

Also if you want to watch some great soccer this weekend, go down to Starfire Sports Complex and watch the semis and the finals on Saturday and Sunday for the Boys U-15 to U-18’s. The level of play is outstanding and there is a lot on the line for the teams. It is going on all day down there on Saturday and Sunday so go out and see some great soccer.

The following teams are competing in the Challenge Cup:

BU-15:

• 2/28- 9:00 AM- South Hill Revolution vs. Eastside FC
• 2/28- 1:45 PM- Westsound FC vs. Federal Way Storm
• 3/1- 9:00 AM- Championship

BU-16:

• 2/28- 9:00 AM- MRFC vs. Eastside FC
• 2/28- 1:45 PM- Norpoint FC vs. Emerald City FC
• 3/1- 1:45 PM- Championship

BU-17:

• 3/1- 4:00 PM- Snohomish United vs. GRFC

BU-18:

• 2/28- 11:15 AM- SSC Firebirds vs. MRFC
• 2/28- 4:00 PM- Sparta vs. Harbor FC
• 3/1- 11:15 AM- Championship

The following teams are competing in the State Cup:

BU-15:

• 2/28- 9:00 AM- Crossfire Premier vs. Washington Premier
• 2/28- 12:00 PM- Columbia Timbers vs. Emerald City FC
• 3/1- 9:00 AM- Championship

BU-16:

• 2/28- 9:00 AM- Northwest Nationals vs. Crossfire Premier
• 2/28- 1:45 PM- Crossfire Premier vs. Columbia Timbers
• 3/1- 1:45 PM- Championship

BU-17:

• 2/28- 3:00 PM- Northwest Nationals vs. Whatcom FC Rangers
• 2/28- 3:00 PM- Snohomish United vs. Eastside FC
• 3/1- 4:00 PM- Championship

BU-18:

• 2/28- 11:15 AM- Columbia Timbers vs. Emerald City FC
• 2/28- 4:00 PM- Eastside FC vs. Crossfire Premier
• 3/1- 11:15 AM- Championship

[EDITOR'S NOTE: Josh Hart is the B-Town Blog's first Intern! He's also a 15-year old student at Highline's “Big Picture High School” in SeaTac. He also plays soccer.

You can read more of his writing here...]

This month at Big Picture High School, a fellow student named Tylor Curry was chosen as “Intern of the Month.”

Tylor, a very prolific (and busy) sophomore, won for the following reasons:

1. Tylor has two internships:
   • The first is at The Nature Consortium where he is working with other students to help restore the Green Belt. They work out by the Duwamish River and they try to rid the area of invasive plants. They also try to protect from the invasive plants coming back. They want to have only native plants in that area. This is helping the community as a whole, because the work he is doing out there is making things like our air quality better and making the area a prettier place.
   • His other internship is with The Tobacco Prevention Program. He goes around and tries to buy cigarettes from stores. If they sell to him, King County Public Health comes in and talks to them about selling cigarettes to underage buyers. So he is preventing teens from getting into bad habits and also serving under law enforcement.
2. Both nature and law enforcement are Tylor’s passions and he is following his passions and working at his goals to make the world a better place.
3. Also, in January, Tylor was awarded a $500 grant from the Washington Foundation for the Environment to implement an internship project involving teaching elementary students about forest restoration.

Let’s give a big hand to Tylor and join him in making the community cleaner and safer for all of us.

[EDITOR'S NOTE: Josh Hart is the B-Town Blog's first Intern! He's also a 15-year old student at Highline's “Big Picture High School” in SeaTac.

You can read more of his writing here...]

HPFC (Highline Premier Football Club) Heat, formerly known as HSA Heat, has the best soccer in Burien. The boys U-15′s-U-18′s are currently competing in the preliminaries for the State and Challenge Cups.

Both cups score points the following way:

• 1 point per goal up to 3
• 1 point for a shutout
• 0 points for a loss
• 3 points for a tie
• 6 points for a win
• A max. of 10 points

The top two teams in each division move on. The State Cup is a tournament for the top premier teams in the country to battle it out for the title of “best team in the state.” The Challenge Cup is just one step below that. It usually consists of all the premier club “B” team. For the Heat the “A” team is blue and the “B” team is red. This is the third week of both cups and many of the teams are in a must-win situation to advance past the prelims and onto the elimination round.

I am going to give you a quick breakdown of HPFC Heat and how they are faring in the cups.

(KEY: Win-Loss-Tie, pts in group)

The following teams are competing in the state cup:

U-15 Blue (1-1-0, 12 pts.)
That loss coming to Washington Premier, the reigning champion in the U-15 division, 3-5. Their next game comes at home (Highline Stadium) against 3 rivers United (1-1-0, 9 pts). Whoever wins this game will move on to the elimination round.

U-17 Blue (1-0-1, 14 pts.)
Their win was a spectacular one. With a 3-0 win against FC Mulkiteo they take home the full ten points. Their nect game is at Westsound United, and without all the scores being posted from earlier matches, This could be a must-win for the Heat.

U-18 Blue (1-0-0, 9 pts.)
They are in a two team group with the in club rival the red team. Since both teams get in no matter what they are basically playing “friendlies” (a soccer term for scrimmage or exhibition). They did win against the red team though, beating them by a score of 7-1.

U-18 Red (0-1-0,1 pt.)
The red team got a good draw in a way because despite the big loss to the in club rival, they will still get in to the quarterfinals.

It looks as though all the HPFC teams in the State Cup could be advancing into elimination rounds. Good Job!

The following teams are competing in the Challenge Cup:

U-15 Red (1-1-0, 10 pts.)
This is the team I play goalkeeper for. We lost our first game to Emerald City FC 2-0 and then took ten points in our last game against Crossfire FC, winning 3-0. For our next game we have to travel to Vancouver to play the Columbia Timbers. As long as we don’t lose this one we will be advancing on to play the Federal Way Storm in the elimination round.

U-16 Blue (1-1-0, 9 pts.)
This team has to win their next game against the Maple Valley Rapids to move on. Whoever wins this heated match will make it to the elimination round and the loser will go home.

All of the HPFC teams have a chance to move on this weekend. We will have to watch and see if they can all do it. It wont be easy but it’s possible.

Check back for more updates on the state and challenge cup.

The younger teams and the girls teams will start soon.

[EDITOR'S NOTE: Josh Hart is the B-Town Blog's first Intern! He's also a 15-year old student at Highline's “Big Picture High School” in SeaTac.

You can read more of his writing here...]

It just so happens that the first inauguration I ever witnessed in my short lifetime happens to be one of the most historical inaugurations in many people’s lifetimes.

As I listened to the inauguration over the internet, I particularly focused on Barack Obama’s speech. After he was sworn in, even despite the couple mistakes by Supreme Court Justice Roberts, the crowd started chanting “OBAMA!”

After the crowd quieted down, our new President started with:

“My fellow citizens, I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors.”

He then continued by thanking his predecessor George W. Bush. Following that he said:

“Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forbearers, and true to our founding documents.”

He talked about the crisis of America being at war among topics of the economy.

Then came what I thought was the greatest part of his speech:

“In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of short-cuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted — for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things — some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom. For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life. For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth. For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn. Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.”

Those are some of the greatest couple of paragraphs I have ever heard. I think that was what made this speech great also. Those few paragraphs included every race and gender, and really tied America into one. He didn’t leave anyone out, but instead included us all.

It was FANTASTIC!!!

I am really looking forward to seeing what he brings to America and I can’t wait to hear more of his speeches.

Here’s an interesting “highlight” video of Obama’s big day, as shot by Colorado Filmmaker & Photojournalist Brian Malone:

Click here to view the embedded video.

[EDITOR'S NOTE: Josh Hart is the B-Town Blog's first Intern! He's also a 15-year old student at Highline's “Big Picture High School” in SeaTac.

You can read more of his writing here...]

The flooding Carbon River in Orting last week.

by Josh Hart

With all the flooding recently I wanted to find someone to talk to about what happened to them. I realized that someone very close to me had been affected, my great grandma and grandpa (Betty and Glen).

When I talked to them about the flooding this is what I found out:

Last Wednesday afternoon (Jan. 7th), they started to get phone calls from Pierce County Emergency Management saying that they should move to a higher location for the night. When Glen went to the store he saw that the water was getting pretty high on the roads. They debated leaving; they hadn’t had any flooding in their housing area yet.

They finally decided they were in danger when two fire trucks drove through the area with sirens on and announcing to everyone to “evacuate immediately” over their loudspeakers.

The Orting street where my great-grandparents live looks like it could easily turn into a river.

Their housing area is in Orting, between the Puyallup River and the Carbon River. Both rivers were over their banks and were starting to flood the roads. Many of the stores were closing so they decided they would leave the area.

They were worried and didn’t know what to expect. They didn’t know what belongings they should take with them or how long they would have to be out of the area. They had many people offer them a place to stay but didn’t know where the best place to stay was. Many of them were too far to drive to at the time, because traffic was so bad.

That night they stayed at a motel in Sumner and listened to the flood news on TV. The next morning it seemed like it would be safe to go home. So at about 9am in the morning they headed back to their housing area in Orting. It took them longer than usual, because the traffic was bad again.

However beautiful Orting is, it can still be very dangerous, not because of the two rivers, but because it lies in the shadow of Mt. Rainier.

While they were driving home they saw some places that were underwater. As they crossed the Carbon River, the water was coming right up to the banks. Despite the dangerous conditions, they got home safely and found that there was no damage to their yard or their house. It seems like their housing area hadn’t been affected at all.

They were thankful everything was safe and they were happy to be home with all their belongings and things they cherish safe and unharmed. 
And I am happy that my great-grandparents were spared and harm or damage.

However beautiful Orting is, it can still be very dangerous, not because of the two rivers, but because it lies in the shadow of Mt. Rainier.

View Larger Map

[EDITOR'S NOTE: Josh Hart is the B-Town Blog's first Intern! He's also a 15-year old student at Highline's “Big Picture High School” in SeaTac.

You can read more of his writing here...]

by Josh Hart

Hello people of Burien, this is your city here – I want to talk with you a little about what I want to happen in 2009.

In 2009 there are many resolutions I want – no, need – from you, the people of Burien:

• I want to see my streets clean. If you have walked around my streets you know they are very dirty. There is litter everywhere and it makes me upset that you treat me like that. If you stop littering the return will be great for you. I, as your city, will be healthier for you.
• Another thing I want you to do for me is ride the bus. There are so many cars on my roads, if you take the bus it will pollute my air less and also be better for you. The bus is also cost efficient if you get a yearly pass, it saves you a lot on gas money.
• I also want you to strive to do good for your fellow citizen. Help someone in need. Give to a food bank. Open a door for one of my little old ladies. Smile at each other. Buy some dude a brewski at Elmer’s for cryin’ out loud…
  
• The last thing I want from you is to help fight crime. There is so much crime around on my streets. Especially around the park and ride. If everyone helps by not just ignoring crime, it will make me a better place.

So please help me become better and you will be better off for it.

[EDITOR'S NOTE: Josh Hart is the B-Town Blog's first Intern! He's also a 15-year old student at Highline's “Big Picture High School” in SeaTac.

You can read more of his writing here...]

Last weekend, Des Moines’ Mt. Rainier High School Drill Team competed in and won the Liberty High School Drill and Dance Competition.

They competed against drill teams from Issaquah High, Hazen High, Redmond and Interlake High School. Decatur High School Drill Team was supposed to show, but didn’t for unknown reasons.

For Mt.Rainier Drill, this was their first competition of the season, and they ended up placing first and taking home the trophy. The team had been through the same experience last year – winning their first competition that is. They placed in almost all competitions last year, only missing the stand on three occasions.

They may have won the competition, but it was not all fun and games. The girls had to work hard to get to that place. I talked to a member of the Mt.Rainier team, Danielle Knake (who is also a fellow student at Big Picture High School), about the ups and downs when they are at the competition.

Q: What part of the competition was the most fun?
A: I always love watching the hip-hop teams, because they have some really cool outfits. I also enjoy the bus rides that we take to and from the competition. All of us just joke around and have fun.

Q: What was the most difficult part of the competition?
A: For me it’s always waiting for them to announce the winners, because you never know how the judges scored you. I always get worried that we won’t place.

It seems like the Mt.Rainier Drill Team is off to a good start this season, but please check back for more updates as the season progresses.

[EDITOR'S NOTE: Josh Hart is the B-Town Blog's first Intern! He's also a 15-year old student at Highline's “Big Picture High School” in SeaTac. He recently wrote about what he'd do if he were Mayor, his take on the economy, about JFK beating Highline 61-0 in football, an opinion piece on the VP debate, a story on Mt. Rainier High's Drill Team playing at the Seahawks' Halftime, another on a Fight at the Tyee vs Rention Football Game and much more...]