SPORTS
by Jack Kintner

Slivers from the bench

When Blaine administrators recently learned that their newly hired head football coach, Kemper Amick of South Carolina, had changed his mind and was not going to accept the position, they turned to Blaine native and Prosser assistant football coach Jay Dodd.
Dodd, 29, is a 1997 Blaine graduate and played his college football as an offensive tackle at Central Washington University. He’s already on the job, having just completed his second football camp with this year’s crop of 74 boys.
Dodd’s great grandfather Clarence was a coach and custodian for many years at Blaine high school, and in 1929 led the boys basketball team to a fifth place finish at their first ever state tournament appearance.
His grandfather, father and uncle all lettered in multiple sports for Blaine, and Dodd lettered in both football and wrestling, going to state tournaments in both sports.
His uncle Mike serves on the Blaine school board and is also the dulcet-toned voice of the Borderites, manning the PA during home games.
Blaine’s record last year under former head coach Dave Fakkema was 4-6 overall and 2-6 in the last year of the old Whatcom County League.

Thirty-nine tennis players competed in the 20th annual Skywater tennis tournament last weekend at the Semiahmoo Golf and Country Club.
The results are as follows:
• Shane Castle defeated Scott Knutsen 6-4/6-2 in the men’s A singles division.
• Mark Zill won the men’s B singles division in round robin.
• Jeff Denney and Rudy Vendiola defeated Richard Wickersham and Mark Zill by 6-3/6-3 in the men’s doubles.
• Holly Robbins won the women’s singles division in round robin.
• Shelly Marin and Janelle Steffan won the women’s doubles in round robin.
• Stan Zyskowski and Casey Bower won the mixed doubles division in round robbin.
The event was directed by Semiahmoo resident tennis pro Eric Cramer and assisted by Blaine resident Joyce Vanderpol.