Shirley Church

Church runs 100-miler, for seventh straight year

By Dick Sparrer

Shirley Church has spent the last seven summers vacationing in Lake Tahoe.

So what's so unusual about that? Tahoe ranks among the most popular vacation resorts in all of California.

Yeah, well it's a little different for Shirley. When she heads back to her Los Gatos home from the Sierra, she leaves her car in Squaw Valley and runs the first 100 miles.

Church competes annually in the Western States Endurance Run, the 100-mile run from Squaw Valley to Auburn that takes most runners more than 24 hours to complete.

The 57-year-old Church covered the distance in 28 hours and 49 minutes not to only complete her seventh Western States Run in a row, but also to win her age division for the second straight year.

Church, the oldest female finisher, posted her third win in the age division. She is the only female ever to finish first in the age group three times, and she's been the oldest female finisher in the race twice in the last three years.

The Western States Endurance Run, held for the 26th time this summer, follows a course that takes runners over snow-packed peaks (Emigrant Pass, elevation 8,700-feet), through the heat and dust of deep river canyons, and ultimately through the darkness of the punishing final miles.

Church was accompanied by her crew and pacers, her husband Robert, and friends Gary Covell and Joe Holmberg.

Tom O'Connell of Los Gatos was another local finisher, covering the course in 26:02 with the help of his wife and pacer, Janice. Jim Magill of Saratoga finished in 27:27, crewed by his wife Margaret and paced by his son David.

Church's success at the Western States helped her earn the title in her age division in the Grand Prix for ultra runners (which consists of 12 ultra run events of 50 to 100 miles).

Strothers a 2-sport star

Former Los Gatos sports sensation Kirstie Strothers just completed her collegiate career, starring on not just one, but two teams at Davis & Elkins College in West Virginia.

Strothers, a 1995 Gatos graduate, played Division I field hockey and Division II softball at Davis & Elkins, and it was on the hockey field where she really starred.

The goalkeeper earned a placed on the All-NorPac Conference team after recording a national-best 285 saves.

Strothers was a soccer player for 10 years, but switched to field hockey as a junior at Los Gatos High.


Dan Campagnolo




Campagnolo at regionals

Dan Campagnolo, an umpire from the Los Gatos Little League, was selected to work the Western Region Tournament in San Bernardino, the last step for teams hoping to earn a berth in the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa.

Campagnolo was one of just 14 umpires from the Western United States selected for the tourney.

Campagnolo has been the LGLL umpire-in-chief for the past three seasons and serves on the league's board. He has been involved with youth baseball for 16 years.

Lampe, Clark compete

Katie Lampe and Sara Clark of Los Gatos were among the talented young divers who competed in the 1999 United States Diving Junior Olympic National Championships in Orlando, Fla., earlier this month.

Lampe, an eighth grader at Fisher Middle School, placed 19th in the girls 13-and-under age group, and Clark, a sophomore at Los Gatos High School, finished 25th in both the 1-meter and 3-meter springboard events in the girls 14-15 age division.

McAlister falls

William McAlister lost in straight sets in the first round of the United States Tennis Association Junior Championships in San Antonio, Texas. McAlister dropped a 6-1, 6-2 decision to Matthew Christian of Troy, Mich., in the first round of the singles tournament.

Fencers stab medals

Martin Lee of Saratoga, Ann Sidenblad of Cupertino and Eric Durante of Los Gatos were among the medal-winners from the California Fencing Academy when the local club competed in the Summer National Championships in Charlotte, N.C.

Lee, 15, won the Division II senior men's epee title, becoming the first-ever national champion from the Los Gatos-based CFA.

Joining the gold-medal winner on the victory stand were Durante, who won a silver in the youth 14 epee, and Sidenblad, who took the bronze in the Division III women's foil.

Rhiannon Cherf of Boulder Creek won three national medals, including a silver in the youth 12 foil.

Josh Lepold of Los Gatos earned a place in the national top 10 in his age group.

Wallis qualified

Danny Wallis of Los Gatos put together a pair of impressive performances at the Stanford Golf Course to qualify for the United States Golf Association's Junior Amateur Championships played last month in York, Penn.

Wallis shot a two-over-par 73 on the first day of the tournament and came back with a blistering two-under 69 a day later to win medalist honors with a two-day total of 142.

He had tied for medalist honors in the Contra Costa Big I tournament and in the Skywest Junior Championships earlier in the summer.

Wallis attends Bellarmine Prep.

Wood at Saddleback

Pat Wood, a Los Gatos resident and 1997 graduate of Bellarmine, had an outstanding spring season as a baseball player at Saddleback Community College in southern Orange County.

Wood played at Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo as a freshman, but a shoulder injury ended his season. He transferred to Saddleback and won the job as the starting third baseman, hitting .369.

Police Report

The history of Holy City

Obituaries

Picture From the Past

Sports Briefs

Courtside Tennis Club teams take prizes in competition

Shirley Church wins age division in Western States Endurance Run