March 14th Evening Meeting - Donna Dennis, Olympian and Motivational Speaker
Join us on Thursday March 14th for our monthly meeting at Cheney Stadium's Summit Club. Food service will start at 5:00 and the meeting will start at 5:30.
We are excited to have Donna Dennis as our speaker for the meeting. Donna is an Olympian, motivational speaker, and Clover Park High School Alum. During the meeting we will also receive an update on TCC basketball and the playoffs. This will also be our last night meeting of the year. With daylight savings having been last weekend and the days getting longer there will still be light in the sky when we are finished with the meeting. - Click here to register to attend.
Donna Dennis, Olympian and Motivational Speaker - Donna Dennis is a military brat. Her father Jerry D. Dennis was stationed Fort Lewis. Growing up on the military base. Donna would watch the soldiers on a daily basis march and chant, “I don’t know what you been told,”etc…. and gained the understanding for discipline and respect. Donna used this experience to navigate through her athletic career and breast cancer journey. A 1982 Clover Park High School graduate, Donna Dennis remains to this day the greatest female sprinter to come out of the State of Washington. In 1982, she won the U.S. Junior Track & Field Championships in the 100 meters (11.52 seconds) and 200 meters (23.39 seconds). That same year, she won both events at the Pan American Junior Championships in Barquisimito, Venezuela. Dennis came to Clover Park High School as a multi-event track champion at Woodbrook Junior High. She didn’t miss a beat at Clover Park, winning state 200-meter titles from 1980-82. She also won the state 100-meter championships in 1981-82, and anchored Clover Park's state champion 400-meter relay team in 1981. Her 200 mark of 24.13 seconds in 1982 still stands as the Class 4A state meet record, and her 23.39 in the 200 is still the fastest ever run by a Washington high school female. At the University of Washington she was a three-time NorPac champion in both the 100 and 200, and she was an NCAA finalist in both sprints. Dennis ran a 23.40 in the 200-meter dash in 1983, still the fastest 200 ever run by a woman at UW, and she ranks second on the 100-meter list, clocking an 11.53 in 1983. Dennis also ran a leg on the UW’s fastest 400-meter relay team – 44.74 set in 1985. She ran in the 1984 Olympic Trials and was a finalist in the 200, qualifying as an alternate on the 1984 U.S. Olympic team in Los Angeles.
David Tate took his final trot around life’s bases on March 22, 2023. An inspirational coach, compassionate teacher, and dedicated husband and father, Dave passed at home after a year-long battle with cancer.
Dave’s first at bat began in Lakewood, WA on July 30, 1955, when he was born to Adron and Faye Tate. Early education began at Tyee Park and Woodbrook, leading to his graduation from Clover Park High School in 1973. Dave would continue his higher education at Fort Steilacoom Community College, Washington State University, and finally Pacific Lutheran University for his MA in 1985. A gifted baseball player, Dave played throughout his educational years, starting in the second grade under the coaching of his father, and ultimately finishing his baseball career playing second base at Fort Steilacoom.
Dave’s passion for the sport of baseball continued into a successful coaching career, including a 20-year coaching stint at Rogers High school, leading the Tacoma / Pierce County All Star Baseball team with Tacoma’s sister city in Kitakyushu, Japan, and becoming his son’s little league coach for almost a decade.
We are excited to announce that the portal is NOW OPEN for students to apply for two of the scholarships that the Tacoma Athletic Commission awards each year, the Clay Huntington Sports Communication and the Stan Naccarato Sports and Civic Betterment Scholarships.
The Clay Huntington Sports Communication Scholarship is for students that have been, or are interested in, pursuing sports communication and journalism. The scholarship is for $2,500. Click here to learn more about the Clay Huntington Sports Communication Scholarship and apply.
The Stan Naccarato Sports and Civic Betterment Scholarship is for students that have been involved in both sports and volunteering within their community. The scholarship is for $2,500. Click here to learn more about the Stan Naccarato Sports and Civic Betterment Scholarship and apply.
We appreciate your assistance in sharing this information with students that would be good candidates for our scholarships. The deadline for application is May 19th.
The application period is open, and they are accepting applications through March 15, 2023.
One student athlete will be selected from each of Pierce County’s 32 high schools, and one from Ben Cheney’s hometown of South Bend, to receive the $3,000 scholarship.
Through this scholarship, we aim to follow Ben Cheney’s vision and support outstanding student athletes in Pierce County who plan to attend a vocational, 2- or 4-year not-for-profit school in the coming fall.
Basic criteria include;
· Must be a high school senior
· Graduating this year from a Pierce County or South Bend high school
· Who played at least one year of a WIAA varsity sport
· And plans to attend a voc/tech, 2- or 4-year not-for-profit college in the fall
The March meeting for the TAC will be an evening meeting hosted by PLU Athletics. Please not that there WILL NOT BE A LUNCH MEETING IN MARCH.
We hope that you can join us for a lively evening as the Tacoma Athletic Commission and Pacific Lutheran University Athletics welcome University of Washington's football coach, Kalen DeBoer. The evening will start with a no-host reception from 5:30 - 6:30. We will have a tailgate themed buffet dinner, buffet opens as 6:00, and the program will start at 6:30. The program will begin with a welcome from the TAC followed by our hosts, PLU Athletics. Coach DeBoer will then take the stage as he recaps the Husky's 2022 seasons and shares more about the UW Football program.
Tickets for the event must be purchased in advance. We will not be selling tickets at the door. Tickets are $50 and can be purchased individually or as a table of 10.
Let's give a big huge CONGRATULATIONS!!!! to our very own Chris Egan, he was named Washington State Sportscaster of the Year by the National Sports Media Association (NSMA). Way to go Chris!
Official release from NSMA:
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (January 9, 2023) – ESPN College GameDay mainstay Lee Corso and Los Angeles Times sports columnist Bill Plaschke are among four elected to the National Sports Media Association Hall of Fame, NSMA executive director Dave Goren announced. Corso and Plaschke are joined by two posthumous electees, legendary hockey announcer Dan Kelly and essayist Roger Angell.
CBS Sports’ Ian Eagle has been elected as the 2022 national sportscaster of the year. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic and Pete Thamel of ESPN.com are the 2022 co-national sportswriters of the year.
Among the 116 who won 2021 state sportscaster or sportswriter of the year honors, 70 are first-time winners in their respective states.
The NSMA will honor its award winners and Hall of Fame inductees during the organization’s 63rd awards weekend and national convention, scheduled for June 24-26, 2023, in Winston-Salem, N.C.
The 2023 Tribute to Champions will be on Tuesday May 16th at the McGavick Conference Center in Lakewood. There will be a Non-Alcoholic Dessert Social from 5:30pm - 6:30pm and the program will be from 6:30pm - 8:00pm.
2nd Thursday of the month in the Summit Room at Cheney Stadium.
Meetings are either at 11:30am or 5:00pm. Check our calendar for specific details and how to access the facility. You need to enter on Clay Huntington Way off of 19th Street.
March 14th Evening Meeting - Donna Dennis, Olympian and Motivational Speaker
Let's give a big huge CONGRATULATIONS!!!! to our very own Chris Egan, he was named Washington State Sportscaster of the Year by the National Sports Media Association (NSMA). Way to go Chris!
