Clatsop County Special Olympic athletes added to their growing medal collection last weekend in Corvallis at the Oregon Summer Games. The July 10 – 12 competition was the final stop on the 2026 Special Olympics summer schedule.

“Overall the athletes had a great time down in Corvallis,” Special Olympics Coordinator David McAloney said. “Our athletes competed really hard and seeing them come home with awards is a great thrill for the coaches and volunteers.”

The track and field team took home seven gold medals, nine silver medals and one bronze. The bocce team brought home a gold, a silver, two bronze medals and a sportsmanship award. In addition, some of the athletes also placed in fourth and sixth places, all getting a winner’s spot on the podium.

The performances capped off a winning summer season for local Special Olympic athletes.

2011 Astoria High School graduate Brittney Clarke and 2018 Astoria graduate Jacob McCarr recently competed in the 2026 USA Games, which took place in Minneapolis, Minnesota from June 20 to June 27. The USA Games are the National Championships of Special Olympics and they feature athletes from all 50 states. In total, the event featured 3,000 athletes. Clarke won gold in the 400 meter walk, and medaled in both the 4 x 100 meter relay and mini javelin. McCarr was also a member of the silver medal winning 4 x 100 relay team.

In Corvallis, Clatsop County’s representation was a big presence. The county sent 12 athletes to compete in the track and field portion and eight competed in bocce ball. McAloney highlighted the strength of his bocce team.

“We sent four partner teams of two and ended up getting a medal of each color,” he said. “We had one team get gold, one get silver and also received a sportsmanship award. This was big for us because one of our athletes struggles when she doesn’t get an award. We also had two teams take home bronze medals.”

The bocce team of Jesse Banks and Jerry Allen won gold, Jackie Bleech and Nikki Fletcher won silver plus the sportsmanship award. The teams of Ben Johnson/David Killion and Brandi Higgins/Angelica Lizarraga won bronze medals.

Though there were a lot of outstanding individual performances, said McAloney. But he said he was most proud of the growth shown by his athletes, and not only on the competition fields. This past weekend was the first time some of them had ever been on a bus or stayed in a dorm. Seeing athletes in his group handle that so well illustrated personal growth, he said.

“We asked a few of the athletes to get out of their comfort zone and try new things this year,” he said. “Seeing them ride the bus and stay in the dorms with us is great progress in their lives.”

In addition, there were more participants because of the addition of bocce ball to the games. McAloney said it brought out many more athletes who had never participated until this year.

“Half of the athletes on our bocce team went to the summer games for the first time,” he said. “Bocce had a 50% increase in athletes and we were able to bring half of those to the summer games,” he said. “We had 17 players at regionals — and took half of them to Corvallis.”

Track and field team stands out

The Clatsop County Special Olympics track and field team joined the bocce participants in the medal circle with a colorful performance.

Led by Mathias Costello, the track and field team took home a total of seven gold medals. Costello won gold in all three of his events. He took gold in the 100-meter manual wheelchair dash, in the 30-meter slalom and the wheelchair shot put. Other gold medalists included Nicholas Bailey in the 100-meter dash, Alex Cary in the 50-meter dash, Brittney Clarke in the 400-meter walk and Marie Kujala in the 800-meter walk.

Second place finishers included Cary in the softball throw; Blake Chick in both the 200-meter dash and 4 x 100-meter relay; Clarke in the 800-meter walk; and Jack Kain in the 400-meter walk and 4 x 100-meter relay. Other silver medalists included: Jonathan Lempea in the 4 x 100-meter relay; Beau Roth in both the mini javelin and 4 x 100-meter relay; and Megan Wilson in the 400-meter walk. Bailey wrapped things up with a bronze medal in the softball throw.

Other notable finishers were Joey Bailey who placed fourth in the softball throw and Cheyenne Valenzuela who was fourth in the shot put and also came in sixth place in the 200-meter dash.

Athletes get a break

After this weekend of competition the athletes will have about a month break until they resume competition. Next up will be the fall sports season which consists of soccer, bowling and swimming. The beginning of fall competition will coincide with the beginning of the high school sports season.

“Fall sports season will go from September to about mid-November,” McAloney said.”Then we will have about a month off before winter.”

Does LeBron James migrating back to the Eastern Conference have any implications on the reigning champion Knicks? The answer hinges largely on The Decision 2.0, where LeBron chooses what could be the final destination in one of the greatest careers in NBA history.

James’ timeline is unclear, but the rest of the 2026 NBA free agency process is in a holding pattern as the now ex-Los Angeles Laker sorts through the options available for the fourth — and possibly final — stop of his Hall of Fame career.

The Minnesota Timberwolves, Denver Nuggets and Golden State Warriors are among the Western Conference teams listed on his agent Rich Paul’s infamous whiteboard — the canvas of choice used to list all of LeBron’s free agency options in a recent episode of Paul’s Game Over podcast with Max Kellerman.

That whiteboard, however, also featured three Eastern Conference teams angling to dethrone the Knicks and win the East for a chance to secure the 2027 NBA title. There’s a real chance James, in Year 24 at age 42, chooses one of those three team — and tips the balance of power in a conference expected to be even more competitive next season.

PHILADELPHIA 76ERS

The Knicks just ended a 53-year NBA championship drought. There are five more teams who haven’t won in 40 or more years. The 76ers are one of them.

And since LeBron can’t end New York’s championship drought, the Sixers offer an opportunity to restore a starved basketball market in one of the country’s biggest sports cities.

LeBron James to the Philadelphia 76ers would feed families — because he’d be joining a star-studded cast of Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, Jaylen Brown — who was stunningly acquired for Paul George and picks in a deal with the Boston Celtics — and V.J. Edgecombe.

The Knicks have a stacked starting five. If the Sixers were to add LeBron — a four-time champion, four-time MVP, three-time Olympic gold medalist and 22-time All-Star — they could easily have one of the best five-man lineups in NBA history, even with James in the twilight of his storied career.

But Embiid’s health is perpetually in question. Edgecombe is only in his sophomore season. Brown, even with a Finals MVP in his name, has much to prove after an embarrassing trade out of Boston. Maxey is a problem, but James may need to shoulder a load far greater than his 42-year-old frame can handle to life Philadelphia into the euphoria New York City experienced this summer.

CLEVELAND CAVALIERS

The fairytale ending is always going back where it all started, the kid from Akron, Ohio delivering one last title before sailing off into the sunset.

The Cavaliers made the Eastern Conference Finals. They were swept, however, by the Knicks — and a 42-year-old LeBron doesn’t solve the problems sure to plague Cleveland in their ensuing playoff runs. The Cavaliers do have an in: Brandon Weems, Cleveland’s assistant general manager and a longtime friend of the NBA’s all-time leading scorer. The Cavaliers could also explore trade possibilities with James Harden, who is an unrestricted free agent also in a holding pattern while LeBron makes his decision. Paul said on his Game Over podcast his superstar client was a big fan of Darius Garland, who the Cavs traded away to the Los Angeles Clippers for Harden in the first place.

But home is where the heart is. Sometimes. LeBron has another home to choose from — a team capable of presenting far greater problems than a cast led by Harden and Donovan Mitchell.

MIAMI HEAT

This is where things get dicey in New York. Because the Heat present a unique opportunity for LeBron to sit in the passenger’s seat. In Miami, The King would be the third option to a two-time MVP in Giannis Antetokounmpo and a perennial Defensive Player of the Year candidate who just set a new record for second-most points in a single game (83) in Bam Adebayo.

The Heat also have Andrew Wiggins, who can still play at a high level on both ends of the floor. Their size and spacing — and Giannis, of course — would pose instant problems for the Knicks, who lost Mitchell Robinson and Ariel Hukporti and will be leaning largely on Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby and Andre Drummond as their paint presence this season.

The Heat also have Bobby Portis and Tim Hardaway Jr. Nikola Jovic and Simone Fontecchio provide quality depth. Plus Pelle Larsson had his breakout season averaging 11 points in his sophomore NBA season.

And unlike the 76ers, who worry nightly about Embiid’s playing status, the Heat tend to be healthy at the right time.

The Cavaliers have the hometown edge. The 76ers might have the most promise. But if LeBron returns to South Beach, it’s the Heat who’d have the best chance of the three to make a run at the Knicks’ throne.

It’s why no one’s moving a muscle until James makes his decision. Almost a quarter-century into his playing career, The King still has moves on the chessboard. And his move has direct implications at Madison Square Garden.

The Olivet Boys & Girls Club is getting ready to play ball.

The organization will host a series of baseball games for current members and softball games for former members on Aug. 1 at Hoodak Stadium and Oakbrook Recreation Park.

The festivities will begin around 8:30 a.m. with a competitive baseball tournament showcasing current members and an alumni softball tournament that aims to bring former members together with staff and supporters for a day of friendly competition.

Officials of the organization said the event will celebrate the club’s lifelong impact by reconnecting alumni and giving current members the opportunity to showcase their talents on the field.

Families, friends, alumni and community members are invited to cheer on the teams, enjoy classic ballpark food and celebrate the memories.

To participate in the tournament, visit lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/dr586be.

To watch the tournaments, visit lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/2kb6hdj.

As the college football world turns, University of Hawaii head coach Timmy Chang remains grounded in his goals.

“I think college football has changed,” said Chang, who enters his fifth season as the Rainbow Warriors’ leader. “You have to be flexible to build a roster and compete. We’re doing that. We’re a different type of program. We’re in a different location. And that poses different factors and opportunities and challenges that we have to be able to adapt.”

Fifty-four months after inheriting a disheartened program that was in emotional turmoil, Chang is navigating an evolving landscape. The transfer portal has eased the way for players to change schools without interruption. Student-athletes may now profit from use of their name, image and likeness. The House vs. NCAA settlement requires profit sharing up to $20.5 million annually per school. (UH has budgeted $5 million for NILs and profit sharing this coming academic year, with $2.5 million earmarked for football.)

The Rainbow Warriors have been impacted living in a material whirl.

“Jackson Harris is an example,” Chang said of the wideout who received a lucrative NIL deal after transferring to LSU following the 2025 regular season. “I think he loved our program, but he left for the money.”

But the portal is accessible in both directions, and the Warriors were able to find tall and fast transfers to reload the receiver positions.

“We just focus on our program, focus on our staff, focus on getting better,” Chang said. “Those are the things we can control. We focus on building and developing young student-athletes.”

In accepting the UH job in January 2022, Chang emphasized assembling a staff that shared his vision, connecting the program with academic and administrative leaders, and taking great care of his players.

“If we want someone to come into our program, it means something,” Chang said. “You’re taking in somebody’s son. You’re taking in someone who wants to trust you. That’s the biggest thing.”

For Chang, that meant providing educational and nutritional opportunities.

“Five years ago, we fought for feeding our kids and taking care of them,” said Chang, noting such programs as the Braddahhood Grindz and Sodexo provide training tables. “We’re fed year ’round besides the days we’re truly off, like spring break or winter break. We kept them fed.”

With expanded guidelines, every team member, including walk-ons, partakes in the training table.

“Once you’re on our team, you’re part of it,” Chang said.

He also has provided some leeway for youthful mistakes.

“I made it vocal, my biggest problem is we’re very quick to move to the next thing and move off people,” Chang said. “We want to build a program where we can give people second chances to try to do things right. We want to grow and develop and build that trust with them.”

During Chang’s tenure, the pied piper has been quarterback Micah Alejado, who was born and reared on Oahu and became a standout quarterback for national powerhouse Bishop Gorman High of Las Vegas.

“Micah brings a lot to the table for our program, for our state,” Chang said of the third-year Warrior. “He’s able to attract other players, as well. When you talk about receivers wanting to come and play, they want to play with Micah. A guy who left, like Jackson, still wanted to play with Micah. It’s the style of how we recruit. We recruit people. Your talent is your talent. We recruit based on who you are as a person.”

Chang also said that standard holds for his coaches and staff. Chang has reached agreement on a contract extension, although the paper work has not been signed. As part of conversations, Chang strongly proposed rewarding his staff. Last month, the assistant coaches received new contracts — some received two-year deals.

“The most important thing is continuing to build,” Chang said. “When you look at the building part of it, it’s taking care of your coaches. The coaches are an extension of me. I want to make sure we’re taking care of them. And always taking care of the players, whether it’s revenue sharing or NILs or feeding them. That’s the biggest thing.”

The Warriors became a football-only member of the Mountain West in 2012. This month, 15 UH sports joined, making the school essentially a full member. (UH’s men’s volleyball, beach volleyball and water polo teams remain in the Big West because the Mountain West does not sponsor those sports.)

With UH as full member, school president Wendy Hensel has been appointed to the Mountain West’s Board of Directors and the league’s executive committee. Athletic director Matt Elliott will have a greater voice in decisions involving UH. And UH will receive a full share of the league’s national television revenue.

On the football field, the Warriors have a chance to fill the leadership void created by Boise State’s and Fresno State’s departure to the Pac-12.

Chang will continue to call plays for the ever-evolving run-and-shoot offense.

“I think the run-and-shoot is a wrinkle in itself,” Chang said. “It’s an offense about quarterbacks and receivers being on the same page. You start with an offense like that, it becomes challenging (for defenses) to stop.”

Chang also said defensive coordinator Dennis Thurman will continue to reload a scheme in attack mode.

“Dennis has a great understanding of how he wants to attack and what he wants to do,” Chang said. “Complicated or simple, he wants to make his defense attack. This year more than others. You lose (play-making safety) Peter Manuma and you have guys to replace him. There have been guys waiting in the wings ready to step up.”

—

LAS VEGAS — So perhaps a little throwback LL Cool J if LeBron James opts for a return to the Miami Heat? As in the opening verse of Mama Said Knock You Out.

“Don’t call it a comeback, I been here for years. I’m rockin’ my peers, puttin’ suckers in fear.”

Actually it has been years since LeBron last played for the Heat in 2014, but there still has been an enduring connection — at Dwyane Wade’s final game with the Heat in 2019, the opponent in the 2020 NBA Finals at the Disney bubble, an embrace with Heat President Pat Riley this past season when the Lakers unveiled a Riley statue in from the their arena in downtown Los Angeles.

And now speculation of perhaps indeed calling it a comeback, with the Heat perceived as a finalist for James’ services in the wake of his parting last month with the Lakers.

Through the Heat’s first 38 seasons, there have been 14 cases of players leaving, playing elsewhere, and then returning.

It largely has been an uneven process, although one comeback resulted in a championship, a few others in deep playoff runs, and then the emotional final chapter of closure with Wade.

James would be the 15th to return and likely would transcend them all, the first Heat player to return after winning a championship with the team (and going on to win two more elsewhere).

So, yes, if it transpires, LeBron-Heat 2.0 would be at the top of the charts, as for the others (with regular-season games of each stint in parentheses:

Dwyane Wade,  2003-2016 (855),  2017-19 (93): The parting was unexpected and shocking, with the Heat during the 2016 offseason prioritizing retaining Hassan Whiteside in free agency and the pursuit of Kevin Durant in free agency.

To their credit, Heat owner Micky Arison and Heat President Pat Riley later acknowledged Wade’s 2016 free agency could have been handled better.

After the unsettling reality of Wade in Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers jerseys, he was brought back in Feb. 2018, after his failed effort to try to make it work with LeBron in Cleveland. While the return resulted only in a single playoff-game victory, it created an emotional 2017-18 farewell tour amid an otherwise lackluster Heat season.

Alonzo Mourning, 1995-03 (407), 2004-08 (186): Despite missing the entire 2002-03 season due to kidney illness, Mourning was offended by the level of the Heat’s offer in 2003 free agency, making a hasty move to the New Jersey Nets.

By March 2005 , fences were mended and Mourning returned, a year later going on to help share in the Heat’s 2006 NBA championship.

The bond has endured since, with Mourning retiring in 2007-08 after a knee injury, now a valued member of the team’s front office.

Bruce Bowen,  1996-97 (1), 1999-01 (109): A developmental discovery in March 1997, Bowen would play only one game for the Heat that season, before leaving for a two-year free-agent contract with the Boston Celtics.

Bowen then returned in 1999 as a valued 3-and-D component, including as a playoff presence, before leaving in 2001 free agency for the San Antonio Spurs.

Eddie House,  2000-03 (169),  2010-11 (56): A quality contributor as a second-round pick in 2000 who was so popular with his streak scoring that Riley’s daughter at one point asked he father to play the guard more often, House would go on to cycle through stints with the Los Angeles Clippers, Charlotte Bobcats, Milwaukee Bucks, New Jersey Nets and Celtics.

House then was signed back as a free agent in the 2010 offseason, after the signings of Wade, LeBron and Chris Bosh, playing as a minor contributor in that first season of the Heat’s Big Three.

Michael Beasley,  2008-10 (97), 2013-15 (79): The No. 2 pick in the  2008 draft after the Heat’s lack of lottery luck cost them a shot at Derrick Rose, Beasley first stint ended when he was dealt in the Heat’s 2010 summer of the Big Three to create cap room for the signing of Mike Miller.

Beasley then would cycle through time with the Minnesota Timberwolves and Phoenix Suns, before signing three different reunion contracts with the Heat, never able to recapture his initial Heat success.

Josh Richardson, 2015-19 (259),  2023-25 (51): The No. 40 pick by the Heat in the 2015 draft, Richardson after four productive Heat seasons was sent out to the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2019 sign-and-trade for Jimmy Butler.

Richardson returned in 2023, but after an injury-limited second Heat tenure was sent out in the 2025 trade that also sent out Butler, with the Heat in that deal acquiring Kyle Anderson, Davion Mitchell, Andrew Wiggins and the first-round pick that turned into Kasparas Jakucionis. Richardson has not played in the NBA since.

Rafer Alston, 2003-04 (82),  2009-10 (25): A valued component amid the Heat’s playoff revival with his ballhandling and 3-point shooting,  Alston then cashed in with the Toronto Raptors during 2004 free agency.

He returned in January 2010 after a buyout from then Nets. only to then walk away from the game in March of that year, never to play in the NBA again.

Ricky Davis,  2000-01 (7), 2007-08 (82): Davis’ first Heat tenure was cut short by knee and ankle injuries, dealt at the end of that season to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the trade that brought back Chris Gatling.

Davis returned in 2007 in the housecleaning trade with the Timberwolves that sent out Antoine Walker. While Davis provided quality play in his return season, he also allowed the Heat to be bad enough to finish with the league’s worst record at second the No.2 lottery pick, then allowed to depart to the Clippers as a free agent in 2008.

Eddie Jones,  2000-05 (352), 2006-07 (35): Having provided stability during the build up to the Heat’s first championship era, Jones was sent to the Memphis Grizzlies in the August 2005 blockbuster deal that brought in 2006 championship components Antoine Walker, Jason Williams and James Posey.

A buyout from the Grizzlies then allowed for a Feb. 2007 Heat return, but by then the Heat’s championship rotation was running on fumes, with Jones leaving for the Dallas Mavericks in  2007 free agency.

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Bimbo Coles, 1990-96 (440), 2003-04 (22): Acquired in the second round of the 1990 draft, Coles was a rotation mainstay until dealt to the Warriors in the 1996 Tim Hardaway trade.

He cycled back to the Heat in 2003 free agency, but by then was not the same player.

Steve Smith, 1991-95 (189), 2004-05 (13): Another case of magic that could not be recaptured.

Draft by the Heat at No. 5 in 1991, Smith was sent out to the Atlanta Hawks along with Grant Long in the ill-fated 1994 trade for Kevin Willis.

Smith then was re-acquired from Charlotte in a Feb. 2005 trade for current Heat assistant coach Malik Allen, with a nondescript close to his NBA career that season.

Chris Gatling, 1995-96 (24), 2001-02 (54): A plus-one to the Tim Hardaway acquisition from the Golden State Warriors in Feb. 1996, Gatling left in free agency for the Mavericks six months later.

He then returned for a single-season encore in 2001, by then limited in his productivity, waived at season’s end.

Dorell Wright,  2004-10 (211),  2015-16 (5): Drafted No. 19 out of high school by the Heat in 2004, Wright mostly was reduced to benchwarmer as the Heat moved into playoff mode, allowed to depart in 2010 free agency.

He then was brought back for the 2016 playoff run, with his five appearances coming in the playoffs, in the final games of his NBA career.

Mario Chalmers,  2008-16 (525), 2021-22 (0): A mainstay at point guard during the Big Three era, Chalmers was unloaded to the Grizzlies in a 2015 salary dump.

He then returned to the Heat in Dec. 2021 on a COVID hardship contract, but never saw action.

“Freestyle Biomechanics: The Science Behind The Strokes,” a book by former University of Hawaii swimming coach Jan Prins, is now available via Amazon.

The book focuses on freestyle, but also touches on “the three other competitive strokes,” said Prins, who earned a doctorate in kinesiology at Indiana in 1978 and still teaches at UH. “(It) covers … every freestyle movement from stroke pattern, body position, flutter kick, hand entry to recovery and much more.”

It is the culmination of nearly 50 years of coaching, presentations, research and video workshops Prins has conducted for competitive swimmers and coaches.

“It will become a continuous shelf reference for all swimmers, especially triathletes and adults,” said Garry Rodrigues, swim consultant to USA Triathlon for the 2028 Olympics.