Camp geared for skills on and off the court

Kids who are receiving foster care services are invited to participate in a basketball camp that is being hosted just for them.

Organized by UR SUCCESS, a Portland-based non-profit organization that helps kids discover their potential, the second annual camp will be held on Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 21 and 22 at the Northeast Community Center.

The camp will be directed by Coach Earl Chaney and will teach skills youth can practice on the court and in life. While the fundamentals of basketball will be covered, players will learn teamwork, cooperation, self-control and fun.
Boys and girls, entering kindergarten through 12th grade are invited. The cost is $50, which includes a shirt, snacks and a special treat at the awards ceremony. Foster kids should contact their Department of Human Services caseworkers about financial assistance, and limited scholarships are available through UR SUCCESS.

“We are hosting this camp because we wanted to create a positive opportunity for some of the thousands of children who are in foster care,” said Coach Earl Chaney, president of the organization. “Last year was a great success, according to the kids and the adults, and this year will be even better.”

Youth who are interested in participating can download the application form at ursuccess.or or can contact the organization by calling 971-340-5577 or emailing earl@ursuccess.org.

Chaney said UR SUCCESS also welcomes donations to support the camp and is grateful for the community support.

“Last year, more than half of the students who participated were eligible for scholarship support and we don’t want the costs to be a barrier,” he said. “It’s nice to know that a $50 scholarship allows another student to partake in this program.”

Scholarship donations can be made by mail or on the website, ursuccess.org.

Bob Richards, Olympic gold medal athlete, on the box of Wheaties.

Drew Dakessian

The first sports idol to ever grace the box of Wheaties, may be a white supremacist, reports the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Bob Richards, who won a gold medal in the 1952 and 1956 Olympics games in the pole vault competition and was the first athlete to ever be featured on a Wheaties box, is reported by the SPLC to have had a conversation with William Daniel Johnson, the leader of the American Third Position (A3P), where expressed support for his cause.

A3P states that its mission is to “represent the political interests of White Americans,” hoping to unite disaffected racists and field candidates for political offices across the nation. Johnson, the chairman, is a veteran white supremacist lawyer from Los Angeles who has advocated stripping the citizenship of and deporting millions of non-whites from America.

The SPLC, based in Montgomery, Ala., is claiming that Johnson met with Richards in his ranch outside of Dallas, where he expressed support for his cause.

Johnson reportedly wrote to Richards to tell him about the A3P and its plans to make a short video “on the decay of Western Civilization and what can be done to stop this decline.” The SPLC said that Johnson asked if Richards would consent to an interview for the video, which he said will be posted on the A3P website and on YouTube.

The Human Rights Campaign’s second annual women’s 3×3 basketball tournament takes place Saturday, July 24 at Irving Park. Nike is the presenting sponsor along with many other local businesses.

The tournament is open to all women, from league champions, gym rat, college hoopster, short, tall, young, old – even if you haven’t played in years. You’re invited to dust off those sneakers and come support the HRC and women in basketball.

There will be brackets for the true competitors as well as one for those who are looking for a day of fun. Team spots are limited.

The Human Rights Campaign’s objective for this event is to raise community awareness, understanding and visibility about the need for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender basic rights and equality and support women in sports!
To register for the tournament, visit their website.

Drew Dakessian

Four years ago, nearly 10,000 people jammed into Pioneer Square for the 2006 World Cup final. This Sunday, several thousand people are expected to gather at Portland’s Pioneer Square to witness the 2010 World Cup final between Spain and The Netherlands, broadcast live from South Africa on a giant 17′ x 23′ LED screen.

“We’re thrilled to give Oregonians the chance to come together and celebrate the culmination of what has been a remarkable and absolutely thrilling World Cup,” said Drew Mahalic, CEO of the Oregon Sports Authority. “Everyone is invited to join local soccer fans to experience the world’s most watched sporting event in the heart of downtown Portland.”

In addition to the World Cup final, the day’s festivities, beginning at 11 a.m. will include a beer garden courtesy of Widmer, as well as Adidas merchandise for sale featuring the Portland Timbers new MLS logo.

Jake Thomas
jthomas@portlandobserver.com

Chael Sonnen a Republican who is running for state representative for West Linn has some strong words for his opponent.

But not the opponent he will face in November, instead the opponent he’s referring to is Anderson Silva- a mixed marital artist who will face Sonnen in the ring later this summer.

However, this sort of trash-talking might have a racial dimension to it.

On May 31, Sonnen tweeted, “Ed, pray to whatever Demon effigy you prance and dance in front of with your piglet tribe of savages that I decide not to CRUCIFY you.”

Sonnen is most likely referring to Ed Soares who manages Silva.

Both men are from Brazil, and Soares manages primarily fighters from the country.

This talk strikes Dedrick Muhammad Senior Organizer and Research Associate for the Program on Inequality and the Common Good of the Institute for Policy Studies as xenophobic and racist.

“Trash talk in mixed martial arts is not unheard of but this type of talk I am sure you will agree crosses the line and deserves to be challenged. I am hoping some local group in Oregon will challenge this Republican candidate for public office over this offensive language,” he wrote in an e-mail that brought the issue to our attention.

Congratulations to Alexie McKinney-Craig for her recent participation in the USATF Oregon Junior Olympics where she took gold in not only one event, but all of her events, the 100, 200 and 400 meter dash.

Alexie just completed the second grade at Archbishop Howard School in northeast Portland. She loves everything about school, but really enjoys running!

She is now Oregon’s top Sub-Bantum runner and she will represent Oregon and her team, Portland AC at the USATF Junior Olympic regionals in Seattle.

Alexie said she is very excited and proud to represent Oregon.