Chances to play women's basketball after college are few and far between.

So when post-grad Chloe Mosey heard about a semi-professional team forming in Lakewood, she saw it as her chance to continue her playing career.

"A lot of girls who play college ball don't get an opportunity to play unless it's a recreation or church league," the 6-foot-1 post said. "So to be on a semi-pro team is awesome."

Mosey commutes from Bremerton to Wilson Sports and Fitness Center on Joint Base Lewis-McChord two nights a week to practice with the Lakewood Panthers, who are in their inaugural season of the Women's Blue Chip Basketball League.

The WBCBL is already established on the East Coast, and now women 20 and older are getting a chance to play competitively on the West Coast.

There are four other teams in the Pacific Northwest Division: Northwest Magic, Tacoma Stars, Olympia Matrix and Seattle Express. The Panthers' general manager Dave Williams turned a former women's recreational league squad into a semi-pro team.

The Panthers are gearing up for the season finale West Coast National Championship at Fort Steilacoom Pierce College on Aug. 6 and 7. Teams from Oregon, California, Nevada and Arizona will participate.

Mosey was a standout at University of Montana Western, finishing her career with more than 1,000 points and 600 rebounds in 104 games. Williams hopes the exposure of the league will help players like Mosey catch the attention of basketball scouts overseas.

"I hope it leads to an opportunity," Mosey said.

In the meantime Mosey will continue to learn and adapt to the new rules of the WBCBL. She adjusted from a 30-second shot clock in college to 24 seconds, as well as four 12-minute quarters instead of two halves. Mosey also had to get used to jumping for jump balls, instead of alternating inbound passes.

The fundamental adjustments are minor compared to the major challenge the team faces in fielding a consistent starting five. The team is mainly made up of Army officers with just two civilians.

"It's tough practice-wise without a full team," Panthers coach Alphonso Niles said. "But when they're here they give it all they've got."

Katie Fichter may be the team's co-captain, but she's a first lieutenant first. Her season with the Panthers ended prematurely because of her commitment to the military. Fichter went on leave in mid-July, followed by training until September.

"Obviously the military is our job so it has to come first, and you try to fit in basketball as much as you can," Fichter said. "It's a tough balance because work hours fluctuate so much."

Despite the challenge of fielding a team, Williams is determined to offer an opportunity to play competitive basketball to women, both military and civilian. Recently adding Niles as coach has helped the Panthers form a cohesive unit. Niles, who once played All-Army basketball, brings a wealth of experience to the team. The 6-7 coach played from 1996 to 2000 at Concordia University in Portland, Ore., where he is still No. 1 in field goals (772), rebounds (1,082), blocked shots (185) and career points (1,883 points). He went on to play overseas, so he understands each Panther's stage in her career.

The Panthers' season might conclude after the national tournament, but Williams is already thinking of 2012. After not having a home court this season and traveling to all their games, he secured a venue for next season at Curtis High School in University Place. He plans to have three rounds of try-outs in mid-August, later in the winter and one in the spring. The 2012 season starts in May.

For more information contact Williams at dwilliamsone4@msn.com.

A golf course is like a house.

It is built, maintained and welcomes numerous guests. Eagle's Pride Golf Course on Joint-Base Lewis-McChord is Mike McDonald's second home.

"I want (Eagle's Pride) to be like anybody comes to my house and walks in the front door and says, ‘This is comfortable,'" the course manager said.

For that to happen McDonald and his staff made some recent changes in his three seasons as manager.

"The course was OK when I came here," McDonald said. "It was probably not a lot of golfers' first choice."

The improvements began with the front door - the parking lot entrance. The old lot with railroad ties and no lighting gave way to a smooth, sleek parking surface with an attractive entrance sign. Beyond the entrance golfers are welcomed with a well-maintained 27-hole course open daily to the public.

Nine holes were given new tee boxes last year. Over time the boxes become uneven, but a professional company came out to laser level the surface.

A golf course architect study revealed some of the fairways in the 6,440-yard long course were too long. Forward tees were added to accommodate all levels of golfers.

"As the baby boomers, as we get older we feel like we're 30 but we can't hit that far," McDonald said. "So we've added other tees to try to attract more people. We make it a user-friendly golf course."

New irrigation drains were added to help eliminate wet spots on the greens, and a forestry department was involved to thin and remove trees that were depriving the greens of sunlight. All the work was done without taking away from the ambiance of the course.

All the physical improvements have given new life to the 73-year-old course.

Eagle's Pride opened in 1938 as an 18-hole course. Nine more holes were added in 1979 and in the mid-1990's the military course opened to the public. The driving range features natural grass hitting areas, as well as covered areas with heat and light.

McDonald did more than just a physical remodel at Eagle's Pride to attract more golfers to practice and play the course. Administrative changes made those golfers want to return.

"If you look at courses in the area like the Home Course and Chambers Bay, the competition has been elevated around us," Eagle's Pride PGA Pro Eric Bowen said. "With public access they have many choices and we want them to choose this one."

One of the first changes McDonald made as manager in 2008 was implementing an annual special. This season's special is valid Monday through Thursday and includes the greens fee, golf cart and an $8 food voucher for $35. A civilian would normally pay $47. Tee times can be reserved up to seven days in advance.

Friday through Sunday the course is normally busy with tournaments, but the extra nine holes allow golfers to still play during weekends. McDonald and Bowen have plans for other improvements to the course, including upgrading the other 18 tee boxes.

"We still have a long way to go," McDonald said. "Our goal is to eventually make this the best golf course in the Pacific Northwest where people will want to come and play."

(San Francisco Chronicle)-- Lisa Hallett runs away her grief.

She runs to pound down the pain left from when her husband, Army Capt. John Hallett, died in an explosion in Afghanistan nearly two years ago. She runs to help heal other military widows. She runs to keep herself healthy, so she can be the best mom she can be for her three small children.

So far, the most she has ever run, at age 30, is 32 miles. But this coming Sunday, Hallett will bring her grief and her healing and her growing crowd of running comrades to San Francisco to try something she has never tried before.

Hallett will attempt an ultra-marathon, or 52.4 miles, as she runs in the annual San Francisco Marathon. She says 26.2 miles has just become too easy for her - and easy alone doesn't properly honor her hero husband.

To read the complete story, click here.

From the Seattle Times: Mora learned that in Iraq, the NFL was the great escape.

"Here we are, 7,000 miles away from home in this God-awful place," he said. "It's 120 degrees. There's dust storms. It's nasty, ugly, awful. These guys haven't seen their families in months. They're doing these thankless jobs in this horrible environment, and doing them with smiles on their faces.

"But their biggest concern was not, are we going to take on indirect fire tonight. It was, are we going to have a season? They were really worried about that. The games give them something to talk about all week. That's the galvanizing power of the NFL."

Along with his father, Jim; Arizona coach Ken Whisenhunt; and Houston coach Gary Kubiak, Mora, the former Seahawks coach, went to Iraq as part of a USO tour.

He called the trip humbling.

"Initially, there was this allure of going to this exotic, foreign place," Mora said. "But then the trip became something I felt I had to do, almost like it was my duty to do it. It started out as something I thought would be fun, but it became something more solemn that needed to be done."

To read Steve Kelley's entire column, click here.

Sabine Pullins quietly entered the marathon scene four years ago.

But it took just one race for the 38-year-old Army spouse to become an elite distance running competitor.

Since her first race in June 2007 in her native country of Germany, Pullins competed in 13 other marathons - qualifying for the Boston Marathon all 14 times.

Just this year Pullins ran a 10K race, a half-marathon in San Francisco and three marathons.

"May 1 was my first marathon this year in Eugene, Ore.," Pullins said. "I ran my second-fastest time there but I didn't feel like I was quite giving it my all. I wasn't very depleted or exhausted afterward."

Pullins turned around two weeks later and won the Capital City Marathon in Olympia. But she didn't give her full effort because she had the Rainier to Ruston Ultra Marathon three weeks later.

Three marathons in a span of five weeks had little effect on Pullins, as she was the first female finisher - second overall - in the Ultra Marathon.

Pullins' accomplishments are known beyond the local running community, as she is sponsored by Quantum Scalar, a manufacturer of performance gear.

"Being sponsored means you're on par with the pro level," said Claire Heid, 66th Military Police Company, 504th Military Police Battalion. "In the running world, a good mark of a professional runner is when they start getting sponsorship."

Heid met Pullins at the start line of the Capital City Marathon in May. Pullins quickly befriended the ultra marathon runner as she prepared for the Rainier to Ruston - Pullins' first ultra marathon - in June.

It didn't take long for Pullins' running career to flourish. But the mother of two doesn't accumulate her winnings to show them off. Rather, Pullins wants to use her success to help others. Even with a full racing schedule Pullins completed schooling at the National Federation of Professional Trainers to become a Certified Personal Trainer, specialized in endurance training.

"My next endeavor is to pay this forward to the community," Pullins said. "I would really like to see if I can work through (Joint Base Lewis-McChord Directorate of) Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation, and let this bleed into helping the Soldiers perform at a better, higher level."

Pullins hopes to work at a gym on post where she can share her expertise in training and nutrition with Soldiers and spouses.

Of the 14 marathons Pullins raced in, she made it to the award podium 12 times, with seven first-place finishes. She hopes her numbers will aid in building up clientele as a personal trainer.

"I look at (what I've done) as successes that I can get people interested in me," Pullins said. "So people will think, ‘She really knows what she's doing. She knows what this is about.' If you trust me I can definitely get you to where you would like to see yourself or very close to it."

In the meantime Pullins is taking it easy. Of course she still logs 60 miles a week during her runs, but without the race mentality. She doesn't know when her next marathon will be.

"It's been busy and I want to refill my battery a little bit," Pullins said.

And with her husband, Chief Warrant Officer 4 Scott W. Pullins, 1st Battalion, 303rd Armor Regiment, being deployed next year, Sabine Pullins' competitive running will slow down to spend more time with her Family.

But she admits it would be nice to maybe some day run the Boston Marathon. Or better yet, just round up her 14 marathons.

"I know I would love to do 15. I'm just letting things come toward me."

Bodybuilding.com has officially kicked off the second annual 2011 Military Challenge. The competition is open for entries to all active and reserve United States military members and their spouses from July 15 to Aug. 15.

Bodybuilding.com and MusclePharm are looking for the best of the best in the U.S. Military. Whether someone is already in great physical shape or wants to utilize this 12 week challenge to transform their body, the most important factor is showing that an individual physical fitness goal can be met while being a top motivator for others. Winners will be chosen by an internal judging panel that will look at the contestants' ability to reach their Military Challenge goals and their ability to inspire others in the military with the aid of the world's largest online social fitness community, BodySpace.

The grand prize male and female winners will receive the title of "Bodybuilding.com Military Spokesperson of the Year" and become a sponsored athlete of TEAM Bodybuilding.com. They will also receive $1,800 worth of supplements, a professional photo shoot, a Stayfit Package (including a MusclePharm Stack, gym gift bag, fat caliper, fat loss monitor with scale, shaker and gym towel), and be featured on Bodybuilding.com. The grand prize winners will be chosen from the first place male and female winners of each military branch (Air Force, Army, Marines, Navy and Coast Guard). Individual first place branch winners will receive $350 worth of supplements and a Bodybuilding.com gift bag (approximate value of $100). 

2010 Bodybuilding.com Military Spokesmodels Soldier Sean Hardge and Airman Pamela Wilson not only graced multiple pages on Bodybuilding.com and made appearances at company events throughout the year, but they also received exposure in top industry magazines such as Muscle Mag, Iron Man, Muscular Development and Fitness X. Most importantly, they inspired thousands as the official representatives for the strongest force in the world - the United States Military.  

"At Bodybuilding.com, we believe exercise, nutrition, and supplements are critical weapons in the fight for a healthy body. We also believe a battle-ready dose of motivation is essential to achieving the best physique possible. As a result, we proudly support and salute our soldiers with the Bodybuilding.com 2011 Military Challenge," Bodybuilding.com CEO Ryan DeLuca said in a release.

For more on the 2011 Bodybuilding.com Military Spokesmodel Competition powered by MusclePharm, visit www.Bodybuilding.com/Military.

See the 20th PAO video here.

At 54 years old, Leamon Woodley is in better physical condition than many Soldiers half his age. A trained powerlifter, the Joint Base Lewis-McChord athlete and civilian employee holds more records than he can keep track of. Earlier this month, that number increased by two.

The retired master sergeant competed in the 2011 Washington State Powerlifting, Bench Press and Deadlift Championship in Tumwater, Wash., March 5 and 6. The 181-pound Woodley set two national records, including the squat at 640 pounds, and total weight at 1,654 pounds. The total record was the combined weight of three separate events: squat, bench press and dead lift. 

Woodley was also inducted into the Washington State Powerlifting Hall of Fame, for his nearly two decades of participation and recognition in the sport.

Woodley's interest in powerlifting began while stationed in Korea in 1991 when he became a certified Master Fitness Trainer for the Army. He had just graduated from the course and attended his first powerlifting meet, where he saw a 130-pound woman dead lift 330 pounds.

"I was impressed - very impressed," Woodley said. "That's what got me started."

He checked out several library books to help get him started. Soon after, Woodley relocated to Fort Lewis, where he entered his first competition. He took fourth place, but if you asked him then about his prospects for breaking records for nearly two decades, the then-novice probably would have laughed. 

"I said, 'man, there's no way in the world I could ever break those (records),'" he said. "But through training over a period of time, I got better and started breaking records."

Training and social support are the keys to success and what got him to where he is today, Woodley said. 

"If you train, you can be good at anything," he said. "Plus you have to invest in your equipment and be around good friends - people that are going to support you, cheer you on - and just have a good time at it."

Woodley's wife and two children have been extremely supportive of his hobby, along with his longtime friend and sponsor, Tony Suffern. The retired Navy chief befriended Woodley at McVeigh Gym about 12 years ago after hearing about his powerlifting experiences. 

Suffern was surprised to learn he did not have a sponsor, so he offered to be one for Woodley. The athlete accepted. As a sponsor, Suffern travels with Woodley and serves as an adviser and encourager. Suffern analyzes his competitions and critiques his every move. 

"I'm kind of like a seeing eye dog for him," Suffern said. 

Having himself been a powerlifter in his younger days, Suffern has the expertise Woodley needs, but is not above learning a thing or two himself. He said Woodley's work ethic and humility make him an inspiring athlete.

"He's at the gym five o'clock every morning, and he works out before he even goes to work," Suffern said. "He has about 15 records at least, and if you didn't know him - if you just see him lifting at the gym - you'd have no idea he has that many records."

At this stage in his career, Woodley is also appreciative of the understanding extended to him by former military units, leaders and fellow Soldiers. Most allowed him time to powerlift during unit Physical Training time to prepare for competitions.

"I had very supportive units throughout my military career, which made a big difference," Woodley said. 

Now Woodley makes time for training five days a week, before work, and believes that if he can do it, anybody can. His "can do" attitude has gone beyond powerlifting and changed his perspective on life. 

"When you get up for a competition, even though sometimes you might be in pain, I think sometimes it's a mental and physical matter that you can always overcome certain things - obstacles in your life or whatever - to make yourself rise to the occasion," Woodley said.

BOOKMARK & SHARE

The scoreboard might have indicated a lost game, but members of the Joint Base Lewis-McChord Special Olympics basketball team hardly felt defeated.

The JBLM Tigers advanced to the state competition held in Wenatchee, March 5 to 7, after bringing home a silver medal in the regional competition.

It was the first time the team had advanced to state level.

Festivities kicked off March 5 with the athletes, ages 8 to 15, getting out of school early so they could travel to Wenatchee in time for opening ceremonies.

An Olympic torch was carried in, and the teams were introduced. A band played, and guest speakers gave opening remarks emphasizing the pride athletes should feel, regardless of their games' outcomes.

"Each and every one of them worked hard to get where they were, so whether they won or lost, it was all about having fun and being fair," said Shanon Mattox, JBLM Tigers coach and Child, Youth and School Services program assistant.

Fairness was more than merely a word the guest speakers spoke about. It was a goal that each team strived to achieve and took seriously throughout the competition. It was also the highlight of Mattox's weekend.

"I experienced one of the most amazing shows of sportsmanship that I have ever seen," Mattox said.

That sportsmanship was mostly visible during a game in which the Tigers were clearly the underdogs.

With only five athletes, no substitutes, and described as a "young, new team," the Tigers played against a more experienced team with older players. It became evident early that their opponent would dominate. However, the opposing coach told his team to back off a little, giving the Tigers a chance to get some points on the board.

"They let us play," Mattox said. "They didn't run circles around us when they easily could have."

At one point, a parent from the opponent's team actually encouraged one of the players to pass the ball to Mattox's son, who was noticeably one of the lesser-abled players.

"You know, at the regional level, he never even had an opportunity to shoot, and here he scored 10 points in the game, because the other team was giving him the ball," Mattox said. "You don't see that anywhere else. It was just very touching."

The Tigers' motivation stayed high largely because of the other team's sportsmanlike conduct. Once they saw that they were getting points, even tying the game at one point, the players pushed themselves as hard as they could.

Although the Tigers competed against three teams and lost all their games, they didn't go home empty-handed. Zackary Burns was awarded the bronze medal for his participation in the individual-skills competition, which took place just before the Tigers played.

"He competed against other wheelchair athletes, but they were all adults, and he is only 13," Mattox said.

Participants in the individual skills competition were judged on three different skills: a bounce pass, timed dribble and shooting from various points on the court.

It's an award Mattox said Zackary worked hard for and deserved after taking home a gold medal at the regional competition.

"We worked on his skills, and then we would practice playing," Mattox said. "He did fantastic."

Mattox said she hopes that the Special Olympics athletes got as much out of their experiences as she did.

"I think it gives them a greater sense of purpose, to be able to work together as a team," Mattox said.

As for next season, her goal is simple.

"I'd like to see more participation so that we can have some substitutes during the game," said Mattox, "and I would love to have the same children come back so that we can work on our skills and improve our game."

Anyone interested in signing up for the upcoming spring Special Olympics teams, swimming and track and field, can contact Mattox at 967-2405. The teams are junior unified teams, which means that players who do not have special needs are also welcome to participate.