Photo Story: Aspiring Golf Professional Jake Irving

Jake Irving graduated from local West Albany High School in 2010 after finishing his high school career with a 34th place finish at the OSAA 5A Golf State Tournament.

Irving was part of the West Albany golf teams that won back-to-back state titles in 2008 and 2009 and has always had a passion for the game of golf.

After high school Irving attended Linn-Benton Community College for several terms before deciding that his real passion lay in the golf industry.

Irving is currently working for Spring Hill Country Club in Albany and practicing vigorously for summer tournaments.

Next year Irving plans to move to Arizona to pursue his dream of becoming a member of the Professional Golfers Association. 

I followed Irving for one of his short practice sessions at Trysting Tree Golf Course in Corvallis after he had already completed playing 18 holes earlier that morning already.







The aspiring golf professional stares down his final shot
on the range. Right after this shot he turned to me and
said, "Wish I could have hit 'em like this today." 6/2/2011



After completing his session on the range Irving
 then moved to the green beside the clubhouse to
 grind on his short game. 6/2/2011

After chipping Irving moved onto the green for some putting
practice. He is seen here reading a 10-footer that he hit
repeatedly. 6/2/2011

As you can see Irving sets his left
hand lower on the putter grip. This
is seen by many as unconventional,
but it works for him. 6/2/2011

This is my favorite picture that I took of Irving that day
and I just wanted to add it because I couldn't leave it off.
6/2/2011

Building a Team in the NBA

The NBA today has conformed to the idea that a a team needs at least three stars on the team in order to win a championship and dominate the rest of the league. This got me to thinking about creating the best team in NBA history.

I think we can all agree that if we were starting a team that could consist of any players in NBA history all of us would take Michael Jordan with the number one overall pick.

Michael Jordan would be the center piece of any team. But
who would you put around him?
Courtesy of Jonathan Daniel, All-Sport

What I am curious about is who would round out your starting line-up if you were forming the greatest team of all-time.
With Jordan at the shooting guard you are still going to need a point, two forwards and a center to dominate the paint.

At point guard you want a floor general, someone who runs the offense, plays great defense, distributes with ease, and can hit clutch free-throws down the stretch. Guys that could be mentioned in this category could be Steve Nash, Bob Cousy, Isaiah Thomas, John Stockton, or Walt Frazier. My choice, though, would have to be Magic Johnson because he was a six-foot-eight-inch point guard who changed the position forever.

A small-forward needs to be able to bang down low, as well as be smooth enough to play, and defend, outside as well. Some people might pick guys like Julius Erving, Scottie Pippen, or Elgin Baylor perhaps. The most compelling argument might be for LeBron James, but he still has not proven he can win championships, though that could change very soon. In my mind you can't go with anyone else other than Larry Bird. Larry Legend won multiple championships and was one of the most clutch players in history.

At power-forward you need a player who can defend tough in the post, step out and hit a jumper or two, not be a terrible free-throw shooter, and be finesse at the same time. People might be thinking of names like Dennis Rodman, Dirk Nowitzki, Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, or Bob Pettit. The best power forward for your team might be one of the quietest players ever, Tim Duncan. Duncan has twice been named NBA MVP and is known league-wide as a great teammate.

Finally at the center position you will need a skilled guy over seven feet tall who can be a dominant force in the middle and prevent easy baskets. Patrick Ewing, Shaquille O'Neal, Bill Russell, and Hakeem Olajuwon would probably be the names that first jump out to you, but don't forget about the most dominant player in NBA history. Wilt "The Stilt" Chamberlain had everything that you could want in a center, and then some.

In the end my team would consist of Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Tim Duncan, and Wilt Chamberlain. Who would you want on your team? Leave a comment below.

NWAACC Hall of Fame Inductees: Linn-Benton

Every sport is different from one another. Basketball, football, baseball and golf have virtually no similarities between them, except one. In every sport athletes, coaches, and people associated with the sport strive to one day be inducted into their respected sport's Hall of Fame.

This past week Linn-Benton Community College announced the induction of the 1971 Men's Baseball team into the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges Hall of Fame. The NWAACC will also  recognize LBCC staff member Teresa Thomas and former staff member Edwin Watson by awarding them the Outstanding Service Awards for their contributions to the Linn-Benton athletic department.

The year of 1971 marked the first year that the Roadrunners had a baseball team compete inter-collegiately. The team was led by former staff member Dick McClain and consisted of just 17 players. LB went on to rack up more than 30 wins on their way to claiming the Southern Division Oregon Community Athletic Association League Championship title. They join the 1980-81 Women's Basketball team as the only LBCC teams to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Current baseball coach Greg Hawk said of the teams induction, "We have a very rich baseball tradition here at Linn-Benton. Dick (McClain) started the Athletic programs here at LBCC and he coached the baseball team from 1971-76. I'm very proud of the history of our school and for what has played out during my years here at LBCC. We also have two NWAACC Championship teams ('88 & '91) that I have coaches that I hoped someone would nominate in the future. Dick McClain is an outstanding gentle man and a awesome coach."


Thomas was hired at Linn-Benton in 1980 by, ironically, McClain and has played a major role in athletics at LBCC for the past 30 years. She has served as LB's Women's Athletic Commissioner, participated in fundraising activities and done a stand-up job promoting Roadrunner's athletics throughout the community. During the time that the NWAACC was housed on campus at Linn-Benton Thomas served as it's secretary as well.

Watson retired in 2006 after educating for more than 36 years, including working as the LBCC vice president of Academic Affairs. Watson has been involved with Linn-Benton since 1993. He has served as the dean of the Liberal Arts and Human Performance Athletics Division. He also directed and led the Roadrunner Athletic program for more than 13 years.

The 24th Annual Hall of Fame Banquet will be held June 2 in Vancouver, Washington. The event will honor the Hall of Fame inductees, as well as the recipients of Outstanding Service Awards.

At a Glance

What: Hall of Fame Inductee

Who: 1971 LBCC Baseball team

When: June 2nd

Where: 24th Annual Hall of Fame Banquet in Vancouver, Wash.

Action/Sports Photos: "OSAA Golf Championship"

This past week the OSAA 4A/3A/2A/1A Girls Golf State Championship was held at local Trysting Tree Golf Course in Corvallis. One of the featured groups included defending state champion Lindsay Harmon of Valley Catholic and Sydney King of McKenzie.

King makes the short walk to the first tee
5/17/2011

Harmon tends the pin for King on the 17th hole.
5/17/2011

Harmon twirls the club after hitting her approach close on
the par-4 18th. 5/17/2011

Harmon taps in for par on the 9th hole,
the groups final hole of the day. 5/17/2011

King gives a fist pump after chipping in for birdie on
the final hole. 5/17/2011

King and Harmon shake hands as their round
concludes. 5/17/2011

Coach/father Dan King embraces his
daughter following her tournament.
5/17/2011

When it was all said and done Harmon finished in second place
while King, still just a sophomore finished fifth. 5/17/2011

Moore About an OSU Record Holder

Oregon State fans will forever remember September 25, 2008 as the night that the Beavers upended the number one ranked USC Trojans 27-21, but this date was also important for OSU athletics in another way.

“I was on my official visit to Oregon State when we beat USC,” Oregon State red-shirt junior golfer Alex Moore said when asked how he ended up at Oregon State, “The atmosphere was unbelievable. Seeing all the fans storm the field, I knew that this was the place I wanted to be.”

Alex, now a junior, and the rest of the Beavers squad recently returned from the Pac-10 Championship inStanford, California, finishing in eighth place and assuring them of a spot in the Tucson Regional.

Moore became just the fifth Beaver in school history to be
named All-Pac-10 First Team.
Courtesy of EthanEricksonPhoto.com

As an individual Moore had one of the best performances in Oregon State history, finishing in second place after an epic seven-hole playoff.

With the performance Moore became just the fifth Beaver to be selected to the All-Pac-10 First Team in men’s golf.

This was not the first time this year that Moore has entered his name into the OSU record books. Earlier in the spring he recorded a 63 at the Duck Invitational, the lowest single round in Beaver history.

Moore grew up in Richland, Wash. and started playing golf at just six years old when his grandfather introduced it to him.

Junior teammate Casey King said of Moore, “He is a gentleman and a scholar in everything he does.”

He attended Hanford High School in Richland where he holds the school scoring record at 70.25. In 2007, as a senior, he won the WIAAState Championship by draining a 55-foot eagle putt in a playoff.

Al, as his teammates refer to him, had a decorated junior career before he started to receive interest from many colleges. He also took visits to the University’s of Washington and Oregon before decided to become a Beaver.

As a freshman Moore red-shirted, gaining valuable experience from the upper-classmen on the team. He played steady his first two years competing in orange and black, but was able to break through this year after a successful summer in which he qualified for the U.S. Amateur Championship in Chambers Bay, Wash.

Outside of golf Moore says that he loves to play all other sports, especially basketball. He is a Business major, and will graduate this coming year.

Q&A  with Alex Moore

What were the factors that brought you to Oregon State?
Well the USC game was a big influence, and my mom really liked the town.

What sport do you see yourself playing if you weren’t playing golf in college?
If I wasn’t playing golf at OSU I’d definitely be playing basketball at some school somewhere. Maybe junior-college or something.

What is your best golf memory at OSU?
That playoff is easily the best memory I have as a Beaver, so far.

What are your plans after leaving Oregon State?
Well I’m going to try to turn pro and try to live out my dream of playing of the PGA Tour. I’ll probably move somewhere where it’s warm year round like Arizona.

Free Shoot Photographs

Recently I was assigned to shoot some random free photos for my photojournalism class. I chose to shoot some photos of a high school student named Evan Dirckx who was playing golf at Trysting Tree Golf Course during a beautiful Friday afternoon.

Dirckx, a high school senior, prepares to putt on the practice
green 5/13/2011

After a couple photos he became super in to
posing for the camera 4/13/2011

Dirckx's putt rolling towards the hole on the green 4/13/2011

Evan reacts to draining a long putt to beat his friend Thomas
in what turned out to be an epic match 4/13/2011

Neighborhood Photographs

Chris Foulke is a local nutritional therapist who specializes in assessment of diet and organic body health, but this does not tell his whole story. Foulke does not live in my neighborhood, but from 5 p.m.-6 p.m. he is very much a part of my community.

Foulke uses his spare time to stand on the street
in front of the Corvallis Courthouse and protest
different things.  Foulke and his friends have been
doing this since 2001. 4/31/2011

Foulke and friends hold signs the oppose of the war. The group
in front of the courthouse and Browser's Bookstore each day.
4/31/2011

Clever signs and a flashy personality make Foulke a likeable
and enjoyable person in my neighborhood. 4/31/2011

One of Chris's signs caught my attention. His catchy signs
help make him such a great character. 4/31/2011