EMBRACING a baby recovering from malnutrition is missionary Charity Lanman. Originally from Shelton, she is on a Christian mission to Sudan. She recently contracted malaria.

HELEN PALMER addresses the audience inside the new student center at Olympic College Shelton that was named in honor of her late husband, Dean Palmer. The center was officially opened Wednesday.

Work sparks
interest in bridge

A welder does a job on the Skookum Creek Bridge days after crews planted eight steel beams weighing 93,000 pounds as main supports for traffic on the structure. Work funded by Mason County, the Squaxin Island Tribe and the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs is scheduled to be completed in January.

HIGH ABOVE the Highclimber Stadium turf, former Shelton High School head football coach Jack Stark stays connected by adding color commentary to radio broadcasts of Climber games.

GRINNING'S NO SWEAT when your every move is rewarded in front of a home crowd on a Climber Friday night as evidenced by last week's version in Highclimber Stadium. Gladfaced during a brief sideline stint at the top is Climber first-team all-leaguer Gabe Shoemaker. That's the 6-2, 240-pound senior himself in the uppermost inset about to flatten the visiting Clover Park Warriors' running back as Climber teammates (from left) Matt Tuttle, Isaac Garfias and Chad Chapman close in behind him. In the other inset, Shelton junior Kyle Burbridge breaks a tackle near the host sideline en route to his game-high 120 yards of rushing. Celebrating another touchdown moments later (nearmost photo) are, clockwise from the front, sweatshirted junior DB Cody Treadwell, senior receiver Bryan Clark, sophomore DB Niko Pacholke, junior receiver Brenton Schnitzer, junior running back Ronald Yates and sophomore running back Kenny Huston. The Climbers prevailed 62-20 to keep their playoff hopes alive. Tomorrow they take on Capital in a must-win contest set to kick off at 7 p.m. in Ingersoll Stadium.

GOOD CHEER PREVAILS in the early goings last week on the Climber sideline as Shelton's varsity soccer girls lead visiting Timberline. That's about-to-enter defender Sam Farr with arms aloft, and variously animated in front of her are teammates (from left) Lyndsey Wallace, Tara Ramsey, Kelsea Huston, Kylee MacCracken, Sam Louderback, Alyssa Smith and Marcy Pearson. In the top inset, Climber all-leaguer Brit Bowman heads upfield to start a first-half run. That's fellow all-leaguer Michelle Robinson at left, showing a teammate the jammed thumb she's just plunged in the ice bucket in hopes of midgame relief. And inset right are converging defenders Kassi Profitt (left) and Megan Lund and a Blazer-hurdling Ms. Bowman. Alas, though they took a 2-nil lead into the waning moments, the Climbers wound up settling for a 2-2 tie when their visitors tallied in the final minute, and then this past Tuesday they sufffered a similar setback when once-beaten and heavily favored Capital trailed them only to score twice in the final minutes and cop a 2-1 victory. Robinson and Profitt scored the Climbers' goals against Timberline. Their tallier in Tuesday's Capital contest was not identified. With three wins under their collective belt this season, the Climbers wrap up their regular-season slate tonight at Yelm. Varsity action is set to start at 6 p.m.

NONBUMPTUOUS AND BUOYANT as per their growing tradition, the Lady Owls of Mary M. Knight spikedom make the most of another Pacific 8 League outing last week at their Matlock domicile. Bumping one up in the topmost photo is sophomore veteran Teryssa Toppano. Variously animated, near, are classmates and fellow veterans Kelsey Kingery (left) and Amanda Vera. Clockwise from left in the inset are varsity teammates Carissa Connors, junior classmate Cassy Willey, sophomore Alicea Scott, junior Shelby Adsero, Teryssa, senior Melissa Kingery, Amanda and Kelsey. Owl jayvee mainstays include juniors Carrie Wiggin and Emily Elliot and ninth-graders Desiree Carleton, Brittney Harris, Jamee Whitman, Amanda Beste and Rikki Cloud. In her ninth year as head coach, Owl mentor Kitty Brehmeyer has the girls on track to make the playoffs as usual, and with their 25-10, 25-21, 25-15 nod over visiting Oakville Thursday night they improved to 5-4 in league and 7-5 overall. Coach Brehmeyer is assisted once again by Tiki Willey. Veteran Adsero had four kills to lead the Owls in that department against Oakville. Setter Willey had seven assists, and leaders at the MMK service line included Scott (14-16 with five aces), Willey (15-17 with five aces) and Kingery (13-13 with five aces). Inasmuch as Oakville brought no understudies, Thursday's home stand did not include a jayvee contest.