Pushrod News – July 2025

Message from the President

Fellow Pushrodders,

Another month is in the books, and it has been a busy one for the Pushrods of Hoquiam!

The club donated over $7,000 to the community for various causes. That’s something we can all be proud of.

Mural Preservation Project a Success!

Our work party to preserve the mural painting was a success!

Chris Weedmark and Road Runner Painting took the lead on the project, while Gil Stork provided the logistics and expertise for us worker bees.

Ray Pumphery wrote a great newspaper article about the project. It was first-rate! I think we’ve discovered a hidden talent that we can put to good use.

Thanks to everyone who helped out. Lunch was provided, too!

New Pushrod Officers Elected

The Pushrods have elected new officers for the coming year.

Position	Officer
Historian	Steve Reames
Public Relations	Tony Halekakis
Secretary	Chris Weedmark
Treasurer	Ralph Cook
Vice-President	Todd Wilson
President	Denny Bickar

We all pledge to do the best job possible to make this club the best it can be.

Hot Rods in Hoquiam

I will have a report on our Hot Rods in Hoquiam car show in the next newsletter.

I’m moving the July business meeting to July 9 to give everyone some time to relax after our show weekend.

July Pushrod Schedule

Date	Event	Time / Location
July 9	Pushrod Business Meeting	Hoquiam Elks, 6:30 PM
July 12	Shelton Downtown Show	Shelton
July 15	Pushrod Lunch	Breakwater Seafood, Aberdeen, 12:00 PM
July 19	Montesano Car Show	Montesano
July 23	Pushrod Board Meeting	Gil’s Shop, 12:00 PM
July 25–27	Goodguys	Puyallup
July 30	Pushrod Dinner	Mazatlan Mexican, Aberdeen, 6:30 PM
August 1–2	Heat on the Street	Elma

Our New Pushrod Banner

This is our new banner for car shows and other club events.

<caption>New Pushrod banner</caption>

The Pushrods and Community Service

The Pushrods are placing more emphasis on community service this year than in the past. We have already completed several projects and supported some very worthwhile organizations.

Hoquiam High School

Earlier this year, we sent a work party to Hoquiam High School to pressure-wash the concrete stands at the football field and track.

That was a good day’s work, and the results were immediately visible.

Protecting the Birds Mural

More recently, another work party went out to pressure-wash the mural and apply a protective coating designed to help protect the paint from tagging.

This project was focused on preserving the Birds Mural in Hoquiam.

Thanks again to everyone who helped make this project happen!

Hoquiam Beautification Project

In the second photo, you can see in the bottom corner the results of another community service project.

The Pushrods provided a grant to the Hoquiam Beautification Project to help purchase flower pots that will be placed along the streets of Hoquiam.

It’s another way we can help make our community a little more attractive for everyone.

Grays Harbor Hawks – Special Olympics

Another grant supporting a community program went to the Grays Harbor Hawks Special Olympics team.

Our contribution helped fund the athletes’ trip to the Games. Unlike many teams, where athletes must pay their own expenses, our grant helped make participation possible for the Harbor Hawks.

The Winter Games took place earlier this year. The Hawks competed in three of the seven sports and brought home some great results:

• Basketball: 1 Silver, 1 Bronze, and 1 fourth-place finish.
• Cheer: 2 Gold medals.

But there was more to come!

Grays Harbor Hawks at the Special Olympics Spring Games

Over the weekend of June 20–22, Special Olympics Washington held its Spring Games.

The event brought together:

• 1,400 athletes
• 2,500 coaches and officials
• 4,500 volunteers

The Games were hosted by the University of Puget Sound and were a tremendous success.

The Sports

The Spring Games included competitions in:

• Athletics (Track and Field)
• Bocce
• Golf
• Soccer
• Softball
• Swimming

There were team competitions in Bocce, Golf, Soccer, and Softball, but not in Track and Field or Swimming.

The team sports also included Individual Skills competitions. These are important when there aren’t enough athletes available to form a team. Even athletes who participate on a team may also compete in Individual Skills.

The Results

The Grays Harbor Hawks brought approximately 60 competitors to the Games, participating in every sport except Bocce.

Their athletes had an outstanding weekend, bringing home a total of 65 medals!

Sport	Results
Athletics (Track and Field)	9 Gold, 7 Silver, 7 Bronze, 5 fourth-place, 5 fifth-place, 1 sixth-place
Softball	2 Gold, 1 Bronze
Swimming	10 Gold, 3 Silver, 3 Bronze, 1 fifth-place, 1 sixth-place
Soccer	1 Silver
Golf	9 Gold

Those are some impressive results!

It’s About Much More Than Medals

But it’s not about medals or winning.

It’s about being there together. Enjoying each other. Enjoying the game, the race, or whatever competition they’re participating in.

It’s about enjoying the attention and hearing the crowd cheer the athletes on to special performances.

It isn’t uncommon for these athletes to set personal bests at each competition they participate in.

These young people enjoy everything about the Games: the food, the dorm rooms, their roommates, the crowds, family, and friends.

Witnessing these folks in this unique environment gives me a sense of joy second only to the joy they experience themselves.

<caption>Figure 1 – Crowd at the Spring Games Athletics (Track and Field) competition.</caption>

Athletes of All Ages

It is amazing to watch these athletes compete.

The Hawks have Track and Field athletes ranging in age from 9 to 62.

The joy they get just from being there is wonderful. They are great sports, cheering on their competitors, teammates, and friends. They congratulate the winners and encourage all the competitors.

Some of these athletes have profound physical and intellectual disabilities, including blindness.

Their enthusiasm, sportsmanship, and determination are truly something special.

<caption>Figure 2 – Evan G. with three Gold Medals in Track and Field.</caption>

<caption>Figure 3 – All competitors celebrate with the medal presenters.</caption>

Getting to the Games

The weekend began Friday morning, when athletes, coaches, chaperones, and partners met at Tractor Supply.

They loaded onto a Shelton School District bus, contracted to transport the group to the University of Puget Sound campus.

The participants stayed in dormitories that were empty for the summer. The university provided breakfast, box lunches, and dinners in the cafeteria. The food was adequate and served by campus staff.

Friday night, the athletes were treated to a hot dog dinner at a Tacoma Rainiers baseball game.

There was a parade of athletes around the field, followed by opening ceremonies. One of the highlights was a troop of law enforcement officers running onto the field to light the Spring Games cauldron flame.

Competition Gets Underway

Saturday morning, the Athletics competition began at 8:30 AM at Baker Stadium on the University of Puget Sound campus.

The events went fast and furious throughout Saturday and Sunday.

<caption>Figure 4 – Instructions for the 400-meter competitors.</caption>

The volunteers, judges, coaches, and chaperones worked hard to make sure the athletes got to their individual events.

Many competitions were happening simultaneously, making time management complex and critical. From what I could see, everything worked perfectly throughout the weekend.

Competition Locations

The various sports were spread across several locations:

• Athletics: Baker Stadium at the University of Puget Sound.
• Soccer: Football practice field just outside the track, including Individual Soccer Skills.
• Softball: Saturday’s competition was rained out, but the games were rescheduled and played Sunday at the SERA Sports Complex on the UPS campus.
• Swimming: King County Aquatics Center on Saturday.
• Golf: Meadow Park Golf Course.
• Bocce: Todd Field at the University of Puget Sound on Saturday.

<caption>Figure 6 – 100-meter awards: Marc K. receives the Bronze Medal.</caption>

The Victory Dance

Saturday evening brought one of the athletes’ favorite events: the Victory Dance at the University of Puget Sound Field House.

After a full day of competition, it was a chance for everyone to relax, celebrate, and enjoy the experience together.

The Spring Games are about much more than the final results. They are about friendship, encouragement, personal achievements, and the joy of being part of something special.

The Grays Harbor Hawks showed everyone what community, determination, and sportsmanship are all about.

The Pushrods are proud to support these athletes and the work being done by Special Olympics!