Area Sports by Michael Dashiell

It's time to clean off the desk and get down to the real dust, so all of these little tidbits are coming at you today ... no fair skipping any item ....

Bowling

It soon will be November and the Washington Huskies may get enough wins this season to qualify for a post-season bowl game, but, again, it's not hard to qualify for a bowl game.

All you need is six wins and the Dawgs may just do that this season.

The PAC-10 has agreements with six bowl partners and the lineup is led by the Rose Bowl presented by Citi, which is the destination for the conference champion, unless said champion is ranked No. 1 or No. 2 in the final Bowl Championship Series rankings.

If that is the case, the champion plays in the BCS title game, which this year will be in Pasadena following the Rose Bowl.

Here's the way the bowl arrangements line up:

_ Rose Bowl - at Pasadena on Jan. 1, Pac 10 No. 1 vs. Big Ten

_ Holiday Bowl - at San Diego on Dec. 30, Pac 10 No. 2 vs. Big 12

_ Sun Bowl - at El Paso on Dec. 31, Pac 10 No. 3 vs. Big 12/Big East/ND

_ Emerald Bowl - at San Francisco on Dec. 25, Pac 10 No. 4 or No. 5 vs. Big 12/Big East

_ Maaco Las Vegas Bowl - at Las Vegas on Dec. 22, Pac 10 No. 4 or No. 5 vs. Mountain West

_ Poinsettia Bowl - at San Diego on Dec. 23, Pac 10 No. 6 vs. Mountain West

Holy hoops

College basketball season is under way and practices have begun across the nation.

The Washington Huskies are defending Pac-10 champions and will have the target on their backs, while the Husky women will be much better following a real down season.

Look for the Peninsula Pirate men to be a different team from last year with a very young squad. Many of last year's freshmen did not return and recruiting is getting more difficult for the coaches as the Pirates no longer have that friendly dormitory.

The Pirate women lack for numbers, but they will be working hard for new coach Allison Crumb.

The women open at Bellevue on Friday for a scrimmage and the men host Pacific Lutheran at noon Saturday.



The nag report

According to Emerald Downs president Ron Crockett, the Auburn thoroughbred horse plant held its own, although wagering was down. No, the track did not make money, but that was expected.

Wagering was down 1.8 percent at the track, at in-state betting sites as well as out-of-state. Total of amount of wagering at other tracks, through simulcasting, was down 6.9 percent.

Attendance was down 2.4 percent from 2008 and patrons were wagering less, from $159 to $143. Purse payout was 11 percent less than a year ago and the track had a negative cash flow of nearly $500,000.

Fear not, Emerald Downs will continue with horse racing. Crockett said some adjustments would be made.



Ski time

The Hurricane Ridge Winter Sports Club is making plans for the upcoming ski and snowboard season and will kick it off with the annual Winterfest in Port Angeles on Nov. 20.

Time to tune up your skis and wax the boards. They'll be raising funds for the Poma lift this November. Tickets are $40 for a great dinner, with a live and silent auction and the showing of Warren Miller's newest ski film.

Mark the date and be at the Vern Burton Center in P.A. for a great night. The annual ski swap will be held Nov. 21.



Tourney time

It's West Central District championship time for prepsters on the Olympic Peninsula and the first test is for cross country runners Saturday in the Westside Classic at American Lake Golf Course in Lakewood.

The event features all classifications in the area, with Sequim, Port Townsend and Port Angeles seeking state berths.

P.T.'s 1A boys are shooting for a title and a trip to state. There will be 16 teams and six advance to state with the top 30 individuals not on a team.

Sequim hopes to get its boys and girls teams to the 2A state meet. There will be nine teams, with two full teams and top 10 runners advancing.

In the 3A ranks, Port Angeles' girls and boys both are vying for state berths. Out of 16 teams, the 3A takes eight teams and the top 40 individuals.

If you missed the Olympic League cross country championships at The Cedars at Dungeness, you missed a great event. Kudos to Rider coach Dwayne Johnson for his hard work in this event.



Swim time

Sequim girls have qualified for district that will be at 9 a.m. on Nov. 7 at Olympic High School's pool in Silverdale. After the prelims, the top swimmers go at 4 p.m.

There will be nine teams, with the top two individuals in each event advancing to state.

The 3A meet for P.A. girls will be Nov. 6-7 at Hazen High in Renton. On Friday, diving prelims start at 10 a.m. and swimming starts at 5 p.m., with finals at 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. Saturday. The top six athletes in each event advance to state.



Columns by KONP 1450 AM sports announcer Scooter Chapman appear weekly in the Sequim Gazette. He can be reached via e-mail at scooter@olypen.com.