For Cindy and Ben Bigglestone, competing in Ironman triathlons is a family affair. The Newcastle couple has participated in triathlons from Malaysia to the Canary Islands.

Cindy met Ben five years ago at a pre-race barbecue at a Canadian Ironman competition in Penticton, British Columbia. They met again the following year at a Canadian Ironman event and that same year they both qualified for the World Ironman race in Hawaii, a race that serves as the Ironman world championship.
Running is a passion for Cindy and Ben. Cindy, 33, works as an exercise physiologist and personal trainer.

Ben, 35, trains triathletes. He also coaches Cindy, who has raced competitively for the past 10 years.

“It’s a tough relationship to coach your significant other,” Ben said.

Under Ben’s tutelage, Cindy is quick to point out that her times have improved.

“Performing well in a triathlon is a huge sense of fulfillment,” Cindy said. “It validates what you do and it has a positive effect on your health and fitness.”

Growing up in Hereford, England, in the West Midlands region of England (about 16 miles east of the border with Wales), Ben was something of a fitness buff.

His father was a member of the Special Air Service, a Special Forces regiment within the British Army, which had its headquarters in Hereford. The elite military unit is comparable to the U.S. Army Special Services or Delta Force.

The SAS motto, “Who Dares Wins” is prophetic. Endurance and stamina are hallmarks of the SAS, unit, Ben said.

“I think it rubbed off on me,” he said. “It has guided me well and I aspired to be like the SAS.”

At 16, he competed in his first triathlon. He also played rugby, soccer and volleyball, and ran cross country. In 1990, he was the European junior champion in the triathlon.

“Exercise was my passion, my outlet,” he said.

In 1995, Ben graduated with honors from Leeds University in England with degrees in exercise physiology and exercise psychology. After college, he ran a corporate wellness program for a financial management consulting company in York, England. Ben also trained with Andy McNab, a former British soldier turned novelist. In 1993, McNab wrote “Bravo Two Zero,” about a failed SAS mission during the Gulf War.

In 2000, Ben competed in his first Ironman in Austria.

“It was tremendous and I was hooked from there,” he said.

Five years later, he moved to the U.S., married Cindy and the couple settled in Newcastle. Since moving to the U.S., Ben helped co-found the Sammamish Valley Triathlon Team with his wife.

A triathlon is an endurance sports event consisting of swimming, cycling and running various distances. A number of triathlon events of varying distances are held around the world.

An iron distance triathlon consists of a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike, and a 26.2-mile run. It is considered by many to be the ultimate endurance test. The sport of triathlon was added as an Olympic sport at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney as a shorter distance race (about a mile swim, roughly a 25-mile cycle and 6.2-mile run.)

Last year, Ben placed third at the Issaquah Sprint Triathlon (a sprint triathlon consisting of a half-mile swim, a 12.4-mile bike ride and a 3.1-mile run), fifth at the Canadian Long Course Championships in Osoyoos, British Columbia, and first at the Beaver Lake Triathlon in Sammamish.

Last month, Ben finished 10th in the 10.4-mile Cougar Mountain Trail Run, while Cindy finished seventh in the women’s division and 52nd overall. The couple enjoys training on Cougar Mountain and along the back roads of May Valley.

“There’s a sense of achievement, of pushing yourself past your limit in triathlons,” Cindy said. “You want to move outside your comfort zone and become better at each discipline.”

And don’t expect to see the Bigglestones slow down anytime soon.

“We’re both very active people,” Ben said. “I see us racing in our 60s and 70s.”

Before the Mariners and before the Seahawks, Seattle’s sports scene was all about the hydroplanes. The roar of hydroplanes skimming across Lake Washington has always fascinated King Parker.

For the second consecutive year Parker, who owns King & Bunnys Appliances, will be rubbing elbows with drivers and mechanics as the sponsor of an unlimited light hydroplane at this year’s Seafair Aug. 1-3.

“I have the opportunity to be part of the excitement down in the pit area,” he said. “Seeing the race from that vantage point is a real hoot.”

Last year, Parker closed the appliance store the day of the big race. That’s pretty big doings for Parker, because he has never closed on Sunday since he opened in 1982 in the Renton Highlands. When he’s not selling washers and dryers, Parker is holding court in the back of the store, talking local politics. He is a member of the Renton City Council, the Renton Rotary and a board member of the Renton Technical College Foundation. He’s also a member of the Newcastle Chamber of Commerce.

Last month, Parker’s carbon-fiber composite boat, the UL-40, was parked outside the store. The big yellow boat with King and Bunnys Appliances scrawled across it in big red-and-black letters was hard to miss for people traveling Sunset Boulevard.

“That boat is awesome,” said Steven Collins, of Seattle, who was shopping for a washer and dryer at King and Bunnys.

Last year, a customer approached Parker with the idea of sponsoring a hydroplane and he jumped at the chance.

Parker’s love affair with hydros goes back to when plywood boats powered by World War II-era aircraft engines competed in the early years of Seafair.

“I remember the Slo-Mo-shun V with the flying start, the rooster tales and lots of noise,” he said.

The Slo-mo-shun V, piloted by Lou Fageol, won the inaugural Seafair in 1951. He won again in 1954.

Parker’s boat had a problem with its oil pump in a preliminary heat, but with a rebuilt engine, it finished third in the light hydro division at last year’s Seafair race.

Kitch and fellow drivers Chris Pallis, Ross Bentley, Chris Bingham and Woody Perkins drove two separate vintage cars, a 1972 Chevron B-21 sports racing car and a 1969 Corvette.

The team’s focus going in to the event was to learn the eight-and-half-mile track and meet with key officials, organizers and race teams.

“The trip could not have gone better,” said Kitch, Team Seattle founder. “Driving LeMans is extremely challenging, and now that we’ve spent time on the track, we’re absolutely ready for next year’s 24-hour race. We belong here.”

Team Seattle plans to race the Le Mans 24-Hour Race in June 2009, raising money for Seattle’s Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center.

In the past 12 years, Team Seattle has raised about $3.2 million by racing in the Daytona 24-Hour Race, the most famous endurance race in North America. By competing at Le Mans, the world’s most prestigious endurance race, the team will continue to bring awareness and financial support to Children’s Hospital, Kitch said.

Newcastle Days, the city’s biggest festival, is Sept. 6-7. The festival includes bands, a car show, arts and crafts booths, food and a fireworks display. Other activities include pony rides, inflatable toys and a magician.

Motown cover band Timeless Soul and country band Nathan Chance & North Coast will be among the featured performers. The event is from noon - 9 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. Sunday. A fireworks show is at 9 p.m. Saturday. Admission is free.

The custom and classic car show is from 11 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. Sunday. A free shuttle service will be available from Newcastle Elementary School.

New this year: belly dancers Zaphara’s Middle Eastern Dance Troupe and Thai food vendor Yummy AppeThai.Events

Events

Concerts in the Park at Lake Boren are at 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays through Aug. 20. See a listing of bands at www.ci.newcastle.wa.us/calendar.asp.

The Chamber of Commerce hosts a lunch meeting from 11 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. Aug. 13 at The Golf Club at Newcastle. The featured speaker is Rep. Dave Reichert of the 8th Congressional District. Cost is $20. RSVP by calling 206-888-6922.

Fundraisers

The MS Association Golf Tournament, Dinner and Auction is at 11 a.m. Aug 27 at the Golf Club at Newcastle. Tickets are $250 per person or $1,000 for a foursome. Call 206-633-2606.

Classes

The Rockin’ Horse Dance Barn offers dance classes at 11820 150th Ave. S.E., Renton. Go to www.learn2dance4fun.com.

Walk for Life is a free, ongoing program to exercise safely and effectively. Meet friends, learn information and advice, and get monitoring from on-site expert staff members every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 8-9:30 a.m. at Bellevue Square Mall. Enter at Skybridge No. 4. Call 206-645-3673.

Religious/spiritual

Bahá’í Faith of Newcastle offers meditation for people of all faiths from 9-11 a.m. Saturdays at 14702 S.E. 80th St. Call 430-8047.

Youth

Skyhawks sports program offers a beginning golf course for ages 5-8 from 9 a.m. - noon, Aug. 4-8, at Hazelwood Elementary School. Cost is $122. Skyhawks is also offering a flag football camp for ages 7-14 from Aug. 4-8 at Lake Boren Park. Cost is $140. A tennis camp is offered for ages 7-14 from 9 a.m. - noon Aug. 11-14. Cost is $140. A multi-sport camp (soccer, basketball and baseball) for ages 4-17 will be offered from 9 a.m. to noon Aug. 18-22 at Lake Boren Park. Cost is $122. Call 800-804-3509 toll-free.

Clubs

The Society of Artists for Newcastle, an art organization, is seeking new members. Call 271-5822.

MOMS Club of Renton meets for play dates at parks and other locations. New activities are planned daily. This nonprofit, nonreligious organization provides daytime support for moms and their families. Call 260-3079.

Bridge players are wanted, evening or daytime. Games take place at various homes in the Hazelwood area. Call 255-0895.

Newcastle Rotary Club meets at 7:30 a.m. Wednesdays at The Golf Club at Newcastle, 15550 Six Penny Lane. Call 206-947-5741. 

Newcastle Historical Society meets at 4 p.m. the first Thursday at City Hall, 13020 S.E. 72nd Place. Call 226-4238.

An international dinner, sponsored by Bahá’í Faith of Newcastle, is at 6:30 p.m. the third Friday. Call 430-8047.

Drinking Liberally, an informal progressive social group that discusses politics, meets at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 4 at the Mustard Seed Grill and Pub, 5608 119th Ave. S.E. Go to www.drinkingliberally.org.

Eastside Mothers & More, a social network for mothers, meets the second Tuesday and third Wednesday (without children) from 7-9 p.m. in the North Room at East Shore Unitarian Church, 12700 S.E. 32nd St., Bellevue (not church affiliated). Go to www.eastsidemothersandmore.org.

Seniors

Lake Heights YMCA Older Active Adult Program is at Newport Hills Community Church, 5833 119th Ave. S.E., Bellevue. Activities include community service projects, crafts, pinochle games and birthday bingo once a month, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:30 a.m. - 2 p.m. Sack lunches are available for $3. Reserve one in person early that day. Call 644-8417.

Library events

The following events take place at the Newport Way Library, 14250 S.E. Newport Way, Bellevue, unless otherwise noted. Call 747-2390 or go to www.kcls.org.

“Creepy Crawly Café” - Bring your lunch to the library and enjoy storytelling at noon Aug. 5.
The first Newport Way Auction is at 1:30 p.m. Aug. 23. Return Read Three forms and the library will convert the number of pages read into Book Bucks to bid on prizes.

Health

Angel Care Breast Cancer Foundation-trained survivors offer free emotional support to the newly diagnosed, enhancing emotional recovery while going through treatments. Go to www.angelcarefoundation.org.

Volunteers

Eastside Bluebills, a Boeing retiree volunteer organization that provides opportunities to help others in need and assist charitable and nonprofit organizations, meets from 10 a.m. - noon the third Wednesday at the Bellevue Regional Library. Call 235-3847.

King County Library System’s Words on Wheels program needs volunteers to select and deliver library materials to homebound patrons. Training is provided. A one-year commitment is required. Volunteers must be at least 18 years old, have their own transportation and be able to pass a Washington State Patrol background check. Call 369-3235.

Places to go

Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park, on Lakemont Boulevard Southeast, is a 3,000-acre park with more than 30 miles of trails and the site of the 1880s coalmines. Go to www.metrokc.gov/parks.

In January, Newcastle News outlined its hopes for city accomplishments for the coming year. Here we are a little past the mid-point. We’re pleased the city hired a parks manager, has kept a watchful eye on Coal Creek Parkway costs and has put a proposed skateboard park on the back burner.

Kudos are also in order for residents west of Coal Creek Parkway, who approved Renton’s maintenance and operations levy, technology levy and $150 million bond. It took two tries, but the school construction bond measure will bring a new 10-classroom wing to Hazen High School, along with improvements to the kitchen and athletic fields. The technology levy will see computer upgrades at Hazelwood Elementary and McKnight Middle schools.

Newcastle went four years without hiring a parks manager before Michael Holly was chosen earlier this year.

He brings a fresh hands-on approach to the post. He’s also been instrumental in holding public meetings and seeking public comment on a proposed sports park facility in southwest Newcastle.

City officials continue to seek funding from county, state and federal partners for the Coal Creek Parkway project. Cost overruns have not cropped up and the project is on schedule.

The city is also to be commended for purchasing a generator for City Hall. The generator will help power the building during natural disasters, so City Hall can be used as a communication center and place where people can stop by to warm up during a power outage.

Newcastle has room for more good leaders. City officials are always looking to fill openings on the parks and planning commissions. We’re impressed with the quality of people who have come forward in the past six months to fill commission vacancies. And we would be remiss if we didn’t thank the dedicated group of volunteers who have taken it upon themselves to clear ivy from Newcastle’s historic cemetery near Lake Boren.

As for the skateboard park, skateboarders should have a safe place to skate, but Newcastle has a long list of recreation needs for larger segments of the population. The city should revisit the issue later.

A skateboard facility could be incorporated with the discussion of a new City Hall.

With five months left in the year, a new city goal should be a welcoming monument on the south end of town to compliment the one on the city’s northern entrance.

In reading the story about the Eastside Mothers & More support group in the July Newcastle News, I cannot overemphasize the value of such groups.

Mine grew out of a baby-care course offered by a King County nurse - and we’re still together 22 years later. We very quickly determined that it was more helpful to meet without children, and have done so on alternate Wednesday nights since October 1986.

We have supported each other through all the usual children’s ailments and development challenges (from toilet training to driver training), our children’s school transitions, first romances and now job searches, as well as the death of parents. We sometimes suspect we’ll be together 30 or 40 years from now in assisted living.

Linda Carlson
Seattle

Death with Dignity initiative devalues life

I read the June 6 Newcastle News article about the Death with Dignity Initiative with interest.

This initiative is another attempt to devalue life. It gives the government influence into our lives and opens the door for abuse. In my opinion, this proposal is another step on the slippery slope that America is on.  

First, we take prayer out of school. And then, we legalize abortion and affirm gay rights. Now, we are being asked to give our blessings to ending the lives of others. People see this as a step of assistance but it will eventually lead to the demise of the mentally, physically disadvantaged, the elderly and others that society deem unacceptable.  

We need to stand our ground and hold fast to the truth that all human life is valuable and God should be in control of its beginning and its end.

Patsy Tosch
Newcastle

Matt Dalton takes a photo of his son Kai, 3, during the opening of Windtree Park last month. For more on the new park, see story, page 12. Photo by Jim Feehan

The first robbery was at 1:30 p.m. July 3 at Papa Murphy’s, 6945 Coal Creek Parkway S.E.

The suspect entered the store, asked about the pizzas, grabbed a soft drink from the cooler and approached the counter. He then pulled out a black semiautomatic handgun and a yellow pillowcase and demanded that the store employee place cash in the pillowcase, police said.

He fled with $200 and headed south on foot. A video surveillance camera captured his image. A police dog and his handler were summoned, but the trail went cold in the parking lot behind the restaurant.

The suspect is described as a black male in his early 20s, about 6 feet tall. He was wearing a puffy black jacket, a beanie cap and baggy pants.

Moments before the robbery, a man matching the description of the suspect walked into Distinctive Tan, next to Papa Murphy’s, and asked if the tanning salon was hiring, a clerk told police.

Two days later, a man matching the same description held up the Baskin Robbins at gunpoint, according to Police Chief Melinda Irvine.

At about 4:45 p.m. July 5, the suspect entered Baskin Robbins, 6935 Coal Creek Parkway S.E. and ordered an ice cream cone. When the clerk opened the cash register to make change, the suspect lunged forward and reached into the cash register while holding a black semiautomatic handgun in his right hand. The clerk backed away and walked to the back room to get away from the robber. About $235 was taken.

The suspect told the customers he had a gun. At the time of the robbery, a 47-year-old Bellevue man was seated at a table having ice cream with his two pre-teenage sons. The suspect fled south on foot. A police dog and his handler were called, but were unable to locate the suspect.

The suspect in the Baskin Robbins robbery was described as a black male, 22 years old and about 6-foot-2. He was wearing a puffy black jacket, grey beanie and black horizontal stripped pants.
“We are investigating leads,” Irvine said.

The last armed robbery in Newcastle was December 2007 at Distinctive Tan.

The council vote, taken in a July 22 meeting specifically for public discussion on the issue, will allow the city to rework a section of Newcastle Way near the intersection with Coal Creek Parkway Southeast to allow for bus lanes, bike lanes, several crosswalks and increase pedestrian visibility. Sound Transit will pay $4 million of the $4.6 million project.

The plan, however, requires cutting into four existing properties along Newcastle Way.

The ordinance allows city officials to take between three and 10 feet of land near the roadway out of the properties for compensation at an appraised value. The affected properties are three on the north side of Newcastle Way, owned by a Bales-Denton/Five Star Development partnership, and one on which the fruit stand rests, at the corner of Newcastle Way and Coal Creek Parkway Southeast.

None of the buildings on any property will be cut into by the project, Councilwoman Lisa Jensen said.

Condemnation discussion has drawn objections from property owner Martin Seelig, owner of the property at that corner.

Many, including him, supported a delay in plans and a re-examination of alternative designs for the transit center that would not require taking property.

“The council has said there might be a problem with getting Sound Transit’s money if it’s not voted on this evening,” Seelig said. “In their whole history, that hasn’t been true.”

Seelig hired William Popp, of William Popp Associates, a private transportation planner and engineering firm, to examine the city’s plans and find a way for the project to carry through without any property acquisition.

Popp did draw up an alternative plan for the council in March, but after studying both plans, the council advocated the original.

“The proposed alternative was done with the goal of not taking any public property, but the purpose of the project is to enhance access to transit,” Councilman Sonny Putter said.

The city’s adopted plan was also more in line with the overall Downtown Plan, intended to provide a more pedestrian-friendly downtown feel, Councilwoman Jean Garber said, adding that Popp’s design was not.

In response to calls for more discussion about the issue - including a deferment of the measure to the Planning Commission - Mayor Ben Varon reminded everyone that the project has been in the works since 2006.

“This isn’t something that we just decided to enter into over the last month or over the last year,” he said.

Councilman Steve Buri said while he understands Seelig’s call for further consideration, the city could indeed lose Sound Transit funding if no action is taken.

“These projects that are funded so heavily by outside agencies are exceedingly rare, and if we don’t do anything, we run the serious risk that we could lose the funding, and nothing is done,” he said.

Perhaps most at issue for several residents and council members, however, was an alleged lack of open conversation and a failure to involve key stakeholders as plans for the transit center progressed over the past two years.

“In the past, we haven’t had good discussion on everything. I would encourage the council to be more open in the future,” resident Stuart Allen said.

Howard Seelig, Martin’s brother and co-owner of the fruit stand property, said the council’s lack of consideration of outside comments and concerns “smacks of cover-up.”

Deputy Mayor Daniel Hubbell took offense to the accusation.

“I agree that some parts of this have not been perfect in many ways,” he said. “But I take offense at the intimation that anybody on this council has ever acted in any subversive way.”

Other council members admitted that while the process could have been more open and inclusive, they could only move forward at this point.

“As a new council member, I find it a bit frustrating to be confronted with a situation that might have been avoided if we had a better process,” Jensen said. “But we are where we are.”

Councilwoman Carol Simpson said she even considered voting against the measure to express her disappointment with the process, despite being for the measure.

With the measure passed, petitions were sent to property owners July 30 to agree to allow the city to use the property in question in exchange for fair payment, said Mike Kenyon, special counsel to the city.

If property owners don’t agree within about eight weeks, the petitions will be taken to King County Superior Court, although Kenyon said he doesn’t believe it would get that far.

“I’ve done 70, 80, 90 condemnation cases, and only one has been taken all the way to court,” he said.

If the issue does get to court, and the property owners lose the case, it would take between five and eight months before city officials could begin the building process.

A few bands that performed in this summer’s Concerts in the Park series will return for Newcastle Days. 

Timeless Soul, a band that features Motown favorites, and country band Nathan Chance & North Coast will be among the featured performers.

“Timeless Soul and Nathan Chance are back by popular demand,” said Jules Maas, special events producer for the city. “In fact, Nathan Chance called me and asked to perform at Newcastle Days, because they get such good feedback from Newcastle audiences.”

The city’s biggest festival is Sept. 6-7 at Lake Boren Park. The event runs from noon - 9 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. Sunday. A fireworks show starts at 9 p.m. Saturday night. Admission to the festival is free. The custom and classic car show will run from 11 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. Sunday.

The Cody Rentas Band kicks off the festival with its brand of rock and blues standards. The Tacoma-based band is led by Cody Rentas, a 15-year-old electric guitar prodigy, Maas said.

Other bands include LoWatt, Ian McFeron, the Fabulous Roof Shakers, Fake Lies and the Newport High School Jazz Band.

“The high school jazz band performed last year and people thought they were a professional group,” Maas said.

Other activities include pony rides, inflatable toys and a performance by Kevin Wolfe, magician and illusionist.

Wolfe, born in Bremerton, has appeared at hundreds of mall shows, as well as county, city and community fairs and festivals throughout Western Washington.

Newcastle Days would not be complete without an array of arts and crafts booths. The city’s historical society and the Newcastle Trails group will have informational booth at the event, too. Free shuttle service will be available from Newcastle Elementary School.

Zaphara’s Middle Eastern Dance Troupe, of Seattle, will bring belly dancing.

“This will be the first time we’ve had belly dancing at Newcastle Days,” Maas said. “But this will be family-friendly. No worries there.”