Snohomish County sports
Notebook: Dream screeches to a halt

By Michael Ko
Times Snohomish County reporter

THOMAS JAMES HURST / THE SEATTLE TIMES Debbie Emge, the vice president of business development for the Economic Development Council of Snohomish County, was disappointed when plans for a Snohomish County NASCAR track fell through.

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The dream isn't dead, but it certainly took a big hit the Monday before Thanksgiving.

On Nov. 22, Debbie Emge clicked open an e-mail and found a news release from International Speedway Corp. (ISC), a Florida-based racetrack developer. It announced simply and suddenly that after months of negotiation and speculation, there would be no new NASCAR track in Snohomish County.

Just like that, no chance for Emge to see her favorite driver, Enumclaw native Kasey Kahne, racing in her own back yard. No chance to follow the sport's turbo-charged story lines up close and personal. No chance for her and her family to experience firsthand the burned-rubber sights and sounds of their favorite hobby.

"I was floored, absolute complete shock," says Emge, who has the perspective of a fan and as the vice president of business development for the Economic Development Council of Snohomish County, which had tried to lure NASCAR to the area.

"Even on Friday [the week before], it sounded like things were moving forward," she says. "It felt like the carpet had been pulled out from underneath us."

As a businesswoman with a background in accounting, Emge understands the messy financial implications inherent in a $300 million, 75,000-seat racetrack, which would have been built on 850 acres of farmland between Marysville and Arlington. Snohomish County Executive Aaron Reardon said he had pulled out because the risks were too great for taxpayers.

But as a merchandise-clad member of the booming legion of NASCAR fans, not getting the track is still a bummer, an ill-timed spinout after what had promised to be a great start.

"As a fan, it took me a couple days to get over that it wasn't going to be in Snohomish County," Emge says, adding that her youngest son had cried upon hearing the news.

Emge, her husband, Steve, and their two boys, Justin, 11, and Jeremy, 8, have been auto-racing fans for the past decade.
 
There was something about the down-home, family-friendly personalities in NASCAR, Emge says, that sparked their interest in a way other mainstream professional sports hadn't.

In February 2002, the Emges attended their first NASCAR race in Rockingham, N.C. Her husband used to live near there, so they made it a vacation. They've gone to two races every year since.

With dedication like that, it's no wonder NASCAR has grown into one of the nation's premier pastimes.

October 2003 provided the Emges with their ultimate highlight. By then, Debbie Emge was two years into her job at the county's economic council.

ISC had expressed interest that summer in building a track here and invited Emge and local officials, along with reps from other prospective sites, to tour the Kansas Speedway.

There, she and her husband walked through the garages, checked out the cars, talked shop with the mechanics, sat in on a rules meeting with drivers and lunched with ISC President Lesa Kennedy, whose grandfather William H.G. France had founded NASCAR.

"It was amazing," Emge remembers.

While ISC considers where to build next, Emge and the rest of the NASCAR faithful will have to do with the Washington Celebration of Motor Sports Champions, a free exhibition from 2 to 9 p.m. Dec. 27 at the Everett Events Center. Emge's favorite driver, Kahne, who was named NASCAR's 2004 Rookie of the Year, will make an appearance.

It will be an opportunity for disappointed fans to meet and lament, Emge says.

"At the very beginning, when we were still competing with Kitsap County, Thurston County, I vowed no matter who got the site, that we would support whichever site was selected," Emge says.

"We now have to continue on and change our focus into assuring that ISC picks [a site in] Washington for its next track."

Former pro player to lead Cascade soccer

Daghan Kesim, a Turkish national who played pro soccer in Europe as a teenager, is the new boys soccer coach at Cascade High School in Everett.

Six years ago, after a serious injury, Kesim quit professional soccer, left Istanbul and came to Edmonds Community College to study. He started coaching soccer privately and quickly picked up junior-varsity jobs at Meadowdale, Cascade and Lynnwood high schools.

Kesim believes his age — he's only 24 — will help him relate better to his players. His goals for the upcoming spring season are twofold: to field a physical, hard-working squad and to foster "great friendships" among them.

"This is a big chance for me. There were a lot of open-minded people who gave me this chance," Kesim said, referring especially to Cascade's athletic director, Doug Kloke.

Mitalas resigning from coaching posts

Teddy Mitalas, a former Seattle Sounder and a member of the U.S. Olympic soccer team that boycotted the 1980 Olympics, has resigned as women's soccer coach at Edmonds Community College after compiling an 85-13-12 record and two conference titles in five seasons.

Mitalas, 43, said he needed more time to concentrate on his job as tournament director at the Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila. He said the daily drives on Interstate 5 were taking a toll. He will work as an assistant coach at Highline Community College in Des Moines.

Mitalas will also resign after this spring from Shorecrest High School in Shoreline, where he has coached the boys team for 17 years.

Around the county

• Rachael Sofie, a senior at Cascade, received a scholarship to play softball at Marshall University in West Virginia. Sofie is a three-year starter who led the Bruins in hitting the past two years.

She hit .459 as an all-WesCo first-team third baseman last season. She'll be the team captain this spring and help coach Eisenhower Middle School's team.

• The Snohomish County Football Officials Association awarded five scholarships last week in recognition of citizenship, academics and participation in community activities.

The association gave $1,000 awards to Kristopher Reece of Darrington, Matthew Murphy of Edmonds-Woodway and Danny Luce of Stanwood, and $500 awards to Kristian Stensland of Snohomish and Tyler Rumple of Lakewood.

Michael Ko: 206-515-5653 or mko@seattletimes.com