20 Years in the Making

Ready, set, go! #132 Serin Caldwell (left) and #133 Tiffany Compton(right) Line up at the satring line moments before the first race in the Pierce College’s
Womens Cross Country history.
This year marks the beginning of an era as Pierce College introduces its first ever Women’s Cross Country Team
For the first time in Pierce College’s history, the women’s cross country team debuted on Aug. 31 after twenty years in the making. Daniel Richards, head coach of the team, helped orchestrate the meets and practices, playing a key role in getting this team off the ground.
Richards had conversations with Duncan Stevenson, director of District Athletics, which focused on strengthening the college’s athletic program. This is what led to Pierce adding women’s cross country to the program, which has been a goal of Stevenson for the past two decades.
“Year one we just wanted to form a team,” said Richards. “Next year, I want to be able to compete in the NY conference; it’s a prestigious conference when it comes to distance running and cross country and I want Pierce to be in the conversation as early as next year.”
As far as how Pierce should be seen in the realm of cross country, Richards mentions that he hopes to make this a place to go and run for. “That’s my goal – competing for and winning conference championships in the next few years,” he said.
Currently the team is excelling as the season progresses, and students are excited that they have this new opportunity available to them. Serin Caldwell, a student on the team, expressed her thrill for being able to be a part of this. “I’ve always loved to run and now that Pierce College has a cross country team I think it’s a great opportunity for lots of girls to go in and do their passion.”
Other athletes on the team, such as Tiffany Compton, have also expressed their excitement about their experience. “I enjoy my time very well,” said Compton. “I’ve done this since high school and took a two-year break, so it’s really nice getting back into the individual school schedule.”
When it comes to Richards experience coaching he says his favorite part is the comradery. “Meeting these girls with a passion for running, it’s a diverse group of girls and it’s cool seeing how running can bring them together. Sometimes you have a handful of people and you’re like ‘how is this going to form a team?’. It’s cool to see them bond over hard work and practices day in to day out, that’s the biggest reward.”
Over the season, the team has done a total of six games, including their most recent one on Nov. 18 at Saint Martin’s University. Each member has been improving and enjoying their time since the creation of this team, and are looking forward to continuing to do so.
For those that have an interest in learning more about the women’s cross country team, students can check out the sports athletic page on the Pierce College website. Students can look forward to the future of this new team as it becomes a competitive and sought out school to run for. It is here to stay.
National Anthem Crisis
Should you kneel, stand, or sit?
Justin Ngo/Contributing Photos
Nathan DiCarlo (left) and Doug Carson (right) were interviewed about the NFL protests.
Formula Drift skids into the hearts of race fans
Fredric Aasbo car #151 (Right) talks with Alec Hohnadell car #118 (Left) at the end of the event.
Bringing the vivid colors of each car and team to Evergreen, Formula Drift kicked off with a literal bang as crashes and explosion of excitement highlighted the event.
Formula Drift is identified as the primary championship series in drifting for North America. Drifting is a technique in motorsports where the driver controls the entry and exit when making a turn by oversteering intentionally, causing a loss of rear-wheel traction. Races are judged by the driver’s style, line, angle, and tandems, rather than on finishing with the fastest time as with traditional racing.
Justin Pawlak and Tyler McQuarrie, two USA drivers of the Pro circuit, were involved in a crash heard around the world, prompting memes and speculation.
McQuarrie came hot off the 5/8th bank and hit the wall where they first made contact with each other. Although he ran off the track, McQuarrie recovered and continued drifting along-side Pawlak. On the second to last corner, McQuarrie and Pawlak made contact again with McQuarrie on the inside. Their vehicles maintained contact through the transition of the last corner, then Pawlak pinned McQuarrie against the wall. Pawlak managed to reverse and head to the pits while McQuarrie’s vehicle had to be towed.
“This was one of the best FD’s I’ve been to, besides the weather being bipolar.” Melanie Yordanova, one of the spectators said. “I think it was set up very well and it had a lot of neat vendors. The car show was set up well and of course watching skid racing is always fun.” Yordanova said, referring to “skid racing” in a joking manner.
Of the Pro 2 circuit, the Sikky crew picked up another win this year with James Evans at the wheel. Dan Savage, Evans teammate won the year before. They seem to have their vehicles dialed in to this track even though they are from the DMV (DC Maryland Virginia area).
Fatlace presented “The Offset Kings” car show, which is based out of California, ran alongside the drifting event on Saturday. Heavy hitters from all over the PNW (Pacific Northwest) showed up with cars that have not been shown in this scene lately. Matt Conley, a car show participant, showed up in his Mk3 Supra and instantly became an internet sensation when it was shared on several Facebook pages.
“It’s always a good time DJ-ing for Fatlace.” Dj Lil Shonn said. “I had the honor of being their car show DJ at Evergreen for the past 4 years. This year was even more special and quite a surprise when I finally won a trophy. All my hardwork finally paid off.”
19 year old Alec Hohnadell (USA) seemed to be unstoppable this event. Hohnadell won against Kyle Mohan (USA), Chris Forsberg (USA), and Daigo Saito (Japan) before losing to Fredric Aasbo (Norway) in the final round. Aasbo’s driving was an easy target for the photographers to get some pretty epic shots of his Scion tC. This loss doesn’t take away from Hohnadell’s run as he appears to be a strong competitor for many years to come.
“I was super excited that Aasbo won and Alec got second. He (Alec) has been driving his heart out lately and it’s awesome seeing an up and comer take out the big boys.” Jessica Crosbie, a photographer on scene, mentioned. “I was upset at the (Justin Powlak) and (Tyler McQuarrie) battle. I think people are still scratching their heads with that one. All in all I love FD. It’s one weekend where an amazing community can come together and celebrate a sport they all love dearly.”
Aasbo commands the board with 428 points. Kenshiro Gushi (Japan) leads second with 348 points and Ryan Tuerck (USA) grapples in third place with 332 points.
The final Pro race will be held at the Irwindale Speedway in Irwindale, CA. on Oct 9-10.

Dominic Wilkerson is the Managing Editor of The Pioneer. Please contact me at [email protected] or 253-964-6604. The Pioneer office is located in...
Golfing raises money for students scholarships
The 22nd Annual Golf Scramble was a hit as faculty and members of the community participated in the event.
Every year, prior to the start of Fall quarter, Pierce employees and the local community members dedicate their time and money in a fundraiser for student tuition- by playing golf.
The 22nd annual Scholarship Scramble, held at the High Cedars Golf Course, is a golf event that raises money to fund tuition, transportation, food, rent, childcare and other student needs.
The event started out with the scramble, a tournament in which teams consisting of four players each compete for the best team score. The teams competed for the chance to win a car sponsored by Korum Automotive Group and each player was given a duffle bag with various small prizes.
Participants included many Pierce College Foundation Board members, Pierce faculty, Distinguished Alumni, and some members of the community. Members of Student life also came to assist in the event.
When asked about his team’s golf game, participant Glenn Zevenbergen said, ”As a team, I think we did okay, but I don’t think we are getting any money, but it was fun.”
Through the day, players and guests had the opportunity to enter the silent auction. Over 50 items were put on display and included Disneyland tickets, multiple wine tasting opportunities, tickets to a Seahawk training camp, various autographs from sport teams, resort and dinner tickets, and passes to various local attractions.
“I think there are some great items up for auction and it all benefits students, so you can’t beat that,” said Pat Lewis, member of the PC Foundation Board.
Guests were treated to free ice cream, compliments of John Gibson, founder of Cool Cycles Ice Cream, a company that sells ice cream from a modified motorcycle and raises money for children in Africa.
After a long day of golfing, players and guests left the golf course to have dinner at the High Cedars event hall. The hall was filled with dinner plates and good conversation among colleagues.
“(The Scramble) was a lot of fun. There were some ups and downs,” said Kevin Davis, Head Coach for the raiders baseball, referring jokingly to their team’s golf game. “I brought some classic golfers with me. We put together a fun afternoon. I’m really excited to be a part of it. It was fun to represent the college.”
While guests ate a delectable buffet-style meal, they were invited to join the live auction which featured a Football autographed by Steven Hauschka, kicker for the Seattle Seahawks, and displayed in a Super Bowl XLVIII Champions Deluxe Collector Case and dinner for eight with the Chancellor, Michele Johnson.
Guests were then given the opportunity to open their hearts, and their wallets, in the Buy a Credit portion of the evening. This was where guests could donate money to pay directly for a student’s credit hours. The bidding started at the price for a full year’s worth of full-time credits (approximately $4000), then went down to the price for a full quarter, then by credits, then by dollar amounts by increments of $100. Many patrons donated generously.
Pat Lewis, a member of the board and event participant, spoke excitedly of the Scramble. “I thought it went great, it was a really fun event, a lot of great participation, fun golfing, absolutely!”
The event raised $45,000 for Pierce College Foundation Scholarships.
The next Scholarship Scramble will be held on Aug.11, 2016 at the High Cedars Golf Course.
Are you eligible to become an athlete at Pierce
Basic Requirements:
• You must be a High School graduate or the class of which you were a member must have graduated. • You must be registered for classes 20 days from the beginning of the quarter.
Basic Requirements: • You must be registered in 12 or more credit hours during the current quarter of attendance. • You must successfully complete 12 or more credit hours during the most recent quarter of college.
Second Year Requirements: • You must have earned 36 credit hours from your first quarter of official participation and you must maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.00 or better from the first quarter of your first year of official participation.
Transfer Student-Athletes: • If you transfer from another NWAACC member college, you become eligible for athletic competition after a laspe of three quarters, exclusive of summer school, after separation from the former college or university