Local athletes gain a worldly perspective - #lakewoodnews

Arvada West baseball coach Matt McDougal hopes to bring some Japanese culture to Colorado.McDougal and Wildcats assistant coach Jamie Thompson went on a cultural-exchange baseball trip to Japan in July. There were 19 players from Arvada West, one from Heritage, one from Cherry Creek and a player from California.The players housed with host families for three nights and then six nights in student housing. The group played games against Japanese teams in Fukuoka, Japan, and visited cultural sites in the area, such as the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Memorial.Nine days were spent in Japan and since the return trip went through Hong Kong of the People's Republic of China and the players spent three days visiting the attractions."Our kids loved it," McDougal said. "They really enjoyed the trip. It opened new cultures and new experiences."McDougal hopes the respect the Japanese have for baseball sticks with the players for a while.Japanese players take off their caps and bow while talking to a coach and stand at attention during team meetings. If a Japanese player is walked during game, he lays down his bat instead of tossing it on his way to first base."The dedication they have for baseball is incredible," McDougal said. "The biggest thing was the culture of baseball and the respect they have for the game."They work incredibly hard. The kids were saying, `We need to do this and that.' "Long way from homeSenior setter Jasmine Schmidt has left her family to play volleyball this season at Chaparral.Schmidt's family moved to Raleigh, North Carolina, during the summer, but Jasmine, who will graduate early, came back to Colorado and is living with the family of teammate MaKenna Davis."For sure I won't stay past December, but will probably leave (for North Carolina) after the (volleyball) season," said Schmidt, who plans to play at Palm Beach Atlantic University in Florida.Heating up the fallLegacy senior catcher Emily Taggart is off to a hot start to the softball season.In the Lightning's first two games, she has gone 3-for-4 with a double, two home runs and eight runs batted in.Legacy defeated Rock Canyon and Cherry Creek.ThunderRidge pitchers senior Emily Morris and junior Rachel Bean were exceptional in three opening wins.Morris allowed three hits, one run and struck of 10 on Aug. 24 in a five-inning win over Columbine and followed with a five-hit shutout over Grand Junction Central Aug. 27 when she fanned seven batters.Bean struck out five and was touched for only three hits in a 3-1 win over Fruita Monument Aug. 26.In Jefferson County 4A/5A golf after two rounds, Valor Christian and Lakewood have both charged out of the gates.Valor has four of the top eight golfers in average scores after tournaments at Deer Creek and Foothills in the 4A competition.Lakewood has three of the top six in the 5A tourneys at Deer Creek and Hyland Hills.Griffin Barela of Lakewood had a two-round average of 70.5 in the 5A tournaments followed by teammates Jack Castiglia at 74.5 and Grayden Wolfe at 75.5.

from Lakewood Sentinel - Latest Stories http://lakewoodsentinel.com/stories/Local-athletes-gain-a-worldly-perspective,234459