In the past several years, the Peninsula High School football skills camp hasn’t changed much.

The Gig Harbor Riptides will host a youth wrestling camp from 6 to 8 p.m. July 23-27.

The Gig Harbor American 9- and 10-year-olds won the District 2 Little League championship for the second straight year on Sunday when they beat the Gig Harbor Nationals 6-3 at the Gig Harbor Little League Complex.

The Little League District 2 tournaments is nearly wrapped up, advancing one local team to the state tournament.

The Key Peninsula Little League 10- and 11-year-old batters’ eyes had been tracking the ball well during their first two games of the District 2 Little League tournament.

When Savannah Jones and Claire Summa begin playing volleyball for their respective middle schools this fall, they most likely will be one of the most skilled players on their teams.

PORT ORCHARD — The first day of the District 2 Little League Majors tournament showcased two evenly matched Gig Harbor baseball teams. With two dugouts filled with friends — although on separate teams — the Gig Harbor Americans squeaked out a 4-3 victory over the Gig Harbor Nationals in seven innings at Art Mikelson Field on Sunday.

Those of us who play sports take winning and losing too seriously. We sometimes get so caught up in the moment that all we care about is winning.

PORT ORCHARD — Most of the Key Peninsula Majors all-stars were overmatched when they stepped to the plate against North Kitsap American pitcher Nick Barbero.

Cody Hinkley, an eighth-grader at Goodman Middle School in Gig Harbor, loves to watch soccer. But he enjoys playing it even more.

Father-son experiences never get old. But for John and Reid Dorsey-Palmateer, their upcoming experience is about to get very tiring.

Nicolas Campbell and Matt Acosta have taken road tripping to a new extreme. A Microsoft employee by day, Campbell’s life is much more than simply working on computers. He redefined the phrase “on a mission” when he signed his team up for a journey that poses incredible challenges. Campbell and his two friends, Acosta and Joy Bloser, will travel to Southeast Asia for an international rickshaw race that will benefit impoverished men and women of India.

Gig Harbor High School graduate Christina McCann didn’t have the normal prep swimming career.

It was my fourth year of competing in the world’s largest 3-on-3-basketball tournament in Spokane last weekend.

James Austin of Fox Island would have a leg up if he could travel back to the Old West. Austin, 44, has been a gun enthusiast for nearly 15 years. His collection of pistols is more extensive than most people’s DVD library.

When Gig Harbor marine biology teacher JoAnn Moore decided to compete in her first triathlon, she didn’t have to look far for advice.

PenMet Parks, the Peninsula Athletic Association and the Fox Island Tennis Association will offer quick start tennis for youths ages 4-7 on Wednesdays form 6 to 7 p.m. and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to noon at Hales Pass in Arletta.

The ting of a bat, the pop of a glove and the commotion of players and coaches are the noises that signify preparation for the Little League District 2 baseball tournament. School is over for children on the Gig Harbor and Key Peninsulas. And another thing that will soon come to a conclusion is the baseball career of 12-year-olds in the Little League Majors Division. But not before they get one last chance to qualify for a state or regional tournament. Or even the ultimate opportunity: The Little League World Series in Williamsport, Penn.

The summer showdown between the Peninsula and Gig Harbor high school girls basketball teams didn’t have quite the same feel as a regular-season game.

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. Kyle Stanley may not have been in contention for the major golf championship that American Lucas Glover won on Monday, but the Gig Harbor native put the finishing touches on his first full U.S. Open Championship.

He was a man known for his stunning navigation in the water. A hydroplane racer and boat mechanic for upwards of 40 years, Terry Troxell died June 6 from a massive heart attack in his Gig Harbor home. He was 61.

The Peninsula High School football team set course for summer training last week and played its first scrimmage against the South Kitsap Wolves at Roy Anderson Field.

If you ask me, it’s never too early to start talking — or in this case, writing — about high school football. It’s the sport around the Gig Harbor area that attracts the biggest crowds.

Gig Harbor High School football head coach Darren McKay said his 10th year will be his most challenging.

The Red Sox know what it feels like to go undefeated.

David Rurik joined the Commencement Bay Rowing Club because his friends said it was cool. It was the kind of peer pressure worthy of buying into.

Last week, three local sportswriters were inducted into the Class of 2009 Tacoma-Pierce County Hall of Fame. One of them was Gig Harbor resident Jack Sareault.

The Gig Harbor and Key Peninsula Little League baseball seasons are winding down.

Gig Harbor junior Conner Peloquin has a sweet tooth for distance running, literally and physically.

The successes of high school athletic programs are ever-changing. The Gig Harbor boys and girls track and field teams are a prime example.

After four years of climbing, Peninsula senior tennis player Lance Wilhelm made it to the top of the mountain.

Two freshmen — Peninsula’s Rachel Lewis and Gig Harbor’s Christie Drumm — had the best performances from the boys and girls teams during the Class 4A and 3A state golf tournaments last weekend.

TACOMA – The Peninsula girls team finished 30th with seven points at the Class 3A state track and field meet at Mount Tahoma Stadium last weekend

TACOMA – The Gig Harbor boys team – similar to the girls team – advanced two athletes to the finals events at the 2009 state track and field competition at Mount Tahoma Stadium.

TACOMA — If you’ve made it this far, it’s time to start peaking.

I’ve covered multiple different high school state events, and I must say the track and field meet impresses me the most.

SPANAWAY — The Peninsula boys and girls tennis teams advanced one player each to the Class 3A state tournament during last week’s play at the Sprinker Recreation Center.

After they beat the Kentridge Chargers to advance to the Class 4A state soccer tournament, the Gig Harbor Tides boys soccer team was eliminated last weekend in a 2-1 loss to Marysville-Pilchuk at Lake Stevens.

SPANAWAY — They’re not the most dominant team. They don’t have the most on-ball talent, but the Gig Harbor boys soccer team found a way to get the job done.

Peninsula junior Lisa Kromholtz initially viewed tennis as going into work. When her parents took her to courts as a young girl, she had an attitude of, “Do I have to go?”

The Bellarmine Prep Lions beat the Gig Harbor Tides fastpitch team 4-2 on Friday in the first round of the Narrows League tournament, but the Tides rebounded with a 21-0 win over the Lincoln Abes on Monday to stay alive for a West Central District III tournament berth.

KENT — The playoffs can bring out the best or worst in a high school team. For the Gig Harbor baseball squad, it brought out a combination of fielding errors and unproductive hitting in two games Saturday against the Tahoma Bears and Central Kitsap Cougars at Kent Memorial Park.

Taylor Hacker has an infectious need for remaining in sports.

TACOMA — Through solid pitching and clutch hitting, the Gig Harbor Tides’ baseball team will be headed to the West Central District III playoffs.

After I heard about Gig Harbor High School boys basketball coach Lyle McIntosh’s retirement announcement, I began to think about why coaches decide to do it for so long. In high school sports, many coaches don’t stay with programs any longer than five years, much less three complete decades, like McIntosh.