Glory Hole Sports in Angels Camp will host an event for “Purple Heart Anglers” at New Melones Reservoir on June 15 for disabled veterans.

Boats, fishing licenses, bait, tackle, snacks, and a BBQ lunch will be provided at no cost to the vets. Guides and experienced anglers are needed as well as donations for awards and food. Any interested volunteers should contact Melanie Lewis at  This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

The Kokanee bite at Melones continues to be strong for  anglers and guides. A local guide reports finding kokes from 40 feet all the way to 90-feet deep along areas of underwater structure.

Last week, orange colored lures produced well, trolled behind a dodger and tipped with scented corn. Scents such as garlic, kokanee special, or anise can be mixed to sometimes pick up the bite. 

The Mother Lode League has named Calaveras senior Tiffany Souza as Forward of the Year and Summerville senior Larissa Barrett as Goalkeeper of the Year for the 2013 girls’ soccer season.

Souza, a team captain, scored eight goals and added eight assists on the season as she led the Redskins to a share of the MLL title with the Amador Buffaloes and a berth in the first round of the Division V playoffs.

Barrett remained strong in front of the net for Summerville throughout the season, despite the Bears finishing with a 3-9-3 record and missing the postseason for the first time in three years.

Tuolumne County Aquatics Masters swimmer Gary Johnson swims to a personal best in his 100 freestyle. Courtesy photo.

By PATTI SCOTT-BAIER
For The Union Democrat

Tuolumne County Aquatic Masters swimmers joined over 1,300 senior athletes at the 2013 State Senior Games held May 18 at the Stanford University campus in Palo Alto.

More than 20 team and individual sports were contested in the two-week long event including swimming, cycling, running, track and field, golf, tennis, soccer, basketball and volleyball. The games were open to athletes 50 and older.

Sixteen TCAM swimmers posted impressive numbers at the meet and were the largest team in competition. The team amassed a total of 85 medals, 17 team records, 17 personal bests and numerous seasonal best-time performances.

A group of avid bowlers is spearheading an effort to bring back a longtime local women’s club that has been inactive since the Sonora Family Bowl on Stewart Street shut down in 2010.

The Women’s Mother Lode 500 Bowling Club is holding a membership drive in hopes of bringing in some fresh faces interested in competing at both state and national tournaments.

“Since we moved from Sonora Bowl, it has been difficult to reach our members because we’re all scattered across different leagues,” said the club’s president Shirley Parades, who lives near Murphys. “We have about 20 members right now, but we’re just in the start-up stages of the reorganization.”

Fifth-grader Emily VanNoord goes for a strike Tuesday at Black Oak Lanes. She and 11 other top readers in Curtis Creek Elementary School's Accelerated Reading Program were being treated to a pizza and bowling party. Amy Alonzo Rozak / Union Democrat

While competing in the Helakno Full House league, Gomes rolled a 257 that was 93 pins over her average score and the high game for women. In three games, she rolled a 676, which was 184 pins over her average series and another high for the week.

Gomes said she was using a new ball and thought it helped her get the high scores.

The 2013 track and field season came to a close for 10 area athletes at the Masters Meet held Thursday and Friday at Elk Grove High.

Eight tracksters, two each from Sonora, Bret Harte, Calaveras and Tioga, qualified to compete at the prestigious postseason meet  by placing in the top five in their respective events at the Sac-Joaquin Section Divisonals earlier this month.

Wildcat senior Samantha Smith and Bullfrog sophomore Clara Jefferson competed Friday as alternates.

Thirty cyclists from six different countries around the world pose for a picture at Marble Quarry RV Park in Columbia, where they stayed for two nights before setting off Thursday morning on a multi-day ride around the region. Amy Alonzo Rozak / Union Democrat

Cyclists for Cultural Exchange (CCE), a nonprofit group based in Santa Cruz, arranged the ride that began Thursday morning, bringing along 17 international cyclists who flew in from China, Japan, Taiwan, Poland and Italy to participate in the organization’s spring exchange program from May 18 to June 1.

“We want to promote peace, understanding and friendship through a common interest in cycling,” said CCE Board of Directors President Marilyn Marzell during an interview Tuesday at Marble Quarry RV Park on Yankee Hill Road, where the group stayed for a couple of nights before taking off on their ride.

The Foothill Stars 10th-grade JV boys’ basketball team competed last weekend at Las Positas College in Livermore and defeated a Silicon Valley team in the first round and a Vallejo team in the second.  

The 10th-grade hoopsters were previously victorious at the Modest Slam n’ Jam Tournament on April 20, defeating teams from Turlock and Oakland. 

The 8th-grade team won both of its games at Las Positas as well, but suffered close losses in two of its three games at the Modesto tournament in April.

Summerville ace Joey Brocchini has been named the Mother Lode League Most Valuable Player for the 2013 baseball season, while two more Bears and four Calaveras Redskins made the All-League First Team.

As Summerville’s No. 1 pitcher, Brocchini finished the season with a 4.08 ERA and a 4-2 record. The senior also had a total 49 strikeouts in 48 innings and closed for the Bears in the first round of the 2013 Sac-Joaquin Section Division V Championships.

Twain Harte 7th-grader Dominic Esquivel (4, above) wins the 200-meter event.

Youth tracksters clashed at the Tuolumne County  Elementary Schools Track Meet on Monday at Sonora High’s Dunlavy Field. Monday’s winners are the best in the county in their repsective events and age groups. Full results will be posted as they become available.