Jeff Helminiak

Parity reigns in Southcentral Conference baseball

The regular season did not do a great job separating the nine baseball teams in the Southcentral Conference. The conference tournament, which will be held… Continue reading

The All-Star Cheerleading Team from River City Cheer and Gymnastics poses after winning the U.S. Finals National Championships in Las Vegas on Sunday, May 13, 2018. From top left to right, Sierra Stoaks, Cali Holmes, Morgan Chase, Avery Hart, Cheyenne Friedersdorff, Destiney Friedersdorff, Sylvia McGraw and coach Cari Winger. From bottom left to right, Ayden Russell, Cara Graves, Jackson Anding, McKenzie Harden, Liberty Lasky, Delilah Roberts.

River City Cheer wins U.S. Finals

Two minutes, 30 seconds. That’s how long the All-Star Cheerleading Team from River City Cheer and Gymnastics on Kalifornsky Beach Road had to make it… Continue reading

The All-Star Cheerleading Team from River City Cheer and Gymnastics poses after winning the U.S. Finals National Championships in Las Vegas on Sunday, May 13, 2018. From top left to right, Sierra Stoaks, Cali Holmes, Morgan Chase, Avery Hart, Cheyenne Friedersdorff, Destiney Friedersdorff, Sylvia McGraw and coach Cari Winger. From bottom left to right, Ayden Russell, Cara Graves, Jackson Anding, McKenzie Harden, Liberty Lasky, Delilah Roberts.
Soldotna goalie Cody Quelland punches the ball out of trouble Friday, May 18, 2018, against Homer in the Peninsula Conference tournament semifinals at Soldotna High School. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)

Friday boys semis: Kenai, Homer advance to state

Homer boys coach Warren Waldorf was nervous the night before Friday’s Peninsula Conference tournament semifinals clash with Soldotna on the Stars home field. At 62… Continue reading

Soldotna goalie Cody Quelland punches the ball out of trouble Friday, May 18, 2018, against Homer in the Peninsula Conference tournament semifinals at Soldotna High School. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
Kenai Central’s Damien Redder successfully avoids the wall of Soldotna’s Cameron Johnson, Sean McMullen, Ethan Bott and Eli Sheridan, but can’t convert a free kick Tuesday, May 1, 2018, at Kenai Central High School. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)

Peninsula Conference soccer tourney: Simple, but just as intense

The complexity is gone from the conference tournament for the Kenai Peninsula’s soccer teams. The drama? Not so much. When the Alaska School Activities Association… Continue reading

Kenai Central’s Damien Redder successfully avoids the wall of Soldotna’s Cameron Johnson, Sean McMullen, Ethan Bott and Eli Sheridan, but can’t convert a free kick Tuesday, May 1, 2018, at Kenai Central High School. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
Soldotna’s Mykenna Foster and Nikiski goalie Abby Bystedt race to the ball Monday, May 7, 2018, at Nikiski High School. (Photo by jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)

Soldotna soccer sweeps Nikiski

The visiting Soldotna soccer teams swept Nikiski on Monday in Peninsula Conference play. The Soldotna girls notched an 8-0 win while the boys registered a… Continue reading

Soldotna’s Mykenna Foster and Nikiski goalie Abby Bystedt race to the ball Monday, May 7, 2018, at Nikiski High School. (Photo by jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
Angie Brennan powers up a hill Sunday, May 6, 2018, at May Cross at Tsalteshi Trails. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)

Pink Cheeks, May Cross usher in summer racing

The summer racing season on the Kenai Peninsula started to swing into action over the weekend, and Kenai’s Mike Crawford was ready. Crawford finished second… Continue reading

Angie Brennan powers up a hill Sunday, May 6, 2018, at May Cross at Tsalteshi Trails. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)

Homer soccer sweeps Nikiski

The visiting Homer soccer teams swept Nikiski on Monday in Peninsula Conference soccer action, with the girls winning 5-1 and the boys notching a 7-0… Continue reading

Homer baseball tops Kenai

The Homer baseball team defeated Kenai Central 10-1 on Tuesday in Southcentral Conference action at the Soldotna Little League fields. The Mariners are 1-1 in… Continue reading

Soldotna girls, Kenai boys notch soccer wins

Soldotna girls, Kenai boys notch soccer wins

Soldotna’s Journey Miller and Kenai Central’s Zack Tuttle scored the only goals Tuesday at Kenai Central as the Stars girls and Kardinals boys picked up… Continue reading

Soldotna girls, Kenai boys notch soccer wins
The Rodeo Stars, made up of Emily Grimm, Matthew Loop, Jonathan Loop and Kellee Martin, prepare to compete in a quiz game called buzzer bowl Saturday, April 21, 2018, in the Alaska State Horse Contest at Kenai Peninsula College’s Kenai River Campus. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)

Alaska State Horse Contest preps youth for horses, life

Owning a horse and possibly trying to get into the equine industry is very serious business, and so is the Alaska State Horse Contest. The… Continue reading

The Rodeo Stars, made up of Emily Grimm, Matthew Loop, Jonathan Loop and Kellee Martin, prepare to compete in a quiz game called buzzer bowl Saturday, April 21, 2018, in the Alaska State Horse Contest at Kenai Peninsula College’s Kenai River Campus. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
Kenai Central’s Brenna Eubank controls the ball in front of Nikiski’s Tika Zimmerman on Monday, April 23, 2018, at Kenai Central High School. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)

Kenai soccer sweeps Nikiski

The host Kenai Central soccer teams swept Nikiski on Monday in Peninsula Conference action, with the girls winning 3-0 and the boys notching a 7-0… Continue reading

Kenai Central’s Brenna Eubank controls the ball in front of Nikiski’s Tika Zimmerman on Monday, April 23, 2018, at Kenai Central High School. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)

Kenai boys soccer takes down Juneau

The visiting Kenai Central boys soccer team won a battle of Division II powerhouses, taking down Juneau-Douglas 1-0 on Thursday to improve to 4-1. The… Continue reading

Houston’s Nico Wilkenson and Soldotna’s Cody Quelland battle for the ball Wednesday, April 18, 2018, at Soldotna High School. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)

Soldotna boys soccer bounces back against Houston

The host Soldotna boys soccer team rebounded from a last-minute loss to Kenai Central the day before by trouncing Houston 9-0 on Wednesday in nonconference… Continue reading

Houston’s Nico Wilkenson and Soldotna’s Cody Quelland battle for the ball Wednesday, April 18, 2018, at Soldotna High School. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
Soldotna’s Kianna Holland works to keep the ball from Kenai Central’s Olivia Brewer Tuesday at Justin Maile Field in Soldotna. (Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion)

SoHi girls, Kenai boys earn victories

It had to be Leif Lofquist. That’s what Soldotna boys soccer assistant coach Erik Dolphin thought Tuesday when the ball crashed into the back of… Continue reading

Soldotna’s Kianna Holland works to keep the ball from Kenai Central’s Olivia Brewer Tuesday at Justin Maile Field in Soldotna. (Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion)
Jen Showalter of Kenai navigates her fatbike through a deep icy puddle on the Wolverine Trail during the 2018 Choose Your Weapon race at Tsalteshi Trails on Sunday, April 15, 2018 in Soldotna, Alaska. Racers completed two 5-kilometer laps around the lower trails by running, biking or skiing, with the option of switching between laps for extra points. Most of the trails had some snow with patches of wet mud sprinkled throughout as spring temperatures begin to dominate the central Kenai Peninsula. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)

Choose Your Weapon returns to Tsalteshi Trails

On Earth Day, April 20, 2013, Mike Crawford had a vision. Sunday, almost a full five years later, that vision finally became reality. The vision… Continue reading

Jen Showalter of Kenai navigates her fatbike through a deep icy puddle on the Wolverine Trail during the 2018 Choose Your Weapon race at Tsalteshi Trails on Sunday, April 15, 2018 in Soldotna, Alaska. Racers completed two 5-kilometer laps around the lower trails by running, biking or skiing, with the option of switching between laps for extra points. Most of the trails had some snow with patches of wet mud sprinkled throughout as spring temperatures begin to dominate the central Kenai Peninsula. (Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion)
Patty Moran leaps from one side of a trail to the other during the Choose Your Weapon race on the Tsalteshi Trails in April 2015. (Clarion file photo)

Winter ends, summer begins: What’s a skier, biker to do?

Winter is quickly ending. Summer is coming on fast. At that crossroads sits not only Choose Your Weapon — a race involving bikes, skis and… Continue reading

Patty Moran leaps from one side of a trail to the other during the Choose Your Weapon race on the Tsalteshi Trails in April 2015. (Clarion file photo)
Soldotna’ Gavin Goggia and Homer’s Daniel Reutov battle for the ball April 11, 2017, at Soldotna High School. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)

2018 boys soccer preview: Kenai, SoHi, Homer loaded with seniors

A boys soccer season marking a huge change is beginning with frustrating, incremental change. The huge change is the splitting of soccer into two divisions… Continue reading

Soldotna’ Gavin Goggia and Homer’s Daniel Reutov battle for the ball April 11, 2017, at Soldotna High School. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
Kenai River Brown Bears defenseman Preston Weeks, of Soldotna, clears the puck from near the goal March 16, 2018, at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex in a game against the Springfield (Illinois) Jr. Blues. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)

Brown Bears year in review: Coach says team poised for success

Because the Kenai River Brown Bears have finished with the worst or second-worst record in the North American Hockey League the past four seasons, fans… Continue reading

Kenai River Brown Bears defenseman Preston Weeks, of Soldotna, clears the puck from near the goal March 16, 2018, at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex in a game against the Springfield (Illinois) Jr. Blues. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
To everyone who made a great winter of recreation possible, thanks

To everyone who made a great winter of recreation possible, thanks

A hike I did on the Carter Lake trail in mid-January is a perfect example of how we rely on others when we recreate outdoors… Continue reading

To everyone who made a great winter of recreation possible, thanks

Area athletes help Alaska invasion of Hawaii triathlon

The Lavaman Triathlon, held Sunday at the Waikoloa Beach Resort on the Big Island of Hawaii, would seem to make a lot of sense for… Continue reading