Northwest

Sports notes

THUNDER'S FINE SEASON The Northwest Side Desert Thunder girls 10-and-younger fast-pitch softball team finished its fall season with a 25-2 record. Last year Desert Thunder finished third in the nation among Amateur Softball Association teams. This year only three girls returned to the team of 9- and 10-year-olds. Coaches expected the fall season to be one of rebuilding, said coach Kelly Fowler, but Desert Thunder outscored its opponents 222-60 for the season and outhit them by a 209-60 margin. They won four of the five autumn tournaments and won the Winter Wind-Up tournament in Phoenix. Players are: Valerie Mendoza, Shelby Mendoza, Mattie Fowler, Bekah Kiser, Kayla Luguna, Robin Landrith, Courtney Lacaillade, Morgan McKeever, Alexis Aguirre, Hannah Alcocer, Nikki Dunlap and Taylor Watkins.

SPORTSPARK SIGN-UPS Tucson Sportspark is registering players for youth baseball and T-ball leagues. Athletes ages 4 to 14 can sign up from 5 to 8 p.m. today and Friday at Sportspark, 6901 N. Casa Grande Highway, at Ina Road. Players can register as a team or individually and be placed on a team. Registration is $30 to $70, depending on the player's age. The winter season begins Sunday. For more information, go to www.playatsportspark.com or call 744-9496. LINDA VISTA HIKE Take a three-mile trek on the Linda Vista Loop Trail at Oracle Road on Jan. 17 with the Oro Valley Hiking Club. Hikers will meet for car-pooling at 8 a.m. in the Canyon del Oro High School parking lot, 25 W. Calle Concordia. Lynanne Dellerman and Adelina Martin will guide the hike. Reservations are required for the free hike. Call 229-5050. COLUMNIST TO SPEAK Runner's World columnist John "The Penguin" Bingham will be in Oro Valley Tuesday to give a motivational talk about living an active lifestyle. Bingham, a Chicago resident and former college professor, started walking and running when he was 43 and 80 pounds overweight. He is now fit and writes "The Chronicles" column for Runner's World. The Penguin gave himself the nickname while "transforming himself from this overweight smoker-drinker guy," said Greg Heden, manager of the All About Running and Walking store, which is sponsoring the free talk. Bingham "basically got into the running thing, and … as he was running, he passed by some storefront windows and noticed his reflection there, and he said when he was running, 'It looked like I was waddling like a penguin,' " Heden said. The talk will be at Ventana Medical Systems, 1910 Innovation Park Drive, just west of Oracle Road off North Rancho Vistoso Boulevard. For more information, call the All About Running and Walking store, 469-7084.