Three presented with 25-Year Awards

Three individuals with long ties to their schools were honored with Inland Northwest Sportswriters and Broadcasters 25-Year Awards.

Washington State University Assistant Director of Athletics/Director of Media Relations Rod Commons, Rogers High teacher and tennis coach Barb (Silvey) Farnsworth and Riverside teacher and cross country coach Bill Kemp were recognized at Wednesday’s Spokane Regional Sports Commission Youth Awards Luncheon.

Farnsworth’s contributions are eclectic, both in athletics and to the community in her position as a Rogers alumna and educator.

The 1975 Pirates valedictorian and two-sport athlete began her 30-year volleyball officiating career while still in college at WSU. She works games in four different college conferences and is nationally rated.

Farnsworth has been an officer in the Spokane association and last year was named Referee of the Year. She’s received Washington Officials Association meritorious awards and been a WIAA rules clinician.

Farnsworth also spent 20 years as a softball umpire, working national tournaments and earning local meritorious awards.

She is girls tennis coach at Rogers.

This fall, she was inducted into the Rogers Walk of Fame and in 1999 was presented with a Jim Chase Award for her work in foster care.

Kemp began his teaching and coaching career at Riverside High 26 years ago.

During that time, 40 Rams boys or girls teams have qualified for state.

Between them, Kemp’s teams have won four state titles – two each for boys and girls, including the girls championship this past fall – and finished second seven times.

Riverside has nearly annually been a trophy winner, securing 22 top-four awards since Kemp has been coach.

Commons came to WSU 30 years ago after serving eight years in sports information, first as an assistant at Oregon State University and later as director at Brown.

He is the Cougars athletic department’s liaison for media as well as the WSU News and Information services and is primary contact for Cougar football.

Commons manages a staff of 10, and supervises and assists in the sports information releases of 17 intercollegiate sports.