Police officers and Special Olympics participants carried the torch through Coos Bay and North Bend on Thursday during the Law Enforcement Torch Run. World Photo by Alex Powers.

South Coast police and U.S. Coast Guard personnel, community members and Special Olympics athletes spent the week carrying a torch toward Eugene for the Special Olympics State Games.

The torch headed north through Curry County to Bandon. On Wednesday, community sponsors helped take it on state Highway 42 South to Coquille, where Coquille police carried it through town and on toward Coos Bay.

On Thursday, the torch was carried through Coos Bay and North Bend by local officers and Special Olympians before heading north, where Coast Guard employees and other law enforcement personnel took over for the trip up U.S. Highway 101.

A number of South Coast athletes will be participating in the state games.

Four local athletes earned gold medals in the track and field regional meet at Grants Pass High School earlier this month.

Bruce Muller took gold in the 200 meters and was sixth in the long jump.

Debbie Streets won a gold medal in the standing long jump and was fourth in the shot put.

Jesse Venegas won gold in the shot put and silver in the 400-meter race walk.

Tyler Wideman won gold in the shot put and silver in the 100.

Wideman, Johnny Waller, Matthew Bruckert and Greg Crew also took silver in the 4x100-meter relay. Muller, Rose Saposnik and partners Trish Jordan and Matt Baker took a bronze in the unified 4x100-meter relay.

Saposnik also took bronze in the shot put and fifth in the standing long jump.

Waller earned silver medals in both the 100 and shot put. Bruckert earned a bronze in the 100 and took fourth in the shot put. Crew was fifth in both the 100 and shot put.

Tonya Boyter took a silver in the 50 and finished fourth in the softball throw. Cathy Caldera was fourth in both the 50 and softball throw. Katlin Lewis earned a silver in the shot put and was fourth in the 400 race walk.

Darin Jenkins took fourth in the 1,500 meters and sixth in the 3,000. Bill Everest was sixth in the 50 and took a bronze in the softball throw.

The team is coached by Trisha Wright, with assistants Matt Baker, Adam Stanfield, Shana Bradley, Kay Pace, Becca Scolari, Assu Cassarotti and Gary Streets and parent volunteers Frances Williams and Deana Crew.

Softball

The South Coast Slammers took a bronze medal in the unified division in the recent softball regionals in Eugene.

The team was coached by Marty Hoffman, with assistant Bill Kehler.

Special Olympians included Jamie Daniels, Larry Gregory, Daniel Jacobson, Jason Miller, Stephanie Nix, Nick Pearce and Apollo Trulove. The partners were Andrew Brainard, Aaron Draper, Greg Pattersen, Chris Peterson and Richard Phillips.

Meanwhile, the South Coast Sluggers finished fourth in their division.

Teammates included Alan Babcock, Katie Fitzpatrick, Lovena Gage, Ted Johnson, John Kombol, Jeanne Kuntz, Robert Kuntz, Bill Murphy, Twanda Murphy, Christina Rimbeck, Alan Thegg and Mary Thegg.

The team was coached by Kehler, who was assisted by Tammy Phillips.

In individual skills, Matthew Kuntz earned a bronze medal.