PENDLETON – Pendleton High School junior Rebecca Franke expects to enjoy the Christmas Holiday season in Hawaii, thanks to her selection as a participant in the second annual TourneySport USA Hawaii Softball Classic.

Franke was nominated to participate by former PHS softball coach Randy Crawford, who also nominated Jessica Merriman and Courtney Jim.

The tournament is for high school juniors and the 2003 version attracted 160 athletes from 48 states. The 2004 tournament will also include Canadian players, who raise the $2,978 needed to attend, as Franke is working to do.

“It’s a very good opportunity to represent my state and my community and it’s a thrill for me to go,” Franke said.

Franke has sold root beer floats at the Friday Night Alive event downtown, and will have a yard sale today at the family home (1918 SW 42nd, Pendleton) that will add to the $1,300 already raised over the summer.

Fund raising efforts have been difficult, Franke said, with the success of Pendleton Little League and Babe Ruth all-star teams requiring many to already seek out support from businesses, but she’s confident that the trip will come to pass.

“A lot of people said, ‘we already supported (other groups)’, so that was kinda hard,” Franke said. “It takes a lot more than I was expecting. You really have to make a really big effort to make it happen.”

Players in the tournament can expect to play eight to 10 games on the trip, Dec. 28, 2004 to Jan. 5, 2005. Tournament organizers received 1,800-2,200 applications and mailed more than 400 invitations, limiting the participation to the first 200 applications.

What is Franke’s biggest excitement as she works to make the trip? Is it a chance to go to Hawaii, a winter vacation in the sun, meeting new people or honing her softball skills?

“It’s a little bit of everything, but definitely getting out of here in the winter time. I will also get to go play softball at a time that I wouldn’t normally be playing softball and get to meet new people,” Franke said.

Previous payments of $600 and $450 have been made. In addition to paying for the program, Franke must pay to fly to Los Angeles.