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March 5, 2014
community
SAMMAMISH REVIEW
Local couple aiding Peace Corps efforts in Moldova By Neil Pierson
More than 18 months after arriving in Moldova, Glenn and Ronda Olson are seeing signs that Europe’s poorest country is starting to turn things around. The Olsons, who have been married 39 years and have lived in Sammamish since 1987, are volunteers with the Peace Corps, a U.S. government-led humanitarian group that has more than 7,200 workers in 65 countries. On a windy, snowy February evening in Cimislia (churMEECH-lee-uh), a city of about 15,000 near the country’s southern border with Ukraine, the Olsons took time from their busy lives to speak on Skype. They often use the video phone service to connect with others around the world, including their son Kelby in Sammamish, their daughter Tami in Japan, and their four grandchildren. Contributed
Ronda and Glenn Olson enjoy an al fresco bite to eat.
The Olsons have been in Moldova since June 2012. Glenn works with a regional development agency that seeks to improve the local economy, while Ronda teaches health education in a school for grades 5-12. Possibly the toughest hurdle to their work is the language barrier. Moldovans often speak in a mixture of Russian and Romanian, and the Olsons weren’t familiar with either tongue before their arrival. The Peace Corps pays for language lessons, something they spend four to eight hours per day studying. Glenn came to Moldova two weeks before Ronda, and they lived apart for 10 weeks with host families in different villages. “My host family knew zero English,” Glenn said, “so it was hands gesturing, and finally she started going to the neighbors to find somebody to help.” The Moldovan climate and landscape reminds the Olsons of See CORPS, Page 7
Special Olympics wants to let you move across town By Neil Pierson
Special Olympics Washington has been looking for ways to boost its revenue, and the organization that serves 10,000 intellectually disabled athletes may have found it in Sammamish. In late January, Special Olympics Washington launched its first Dream House Raffle. The fundraiser’s grand prize is a waterfront home on Lake Sammamish, valued at $5 million. The winner could choose to keep the 10,200-square-foot house, or receive a cash payout of $4 million. Anyone 18 and over may purchase single tickets for $150, three for $400 or five for $550 up until May 16, with the grandprize drawing on May 31. Dan Wartelle, Special Olympics Washington’s vice president of communications, said the raffle idea was hatched about two years ago when the group started looking at activities of other Special Olympics chapters around the country. Special Olympics Washington already puts on an annual auction, a fun run and a series of polar-bear plunges, among other events. Officials found what they were looking for in southern California, where the Special Olympics chapter began doing house raffles in 2010. The raffles
have been a financial success for that chapter, but they’ve yet to sell enough tickets in any single year to actually give away a house. And that’s a source of controversy surrounding the Sammamish home, located on the 3100 block of East Lake Sammamish Shore Lane Southeast. The rules for the raffle contains some important fine print – the house will not be an option for the grand-prize winner if fewer than 75,000 tickets are sold. In that case, the winner could choose between a maximum $4 million cash payout over 20 years, or an immediate lumpsum payment of up to $2.8 million. The stipulation was listed in the rules section of the Dream House Raffle’s website, www. pugetsoundraffle.com, but not in an eight-page brochure that was being circulated at the home last week. That prompted critical statements in a Feb. 19 article by The Seattle Times, including some from Better Business Bureau officials questioning the contest’s transparency. Wartelle said Special Olympics Washington officials were hard at work that day to rectify the situation. The stipulation is now included on the bottom of every
Photo by Neil Pierson
The 10,200 foot home sits on Lake Sammamish and is in the top tier of homes in the city. page on the raffle website, and future advertisements and materials about the raffle will feature the stipulation more prominently. “It’s not something where we
were trying to be deceptive,” Wartelle said. CEO Beth Wojick said Special Olympics didn’t anticipate criticism of the raffle, but responded quickly in light of the situation to
give people the information they wanted. “When you’re in the weeds, you maybe don’t see things that See HOUSE, Page 7
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SPORTS
March 5, 2014
SAMMAMISH REVIEW
Skyline sprinters have big plans for senior seasons, beyond By Neil Pierson
There might not be a better situation for Dorie Dalzell to land in at the collegiate level, even though the school she chose wasn’t the one she thought she would. Dalzell’s father and grandfather are University of Kansas alumni, and her boyfriend is currently attending the Division I athletics powerhouse in Lawrence, Kan. It was those factors that had her heavily leaning toward Washington, Arizona and Columbia for her running career at the next level, simply because she wanted a change of scenery. Kansas was the last school Dalzell visited, and a motivational video she watched with the coaches cinched her decision. It also doesn’t hurt that the Jayhawks women are the defending NCAA champions, and Dalzell will be training alongside Diamond Dixon, an Olympic gold medalist in the 4x400 relay at the 2012 London Games. “Kansas just clicked for me,” she said. “Watching that video, that was really when I realized that was where I was supposed to be. I just loved the school – it’s so competitive.” Before she heads to the Midwest, Dalzell has some unfinished business for her Skyline High School track and field team. A four-time state medalist in
Photo by Neil Pierson
Skyline High School seniors Alex Daugherty, left, and Dorie Dalzell could be among the state’s top sprinters this season. Daugherty has committed to Notre Dame, and Dalzell will be going to Kansas. the 400 meters, 4x200 relay and but I think we all thought we Alex Daugherty, a three-sport 4x400 relay, she’s got her sights could’ve done better, and we all athlete for the Spartans (cross set on championships in those wanted to do better.” country, basketball, track), events come May. The weight of living up to anchors the 800 meters, an event “We definitely have some high those lofty standards won’t fall in which she placed seventh at goals this year,” she said. “I want solely on Dalzell’s shoulders. state last season. She also has to win state in the 400 – I really She’s not the only Skyline senior medals in the 400, 4x200 relay want that badly. Our 4x4 last who has earned a Division I and 4x400 relay. year, we were happy with third, scholarship. Daugherty had seriously
considered Princeton and Washington, but eventually selected Notre Dame because of its combination of quality athletics and academics. “It had an unspoken moral code about it, because it is somewhat religious,” she noted. “I like that was part of the foundation. I think it keeps the team grounded.” Daugherty will primarily run track for the Fighting Irish, although she likely will train in cross country and build herself up for future competition. The 2013 season was Daugherty’s first in cross country, and she impressed her coaches and teammates, finishing sixth at the bi-district meet and 27th at state. “It was interesting to see what change your body goes through,” she said of starting cross country. “To be honest, at the beginning I was a lot more tired. It’s just a different kind of endurance, and it’s a different kind of mental strength that I’ve never had to do.” Daugherty was actually a superb 400-meter runner as a sophomore, when she placed third at state. She continued running the 400 as a junior, but gave it up after the Class 4A KingCo Conference meet to focus on the 800. That was in spite of running a time of 57.13 seconds, which See SPRINT, Page 9
Crusaders dominate Timberline to reach quarterfinals By Neil Pierson
Eastside Catholic’s dominating performance against Timberline in last week’s regional playoff game may have sent a message to the other seven teams in this week’s Class 3A boys basketball state tournament. The Crusaders (21-5) may be the new kids on the block at the Tacoma Dome – they haven’t reached state since 1999 – but they’re clearly not entering the state quarterfinals with a justhappy-to-be-here mindset. Eastside Catholic won the opening tip, scored a layup seconds later and led by 21 points after the first quarter. The Crusaders shot 64 percent in the first half and never slowed up, beating Timberline 80-40 in the regional round Feb. 28 at Bellevue College. They’ll face University (15-9) in the 3A quarterfinals at 10:30 a.m. March 6, and coach Bill
Liley’s squad figures to be laserfocused going in, just as it was against Timberline. “We had an outstanding shootaround today – I’m not sure if we missed a shot, and it continued when we came out here,” Liley said. “The kids were locked in, and they were focused on making sure we got a chance to go to Tacoma.” Two Sammamish residents played key roles in the Crusaders’ dissection of Timberline, a team that features Washington recruit Donaven Dorsey and a good supporting cast. Matisse Thybulle led his team’s fast start, scoring 16 of his gamehigh 20 points in the first quarter. He scored eight straight points – a breakaway dunk and two 3-pointers – that set the tone for the game. “It helps so much when the first few shots go in, and we took that momentum and carried it,” Thybulle said. “And it just didn’t really stop, so that was great.”
Meanwhile, EC’s defense was just as good at keeping the Blazers away from the basket. Dorsey, a 6-foot-6 guard, was hounded at every turn. He missed his first four shots and finished with 11 points. Nathan Christie had a big hand in those numbers. “I started out guarding him, and we knew he was basically their dude they were going to go to when they needed a bucket,” said Christie, who scored 13 points. “But basically we just played him straight up – fronted him in the post, made sure he couldn’t get any touches down there, and made him play from the outside.” Timberline (13-12) righted the ship a bit after the Crusaders took a 25-4 lead into the second quarter. But the Blazers never made a big dent in the early deficit because of EC’s balanced offensive attack, which easily broke through full-court pressure to
score several layups. The Crusaders hit a dozen 3-pointers in all, including six in the fourth quarter after most of the starters had left the floor. They even instituted a running clock with a 40-point lead in the final minute, a rarity in playoff basketball. Zach Wallin (13 points) and Max Hudgins (10) were EC’s other double-digit scorers. Having six days of rest coming into the game had a positive impact, the team felt. “We had a week to prepare, and we couldn’t take a single day off,” Thybulle said. “And I think the fact that we didn’t let up once in practice is the reason we did so well in the game.” If the Crusaders get past University, they’ll face Wilson or O’Dea in the semifinals at 3:45 p.m. March 7. The state title game is at 7 p.m. March 8, and the likely foe could be top-ranked Rainier Beach.
Beach has defeated EC three times this season, including a 78-38 shellacking in the Feb. 22 Metro League championship game. But the Crusaders were missing a few players in that one, and at full strength a week earlier, they held a late lead against the Vikings before losing, 68-65. “We feel like we’ve played them the best of anyone this year,” Liley said. Another motivating factor is the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association’s decision to grant Rainier Beach a waiver to compete in a national tournament in New York City. The catch? The Vikings have to finish undefeated first. “This whole week while we were preparing was all about the WIAA going ahead and pretty much crowning them the champions already,” Liley said. “That doesn’t sit too well with us. We want another shot.”