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June 26, 2013
COMMUNITY
SAMMAMISH REVIEW
Weight loss changing a local man’s life By Neil Pierson
There have been many poignant moments for Sammamish resident Chris McKulka on his quest to lose weight and live a healthy life. But none of those moments might have happened without a chance encounter aboard an airplane last year. On his way back to the Northwest, McKulka met Dr. Luis Leon of Tucson, Ariz. The men engaged in a long conversation about their lives, their children and Leon’s favorite hobby – running. When they landed and went their separate ways, a promise was made: When McKulka was ready to run his first marathon, Leon would be there by his side. “Which, to me, sounded about the equivalent of saying, ‘When you’re ready to walk on the moon, let me know, and I’ll come
walk on the moon with you,’” McKulka said. At that point, McKulka was severely obese and at the start of a new weight-loss plan. He’d tried many diets and a few exercise-intensive regimens over the course of his life, but nothing stuck. He’d lost up to 200 pounds. The weight always came back. A few years earlier, a friend who struggled with obesity survived a stroke but lost his speech and most of his mobility. Finally, McKulka, 40, had a stark revelation. “It was becoming clear that the clock was ticking,” he said, “and I looked around and you just don’t see a lot of guys that are 65, 70 years old who are really heavy.” A few months later, following up on Leon’s suggestion, McKulka walked into an informational session for Team in
Training, a group that helps people train for long-distance running and biking events while raising money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. McKulka felt out of his element, but Team in Training was prepared for him, said campaign manager Jeff Peterson. “We take mostly couch potatoes, people who’ve never done anything like this before, and we have the best of the best coaches who take people and develop a program that’s adaptable,” he said. Each Saturday, McKulka took part in a group training session. One of the best parts, he said, was being allowed to develop at a reasonable pace. When he first began walking, “even 15 minutes was just brutal,” and his one-mile pace was around 19-20 minutes. He improved steadily, lowering the
time to the 15-minute range, and was able to go for three continuous hours. His training culminated in January by walking a 13.1-mile half-marathon at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla. He’d destroyed his feet – blood was seeping through his socks and shoes by the finish line – but he’d also managed to raise $5,000 for LLS, which served as its own motivation. Although he’s been struggling lately with a bout of tendonitis that has limited his running, McKulka has kept working with Team in Training. So far, he’s See WEIGHT, Page 7 Photo by Neil Pierson
Chris McKulka has lost 140 piunds and plans to participate in a marathon in September.
Art teacher’s influence spreads beyond her garage doors By Neil Pierson
Betsy Matias’ art studio looks like a typical space for creative instruction. The walls are covered in paintings and drawings, aprons and brushes are packed into a corner, and several stools lay upside-down on a large table. But Matias doesn’t teach art in a normal studio. She teaches in the garage of her Sammamish home, and over the past 18 months, her business has skyrocketed from 10 part-time students to a five-days-a-week gig during the school year. Her studio, Henry and Mei – a name created through the combination of her son’s and daughter’s middle names – hosts children of all ages. It’s quiet now, as Matias is taking a break to coincide with summer vacation in the schools, but she expects it to be bustling again come September when she resumes a series of six-week classes. Matias has a bachelor’s degree in art from Long Beach State University in California, but said she didn’t put it to use for many years. She taught elementary school students in California, Oregon and Texas, then became a substitute teacher when her family moved to Washington. For several more years, while she was a stay-at-home mom, her only contact with the art world was some occasional volunteer opportunities in area schools. But when a child in her neigh-
Photo by Neil Pierson
Surrounded by student artwork and her own painting of a guitar, Sammamish art teacher Betsy Matias is seeing a spike in business for her art studio, Henry and Mei, where she leads a series of classes for children during the school year. borhood began inquiring about ing. last fall and continued attenddrawing lessons, she chose to “They just keep coming,” ing throughout the school year. help. One student quickly grew Mathias said of her steady enrollHis interest in art has increased to 10, and art lessons moved from ment. “I’ve had students come quite a bit over that time, said his the inside of her home to the from Bellevue and Carnation and mom, Julie Gall. garage. Fall City, and it’s really just word “According to Charlie, Betsy The lessons have also expandof mouth.” is a great teacher because she ed to multiple mediums of paintCharlie Gall, 9, began takmakes art fun by offering intering, sculpturing and silk screening weekly classes with Matias esting projects and by having
music playing in the background while students work,” Julie Gall said. Mathias’ studio has unlocked other instructional opportunities. She has partnered with the Sammamish Arts Commission on a couple workshops for specialneeds students. She does painting-themed birthday parties. And she’s been contracting with local schools. “They’ve been bringing me in as kind of a visiting artist to the classroom,” Matias said, “and I’ve been doing some specialized lessons that complement their curriculum, whether it be science or literature.” Matias has also worked with adults in business settings, using art as a means of team building. She said she’d like to expand on that, perhaps working with a technology company and “get them to use their right brain a little bit more than their left brain.” She believes that children are typically less afraid to be creative than adults. For Mathias, art isn’t a subject with concrete answers, and while mistakes can be made in something like math, artists create their own sense of right and wrong. “With adults, they think they can’t do something creative,” she said. “But then when I lead them step by step, they’re amazed at what they can do. … Whereas kids, they come in like ninjas – See ART, Page 7
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SPORTS
June 26, 2013
SAMMAMISH REVIEW
Eastlake boys golfers rise to the top of state with work ethic By Neil Pierson
Of all the things that helped the Eastlake High School boys golf team capture this spring’s state championship, it might have been Will Sharp’s perseverance that proved most valuable. The second round of last month’s Class 4A state tournament at Camas Meadows Golf Club near Vancouver was a moment of truth for Sharp. The senior struggled with his short game on the front nine, finishing with an unusually high 45 strokes. It was the kind of performance that, for another golfer, might have lingered for nine more holes. His Eastlake teammates, Li Wang and Spencer Sharp, had kept the Wolves in the team-title hunt, but Sharp could’ve tried to do too much and made things worse. “I kind of figured out my putting on the back nine,” Sharp
said. “I was just very confident going into every single putt.” Sharp drained birdie putts on three consecutive holes, and he shot 35 on the back nine to finish at 80. His two-round total was only good enough to tie for 22nd place, but it helped Eastlake score 97 points and finish comfortably in front of runner-up Kentridge. “If he gives up, we don’t win the state title,” Eastlake coach Pat Bangasser said. For three years, the Wolves had the sweet scent of a championship in their noses, only to be denied. They finished second in 2011 and third in 2012. But the Wolves’ lineup this spring was stacked: There was Wang, a Yale University–bound senior; Weiss, a junior who orally committed last November to the University of Washington; and Sharp, who turned down scholarship offers from some California schools to pursue an engineering
degree at Gonzaga University in Spokane. “We knew going into it that this was going to be our year if we wanted to win,” Sharp said. A major factor working in Eastlake’s favor is its home course – the well-renowned Sahalee Country Club, which makes many other courses seem tame in comparison. Wang, Sharp and Weiss all have memberships there. “They’re dedicated; they play all winter,” Bangasser noted. “Some adults around here don’t touch a club from November through late March.” Sharp said he’s improved his See GOLF, Page 13 File photo
Will Sharp (at a match during the fall season) managed to stay focused at the state tournament and helped Eastlake to a team state title.
Quarterback battle, turnover are questions for Spartans By Neil Pierson
Offseason training is crucial for most high-school football programs, but it seems especially true for the Skyline Spartans considering their first-game opponent. Skyline will be trying to win its third straight Class 4A state title this fall, and in terms of preparing itself for the postseason, the Spartans couldn’t have picked a better in-state test for the opening week. They’ll face the defending 3A champion Bellevue Wolverines at the Emerald City Kickoff Classic, Sept. 7 at the refurbished Husky Stadium. “You’re playing a team that, in some publications, was the No. 1 team in the nation last year,” Skyline coach Mat Taylor said of Bellevue. “Unfortunately, we couldn’t play last year because of our schedule. … I think the common fan will want to come out and watch the game just because they get into the new Husky Stadium for 10 bucks.” Skyline hopes to repeat its prolific offensive performance of 2012 in which it averaged 51 points per game, but it’ll have to find ways to compensate for the graduation of several stars, most notably quarterback Max Browne (University of Southern California) and linebacker Peyton
Pelluer (Washington State). While Taylor believes it’s important for this year’s team to respect and protect the program’s traditions, they’ll also have to find their own path to success. “The bottom line is this team hasn’t done anything yet, just like last year’s team didn’t do anything (before the first game),” he said. The team is tight-lipped about its duel at quarterback. Returning senior Michael Cowin would’ve likely been the frontrunner, but he’s being challenged by the arrival of senior Kilton Anderson, a transfer from Naples (Fla.) High who threw for 1,288 yards and 17 touchdowns as a junior. “(They) will compete throughout team camp, and we’ll see when the time is right to name a starter,” Taylor said. “They’re both dual-threat guys,” said Sam Mix, a team captain and likely starter at receiver and safety. “Kilton moved in, and that kind of gives them the sense that the starting job isn’t anyone’s right now, and both of them get a nice sense of competition.” Skyline’s offense revolves around its passing game, but each of the top seven receivers on last year’s depth chart graduated. That puts the onus on guys like Mix, Grant Evans, Cole Blackburn and Blake Sypher. Derek Loville, a junior, might be the most likely
prospect for a breakout season. “I could see him being a potential (NCAA) Division I guy going into his senior year,” Taylor said. “He’s got all the tools. He’s very, very gifted.” While the Spartans’ offense often takes the plaudits for the program’s success, players like Blackburn are quick to point out the strengths of the defense. Blackburn got extended playing time early in the 2012 season because of injuries and suspensions, he said, and he figures to be a fixture at cornerback this year. “We really take pride in defense, always swarming to the ball … and always giving 100 percent effort,” he said. “We know if we’re out there and don’t hold other teams, we’re not going to win games.” The program lost four senior linebackers, but the junior class that backed them up could be just as strong, Taylor indicated. Drew Lunde, Collin Crisp, Grant Evans and Chandler Wong are all quick and athletic. Cameron Saffle, a junior, may also factor into the linebacker rotation, and he’ll be counted upon to shore up the offensive line. He played tight end as a sophomore, but the Spartans are moving him to left tackle. See FOOTBALL, Page 13
Photo by Neil Pierson
Skyline senior Michael Cowan will fight for the starting quarterback position at Skyline this year.