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September 12, 2012

community

SAMMAMISH REVIEW

Artists, pilates instructor to help Athletes for Kids

By Lillian O’Rorke

What do a Pilates studio and a dozen area artists have in common?

Raising money for the local nonprofit, Athletes for Kids.

For two days, Sept. 15-16 Howling Dog Studio and the Creative Minds art collective are hosting an open house, art sale and raffle to help benefit the Sammamish-based organization that pairs high school athletes with younger children who have disabilities.

“I have a client whose child is active in Athletes for Kids and we just decided they were who we wanted to support,” said Nancy Brose, owner of Howling Dog Studio. She and Janet Gadallah, a Sammamish artist, are neighbors and wanted to hold an event to support an area organization. “I have just seen how much this client of mine, her daughter, has benefited.”

Brose added she is intrigued by the idea that high school athletes, who are already very busy, would actually chose to reach out and mentor a child who isn’t as lucky as they are.

“The concept behind it, I think, is great,” said Gadallah. “To give a child who has disabilities -- whether they be learning disabilities or physical disabilities -- to actually pair them with an able-bodied student that other kids look up to, the end result of

that is less bullying in schools. It enriches both of the kids.”

From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept.

15 and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. the following day, Brose is throwing open the doors to Howling Dog Studio to showcase art exhibits from more than 12 area artists.

Inside, as well as outside beneath the cover of tents, local glass workers, painters and more will have their creations on display and for sale.

Each artist is also contributing one piece of work to a large basket that will be raffled off at the end of the weekend. Raffle tickets cost $5 each or six for $20 with all proceeds going to Athletes for Kids. People who can’t attend the event can also buy raffle tickets online at www.innerstrengthpilates.biz and will be contacted if they win the drawing.

“Our primary costs for us are our staff,” said Athletes for Kids’ Executive Director, Teresa Bretl.

“Why is it important that we have paid staff? Because we are matching up high school mentors with kids with disabilities and we take that very seriously.”

The nonprofit has four parttime paid employees who all work from home. While it does not have the added cost of maintaining an office, Bretl explained that Athletes for Kids has other overhead costs like insurance, screening of prospective mentors and ongoing training.

Annually, the organization

Photo contributed by Teresa Bretl

Skyline mentors in the Athletes for Kids program lend a hand at the Issaquah Rotary Challenge Races in July. sets up and maintains about 100 mentorships, with nearly half of those children, explained Bretl, who lives in Sammamish.

“Ultimately, we’d like to grow,” she said. The program got its start at Skyline High School in 2002

and has now expanded to six other schools, including Eastlake, Eastside Catholic, Liberty and Issaquah high schools.

Bretl said that she’d like to expand even further to places like Bellevue, Kirkland and

Mount Si. Athletes for Kids has already been planning a benefit of its own, a fundraising breakfast at Bellevue’s Red Lion Hotel at See KIDS, Page 9

Eastlake grad publishes second book in his trilogy

By Lillian O’Rorke

As Justin Dennis packed his bags to return to college this fall he was breathing a little easier.

The 19-year-old had published his second book just days before.

“The Phoenix Glove” is part two of Dennis’s trilogy, “Through the Portal”. It follows the journey of two young men from Sammamish as they make their way through an alternate world, full of fire-breathing dragons, magic and war.

“I just started with a simple idea of two kids falling into another world...and then pieces kept falling into place,” Dennis said. “When I planned out the trilogy, I planned the first book to be for a younger audience but get more serious as they go along.”

Dennis’ journey into writing began when he had to do a 60-hour senior project at Eastlake High School. He had already written several short stories and decided to give it a go. Nine months after spending

Justin Dennis 10-20 hours a week of writing, Dennis finished the first book.

Facing rejection from traditional publishers, the teenager turned his work into an eBook online at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Smashwords.

“It’s demoralizing to get the rejection letter from all these different agents,” said Dennis, who emailed his manuscript to around 100 different people.

“I was like — there are a lot of other people who have made it by self publishing and I’ll give that a try.”

“Through the Portal” has sold about 400 copies.

While he was nicked in some reviews for grammatical errors and immature characters, Dennis also received kudos from fantasy bloggers.

“I know from my own writing that telling a story here on Earth can be difficult enough

— creating a whole new world with its topography, inhabitants, native creatures, etc. can be mind-boggling,” wrote Cege Smith, author of several spooky and paranormal romance novels, about Dennis’ work.

“I felt like the author handled this well and did a nice job of giving us the important details without going overboard.”

Now a sophomore at Whittier College in California and editor of the school newspaper, The Quaker Campus, Dennis is writing his third fantasy novel.

The outline he first put together

back in high school, he said, has changed a lot.

Aiming at an older audience with each new book in the trilogy, Dennis’ content in the books matures as well.

For example, book No. 2 broaches the topics of child abuse and sexual abuse.

“As I’ve gone along I’ve wanted to incorporate different things, values and morals…the plans that I had originally feel flat to me,” he explained, adding he has learned and changed a lot in the last two years. “As my characters grew up, I grew up too and so did the story line.”

Dennis’s second book “The Phoenix Glove” is available for download online at www.amazon.com, www.barnesandnoble. com and www.smashwords.com for $2.99.

Reporter Lillian O’Rorke can be reached at 392-6434, ext. 242 or ltucker@sammamishreview.com.

To comment on this story visit www.sammamishreview.com.

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sports

September 12, 2012

SAMMAMISH REVIEW

Defending state champs play to a tie

By Lillian O’Rorke

another notch to the belt.

Nine minutes in, Makenzie The Skyline girls soccer team Ware redirected a corner kick has a lot to prove this year. past the Panther’s goalkeeper The defending state champiAbby Rockwell. The junior ons have won the 4A title three midfielder for the Spartans got times in the last four years. They the final touch on the winning went undefeated in the 2010 play that was started by Leanna season and finished last year at Simms and helped along by 18-0-2.

Rachel Shim.

It’s a similar Skyline scored “We just need to dig story for Seattle again in the deeper to the last Prep’s girls soc33rd minute cer team. Coming after a foul on minute.” off of two consophomore for– Abbie Litka, secutive 3A state ward Amanda Midfielder – championships, Johnston led to a the players are successful penalranked second ty kick by Simms. among Washington’s 3A teams.

“We’re doing a fine job,” said So as an early-season test of Skyline’s junior midfielder Abbie their mettle, the two defending Litka. “We just need to dig deeper state champions came together to the last minute.” for a friendly match. And when The lead began to slip from the whistle was blown after the the Spartans when Lauren 90th minute ticked away Sept. 4, Hallgrimson, a senior at Seattle the two teams walked away still Prep, scored for the Panthers in on level ground – tied at 2-2. the 39th minute.

Skyline had the home advan“We knew they had good tage and for the first third of the throw-ins and good corners,” said game, it looked like it would add Litka. “We just needed to mark-

Photo by Lillian O’Rorke

Skyline’s senior forward Rachel Shim drills past Seattle Prep’s defense during the Sept. 4 game at Skyline Stadium. up better.”

The second half saw Skyline taking several plays to Seattle

Prep’s box. But in the end, the Spartans remained scoreless in the final 45 minutes.

“We were just unable to finish See SOCCER, Page 13

Eastlake shakes the jitters at pre-season volleyball jamboree

By Lillian O’Rorke

Photo by Lillian O’Rorke

Senior outside hitter Anna Gorman spikes the ball Sept. 4 in a jamboree match against Mercer Island.

The Eastlake volleyball team got a jumpstart for the season when it met six area teams for a friendly jamboree Sept. 4 at Issaquah High School.

“Everybody looked like they were just working things out,” said Janna Tonahill, who is in her third year of coaching the Eastlake Wolves. “It was just kind of everyone getting the jitters out and everybody highlighting what they’ve done well and what they can improve.”

Players, coaches and fans were in constant motion that evening as Eastlake, Newport, Mount Si, Mercer Island, Issaquah, Bellevue and Ballard shuffled around, challenging each of the other five teams to a single 25-point match.

The Wolves lost the first three games to Newport, 25-19, Mount Si, 25-8, and Mercer Island, 25-19.

Senior outside hitter Anna Gorman said Mount Si, which competes in the 3A KingCo conference, surprised her.

“It’s gotten us prepared for what we are going to face in the regular season,” she said. “It’s going to be tough.”

The evening turned around time in the back row but Tonahill for Eastlake in the fourth match explained that she used the jamwhen it bested Issaquah 25-20. boree as an opportunity to give Leading by two at 14-12, Gorman her players a chance at different stepped up to serve, sent the roles. ball hard across to the back left At the net, Hamilton made corner, sending the Wolves on a two kills against Bellevue, while five-point scoring run. The girls Woerner and Pellicano each held tight to the lead until the scored one. At 5-foot, 8-inches, very end.

Pellicano was “We did a “It’s gotten us prepared not as tall lot better at her oppofor what we are going to as defense,” said nents on the face in the regular Tonahill, adding other side of that controlling the net but season.” the tempo of the that didn’t – Anna Gorman, game made all stop her from the difference. also slamOutside hitter – “That and they ming the ball started to relax a down the left little bit since it was not the first side of the court for an earlier kill game anymore.” against Issaquah.

Eastlake went on to blow “It’s been tough. They are Bellevue out of the water with pretty good. A lot of them have a 25-7 win. The Wolves quickly height on me so I have to prove broke away from the initial 1-1 tie myself,” said Pellicano. with a 5-point run, lead by server Setting her up for the hits are Jordan Dahl, and reinforced by Caroline DeStefano and Christine the defending blocks of Angela Borges. “They are both solid setPellicano and Ellie Woerner, and ters. I can count on them to get also helped by Sydney Hamilton’s me a solid set no matter what digs. pass it is.”

As an outside hitter, Hamilton See VOLLEYBALL, Page 13 doesn’t usually spend too much