Sandy Tillman
Coach taught valuable lessons
I am writing this letter in regard to the character of Sandy Tillman. I have known Sandy for 25 years. I am also a 1991 graduate of Vashon High School and was coached by Sandy my four years at VHS.
Sandy taught us lessons in hard work, dedication, responsibility, self-respect and respect for each other. I give a lot of credit to Sandy for the confident, well-adjusted adult I am today. I don’t believe for a second that Sandy would say or do anything to the detriment of one of her players or anyone she comes in contact with, for that matter.
Will she make her players work hard? You bet! Will she hold them accountable for their actions? Yes! Would she belittle or intimidate anyone? NO!
Those who know Sandy know how much she loves coaching basketball and how much she cares for the girls she coaches. It is that love that drives her every year to organize the alumni game to keep the memory of one of her players alive and to have the opportunity to see her past players.
This year ask her past players about her. They will tell you the same things I have. Ask her past players how they think Sandy feels about them. They will tell you that they know Sandy loves them, not because she has told them, they just know.
Sandy taught me everything I know about basketball and a lot about life. It truly saddens me that there are young girls that wanted to play basketball but aren’t willing to dedicate themselves to it and put in the hard work their coaches expect.
I have a 10-year-old daughter, and I can only dream that she will have a mentor in her life like I had in Sandy.
Charon (Buxton) Sprague
Coyotes
Use good sense to keep pets safe
Coyotes do us a great service by controlling rodent populations and carrion. They are part of our normal ecosystems.
I was raised in big predator country. We never lost any animals to predators. This is because we practiced a few safety measures.
• Do not feed wildlife.
• Keep all pet food inside.
• Keep small or vulnerable animals near house and locked in at night.
• Cover all poultry housing. Also lay ground wire. (This also helps with predation by great horned owls. Hot wire also helps with gardens and deer.)
• Watch and listen.
• If you see small predators near your home, scare them away! And you can call us to help if you need to — 463-9113.
• Little children should not be in the woods or around livestock unsupervised.
• If you have livestock use good fencing and hot wire. Put bells on them or use sheep coats. All of the livestock deaths that have been brought to my attention have been pet dogs killing stock. One month ago I saw a woman letting her dog run deer for fun.
• In the country, loose, uncontrolled dogs are not tolerated. If your dog is off a leash he should be able to be stopped instantly with your voice. None of our sled dogs are allowed to run loose because I cannot stop them with my voice alone. But my sheep dogs can be allowed off leash as they can be stopped instantly on command. If you need help training your dog to obey off leash, call one of our local dog trainers. We have some great ones, and they are in the phone book.
• Garbage cans should be secure.
What we do affects our neighbors as well. And some of our neighbors are wildlife.
T Martino
Smoke alarms
Fire in furnace quickly put out
On the morning of Oct. 31, I woke up to a very acrid smell all over my house. While I was going room to room trying to find the source, my smoke alarm went off. I called for help on the phone (by the way, 411 doesn’t work!) and then the alarm went off again. I saw smoke for the first time. I went outside and heard the fire truck sirens. I think it was no more than 10 minutes before the first responder arrived. It turned out to be an electrical fire in my furnace that was quickly brought under control with no damage to my house.
I want to thank Mike Kirk and his crew. Their fast response saved my house. We are very fortunate to have living among us people who are willing to put their lives on the line to help their neighbors. I also want to thank my neighbor and good friend Susan Garlick who stayed with me until my family arrived.
Lastly, I would like to strongly recommend that everyone get a smoke alarm. They work!
Joy Grant
