NED HICKSON , SPORTS EDITOR
❘ 541-902-3523 ❘
SPORTS @ THESIUSLAWNEWS . COM
WEDNESDAY EDITION
❘ DECEMBER 2, 2015 ❘
SECTION B
Siuslaw News
Sports & Recreation
S PORTS
Calendar
Dec. 2
• MHS BOYS BB
AT
P OWERS
7 P . M .
Dec. 4
• SHS GIRLS BB
HOST
C OQUILLE
6 P . M .
• SHS BOYS BB
HOST
C OQUILLE
7:30 P . M .
Dec. 10
• MHS GIRLS BB
AT
B ROOKINGS
6 P . M .
Dec. 21
• WRESTLING
A T B AY C ITIES
TBD
NED HICKSON/SIUSLAW NEWS
New Siuslaw girls basketball head coach Clint Tatum watches as players run a new defensive move during practice Monday.
T IDE T ABLE
Entrance Siuslaw River
High Tide
Dec. 2
5:06am / 6.6
4:30am / 5.9
Dec. 3
5:58am / 6.6
5:41pm/ 5.5
N EW
COACH , NEW HOPES FOR
V IKS
Low Tide
B Y N ED H ICKSON
11:05am / 3.2
11:10pm / 1.2
12:16am / 3.0
Dec. 4
6:47am / 6.7
6:55am / 5.3
12:04am / 1.7
1:23pm / 2.6
Dec. 5
7:33am / 6.9
8:07pm / 5.3
12:59am / 2.2
2:21pm / 2.0
Dec. 6
8:14pm / 7.2
9:08pm / 5.5
1:52am / 2.5
3:09pm / 1.4
Dec. 7
8:53am / 7.4
10:01pm/ 5.8
2:41am / 2.7
3:51pm/ 0.9
Siuslaw News
W
hen previous coach Carl
Johnson announced he was
turning in his whistle at the
end of last season, players who
planned to return to the hardwood this
year began looking to Clint Tatum.
After nearly three years as the pro-
gram’s assistant, he was ready for the
opportunity to grab the Vikings’ helm.
“The girls sort of swayed me, but
the truth is I jumped at the chance
when the opportunity came my way,”
says Tatum, who has more than just an
interest in the program as its coach; as
husband of Siuslaw High School prin-
cipal Kerri Tatum and father to junior
team member and returner Destinie
Tatum, he also has a personal interest
in assuring its success.
It’s a combination that Tatum jug-
gles easily thanks to a low-key
approach and solid relationship he’s
already established with his team.
“Coming into this, the girls and I
“We are completely reformatting
the program to take advantage
of our strengths and build a new
foundation.”
— Clint Tatum, Viking girls head coach
knew and understood each other and
the expectations,” says Tatum.
That meant no wasted time trying to
establish a rapport and figuring each
other out, and more time getting to the
nuts and bolts of the new program — a
crucial advantage in a year that means
starting from scratch in terms of new
offense, defense and execution.
“We’re changing the way we do
things to match what we have,” says
Tatum. “We have several kids who are
coming here from either running or
volleyball. We have a lot of quickness,
which is a strength we’re going to use
to our advantage.
“You won’t see us running a half-
court defense very often.”
With only eight girls on the roster,
that means conditioning. And lots of it.
“We don’t have a lot of depth, so
we’re going to need to be in good
shape in order to run our offense and
defense the way we want to,” says
Tatum, who will be counting on his
key returners — Taylor Dotson, Claire
Waggoner, Sierra Potter and Destinie
Tatum — to push the ball and the
boundaries on the hardwood.
“We’re going to be an aggressive,
in-your-face kind of team, which we’ll
need to be in order to compete at the
level I think we’re capable of,” Tatum
says.
Coming off of what he called a
“great summer of basketball,” Tatum
says it’s tough losing several of those
players to club sports this winter.
“There’s an all-league team walking
the halls, and none of them are on the
roster this season,” Tatum says.
“Hopefully, with some success this
season we can turn that around next
year.”
Still, Tatum says he couldn’t be hap-
pier with what he’s seeing in practices,
and with the bond the players are
forming.
“Because we have a mix of experi-
enced and inexperienced, we rely on
our older girls to help teach the
See
TATUM 4B
Dec. 8
9:30pm / 7.7 3:26am / 2.9
10:47pm / 6.0 4:29pm / 0.4
S IUSLAW
IUSLAW
N EWS
148 Maple St.
Florence
541-997-3441
‘Discovery Series’ kicks off Saturday at Cape Perpetua
YACHATS — Dave Thompson was
a summer seasonal ranger in
California’s Redwoods National Park.
He lived an idyllic life in a trailer
within the park, where most evenings
he’d set out a chair to observe the bear,
elk and even mountain lions, which
frequented the property.
It was a peaceful co-existence until
the night Thompson found himself in
the middle of a hunt, standing between
a mountain lion and its prey.
Hear the harrowing story neither
Thompson nor his audience will for-
get, while learning facts about the life
and behavior of this secretive and
often-maligned creature.
Thompson, the Siuslaw National
Forest’s interpretive specialist, shares
his story at 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5, as
part of the Cape Perpetua Winter
Discovery Series at the Visitor Center,
three miles south of Yachats.
The Cape Perpetua Winter
Discovery Series is an opportunity to
explore topics and resources relevant
to the Oregon Coast during the off-
season months between November
and March.
All presentations and guided walks
are free, but a Northwest Forest Pass,
Oregon Coast Passport or $5 day-use
fee is required within to the Cape
Perpetua Scenic Area.
Upcoming Winter Discover Series
events will include:
• Dec. 19, at 2 p.m. — Old-Growth
Forest Hikes: Learn about the charac-
teristics and ecology of coastal old-
growth forests during ranger-led
hikes.
All ages and hiking abilities are
See
CAPE 4B
With Christmas just around the corner, try to remember those less
fortunate. There are many great clubs and service organizations that
help those in need- such as Soroptomist Christmas baskets, the toy
drive, SOS, and Helping Hands Coalition just to name a few.
Remember it doesn't always need to be cash donations but just
giving of your time can be even more fulfilling. This is a great and
generous community we live in and am proud to call it home.
Lynnette Wikstrom
Broker
Cell: 541.999.0786
lynnette@cbcoast.com
100 Hwy. 101, Florence, OR • 541.997.7777
“We’re next to the Bridge.”
COAST REAL ESTATE