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Posts Tagged ‘retirement’

Falcon diamond guru retires

Posted in Baseball, tagged , , , , , on May 4, 2026| Leave a Comment »

South Whidbey High School baseball coach Tom Fallon (right) is retiring after a long, successful diamond career. (Shelli Trumbull photo)

It’s been a good run.

After decades of wearing a South Whidbey High School baseball uniform, first as a player than a coach, Tom Fallon delivers his final lineup card to the ump Monday afternoon.

The Falcons host Sultan in a 4:00 PM game, bringing their season to a close.

For Fallon, who graduated from the school in 1987, it also marks a time to reflect on a lifetime spent on the diamond.

“I would like to thank all of the coaches I’ve got to compete against or share the dugouts with,” he wrote on Facebook.

“All of the volunteers that have helped thru the years.

“The student athletes that have worked so hard to compete and learn and grow.

“The parents for supporting the kids and program.

“It’s truly been an amazing 42 years of being a Falcon player and coach. GO FALCONS!!! And tight lines and long drives.”

Fallon became a paid coach for SWHS in 2000 and jumped to head coach in 2013.

He was tabbed as the Cascade Conference Coach of the Year after his first and second seasons at the helm of the Falcons, with South Whidbey advancing to state in 2014.

Then, in 2015, Fallon led the Falcons to a 2nd place finish at the 1A state tourney, with his squad beating Seattle Christian, Cascade Christian, and Cashmere to advance to the championship game.

South Whidbey came up just short in that royal rumble, falling 6-4 to Hoquiam, but still brought home an impressive chunk of hardware.

Aong with being the high school coach in Langley, Fallon also coached American Legion teams in the summer which often included Coupeville players joining their South Whidbey rivals to thrash off-Island squads.

While the Falcons and Wolves have had an often-intense rivalry over the years in many sports, Fallon’s longest-tenured CHS counterpart, Willie Smith, speaks glowingly of his former dugout compatriot.

“Very good guy and coaches the right way!!” Smith said. “Tom has always been a coach that has held a high level of accountability and excellence at South Whidbey.

“I always looked forward to games with Tom because even though we were rivals I always felt mutual respect and believed that he did an excellent job of coaching the game the right way.

“He and I had, and still have, a good relationship, because we both enjoyed the competition but understood that it was a game, played by 15–18-year-old kids that hopefully enjoyed the game as much as we did.

“South Whidbey has been very fortunate to have a coach with Tom’s integrity, class, and high level of knowledge and I wish him nothing but the best as he moves forward.”

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“I’m grateful for every moment”

Posted in Not sports? Tough!, tagged , , , on February 24, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Deb Sherman hangs out with one of her grandkids at a basketball game a few years back. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

She came from the big city and built a vibrant life on the prairie where her husband’s family has lived for generations.

Along the way, Deb Sherman, who ran at the state cross country meet for Everett High School back in her Deb Dire days, has become forever linked to Coupeville.

This is where she and husband Don raised their three sons, this is where her countless grandchildren now frolic, this is where her kindness and joy have taken root.

When the school year ends, she is stepping away after 27 years of guiding Cow Town’s children, retiring from the teaching profession she has honored, and which has given her so much in return.

Not that she’s going away anytime soon, just that she won’t be in a classroom at the elementary school anymore, one of the best to ever do the job.

As she prepares for the transition, Mrs. Sherman offers a fervent farewell:

 

These years have been filled with moments I’ll carry with me forever.

I’ll never forget standing at a Coupeville parade a few years back, watching float after float go by filled with students in various sports and activities.

They were shouting, “Hello, Mrs. Sherman!” from every direction.

The woman standing next to me finally turned and asked, “Who are you?”

That’s when it hit me — in Coupeville, we teachers are rock stars.

At games, at community events, even in the grocery store, we’re recognized and valued in a way that’s rare and precious.

I will deeply miss that connection.

I’ll miss the kids who grew up before my eyes, the families who trusted me with their children, and the colleagues who became friends.

This community has given me far more than I could ever give back, and I’m grateful for every moment — the challenging ones that made me grow and the joyful ones that reminded me why I chose this profession.

Thank you for 27 years of support, laughter, and shared purpose.

While I’m ready for what comes next, leaving this small district family will be bittersweet.

With gratitude and warm regards,

Debra Sherman

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Camera clicker is gone, baby, gone

Posted in Everything changes, tagged , , , on April 22, 2025| Leave a Comment »

The older of these two guys is leaving the school sports photo biz. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

Diet Coke in hand, he’s hitting the road.

Photographer John Fisken, who has haunted Whidbey Island sporting events for the past two decades, is moving on to different pursuits.

“It’s been a fun ride, but time to end,” he said.

Fisken publicly confirmed Tuesday that he is retiring from sports photography at the end of April, taking to Facebook to offer a farewell.

“My original plan was to hang up my camera at the end of the 2025-2026 school year,” he said.

“Circumstances have changed, and except for the few commitments that I already have on my calendar, I’m retiring at the end of the month.”

Fisken expressed his thanks to those who have been along on his ride.

“It’s been a lot of fun, and being around the young people has helped keep me young,” he said.

“I’ve enjoyed watching the growth and success of various teams, as well as felt their pain over the past two decades.”

His website, JohnsPhotos.net, will remain active through the end of the year for those who want to continue to purchase prints

Meanwhile, he plans to dive deeper into researching his family history, then travel extensively once wife Diane retires from teaching in the Oak Harbor school district.

After graduating from Seattle’s Roosevelt High School in 1980, Fisken served in the US Navy for 24 years, landing on Whidbey in the early 2000’s.

After videotaping games with a camcorder early on, first in Hawaii, then Oak Harbor, he morphed into a photographer, following an interest which had first sprouted when he was in high school.

From covering Wildcat games, at the middle and high school level, Fisken later expanded to snapping pics in Coupeville, and, eventually, South Whidbey.

Fisken’s favorite football photo features Hunter Smith plunging into the end zone for a touchdown.

Fisken ran a blog, Oak Harbor Sports Report, from 2008-2016, and his photos have appeared frequently both on Coupeville Sports and in the Whidbey News-Times.

Along the way, he expanded his photo snapping to include parades, military ceremonies, graduations, dances, and breaking news, such as cars and trucks plowing through buildings and raging fires.

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Jamar Jenkins retires

Posted in Everything changes, tagged , , , , on January 26, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Jamar Jenkins (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

After a 20+ year run with Coupeville Schools, Jamar Jenkins is retiring.

That move is listed on the consent agenda for the Jan. 30 school board meeting and will be effective at the end of the school year.

Jenkins, who was originally hired as the Coupeville High School/Middle School music teacher and band director in 2003, has been teaching music at the elementary school this year.

He was placed on paid administrative leave last year, with district officials declining to offer more clarity at the time.

The secondary music program was then eliminated in a round of budget cuts.

Before becoming a teacher in Coupeville, Jenkins, a graduate of the University of Washington, compiled an extensive history as a professional musician.

He came up through the Seattle funk scene in the 1970’s and was one of the founders of the band Cold, Bold, and Together, originally known as Funk Experience.

That group, which later introduced the world to Kenny G, was together from 1971-1978 and opened for Canned Heat, Kool & the Gang, KC & the Sunshine Band, and Earth, Wind & Fire among others.

After band members opted to move on to different projects as disco swept the nation, Jenkins went to college, got married and fathered children, and moved into teaching music.

He had teaching stints in Tacoma and Los Angeles before moving to Whidbey Island, where his wife, Allenda, grew up in Oak Harbor.

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Law enforcement legend bows out

Posted in Not sports? Tough!, tagged , , , , on January 21, 2025| 2 Comments »

Darren Crownover, American Badass, closes out his law enforcement career with a dramatic animal rescue. (Photo property Island County Sheriff’s Department)

Out of the patrol car and on the school bus.

Capping a stellar career in law enforcement, Darren Crownover made his final “out of service” call Monday.

A Lieutenant with the Island County Sheriff’s Department, he and wife Kelly (a longtime 9-1-1 operator) had a huge positive impact on Whidbey Island and its occupants over the years.

They also were my traveling companions during daughter Veronica’s senior season of softball at Coupeville High School — a year that ended with a run to the state tourney.

Now, with Darren following Kelly into “retirement,” the couple are off to Texas, where Darren will be driving a school bus while (possibly) humming “bad boys, bad boys, whatcha gonna do when they come for you?”

I wish all the best to the entire Crownover family (which also includes son Nickolas) and not just because they bought me my weight in M & M’s.

Though that certainly didn’t hurt!!

 

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