Wednesday, November 27, 2013 • Whidbey News-Times
adoptions CONTINUED FROM A1 “It’s been one of the hardest things we have ever done, but one of the best,” Knott said. Island County Superior Court Judge Alan Hancock, who presided over the adoptions, said there are approximately 400,000 children in the United States seeking permanent homes. He said that 48 million families have considered adoption or foster care, a far greater number than those approaching private adoption agencies. While the adoption process has been streamlined in recent years, Washington state still struggles to find enough foster and adop-
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tive parents. Hancock concluded his comments Friday with a plea: “We need foster parents in this country. “The system is far better than it was. We fight the good fight. But to the extent that you can, ask others to be a part of it,” he said. Myron Egbers, a foster home licenser with the state Department of Social and Health Services, said she agrees that, while the process has been streamlined, the requirements continue to get more stringent which may make it more difficult for some families to get certified. “A lot of families who want to do it, the process is a difficult one to get through,” Hancock said. “With our focus on child safety, it can be hard for parents to get certified.”
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For that reason, he said, the need for good, willing foster parents is great. Carole Stuart and her husband, David, adopted their 10-year-old granddaughter, Jasmine, during Friday’s proceedings. Stuart said the change was difficult in some ways for Jasmine, but that they are grateful for the support of teachers and counselors who have helped her through the process. “She has transitioned through a tough time,” Stuart said. “But she is a wonderful girl. She just needed a place to blossom.” Christina Urtasun, a foster care and adoption liaison for the Fostering Together Program, said it’s common for grandparents to step in and take over the care of grandchildren when the parents are unable, or unwilling, to provide for them.
Urtasun adopted her now 11-year-old daughter Anna eight years ago on National Adoption Day. Because Urtasun went through the process, she offers insight to help other prospective adoptive parents. “I feel like I understand the process and can relate to the frustrations and can celebrate the successes,” she said. “It can be intimidating.” “There are a lot of myths. I’m here to ease the uncertainty.” A parenting orientation class is set 4:307:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 11, at the state Department of Social and Health Services Oak Harbor office, 275 Pioneer Way, No. 310. For information about adopting, visit www. nationaladoptionday.org.
West CONTINUED FROM A1 friends and family. “I’m excited with the anticipation of it,” she said. “I haven’t seen anything but the teasers.” The filming ended midJuly, so both have been in a business as usual routine since then. Brian West also participates in rodeos and competes in tie-down roping. He grew up around the lifestyle. “I don’t know when I learned to rope, I just always have,” he said. Barbra West competed from 2003-2010 in barrel racing. During that time she became the 2009 Dodge National Circuit Finals Rodeo Champion, a Columbia River Circuit Final Champion and broke a world record for her 16.735 second timed run in 2007 at the Barrel Racers 4D Final 1D Championship. All titles she won with her horse Scottie Too Hottie, who she refers to as Scottie. She took a break from competing and retired Scottie. He had a tendon injury so they treated him with stem cell therapy so he could retire without any pain. “He was a great horse,” she said. “Great horses only come around once in a great while.” Scottie, who is now 20 years old, happily spends his days at their property. During her break from competition, she kept busy by training horses, and offering private training. Occasionally she and her husband participate at different group clinics, such as the Whidbey Wranglers. “I love trying to figure out what the horse and rider and need,” she said. “I like the problem solving and I enjoy it.” After a while the itch to compete came back to her. But to begin, a new team of horses would have to be trained. One of the first steps is seasoning the horse. Besides working with them at home, they also have to enter rodeos to show them different
arenas. “It takes them a while to show them what to do and help them get brave,” she said. “It’s really loud and there’s a lot of energy.” Every horse is different when adapting to the competitive environment, she said. “It’s all about knowing your horses,” she said. “They were at the right stage in their training and it was time to go out there and show them. I like training and I’m a strong competitor. That’s where I want to stay, that’s what I want to do.” She has a handful of horses she’s trained for competition and one she is excited about is Fuego, who she got from one of her best friends, Kristin Weaver-Brown. “She called me up and said,’I just had Scottie’s double,’” she said. And the 2-year-old Fuego does look like Scottie. He became part of the horse team she trains on a regular basis. “When you ride him, you can feel it and feel that talent,” she said. “You just know.” Weaver-Brown is also a top trainer and a rodeo veteran. “You need to have those people who show you how to win,” she said. Her husband is happy to see her competing again. He said she missed it and this opportunity helped her reach that goal. She was on the fence about doing the show, but he insisted she try it out. “Trying and failing is worse than not trying,” he said. He also knew she’d be kicking herself for not giving it a go. “He knew I’d be happier doing it,” she said. As for what happens after the show airs, both are excited for the future. “We’ll wait and see where it goes from here,” he said. If the series takes off, West said she hopes her husband can be a part of it. “I hope he can be more involved. I miss him when he’s at home or at a different rodeo,” she said.
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