ML’s Sandhop receives Gareth Giles Award

MOSES LAKE — Moses Lake Athletic Director Loren Sandhop was named a recipient of the Gareth Giles Award, an annual award given to a member of the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association’s Representative Assembly who embodies leadership and dedication to schools and athletes.

“It’s an honor, because when you look at the group of ADs that have been honored, it really shows a tremendous amount of time that they’ve devoted to kids,” Sandhop said. “This is like a career-long award. This is my 30th year, and 25th being an AD. Most ADs don’t make it (that long).”

Sandhop was given the award at last month’s Washington State Secondary Athletic Administrators Association Conference. Criteria for the award, according to the WIAA’s website, include a minimum of five years as a member of the WIAA’s Representative Assembly, WIAA Board, or special committee; demonstrated leadership in the WIAA’s legislative process; positive resolution in problem-solving and implementing WIAA rules into the schools of the district, among others.

“I’ve been on (the representative) assembly for 18 years, and you have to have been on representative assembly for five years, and somehow contributed to writing the rules,” Sandhop said. “I was also on the WIAA Executive Board for five years. I’ve been part of that tight-knit community.”

The Gareth Giles Award is named for a longtime athletic director and an original member of the representative assembly, Sandhop said.

“It was nice, I got honored with some really awesome guys,” Sandhop said. “It’s kind of humbling, because it’s not one of those things that you go seek out. When I got the call, I was like, ‘Really?’ Over the years, it’s just a lot of time and energy to be involved in the state board and the state committees.”

Sandhop is the third award winner from District 6.

Ian Bivona can be reached at ibivona@columbiabasinherald.com.