Coupeville Sports

Jennie (Cross) Prince

The early days.

Jennie (Cross) Prince was a star in a different time.

The 1990 Coupeville High School grad, whose school records in the shot put and discus still stand untouched, lettered twelve times (four in basketball and volleyball, three in track and one in a brief freshman fling with softball) during a period when the Wolves truly believed they were going to kick the fannies of any opponent who stepped foot on their Island.

“I just remember every game/meet was the only one that existed, and we were all determined to die for it,” Prince said. “We physically pushed ourselves to the max every time we put that uniform on or set foot on the court for practices. I thought we wanted it more than any other team.”

Playing along side other talented athletes of the time, such as Sherry (Bonacci) Roberts, Sally (Biskovich) Wheeler and Kara (Harvey) Ford, Prince learned from two fondly remembered coaching giants, volleyball/basketball sage Phyllis Textor and track guru Guy “Doc” Whittaker.

“Ms. Textor always pushed us physically and mentally beyond what we thought we were capable of,” Prince said. “She taught us that we could achieve anything with hard work and instilled a fight in us that made us think we were unstoppable.

“Mr. Whittaker was amazing with the technique,” she added. “If you could master the technique of shot or discus, the strength was just an added bonus to get it a little further. Many VHS videos of Olympic throwers later I finally got it.”

That mix of technique and raw power  — which she also exhibited on the volleyball court (“I lived in terror of volleyball practice in high school. Bump – set – spike with Jennie and the evil grin she would get when it was her turn to spike!,” said former teammate Georgie Smith.) — carried her to a second-place finish at state her senior year.

And, with her name still on the big board in the CHS gym, it offers a chance for her son, sophomore football/basketball stud Carson Risner, to lord it over his classmates a bit.

“Still having the record is definitely fun for my son to brag about,” Prince said. “They’re not the most feminine of events, but I am surprised more girls don’t try it.

“I hope others remember me as a hard worker that loved to represent CHS.”

After graduation, Prince remained true to her work ethic, going to Skagit Valley Community College to get her nursing certificate, while working full-time and raising her young son as a single mother.

“Talk about pushing yourself,” she said. “I wanted him (Carson) to see that example and give him the life I thought he deserved.”

She married former classmate Tom Prince (the couple celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary this week), added a daughter and is now watching her own kids play, the way her parents once did. And she tries to keep a low profile in the stands.

“I try to let the coaches coach. I just push my kids at home in life and reassure them that they are what they put into themselves,” Prince said. “They will find their passions and I just encourage whatever they want as long as they give 110 percent.“

With both of her children inheriting one of the great legacies of CHS sports, branching from their mom out through her father, her siblings and her cousins, the Cross family reputation still flies proud.

“Sports was and still is a great lesson to all,” Prince said. “I think kids just need someone to show them how far they really can push themselves.

“The unstoppable attitude keeps you unafraid to do the unthinkable if you want to. Expecting more out of yourself than the next guy is what will make you a success,” she added. “My family made me who I am today. My dad and mom are both hard workers with a never fail attitude. Nothing can stop my family!”