Coupeville Sports

Left to right, Aiden, Maggie, Jon and Jodi Crimmins.

“A bear going after pic-a-nic baskets in my park? No sir!!”

Forever a legend.

I have a splitting headache today.

The why and how is not important. I mean, it’s possible I ate something I knew was 99.3% likely to give me a migraine, but that would be stupid and when was the last time I was called stupid and … fine, I guess it’s possible … probable … oh, shut up.

But in the midst of the little men with their jackhammers assaulting my frontal lobe, a ray of sunshine shot through the pouring rain outside and brightened the world. It was the realization that all was well in the world of Wolf sports once again.

After daring to tempt the fates themselves by living, working and sending their children to schools on South Whidbey, revered former Coupeville High School athletes Jon and Jodi (Christensen) Crimmins have finally accepted reality and returned to the fertile soils of their youth.

The legend decreed that the spawn of a Crimmins/Christensen union, born of a man who once was a laid-back tennis ace and a woman who was an elbow-flingin’ basketball wild child, must only wear the black and red. The blue of a Langley uniform may be fine for some, but not for the chosen ones.

And now, with park ranger dad and school teacher mom having accepted fate and moved down the Island, their kids (Aiden and Maggie) can once again walk the same hallways where their parents-to-be once lounged, casting googly-eyes at each other in between classes.

Aiden is playing basketball for the Coupeville Middle School 8th grade team, and Maggie, after a brief dalliance with the dark side in which she wore the volleyball uniform of a South Ender (ag-o-neeeee for Wolf diehards!!) can now lay claim to her mom’s legend. And what a legend it is.

There was never a nicer person off the court, or more of a hellion on the court than young Jodi Christensen. One walking, talking, gum-popping black ‘n blue bruise, she threw herself with wild abandon after loose balls, crashing into bleachers, wiping out any teammate who dared to get between her and a rebound (poor Marlys West is probably still flinching) and thoroughly freaking out her opponents, who wondered where that nice girl with the pleasant smile had gone.

Other Wolves have scored more than Jodi. Other Wolves have had more natural talent. But no one has ever played the game as hard as the angel with hellfire coming out of her elbows.

If Maggie is 3% of the hard-charging force of nature her mom was, Coupeville coaches and fans are set. The good times (and possibly heads) will roll.

Party on, Wolf Nation. Party on.