Meet Jared Smith. Yep, that’s his name now. So much easier. (Shelli Trumbull photo)
From now on I’m calling him Jared Smith.
So much easier.
It appears, after all my wailing over athletic.net misspelling Jared Helmstadler’s name as Jared Helmstadter (see article right below this one) that it was they, and not everyone else, that was right in the first place.
Every one of the Coupeville High School boys’ tennis and basketball rosters that I have from this, his freshman year, are flat-out wrong.
There never was an L there to begin with and that comes straight from his mom.
So, it always been a TER, not a LER, and knowing is half the battle.
The other half of the battle is going back through this site and changing all the L’s for T’s. In 44 freakin’ articles.
And then I went and got Jared Helmstadler (right) his L back. Small victories. (Kerry Rosenkranz photo)
I made a difference.
It’s a small thing, but it was annoying the heck out of me.
All spring, when you went to get Coupeville High School track results from athletic.net, there it was. Wolf freshman Jared Helmstadler’s last name was misspelled, with the ending listed as TER and not LER.
Making my annoyance greater, the Whidbey News-Times, not knowing him and not having covered CHS JV basketball, while sitting next to his grandmother and large extended family, used that incorrect spelling when they would list him in track stories.
Then, one day, I noticed you could correspond with the stats geeks that fuel athletic.net and ask for corrections. If you could provide proof, they might even listen to you.
And they did!
Just in time for the track season to end (but he’s got three years left), Jared Helmstadter became the Jared Helmstadler he was born to be.
My work here is done.
Now if I just could have convinced people to not use the non-existent hyphen in Madison Tisa McPhee’s last name. That also annoyed the heck out of me, and I know for a fact, having asked Mad Dawg herself, that it’s NOT THERE AND NEVER WAS.
Danny Savalza and Kena Knott celebrate Coupeville beating South Whidbey this season and bringing The Bucket home.
Amanda d’Almeida gets tips from Wolf tennis guru Ken Stange during districts. (Dan d’Almeida photo)
Bessie Walstad (left), seen here with fellow senior Maria Rockwell, was a captain in all her sports. (John Fisken photo)
Drew Chan swingin’ for the cheap seats. (Shelli Trumbull photo)
It was a banner night for the seniors.
The Class of 2013 claimed all four major sports-related honors announced Thursday night by Coupeville High School Athletic Director Lori Stolee.
The memory of Danny Savalza and Amanda d’Almeida will live on in the hallway leading into the CHS gym, where their framed photos will join past winners of the school’s highest athletic honor, the Athlete of the Year.
d’Almeida was a three-time district doubles champ in tennis and made a great final run as a singles player this spring, while also leading the Wolf girls’ soccer team in the fall.
A 4.0 student, she has accepted a scholarship to play soccer at Carleton College in Minnesota.
Savalza played football and soccer, but his impact was also felt off the field. The leader of the Wolf student cheering section, he could rally an entire gym, clad in his (unwashed) thrift store dress and Bow Down hat.
Joining them in hauling away awards were Bessie Walstad and Drew Chan, who were selected for the Cliff Gillies Student Awards.
The honor, named for a longtime principal and executive director of the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association, go to student/athletes who combine “scholarship, citizenship and participation.”
Walstad was a team captain in volleyball, basketball and softball, while Chan performed the same duties in basketball and baseball.
Wolf coach Willie Smith showed up to watch his senior star play one final time. (Chris Chan photos)
Falcons and Wolves unite to kick butt, Whidbey-style, as Chan and South Whidbey’s Aaron Curfman share the field.
Chan at bat. (Willie Smith photo)
His last high school game was a gem.
Playing at a feeder game for the All-State series Thursday in Bellingham, Coupeville High School senior Drew Chan bashed a pair of hits and helped his team roll to a win.
Chan, a second baseman, laid down a beautiful bunt for his first hit, then smacked a line shot to left field for his final high school base knock.
His squad, which also included South Whidbey senior Aaron Curfman, won both games they played, 9-3 and 2-0. Chan played in the second game.
Thursday night Coupeville High School will hand out its Male and Female Athletes of the Year. A week later we’re gonna top ’em.
Over the next week, you, my fervent followers, are being called on to vote for the first-ever winner of the “Coupevillesports.com Athlete Supreme.”
To be eligible, you had to play for Coupeville High School in 2012-2013, and, after much heated debate (between me, myself and I, and yes, fisticuffs were involved…), here are your 12 candidates. But, just in case you think I’m a complete moron, I also am offering a 13th slot for write-ins.
So, think I was wrong to leave out Amanda d’Almeida, Madeline Strasburg, McKayla Bailey, Brett Arnold or someone else? Your voice can still be heard.
The winner will be announced Friday, June 7 at 10 AM. Why? I don’t know, it just sounds official that way.
The nominees:
Aaron Curtin — #1 player on tennis team. Key basketball player. All-Conference honorable mention as baseball pitcher.
Ben Etzell — Went to districts in tennis. Second leading scorer in basketball, despite missing a chunk of time at start and end of season. First Team All-Conference as a baseball pitcher.
Austin Fields — Medalist five times during golf season. Went to state for third straight season.
Christine Fields — Strong soccer player. Claimed 15th at state golf tourney, a year after finishing 8th as a freshman.
Hailey Hammer — Starter in volleyball, basketball and softball. First Team All-Conference for softball, Second Team for volleyball.
Breeanna Messner — School’s only four-sport athlete (volleyball, cheer, basketball, softball) and a star in all of them.
Makana Stone — Strong soccer player. Battled for team scoring title in basketball despite missing games with illness. Made her high school track debut by winning first 32 races. Broke school records in 200 and as part of two different relay teams. Finished 5th at state in 4 x 200. Named First Team All-Conference in four separate track events.
Nick Streubel — One of two best offensive linemen in league during football. Team’s leading scorer in basketball. Went to tri-districts as a track thrower.
Madison Tisa McPhee — Strong soccer player who battled injuries. Undefeated in 100 and 300 hurdles all the way up through two final postseason track meets. Broke school records in 300 hurdles and as part of 4 x 200 relay team. Only Wolf to win two medals at state track meet. First Team All-Conference in three events.
Jake Tumblin — Led football team in virtually every offensive category; led baseball team in steals while anchoring defense as catcher.
Caleb Valko — Team leader and captain in football and basketball. Threw shot put and discus in track. Gave great smack talk.
Bessie Walstad — Captain for all three of her sports (volleyball, basketball, softball). Leading scorer in basketball. Second Team All-Conference in volleyball.
Coupeville Sports 