Coupeville Sports

  Wolf fans (l to r) Katie Kiel, Emily Clay and Madeline Roberts do their pregame cheering exercises (John Fisken photos).

Brian Norris sprints away from his pursuer during a game of Duck Duck Goose.

“Dude, there’s got to be a vuvuzela horn in here somewhere…”

They will find a way.

There has been much chatter on both sides of the aisle this volleyball season about the Coupeville High School student cheering section.

Some hail the hard-core fans as the best thing in town. Others would just like them to be quiet.

So, there’s been some give-and-take, some back-and-forth, some I’ll-cross-that-line-and-then-maybe-this-one and a whole lot of I’ll-smack-you-with-a-ruler-if-you-do.

But as spiker season rolled to an end Tuesday night, there was at least an uneasy balance found.

No one got ejected, though Kyle Bodamer had to make the long walk back to the locker room after his wooden shoes were overruled.

To which I would say — what would the Dutch natives of Oak Harbor have thought about a piece of their heritage being denied if the match had been played up North?

For one night, however, that uneasy balance was found. The Wolf students were loud (at times), though not as rambunctious as in years and games past. School officials didn’t have too big of a migraine by the end of the night.

Where does it go from here?

Will a new group of students rebound next year and find their own vibe? Will they be celebrated for their chutzpah and creativity?

This week the Everett Herald posted a photo essay of Monroe football fans, giving great acclaim to the ones who dressed up in full costume.

Everything they do, Coupeville kids do better, but the Wolves are being silenced while the Bearcats are hailed for their “quirky” spirit.

Or will an entire generation truly vanish from the stands, driven away by what many older fans view as needless nitpicking?

I see both sides of the argument.

I get that school officials have to have some kind of control. That there has to be certain areas that are off limits when it comes to harassing the visiting team.

But I have yet to see a CHS student throw a rock at an opposing player. When I played tennis for Tumwater High School, that was how we were greeted every time we stepped into Aberdeen city limits.

The student section ebbs during basketball season (when it should do the opposite, since that’s the only sport in town then and should get increased attention), so we may have to wait for a new volleyball season to see where this battle for the soul of a school goes.

Only time will tell.