Coupeville Sports

Hailey Erbe

The Whidbey Islanders GU18 select soccer squad, which brings together players from all three Island high schools, returns to action in December. This is one in a series of articles on the girls who proudly wear the jersey.

Hailey Erbe enjoys just about everything associated with soccer.

Ask the Oak Harbor High School senior for her favorite things about the beautiful game, and she can reel off a whole list for you, no problem.

“I enjoy being a part of a team, and working hard, traveling, getting ready for games, having fun with your teammates, and winning!,” Erbe exclaimed.

It’s a life she came to early, first picking up the sport as a five-year-old. She originally played with her local YMCA, before joining her friend’s team, the Ladybugs, in third grade.

After a brief break, she came back to soccer in eighth grade, playing for her junior high team. After that came the combo of high school and select soccer.

A talented player, even if she underplays her skills (“Hmm … I honestly don’t know what my strengths are yet”) Erbe bounces from position to position, filling in wherever her coaches need her.

“I can play any position,” she said. “But I’m not very good at midfield … yet.”

A big fan of sports in general (PE is her favorite class), Erbe continues to work on fine-tuning her game on the pitch.

“I would like to work on my speed, my aggressiveness, and my position(s),” she said.

Off the field, Erbe draws support from her family (“My parents have been a BIG inspiration. Without them I wouldn’t be doing the things I do”) and, like most teens, can do a thousand different things all at once.

“Outside of school and sports, my interests include hanging out with friends and family, shopping, going on trips, vacations, sleeping, texting and watching my favorite movie, “Scarface!”