Coupeville Sports

   I asked Luci Coleburn what photo she would like me to use with her story. She picked this one. My new favorite freshman, hands down.

Luci Coleburn is already my new favorite freshman.

She won’t officially walk the hallways at Coupeville High School as a ninth-grader until Sept. 6, but she’s already got this whole interview thing nailed cold.

Ask her what her favorite sport is, and Coleburn’s response?

“If I had to pick a favorite sport it would be binge watching Avatar: The Last Airbender. It takes skill, guys.”

And it goes from there, as Coleburn, reflecting on what she enjoyed as a middle school athlete — she played volleyball and basketball for CMS — firmly claims the title of Queen of the One-Liner.

“The support from the other players, because, even if you mess up, they can’t kick you off the team!”

As she moves up to the high school level, Coleburn is debating whether to stay with basketball, where she brings height to the floor, while having firm plans to pick up a racket in the spring.

“I think I’m set on playing tennis, actually,” she said. “Thanks Jakobi Baumann, your tennis ball to the face has inspired me!”

While she isn’t yet a seasoned pro on the courts, she should fit perfectly in Wolf coach Ken Stange’s tennis world, which always rolls out the welcome mat to the brilliant, the witty and the sardonic.

“I’ve never really played tennis before so I’ll have to figure out what my strengths are there,” Coleburn said. “But as for weaknesses, probably my lack of wanting to do anything. I’m lazy.”

Which keeps her role model hopping a bit. And she knows it.

“My dad. Even though he bosses me around to actually do sports instead of sitting and watching Supernatural all day, I know it’s out of love.”

While Coleburn is busy perfecting the Matthew McConaughey laid-back lifestyle, don’t think for a moment her brain isn’t going 10 million miles a minute.

A writer (her work has appeared here on Coupeville Sports), an artist and a highly-accomplished musician who often played with the high school band while still at CMS, she gets genuinely enthusiastic when the conversation turns to the arts.

“I fully intend to finish Ms. Dunleavy’s dare for me,” Coleburn said. “I’m working on ideas for said novel now, actually.

“I’m really looking forward to crafts and band!,” she added. “I like my art classes, you could say.

“But band is probably the most important one, as I’m actually an official member these coming years!”