Coupeville Sports

   Kylie Van Velkinburgh (right) gets all up in the ball-handlers grill. (John Fisken photos)

Using her long reach to pull in a throw at first.

The future is now. Stop by Coupeville Middle School and meet the next generation of Wolf stars before they make the jump to high school.

Kylie Van Velkinburgh is the next link in a family with a strong athletic tradition.

Dad Dustin was a multi-sport star during his time as a Wolf and now dispenses wisdom as a coach, while mom Jessica was a national-level gymnast back in the day.

And hot on Kylie’s heels are three younger siblings who all are already well ahead of the athletic curve for their ages.

But, in this moment, as she wraps up the final days of 7th grade and plays for the Central Whidbey Little League juniors softball squad, she is the Van Velkinburgh getting the most buzz.

Tall and graceful, Kylie is an athlete for all seasons, playing volleyball, basketball and softball. Though she might switch it up a bit once she hits high school.

“I plan to stay with all of these, but I might want to try cheer at one point of course,” Van Velkinburgh said. “For football (season), because I would rather give up volleyball than basketball.

“Basketball is and always has been my favorite sport, because I’ve been playing since before I can remember and it’s how I’ve made most of my friends and one of the biggest reasons I’m so close to my dad.”

Having fun with her teammates has always been a big draw, regardless of the sport.

“What I enjoy most about being an athlete is spending time with my team and becoming a family while creating amazingly strong bonds,” Van Velkinburgh said.

“I don’t have many physical strengths as an athlete, but I feel that I work great with a team and I love to help and work with other people.”

When she’s not on the field or court, Van Velkinburgh enjoys hanging out with friends, and, like a good coach’s daughter, knows hard work is what will carry her to future success.

“My goals for high school sports are to be a strong player that gets well-earned playing time!”