Coupeville Sports

No more endless bus rides to Forks for Kyle Nelson. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

After 15 seasons, two teams, an estimated 100+ bus rides, not to mention a few ferry trips, Kyle Nelson has reached his limit.

The Coupeville High School girls’ soccer coach is stepping down from the position, following on the heels of the recent announcement Wolf cross country guru Paige Spangler is moving to the East Coast.

Nelson is not planning to leave town, or his job as a CHS teacher, but the father of former Wolf booters Loren and William decided this was a good time to step away from his pitch duties.

After stepping in to cover for current Coupeville boys’ soccer coach Robert Wood at a three-team tiebreaker Saturday in Oak Harbor, he pondered the upcoming change.

“My wife would like to see more of me,” Nelson said. “I’ll still show up at some games and make that transition to just being a fan.

“If every game was played in 65-degree weather, and all the road trips didn’t go any further than Oak Harbor, maybe I’d hang on,” he added with a smile.

“But that’s not going to happen, so…”

Nelson, who previously coached swim in Seattle, joined the Coupeville boys soccer program as an assistant to Paul Mendes, serving two seasons in that capacity.

When the former Seattle Sounder retired, his right-hand man inherited the head coaching job, later making it a two-fer when he also took over the Wolf girls’ program.

Nelson led both programs until Coupeville moved from 1A to 2B, where boys’ and girls’ soccer play in the same season.

In all, he coached nine seasons with the CHS boys, seven as head coach, and six with the girls.