Language and cultural differences were bridged by volleyball, cheer and two sparkling personalities, when Emilee Crichton (left) and Iris Ryckaert met.
One of the best moments during volleyball’s Senior Night was the letter Emilee Crichton read to Iris Ryckaert.
Sweet and touching, the words captured the enduring friendship that has developed between Crichton, a Coupeville High School junior and co-captain of the Wolf JV squad, and Ryckaert, a foreign exchange student from Belgium. From different worlds, but brought together by time as spikers and as members of the CHS cheer squad, the pair became fast friends.
A friendly, outgoing student athlete, Crichton can also be seen waving her “Go Mandy!” sign for friend Amanda Fabrizi during varsity volleyball matches. Her support of her teammates and friends is no surprise, since she came to her sports through those same friends.
She started volleyball in eighth grade, then added cheer her freshman year, and now juggles the two. As the seasons change, she’ll continue forward as one of the key members of the winter cheer squad.
“I started playing volleyball because I saw all of my other friends did it and when I tried it I absolutely loved it,” Crichton said. “I like how intense and competitive a game can get but at the same time still having fun!
“I think my strengths are passing and hitting,” she added. “I am only a back row player, so passing is essential. I’ve played the libero position for two seasons and I’ve gotten much better at things I once thought I would never accomplish.”
As a member of Sylvia Arnold’s band of plucky cheerleaders, she, like most of her teammates, enjoys how her coach has been able to make it about more than just cheers and routines.
“With cheer, I enjoy the family presence of it all,” she added. “That everyone just has a lot of fun while being themselves!”
While bouncing between two sports in one season takes planning, Crichton said she wouldn’t have it any other way.
“Juggling cheer and volleyball was a tough thing to do at first, but once I knew that I couldn’t give up one, I figured out how to make the two schedules work,” Crichton said. “Now it is very easy.”
A strong student who cites Barbara Ballard’s College Prep English and Spanish 3 as her favorite classes, Crichton would like to eventually end up in a career where her people skills will pay off.
“After high school I plan to go to college and eventually get a type of job where I am helping people, such as a psychiatrist or something along the lines of that,” Crichton said.
And, regardless of where she goes or what she does with her life, she will always have one person in her life who champions her. A person who she can turn to for unconditional love and support.
“My mom (Vicki Crichton-Wells) has had a big impact on my life,” Crichton said. “She has always been there for me and has supported everything I have wanted to do.”
