Nicole Laxton, the smile that never stopped. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)
Heart, above all else.
In the end, we appreciate talent, we respect it, we acknowledge it.
But we love heart.
I’m not going to tell you Nicole Laxton is the most talented athlete I have ever seen play. If I did, she would roll her eyes, shake her head and walk off, giggling.
But I will tell you she has as much heart, and radiates as much joy, as any Wolf I have ever written about. And that is the stone cold truth.
Nicole, a 2019 Coupeville High School grad who played four years of basketball and softball for the red and black, exists in a special place.
She, like Jae LeVine or Jared Helmstadter before her, approached every game, every practice, every road trip, as if it was a gift.
Nicole was the smile that never stopped.
Not even when she smacked her head on a sharp piece of wood jutting out of the back of the CHS softball dugout.
Not even when she was drilled for the 10,412th time by a wayward pitch, as she was the greatest ball magnet the sport has ever seen.
And not even when I would quietly holler “Charge the mound!!” after every time she collected another fastball to the thigh or ankle or quad.
“I can’t do that, don’t be silly!!,” Nicole would say, rolling her eyes at me, her smile covering the pain arcing through her body.
And then she would hobble down to first base, reassure CHS assistant coach Ron Wright she was just fine and dandy, and he should stop worrying so much, before stealing second, punctuating it with a ferocious flop/dive under the tag.
Nicole hit a couple big baskets on the hardwood and smacked a crucial hit or two as the Wolf softball team returned to state this spring, punching its ticket for the first time in five seasons.
But she wasn’t about the stats.
She was all about bouncing on the bag at second, covered head to toe in prairie dust, cheeks pink in the sun, shooting finger guns at the dugout while giggling as they roared for her steal.
She was about ending up on the basketball court, sprawled out, ball held in her arms like a vise, as she out-wrestled four rivals for possession of a rebound.
And she was about the road trips.
Giggling on the bus about wearing her grandma’s slippers with her softball uniform.
Hanging out on the ferry with her friends, and, occasionally, dishing “the tea” to gathered reporters in a hushed whisper, complete with side eye and arched eyebrow.
Athletes come and go, walking the hallways at CHS and occupying the courts, fields, and diamonds.
Then, one day, they’re gone, on to hopefully bigger and better things in their life.
While many blur together after awhile — even the talented ones — there are a select few who remain vibrant in our memories long after they take off the Wolf uniform for the final time.
Nicole is one of those select few.
Her life hasn’t always been the easiest, but she has endured and prospered, tackling every obstacle with an open heart and a welcoming smile.
Seeing her play was a treat. Knowing her in “real life,” even more so.
I will remember Nicole, of that I have no doubt.
Induction into the Coupeville Sports Hall o’ Fame arrives for a lot of reasons.
Talent, stats, titles, medals, they carry many into my mythical little hall of digital wonders.
But not all legends are built the same way.
Nicole, if she never recorded a hit, never sank a basket, would still be here. Her character, her spirit, her heart, is what assured her enshrinement.
After this, when you look at the top of the blog, under the Legends tab, you’ll find Miss Laxton right where she belongs.
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