Posted in Girls Soccer on May 26, 2013| Leave a Comment »
(Nicole Miesle photos)
In our first installment, we feature the stars of tomorrow.
They may be young, but they’re learning fast, and, as their skill set develops, so will their determination and desire to be the best.
For now, it’s largely about having fun, but fear them in the future.
Posted in Boys Soccer, Girls Soccer on May 24, 2013| Leave a Comment »
Sometimes it’s not about the score.
For the hordes of Coupeville boys and girls from the Central Whidbey Soccer Club who hit the pitch Thursday afternoon, it was largely about having fun, maybe picking up a few skills, and definitely figuring out where the person with the camera was.
In there clicking away was ace photo whiz Pat Kelley, capturing the action and the side stories all at the same time.
Posted in Girls Soccer, GU18 Whidbey Islanders on May 22, 2013| Leave a Comment »
Micky LeVine
Julia Myers
Erin Rosenkranz
Julia Myers is back.
Having battled through knee surgery and an extensive rehab, the Coupeville High School sophomore is returning to the soccer pitch after missing an entire high school season.
One of 18 girls tabbed when the roster for the 2013/2014 edition of the GU18 Whidbey Islanders was named Tuesday night, she and her new teammates will have a busy year ahead of them.
The Islanders, coached by Sean LeVine and Scott Rosenkranz, play three summer tournaments.
After taking a break for the high school soccer season, they’ll return to practice in November for a season that runs December-March. That includes a State Cup tourney in January, which means the booters will be playing twice every weekend that month (while some are also doing double time with high school basketball).
“It is a BIG commitment,” LeVine said. “The skill level is good, but we will again be a young U18 team, as only two players are true U18 players and we have a couple as young as U15.”
The roster is truly an all-Island affair, with 10 players from Oak Harbor, six from Coupeville and two from South Whidbey.
The Electric 18, with asterisks next to the CHS players:
Zoe Bassett
Alyssa Cross
Jacki Ginnings (*)
Micky LeVine (*)
Selina Medina
Emily Miesle
Ayla Muller
Julia Myers (*)
Cassie Neil
Becca Pabona
Kenzie Perry
Erin Rosenkranz (*)
Jennifer Spark (*)
Vivien Valles
Kendra Warwick
Paige Waterman
Victoria Wellman (*)
Morgan Zylstra
Posted in Boys Soccer, Community Sports, Girls Soccer on May 17, 2013| Leave a Comment »
The next generation is coming.
Wearing a variety of eye-popping uniform choices, the young booters of Central Whidbey are taking to the soccer pitch in epic numbers, and who knows what they will produce.
Is one of them the next Jeremy Copenhaver or Amanda d’Almeida, or something even bigger?
Even if none of them ever end up making the big time in their chosen sport, they’ll be able to look back at some point and remember those early days when they played for orange slices and watermelon wedges.
And, thanks to the many photos reeled off by Pat Kelley and others, they’ll be able to see those moments in time, forever captured on film.
The photos above are but a miniscule amount of what can be found at the Central Whidbey Soccer Club’s Facebook page. For thousands (OK, maybe hundreds) more, head over to https://www.facebook.com/CentralWhidbeySoccerClub?fref=ts.
Posted in Boys Soccer, Community Sports, Girls Soccer, Whidbey's Best on May 16, 2013| Leave a Comment »
Jim Copenhaver and his Ciao soccer team. (Pat Kelley photos)
One of his many young pupils.
The master at work.
Part of the turnout for Copenhaver’s farewell photo.
Coupeville soccer came out to bid adieu to one of its leaders Thursday.
Little kids in their jerseys mingled with high school players, fans and parents as the community staged a farewell photo for Dr. Jim Copenhaver. By the time they were done, they had jammed the stands at Mickey Clark Field.
It’s not surprising since Copenhaver, who is moving himself, his wife Suzanne and children (including CHS star Jeremy) to New Hampshire to be closer to his wife’s family, has been the backbone of youth soccer in the community.
In between his duties as an emergency room physician, he has coached hundreds of young players with the Central Whidbey Soccer Club.
Tirelessly donating his time, not only to coach, but to do a bit of everything — down to mowing and lining the fields — he has been indispensable in the effort to built a love for soccer from the ground floor up in Coupeville.
And, while he’ll be missed by many, as seen by the turnout his farewell photo garnered, what he helped nurture here in town will continue to thrive. He helped get things going, and others will carry on his work after he departs.
Copenhaver’s legacy will continue to be seen every time a child kicks a soccer ball in Coupeville, and that’s not a bad legacy to leave behind.
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