Carolyn Lhamon, born to be a Hall o’ Famer. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)
Whoops.
In the crush of whacking out four stories a day, every day, sometimes I look up and discover I didn’t actually do something I thought I did.
Case in point — putting Carolyn Lhamon where she belongs, in the Coupeville Sports Hall o’ Fame.
Catherine’s lil’ sis, now a freshman tearing up things in college, both in the classroom and on the soccer pitch, is a slam dunk for my digital shrine.
She qualifies in every way.
Superb student? Check.
Entertaining off the field when she’s telling elaborate stories to keep fellow CHS softball fans from thinking about the fact they’re freezing during another balmy, windswept, rain-splattered “spring” afternoon?
Check and double check.
Being a kick-ass three-sport athlete, whose impact goes far beyond mere stats, a young woman who was a captain and team leader, an award-winner, a force of nature who was also forever graceful?
Check and triple check, and how the heck did I forget to give Carolyn her rightful due?
Cause I’m an idiot, apparently.
Carolyn is that rare student-athlete who already looked like a Hall o’ Famer in middle school, where she helped lead the CMS girls’ basketball team to an 8-0 record during her 8th grade campaign.
Jump forward to high school, and she had an immediate impact in every single one of her sports.
Born to play varsity, and only varsity, Carolyn was a two-way whirlwind on the soccer pitch, offering a nuclear-powered leg which could rattle the goal from far away, while also seemingly loving to thwart other team’s would-be shooters.
She scored seven goals, tied for 9th best in program history, but that stat is deceiving.
If Carolyn had focused on scoring, the number would have been much higher.
Instead, her touch with the ball, while deadly, was just a small fraction of what she brought to the game.
Enjoying her time on the pitch with Nezi Keiper. (Carlota Marcos Cabrillo photo)
As one half of a Wonder Twins combo with fellow Hall o’ Famer Nezi Keiper, Carolyn thumped people, made the smart pass, always knew where she needed to be, and was invaluable.
Scoring? It’s nice, but she was playing chess while others played checkers.
That carried over to the basketball court, where Carolyn once again provided scoring pop when it mattered most — she tallied 153 points — but was most valuable because of everything else she did.
Knifing her foes, one shot at a time. (Andrew Williams photo)
Need a rebound, and need her to outduel three rivals to get it? Done.
Need a smart pass, a well-set pick, a willingness to take the brunt of a charge, an artful use of her hip to send an opposing player crashing into the parking lot?
Done and done, each bruise telling the tale of another small battle won in the pursuit of helping Coupeville win the big wars.
Once “spring” broke, Carolyn headed outdoors for track and field, where she competed in shot put, discus, the 400, and all three relays across three seasons.
She was always game to try just about any event, and advanced to state four times, saving her best for last.
We have launch! (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)
Nailing a PR in the shot put as a senior, Carolyn claimed 4th place and brought home a medal to top off her long list of awards, certificates, and trophies.
Among those was being named the CHS Female Athlete of the Year as a junior and earning Salutatorian status as a senior.
So, in short, Carolyn, every step of the way, has been a Hall o’ Famer in waiting.
Not that she needs my nod of approval, as she demonstrates her awesomeness every day, in every way.
But today (finally!!) I’m officially catching up by inducting the youngest of the Lhamon supernovas into my Hall o’ Fame.
After this you’ll find Carolyn hanging out at the top of the blog, under the Legends tab, right next to her sister.
You know, right where she should have been this whole time!
Legendary. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)
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