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“Cheerleading isn’t just short skirts and big smiles!”

Posted in Cheer, Girls Tennis on September 1, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Amanda Foley in Australia

Do not attempt to tell Amanda Foley that cheer is not a sport.

The Coupeville High School junior has done it all — jazz band, drama, National Honor Society, hardcore video game player — and now that she has returned to the cheer squad after taking several years off after elementary school, she knows of what she speaks.

“In sports you go to practices, you learn different techniques, and you have to be strong at what you do,” Foley said. “Cheerleaders do all of that.

“We go to practices and have learned over thirty cheers, several dance routines, and we throw girls up in the air!,” she added. “Cheerleading isn’t just short skirts and big smiles; it’s hard work, and we deserve the right to be considered a sport too.

Foley, who also plans to turn out for tennis in the spring, has been so busy during her first two years at CHS she didn’t have time for cheer. But now, a promise she made with one of her close friends is paying off.

“During sophomore year my friend, Bella Cedillo, and I decided together that we were going to do cheer during our last two years of high school, and so far we love it!,” Foley said. “I enjoy being able to learn new routines and have fun with all of my cheer sisters.

“A couple things I like about our coaches, is how they are accepting of everyone and they are supportive of other sports and activities we do,” she added.

Foley has proven adept at juggling many interests at once. She has been actively involved in drama since the fifth grade, did four years of band and is on the ASB board for her class.

Toss in high-level classes (“I’m going to be in AP calculus and chemistry this year, so I’m looking forward to that”) and she’s a busy young woman.

In her free time, the self-proclaimed “nerd” enjoys playing Skyrim (“I have to say, I love my video games”), spending times with friends like Cedillo, Ciera St Onge and Marisa Etzell and being a devoted big sister to younger sibling Melanie.

She also enjoys the timeless movies of her childhood.

“A couple of my favorite movies are “Finding Nemo” and “The Lion King”,” Foley said. “I like others too, but the kid movies always seem to be the best.”

No matter where she goes and what she does, Foley will always have her family to rely on, and they have been instrumental in helping her grow.

“My family is probably my biggest support system,” Foley said. “Everyone encourages me to do what I want, and be good at it.

“The one who made the biggest impact on me, though, was my grandma,” she added. “She practically raised me for the first few years of my life and she taught me a good majority of my values.”

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“I want to bring excitement and spirit to people!!”

Posted in Cheer, Girls Basketball, Girls Tennis on September 1, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Robin Cedillo

Robin Cedillo has come home.

After taking several years off, the Coupeville High School freshman is returning to the world of cheerleading, making her a three-sport athlete as she moves up schools.

Also a basketball and tennis player, Cedillo started cheering when she was five and enjoys the chance it offers to support her fellow athletes.

“This will be my first year cheering in a long time,” she said. “I started because I wanted to bring excitement and spirit to people and the other kids who played sports.

“The thing about cheer that I enjoy is bringing the energy to the crowd,” Cedillo added.

In her spare time she enjoys singing and picks science as her favorite class.

But, as football season approaches (Coupeville hosts Bellevue Christian Friday, Sept. 6 in the season opener), she can be found hard at work prepping for the new season.

While CHS officials continue to classify cheer as an activity and not a sport, Cedillo and her teammates disprove that every day in practice, as they put in as much work and sweat (or more) than their counterparts on other Wolf teams.

“I would tell them that it is a sport,” Cedillo said. “We need a lot of strength for what we do, just like football or track.”

Away from cheer, her strength comes from her family.

Most of all, the woman who brought her into the world continues to play an important role in shaping her into the vibrant young woman she is becoming.

“My mom has had the most impact on me, because she didn’t just raise me, she taught me right from wrong and supports me in every activity I do or I plan to do,” Cedillo said. “She made me who I am because I believe that I can do anything and that I should do what I feel is right.”

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“God has deeply touched my heart!!”

Posted in Cheer, Girls Tennis, Whidbey's Best on July 14, 2013| 1 Comment »

Holly Craggs and some of her many fans. (Holly Craggs photos)

Brandon Kelley fires up his guitar.

Sophia Nilsen plays soccer with a young boy.

Ben Etzell, piggyback ride operator.

The king of the neighborhood.

Spreading love and joy.

Spreading love and hope was the goal.

A group of teenagers associated with the Living Hope Foursquare Church in Coupeville — many of them Coupeville High School athletes — recently went to Mexico on a missionary trip. For some, it was a transforming journey.

Led by Gretchen Thorn and Kat Dale, the group included Brett Arnold, Holly Craggs, Beaumann Davis, Brandon Kelly, Ben Etzell, Aaron Thorn, Kirsten Pelroy, Sylvia Hurlburt, Marisa Etzell, Shelby Hansen, Cameron Boyd Eck, Rosie Sawatzki and Sophia Nilsen.

The following is a first-hand account from Craggs, who was a cheerleader and tennis player for the Wolves prior to her graduation in June:

Going to Mexico literally changed my life. The things I did and saw were unforgettable.

This was my first time out of the country and I had no idea what God had in store for me and my friends. God is good and he did amazing things in all of our lives during our time there.

One of the biggest things that touched my heart was visiting a rehab house for teenage girls. All the girls on our mission team were able to meet the girls that were living there, and they were all there for different reasons.

I was able to share my testimony to them, along with two other girls, and tell them about the things God has done in my life.

One of the girls, who spoke English very well, was able to respond and relate to my story, which really touched my heart. Some of them were asking questions and telling their stories to us and we were all able to give them answers and advice about God which opened most of the girls hearts.

After spending time with them, four of the girls had accepted Christ into their lives.

There is no greater feeling in the world than knowing you’ve made such an important impact on someone’s life like that, at least for me. Which is something God has deeply touched my heart about.

This year I graduated from high school with no huge plan in my life. My plan was to work for a year, then attend Ecola Bible College for a year and that was it.

I was still praying and waiting to see what God was calling me to do.

When we went to Mexico, we met Johnathon Dobernecki, who told us about his testimony and the amazing things God had done for him as he was growing up and all the mission trips that he went on.

While I was listening, I was starting to get this feeling I’ve never had before and I didn’t know what it was about. I just knew I felt a little strange and wasn’t sure how to handle it.

So after Johnathon gave his testimony, he grabbed his guitar and started singing “Set a Fire” and the lyrics to that go “No place I would rather be, than here in your love. Start a fire in my soul, that I can’t contain and I can’t control. I want more of you God, I want more of you.”

I didn’t sing it, I was just listening and praying; it opened my heart.

So God came into my heart and told me what I was feeling. I felt in my heart that he said “I love you and I know you love me. Go tell others about our love.”

I knew he was telling me to be a missionary.

I trust God with all my heart and if this is what he wants me to do, then I’m going to do it for him.

I finally know what I’m supposed to do for the rest of my life and this is it. I have never been so excited to live my life and do what God wants me to do. God has touched my heart in so many ways that I can’t describe.

So bible college is where I’m headed after Ecola. I’m ready for God to be my main drive and total focus for the rest of my life.

Things will never be the same for me because of God’s love for me and what he wants me to do.

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Dance, Stange, dance (it’s your birthday)!!

Posted in Boys Tennis, Girls Tennis, Happy birthday on July 13, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Ken Stange: “These hips don’t lie!”

Barefoot Zen master of the grass court.

“I’ve made a huge mistake.”

July 13 was a busy day in the delivery room.

At least four people with a direct connection to Coupeville High School sports entered the world on this day, in different years. From the recently graduated Britnie Korzan to former Wolf hoops stud “Fast” Eddie Fasolo and football/baseball mom Shannon Tumblin, cake and well wishes are everywhere.

The headliner, however, is the man, the myth, the barefoot tennis-playing legend himself, CHS tennis coach Ken Stange.

The sage of the hard court is timeless, regardless of what the calendar says. The back may creak a bit more than in the old days, but he’ll still kick your fanny on the court, then let you hear about it.

Then, of course, he’ll dance.

Why? Because he’s Ken Stange, and he can.

Dance on, net man. Dance on.

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“Loving Jesus and loving people! That’s what my future looks like!!”

Posted in Girls Tennis, Volleyball, Where are they now?, Whidbey's Best, tagged Biola University, CHS Wolves, Mindy Horr, tennis, volleyball on June 28, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Mindy Horr

Mindy and part of her extensive fan club.

Makin’ magic in Korea.

They don’t come much more talented than Mindy Horr.

A truly standout athlete at Coupeville High School, the 2005 grad was a four-year star in volleyball and tennis, claiming second at state in doubles with Taniel (Lamb) Proctor as a senior.

But it’s been the eight years since that moment in which she has shone at her brightest, taking a message of hope and love literally around the world.

Always on the move, her mega-watt smile and graceful heart lighting up the world around her, Horr is changing the world, one student at a time.

After graduating from Biola University in Southern California with a BA in English and a minor in Biblical studies (appropriate since her father, Cliff Horr, is a pastor), she has traveled the world.

Along the way, she found her calling, teaching English in South Korea.

Recently she made the jump to Director of Marketing and Admissions Supervisor with the company which brought her to Korea — Adventure Teaching — but, regardless of what position she holds, her joy in helping others spills out on a daily basis.

“I love what I do, and I still think teaching English in Korea is one of the coolest opportunities around!,” Horr said.

“As my life has turned out very different from what I imagined back at graduation in 2005, I don’t tend to make extensive future plans,” she added. “I never would’ve guessed where I am today, and I like the unpredictability of it.

“Loving Jesus and loving people. That’s what my future looks like.”

She still finds time to stay active, enjoying the sports she dominated in as a high school athlete.

“I still get out and play tennis and volleyball whenever I get the chance,” Horr said. “Shortly after moving to Portland in January with my sister Bethany, we made sure to find the nearest tennis courts, and hope for sunny days.

“My volleyball has changed from hard court to sand, which presents a whole new set of skills to learn,” she added. “But I play whenever I get the chance!”

As a Wolf, she learned her tennis game from her father, who guided the CHS team for many years.

“Tennis has been a life-long love of mine, and getting to play for Coupeville with my dad as coach seemed pretty natural, seeing as he’d been my coach my whole life,” Horr said. “I learned a lot about the importance of consistency and attitude – though I have to say, some of the lessons weren’t that fun to learn. You can definitely beat yourself in tennis.

“I think the final game where Taniel and I won at Quad-Districts to make it to state was a really incredible feeling,” she added. “We had worked so hard over the last four years to get to that point. It was definitely worth it.”

As a setter for Toni Crebbin’s Wolf volleyball squads, Horr was part of a golden era for female athletes in Coupeville. One which included the young woman who is replacing Crebbin at the helm of the program this year.

“That final year of volleyball was a highlight – we had a great team and a lot of fun,” Horr said. “Coach Crebbin pushed us, but made sure we still enjoyed playing. Losing at state was disappointing, but I look back on my time playing volleyball for Coupeville as some of the best memories of high school.

“Super proud (and also slightly jealous) of Kirsty Croghan, who is joining the long line of amazing Coupeville volleyball coaches – up there with Crebbin and (Kim) Meche.”

Wherever her life takes her, and for Horr, that can change at a moment’s notice, the lessons and skills learned while wearing the red and black help guide her through adult life.

“Lessons from sports have shaped the way I look at life, for sure,” Horr said. “In high school, each game was everything – we put our hearts into those seasons. That’s what life should look like – you leave it all on the court.

“My advice for current athletes at Coupeville is to enjoy it,” she added. “It will end, and you’ll move on to other fun adventures. But this time at Coupeville, being a part of something small but great – you’ll never have a time quite like this again.”

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