Girls Tennis | Coupeville Sports

Archive for the ‘Girls Tennis’ Category

It’s only raining in your mind!!

Posted in Baseball, Boys Soccer, Girls Tennis, Golf, Softball, Track on February 16, 2013| Leave a Comment »

220 hours until Aaron Trumbull brings the heat… (Shelli Trumbull photos)

Nicole Becker unleashes her speedy feet…

and McKayla Bailey starts whippin’ frozen b-b’s at batters.

Ignore the weather outside.

We stand nine days (about 220 hours, give or take an hour) away from the start of spring sports in Coupeville.

Monday, Feb. 25 brings the first day of practice for baseball, softball, boys’ soccer, girls’ tennis, track and golf. Story lines abound.

Will a baseball team headed up by the players who won a state little league crown in 2010 make a run in the Cascade Conference and give ATM and the big boys a wedgie?

Will Maria Rockwell join McKayla Bailey to give the Wolf softball team a wicked one-two combo of flamethrowers?

Will Mendes‘ marauders return to state in soccer? Will any of Ken Stange’s netters emulate their male counterparts and go full-Etzell, diving on the cement court in pursuit of a loose ball?

How fast is Makana Stone? How hungry for redemption is Madison Tisa McPhee? Will Caleb Valko be goofing off and drop the shot put on his foot at any point this season?

And last, but certainly least, will the Fields family (senior Austin and sophomore Christine) scorch the field at the state golf meet once again? Christine was the 8th best golfer in 1A last year as a freshman, largely based on a great 2nd day.

Of course, as we gaze out into a muddy February morning at the moment, the only question that really resonates is — when will the rain go away?

Read Full Post »

Spring approaches … sort of!!

Posted in Baseball, Boys Soccer, Girls Tennis, Golf, Softball, Track on February 9, 2013| Leave a Comment »

“I stare into the abyss. I need a miracle to prove that spring approaches…”

“I got you, Messner! I’ll throw this ball out of winter…”

“And catch it in spring!!”

“Hot dang!!”

As you stare out into a gray, rainy February afternoon, the thought that baseball and softball and track and all the other spring sports will soon be upon us probably seems slightly ridiculous.

But it’s true. 16 days from now (Monday, Feb. 25 — the day after the Oscars), Wolf athletes will hit the great outdoors for the first day of practice.

Led by Paul Mendes (boys’ soccer), Willie Smith (baseball), Randy King (track), Ken Stange (girls’ tennis) and David and Amy King (softball), CHS athletes will head into a new season, full of promise and hope.

At the same time, Wolf golfers Austin and Christine Fields will pack their clubs in the family car and head South, as they will train and travel with South Whidbey, since Coupeville doesn’t have a links program.

Storylines abound.

Will Madison Tisa McPhee return to dominating in the hurdles? Just how fast is Makana Stone? Can the Fields return to the state meet (senior Austin has been twice, sophomore Christine is 1-for-1)? Will a baseball team led by the players who won a state title in little league make a splash at the high school level?

But, that’s why they play the games.

First home contest is a girls’ tennis match Wednesday, March 13, followed by baseball games Friday and Saturday, March 15-16.

Hopefully Whidbey will have rained itself out by then.

P.S. — I didn’t want to ruin the flow of the photos above with extra words. Picture #1 is by Shelli Trumbull, #3 by Chris Chan and #2 and #4 by John Fisken.

Read Full Post »

“Blood, sweat and tears is all it takes!!”

Posted in Cheer, Girls Tennis on December 5, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Jessica Painter

Painter (center) and fellow freshman cheerleaders celebrate at the end of a cheer camp. (Pam Headridge photo)

Jessica Painter has a challenge for you.

Want to be one of the foolish people to claim that cheer is not a sport? Then Painter would like to see you try and do what she and her Coupeville High School teammates accomplish every day at practice.

“Cheer is definitely a sport! We work just as hard as anyone else,” Painter said. “We literally put everything into it. I like to say ‘blood, sweat and tears is all it takes,’ and that is what we give.

“We defy gravity every time we put up a stunt. Unlike most sports, your timing is very important. If one person is off, the stunt is so difficult,” she added. “If they don’t think it’s a sport, why don’t they try it? If it was easy, everyone would do it.”

Painter, a freshman who also plans to turn out for drama and tennis this year, is one of four ninth-graders on a 14-woman Wolf winter cheer squad. After cheering for a bit at age 10, she returned to the sidelines this fall, when she was part of the football cheer team.

With her out-going personality, cheer seems a natural.

“I’ve always wanted to be a cheerleader,” Painter said. “My peppy attitude helps with my cheering. I’m very loud, so that ensures I’m heard. I’ve always had a ton of energy and I wanted to support my school.”

Like many cheerleaders before her, she has embraced, and been embraced in return, by the team-first philosophy promoted by CHS cheer coaches Sylvia Arnold and Cheridan Boyd Eck.

“I am so happy to be able to be a part of the team!,” Painter said. “I would have to say my favorite part of doing cheer would have to be having all the girls there for help and support. We are just family on the sidelines, but when no one can see, too.”

Along with going inside for basketball season, the Wolf cheerleaders will also tweak their routines, constantly adding new wrinkles that require a fair amount of practice time. While that comes with the sport, it’s the one area that Painter could probably live without.

“I love the stunting and the tumbling that is gonna be happening this basketball season,” she said. “I could definitely do without all the workouts during practice. For anyone who says it’s not a sport, I would love for them to give it a try.

“It is definitely hard, but worth it!”

A strong student as well, Painter singles out English (“Mr. (Ken) Stange is most definitely my favorite teacher. He makes class understandable and so much fun!”) and math (“I love figuring things out. The difficulty and amount of effort you put into it is totally worth it”) as her best classes.

Both at school and away, much of her life revolves around family, whether it’s her cheer one or the one waiting for her at home.

“I am definitely a family person. Family comes first before everything else. My family is my number one — home and cheer family,” Painter said. “I enjoy spending time with friends with the free time that I have. My friends make me laugh and smile all the time!

“My dad, Mike, has been a large part of my life. He has had a very large influence,” she added. “Without my wonderful, kind, supportive, loving mother, Cindi Lester, I wouldn’t be who I am. My mom is always there for me for advice and support. I really couldn’t ask for a better mommy than the one I have!”

Read Full Post »

Amanda d’Almeida is a wanted woman!!

Posted in Girls Soccer, Girls Tennis on October 15, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Amanda d’Almeida (far left) catches a brief moment of rest in her busy life, posing with her roommates during a college recruiting visit.

Amanda d’Almeida is committed.

The Coupeville High School senior has sacrificed her body, her time and a chance to be a three-sport star (she gave up basketball after eighth grade but remains a tennis ace in the spring) for the Wolves in pursuit of soccer excellence, traveling and playing with a series of elite club soccer squads.

After a stint with Northwest United in Burlington, d’Almeida stepped up to the highest club level in the state, playing with the Lynwood-based Northwest Nationals. That team, which plays tournaments in Oregon and California, qualified for US Club Nationals and played top teams from New York, New Jersey and Illinois, capping its run by thrashing the 7th ranked team in the nation.

Her play for the select squad has attracted substantial college interest in the Wolf midfielder. Plus, she got to see what the big-time was like.

“Almost all college recruiting comes from playing on select teams,” d’Almeida said. “It was a big sacrifice, as I had to give up winter basketball, which I really enjoyed in middle school. But, I loved soccer more and decided to make the sacrifice and drive twice a week to training.

“It was so cool to fly with my team and play a big national tournament.”

A top-level student, d’Almedia is opting to look at Division 3 schools. She wants a small liberal arts school, a place where she can enjoy “a college experience where the campus is the center of activity.”

She has visited Claremont and Scripps in California and Haverford in Pennsylvania, while having a list of other possibilities lined up and trying to sweet-talk her (Bowdoin, Bates, Carleton, Whitman, Willamette and Lewis & Clark). Going to a D3 school will enable her to have the academic experience she wants, while actually providing more financial help than a D1 scholarship might offer.

“All the schools I am looking at do not offer athletic scholarships, but they do offer different merit scholarships and financial aid,” d’Almedia said. “It’s funny, but my cousin plays D1 soccer for Gonzaga and is on scholarship there, but I actually am expecting more money from a D3 school.

“We learned that D1 schools often ‘split’ their scholarships, so it can end up being pretty expensive for even a recruited athlete,” she added.

In an interesting twist, d’Almeida’s impeccable academic credentials actually may mean more to college coaches than her remarkable skills on the pitch.

“As a teacher, I really foster the student-athlete in school,” said her dad, CHS girls’ soccer coach Dan d’Almeida. “One story I like to share was the first time Amanda was scouted by a college coach. After the game I went over to introduce myself while Amanda’s team was warming down. The very first words out of the coaches’ mouth were, “What is her GPA?”

“For many, many schools it is much easier for a coach to support a player AND for the player to get a good package if you have high grades,” he added. “So, what I’m saying is that there is usually MUCH MORE money for being a strong student in the class than for being a top athlete. Be BOTH and you will get admitted to a more selective school AND you will get a good aid package.”

And, while he admits he was a bit bummed his daughter chose to not follow in his footsteps by attending Cornell (not exactly the pits when it comes to academics), he understands her desire to seek out a small college.

While Amanda d’Almeida would like to play for the best team possible, she wants the complete college experience and will let her natural soccer ability help pay for her education, while not becoming consumed with an all-sports, all-the-time outlook.

“Soccer is definitely a second to my academics. I want to play soccer in college but I am not basing my decision on whether it is a winning team or not,” d’Almeida said. “All the colleges I am looking at I am being “recruited” for, so I know I will be able to play soccer.

“I look at the geographic location and first and foremost the academic opportunities and the rigor of the classes,” she added. “In the D3 world, coaches ‘support’ you and over the past summer several coaches presented my transcript and test scores to their admissions office. Fortunately, every school came back and said that I would be admitted, so I’m pretty lucky!”

D’Almeida is not sure what she wants to major in, but she does have a dream to one day take part in Doctors Without Borders. She participated in an orphanage mission to China this summer, along with CHS volleyball coach Toni Crebbin and her primary friendly competitor for the title of Best Wolf Female Athlete, Bessie Walstad, and was profoundly affected by the chance to make a difference for others.

She is considering pre-med (“I am inspired to become a doctor to help those in need.”) and completed an internship with Dr. Gabe Barrio in Oak Harbor earlier this year.

As she continues her whirlwind tour of colleges, interspersed with club and high school soccer, d’Almedia is riding the huge wave of joy that swept through Coupeville when the Wolf booters beat Sultan last week, snapping a season-long winless streak.

“I think that our team keeps improving every year. Although we have a large senior class, there is a lot of potential in the underclassmen,” d’Almeida said. “Several of them have club soccer experience, which is really important because this game takes so much skill and understanding to play well.

“With more time and experience I think they will really improve, which could eventually get us to winning multiple games!,” she added. “We work well as a team and we all really like each other, which I think has showed in our improvement as a team. We just need to believe and stay focused and we can win some games!”

With just a handful of games left in the regular season — and then hopefully a long playoff run — d’Almeida is in the stretch run of her impeccable high school soccer career. She plans to enjoy every moment.

“I would love to possibly make an All-Conference team this year but really I just want to make my last year memorable, work hard, have fun with it, and be a good captain to my team!,” she said.

And then she’ll go make a college coach very, very happy.

Read Full Post »

“No one ever brings you down and you’re always loved!”

Posted in Girls Tennis, Volleyball on October 14, 2012| Leave a Comment »

CHS cheerleader Holly Craggs and some guy with dimples that she likes to hang out with.

If you can look at this picture and not smile, there’s something wrong with you.

Holly Craggs is living the dream.

The irrepressible Coupeville High School senior, always a good tennis player, stumbled on the new love of her life when she finally gave in to friends and force-of-nature Wolf cheer coach Sylvia Arnold and picked up the pom poms for the first time this fall. Now, the only question is, why didn’t she do this before?

“I love it! All the girls on the squad are awesome and I definitely have the best coaches and captains,” Craggs said. “I never really thought of myself being a cheerleader, but now that I’m doing it, I really wish I could have done it my past years in high school.

“After the first open practice we had, I ended up falling in love with all of it,” she added. “None of the girls that tried out got cut, which I think is amazing. I’m so blessed to be on a team that is so accepting and loving towards everyone. No one ever brings you down and you’re always loved.”

Already part of two close families — the one at home and the one at the Coupeville Living Hope Foursquare church, she has found an equally welcoming group dressed in red and black.

“My girls and coaches are so uplifting and supportive. I’ve never once heard anyone say anything bad about the other,” Craggs said. “It’s just a great atmosphere to be a part of and we’re all determined to do our very best.

“Jai’Lysa (Hoskins) and Emily (Clay) are the perfect captains. They do such a great job making sure everyone is paying attention to our coach and giving ideas and suggestions to everyone,” she added. “Coach Syl and Coach Cheridan (Boyd-Eck) are amazing. Every practice we’re laughing and dancing and just having a great time with each other. I wouldn’t trade any of them for anything.”

Craggs, who has worked at Papa Murphy’s in Oak Harbor since she was a freshman and enjoys her yearbook and contemporary issues classes at school, has hopes of attending a Christan college. She would love to one day end up at Ecola Bible School in Cannon Beach, Oregon, but plans to spend the first year after graduation on Whidbey, working and raising money for her education.

While she doesn’t expect to participate in cheer past her high school days, she is marinating in every moment it has been offering her this year.

“With this year being my first and last year as a cheerleader, I just want to have fun with it,” Craggs said. “I’ve loved every moment of being a cheerleader and wish it would have lasted longer.“

And, like a lot of newcomers to the sport, she has come to realize just how much hard work goes into pulling off what looks like effortless routines on the sidelines.

“Almost every practice I’m sweating, because we’re making sure we’re getting our cheers and dances right,” Craggs said. “It’s not as easy as it looks.

“Coach Syl makes us work hard and wants us to look our best before we get out there to cheer for our boys in front of everyone,” she added. “Like any other sport, you need practice, determination, strength and motivation, which cheering definitely requires a lot of.”

When spring rolls around, the “Big Bang Theory” buff and die-hard fan of the “irresistible Justin Bieber“ will pick up her racket for a third season under the tutelage of girls’ tennis coach Ken Stange.

“I plan on going all out this year and playing harder than I’ve done in my past years,” Craggs said. “I’d really like to beat South Whidbey this year because they’ve always beaten us. But I plan on making this year different.”

Cheer. Tennis. A job she enjoys. A supportive family and church. A tight-knit group of friends who she goes on shopping sprees with. What more could a well-balanced young woman want?

Well, there is that guy in the #40 uniform, the one with the dimples.

When asked about who has helped her or influenced her, one name bubbles up quite easily.

“This is a little mooshy-gooshy/lovey-dovey, but one person comes to mind — Brett Arnold,” Craggs said. “He’s so supportive with everything I do and makes me want to do my better than my best. I love spending time with him and his bubbly, fun, loving family.

“Being able to talk to him about anything that happens in my life, and him being understanding about it, really makes me feel blessed to have such a supportive and caring friend,” she added. “Whenever I’m having a bad day he’s the one I go to first to help me turn it around and he usually does. I don’t think I could have asked for a better best friend.”