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Archive for the ‘Hammer Time’ Category

Hunter Hammer, the biggest thing to happen to sports coverage on Whidbey ... ever.

Just a taste of Hunter Hammer. Bottom row, the early days with dad Mark (left) and mom Linda (right). Above, the modern day master at work.

It’s another busy day at Wolf Nation’s Birthday Center.

CHS junior golfer Christine Fields, a two-time state meet competitor, hits the big 1-7 today.

Also, highly-respected hoops guru Avis Mitchell, who has given the Wolves three basketball players in the last two years (sons Anthony Bergeron, Dante Mitchell and DeAndre Mitchell) celebrates her arrival on the planet.

But the fact remains, in terms of Coupeville High School sports, both are overshadowed by the six-foot-seven legend himself, the one true Page Hit King, the man, the myth … Hunter Hammer.

Many have come for his title, and a few have made some serious inroads — I’m looking at you, softball sensation McKayla “Photo Bomb Queen” Bailey.

But none have knocked him off his perch yet.

Hammer, whether rejecting shots by delusional basketball rivals who dared to drive into his paint or flinging shot puts into the great wide unknown, is now, always was, and will always be, a first-class athletic beast.

But what separates him from others is his love of the camera, his willingness to go that extra mile to deliver the kind of photos that bring me increased page hits.

Without his birth 21 years ago today, we probably wouldn’t be talking about coupevillesports.com now.

Cause, seriously, what reason would there be for us to exist if not to pay tribute to the king?

It is always Hammer Time around these parts, and no one has to tell us to stop to get us to honor him.

Hunter, you complete us. And now I need to go to another room, because I told myself I wouldn’t cry and…

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hunter3hunter1hunter4hunter2hunter6They come and they go.

Every season brings its breakout stars, its camera-lovers, its quote-droppers, its aspirants to the throne. But there is only one true Page Hit King.

It has been ever so, and will ever be.

Twenty years ago today Hunter Hammer popped into the world, possibly wearing a fake mustache and giving the thumbs up to anyone who had a camera in the delivery room, and it was over. The gold standard was set.

There are some serious players in the game. Caleb Valko is The Man this year. McKayla Bailey and Madeline Strasburg are gunnin’ for the title in years to come.

But face it. It will always be Hammer Time. Always.

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Internet, Hunter Hammer. Hunter Hammer, internet. You're welcome, Belgium.

You’re welcome, Belgium.

Hunter Hammer is The Man.

As a basketball player, the six-foot-six Tower O’ Pain terrorized anyone who dared enter the paint. As a thrower (shot put and discus), he made inanimate objects scream as he hurled them into the next county.

But nowhere does the former Coupeville High School stud have more impact than on the internet, where he is the one true Page Hit King. Put one of his photos online for the people, and the people respond.

And not just local people.

After a wave of readers came my way from Belgium, following a feature on Iris Ryckaert, a foreign exchange student who is a Wolf cheerleader and volleyball player, I posted a series of Hunter Hammer being Hunter Hammer photos, and got a staggering bunch of hits on the story from Belgium.

Apparently, Hunter translates into page hit gold in every language.

And why do I bring this all up? Well, I had to fill this space beneath the picture above. The one of Hunter being, as they say on the internet, The Cute.

Yeah, you’re not even reading this, are you? Fine, I’ll go shut up and let you marinate some more in the awesomeness of the Page Hit King…

P.S. — For those who have asked, he’s not the dad. He’s simply being the world’s tallest babysitter for a college track teammate.

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There are no words…

Hunter Hammer was put on this planet to make my job easier.

I swear, the offspring of Mark and Linda Hammer, and big bro of Hailey Hammer, is gold, pure gold for sports bloggers who want to get a lot of page views without having to do a lot of work.

He may not be playing basketball and throwing shot-put balls through the air for Coupeville High School anymore, but his photos are the gift that never stops giving.

Right after I wrote a feature on Iris Ryckaert, a foreign exchange student who is doubling up this winter as a Wolf cheerleader and volleyball player, I got a tremendous rush of page views from her home country of Belgium.

Shortly thereafter, I posted several pics of young Mr. Hammer — in one he was on a tricycle, in another modeling classy Christmas outfits, etc. — and noticed an odd trend. Belgium was crazy for Hammer Time, as they spiked the numbers on that article as well.

So, for Belgium. For basketball fans. For connoisseurs of fine photos everywhere. The one true Page Hit King … HUN-TER HAM-MER!!!!!!!!

God bless you and your shameless love of cameras, boy!

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