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Archive for the ‘Hands Off My Willie’ Category

“The response from the community was unbelievable”

Posted in Hands Off My Willie, tagged , , , , on May 17, 2023| 1 Comment »

Meet the new boss, same as the old boss. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

He’s back, though he never really left the office.

After much public discussion of possible budget cuts in Coupeville Schools, one wildly unpopular suggestion has been removed from consideration.

Willie Smith will return as high school/middle school athletic director for the 2023-2024 school year, and his job duties will not be added to the workload of an assistant principal.

Instead, the man who has led Wolf athletics to sustained success both on the field and in the classroom, while also operating as Northwest 2B/1B League President, remains in charge.

Smith and school officials agreed to trim his prep periods from three to two, which saves the district money while not compromising a well-oiled machine.

As things settle back into place, the man with the plan ignored his always madly pinging phone for a moment or two to offer some thoughts.

 

A myriad of thank you’s are in order from me for all of the support, positive comments, and work that went into the district finding a way to bring me back to the athletic director position.

First and foremost, a great big thank you to you, David.

Not just for the article, or the title, but for the commitment that you’ve shown in the promotion of our school, athletes, coaches, and community.

You are constantly seeking ways to highlight all of our kids and programs, whether it be an athletic program, community program, or activities.

The pride you have for Coupeville shines through in each and every article and I know that our kids and community walk a little prouder each time you publish something.

Secondly, the response from the community for me was unbelievable.

Oftentimes, the role of an educator goes unnoticed and we don’t always get to see the impacts that we have made until years down the road.

The recognition that the Coupeville community had for me in recognizing the work of our coaches, student-athletes and all the moving parts of our athletic department was amazing.

While I may be the head of the athletic department, I am only as good as the people surrounding me, and it is as much of a testament to their work, dedication, and commitment to our vision that makes our athletic program so successful as it is.

Third, the support of my fellow athletic directors, both in their public statements as well as the conversations that they had with me in private.

It provided such a validation that the work we do as a collective to promote athletic excellence among each of our schools and leagues is so worth it, and I’m very excited to continue to be a part of that process.

My coaching staff is without a doubt, the best!

They are tireless workers and advocates for our kids and each other and were so incredibly positive throughout this entire process.

They were ready and willing to go the distance with me and fight for the programs which they have helped to build.

It truly is a testament to each and every one of them to see the accomplishments that our students have had throughout the years as well as the respect that all of our programs have throughout our league, district and state.

They are truly a remarkable group!

Thank you to our school staff, many of you spoke to me throughout this process offering encouragement and support.

Like so many other parts of the athletic department, your dedication to our students and support of all of our programs, athletic and otherwise, has helped build our school into a positive and successful one.

Lastly, I would like to thank our administration as they worked to find a solution that was amenable to our current budget as well as provide a way for me to continue in this position.

This will allow us to continue to build on the successes of our programs to make Coupeville, not just the gem of the Isle, but all of Washington.

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He’s still standing

Posted in Hands Off My Willie, tagged , , , , on May 15, 2023| 1 Comment »

The man abides. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

He’s not going anywhere. Not just yet.

Amidst a swirl of possible budget cuts as area schools deal with financial shortfalls, one proposal — to remove Willie Smith as Coupeville High School/Middle School Athletic Director and hand his duties to an assistant principal — has been discarded.

In an email sent out Monday, Coupeville Schools Superintendent Steve King said things have changed in the past two weeks.

After learning about the most recent teacher resignation and with our current Athletic Director, Willie Smith, being willing to serve as AD with one less release or prep period, we are excited to announce that Mr. Smith will continue as our 2023-2024 athletic director.

Release or prep periods have the most significant financial implication for our current model, as a secondary teacher’s teaching period costs approximately $11,000 – $20,000, depending on the teacher’s experience level.

We are thankful that Mr. Smith is willing to continue his work as AD with two release periods instead of three.

Smith, who is the President of the Northwest 2B/1B League, has been a teacher, coach, and AD — for varying lengths of time — since arriving in Coupeville from the wilds of Sequim in the mid ’90s.

Under his leadership, the 2022-2023 school year has been one of the strongest in school history for Wolf athletics.

Every high school team, varsity and JV, earned a team GPA of 3.1 or better, with three sports — girls’ cross country, boys’ track, and girls’ tennis — winning state academic titles.

The Wolves sent football and girls’ cross country teams to the state championships in the fall, with baseball slated to play at state this weekend.

Coupeville also qualified members of its boys’ cross country and track and field teams for the big dance, with girls’ tennis players still in the hunt for state berths as well.

When the proposal to cut Smith’s AD duties was announced, public response was swift and loudly in opposition to the move.

Numerous other athletic directors spoke out against the possible change in articles which ran here on Coupeville Sports, and you could sum it all up in the words of Friday Harbor AD Brock Hauck.

“It’s a terrible idea.”

And now, it’s an idea no more.

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“He has a great dedication to his position”

Posted in Hands Off My Willie, tagged , , , , , on May 13, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Willie Smith, still smiling while doing 10,001 things at the same time. (Helen Strelow photo)

Randy Sweeney has seen them come and go.

Over the past two decades-plus, as a coach and athletic director at Concrete High School, he’s competed against, and worked with, an endless list of men and women who share his love for helping shape the future of young student/athletes.

One of the best of those, he said in a recent chat, is his counterpart in Coupeville, Willie Smith.

“He has a great dedication to his position and loves being involved at every level,” Sweeney said. “Willie always puts his kids first, and that’s what makes him successful.”

The duo faced off during baseball and football games starting in the late ’90s, after Smith arrived in Coupeville from Sequim, and the relationship has grown from there.

Friendly, though deeply committed rivals, they’ve carried a healthy respect for each other as Concrete and Coupeville have shared the same league, parted ways, then reunited.

Now, with possible budget cuts looming, including a proposal to strip Smith of his AD duties, handing them off to an assistant principal whose own job will be cut by 16 days, Sweeney is one of many to call shenanigans.

“Most people have no idea of what we really do as AD’s,” he said. “Of the amount of time we all put in, year-round, always being available from early morning until late evening to deal with any issues which come up.

“It’s the scheduling, the travel, running events, dealing with officials, crowd control — the extent of what we do for a relatively small amount of money at most schools would surprise people.”

Having someone like Smith, who mixes a calm personality and extensive knowledge with decades of working smoothly with their peers, is invaluable.

“Willie is a huge benefit to Coupeville, but also a huge benefit to the Northwest League,” Sweeney said.

“He is always prepared, pays attention to the needs of other schools as well as his own, and is willing to work to benefit everyone.”

While most high school AD’s in Washington state juggle other responsibilities, whether it’s teaching PE like Smith or being a school groundskeeper like Sweeney, athletics drive their day.

Asking someone to jump into that on a limited basis isn’t the way to go, said Concrete’s main man.

“I’ve seen it tried many times, in many ways, and things fall by the wayside,” Sweeney said.

“It’s nobody’s fault, you can have good people working hard, but you need someone from this world who is deeply committed to make things work.

“You have to look at the relatively small amount of money which would be saved, against what Willie brings to Coupeville. Which I think is a lot.”

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Her dad, her hero, her inspiration

Posted in Hands Off My Willie, tagged , , , , on May 12, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Cherie, Willie, and Ashley Smith.

This one is for her hero.

Coupeville administrators are proposing numerous budget cuts, with one flashpoint being the idea of stripping Athletic Director duties from Willie Smith and giving them to an assistant principal whose own job will be cut from 216 days to 200.

Numerous other AD’s across the state have spoken out against the plan (and there are more to come), but now Ashley Smith is adding her thoughts to the conversation.

She is Willie’s niece and was raised by him and wife Cherie.

 

Normally I never feel the need to be protective over my family but think this time I should be.

To the community he is known as Willie Smith while others call him Mr. Smith.

But for me it’s hero, protector, the idol, but most of all, father.

Wasn’t always father; at nine years old I was to go into foster care, but my uncle said “No, I want her; we want her. So, she can stay in the family I will take that role.”

It’s a challenge adopting a child. But he was willing to become the dad I never had.

At the time he was raising three other kids while doing multiple roles – teaching middle school history and gym, coaching high school football and baseball, and, last but not least, athletic director.

My dad had community to help with raising me; so many people took me in like I had been part of its community for years.

Why? Because Mr. Willie Smith has helped raised more than just his kids, but the communities kids through his roles.

He went to college, got a master’s degree at WSU, started teaching at Coupeville while coaching with my mother Cherie Smith.

So how can outsiders come in saying they know what’s best for this community, but then remove Mr. Smith?

Growing up he taught not just his own kids but the community’s children to show sportsmanship on or off the field.

That even if you win or lose, you show respect to the opposing team.

That hard work pays off to get you back up when knocked down.

Being held accountable for your actions means you give academics first priority before sports.

Sometimes you slack, but my father reminds us that if you don’t get passing grades you won’t respect showing up for your team when it’s time to do so.

You have to show character; this means not being bullies or breaking rules.

My siblings and I were held to this very standard.

My father has taught that being an athlete is important.

That it helps builds friendships, gives you coaches who will push you to thrive for better, to understand to achieve goals you have to hold balance in academics like you would in a job.

It builds character.

My dad sacrificed so much to build this department.

He is the strongest person — your kids need him to model the path so they can succeed no matter what and no one is left out; anyone can play sports.

It would be a big mistake to remove my father as athletic director, to pass it off again to another assistant principal.

It’s a 24/7 job being the public figure of the sports program.

Willie Smith has taken something and evolved it to something that is recognized not just in Coupeville but around the state.

He has gained the respect, trust, and love of the people around.

By showing up to every home game to fighting for new improved sports fields, track, and gear.

To making sure that we get the ability to compete with bigger schools.

To making sure there are equal sports for girls and boys.

During Covid-19 he made sure students still got to play sports, while putting safety first.

Without my father there are no Coupeville sports.

So, I ask the community he’s done so much for now help make sure that outsiders don’t cut his job.

Sports or extracurricular activities help students get better grades.

Participating in extracurricular activities exposes students to new people, including classmates, teachers, coaches, and community leaders.

This allows students to build and maintain relationships, which can lead to valuable connections and opportunities in the future.

So, by cutting or budgeting that field it will cause bigger struggles on students’ abilities.

When you think it’s not up to us as a community, you’re wrong.

Our voices matter; your children’s voices matter.

If they cut his role, then your kids will lose more then you realize.

Write letters to the superintendent and school board, go to meetings, go and support the man who paved the way so all generations before and now those to come will succeed and have the opportunities to reach for the skies.

To find confidence, to build memories, to gain life changing skills that will carry them far in life.

My dad became my hero first, but he became other’s hero too.

No matter where I go, people know my family and my father.

I am proud to be his legacy, but I am also proud to see the legacy he’s created, which will be remembered decades after.

To a man who I love very much and am proud to be your daughter, this is to you.

And this goes out to those in my community — please remember your voice matters.

You have a say in matters of the education of your children — who goes or stays to help them.

Don’t let my dad’s sacrifice and devotion go to waste.

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“Our league works better with Willie in it”

Posted in Hands Off My Willie, tagged , , , , on May 11, 2023| Leave a Comment »

CHS Athletic Director Willie Smith mingles with next gen hoops stars. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

High school athletic directors rarely get time off.

At least that’s true for the top-notch ones, who often sacrifice family and personal time to deal with the 40,001 quirks of the biz.

Case in point, Orcas Island AD Ryan Wilson and his counterpart at Mount Vernon Christian, Pat Russell.

Wednesday, the duo was out and about, running a district golf tourney while also trying to solve ferry-related transportation issues, and dealing with a blogger who primarily writes about a school that is not their own.

But since the subject at hand was long-time Coupeville AD Willie Smith, both Wilson and Russell were happy to balance chatting on the phone with trying to keep things running smoothly for their duffers.

Smith is the current president of the Northwest 2B/1B League, where Orcas, MVC, and Coupeville are joined by Concrete, Friday Harbor, Darrington, and La Conner.

That lineup has pushed each other hard over the past couple of years, helping battle-harden teams which have gone on to win multiple state titles in sports such as boys’ soccer and volleyball.

Now, as Coupeville Schools administrators ponder possible budget cuts, one proposal is to remove Smith as AD and hand his duties to an assistant principal, whose own job would be slashed from 216 days to 200.

That doesn’t sit well with Wilson and Russell.

The former is in his fifth year as Orcas AD, while the latter, like Smith, is a veteran, having worked for several schools.

One runs athletic programs at a public school on a far-flung island, the other a private school on the mainland.

But both share similar thoughts about the man who has been the face of Coupeville sports as the Wolves have prospered — athletically, academically, and socially.

“Willie has become one of my mentors,” Wilson said. “If I’m coming to Coupeville, the first person I call is him.

“What I appreciate is he’s more than a pencil pusher in the job. I can call or text him at 5 AM, he can reach out to me at 11 PM, and we’re both going to respond.

“If you want excellent programs, like Willie does, you have to want to put in the work, to get your own hands dirty, and have skin in the game. That’s big!”

Russell has taught, coached, and spent time in administration, both as an AD and as a principal.

Through it all, MVC’s man in charge has found Smith a colleague worthy of deep respect.

“Willie brings professionalism to everything he does,” Russell said.

“So many times, with the league, we’ve been able to solve issues because of his deep knowledge gained through years of being involved with leagues of varying size.

“We work closely together, and a large part of our success hinges on our past experience,” he added. “Our league works better with Willie in it.”

The Mount Vernon Christian AD has seen experiments with handing off AD duties to principals, assistants, secretaries, even superintendents, all while asking them to balance multiple jobs at the same time.

Some had the power to put their personal stamps on things, while others had no authority to make changes. The end result was almost always the same.

“Even if it’s a great person, no matter how it’s set up, functionally it just doesn’t work,” Russell said.

Smith has come through this before, having his AD duties erased for several years, before returning to the job, faced with needing to push hard to get Coupeville athletics back to where they were before.

This time around, despite being hammered by a pandemic, he has guided a resurgence.

Rosters are at an all-time high for most Wolf sports teams, with CHS earning its first state tournament berths in football and boys’ basketball in 30+ years.

Three of four spring sports teams are playing to advance to state, while every sport at the school, varsity and JV, achieved a 3.1 or higher team GPA this school year.

Athletes are committed, coaches and teachers are committed, the community is committed, and that springs from Smith’s hands-on, always-available mentality.

“Willie has good quality programs across the board, and that contributes to success at other schools as well,” Wilson said.

“He has spent so much time getting these programs where they are, and we know, in every sport, Orcas will be pushed by Coupeville.

“That’s what you want in a league if possible – no gimme games,” he added.

“We love having that competition, and that commitment to excellence from our closest rivals. Willie has built that, and I don’t know it stays the same without him guiding things.”

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