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Archive for the ‘Happy birthday’ Category

Ciera St Onge (John Fisken photos)

Ciera St Onge (John Fisken photos)

Aiden

   Aiden Crimmins (right, in glasses and robe) hangs out with his fellow sophomores, who are bringing back the student cheering section.

They are twin titans of school spirit.

Coupeville High School senior Ciera St Onge and sophomore Aiden Crimmins share a birthday and a willingness to put themselves out in front of the crowd.

St Onge has been at the forefront of the Wolf cheer team for several years, bringing a sparkle in her eye and a skip in her step to her work on the sidelines.

Vivacious and full of life, she is a ball of fire, whether it’s football or basketball season.

Crimmins, who is looking a little like Clark Kent these days, turns into Superman when it’s time to help lead the student cheering section.

He and his fellow sophomores, guys like Jimmy Myers, Uriel Liquidano and Jonathan Thurston, have revived the art of wearing costumes and verbally harassing rival free-throw shooters.

After a bit of a down period, as a once-proud, jam-packed CHS student section dwindled down to one guy looking at his phone, it’s nice to see the thrill back.

Both St Onge and Crimmins have bought in, completely, to supporting their classmates and their school.

That both are also highly intelligent, super friendly people who succeed at everything they do, is a given.

On this, their joint birthday, let’s all take a moment to cheer for THEM and for all they do.

Can I get a C-I-E-R-A and an A-I-D-E-N?

What does that spell?

Awesome! Yep, that’s what it spells.

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The (clean-shaven) legend that is Jon Roberts.

The (clean-shaven) legend that is Jon Roberts.

He could have been our very own Magnum, P.I.

Local sports legend, house builder extraordinaire, firefighter/EMT, all of these things describe Jon Roberts, our birthday boy of the moment.

But during a recent hair-growing contest, the Coupeville High School Male Athlete of the Year, circa 1983-1984, proved he could throw down a mustache with the best of them.

And by best of them, I’m talking about Mr. Tom Selleck himself.

It was a thing of beauty, even if wife Sherry (Bonacci) Roberts wailed like nobody’s business all month-long.

Which is why Mr. Roberts is suspiciously clean-shaven in all the photos I have of him…

Still, while mustache aficionados everywhere wait (in vain, probably) for the mighty, mighty Roberts ‘stache to reemerge, we will take this moment to hail the man behind the peach fuzz.

One of the classiest dudes in all of Cow Town (and one of the first two people to advertise on Coupeville Sports way back in the dark ages of 2013, along with Shelli Trumbull), Jon deserves all the accolades, on this day and every day.

He’s currently on vacation, in slightly warmer climes, and we send him well wishes as he hits, what, 23? 24? Somewhere in that range, or so I’ve been led to believe.

Happy birthday, Mr. Roberts. And may your mustache rest in peace in our memories.

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Tiffany Briscoe

Tiffany Briscoe

I have known Tiffany Briscoe most of her life.

As I cover sports in Coupeville, athletes come and go, but then there are the ones who you actually watch grow up before your eyes, and it’s sort of weird and sort of awesome at the same time.

The shy little blond girl who used to run amuck in the video store with lil’ sis Kyla is now a sophomore at CHS and a three-sport athlete.

Volleyball spiker. Basketball enforcer. Softball slugger.

Tiff goes full-bore in all her sports and the first thing you always notice about her, whether you’re a first-time fan or a long-time viewer, is the smile.

Even in the heat of battle, she enjoys herself.

She’s able to laugh at herself in those moments when she gets smacked in the head with an out-of-control volleyball and she explodes in joy when she hugs a teammate after a successful play.

The only time the smile vanishes is if you mess with her sister. Do that and she will drop the world on your head in 0.2 seconds.

As Tiffany celebrates a birthday today, I just have to say a little something.

Miss Briscoe, you may not know it, but you are freakin’ remarkable.

Seeing you grow more confident in yourself, willing to put yourself out there on the line, always supporting your teammates and friends, being fiercely loyal and deeply caring to those you hold close, you are an amazing young woman.

You should see the way your parents, Rich and Amy, look at you when they think you can’t see them (so as not to over-inflate your ego).

There is such pride in their eyes, and it is well-deserved.

You and Kyla, the battlin’ Briscoes, are a huge part of Wolf athletics at the moment. That is true.

But as people, as young women of great character, you are even better.

It really is an honor to have the chance to write about your accomplishments, to make sure the world out there knows that there is this young woman who is quietly doing remarkable things.

You’re pretty dang awesome, Tiff. Never forget that.

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Sofia Hassapis

Sofia Hassapis (John Fisken photos)

Hassapis rises up during volleyball season. (John Fisken photo)

Hassapis rises up during volleyball season.

Every year brings new athletes to Coupeville High School.

Some are stepping up from the middle school, while others arrive new to town when their families move here.

Sofia Hassapis was a transplant, uprooted from California when her parents, both doctors, accepted jobs at Whidbey General.

Having never played a team sport before, the dancer and “huge bookworm” decided to kick off her freshman year at CHS by joining the volleyball team.

It was a splendid decision.

With her radiant smile beaming across the court every time she got to take the floor, Sofia was one of the bright, shining lights on the Wolf JV team.

Her skills sharpened as the season progressed, and her heart and hustle were always on display.

Coupeville JV coach Amy King is a pro at making sure every girl on her roster gets their moment in the spotlight, and it was nice to see Hassapis bloom, making friends and fans.

As Sofia celebrates a birthday today (she shares it with nine-time Olympic champion swimmer Mark Spitz, “Breaking Bad” creator Vince Gilligan and Oscar-nominated actress Laura Dern), we wish her all the best.

California’s loss was Coupeville’s gain, Miss Hassapis.

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Courtney Arnold (left), during her days as a Wolf cheer captain.

Courtney Arnold (left), during her days as a Wolf cheer captain.

Sherry Roberts (right),spending quality time with Sydney Aparicio.

Sherry Roberts (right), spending quality time with Sydney Aparicio.

How perfect is it that these two share a birthday Friday?

Former Wolf greats Sherry (Bonacci) Roberts and Courtney Arnold may be the two sunniest people in the entire known universe.

People seeking a tan in Washington state can head to a tanning bed.

Or, they can hang around the dynamic duo for a bit and soak in the invisible Vitamin D that comes out of every pore each time Sherry and Courtney smile.

Which is about once every 1.3 seconds.

Courtney was born to be a cheerleader, the daughter of the original sunny delight herself, former CHS cheer guru Sylvia Arnold.

She walked in big footsteps, but Courtney made a name for herself, becoming a cheer captain and leading her team not only on the sidelines but also in full-scale cheer competitions.

Now she’s off at college, in sunny Cali, and hitting the big 2-2.

One thing has never changed, however. She remains an irrepressible, shining star, a young woman who combines grace and beauty with a sweet spirit and a genuinely caring heart.

The same could be said of Mrs. Roberts, who may be a few years older but has lost none of her teenage sparkle.

Her face is on the wall of honor in the hallway of the CHS gym, acknowledging her days when she was tabbed as the school’s Female Athlete of the Year.

The same gym-filling smile is usually on display, live and in person, at every basketball game, as she watches her successors play the sport she so excelled at.

One of those successors is daughter Lindsey, a star on the court and in front of the paparazzi camera for the Coupeville Middle School 8th grade squad.

With talent handed down from both parents (dad Jon Roberts was also a CHS Athlete of the Year) and the same feisty attitude on the court that her mom proudly displayed, the younger Roberts is coming for all her mom’s records.

When she gets there, no one will be prouder than Sherry, who is quick to bestow her approval and love to as many as possible.

Courtney and Sherry share a birthday, a sweetness of spirit, a love of life and everything that comes with it.

Any town would be lucky to claim one of them as its own. To have both is a blessing.

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