Hope Lodell (right) snaps a pic with friend Payton Aparicio.
She’s a volleyball veteran now.
Hope Lodell is still finding her way.
The Coupeville Middle School 7th grader comes from an athletic family (dad Mike is a trash-talking hoops player), but the dead-ringer for Hollywood actress Chloe Moretz (“Kick Ass,” “Hugo”) didn’t catch the organized sports bug until this year.
After making her debut with the Wolf volleyball squad in the fall, she is one of many girls expected to turn out for the start of the middle school girls’ basketball season Jan. 22. While it will be her first time following in her dad’s footsteps, she already seems like a natural.
“I have not played basketball before and I am really excited to play with my friends,” Lodell said. “I haven’t really discovered my strengths in basketball yet. I want to work on harder passes to my teammates.”
She enjoyed her first go-around with volleyball, particularly since she got to play with her friends.
“I loved playing volleyball because it was my first time playing a team sport and I was with a lot of my friends and I am so glad I had that experience with them,” Lodell said. “I loved watching my friends and I improved in volleyball and in teamwork throughout every game.
“I loved going for the ball and that jolt of excitement when you make a good pass,” she added.”My favorite sport would be volleyball because it is so much fun to play and watch.”
Now bitten by the sports bug, Lodell plans to play softball in the spring. She also enjoys doing gymnastics in her free time and likes to write and sing.
Regardless of which sports season she finds herself in, she will always have her friends to draw support from.
“My friends — Kyla Briscoe, Abby Parker, Payton Aparicio, Lauren Bayne, Emma Blanchette and Lion DeShong — have been a big impact on me with supporting me and pushing me to do better,” Lodell said.
