A small fraction of those who make Coupeville Sports what it is. (Photos by Shelli Trumbull, John Fisken, Charlotte Young, Joe Lippo and Sylvia Arnold)
Coupeville Sports is old enough to go to kindergarten.
Born on Aug. 15, 2012, this blog turns five years old Tuesday with much fanfare.
OK, maybe a little fanfare.
Um, any fanfare? Cake maybe?
Bueller? Bueller??
What a long, strange trip it’s been, from the early days, when I was scrappy and argumentative and fond of cheesing off South Whidbey and ATM and King’s and the Canuck-owned “local” newspapers to now, when I’m responsible and serene and … and … what do you mean Klahowya is still mad?!?!
Well, if nothing else, the past five years has shown that “reading” and “reading comprehension” don’t always go hand in hand.
Or that I can be a really annoying pain in the tushie…
One of the two. Probably the latter.
Anyway, having survived through 5,430 articles (“It’s not the years, it’s the mileage…”), I’m still going strong, my readership numbers continue to grow and, hopefully, I’ve found a groove.
This five-years-and-counting journey began because I was mad the Coupeville Examiner was sold and all my (hundreds upon hundreds of) stories were erased from its web site.
Today, that matters far less (or at least I say so in public) and it’s much more about throwing a spotlight on others, uncovering history and documenting day-to-day life in Cow Town.
If you look back at the beginnings of Coupeville Sports, some things were in place from the word go, while others took time to develop.
My first story — “Hark! Fall Sports approach!!!” — was a scintillating look at CHS sports schedules. Scintillating, I say.
Way to come out of the gate, guns blazing, David.
The double exclamation point in the headline, which drives some bonkers, was already present, though, for reasons, unknown, I actually went for a triple hit that first time out.
Four, if you count the exclamation point after “hark.”
What wasn’t present was a photo, as it took me until the third story before I realized how much pics would elevate even the most mundane piece.
My habit of putting people’s names in bold also wasn’t present at the start, not appearing until article #7 and not becoming standard until article #20.
There are those who will shake their head wisely, regard you like you’re a small child, and tell you exclamation points in the headlines and bold face names is a crime against journalism.
Those people need to loosen up. It’s easier to sit comfortably when the stick ain’t crammed up where it’s not supposed to go.
From the start, I have always regarded newspapers as the father sitting in his leather reading chair, puffing on a pipe as he slowly turns the pages.
Every once in a while, he lowers the paper, arches an eyebrow and tells you the scores.
Meanwhile, Coupeville Sports is the kid who’s crawled up to the top of the fence outside your window, and, as he’s tottering back and forth, screams, “Hey, guess what I heard?!?!?!?”
Then, seconds, after dispensing all the juicy gossip and wildly overblown hyperbole, he falls and lands on his head, before bouncing back up and staggering away, waving his arms over his head, “Rocky“-style.
I’m still on my feet, even if my head is pretty lumpy at this point, able to gaze back at where I came from, and look forward to the future.
The first person whose name appeared on this blog? Tony Maggio, who was entering his first season as CHS football coach.
First person to appear in a photo? Caleb Valko, who would quickly become my first breakout star.
First person to get a feature story? Little League state champ turned Wolf football star Wade Schaef.
First game to be covered in Coupeville Sports? A 23-18 loss on the gridiron to Bellevue Christian, five days before the 2012-2013 school year began.
Brett Arnold ran for 166 yards on 19 carries, while Bryce Fleming scored all three of Coupeville’s touchdowns. Gunnar Langvold was the QB, Nick Streubel recovered a fumble and Josh Bayne made off with a pick.
First time I ticked someone off? Chastising ATM for firing former OHHS coach Dave Ward.
The richer and more smugly self-satisfied they are, the thinner skin they have.
First time Coupeville Sports was ejected from the local press box?
I blame Brian Norris and his love of sweet, sweet vuvuzela horns. Or my own lack of self control.
One of the two. Probably the latter.
First (and only) time I had to shut down the comments on a story? Hayley Newman walking away from the South Whidbey girls basketball team two games before the playoffs.
Of course, telling Falcon fans I was “taking away their crayons” probably didn’t do much to calm the situation.
Live and learn.
Averaging more than 1,000 articles a year for five years, I’ve had some strong articles and a few that … maybe should have been thought out more carefully.
I’ve survived a short-lived, whiny attack from another “blog” — https://southwhidbeysportsblog.wordpress.com/ — the final death of The Coupeville Examiner (a sad day) and the agony of those rare times where I had absolutely nothing of substance to write about.
Which didn’t stop me from nattering on.
Where do we go from here?
It would be nice to say I’ll stay on a responsible, mature path, but we all know, at some point, I’m likely to say the wrong thing and inflame a rival fan base.
Especially if it snows anywhere around the grounds of Klahowya High School…
So strap in, hold on and keep your wits about you as we head into year six.
It’s going to be a bumpy ride, and I would have it no other way.
