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Archive for the ‘Not sports? Tough!’ Category

Here a duck, there a duck, everywhere a duck-duck

Posted in Not sports? Tough!, tagged , , , , on March 30, 2020| Leave a Comment »

My sister has added ducks to the family farm, to the delight of my nephews. (Sarah Kirkconnell photo)

Spring break under the heat lamp. (Matthew Kirkconnell photo)

“I will name him George and I will hug him and pet him and squeeze him and pat him!” (Artwork by Alistaire Kirkconnell)

It’s a dream come true for my nephews.

Lil’ ducks as far as the eye can see.

Since coming back to Whidbey Island two years ago, my sister and her husband have taught all three of their sons a lot of lessons about gardening, forestry, and living off the land.

Now, to go along with the dog and cat, the family has added 12 little chicks to the farm.

Excitement abounds, especially among the younger of the nephews, Walker and Alistaire, who are 4th and 2nd graders respectively.

The boys, and their older brother Ford, are big fans of old-school Donald Duck cartoons.

Alistaire once fell off the end of the couch from laughing too hard after Donald accidentally swallowed a bag of popcorn and set off an explosion of kernels by standing too close to the fireplace.

Which raises the question – how long until they knit their ducks little sailor outfits?

Tops only, of course, as we all know ducks don’t wear pants.

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Coupeville Farmers Market plans for safe opening

Posted in Not sports? Tough!, tagged , , , on March 30, 2020| Leave a Comment »

The Coupeville Farmers Market plans to open this Saturday, April 4 – with changes to answer coronavirus concerns.

**UPDATE – The market opening has been postponed from April 4 to April 18.**

 

The market will go on.

At least that’s the plan, as the Coupeville Farmers Market announced it intends to open for its 41st season 10 AM Saturday, April 4.

There will be numerous changes, however, as the world deals with the coronavirus pandemic.

In a statement on their Facebook book, market organizers laid out their plan.

“First, please know that the health and well being of everyone in our community is a priority issue for the market as a whole as well as individual vendors,” the statement said.

“We trust you to be aware and work with us as we all seek to stay healthy and local.”

Changes put in place:

*Customers may not enter the market until 10 AM and “we are open” is publicly announced.

*Use one of the three marked entrance/exit points only. There will be a hand cleaning station at each entrance/exit.

*New, unused packaging for all items. No reusable containers or bags.

Customers may not bring/use their own totes, bags, etc.

*There will be a marked grid over the entire site (six-foot squares), as a physical distancing reminder.

*There will be minimal product display. Only the vendor can retrieve secured/protected product when customer makes a purchase.

Customers should point, with absolutely no touching of product(s). And no sampling of any kind.

*Continual sanitizing of surfaces within booths will occur, including after each use for electronic payment devices.

*The picnic tables are off limits – to everyone.

“We will most happily smile and greet you – from the safe physical distance,” organizers wrote. “We encourage you to stroll more slowly through the market (however small), wave and smile at neighbors, friends, and vendors.

“Enjoy the beauty of the site, the view, and all the wonderful folk who call this place home. And thank you – so much – for your love and support!”

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A love letter to Coupeville

Posted in Not sports? Tough!, tagged , , , , , on March 29, 2020| Leave a Comment »

McKenzie Meyer, Renaissance woman. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

My 12 years working at Videoville was by far the best job I’ve ever had.

Midway through my run, which went from 1994-2006, McKenzie Meyer popped into the world, the daughter of Frank and Sarah, and granddaughter of my boss, Miriam.

I could go on for hours about what a truly wonderful person she is, but instead I’m going to turn the mic over to her, and let her tell you about her town.

 

For those of you who don’t know me, my name is McKenzie Meyer.

I was born and raised in Coupeville and graduated from Coupeville High School as a Valedictorian for the class of 2018.

David Svien has known me for most of my existence so I want to dedicate the first part of this message as a thank you to him.

From birthday posts to athletic updates ever since middle school I looked forward to seeing your updates on the famous “Coupeville Sports” blog.

Nothing quite beat the rush of reading an article and seeing my name in bold black after an epic save or new record.

Even our non-athletic events such as the theatre program and Science Olympiad, which often go unnoticed, were given a spotlight on your blog.

Yet right now we are all in a very weird time; there are no athletic events or shows to promote, no follow up scores or competitions to attend.

So you instead have reached out to us to give you something to keep “Coupeville Sports” alive, an open invitation for anyone who has something to say.

I have something to say.

I want to say thank you to the town of Coupeville.

As I go out and explore life on my own I find myself so grateful for the place that I call my hometown.

Whidbey Island was an incredibly beautiful place to grow up; I took for granted how easy it was to go to a beach or find a beautiful place for a hike or a walk no matter where you were.

Coupeville wharf will forever be one of my favorite places to watch the sunset over the water and there’s nothing quite like walking downtown into the family-owned shops and having a conversation with a familiar face.

But, the thing that makes Coupeville a place I am proud to call home is the people.

Those such as the aforementioned David Svien are what makes this town so incredible.

I am thankful for my teachers who were willing to put in the time and energy it takes to really teach their students.

And for those teachers who pulled extra duty coaching sports and leading extracurricular events; they were alongside us for 6 am bus trips and late-night set strikes.

They gave up weekends and evenings to help us to be the best that we could be at whatever we were passionate about and they did it with a smile and a passion that stays with you long after the season has ended.

The parents of Coupeville are a whole other story; some of these people grew up in and graduated from Coupeville themselves and that makes their connection to this town all the more powerful.

The Booster Club was out at football games rain or shine (and trust me there was rain) and at graduation time you not only hugged your parents but also the parents of your friends and classmates, because they had been there the whole time watching you grow as well.

There are hundreds of specific moments, people, and interactions I’ve had that I could ramble on about for days, from pep band to Big Brothers Big Sisters, to the wonderful people in the CHS office and so on and so forth until I reach the word limit on David’s blog.

I had a support system unlike any other.

Coupeville was and is by no means perfect; life is about improvement and we should always strive to make our town a better place.

There are places in which we can and should improve but ideally will come with time.

But, overall I love where I grew up; if I could describe Coupeville in one word it would be “community.”

Our little town embodies a sense of community and support that I strive to replicate in my everyday interactions as I go out into the world.

I grew up in a small town, the kind of town where if you put yourself out there, everyone knows your name.

You can walk down the street and wave at every car you pass and eventually, you’ll be waving at someone you know.

In these strange times, I find comfort in reminiscing on the town that I grew up in and how thankful I am for the time I had there.

Though this is a love letter to Coupeville, it is really a love letter to the community that raised me.

They say it takes a village to raise a child and I’m so happy with the village I had.

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One old-school grad to rule them all

Posted in Not sports? Tough!, tagged , , , , on March 23, 2020| Leave a Comment »

Coupeville High School, old-school style.

We’re on a treasure hunt.

The mission: to find the oldest living Coupeville High School grad.

It was an idea raised by a Wolf alumni of more-recent note, David Ford, and it’s an interesting question.

After putting the query out on Facebook, some of the names which were raised included:

*Gladys Snyder, 90 (Class of 1947)

*Mike Sullivan, 89 on April 8

*Marilyn (Libbey) Bailey, 88(?)

*Gloria Nelson, 88 (Possibly the last living person born at Fort Casey?)

*Don Allen, 87(?)

*Al Sherman, 86

*Dorothy Keefe, 85

*Buzz Stoddard, 83

So, is it Snyder or are we missing someone?

And, even if they’re not the absolute oldest, any other CHS grads in their 80’s or 90’s who should be noted?

Comment on this story or email me at davidsvien@hotmail.com if you have the answer.

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Zane Bundy still The Man

Posted in Not sports? Tough!, tagged , , , , on March 18, 2020| Leave a Comment »

Former Coupeville soccer/football star Zane Bundy is now a deputy with the Kittitas County Sheriff’s Department. (Photo poached from Janine Bundy)

The journey continues.

Zane Bundy was one of those Coupeville kids who spent a good chunk of his early days camped out in the video game aisle at Videoville.

Later, he was a soccer star, one of the best to ever come through CHS, a high-flying, often-electrifying player who had superb touch with the ball and a genuine love for the sport which always shone through brightly.

As a senior, he threw everyone a curve, joining the Wolf football team and excelling as a kicker, leading the team in scoring while finishing as one of the best field goal kickers in the state.

Now, the 2016 CHS grad is engaged to fellow Wolf alum Rebecca Robinson and busy being a full-time adult.

Tuesday he was sworn in as a deputy with the Kittitas County Sheriff’s Department, and I just had to pass on the news.

Well done, Mr. Bundy, well done.

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