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Archive for the ‘Softball’ Category

Happy birthday, diamond queen!!

Posted in Happy birthday, Softball, tagged , , , , , on February 18, 2016| Leave a Comment »

Veronica Crownover

   One look from Veronica Crownover and opposing pitchers get all flustered. (John Fisken photo)

The Terminator turns 15 today.

Coupeville High School freshman Veronica Crownover is celebrating her cake day just 11 sleeps ahead of the start of spring sports.

Come Monday, Mar. 29, unless there’s a terrible plot twist, the multi-talented one will hit the softball field, where she’ll be reunited with her teammates and coaches from the Venom squad that destroyed people in the summer before she hit 8th grade.

In the time since then, VV has continued to sharpen her softball skills, while also regularly popping up on honor rolls at school and delving into the theater arts.

But, as much as I approve of her side endeavors (education, it’s good for you!), it’s the diamond where I look forward to Crownover making a huge impact.

Owner of a big, booming bat and a slick glove at first base, she and fellow frosh softball phenom Sarah Wright are set to be stars from day one.

Seeing them get the chance to reunite with Katrina McGranahan, Lauren Rose, Hope Lodell and others (plus “new” old coaches Kevin McGranahan and Ron Wright) should be one of the biggest highlights of the upcoming season.

As she prepares to set up camp on the CHS diamond and go after all the records (all of them, I said), we just want to take a quick moment to wish Veronica a happy birthday.

May your day be awesome, Miss Crownover, and may the time fly by until you return to rule your softball kingdom.

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Your Little League needs you!!

Posted in Baseball, Little League, Softball, tagged , , , , on February 12, 2016| Leave a Comment »

(John Fisken photo)

She’s ready to play. Will you be there to help her? (John Fisken photo)

Want to be at the heart of things?

Then the Central Whidbey Little League would love to hear from you.

Whether you have a few hours here and there or are looking for a way to fill your days, the all-volunteer organization is in big need of a helping hand.

What they’re especially looking for are people interested in being umpires, score-keepers or announcers.

The best part? Whether you have a lifetime of experience or absolutely no prior training, they will work with you to get you up to speed.

Interested volunteers will be taken through training and given support every step of the way, said Jim Wheat, the former Coupeville High School softball coach who is the league’s Umpire in Charge.

“We never just throw a guy or gal out there,” Wheat said with a laugh. “We make sure they have all the help they need to be prepared.

“And we can tailor it to what each person wants to do,” he added. “You want to be the plate ump at some point, we can get you there.

“But if you just want to stay in the infield, man the bases, I’ll help make you the best second base ump in the game.”

Games begin April 1 and the season is seven weeks long. Postseason play can stretch out through July, with all volunteers given a choice of how much time they want to devote.

That makes it perfect both for the parent who wants to be closely involved in their child’s sport, but may be limited on time, and for retirees with more flexible schedules.

Without the running that comes with other reffing jobs, such as basketball and soccer, baseball is also tailor-made to be umpired by a wide range of ages and mobility.

“I have one guy who umpires from a (mechanical) cart and he does a really great job,” Wheat said.

He also stressed the league, which has sent both baseball and softball teams to the state tourney in recent years, would love to draw both male and female volunteers.

“It’s a great way to give back to the community, whether you have children who are currently involved or not,” Wheat said. “Little League as a national organization has been huge in a lot of our lives over the years, and those kids wouldn’t have had the opportunity without all the people who volunteer their time.”

If you’re interested, email Wheat at cwllumpire@gmail.com and he will fill you in on the details and transfer a spark from his own raging passion for the game onto you.

Plus, always remember, little league umps almost always get fed while they’re working.

“Work for that (hot)dog!,” Wheat said with another big laugh. “That’s what they say in the umpire world.”

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Rumors are true! She’s pretty awesome!!

Posted in Girls Basketball, Happy birthday, Softball, Volleyball, tagged , , , , , on February 11, 2016| Leave a Comment »

Tiffany Briscoe: kinda awesome. (Photos by John Fisken)

   Tiffany Briscoe: reported to be slightly awesome. (Photos by John Fisken, Amy King and Amy Briscoe)

A young, already irrepressible Tiffany (right) with lil' sis Kyla. (Photo courtesy Amy Briscoe)

   A young, already irrepressible Tiffany (right) with lil’ sis Kyla. (Photo courtesy Amy Briscoe)

It’s always nice to see someone grow, come out of their shell and start to find their way in the world, both as an athlete and a person.

But, I’ll admit, it means more when that someone is a person who you’ve actually known since they were a young child.

Coupeville High School junior Tiffany Briscoe, who celebrates a birthday today, is now, has always been, and always will be, one of my favorites.

From her days as a lil’ blond ball of energy busting through the video store aisles with younger sister Kyla, to today, when she’s a three-sport star for the Wolves, she has been a slice of pure 110% awesomeness.

From everything I’ve seen, Tiff is a fiercely loyal big sis, both to Kyla and friends and teammates she adopts as part of her large, extended family.

She will cut a girl (or at least whack them upside the head, pinch them every time they stray into the paint or knock them into the third row of the bleachers if necessary) to defend her turf, her team, her family.

Which is amazing, frankly, cause off the field of battle, you could hardly find a more genuinely nice person.

It’s a beautiful combo — Beast Mode on the court, then a serene, supremely kind, smart, determined, little shy (until you know her) young woman with a future as bright as her smile.

Pick a sport — volleyball, basketball or softball — and Briscoe is out there, busting her tail, through rough losses and huge wins.

I hope in the remaining high school (and maybe college?) athletic seasons she has left that she gets a lot of joy out of the experience.

But you know what?

She could walk away today and never play another moment (well, not today … the basketball playoffs are about to start) and it wouldn’t change my opinion of her.

Being an athlete is a key part of her persona, but it is just a small fraction of what makes Tiffany such an amazing young woman.

So happy birthday, Miss Briscoe, and try not to let it go to your head (I’m not really worried) when I tell you we all think you’re pretty freakin’ awesome.

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Spare a buck, send Monica some luck!!

Posted in Fundraisers, Softball, tagged , , , , on February 7, 2016| Leave a Comment »

Monica Vidoni

Monica Vidoni

Got a buck or two to help a former Wolf?

Monica Vidoni, who is currently a freshman at Rainy River Community College in Minnesota, is looking for help to get to Florida with her softball squad.

The Voyageurs will be traveling down there during the first week of March for a five-day tournament, and each player needs to raise $1000 for plane tickets and uniforms.

Vidoni, a 2015 graduate of CHS, is currently in the second of her three sports seasons at Rainy River.

She started with volleyball, is currently playing basketball and then will join softball, mirroring the sports she played as a high school athlete.

To find out more and possibly donate, pop over to:

https://www.gofundme.com/emnmudrg

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She was just born awesome!!

Posted in Happy birthday, Softball, Volleyball, tagged , , , , , on January 10, 2016| Leave a Comment »

Hope "The Surgeon" Lodell, hard at work being all awesome and stuff.

Hope “The Surgeon” Lodell, hard at work being all awesome and stuff.

Somewhere, at this very moment, it’s highly likely Hope Lodell is performing various feats of strength.

The Coupeville High School sophomore, who clocks in at the big 1-6 today, is a physical marvel and has been since the day she popped in to this world.

One of the rare athletes who I currently cover that I can say I’ve actually known since day one, Hope has been a precocious fireball since her birth.

Now she spends a fair amount of time walking around while doing a handstand and last year wowed softball fans by ripping off a string of pull-ups on the overhang above the CHS softball dugout.

Bored while waiting for umpires to decide if a game was going to be played, the Wolves milled around, making small talk.

And then, suddenly, blond ponytail whipping behind her, Lodell elevated, snatched the wooden board and started flexing, lifting herself up rat-a-tat style as her teammates whooped and hollered.

You had the feeling she could have done it all day, but, after a bit, Hope dropped down, grinned and walked away, leaving a field full of awestruck onlookers.

It wasn’t the only time she did so, as her play on the field was often gasp-worthy as well.

Flying in all directions, Lodell was technically the Wolf center fielder, though she often ran down balls in both right and left, making her fellow outfielders jobs considerably easier.

Slick and quick and a dangerous slap hitter at the plate, she began to come into her own as a wily lead-off hitter as a freshman.

With a change in CHS coaching, and her little league juniors coach, Kevin McGranahan, taking the reigns this season, her sophomore year could be a huge breakout year for the irrepressible one.

It already was in the fall, when she shot on to the varsity volleyball squad and became a key weapon as the Wolves made huge strides, jumping into the postseason and winning a home playoff game.

A jump server capable of inflicting vicious curves on the ball, Hope was like a jolt of pure energy shooting through the gym every time she stepped on the court.

Seeing her soar so high, and yet knowing she can still go so much higher, is a genuine thrill.

She remains the same friendly, super-smart, well-spoken class act she was even as a little tyke, and, while she may roll her eyes a bit these days when people gush about her, she more than deserves it.

You are awesome, Hopey. Both in the sports world, and, far more importantly, in the real world.

I hope your cake day is truly special, cause that’s what you have always been and will always be — truly, truly special.

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