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Archive for the ‘Track’ Category

Shaw excels in classroom, on field!!

Posted in Football, Track, tagged , , , , , on July 20, 2018| 1 Comment »

Gabe Shaw soars to the hoop for a bucket during a middle school game. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Gabe Shaw is a young man of many talents and many interests.

He’s a three-sport athlete who excels in football, basketball and track — though driver’s ed may sideline him during the upcoming hoops season.

Shaw is also a math and science buff who plays the trumpet and makes time to volunteer with the local Boys and Girls Club.

And, if it’s sweet sounds you seek, he has the musical answer.

As long as you’re like him and give big respect to the power of “old-school hip hop from the ’90s.”

Put it all together and you have one of the brightest rising stars on the horizon, a talented student/athlete who makes his debut at Coupeville High School this fall.

When he makes the jump from CMS to CHS, Shaw will kick things off by playing his favorite sport, a perfect way to ease into his new world.

“Football (is my favorite), because you only can succeed if everyone does their job,” he said. “Plus you get to hit people!”

Shaw, who enjoys “staying in shape, and the competition,” has assessed his game and sees positives and areas where he’d like to improve.

“I would like to increase my breakaway speed and decrease my off days,” he admitted, but he’s proud of being a “great team player.”

“I’m not afraid to lead when called upon,” Shaw said.

The young star hails his parents (dad has been a CMS football coach), his brother and his uncle, Mark, along with “all the people who have dedicated the time to coach me.”

One way Shaw will aim to thank those who have helped him is by continuing to work hard, every day, on the field and off.

“I want to keep my grades as high as possible, and contribute to the team(s) everything I can.”

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“I enjoy the challenge!!”

Posted in Basketball, Track, tagged , , , , on July 20, 2018| Leave a Comment »

Aiden Burdge heads back up court after nailing a three-point bomb in a middle school hoops game. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

When Aiden Burdge wants to see his greatest opponent, he looks in the mirror.

The Coupeville High School freshman, who follows a path carved by talented older sisters Kylie and Kiara, has a clear focus when he settles in to run a race or shoot a basketball.

Get better, every time out, and push himself to get the most he can out of his abilities.

“My strength as an athlete is my determination to push at a challenge until I overcome it,” Burdge said. “I need to work on discipline and training, because the older I get, the harder I have to push myself to get better.”

While he was a quick, three-ball-shootin’ wonder on the basketball court in middle school, it’s track and field which captivates Burdge.

“My favorite sport is track because it’s a great feeling to fly through the air and I know I can only improve,” he said. “I enjoy the challenge that’s in front of me and I want to get better.”

Track, above most other sports, is all about self-improvement — getting a PR, shaving a few seconds off your best time or picking up a few more inches on a throw.

That chance to compete against himself, and see his progress reflected back, is a big part of why Burdge enjoys the sport so much.

“My goal in my high school sports career is the same as my middle school sports career goal – to beat my own records,” he said.

Burdge is part of a large, tightly-knit family, and he appreciates the support he gets from his three sisters and parents Aaron and Trina.

Whether he’s playing a sport, knocking out tunes on the piano, or spending time with his family, the young Wolf star knows he has their full support and love.

“My parents and my siblings all pushed me to be better and to put forth my best effort,” Burdge said. “And for that I’m grateful.”

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Work hard, dream big!!

Posted in Basketball, Track, tagged , , , , on July 18, 2018| Leave a Comment »

Logan Martin skies for a bucket. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Logan Martin is always working.

The son of Coupeville coach Bob Martin, and younger brother of Wolf track and field legend Dalton Martin, he can be found in virtually every photo from off-season SST training at the school.

And, during basketball season, Logan is always the first one to hit the court at halftime or after games, putting up shots and working on his game.

The benefits have begun to show, as Martin has been a key member of successful middle school and AAU hoops squads, mixing a deadly three-point shot with strong work down low.

As he preps for his freshman year at CHS, the quiet, but driven, young baller has his eyes set firmly on the goal.

“I want to make varsity as a freshman, be a four-year varsity (player),” Martin said.

He plans to stick with track and field as well, where he’s a top thrower like his older brother, who captured four state track medals, but is letting go of football as he makes the jump to high school.

While he’s been successful in the track arena, it’s the hardwood life he fully embraces.

“Basketball is my favorite sport, because I feel it’s the sport I’m better at than other sports,” Martin said. “It’s a great way to exercise.

“It can be played by anyone – young or old,” he added. “And you can take a basketball with you practically anywhere and practice anytime.”

When he’s not practicing or playing, Martin is an avid photographer and has shown a canny eye behind the camera.

A series of pics he snapped during the spring high school track season ran in several articles here on Coupeville Sports, with the photos garnering praise for how they captured the inner essence of prep sports.

Whether he’s documenting others, or taking center stage himself, Martin is one to watch.

Playing against Sequim during his 8th grade hoops season, he opened the game by taking, and hitting, the first three shots of the game — a fall-away jumper, a soft fader, then a three-ball from the left side.

The display showcased Martin’s skill, and his versatility, something he’s always working on.

“I think one of my strengths as an athlete is my work ethic,” he said. “I would like to work on having a better attitude when I play.”

Mom Abbie is his biggest fan, faithfully appearing at every game to cheer for her youngest, while dad Bob draws praise for shaping Logan as an athlete.

“My dad (has had a big impact), because he started me in sports and coaches me all day in life and in athletics.”

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Little sister, big talent!!

Posted in Basketball, Cheer, Track, tagged , , , , on July 9, 2018| Leave a Comment »

Ja’Kenya Hoskins powers to the hoop for a bucket. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

Hoskins and Izzy Wells lead a strong group of female athletes who arrive at CHS as freshmen this fall.

The third sister is on her way, and she plans to be just as spectacular as her older siblings.

Ja’Kenya Hoskins, who will be a freshman at Coupeville High School in the fall, joins Ja’Tarya as a Wolf, while both follow in the footsteps left by legendary big sis Jai’Lysa.

It’s a family of superstars, comprised of exuberant, talented, strong young women who excel in the classroom and in the arena.

And whatever you do, don’t sleep on Ja’Kenya, who could quite easily be the most explosive athlete in the trio.

The youngest sister is a beast on the boards, ripping rebounds away from tentative rival players, then sprinting down-court to pick up easy buckets.

Put Ja’Kenya on the track, and she has jets in her feet, zinging around the oval in a style very similar to both older sisters.

Once she hits CHS, the youngest Hoskins plans to add cheer to her long list of accomplishments, just like Jai’Lysa and Ja’Tarya.

While she enjoys all of her pursuits (rare is the time when the outgoing young star isn’t flashing a smile as she bops through life), Hoskins gives an edge to hoops.

She and a tight group of teammates have played together for several years now, winning titles and reviving memories of Wolf juggernauts of the past.

“I would say basketball is my favorite sport, because of how it’s not just about you,” Hoskins said. “It’s about the teamwork and being there for your teammates.

“What I like most about being an athlete is being a part of a team and learning you can’t blame everything on your team,” she added. “You have to accept responsibility for your actions.”

On the hardwood Hoskins is an intense defender, and one quick to dive for loose balls or end up in a wrestling match for a rebound.

While she wants to maintain her intensity, she realizes she needs to pick her moments to go full-tilt.

“I would say some of my strengths as an athlete are I’m determined to the very end and I will put my full 100 percent in everything,” Hoskins said. “Areas I’d like to work on are keeping my cool, mainly in basketball.”

When she’s not playing or practicing, she likes to hang out with friends, both online and in person.

That carries over to people from other schools as well, as a common sight at middle school games was Hoskins delivering enthusiastic hugs to many of the rival players when they arrived in the CMS gym.

She knew all of them, they knew her, and every game was like a happy reunion for both sides.

Hoskins, who wants to “go to state at least once in track and basketball,” deeply appreciates her large support crew.

“People who have helped me make me the person I am are my Swish teammates like Isabelle (Wells), Kylie (Van Velkinburgh), Anya (Leavell), and Kiara (Contreras).

“My family always supports me in all my sports and always pushes me to do more.”

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Dig deep for Danny!!

Posted in Track, tagged , , , , on July 8, 2018| Leave a Comment »

Danny Conlisk hangs out with mom, and faithful fan, Dawnelle.

We need to make Danny Conlisk run out of town.

And by that, I mean, I’m calling on all Wolf fans out there to support the easy-going whirlwind of the track oval, and help him, his mom, and his sister make it to the national Junior Olympics.

Conlisk, who will be a senior at Coupeville High School this fall, ran strongly in the 400 at regionals Saturday and punched his ticket to the biggest meet of the year.

Only issue is nationals, which run July 23-29, is held in Greensboro, North Carolina.

But we’re going to make this happen.

So, I have taken it upon myself to engage in some participatory journalism, by launching a GoFundMe for Conlisk.

The money raised would pay for plane tickets for Danny, mom Dawnelle, and sister MaryBeth, as well as a rental car when the trio is on the ground.

Why help Conlisk, you ask?

Because he’s a class act in every way, a young man who has used running to shape his world and open up multiple new doors for himself.

From a quiet kid entering high school, he has emerged as a leader, a four-time (and counting) state meet participant, a strong student and a member of the Coupeville School Board.

When Danny comes bolting down the backstretch, serene look on his face as he blitzes past rival runners, his teammates lose their minds.

They do it because he’s developed into a killer on the oval, but even more so because he is such a good guy, and that’s something you can’t fake for too long.

Look beyond the ripped tape and the timers checking their stats, and all you need to know about Conlisk is on display as he seeks out and shakes the hand of each rival after his races, win or loss.

The quiet kid, who has become a stellar young man, is class, pure and simple.

He makes Coupeville look good, and we have a chance to put him on a national stage, where the whole USA can see Cow Town’s finest up close and personal.

How can you say no to that?

Spoiler: you can’t.

 

To help Danny and Co. make the trip to Carolina, pop over to:

https://www.gofundme.com/fly-danny-fly

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