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Archive for the ‘Track’ Category

“We put our blood and tears into it!!”

Posted in Cheer, Track, tagged , , , , , on January 20, 2016| Leave a Comment »

CHS freshman cheerleader Moira Reed. (Photo courtesy Reed)

CHS freshman cheerleader Moira Reed. (Photo courtesy Reed)

Moira Reed may still be relatively young, but she’s already a veteran in the world of cheer.

The Coupeville High School freshman, who was a big part of the fall Wolf squad, first started patrolling the sidelines back in elementary school.

After a brief break, she returned this year and rekindled her love affair with the sport.

“I started off in junior cheer (1st, 2nd and 4th grades) and now as a high schooler, and plan to continue for the next three years,” Reed said. “I started cheer again because I liked the idea of having a family away from home and that’s what I got.”

Her relationships with her teammates is a huge part of what keeps cheer fun for her, but she also looks forward to learning new moves, as well.

“I enjoy my cheer sisters and my cheer mom,” Reed said. “But, more than anything, the dances and stunts for sure.”

With all the practice and behind-the-scenes work the Wolves put in to perfect their routines, it would be nice if the school acknowledged cheer as a sport.

Currently they view it as an activity.

“I feel like cheer is a sport because we work just as hard as other sports,” Reed said. “We put our blood and tears into it just as much as they do.”

When she’s not involved in cheer, Reed can often be found “going for long walks on the beach or going to the movies.”

She hails Mulan and Alice in Wonderland as her favorite flicks, and also enjoys listening to music, spending time with friends and family and doodling.

Reed is a two-sport athlete, having been a thrower (shot put, discus) and long jumper the last two years at Coupeville Middle School. She plans to try out for the relay events as well this spring.

Whether she’s cheering, throwing or working hard in the classroom, Reed can draw on the support of her family and friends, which is reassuring.

“My mom, Crystal Reed, has had a big impact on me doing cheer with paying for camp and my uniform,” she said.

“I also would like to give a big thanks to Rebecca (Robinson) and Maddy (Aylesworth) for being wonderful people and always being so cheerful and being there for me.”

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Shanks for all the memories!!

Posted in A freakin' American hero, Boys Basketball, Football, Track, tagged , , , , , on October 6, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Matt Shank

   Matt Shank, one of our best and brightest. (John Fisken and Shelli Trumbull photos)

He was just a good dude.

A lot of athletes come and go, and a few really stand out.

Matt Shank? He stood tall for all the right reasons.

A strong athlete and a quiet leader, yes, but also, and let us never underestimate the value of this — just a really good guy.

Since Matt and younger siblings Brian and Ashlie followed their parents (Sallie and Dr. Jim Shank, Coupeville’s Superintendent) from Utah, they have been a blessing to our town.

Now, as Matt takes a huge step in his life, having left The Rock today to begin a two-year mission for his church, we just want to wish him the best.

You don’t have to be a member of the LDS faith (I’m not) to respect the commitment he is making.

Be safe, Mr. Shank. Prosper and enjoy your time spreading your faith.

Who knows where you’ll go and what you’ll do after you finish your time on the road. However it plays out, I am sure you have a bright future ahead of you.

But know, there is always a place for you here in the heart of Wolf Nation. Your seat might be empty for a bit, but we’ll keep it warm for you.

You played with passion, with heart, with honor. You carried yourself with class.

Much respect, Matt, from all of us.

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“It will be special to carry on the family tradition!!”

Posted in Boys Basketball, Football, Track, tagged , , , , , on July 25, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Jordan Ford works up an appetite playing sports year-round. (Photo courtesy Aimee Bishop)

Jordan Ford works up an appetite playing sports year-round. (Photo courtesy Aimee Bishop)

Ford flies high in the pole vault. (Barbi Ford photo)

Ford flies high in the pole vault. (Barbi Ford photos)

Seahawks

Like the majority of his family, he loves him some Seahawks.

Most times, you transfer to a new school and no one knows who you are at first.

Not quite the case with Jordan Ford.

When he starts his senior year at Coupeville High School at the end of August, the three-sport athlete, who’s coming from Kentwood, will be providing another link in a long line of family members who have worn the red and black as Wolves.

Both of his parents — David and Barbi (Messner) Ford — are Coupeville grads, as are about ten billion other family members, from grandfathers to aunts to cousins.

In his immediate family, he has former CHS Athlete of the Year winners like cousin Breeanna Messner and longtime Wolf coaches like grandfather Larrie Ford.

Now, thanks to his dad relocating for work with Boeing, Jordan will get to write another chapter in his family’s long and illustrious love affair with Coupeville.

“I wanted to go to a smaller school and be close to family,” Ford said. “I’m not worried about the transition; I get along with everyone.

“It will be special to carry on the family tradition at Coupeville,” he added. “They all loved growing up in town. I hope to make them proud.”

First up is a return to football, which he last played as a freshman. Then comes his favorite sports, basketball and track.

“Pole vault in track is my favorite because of the adrenaline rush and not many people do it. I like to fly,” Ford said. “I am better at basketball though, and you’ll see that I play 100% at all times.”

He’s already attended summer camps with both the Wolf boys’ hoops squad and the football team, making the transition to a new school easier.

“Luckily, I was able to go to camp with both teams at Central, so I have met quite a few of the guys,” Ford said. “My goal is to have fun and be part of a team.”

He’ll bounce between wide receiver and safety, and is already hard at work getting back into the flow of the gridiron game.

“Although I haven’t played since my freshman year, I am really looking forward to competing and being part of the team,” Ford said. “I have great hands as a receiver with fairly good speed with a good vertical.

“I need to work on learning the plays and being the new kid.”

When he’s not playing sports, Ford enjoys hanging out with his extended family and playing video games.

As he’s grown as both an athlete and a young man, that family has always been there to support, encourage and help shape him.

“I would have to say that my mom and dad have had the biggest impact on who I am,” Ford said. “They have set a good example on how to live life with the priorities of family, hard work and they loved growing up in Coupeville.

“Of course, I plan on following in their footsteps but hope to outshine whatever my dad did for Coupeville sports!,” he added with a huge laugh.

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Mr. Smooth hits a cake day!!

Posted in Football, Happy birthday, Track, tagged , , , , on July 17, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Mitchell Carroll at work. (John Fisken photos)

Mitchell Carroll at work. (John Fisken photos)

Kid’s got moves.

Coupeville High School junior Mitchell Carroll, who celebrates a birthday today, is one of the slickest Wolves on campus.

Whether on the football field or the track oval, the multi-sport threat can turn on the afterburners and leave his foes grasping at air.

On the gridiron, he played both ways as a sophomore.

On a team deep in talent, Carroll finished 8th in total yards and 18th in tackles, and those numbers could take a large spike if he gets more playing time this fall.

During track season, he flexed some muscle (as depicted in the photo montage above) to go with the speed.

Occasionally working as a sprinter and relay runner, Mitchell excelled as a jumper, making his mark in all three events (triple, long and high jump).

Plus, he still found time to be a member of the school’s Homecoming royalty and has been known to grace the Honor Roll.

Not bad, and he’s still got two years to set the school afire.

So, from all of us at Coupeville Sports, happy birthday, Mr. Carroll!

Keep aiming for excellence and none of us will be surprised when you go blazing by, like a bright, shining star.

Cause that’s what you are.

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Class acts every day, in every way!!

Posted in Baseball, Basketball, Football, Happy birthday, Track, tagged , , , , on July 2, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Birthday boys CJ Smith (left) and Jerry Helm.

Birthday boys CJ Smith (left) and Jerry Helm.

One’s old enough to be the others dad … barely.

But while Jerry Helm and CJ Smith have an 18-year age gap, they share a lot in common, and not just a birthday.

One is a former Wolf star, the other a current one, and both have never been content with playing just one sport, or ever going half-speed.

Helm was a standout football, basketball and track athlete who also dabbled in baseball for a bit, while Smith has helped revive the “traditional” three-sport athlete at CHS.

After moving to Coupeville in the middle of his sophomore year, CJ, who will be a senior in the fall, has played football, basketball and baseball.

In the two previous years, not a single Wolf boy played all three traditional sports, with soccer, track and tennis luring away a number of athletes.

CJ, and younger brother Hunter, led the charge to change that during the school year that just ended, reviving memories of a time when it was common.

The comparisons between the two go deeper than just being multi-sport stars, however.

Both Jerry and CJ carry themselves with a quiet confidence, content to let their actions speak louder than their words.

That calmness and inner fire has led Helm through a meteoric rise in Central Whidbey Island Fire and Rescue and it allows Smith to very closely resemble outgoing Wolf star Aaron Curtin, another self-contained young man who prefers athletic success to scrambling to pose in pre-game photos.

I have a great deal of respect for how both of the birthday boys conduct themselves.

If you’re looking for sports role models, old school (well, not that old…) and new school, you can’t go wrong with Helm and Smith.

As they celebrate their joint cake day, united by the calendar, their success at CHS and their low-key style, we want to wish them both the best.

Happy birthday, gentlemen, and thank you for being class acts every day.

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