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Just a freshman, Makana already a stone-cold superstar!!

Posted in Girls Basketball, Girls Soccer, Track on December 15, 2012| 1 Comment »

Makana Stone

Stone (far left) and 99% of the Wolf varsity team. Madeline Strasburg was busy blowing people up in the JV game at the moment the picture was taken. (Aimee Bishop photo)

Stone and 99% of the Wolf varsity. Madeline Strasburg was busy crushing people in the JV game when the picture was taken. (Aimee Bishop photo)

David King saw the light, and it was beautiful.

The Coupeville High School girls’ basketball coach had long told himself that no freshman would ever make one of his varsity squads, and then Makana Stone stepped on the court, and, like all great generals, he decided to quickly adapt his thinking.

A rare combination of height, blinding speed and a remarkable amount of polish for a young woman who has barely played the sport a little over two seasons, Stone has made King’s decision seem like genius.

Not only has the 9th grader, who bounces between post and wing, already started a game, she’s the second-leading scorer, a feared shot blocker and the owner of maybe the team’s best free throw shooting mechanics.

With the Wolves enduring a brutal early schedule (seven of their first eight games are on the road), Coupeville is surging at 3-3, having won back-to-back games.

And right there in the middle, with the legends (Bessie Walstad, Breeanna Messner), the back alley scrappers (Amanda Fabrizi, Jai’Lysa Hoskins) the generals (Lauren Escalle, Haley Marx) and the never-stop-moving hustlers (Rhiannon Ellsworth, Katie Kiel), is the future of CHS ball — the trio of Stone and sophomores Hailey Hammer (Coupeville’s leading scorer) and Madeline Strasburg.

Told of King’s statement, the somewhat shy Stone was a bit floored.

“That makes me feel great!,” she said. “On the other hand, it also means I need to keep pushing harder in practice, where I can then perform in games and show coach that it wasn’t a mistake to put a freshman on the varsity team.”

All a person had to do was watch one minute of Friday’s epic win over South Whidbey to know it wasn’t a mistake. Stone, acting like a grizzled veteran, soundly rejected a Falcon shot, then immediately got out ahead of the pack, using her impressive wheels to outrace the defenders, leading to the potential for an easy bucket.

Not bad for a “novice.”

“I think my strengths are my determination, hard work, and my speed, which comes natural to me,” Stone said. “There are a lot of parts of my game that I would like to work on. Being that I have only played basketball for two seasons I don’t have a lot of background in the sport.

“I think I need to work on shooting, rebounding, passing, posting up, ball handling, patience, and practically every other skill a basketball player needs to have down because I am a novice and those skills don’t come natural,” she added.

It’s already been a successful school year for Stone, who was her team’s primary offensive threat during the girls’ soccer season. And we haven’t even gotten to her best sport, the one that comes most naturally to her.

“My favorite sport is track. So far my track career has come easy to me,” Stone said. “My speed is my natural ability.

“Even though speed comes natural, track will be a step up this year from last. There is much more to track then just natural running,” she added. “I have to train to have the right form, and also strength. I am really excited for this upcoming season and ready for the challenges that the season will throw at me.”

While she is a natural athlete, Stone’s interests range far and wide. A fan of “The Avengers” and its supporting films and the Sandra Bullock comedy “The Proposal,” she enjoys English class and listens to a mix of country and pop.

“I love to draw, shoot pictures (I can’t say I’m a great photographer but I enjoy grabbing a camera and taking pics in my free time), make crafts, play board games/video games, play with my dog Nike, and much more in my free time,” Stone said. “But, when both my friends and I have time, I like to spend the time we get with them.”

As her play on the court blossoms, so does Stone as an individual.

“My personal goal for this season is to be an asset on the team by getting rebounds, assisting, and also making buckets. My goal for the season as a team is to become more of a team,” Stone said. “The more we act like a family, the better we will be able to play together on the court and the better we play together I feel we will start to get results out of our games.

“I have always been the shy and more introverted one in my family, so knowing I need to work on being more connected with my team is another personal thing that I have to work on,” she added.

And it’s her family, which includes parents Josh and Eileen, big bro Andre and countless relatives who fill the bleachers, that drives her and provides the base she needs.

“I have a very supportive family and I feel like all of them have helped me become the person I am,” Stone said. “My dad, mom, brother, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins have all helped me with certain parts of my life and without them I don’t think I would be the same person I am today.

“My dad has always done everything he can to help me with what I want to pursue. He helps me to be the best I can be in school, sports, or anything I choose to do,” she added. “My mom is also very supportive in what I do. I look up to my brother; he is the role model in my life.”

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Freshman cheerleader realizes lifelong dream!!

Posted in Cheer, Track on December 6, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Sylvia Hurlburt (right) and fellow cheerleaders Jovanah Foote (left) and Nicole Becker celebrate the end of a summer cheer camp. (Pam Headridge photo)

Hurlburt smiles through the rain and cold at a middle school track meet in South Whidbey last year.

Sylvia Hurlburt has wanted to be a cheerleader her entire life.

At least it may seem that way at times for the Coupeville High School freshman, who first picked up the pom poms in kindergarten and has never looked back. Inspired by a connection with Wolf coach Sylvia Arnold, getting the chance to cheer for the red and black has been a dream for the friendly 9th grader.

“Well, I really liked the fact that I had the same name as the coach, I mean, how cool is that!,” Hurlburt said. “It also just seemed to be something that I really wanted to do. I went through elementary and middle school watching the “Big Girls” cheer and have always wanted to do what they do.”

Her love affair with cheer continues to this day.

“My favorite part … oh jeez, I love so many things about cheering,” Hurlburt said. “Well, first off, we are all just one huge family. It’s so nice to know that you have people by you whenever you need them there.

“Also, it’s just so fun to do; it’s awesome when you think you couldn’t do something and you find out you can, you feel amazing,” she added. “I could do without the seniors graduating this year, ha ha, I love all of them! But besides that, there isn’t really anything bad about cheer.”

A talented track sprinter and lifelong dancer (“I love dance. That’s who I am.”) who does tap and modern at Island Dance in Langley, Hurlburt may be a cheerleader, but she is most assuredly an athlete, as well. While there is always debate about whether cheer is a sport or an activity, there is little doubt where Hurlburt falls on the matter.

“Those people are so wrong. How would you feel, either lifting someone up and only having them stand on your hands? Or to be the one standing on their hands?,” Hurlburt said. “Cheer is definitely a real sport.

“We work as hard, if not harder than some of our sports teams at school,” she added. “If this can’t convince them, I would just tell them to try cheer themselves, and give it their all, and then say it isn’t a real sport.”

After spending the fall and winter working on the cheer sidelines, Hurlburt will follow the path set by older brother Larry, a state meet participant last year as a senior, and join the Wolf track team in the spring. Dance, as always, will remain a huge part of her day-to-day life.

“I may enjoy running and cheer, but my whole life has been dance from age three,” Hurlburt said. “My choreographer, Charlene Brown, has helped me with my dance so much. I can never thank her enough.”

Hurlburt’s upbeat, can-do attitude carries over to her schoolwork, as well, as she is one of the rare student athletes to proclaim total love for her time spent in the classroom.

“I really like all of my classes, yes, all six of them,” Hurlburt said. “But a few that I especially enjoy? Well, I really like English and art.

“I love writing, so English is perfect and I’m pretty creative, so art is great and really fun!,” she added. “I have a few favorite teachers like Mr. (Kyle) Nelson, who teaches geometry — he is so funny and makes math not boring. I also love my art teacher, Mrs. (Tacy) Bigelow, because she inspires me to do some things that I would never think of doing.”

Hurlburt draws inspiration from her family and friends as well.

“I have a lot of people who have helped me get to where I am,” she said. “There are my parents, Troy and Kristin Hurlburt, of course. My best friends Jovanah Foote, Jennifer Helms and Jai’Lysa Hoskins.

“My brother Larry has helped me improve with my running a lot, and so has Jai,” she added. “They all mean so much to me.

And when she’s not cheering, or dancing, or running? She’s always up to something.

“I also love just sitting down and reading a book on my Kindle and having a snack in the process,” Hurlburt said. “I love being with my friends too. All of them are so much fun to be with and so unique in their own ways that most of the time you can’t help but want to be around them.”

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A successful Engle in Coupeville? I am shocked. Shocked, I say!!

Posted in Baseball, Boys Basketball, Football, Track, Where are they now?, tagged CHS Wolves, Dalton Engle, firefighting, football, MaryAnn Fakkema, Mike Engle on November 2, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Dalton (left) and Mike Engle, two generations of hard-hitting Wolf linebackers.

#58 in your program and #1 in your hearts.

There are some who question the emphasis placed on sports in high school.

To those people, I offer the case of Mike Engle.

Father of three, career firefighter, rock in the community he grew up in, and a kid who became a success because of the joy and positive rewards sports offered him.

“I think the best memories were my friends and sports. Sports were the one thing I put my whole heart and soul into,” Engle said. “It was the one thing I felt I was good at, and it was the one thing that gave me confidence, made me feel like I was as good as everyone else somehow.

“That’s one of the reasons I believe sports are so important for kids,” he added. “Especially the ones that struggle with academics like I did.”

The Coupeville High School Class of 1982 grad, the Athlete of the Year his senior season, remains one of the standout Wolves of all time, even 30 years after graduation.

He lettered three years in football (the only sophomore to do so), where he was a Second-Team All-Conference pick at linebacker two seasons, played basketball and baseball and went to state in track as a two-sport threat (shot put and discus).

At his graduation, he held CHS records in the shot put, discus and javelin.

Through it all, football was the sport nearest and dearest to his heart.

His senior season he had 60+ tackles through four games, before an injury cost him the rest of the season. Still, those four games were enough to net him Second-Team All-Conference, a sign opposing coaches recognized what a terror he was, even in limited duty.

“I loved the “zone” that you get into during the game,” Engle said. “Figuring out what the opposing coach was going to call, based on down and distance.

“The game against La Conner I had 17 or 18 tackles and a fumble recovery,” he added. “I loved being so focused that you didn’t hear the crowd or what quarter it was. I still get excited thinking about it.”

Living out his dreams on the gridiron gave Engle a chance to taste what life was like for the “big boys” who he had watched from afar as a kid.

“I remember when I was in junior high how cool the high schoolers seemed, i.e. the ‘jocks’,” Engle said. “There were a few (Bill Jareld, Keith Jameson) that were encouraging, which led me to believe I might have what it took to succeed.

“Other than that, I just remember my classmates/friends making it a fun year, even if we didn’t win a game,” he added.

Injuries cut short a football career at Wenatchee Valley College and Engle transitioned into teaching — getting a Bachelor of Science degree in physical education from Washington State University — before moving into full-time firefighting as a career.

Along the way, he helped to bring Coupeville and Oak Harbor together by marrying the former MaryAnn Fakkema, and the couple have had three children, daughters Erin and Miranda and middle son Dalton.

Seeing his own children take their parents athletic heritages and expand upon them has been one of the biggest blessings of his life.

Dalton followed his dad most closely, playing football with the same passion and in a “weird but cool” twist repeating his father’s twin selection as Homecoming King and Athlete of the Year as a senior.

“Watching our kids play has been awesome,” Engle said. “Of course, you always want your kid to have a lot of playing time so they can get better, but the best part is seeing the confidence increase and them get it.

“It’s hard to describe the emotion you feel when your kid makes a great play and contributes to the team,” he added. “We felt that keeping our kids active was part of being good parents, and it was a great way to spend quality time with our kids.”

If his children eclipse their dad one day, he’s fine with that. Just being remembered for his own accomplishments is enough.

“When Dalton was a freshman or sophomore, we were at a home game and I said I hope he ends up better than I was,” Engle said. “Dale Folkestad said ‘you were a hell of a linebacker, he’d do well to be as good as you were.’

“I guess that’s how I want to be remembered,” he added. “I think I just wanted to have earned any accolades. There were some good athletes at our school.”

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There is no time quite like Hammer Time!!

Posted in Boys Basketball, Hammer Time, Track, Wolves in college on November 1, 2012| Leave a Comment »

There are no words…

Hunter Hammer was put on this planet to make my job easier.

I swear, the offspring of Mark and Linda Hammer, and big bro of Hailey Hammer, is gold, pure gold for sports bloggers who want to get a lot of page views without having to do a lot of work.

He may not be playing basketball and throwing shot-put balls through the air for Coupeville High School anymore, but his photos are the gift that never stops giving.

Right after I wrote a feature on Iris Ryckaert, a foreign exchange student who is doubling up this winter as a Wolf cheerleader and volleyball player, I got a tremendous rush of page views from her home country of Belgium.

Shortly thereafter, I posted several pics of young Mr. Hammer — in one he was on a tricycle, in another modeling classy Christmas outfits, etc. — and noticed an odd trend. Belgium was crazy for Hammer Time, as they spiked the numbers on that article as well.

So, for Belgium. For basketball fans. For connoisseurs of fine photos everywhere. The one true Page Hit King … HUN-TER HAM-MER!!!!!!!!

God bless you and your shameless love of cameras, boy!

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Carson Risner’s mom was a superstar back in the day!!

Posted in Girls Basketball, Softball, Track, Volleyball, Where are they now? on October 21, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Jennie (Cross) Prince

The early days.

Jennie (Cross) Prince was a star in a different time.

The 1990 Coupeville High School grad, whose school records in the shot put and discus still stand untouched, lettered twelve times (four in basketball and volleyball, three in track and one in a brief freshman fling with softball) during a period when the Wolves truly believed they were going to kick the fannies of any opponent who stepped foot on their Island.

“I just remember every game/meet was the only one that existed, and we were all determined to die for it,” Prince said. “We physically pushed ourselves to the max every time we put that uniform on or set foot on the court for practices. I thought we wanted it more than any other team.”

Playing along side other talented athletes of the time, such as Sherry (Bonacci) Roberts, Sally (Biskovich) Wheeler and Kara (Harvey) Ford, Prince learned from two fondly remembered coaching giants, volleyball/basketball sage Phyllis Textor and track guru Guy “Doc” Whittaker.

“Ms. Textor always pushed us physically and mentally beyond what we thought we were capable of,” Prince said. “She taught us that we could achieve anything with hard work and instilled a fight in us that made us think we were unstoppable.

“Mr. Whittaker was amazing with the technique,” she added. “If you could master the technique of shot or discus, the strength was just an added bonus to get it a little further. Many VHS videos of Olympic throwers later I finally got it.”

That mix of technique and raw power — which she also exhibited on the volleyball court (“I lived in terror of volleyball practice in high school. Bump – set – spike with Jennie and the evil grin she would get when it was her turn to spike!,” said former teammate Georgie Smith.) — carried her to a second-place finish at state her senior year.

And, with her name still on the big board in the CHS gym, it offers a chance for her son, sophomore football/basketball stud Carson Risner, to lord it over his classmates a bit.

“Still having the record is definitely fun for my son to brag about,” Prince said. “They’re not the most feminine of events, but I am surprised more girls don’t try it.

“I hope others remember me as a hard worker that loved to represent CHS.”

After graduation, Prince remained true to her work ethic, going to Skagit Valley Community College to get her nursing certificate, while working full-time and raising her young son as a single mother.

“Talk about pushing yourself,” she said. “I wanted him (Carson) to see that example and give him the life I thought he deserved.”

She married former classmate Tom Prince (the couple celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary this week), added a daughter and is now watching her own kids play, the way her parents once did. And she tries to keep a low profile in the stands.

“I try to let the coaches coach. I just push my kids at home in life and reassure them that they are what they put into themselves,” Prince said. “They will find their passions and I just encourage whatever they want as long as they give 110 percent.“

With both of her children inheriting one of the great legacies of CHS sports, branching from their mom out through her father, her siblings and her cousins, the Cross family reputation still flies proud.

“Sports was and still is a great lesson to all,” Prince said. “I think kids just need someone to show them how far they really can push themselves.

“The unstoppable attitude keeps you unafraid to do the unthinkable if you want to. Expecting more out of yourself than the next guy is what will make you a success,” she added. “My family made me who I am today. My dad and mom are both hard workers with a never fail attitude. Nothing can stop my family!”