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Archive for the ‘Volleyball’ Category

Big bat, big dreams

Posted in Softball, Volleyball, tagged , , , , , , on July 16, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Taylor Brotemarkle, who will be a freshman at Coupeville High School in the fall, is a high-achiever with a bright future. (Jackie Saia photo)

Taylor Brotemarkle has big dreams.

The Coupeville High School freshman-to-be is coming off a very-successful trip to the state tourney with the Whidbey Island All-Star juniors softball team.

Brotemarkle and her squad, which included seven girls each from Coupeville and Oak Harbor, rolled to a district title, then split four games at the big dance, finishing fourth out of eight teams.

As the Inferno eliminated teams from Puyallup and Mukilteo, a key player, on both offense and defense, was their go-go sparkplug.

A three-sport athlete who loves the animated super hero film Incredibles 2, hanging out with her pack of close friends, and attending language arts class, she’s part of a very-promising group from the CHS Class of 2025.

Now, as Brotemarkle gets ready for the next stage of her school days, she has a bold plan in place for her high school athletic career.

“(I want) to win a state title for softball,” she said.

“I dare you to throw that ball, sister!” (Jackie Saia photo)

Don’t doubt her commitment to the cause, as Brotemarkle has already shown a strong work ethic, and a high desire to achieve.

The young star, who delights in “the memories I get to make, and the competitiveness” of being an athlete, hails a future teammate and a current coach with a close personal connection for their help along the way.

“My friend Bella (Whalen) has helped me grow so much as an athlete, as well as my mom, (Kimberly), who is one of my softball coaches,” Brotemarkle said.

Mom and daughter celebrate winning a district softball title in 2019. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

After playing volleyball, basketball, and softball through middle school, she plans to “definitely stick with softball as well as volleyball” in high school.

While she enjoys, and excels, in all of her activities, Brotemarkle would choose diamond life as her #1 path.

“Softball (is my favorite), because I have one of the most amazing groups of girls for a team,” she said. “And they make it so much fun, and we have made such great memories.”

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“I like the adrenaline rush”

Posted in Basketball, Softball, Volleyball, tagged , , , , on July 14, 2021| 1 Comment »

Teagan Calkins zooms to the front of the pack as a cross country runner. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Teagan Calkins is ahead of the pack.

The ever-active Coupeville student/athlete, who will be an eighth-grader this fall, has spent much of her time playing ahead of her age group.

At age 12, Calkins is the youngest member of the Whidbey Island All-Star juniors softball team, which just concluded a successful four-game run at the state tourney.

While in Vancouver, she played in the outfield and caught, while being the team’s second most-productive hitter at the plate.

The youngest girl on the Whidbey Island All-Star junior softball squad, Calkins played strongly at the state tournament. (Jackie Saia photos)

It’s just the latest highlight for Calkins, who has also played soccer, cross country, basketball, and volleyball, while participating in gymnastics and taekwondo.

It’s a busy sports lifestyle, but one she plans to keep going. When she hits high school in a year, Calkins hopes to play volleyball, basketball, and softball, while also staying with taekwondo.

While she enjoys all her sports, softball and volleyball currently top the list.

“Softball because I enjoy kinda being in charge of the field, because of the positions I play, which are center field and catcher,” Calkins said. “Volleyball because I like diving and receiving a lot. I like playing libero.”

Calkins flies home with a run.

Regardless of the sport, being active and involved are big for her, and she embraces the exciting aspect of each activity.

“I like the adrenaline rush and being focused on one thing,” Calkins said. “To leave everything else behind and just focus on the sport.”

Away from competition, she enjoys math class (“I’ve just always loved math, and I’m really good at it”), and has shown a keen eye as a photographer, emulating mom Jackie Saia.

Already a star, at age six.

On the field, or court, or trail, or mat, Calkins brings energy and fearlessness to everything she does.

“My strengths are having motivation to dive to get the ball in both softball and volleyball and having good stamina,” she said.

“I’d like to work on how to play every position if I’m needed in softball, and “crashing” to stop the ball at catcher,” Calkins added. “I’d also like to work on pitching … release point, and speed, and how to do different releases for different pitches.”

To get to where she is, and to get to where she wants to be, Calkins has benefited from strong coaching, something she highly appreciates.

“Coach Fred (Farris) has coached me in softball for five years and taught me pretty much everything I know,” she said.

“When I was put in higher level volleyball camp and being the only 7th grader on an all-8th grade team, I was coached by coach Cris (Matochi).

“He was very encouraging and positive.”

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Summer time is spike time

Posted in Volleyball, tagged , , , , , on July 12, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Lucy Tenore and friends participated in a summer volleyball team camp at Western Washington University. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

No off-season.

Coming off a second-place finish in their first season back in the Northwest 2B/1B League, the Coupeville High School volleyball coaches and players continue to put in the work.

Nine Wolves made the trek to Western Washington University recently for the school’s annual summer team camp, and the lessons learned should pay huge dividends down the road.

“We improved our cohesion and ability to play out-of-system, which is always a big obstacle to overcome with any new team,” CHS coach Cory Whitmore said.

“Our communication became more productive and with four seniors from the previous season no longer with us, our new leadership was a huge part of our focus.

“I believe each player that attended camp improved at their particular role.”

Returning varsity vets Lucy Tenore, Jill Prince, Maddie Georges, Alita Blouin, Abby Mulholland, Ryanne Knoblich, and Gwen Gustafson were joined by Olivia Schaffeld and Lyla Stuurmans.

“It’s a relatively smaller group to take to camp and meet the physical and mental challenges of four days of drills and scrimmaging and tournament matches,” Whitmore said. “Very few substitutes and for some, none at all.

“I’m really proud of not only how they held up through the challenges, but how they progressed through them.”

Whitmore praised the effort of all nine players, with a special emphasis on three.

“A couple to mention would be Alita playing virtually non-stop through a back injury that is in rehab,” he said. “Maddie for being the only setter, so scrambling and moving constantly to help her teammates.

“And Lyla, a freshman, having to learn the rotations at an accelerated rate in addition to playing a full six rotations for the team.”

With the pandemic receding, the hope is for a normal fall high school volleyball season to kick off the 2021-2022 school year, with Coupeville chasing two-time defending state champ La Conner.

The battle is eternal, and Whitmore is ready.

“We have a great foundation to take into the fall and we definitely left camp stronger than we entered it,” he said.

“This is a fun group to work with, and I’m looking forward to continue our team development to finish out the summer.”

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Chloe Marzocca writes a tale of athletic success

Posted in Softball, Volleyball, tagged , , , , on July 6, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Chloe Marzocca fires a fastball. (Jackie Saia photo)

Chloe Marzocca is a fast adapter.

While playing multiple sports, the incoming Coupeville High School freshman has shown an ability to adjust to whatever her coaches require, a trait which should pay off as she moves to another level.

“I think my strengths as an athlete are being able to play multiple positions, and play well, and absorbing information that the coaches teach me relatively fast,” Marzocca said.

“I’ve played multiple positions over a span of multiple years,” she added. “I think that makes it a lot easier to play with a bunch of new people in both sports.”

After a busy middle school career in which she played little league softball, while also suiting up for volleyball and track and field at CMS, Marzocca is focusing on the first two sports heading forward.

Fresh off a stellar season with the Central Whidbey Little League juniors softball squad, she’s now playing for a summer team led by the high school coaching staff.

Swinging a hot bat, and helping to anchor the defense with a steady supply of web gems, Marzocca is already making her mark.

Exactly as she hoped to.

“I would have to say softball is my favorite sport,” Marzocca said. “There’s no specific reason as to why it’s my favorite, but being able to get out on the field and have fun with little to no care in the world kind of fuels my love for the game.”

The joy of competing is what draws her to all of her sports.

“What I enjoy about being an athlete is getting out and seeing how other people play,” Marzocca said. “And improving myself, mentally and physically.”

Geared up to rumble on the softball field with teammate Allison Nastali. (Jennifer Marzocca photo)

When she’s not busy practicing or playing, the Wolf frosh can often be found putting the skills learned in the classroom to use.

“My favorite class has always been English,” Marzocca said. “I enjoy writing and reading, to the point where, if I’m bored, I can find myself writing a short story, or maybe reading another book, and forgetting about it for probably a week.”

She hails Stephen King’s sublime Stand by Me as a favorite movie, as it “reminds me of my friend group, and it’s just an entertaining movie to watch.”

Marzocca would like to “letter at least two to three times in both (my) sports,” and to “just improve as a player and teammate overall.”

As she’s progressed through school, sports, and life itself, having the support of family and friends, especially the tight-knit group of girls she shares the field and courts with, has been invaluable.

“I think the people who mostly impacted me to be who I am today are my parents and my close friends,” Marzocca said. “I’ve learned a lot from all of them, and they’ve done a lot for me in and out of sports.”

Marzocca, ready to mash. (Jackie Saia photo)

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Future so bright, Lyla Stuurmans may need shades

Posted in Basketball, Track, Volleyball, tagged , , , , , on July 5, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Lyla Stuurmans will be a Coupeville High School freshman in the fall, yet already has a varsity letter. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

“She lives to play sports!”

Once upon a time, Scott Stuurmans was a high-flying Coupeville athlete, but now he’s largely content to drape his lanky body over a seat in the bleachers and watch his children, like oldest daughter Lyla, grab the spotlight.

An incoming freshman at CHS, she’s bursting with talent, yet remains humble and hard-working, a team-first athlete in a me-first world.

Combining skills handed down by dad, and mom Sarah, a very-successful multi-sport Tenino prep star back in the day, Lyla has been at the forefront of every sport she’s played in Coupeville.

A soccer ace as a youngster, Stuurmans participated in volleyball, basketball, and track at the middle school level, and she plans to continue down that path in a CHS uniform.

A uniform she’s actually already worn for 12 games.

With numbers dipping for the Wolf girls basketball program this past season, 8th graders were allowed to step up and play for the high school team.

Two of those girls — Stuurmans and Savina Wells — made the varsity team, and both had an immediate impact.

Stuurmans was a whirling wonder on defense, a ball hawk who, while young, already exhibits a refreshing willingness to mix it up with rivals.

Firing off the floor on springy legs, eyes ever-alert, both on the floor and when leaning in to the huddle to hear her coach’s words, Stuurmans let her fire show on the floor.

She can also fill up a bucket, leading the Wolves in scoring in their season finale, and finishing eighth on the varsity team in scoring, while topping the JV unit in points.

While she and Wells will have the chance to be the first CHS girls to letter five times in any sport thanks to basketball, don’t sleep on Stuurmans in her other activities.

She’s got mad skills on the volleyball court, and was a blaze going by while competing in middle school track.

Stuurmans fires out of the blocks like a jet. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

While she loves all her sports, plus time spent riding quad and dirt bikes and joining family and friends in every water activity possible, it’s spikes and sets which currently call the loudest to her heart.

“I think at the moment my favorite sport is volleyball,” Stuurmans said. “I really like my teammates, and having alumni there helping has been really motivating to build my skill-set.”

The chance to interact with her teammates has always been one of the big draws for the young star, who takes great delight in seeing her running mates do well.

“Some of the things that I really enjoy about being an athlete are being a part of a team, and having people around that support me and vice versa,” Stuurmans said.

“I also really love the competition aspect and it really drives me to better my game and improve.”

“Oh, they’re gonna need that first aid kit when I get done with them!!” (Corinn Parker photo)

As she heads to high school, Stuurmans is committed to achieving all she can on a personal basis, but it’s team success which sits at the top of her wish list.

“I really think going to state and excelling would be amazing for the program (in all sports),” she said. “And it would really boost the energy for more upcoming classes to want to play at that level.

“Now, as an individual, the goal has always been to play at the collegiate level, and honestly as long as coaches will coach me.”

Stuurmans has natural talent, springing from a family with athletic stars ranging from her parents, to her aunts and uncles, to her cousins, but there’s more to her game.

Even at her young age, she comes across as a very cerebral player, and you can see her mentally digesting advice, then putting words into action.

It fits, for a young woman who already shows a great appreciation for those helping her achieve her full potential.

“Well, my parents have obviously had a large impact on what I am exposed to as an athlete and setting me up for success when it comes to the programs I am involved in,” Stuurmans said.

“My friends and their family have also been a big part when it comes to making me who I am, because they are the ones that are beside me, growing as well as helping me become a better person on and off the court.”

Her time on the soccer pitch brought her into contact with one guru who has had a marked impact on her, regardless of the sport.

“I think that one of my old soccer coaches, Kristan Powell, really showed me how working and putting in time outside of practice or class to build your skills will always help you out,” Stuurmans said.

Reflecting on her own skill-set, the Wolf frosh acknowledges she’s a work in progress.

“This is a little bit hard for me to answer, but I think my strengths as an athlete are that I enjoy being coached, and that I am consistently putting in full effort,” Stuurmans said.

“I am really trying to work on communication on the court, and also trying to not overthink my actions and just let the game flow.”

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