Where are they now? | Coupeville Sports

Archive for the ‘Where are they now?’ Category

The long and winding road leads Aimee Bishop back to The Rock!!

Posted in Girls Basketball, Track, Volleyball, Where are they now? on December 29, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Two generations of Wolf star athletes, Aimee Bishop (left) and daughter Breeanna Messner.

Mother and daughter in earlier times.

Bishop and sisters Christi Messner (lower left) and Barbi Ford (upper left) and father Paul “Santa” Messner.

Aimee Bishop is proof you can go home again.

A successful three-sport athlete during her days at Coupeville High School, she was anxious to flee small town living when she graduated in 1988. So she spent the next seven years seeing the USA, including a stint working at Walt Disney World in Florida (“I had an amazing time!”), before returning to Coupeville.

Now employed by the Coupeville School District, a constant presence at Wolf sporting events and the proud mom of her own three-sport star, Breeanna Messner, Bishop couldn’t be happier to be back in the place she once longed to flee.

“I love this Island as an adult,” Bishop said. “Funny thing is I could not wait to get off “The Rock” when I was in high school.”

It wasn’t that she didn’t enjoy her time at CHS, where she played volleyball and basketball and ran track for the Wolves. But, like a lot of other kids, the outside world loomed large and inviting compared to her hometown.

Now married to Island County Coroner Robert Bishop, she worked as a paralegal before making a full circle back, becoming part of a crack team that now runs sports events in the same venues she once called home as an athlete.

The transition specialist for the Island Juvenile Detention program by day, she can be found at virtually every home Wolf game, often hopping between multiple events in the same day.

If someone is shooting a basketball or flinging a football, she and her cohort in crime (“My wonderful friend Kim Andrews“) are there on the scene, making sure the lights stay on, referees show up and Kole Kellison doesn’t fall off of any rain-slicked press box roofs.

Playing a vital role in keeping CHS athletics humming along offers Bishop two opportunities — one, to relive her own high school sports days a bit, and two, to watch her daughter play out her own memories.

Still a strong athlete who runs religiously, Bishop fondly remembers her time on the hard court.

“My junior year in basketball was my favorite. We had a lot of fun that year,” Bishop said. “It was the last year that Coach (Phyllis) Textor coached basketball.

“My favorite sport was basketball,” she added. “I loved the adrenaline and the fast-paced game.”

It was Textor and a young track coach fairly new to the school who inspired her the most.

“Two coaches that stand out are Coach Textor, who coached me in volleyball and basketball and Coach (Ron) Bagby, who was my track coach,” Bishop said. “I remember Bagby making us run the mile at practice. I would complain because I was a sprinter, NOT a distance runner. Now I run marathons. Go figure.”

Regardless of the sport, the life lessons she picked up have stayed with her throughout life after high school.

“What I love about team sports is you learn to rely on your teammates, you work together and NEVER give up!,” Bishop said. “I love pushing beyond what you thought you could do.”

One of her greatest joys these days comes from watching her daughter, a junior who is a standout volleyball, basketball and softball player. While she tried to play fair and offer Breeanna many options growing up, Bishop always hoped the apple wouldn’t fall far from the tree.

“I have an amazing daughter,” Bishop said. “I always secretly wanted Bree to play sports, but I did put her in ballet, tap, tumbling, horse riding, guitar lessons and drama performances when she was little.

“She enjoyed sports the most. LUCKY ME!,” she added. “I love watching her play. I am a very nervous spectator, though. She is super fun to watch play.”

Read Full Post »

X’s & O’s with Noah Roehl: Tourney Time!!

Posted in Community Sports, Where are they now?, X's & O's with Noah Roehl on December 28, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Red Pride

Coupeville Cows

Son of a coach and younger brother of a legendary quarterback, Noah Roehl grew up on the football practice field at Coupeville High School, building forts out of blocking pads and surviving off of stray orange wedges.

He now runs football and basketball tournaments which honor his father’s legacy, and he stops by to update us on how they went in 2012.

The Tom Roehl Memorial Scholarship will be given out this year to a graduate from Coupeville High School who best exemplifies how athletics have impacted their community service and academic excellence.

This year the scholarship, under the umbrella of the Coupeville Foundation for Coupeville Public Schools, was able to host two events.

We organized the Tom Roehl Turkey Bowl, a flag football tournament, on November 24th with about 18 participants on three different teams. This was the sixth year of the event, but, after a two year hiatus it was restructured into a more wide open format to encourage more participants and a co-ed format.

Additionally, we hosted the Tom Roehl Round-Ball Classic, an all-island basketball tournament. This was the third year of the tournament format, but the sixth year of the Round-Ball Classic.

We were able to raise $1,900 for the scholarship this year, which is the most we have raised. We have some additional donations that typically come in this week from family and friends who live out of the area and that should bring us up to almost $3,000, which would also be the most we have raised in a single year thus far.

Both events were paired together this year and received significant support from local businesses. The event partner, which provided the necessary funding for all insurance and facility costs, was Windermere Property Management.

Our event sponsors, who help fund the t-shirts and officials fees were Schisel Construction, Harada Physical Therapy and Davido Consulting Group. Finally, our event supporters who helped cover any additional event costs were Ashley’s Design, R&R Tree Service, Sherman Farms, and Island Periodontics and Implants.

The 2012 Tom Roehl Turkey Bowl had about 18 participants on three teams. The teams played round-robin, with each team playing the other two, with a final championship game played at the end.

It was the first year of the 5×5/6×6 style and, while more teams would have been ideal, those that played had a ton of fun. We expect the event to grow over the next few years, similar to the way the Round-Ball Classic has grown.

We didn’t really crown a “Champion” this year as we combined some of the teams for the championship game, but the teams that participated were the Tecmo Super Bowl All-Stars, The Silver Bullets and Rocking Roehl.

The 2012 Tom Roehl Round-Ball Classic was a great success this year. We had six teams playing with a well represented team from South Whidbey and Oak Harbor — both those teams made it to the Semi-Finals.

The tournament started early in the morning and a few teams still had to clean the dust off their shoes from last years event.

With six teams playing, each team played three seeding round games, then based on record and points, were placed into a single elimination tournament.

The “Coupeville Cows”, #1 seed, and “Red Pride” #3 seed, were on opposite sides of the bracket setting up the possibility of a rematch of 2011’s championship game.

The “Oak Town Ballers” were the #4 seed and the “S Double U” were #2. After two play-in games against the “Roehl Machine” and “Two Old Guys and some Young’ins”, “Red Pride” and the “Oak Town Ballers” advanced to the semi-finals vs the “Coupeville Cows” and “S Double U”.

After two hard-fought battles in the semis, a rematch was set.

“Red Pride” won in 2011 after battling back and fourth and pulling away late in the game. This year “Red Pride” pulled ahead from the start of the game and, at one point, held a 14 point lead, but the “Coupeville Cows” climbed back into the game, chipping away at the lead over the final five minutes.

It looked like they might pull out a come from behind victory.

A few key stops and a three pointer from Brad Sherman put the Cows within two points with 10 seconds left. A foul put Michael Vaughn on the free throw line for 1 and 1. He missed the first one, but Nick Sellgren tipped the ball out of the key right back to Vaughn , who sank the follow-up shot.

The Cows tried to get a final shot off but it was too little too late. Red Pride made it two in a row!!

Read Full Post »

And then Georgie Smith called me an idiot!!

Posted in Memories, Where are they now?, Whidbey's Best on November 29, 2012| 2 Comments »

Bonacci. Cross. Stuurmans. McFadyen. Stars of a different time.

It was a different time.

The ’80s, maybe more than just about any decade, had a unique look to them, whether it was clothes, hair or style. It was a time when Duran Duran and Wham! ruled the airwaves, hair just got bigger and bigger and two out of every three Coupeville High School male athletes rocked ‘staches.

It was also a time when the Wolves were big players in almost every sport they participated in. And yes, you can say it was because they were in a B league, while the modern-day CHS squads play in a 1A/2A conference, but I don’t totally agree.

The Northwest League was tough. Concrete. Darrington. Lopez. They weren’t pushovers.

But the Wolves were tougher.

Aparicio. Messner. Grasser. Ford. Zustiak. Cross. Biskovich. Bamberger. And enough Engles and Shermans to fill an entire town. They believed they were going to win every night and they often did. It’s a mentality the current generation, which is populated by many of their own children, needs to firmly embrace.

And hey, at one point in the mid-’80s, the Wolves had 60 players turn out for football. That’s right — 60, when they were a B school.

Looking back at newspaper clippings from the mid to late ’80s, the time just before my family moved to Whidbey Island in ’89, I noticed a lot of things.

Dea (Sibon) Bowen, CHS class of ’84 and my former co-worker at Videoville/Miriam’s Espresso, had really amazing hair.

In a sea of ‘staches, Wolf star Chad Gale looked a lot like Oates from Hall and Oates.

While there were more football players (Coupeville had a high of 38 early in the season this year) there were a LOT less cheerleaders. Sylvia Arnold’s squad rolled out 27 girls this fall, while many of the years in the ’80s, pictures show 4-6 cheerleaders, tops.

A tradition was being started, however, as the beaming face of Tami Stuurmans can be seen in most of those pictures, and now look-alike daughter Sydney Aparicio is one of the current Wolf cheer stalwarts.

No newspaper at the time seemed to know how to spell Aleshia McFadyen’s first name (I saw four different versions) or Sherry Bonacci’s last name (two N’s or two C’s?). And was it Jennie Cross or Jenny Cross?!?

In 1987, the Coupeville Booster Club gave Ron Bagby $180 to get a new pole vault pole for CHS. Since the Wolves no longer compete in the event, where’s the pole these days — Bagby’s garage?

And while we’re on Bagby, back when the longtime football coach wore short shorts and rocked his own ‘stache, I knew he was a star at Forks High School and then at the University of Puget Sound, where he led the nation in punt returns as a sophomore.

I did NOT know he came really close to being drafted by the United States Football League, the NFL rival that gave us Doug Flutie, Herschel Walker and Donald Trump. Take away a leg injury and instead of having a Wolf legend, we might have watched him returning punts on TV.

And speaking of questions, who exactly are Dick Bogardus and Eddie “Grandpa” Pope, and are the CHS Athlete of the Year awards still named in their honor?

While we’re thinking about that, we’ll close with this response from Georgie Smith, who played several sports in the ’80s and went on to be a successful newspaper writer and now farmer. When I inquired if I could do a story on her, she had the following to say, in between bouts of hysterical laughter.

“Well, if there was one thing I sucked at David, it was high school sports. So if you want to do a story about how in a small town EVERYBODY gets to play on the basketball team (even if you can’t dribble to save your life) or the volleyball team (even if you were scared shitless every time somebody spiked the ball at you) that would be me.

“I can tell you the story about the ONE TIME I tried to steal the ball in basketball and it was so ridiculous that when the play was over I looked over to see my coach with his head between his knees laughing til he cried. So if so, sure.”

But, I am nothing if not persistent, and she agreed (probably to get me to shut up) to write a first-person account of her days in a Wolf uniform sometime in January. Mark your calendars, Coupeville, cause it’s gonna be epic!

Read Full Post »

Mrs. Hustle a perfect mix of hard work and joy!!

Posted in Girls Basketball, Volleyball, Where are they now? on November 28, 2012| 1 Comment »

Two generations of Wolf volleyball stars (and family friends) — Sydney Aparicio and Sherry Roberts (right).

Superstar.

Bob Barker and his Wolf hoopsters, including the future Mrs. Roberts (31).

There is no doubt who has the best memory in the Roberts family.

Jon Roberts would be the first to admit that wife Sherry (Bonacci) Roberts remembers their glory days on the athletic fields and courts at Coupeville High School with much more clarity.

It’s a testament to both her sparkling intelligence and to the large box of clippings, programs and school newspapers that she has held on to — a box her husband refers to, light-heartedly, as the Sherry Loves Sherry box.

The box merely backs up her stories, however, with the pictures capturing a bright, vivacious young woman who always seemed to have a smile on her face, even when she was clocking an opponent in the back of the head while fighting for a rebound.

That image — of hard work mixed with joy — perfectly captures a player who lettered all four years in volleyball and basketball before going on to play a bit of volleyball in college.

“I would hope that my teammates and Coupeville fans would remember me as being a dedicated hard-worker while having fun and smiling,” Roberts said. “I also hope to be remembered as being a positive influence and an encourager to my teammates.”

Roberts has remained life-long friends with many of the girls she suited up with, and remembers their high school days fondly.

“I was really lucky to play with some amazing and talented athletic gals! Everyone always seemed to get along and sincerely encourage one another; I don’t ever remember any drama,” Roberts said. “I had the privilege of playing with Marlene Grasser, Tina Barker, Terri Perkins, Sarah Powell, Aimee Messner, Carol Estes, Shannon Sherman, Sally Biskovich, Aleshia McFadyen, Trudy Eaton, Georgie Smith, Jennie Cross, Kara Harvey.

“Marlene was my athletic role model though,” she added. “She was such an amazing and gifted athlete and one of the nicest people ever. She always helped me and encouraged me to strive for excellence and become the best I could be.

“She was the female athlete TWO years in a row … WOW!”

Roberts is being a bit modest, since she herself won the Female Athlete of the Year in 1987-1988, added an MVP award in volleyball, a Miss Hustle award in basketball and the United States Marine Corps Distinguished Athlete Award.

Even though she loved basketball (“There is something about that game — the squeak of shoes on the court, the ball in your hands, hearing the net swish…”), she followed the advice of volleyball coach Phyllis Textor and accepted a room/board scholarship to play that sport at Yakima Valley Community College.

“I sat the bench a lot, little playing time each game. It was hard to do that, especially when you were a “star” in little ol’ Coupeville,” Roberts said. “Needless to say, I learned more in one year from my awesome coach, Al Rogers, than I did in four years of high school.

“Amazing experience I wouldn’t ever change.”

Another, earlier coach made a huge impact on her, as well.

“My all-time favorite coach was Mr. Bob Barker. He became the girls basketball coach the beginning of my junior year when Ms. Textor stepped down,” Roberts said. “Mr. Barker was one of those influential people that made a difference in my life. When you were struggling or making errors, Mr. Barker would pull you aside, tell you what was going on, how to change this, and then send you off with positive reinforcement, which I responded to much better than being yelled at.

“I still exchange a Christmas letter with him every year,” she added. “Love, love, LOVED Mr. Barker!”

Her time with Barker produced her favorite athletic achievement, as well. More than 20 years later, she can remember it with perfect clarity.

“My best memory was my senior year — Coupeville Wolves vs. Lopez Lobos, December 1988,” Roberts said. “Back in the day when the games were free, it was cheap entertainment for my whole family. I had my own personal cheering squad which consisted of my dad, mom, brother, sister, grandma, grandpa, uncle, aunt and cousins. They were always in the stands cheering me on.

“This particular game was a painfully slow and LOW scoring game. We were down 30-25 with two minutes left in the game. I made a basket and my teammate Trudy Eaton scored two at the foul line, which brought us to 30-29 Lobos, 1:20 left in the game.

“I rebounded a miss from Jennie Cross and put a shot back up with 16 seconds left in the game. Lobos fouled me so I went to the line, down by one. The gym at this point was PACKED because the boys were playing immediately after us and EVERYONE came to watch the boys.

“At the free throw line I was so stressed with everyone cheering and yelling. Swished the first one which tied us up with the Lobos 30-30. Second shot — nothing but net! I swear the only person I heard in the whole gym was my quiet, reserved Grandpa yelling his head off!!

“We won 31-30 and it was also my career high in points. I scored 15 of the 31 points. It was my glory game! Ha ha ha!”

Having reunited with Jon, who graduated several years ahead of her, the pair were married and produced two athletes of their own in 11-year old Lindsey and five-year old Landon. The star now watches a new generation play and seeing her own kids blossom has been her true favorite moment.

“We hope we have passed our athletic genes on to our kiddos,” Roberts said.”Lindsey, our soccer superstar, has a goal to be on the CHS High School gym wall Hall of Fame with her dad and mom. So cute!

“She is a MUCH better and talented athlete than I ever was, and I LOVE to watch her play even though soccer is so foreign to us,” she added. “Landon is all about baseball and hopefully will carry on his dad’s baseball legend.”

And no worries. Mom will treasure every clipping along the way.

Read Full Post »

Mr. Hustle turns hard work into big success!!

Posted in Baseball, Boys Basketball, Cross Country, Football, Where are they now? on November 28, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Jon and Sherry Roberts

The future Homecoming King.

Jon Roberts is a hustler. Pure and simple.

Coupeville High School’s Male Athlete of the Year 1983-1984 ran his rear off on the basketball court during his time as a Wolf (he also won basketball’s Mr. Hustle award that year and Homecoming King), and he continues to do more in the average day than many of us do in a week.

A husband (to acclaimed former Wolf athlete Sherry (Bonacci) Roberts), a father, owner of Cascade Custom Homes and Design, a veteran on-call fire fighter/EMT and the chair of the Ebey’s Landing National Historic Reserve Trust Board, he’s a busy guy.

And one who continues to give back quite a bit to the Island which helped raise him and make him the man he is today.

During his days at CHS, Roberts was that rare mix — a true scholar athlete. He lettered three years in baseball, two in basketball and one apiece in football and cross country (“I ran cross country my freshman year and hated running so much I never did it again”), while finishing in the top eight academically in his graduating class — and still found time to be a volunteer firefighter along with brother Jay.

Brought to the diamond early by dad Sandy Roberts, a former CHS athlete who became a coach in later days, Jon embraced the game.

“Out of all my sports, my love was baseball,” Roberts said. “My dad had me start little league in fourth grade, where I began playing catcher and left field, and I continued to do so until the end of high school.”

He also made a sizable impact on the hard court, where Cec Stuurmans would run the Wolves hard in practice, but never quite get the best of Roberts.

“Coach Stuurmans would make us run lines or “gassers.” We would run dozens of sets in a practice,” Roberts said. “He made us do this because we screwed a lot of stuff up and it was the penalty. It was also a great way to improve our cardio and quickness off the ball. PROUDLY, I was always the first one to finish.”

“I hope that if people can remember back that far — I can’t — they remember me as a hustler who was dedicated to work hard and never give up,” he added. “I was not a gifted athlete. I made my mark by working very hard.”

Coaches like Stuurmans and his own father made a lasting impression on a young man coming of age.

“Having played sports since I can remember how to swing a bat or shoot a hoop, I had many coaches who made great impacts on my life,” Roberts said. “My dad was one of them, coaching every sport I participated in until I entered high school. Coach Prosser was a great baseball coach who focused on technique. Coaches O’Hara and McKinley stressed always giving it your all and to be good sports.

“On top of all this, being around the older players like Emerson Faris, Keith Jameson and Troy Hurlburt — who were all spectacular athletes — instilled my wish to be the best,” he added.

Many of the traits he learned as an athlete have continued to shape him, both as he moved on to Washington State University — where he earned a BA in Architecture — and in later life, as he has carved out a living for his family while designing and building custom homes and remodels with an emphasis on historic restoration.

“Always put your best work forward first; hard work and perseverance WILL pay off; if you’re driven, you WILL succeed,” Roberts checked off. “It helps to be nice to others and play fair, too.”

As his own children grow up and begin to pick up sports for themselves, he finds himself on the other side of the field, and he’s fine with that. He’s coached basketball, t-ball and soccer, while remaining content to allow his children to find what they want to play.

“I have tried to push my kids and will continue to do so in a sport they have a true passion and desire to be the best in,” Roberts said. “It’s difficult at such a young age to push a kid to participate just because you “see” a potential. But as a parent you have to help guide.

“I see my kids finding one they love and play year after year and one or two just for fun.”What ever they pick I will support 100%,” he added. “I see myself continuing to coach as long as I am able and the kids want me to. Sort of weird, but in a way I’m following in my dad’s footsteps.”

Read Full Post »

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »