Coupeville Sports

Polite but deadly!!

June 21, 2016 by David Svien

Marenna Rebischke-Smith patrols center field for the high-flying Venom. (John Fisken photo)

Rebischke-Smith lashes a base hit.

Don’t ask her to beat up on people, and we’re good.

Marenna Rebischke-Smith enjoys athletics, just not ones that involve her having to elbow people in the face.

“My favorite sport is softball, because it doesn’t involve a lot of physical contact,” she said. “I tried basketball, but didn’t like it because I had to push people.

“I like softball because you can take your anger out on inanimate objects instead of other people.”

Rebischke-Smith, who will be a freshman at CHS in the fall, builds on that, embracing her teammates and pulling them close.

“I enjoy the fact that you have a whole other “family” out on the field,” she said. “I like that you can count on that family to have your back.”

This spring she played center field for the Venom, a Central Whidbey Little League Juniors softball squad which went a sparkling 13-3.

Now playing All-Stars with another team, she’d like to keep the softball express going in high school.

“My whole juniors team had a big impact on me,” Rebischke-Smith said. “I hope to play with them again in high school; they are all very fun and friendly.”

As the season played out, she became a much-more aggressive hitter at the plate, while also making some web gems in the outfield, chasing down balls on the fly several times.

Still, like any good player, she is always looking to improve her game.

“I am definitely not as great as some of my teammates I had in juniors,” Rebischke-Smith said. “But I would like to work to get better and hopefully be as good as they are, if not better.

“I believe I have a pretty strong hit when I have something to hit for, but I would like to improve my hit to have a great hit every time I go up to the plate.”

When she’s not practicing or playing, Rebischke-Smith likes to play the guitar and hang out with friends.

A solid student as well (“my goal for freshman year is to have fun and get my work done and not have to take summer school”), she looks to those she lives with for support and guidance.

“I would say that my dad helped me a lot,” Rebischke-Smith said. “He is always there to help me with my homework and play catch with me; he is really great.

“My mom helped too, even though she works a lot in Seattle. She has been to every one of my games and supported me.”

Posted in Softball | Tagged CHS Wolves, Marenna Rebischke-Smith, Softball, Venom | Leave a Comment »

Ready to launch!!

June 21, 2016 by David Svien

Thane Peterson flies down the backstretch. (Photo courtesy Sandi Farris)

The champion has left the building, but his successor is arriving.

After capping his stellar prep track and field career with a 2nd place finish in the discus at the 1A state meet this spring, Dalton Martin graduated and will now head off to throw in college.

As he leaves, Thane Peterson will make the jump from middle school to high school, intent on becoming Coupeville’s next great thrower.

Peterson, who will be a freshman at CHS in the fall, won a league title in the discus as an 8th grader, and his best throw at this stage of his career (101-04) is almost right on par with where Martin (102-02) was at the same age.

Whether he will one day fling it as far as his predecessor, who topped out at 161-07 as a senior, won’t be known for awhile, but Peterson will come in guns blazing.

“Some of my strengths are throwing the discus, visualizing the steps to throw in my head before I throw,” he said. “Some strengths I need to work on are timing the throws and getting the spin to a consistent speed.”

That will come with time, work and increased coaching.

Peterson, who also enjoys the 200 and 400, plans to add the javelin to his string of events next year. Being able to do more than just one thing is what draws his interest.

“My favorite sport is track and field, because of the ability to choose your events,” he said. “And then the freedom to practice those events is one of the best parts of the sport.

“The coaches are great and traveling to other places to compete is an exciting part of track.”

When he’s not practicing or competing, Peterson enjoys math class and pushes himself in the classroom.

“My goals for my freshman year and beyond is to keep straight A’s,” he said.

While he set a goal of breaking the 100-foot barrier in the discus this year (a 25-foot increase from his best throw as a 7th grader), he hasn’t decided yet what he will aim for as a freshman.

Whatever number he picks after talking to his coaches, “I will try my best to get it.”

In both sports and regular life, Peterson gets much of his support from his parents.

“They have been a big help all my life and have helped make me who I am.”

He also greatly enjoys the camaraderie which is built into the world of track, where large numbers of athletes train, compete and hang out together.

“The most enjoyable part of being an athlete is being part of a team,” Peterson said. “Being part of a team is a great part of playing a sport, because there are people who support each other.”

Posted in Track | Tagged CHS Wolves, discus, league champ, straight A's, Thane Peterson, Track | Leave a Comment »

They put the electric in electrifying!!

June 20, 2016 by David Svien

Birthday buddies Matt Hilborn (left) and Risen Johnson put in work. (John Fisken photos)

They are big reward athletes.

Risen Johnson and Matt Hilborn, who share a birthday today, are both guys who dance on the line between huge success and huge failure, but, more often than not, pull it off for the win.

Hilborn, who just wrapped his freshman baseball season at Coupeville High School by being tabbed as an All-League selection, compiled some astounding plays at third base for the Wolves.

Quick to charge the ball, quick to believe he could make any throw, even when the throw was going to have be a laser launched while Hilborn’s body twisted in mid-air, he had some slick glove moves.

Like most younger players, he had his ups and his downs, but when he was up he showed you just what rival coaches appreciated so much.

A key part of the first Coupeville baseball squad to win a league title in 25 years, Hilborn, who is also a rising star on the gridiron, has a bright future for the red and black.

Johnson, by contrast, just wrapped his run at CHS, graduating with the Class of 2016 a few weeks back.

Before he went, he gave us two electrifying seasons on the basketball hardwood, pulling off moves that few, if any, Wolves have ever been able to accomplish.

A point-scoring machine (and an underrated defender), Johnson could pull up and nail the jumper over outstretched arms.

But more often than not, he preferred to get his buckets by employing a heapin’ helpin’ of Showtime.

Ripping down court, slicing ‘n dicing backpedaling defenders, gliding through the air and somehow getting the ball to drop off the backboard when he threw it up through a maze of arms at the last second, he was flat-out fun to watch.

A soft-spoken fashion plate off the court, Risen always played with great joy, and the only downside is we didn’t get a full four years from him.

Maybe he’ll grow a beard and sneak back into school disguised as a foreign exchange student…

Except one whirlin’, twirlin’, eyeball-poppin’ display of mad hoops skills and everyone would know the truth. Oh well.

For now, we’ll just thank Risen for making the last two years a regular thrill show and wish him and Matt a happy joint cake day.

May your birthdays be as exciting as your style of play.

Posted in Baseball, Boys Basketball, Happy birthday | Tagged baseball, Basketball, CHS Wolves, Happy birthday, Matt Hilborn, Risen Johnson, Showtime | Leave a Comment »

Second Hollrigel joins cheer sisterhood!!

June 20, 2016 by David Svien

Natalie Hollrigel (Submitted photo)

Get the first one, you often get the second one.

It’s been a good rule of thumb for the Coupeville High School cheer squad over the years, as younger sisters frequently follow their older siblings into the sport.

Having seen her big sis Kaela enjoy herself immensely as a Wolf cheerleader, Natalie Hollrigel is the latest to keep the tradition alive.

“This is my first year cheering and I started cheering because of my sister,” she said. “And all of the many amazing girls who showed me how fun it was to be a part of such a tight-knit group of girls.”

Hollrigel, who will be a freshman at CHS in the fall, is diving in feet-first.

“My favorite part of cheer is learning a new cheer and being able to practice that cheer until I get it down,” she said.

A two-sport star during her middle school days, when she competed in volleyball and track, Hollrigel firmly falls into the camp of those who appreciate the time, effort and hard work which goes into cheer.

“In my opinion cheerleading is a sport,” she said. “The definition of a sport is “an activity involving physical exertion” and, at every practice, everyone tries their hardest to stay in shape and to be able to lift those girls into a stunt without them falling.

“Also, during cheers most people think that you just have to follow the motions, but for the cheer to look good you have to sharpen your movements which means to tighten your muscles,” Hollrigel added.

“At every practice our muscles become sore, whether it is the running we do at every practice or the stunting we do.”

When she’s not at practice, Hollrigel enjoys hanging out with friends and going to the beach. At school she looks forward to her science and gym classes.

Along with various group leaders and coaches who have impacted her, she gets encouragement and advice from Kaela and mom Diana Bedford.

The duo are strong role models in Hollrigel’s life.

“They have taught me to be strong, confident, and have a good time during all the activities I do.”

Posted in Cheer | Tagged beach, Cheer, CHS Wolves, Kaela Hollrigel, Natalie Hollrigel | Leave a Comment »

It takes a village!!

June 20, 2016 by David Svien

Wolf dads (l to r) Ron Wright, Jon Roberts and Tim Grove fire up the grill for post-game burgers. (Amy King photos)

CHS hoops stars (l to r) Tiffany Briscoe, Ema Smith and Hannah Davidson pull duty at the scorers table.

This ref ain’t taking any guff from the cheap seats.

Lauren Grove controls the basketball universe (and the clock) with a little help from running mates Maddy Hilkey and Smith.

Three days of watching “old” guys play hoops begins to take its toll.

They came. They saw. They played some basketball … and then probably couldn’t move on Monday.

Lindsey Roberts (blue shirt) and young guns Maya Toomey-Stout (left) and Avalon Renninger (right) arrive to revive Grove’s spirits.

I love the smell of lineament in the morning.

That was probably a recurring thought for a lot of the guys playing hoops at Coupeville High School this weekend.

Taking part in the 28th annual Hoopaholics extravaganza, a sizable group of hoops stars 35 years and older descended on Camp Casey for Father’s Day weekend.

Games were held at CHS, with Wolf girls’ basketball players, coaches and parents running things and providing scorekeepers, clock runners and food and drink providers.

In return, Hoopaholics donates financially to Coupeville’s basketball program, and everyone involved gets a chance to have their photos snapped by Wolf JV coach Amy King.

Posted in Basketball | Tagged Basketball, Camp Casey, CHS Wolves, Hoopaholics, Lauren Grove | Leave a Comment »

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