Hall o’ Fame inductees (clockwise from lower left) Sean Donley, Ian Smith, Jacki Ginnings and Austin Fields.
Strong athletes, better people.
The four Wolf alumni in the 42nd class inducted into the Coupeville Sports Hall o’ Fame had many different athletic pursuits in their time in the red and black, yet all left a lasting legacy for two reasons.
They were very, very good at their chosen sports, and they handled their affairs with great class.
So, with open arms, we welcome Jacki Ginnings, Austin Fields, Sean Donley and Ian Smith into these hallowed digital walls.
After this, you will find them at the top of the blog under the Legends tab, which shouldn’t be a surprise.
Our first inductee, Donley, was a standout on the soccer field, a team leader who worked his rear off on the pitch and was named team MVP for his efforts.
A deadly goal scorer who was also always willing to do the less glamorous work whenever necessary, Sean was the kind of player every coach was thrilled to see on the first day of practice.
Off the field, he was a sterling co-worker at Christopher’s on Whidbey, never complaining, always looking on the bright side of life, and his piano-playing chops?
Pretty dang impressive.
Donley’s low-key, smooth operator personality was matched by our second inductee, sweet-swinging golf ace Fields.
Son of a pro, and older brother to fellow Hall o’ Fame duffer Christine, Austin went to state three times during his tenure at CHS, while having to drive a harder road than most of his fellow Wolf athletes.
Without a team at Coupeville, Fields trucked himself back and forth, playing first with Oak Harbor, then South Whidbey, over the course of his four years, while always staying out in front of his Wildcat and Falcon “teammates” when it came time to post scores on the course.
Now studying to take over the golfing world as a course designer, Austin is going to continue to etch his name on the world. Of that, I have no doubt.
Our third inductee, Smith, is one of the most accomplished athletes in recent CHS sports history, a three-sport star (football, basketball, baseball) who more than held his own in a family of big-time performers.
He had a history of coming up big in the spotlight (ask South Whidbey about the time he plunged a knife through the heart of their boys’ basketball program with a buzzer-beater), but it’s his versatility which truly set him apart.
Smith was named an All-Cascade Conference football player five times from 2008-2010, while being honored at three different positions.
His work in the secondary was noted all three seasons, while he appeared on the honor roll as a wide receiver in 2009, then as a quarterback in his senior campaign.
That was similar to his work on the diamond, where he was a Second-Team pick as a pitcher one time around, then a First-Team nod as an infielder another season.
Through it all, Smith was an absolute rock for his teams, the very definition of a player who lived for team, played for team and gave his last drop of sweat for team.
While the argument over who was better between Ian and older brother James (who, simmer down, will get his day in the Hall as well) will probably never be settled, suffice it to say they both earned every one of their honors.
P.S. — I flipped a coin to decide which brother to put in first. Talk to the quarter, James, cause it did not go your way.
And then we move on to our final inductee on this Sunday, Ginnings.
A highly-accomplished two-sport sensation who excelled on the soccer pitch and the tennis court, Jacki remains one of the most beloved, respected Wolf athletes I have ever witnessed play.
She had more grit than you can imagine, and would fight like a devil to win the day, yet would always emerge at the end with the same serene expression on her face, win or lose.
Ginnings, like her fellow inductees, more often than not came out on top, but she always treated her foes with grace and they usually responded in kind.
Ask her teammates and coaches and the response was overwhelming in a way rarely seen.
They adored Jacki, as an athlete and a person.
The day she graduated, CHS lost a true warrior and a class act, but it also gained a legend to inspire those who will follow her path in the years to come.
