Kailey Kellner: Killer … with a heart of gold. (John Fisken, Sylvia Hurlburt, Amy King photos)
The first day she stepped into the Coupeville High School gym, she looked hesitant, shy, a little lost.
Having just jumped from England to a cow town in the middle of a prairie on a rock in the Pacific Northwest, Kailey Kellner had her whole world shook up midway through her freshman year.
Now, a little more than two years later, it is hard to think of a Wolf sports world that does not include her.
Kellner, who celebrates her 17th birthday today, has blossomed into a stone-cold killer on the basketball court, a three-ball droppin’ assassin who will fly into the paint in pursuit of rebounds and drop a girl on her butt when needed.
Running along side Makana Stone and Mia Littlejohn, she was a captain, a leader, a role model for a very young Wolf hoops team, which just happened to take the program back to state for the first time in a decade this season.
But it’s not just basketball for Kailey.
She’s become a strong softball player, who can pull off a slick unassisted double play, whack a key hit in crunch time and pick up her teammates with her bench chatter.
As the volleyball manager, she kept things humming smoothly, a word for one player, a hug for another, a playful slap on the back of the head for yet another.
Kellner was welcomed with open arms by her new coaches and teammates (playing for Amy King, who creates a true family atmosphere, was the perfect introduction to her new town and school) and the transformation has been phenomenal.
Her smile lighting up the entire gym, Kailey has become part of the very fabric of Wolf Nation. A very important, very treasured part.
Goofing off for the cameras with her friends or droppin’ daggers on the athletic stage, she has proven to be a truly amazing young woman, and watching her grow, not only in athletic skill, but as a person, has been fun.
She’s far from done, and I’m pretty certain the best is yet to come.
Families come and families go, and every once in awhile, we luck out and win the lottery.
Kailey walked into that gym a complete unknown.
The day she walks out, she will do so as one of the best we have been blessed to witness.
Her skills are becoming legendary.
Kailey’s soaring spirit, the loveliness of her soul, though? That tops whatever she might do with a basketball or a softball bat in her hands.
Happy birthday, Miss Kellner. Thank you for giving us the chance to come along for part of your journey.
