David and Amy King (top) are joined by fellow Hall o’ Fame inductees (l to r) Aaron Trumbull, Mike Engle, Amy (Mouw) Fasolo and Beauman Davis.
Class acts.
The six people who comprise the 25th class to be inducted into the Coupeville Sports Hall ‘o Fame hail from different sports and are getting in for different reasons.
Two for the impact they have made as coaches, two for stellar athletic careers and two for moments in time when they sacrificed for the good of their teams and their sport.
But what unites this six-pack is those two words — class acts.
It’s why they’re being inducted, and why we should be honored to plop their names (and games) up on top of this blog, where they will live on under the Legends tab.
So, with that, let’s welcome Mike Engle, Amy (Mouw) Fasolo, Aaron Trumbull, Beauman Davis and the coaching combo of David and Amy King.
Our first inductees are the two-for-one deal of Mr. and Mrs. King, who are still very much in the prime of their careers.
Unlike some other Halls, my digital one doesn’t require you to be retired for entrance.
We could list off their accomplishments to start.
The Kings led the 2014 Coupeville High School softball team to state, one surprising win at a time.
Getting the best out of every one of their players, the duo made a roster comprised largely of role players believe in themselves at the most important time of the year, stunning the softball world and earning the program’s first trip to the big dance in 12 years.
Not content to sit on their laurels, the Kings then brought home the school’s first league title banner in 13 years with the 2014-2015 CHS girls’ basketball squad.
Again drawing something from everyone on the roster, they led the varsity to a 15-7 record, the JV to a 14-5 mark. Both squads went a perfect 9-0 in league play.
Toss in Amy’s coaching in volleyball and both of the Kings work with local athletes in multiple sports away from high school and they are having a huge, positive impact on a generation of athletes who are taking Coupeville athletics to new heights.
Furthering their cause for election?
They join Willie Smith and Ken Stange as the gold standard for delivering game info, stats and interesting side stories, especially when their teams are on the road, and then they take it a step further with Amy reeling off behind-the-scenes photos like a pro.
I could go on and on about their coaching style — which mixes family, tough love and a commitment to hard work, while finding the sweet spot when it comes to being firm without embarrassing their athletes in public — but we do have some other inductees to get to at some point.
The next two of those, Trumbull and Davis, are being tabbed for creating great moments, probably without even realizing it at the time.
Last year the Port Townsend JV boys’ soccer squad arrived in Coupeville with only six players. To give those guys, and the Wolf JV, a chance to play, the two coaches agreed to play 7-on-7 instead of 11-on-11.
But to make it to that, Davis had to agree to switch sides, pulling a red jersey over his CHS white one, and playing along side guys he had never met, or practiced with — while his own varsity teammates good-naturedly razzed him from the stands.
Without knowing anything about the RedHawks style of play, Davis acquitted himself nicely, almost scoring on Coupeville at one point, and Port Townsend won 3-0.
It was a small moment, but it resonated — an athlete willing to do something out of their comfort zone for the good of their teammates and rivals — and should be remembered with pride.
Trumbull, who was a solid two-sport star for the Wolves (basketball, baseball) made a similar move during his junior season.
Coupeville didn’t quite have enough players to field a full JV squad, which meant one or two non-senior varsity guys would have to agree to slide down and join the second squad for games to happen.
The moment which stands out for me was when a varsity player refused the assignment, and then Trumbull, who was a much higher-ranked player than the wuss, stepped in to take the slot.
Instead of being embarrassed at “playing below himself” like the other guy (who will slide into the anonymous obscurity he deserves), Aaron sacrificed for his teammates and made sure they got to play.
Trumbull had a lot of big plays at the varsity level in both of his sports, but that moment, when he chose team over personal feelings, will stand as his ultimate testament.
He was a Wolf, to the core, and we honor him the same way he honored his team, his school and his sport.
Our final two inductees are two of the most dominant athletes we’ve ever had at CHS.
After moving to Cow Town with her very talented sisters (Beth and Sarah), Amy was a star in volleyball, basketball and track and was tabbed the CHS Female Athlete of the Year in 2002-2003.
Eternally bubbly and genuinely one of the nicest people to trod the earth, the mother of two (and my former favorite teller at People’s Bank during her time there) still holds the school record in the 800 after 12 years.
She won the state title in 2003, and, frankly, looks like she could still whip most of the current Wolf track athletes in a sprint, if necessary.
Joining her is Engle, an ’82 CHS grad and fellow Athlete of the Year winner.
Pick a sport and he excelled, whether it was football, basketball, baseball or track.
How big was his impact? At the time of his graduation, he held the school records in the shot put, discus and javelin and was named an All-Conference football player based on just FOUR games.
I kid you not.
During his senior season, Engle had already racked up 60+ tackles when an injury prematurely ended his season. Still, with just a fraction of work to look at, league coaches had no problem hailing him.
Since those days, he’s gone on to deliver three athletic children to CHS (son Dalton is also in the Hall) and continues to serve his town and Island as a decorated firefighter.
Six inductees, all united by their ability to class up the joint with their election.
