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A campin’ they will (still) go

July 12, 2023 by David Svien

The Wolves are headed to football camp, but in Shelton, not Tenino. (Davin Houston photo)

The road trip is back on, just with a slightly different destination.

When most of the Tenino High School football staff resigned last week, it looked like an annual late June gridiron camp run by the Beavers would fall by the wayside.

The team most affected by that — at least for readers of this blog — was Coupeville, which was primed to jam everyone into vehicles and head down to terrorize people on the black turf.

When news broke, Wolf coaches immediately begin to look for other team-building options.

But now, with the camp moving from Tenino to Shelton, CHS caravan drivers are once more ready to fuel up (at inflated gas prices), cram as many meat sticks as possible into glove compartments, and crank AC/DC up to 11.

“Sounds like (Tenino) Coach (Cary) Nagel has communicated and worked with the Shelton program and will head up the camp there instead,” said Coupeville pigskin guru Bennett Richter.

“This year there will be 10 teams, but with Nagel running things the transition should go quite smoothly!”

Being able to keep the camp alive, even with Tenino coaches in limbo, was huge for everyone involved.

“I’m really just happy our kids will get an opportunity to go to camp this year,” Richter said.

“There is nothing better for a team than when you can get away and have nothing but one goal and each other to focus on.”

In a move which would be very popular with your local blogger — who ain’t taking the Xterra all the way down to Tenino, or Shelton for June football — Richter and Co. are also looking into the possibility of Coupeville hosting its own camp in the future.

Camp Casey, maybe get ready for some pigskin action.

“I have looked into what would need to be done for a camp here next season,” said the Wolf headman. “If I get the word out soon enough, I feel there is a real potential for that.”

With the recent scramble, Richter got a feel for the work involved, but it also fired him up.

“These last couple days have been a rat race to figure out what’s going on,” he said.

“I have basically planned a whole camp in the hopes to get teams here and also planned a whole week for just us to get away and practice, if need be, and now I will not end up using either this year,” Richter added with a laugh.

“But … coaching life … nothing I’d rather be doing!”

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The Dude Departs, Chapter 5: Fun in the Fall

July 12, 2023 by David Svien

Drake Borden, perhaps the last great Wolf boy’s netter, unleashes a serve. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

The mission is complete … for now.

Ken Stange recently wrapped an 18-year run as Coupeville High School tennis coach, leading the Wolves through two seasons most years.

As he marinates in his “retirement” down at Bailey’s Corner Store, he’s sharing memories, deep thoughts, and (maybe) clues to where the bodies are buried.

A nine-part odyssey inside the mind of the man, the myth, the always-entertaining net guru:

 

After my first year of teaching in Coupeville, Pastor Cliff Horr, tennis coach and one of my favorite doubles partners, decided that 10 years was enough coaching for him.

Perhaps the fact that his entire boys’ and girls’ varsity squads had graduated influenced his decision.

Anyhow, I showed up for practice in the fall of 2005 to see about nine boys ready to play tennis. It wasn’t quite what I had expected.

Talent was low and numbers were few.

Still, there was a young man named Aaron Gavin.

He wasn’t the best tennis player, but he was a great leader.

There were also a few young players who would be with me for all four years, and they were the first building blocks of the boys’ program.

That first fall was rough. We lost almost all our matches. There was much room for improvement.

There was one odd but teachable moment that season.

It was the day of my first match as tennis coach.

We were on the way to South Whidbey to take a beating from the Falcons, and I heard some nefarious sounds coming from the back of the bus.

I went to the back to investigate and saw a kid swallow and start chewing a sheet of paper.

As the bus pulled into the parking lot, I told the boy to spit out the paper and show me, or we’d turn the bus around and I’d resign from my coaching position.

Let’s just say that it was not a note anyone would want to read, and they were showing it to the car travelling behind the bus.

I told the nine boys to meet me at the track the next day and to wear good running shoes.

Collectively, the nine boys ran 15 miles that day, as the girls’ soccer team jeered them for their behavior.

I think I made my mark that day.

There was one young man, Jake Weaver, who had nothing to do with the nonsense of that day.

He did most of the running that day. It was the day he took the role as a leader.

Play improved and players held themselves accountable.

And that’s how it went. Kids took the lead.

Aaron Gavin graduated, and Jake took the reins of leadership.

Each season, new kids arrived … each season, the level of play improved.

Early lessons helped build success later. (Photo courtesy Ken Stange)

I was blessed in year two with the arrival of the class of 2010 and Connor Tasoff.

He brought friends: Jordan Lamb, Travis Curtin, and Garrett Knoll.

That was a core group of four that would eventually take 1st and 2nd in both singles and doubles in our league tournament.

I consider Connor Tasoff to be the father of the tennis program at CHS.

He was the first “tennis junkie” to join the team. He and his friends made tennis cool.

He was a leader.

If I could go back in time and change the tennis history of only one guy, I would have had Connor go to state.

Any success I had in my years of coaching the guys at CHS goes back to him.

He started something, and it rolled on and on, from 2006-2019, which was the last year of the CHS boys’ tennis program.

Connor and his crew set the example that would be followed by a very long list of singles players and doubles teams.

After Connor came Ben Hayes and Nathan Lamb.

After Ben and Nathan came Aaron Curtin.

After Aaron came Jakobi Baumann.

After Jakobi came Drake Borden.

Drake was the last of the greats. If Connor was the father of the program, Drake was the youngest son.

Much like Connor, Drake had true love for the game.

He played and watched, and he analyzed and worked on his game.

Of all the singles players I had, Drake played in the most difficult league. He went toe to toe with some of the best players in the state and he garnered their respect.

Had my spine been healthy enough to hit with him during his senior year, he would’ve beaten me easily.

After Drake came COVID, the move to the 2B classification with soccer in the fall, and the death of the boys’ tennis program.

There were doubles teams, too.

Not always was the top singles player at the top of the ladder.

Garrett Knoll and Travis Curtin.

Aaron Curtin and Ben Etzell.

Joseph Wedekind and John McClarin.

Joey Lippo and Will Nelson.

James Wood and Mason Grove.

These guys all ascended to become the top duo. They lived on Court #3, where the top doubles teams always played.

Whether the leadership came from a singles player or doubles team, the knowledge was always passed down to the next guys.

We always had fun in the fall.

Let the awards (and cupcakes) rain down. (Photo courtesy Ken Stange)

One of the best parts of the season was the end of season awards dinner thing that sports teams do.

We tried to have it away from the school as much as possible because we spent too much time at school already.

According to the kids, our dinner was the best of any team, because the families brought their best dishes.

I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who would eat light all day because I knew that we’d dine like kings at the awards dinner.

Anyone who was on the team while Garrett and Jason Knoll played probably still remembers the perfectly colored tennis ball cupcakes made by Peggy Knoll.

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Spikers soar at summer camp

July 11, 2023 by David Svien

Eight of 10 Wolves who went to camp in Bellingham pose with WWU player Caroline Hansen. (Cory Whitmore photos)

“I am so proud of the growth we experienced by the end of camp.”

Coupeville High School volleyball coach Cory Whitmore hit the road to Bellingham last week, taking along 10 Wolves to an annual summer camp put on by Western Washington University.

With the future wide open — CHS lost five seniors to graduation but has a rock-solid core of girls who played varsity last year as sophomores — the Wolves are looking to jell with their new lineup.

Four-time defending state champ La Conner, the big bad in the Northwest 2B/1B League, lost longtime coach Suzanne Marble to retirement, while the region’s best player, Ellie Marble, graduated.

Volleyball supremacy in the NWL truly feels like it’s up for grabs for the first time since Coupeville returned to the league.

With two tickets to state available for District 1/2 teams this coming season, instead of one as in the past, a relatively young, but talented Wolf squad is looking to make a major move.

Where better to start than WWU?

“Like always, the Western Washington University volleyball program put on such a great team camp this year,” Whitmore said.

“We are so fortunate to be just down the road from their campus and we’ve worked to build up our strong connection and feel so supported by their staff, not just during team camp.

“We look forward to visiting them sometime this fall season to watch them play.”

Coupeville’s 10-pack at camp included two seniors-to-be — Issabel Johnson and Grey Peabody — as well as juniors Mia Farris, Taylor Brotemarkle, Madison McMillan, Jada Heaton, Lyla Stuurmans, and Katie Marti.

Sophomore Carly Burt and 8th grader Tenley Stuurmans rounded out the roster.

While Coupeville will miss its former leaders, a new year brings new challenges for those returning.

“Any time you lose seniors, the identity of a team drastically changes,” Whitmore said. “But losing five experienced seniors really opens up that opportunity (and need) for growth.

“And so, team camp is incredibly important to help shape and test the new identity of a team,” he added. “This year’s camp was very productive toward those goals.”

While at WWU, the Wolves “engaged in really productive team talks centering around culture building, leadership development and team bonding,” while shuffling their lineup.

CHS mixed and matched players, with Whitmore and his assistants looking for lineups which click.

“This group is pretty versatile and so “adaptability” is already a strength of this team,” Whitmore said.

“Leadership was a strong characteristic of the out-going five seniors and so we went into camp knowing that this would be an area of development.

“Team camp is a terrific time for the leaders to find their voices, and I’m very proud of where we finished in this aspect.”

A huge part of camp is seeing which spikers step up into new leadership roles.

“It was fun to guide and then watch certain players really bloom in this area,” Whitmore said. “Completely leader-led, the group discussed the need to be able to hold each other accountable.

“I can confidently say, I have never seen a group so quickly adapt to that new standard with an impressive amount of maturity.”

The team camp offers high intensity work, and the Wolves responded strongly, even when down two players after Brotemarkle and McMillan left midway through, heading to Canada with their travel softball squad.

“Another area that impressed me while team camp unfolded was seeing just how the group did not let imminent fatigue creep into relationships, communication and performance,” Whitmore said.

“Team camp is meant to stress teams’/players’ endurance and experience adversity in a controlled environment.

“I’m very excited that a part of this group’s identity would include the ability to hold the standards despite fatigue. This group should be proud of how they handled a challenging test.”

Summer work equals fall success.

While Whitmore came away pleased with the effort and growth of all 10 Wolves, he pointed to Mia Farris and Lyla Stuurmans as players who shined.

“With eight players on the last two days, these two held down the outside attacking positions and did a phenomenal job,” Whitmore said.

“This particular position requires they will take a majority of the first contacts from the serve and then transition to the third contact.

“Outside attackers need to handle five of the six skills on a regular basis, and without a sub to provide them any kind of a break, I was just so impressed with their effort, focus and results throughout.”

Farris earned a camp award and was highly praised by camp coach, and current WWU player, Caroline Hansen, who played her high school ball at Columbia River for former Coupeville coach Breanne Smedley.

“Caroline pointed out that she was very impressed with Mia’s strong leadership with the team while handling a taxing workload,” Whitmore said.

“Something that is so exciting about this is that Caroline was unaware that this was the first time Mia ever handled a full six rotations.

“We are so very proud of her!”

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Want a 41-page headache?

July 11, 2023 by David Svien

This really ain’t my bag.

When I got into journalism, I went the easy route, covering sports and writing about movies.

My eyes glaze over when I try and parse complicated financial reports, such as the 2023-2024 draft budget for Coupeville schools.

I can pull out some numbers, such as the district acknowledging it expects to take a $400,000+ hit with its Connected Food Program.

The budget projects food service revenues to be $300,000 next school year, down considerably from the $502,960 generated in 2021-2022, when the state was financing free meals for all during the pandemic.

Expenditures for food service in 2023-24 are projected at $706,602.

That’s down from the $774,573 spent in 21-22, and the $863,155 projected in the 22-23 budget.

Now, there is also a line devoted to “School Food Services, Sales of Goods, Supplies and Services,” which projects $250,000 in profit.

The same line shows a $37,874 profit in 21-22 and $0 for the 22-23 budget.

Is the leap because the state has announced it will fund free breakfast and lunch for elementary school children, but NOT middle/high school students?

Or is there something else in play there?

I don’t know, and Superintendent Steve King went on vacation at the start of July.

He and his crew are obviously still tweaking things behind the scenes, but not answering emails currently — a deserved break.

People with a better understanding of budget ins and outs will have a chance to ask questions moving forward, with two school board meetings scheduled for July.

There is a workshop board meeting July 20 and a regular board meeting, with budget hearing, July 27.

Both meetings begin at 5:30 PM in the Anderson Board Room (Annex Room 305), which is located at the front of the CHS campus at 501 S. Main.

Until then, a link to the 41-page draft budget:

 

Click to access DRAFT_2023-2024_F195_Summary_Pages_Fund_Summary_Budget_Summary_GF1-GF15_ASB1_DS1-DS2_CP1-CP3_TVF1.pdf

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The Dude Departs, Chapter 4: Dad’s Gift

July 11, 2023 by David Svien

Ray Stange, master of the hardcourt. (Photos courtesy Ken Stange)

The mission is complete … for now.

Ken Stange recently wrapped an 18-year run as Coupeville High School tennis coach, leading the Wolves through two seasons most years.

As he marinates in his “retirement” down at Bailey’s Corner Store, he’s sharing memories, deep thoughts, and (maybe) clues to where the bodies are buried.

A nine-part odyssey inside the mind of the man, the myth, the always-entertaining net guru:

 

Some of the seeds of my coaching career were planted by my dad, Ray.

He gave me tennis.

Dad got me out on the court when I was about eight years old.

We loved sports. We were huge fans of all the Seattle teams, especially the Sonics and Seahawks.

I’ve got endless memories of trips to Seattle to see our teams play against some of the greats.

Tennis was the game we played, though.

He taught me and paid for some lessons.

He kept me flush with racquets, strings, and shoes.

I loved playing. I was average at other sports but in tennis, I learned how to wield my racquet well.

I wanted to get better.

When he was at work and unable to play with me, I’d hit against a wall, or I’d try to convince my friends to play with me.

Eventually, I was almost good enough to play with his crew, so he obliged and let me learn from the older men.

My game improved by leaps and bounds.

Ken Stange (left), always at home on the court.

In the spring of my ninth-grade year, I was excited to join the tennis team.

It had been a rough year.

My mom had passed just before Christmas, and I was full of depression and angst.

On the first day of the season, I walked from the junior high to the big bad high school (that school was grades 10-12) with excitement.

It was a welcome escape from what had been a hellish year so far.

Turns out, my depression and angst did not sit well with my tennis coach.

It didn’t take long for him to hate me, and he didn’t really disguise his feelings for me.

My tennis coach, who was ironically, the psychology teacher, came up with a nickname for me.

My new name was Fat. True story!

He was not my favorite person.

Luckily, I found a family in my teammates, who welcomed me with open arms, and with the assistant coach, who went to great lengths to help me process my mom’s death and all that depression and angst.

But that coach … he planted the other half of the seeds of my coaching career.

The ones that would help me focus on being kind and understanding; a coaching career that would allow players the chance to grow and the chance to be competitive.

Funny story: eventually, my coach could not deny me. In my senior year, my teammates voted me as captain.

He finally gave me the chance to play him at practice.

While I was up 4-1 in the first set, he stopped playing, grabbed his gear, and left practice early.

Years later, I would play Ben Hayes in practice.

He beat me. He was the first CHS kid to do so. I think I hugged him.

I owe a lot to Coach SoAndSo.

In my early years of coaching, when I often didn’t know how to proceed, I would ask myself how he would have done it. Then I did exactly the opposite.

Aside from doing the opposite of Coach SoAndSo, I often looked to my dad for advice related to tennis.

He was an excellent resource that possessed a wealth of information and experience.

My dad was the biggest CHS tennis supporter who never came to a match!

Forever the inspiration.

Every time we talked on the phone, Dad would listen to me give the details of matches … my players … the kids I felt could possibly make it to state.

He was my rock, and until he was 89, he was the official supplier of CHS practice tennis balls.

He collected the once used balls from the places he played and saved them for me.

Twice a year, I’d pick up several hundred tennis balls, many of which would end up being given to opposing teams, nursing homes (for walkers), and teachers whose classrooms had uncarpeted floors and metal chair legs.

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