Coupeville Sports

Wait, there was more!

July 20, 2022 by David Svien

Aaron Lucero imparts wisdom to Maya Nottingham. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

Just when you think you’re done, you’re not.

Sitting here in mid-July, I’ve stumbled across three photos from the spring which, for whatever reason, were never used in-season.

So, here you go, a flashback to former glory.

Tenley Stuurmans, ready to launch.

Melanie Navarro gets low to snag an incoming grounder.

Posted in Softball, Track | Tagged CHS Wolves, John Fisken photos, Softball, Tenley Stuurmans, track and field | Leave a Comment »

Long run, plenty of pics

July 17, 2022 by David Svien

Larry and Sylvia Hurlburt ran this year’s Ragnar Relays to honor the memory of mom Kristin.

It’s a party, with some running tossed in to keep things interesting.

Now, I’ll admit it — I’ve never felt the urge to join the Ragnar Relays and be part of a group which runs from Blaine to the southern tip of Whidbey Island.

In fact, my enduring memory of the event comes from a few years back, when I was jolted awake at 4:57 AM by support crew folks letting rip with air horns as runners straggled past my duplex at the corner of Madrona and Sherman.

That being said, the 2022 edition featured support crews more in touch with their softer side — no air horns in my neighborhood until after 10 AM this time around.

Though, from the photos scattered across Facebook — several of which I’ve poached, thanks to the generous natures of Sylvia Hurlburt, Helene Lhamon, Amanda Fabrizi, and James Steller — it looks like the party was still in full swing.

Posted in Running | Tagged Helene Lhamon, Larry Hurlburt, Ragnar, Running, Sylvia Hurlburt | Leave a Comment »

Gabriella Gebhard is kind of a big deal

July 15, 2022 by David Svien

Gabriella Gebhard is the top-ranked English Setter junior handler in the USA. (Photos courtesy Stephanie Gebhard)

She’s in a groove.

Coupeville High School rising sophomore Gabriella Gebhard continues to light up the world of dog shows, guiding her canine companions to a bonanza of trophies and ribbons.

Back in April she clinched an invitation to the Royal Canin AKC nationals, guaranteeing a second-straight appearance at the big dance.

That event runs Dec. 17-18 in Orlando.

But not content to rest on her laurels Gebhard has spent the spring and summer on a tear.

The CHS standout has claimed five “Best Juniors” and eight “Reserve Best Juniors” at recent dog shows and finds herself highly ranked in the national standings.

Gebhard is currently the top-ranked English Setter junior handler in the country and sits #4 in Sporting Dog and #6 in All-Breed.

Her main pooch, Walker (Set’r Ridge’s Legend in the Making) is mere points away from being crowned a Grand Champion.

Sharing the love (and the prizes).

The duo won multiple Best of Breed awards with Gebhard facing off with adult competition, then had a big day Friday in Oregon.

Competing at the Coos Bay Kennel Club, Walker helped Gebhard earn Owner Handler Reserve Best in Show.

While he’s a magnet for awards, Walker is not the only dog Gebhard has on the awards circuit.

She has also guided another English Setter — Set’r Ridge’s Eternal Faith — to a championship and is working with a puppy — Set’r Ridge’s Climbing to the Top (Everest) — which she bred herself.

A Blue Belton English Setter chasing his own championship, Everest looks strong, having won the Group 1 Puppy Sweeps in April at the Tacoma Kennel Club.

Enjoying some free time in between winning all the awards.

Posted in AKC dog showing | Tagged Best in Show, CHS Wolves, dog showing, Gabriella Gebhard, Tacoma Kennel Club | Leave a Comment »

What a long, strange trip

July 15, 2022 by David Svien

Daydreaming about that indoor/outdoor swimming pool with waterfall I’ll never own. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

We’re closing in on some major milestones.

Today marks nine years and 11 months for Coupeville Sports, leaving me a month shy of the blog’s 10th birthday, which hits Aug. 15.

Two days later, CHS football begins practice, with the other fall Wolf teams taking the field Aug. 22.

Right now, this is the 9,359th story to appear on Coupeville Sports, and you can count the stories I haven’t personally written on one hand.

We’re also very close to hitting two million page views all-time and would have likely already reached that number if the pandemic hadn’t shut down all sports for more than a year.

When you write a sports blog, and there are no sports, you get creative, but readership also predictably goes down.

Though, with the return of sports, the numbers have shot back up – to the point where here in year #10, I’m currently on target to post my best numbers since the prime of the blog back in 2016.

As we head towards the big 1-0, let’s clear up a few things for those who may have joined us recently.

#1 — I am NOT employed by the Coupeville School District, and they have yet to give me a penny of financial support in a decade of being their unofficial PR agent.

If you have an issue with something I write, contact me, instead of wasting the time of school administrators. My email is davidsvien@hotmail.com.

#2 — I am NOT connected to John’s Photos, and do NOT make a penny off of his photos.

He’s been gracious enough to allow me to run his pics for the past 9+ years, but we are separate entities, and whatever money you spend on photos goes to the guy actually clicking the camera.

#3 — I may not be the only person in the state of Washington doing what I am with this blog, but it’s pretty dang close.

Find me someone else hyper-focusing on a small town and covering not just varsity, but JV, C-Team, and middle school teams on a game-by-game basis.

I’ll wait.

#4 — Coupeville Sports is free to read. Has been since Aug. 15, 2012 and will forever remain that way. No pay wall. Ever. End of story.

#5 — I understand and appreciate the pain of Oak Harbor and South Whidbey sports fans, who have been largely left high and dry with the Whidbey News-Times declining to fill its Sports Editor position after Jim Waller retired more than a year ago.

As a WNT alumni (1990-1994), it’s an embarrassment and dereliction of duty in pursuit of saving a few bucks.

That being said, I am NOT the person to ride to your rescue.

When the school athletic year is in full gear, I average 4-5 articles a day, every day, covering just Coupeville.

I can’t add two more towns and countless more teams to that.

Whidbey is too big (and gas too expensive in this economy!), my knowledge of Oak Harbor and South Whidbey sports is too limited, and my obsessive nature too likely to send me down a path to cracking up in pursuit of penning 15 stories a day.

You can start a blog literally for free, and I hope at some point someone in those towns steps up and seizes the bright, shining opportunity which exists.

But for me, I made my choice, and that’s covering sports at Coupeville schools and ballfields which sit a mile from my duplex.

#6 — Yes, Coupeville Sports is my only job.

I left the restaurant biz in 2015, and despite my many prayers, it doesn’t appear that video stores will ever return.

So, I write and write some more … and then go do some weed eating and mowing on the side as my 51-year-old back screams at me.

#7 — Yes, I will never, ever be getting my indoor/outdoor swimming pool with waterfall writing about small town sports. Sad but true.

#8 — Coupeville Sports survives because of the generosity of my readers.

You can read for free, but those who choose to financially back me, at whatever dollar amount, are the true MVPs.

Want to keep me typing away on a computer powered by three squirrels running on a mini treadmill at 2 AM? There are multiple ways.

Venmo: David-Svien

PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/DavidSvien?country.x=US&locale.x=en_US

Mail: 165 Sherman, Coupeville, WA 98239

In-person: Once games start back up, I can be found flattening my tush in the stands (or occasionally being fancy in the press box).