Ja’Kenya Hoskins, Superstar. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)
Ja’Kenya Hoskins. Say her name, and write it down for good measure.
I’m calling it right now – this is her year.
When the students who form the Coupeville High School Class of 2022 head back to school for their senior year, there will be multiple athletic storylines waiting to play out.
From Hawthorne Wolfe chasing the all-time CHS boys basketball scoring record to Izzy Wells trying to become the first pitcher to lead the Wolf softball squad to state twice, potential glory is everywhere.
But, with no slight meant to any girl or boy in the Class of ’22, I’m anointing Ja’Kenya as the North star for this pack of Wolves.
It’s a testament to what she could accomplish athletically, as a key basketball and track star.
On the hardwood, Ja’Kenya is a high-energy, rebound-snatching, let’s-roll-in-the-open-court wrecking machine.
And, when next spring rolls around and brings with it the hope of a state meet for the first time in three pandemic-altered seasons, Miss Hoskins will brandish a major distinction.
She’s the only active CHS track athlete to own a state meet medal, as she was part of a 4 x 200 relay squad which finished 3rd at the big dance during her freshman season.
That also put Ja’Kenya up on the CHS track record board, where she joined older sisters Ja’Tarya and Jai’Lysa, part of record-owning 4 x 100 and 4 x 400 teams, respectively.
It was a great start, but then the pandemic took a chomp out of Ja’Kenya’s prep track career.
Covid completely wiped out her sophomore campaign, then track returned with a limited number of meets, but no postseason, during her junior year.
While nothing is guaranteed, the rise of vaccination numbers hopefully promises a more traditional final track campaign for Ja’Kenya and Co.
Breakin’ records, every day.
But the reason we’re tabbing this “The Year of Ja’Kenya” goes beyond sports.
The youngest of four children in her family (brother Will joins his three sisters), Miss Hoskins is everything you could hope for if you want someone to be the representative of your town, and its school.
Anyone who has met her can tell you she is a vibrant ray of sunshine disguised as a human being, someone whose mere presence makes everyone in the immediate area happier.
From middle school on, when rival teams arrive in Coupeville, it’s not been unusual to see most of the opposing players immediately crowd around Ja’Kenya, with her peals of laughter rising up to the ceiling as she greets everyone she knows and loves.
Which is just about everyone.
It’s the same when she hangs out with her fellow Wolves, such as close friends like Izzy Wells.
Want to find Ja’Kenya? Listen for the laughter, and look for the part of the crowd having the best time of anyone in the gym.
Ja’Kenya and Izzy Wells, possibly up to shenanigans.
Last year, during soccer season, I saw her on a fairly-regular basis in the press box, as she ran the clock and did announcements, and I pretended like I understood soccer.
I came away impressed.
Ja’Kenya is whip-smart, but not in a show-off way, very funny, remarkably-poised, and as genuinely kind and caring as any teen you’re likely to meet.
She was deeply-concerned when she thought she might have stumbled over a rival soccer player’s name during pre-game introductions (trust me: she nailed it), and had something nice to say about every single one of her classmates.
Every … single … one.
And she wasn’t being a smart-ass. Ja’Kenya is just that nice.
Now, she may have no memory of Videoville, a sad confirmation that we’ve gone far enough past my lazy, hazy video store days for that time to mean anything to the Netflix ‘n Instagram generation.
But even then, Ja’Kenya’s kindness shone through.
“Oh, I’m sure I would have liked the video store if I was there! Especially the gumball machine!!,” she assured me.
Meanwhile, I’ll just go sit over here in the corner, babbling like Grandpa Simpson, about the olden days…
But enough about me. Back to Ja’Kenya.
She impresses me, and has every day and in every way, since she was just a wee lass. The more I learn about her, the more my admiration grows.
I hope Ja’Kenya knows how highly others think of her – from the adults she interacts with to her fellow student/athletes.
The hope is for the 2021-2022 school year to play out as normal as possible, and to see a lot of really great Coupeville teens end their CHS days on a high note, athletically, scholastically, and socially.
But I’ll admit it.
I really want to see Miss Hoskins be rewarded. I want this to be “The Year of Ja’Kenya.”
She’s earned it; she deserves it.
Way back in 2013, Ja’Kenya (pink shirt) was already lovin’ the spotlight.
