McKenzie Meyer, Renaissance woman. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)
My 12 years working at Videoville was by far the best job I’ve ever had.
Midway through my run, which went from 1994-2006, McKenzie Meyer popped into the world, the daughter of Frank and Sarah, and granddaughter of my boss, Miriam.
I could go on for hours about what a truly wonderful person she is, but instead I’m going to turn the mic over to her, and let her tell you about her town.
For those of you who don’t know me, my name is McKenzie Meyer.
I was born and raised in Coupeville and graduated from Coupeville High School as a Valedictorian for the class of 2018.
David Svien has known me for most of my existence so I want to dedicate the first part of this message as a thank you to him.
From birthday posts to athletic updates ever since middle school I looked forward to seeing your updates on the famous “Coupeville Sports” blog.
Nothing quite beat the rush of reading an article and seeing my name in bold black after an epic save or new record.
Even our non-athletic events such as the theatre program and Science Olympiad, which often go unnoticed, were given a spotlight on your blog.
Yet right now we are all in a very weird time; there are no athletic events or shows to promote, no follow up scores or competitions to attend.
So you instead have reached out to us to give you something to keep “Coupeville Sports” alive, an open invitation for anyone who has something to say.
I have something to say.
I want to say thank you to the town of Coupeville.
As I go out and explore life on my own I find myself so grateful for the place that I call my hometown.
Whidbey Island was an incredibly beautiful place to grow up; I took for granted how easy it was to go to a beach or find a beautiful place for a hike or a walk no matter where you were.
Coupeville wharf will forever be one of my favorite places to watch the sunset over the water and there’s nothing quite like walking downtown into the family-owned shops and having a conversation with a familiar face.
But, the thing that makes Coupeville a place I am proud to call home is the people.
Those such as the aforementioned David Svien are what makes this town so incredible.
I am thankful for my teachers who were willing to put in the time and energy it takes to really teach their students.
And for those teachers who pulled extra duty coaching sports and leading extracurricular events; they were alongside us for 6 am bus trips and late-night set strikes.
They gave up weekends and evenings to help us to be the best that we could be at whatever we were passionate about and they did it with a smile and a passion that stays with you long after the season has ended.
The parents of Coupeville are a whole other story; some of these people grew up in and graduated from Coupeville themselves and that makes their connection to this town all the more powerful.
The Booster Club was out at football games rain or shine (and trust me there was rain) and at graduation time you not only hugged your parents but also the parents of your friends and classmates, because they had been there the whole time watching you grow as well.
There are hundreds of specific moments, people, and interactions I’ve had that I could ramble on about for days, from pep band to Big Brothers Big Sisters, to the wonderful people in the CHS office and so on and so forth until I reach the word limit on David’s blog.
I had a support system unlike any other.
Coupeville was and is by no means perfect; life is about improvement and we should always strive to make our town a better place.
There are places in which we can and should improve but ideally will come with time.
But, overall I love where I grew up; if I could describe Coupeville in one word it would be “community.”
Our little town embodies a sense of community and support that I strive to replicate in my everyday interactions as I go out into the world.
I grew up in a small town, the kind of town where if you put yourself out there, everyone knows your name.
You can walk down the street and wave at every car you pass and eventually, you’ll be waving at someone you know.
In these strange times, I find comfort in reminiscing on the town that I grew up in and how thankful I am for the time I had there.
Though this is a love letter to Coupeville, it is really a love letter to the community that raised me.
They say it takes a village to raise a child and I’m so happy with the village I had.
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