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Sandahl strikes balance between sports, academics!!

Posted in Track, Volleyball, tagged CHS Wolves, freshman, Jason Aldean, Lucy Sandahl, South Carolina, volleyball on June 28, 2016| Leave a Comment »

Lucy Sandahl

The future is bright for Lucy Sandahl.

As a two-sport athlete who’s also proudly a self-proclaimed “math nerd,” she heads into her freshman year at Coupeville High School this fall expecting the best.

“I am looking forward to high school and what is in store for my life,” Sandahl said. “I look forward to making new friends and making more memories with old ones.

“I just want to live my high school experience filled with amazing teachers and people I love,” she added. “I’m ready to finally enter the world known as high school.

“I look forward to being a part of class 2020 and can’t wait for hopefully the best four years of my life.”

The South Carolina native, whose older sister Sophie plays for the Wolf soccer squad, plans to take on volleyball and track at CHS.

She enjoys the challenges offered by both sports and doesn’t play favorites.

“I don’t really have a favorite. I love them both because I experience two different feelings with both sports,” Sandahl said. “In volleyball I feel like I will learn something new every day, I will always work 110%, and I am always ready to work hard and learn something new.

“With track I feel all those things too, but I feel when I’m running no one can touch me,” she added. “I feel like the race isn’t about the people that are to my right and left, but the battle is between me and the track. And I love that feeling.”

More than anything, Sandahl enjoys the chance sports offers to find common ground with her friends and classmates.

“I love the teammates the most and I love getting to learn new skills and being passionate about something,” she said. “It’s always a great feeling when you’re in shape and you always feel good about what you’re doing.”

While she has natural talent, Sandahl also appreciates the time and effort one needs to put in to keep rising to new levels in their sport. Practice does not faze her.

“My biggest strength is probably the fact that I will take any task that the coaches or teammates throw at me and yes, I may fail sometimes, but I’m always willing to learn and fix my mistakes,” she said.

Maintaining a positive outlook, through good times and bad times alike, is hugely important, as well.

“I would really like to work on my mentality when it comes to competing and practice,” Sandahl said. “I always get in my head and become really hard on myself and I beat myself up about everything I do.

“So I just need to become more hardy and believe more in myself and I will be set for high school athletically and academically.”

Those academics are a huge part of her life, and a part she plans to put an emphasis on at the high school level.

“I want to start figuring out what I want to do with my life beyond school,” Sandahl said. “I want to really focus on school work.

“I am one of those strange math nerds though,” she added with a laugh. “Math is my absolute favorite subject.

“I don’t know why, it’s just I always go into the math room ready to see what scary, funky, cool lesson I’m gonna do that day.”

When she’s not plowing through class lessons or competing in the athletic arena, Sandahl loves hanging out with family and friends and exploring nature, going on trail runs with her dad.

Country music (“not like the banjo music!”) is her favorite, and she enjoys Jason Aldean, Carrie Underwood, Tim McGraw and many more.

“I know most people are against country, but hey, I got to stick to my South Carolina roots.”

Through it all, Sandahl has always been able to rely on those closest to her for encouragement and support, something she deeply appreciates.

“My parents have been by my side every step of the way (mainly because they have to be, but that’s the little stuff),” Sandahl said. “They have came to all of my games, awards ceremonies, performances, concerts and they will continue to no matter what crazy things I want to pursue or whatever/wherever I go in life.

“They were the people there when I rode my bike for the first time and fell over, they were there for my first sports game, they were there before every sports season helping me get ready and sometimes back into shape.

“They are the people that I have looked up to and the people that have helped me be the person I am today. And I love them.”

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Get your summer kicks!!

Posted in Boys Soccer, Girls Soccer, tagged CHS Wolves, Kalia Littlejohn, Lauren Grove, Soccer, summer scrimmage on June 27, 2016| Leave a Comment »

Kalia Littlejohn, who set a CHS girls single-season record with 10 goals last year, works on her already formidable foot skills. (John Fisken photos)

Freshmen-to-be Chris Cernick (green shirt) and Mallory Kortuem battle for possession of the ball.

Mathew Shreffner has been putting in work during leg day.

Katherine Morales shoots up-field.

Jaschon Baumann ambles along, conserving his energy in the June heat.

Using the power of his mind, Wolf soccer guru Kyle Nelson gets the ball to fly straight up from the ground to his hand. No bounce, all Jedi.

Wolf goalie Lauren Grove (right) slices ‘n dices.

Soccer never rests.

The calendar says summer, but Coupeville High School players were out on the practice field Monday, putting in off-season work.

With a mix of returning players and young booters who will be freshmen in the fall, the action featured both girls and boys.

Looking for something to do, wanderin’ photo man John Fisken strolled across the prairie to catch the action for us.

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The Dude abides (always)!!

Posted in Football, Hall o' Fame, Track, tagged CHS Wolves, football, Hall of Fame, Lathom Kelley, The Dude, The Man, track and field on June 26, 2016| Leave a Comment »

Lathom Kelley, a bad-ass with the biggest heart in the game. (John Fisken photo)

How do you measure greatness?

Do you measure it only in terms of state meet medals won, of MVP awards claimed, of popularity polls that can be easily manipulated?

Or, do you measure it in terms of heart, of commitment, of a refusal to bend the knee even when that might make your life easier?

Do you measure it in terms of orneriness on the field and compassion off the field?

Of a bad-ass who actually, not that far down, and not that well hidden, has a surprising gentleness of the soul layered underneath the good ol’ boy bluster?

I look at the four years of writing this blog, and what I see when I look across the field at Lathom Kelley is a man.

He certainly was young at the start, and to us old school types, is still a young man now at 18. But there was never a moment when he was a boy.

Lathom has been a man from day one of his freshman year to his high school graduation.

From the first moment I watched him play football, flying around the field like a maniac, hauling down runners from behind, laugh cackling across the field, he was a wonder.

Bouncing off the walls in the CHS gym, flying in one door, streaking across the court, then running up the wall at the other end and landing the back-flip (most times), the raw athletic talent on display was always eye-popping.

You put him in an event, any event, during his years in track and field, and he would throw down times and distances that were frequently astonishing.

Most times, without having ever practiced the event before.

In a just world, Lathom would have sailed through all four years of his high school life without an injury.

But, this isn’t always a just world.

Rarely have I seen such a talented athlete bedeviled so often by injuries.

If there was a moment when he strode by not wearing a cast of some kind, it was a rare moment.

Injuries denied him honors he deserved, chances to stand on podiums and hear his name called.

But never think for a moment he took the easy way out.

He played through pain that would have stopped most people cold.

One of the enduring images I have is watching him grind forward for yardage on the gridiron, casted-up arm swinging madly, as three rival players tried (and failed) to bring him down.

When you look at Lathom’s prep career, there are great moments, both on the football field and track oval.

There is also what could have been.

But honestly, that’s more me and far less him — he never struck me as a guy who was going to spend much time sitting around wallowing in his “glory days.”

So, let’s not waste too much time worrying about alternate worlds.

Let’s praise Lathom for what he was able to accomplish, when his body agreed.

For how he entertained us, for how he brightened the world of Wolf Nation, for how he strode past, sardonic grin in place, always off to create good-natured havoc and mischief.

As a fresh-faced youngster or a beard-rockin’ “old guy” he was our McConaughey, our bright shining ball o’ fire living life to his own funky beat.

And let’s praise the man, the stand-up guy who came barreling out of the stands and put a bear-hug on a classmate when he noticed the player’s parents weren’t able to be in the gym for basketball’s Senior Night.

Declaring “this is my boy!” as he posed for pictures with his newly-adopted son, it was class, pure and simple.

So, how do you measure greatness?

You measure it in heart and soul, and few have shown the heart and soul of Lathom Kelley.

Today I welcome him into the Coupeville Sports Hall o’ Fame, as a one-man wrecking crew, the 53rd class inducted into these hallowed digital walls.

After this, you’ll find him alongside other Wolf greats at the top of the blog, under the Legends tab.

Will he care about this?

Part of me hopes yes, that, deep down, it’ll mean something to him, a token of our respect for him and the man he has become.

Part of me hopes he just cocks an eyebrow and says “Yeah, whatever dude,” smiles, and moves on.

Either way, the dude will abide. And that’s how it should be.

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Maximum effort, ultimate warrior!!

Posted in Girls Basketball, Girls Soccer, tagged Avalon Renninger, Basketball, Bulldog, CHS Wolves, David King, Sage Renninger on June 26, 2016| Leave a Comment »

Avalon Renninger (right) battles for a loose ball. Spoiler alert: she won. (John Fisken photos)

Renninger and Hannah Davidson share some quality time on the bench.

Avalon Renninger is a bulldog.

That’s how her new basketball coach, CHS girls’ hoops guru David King, refers to her, and it’s an apt description.

Watch any of her games at the middle school level, and Renninger, who will be a freshman this fall, was always (and I mean always) in the thick of things.

She fought for every loose ball, battled for every rebound, refused to give an inch to any rival, regardless of size.

Renninger would tear you to pieces, wear you down, then stroll away, huge smile on her face.

Exactly the kind of indispensable, never-back-down athlete every coach wants.

For her part, Renninger, who intends to play soccer, basketball and either tennis or track, embraces hard work. Always has, always will.

“If I had one major strength as an athlete it would be my work ethic,” she said. “I always try my hardest and put in 110% and that’s something I do not plan on changing.”

While she enjoys all her sports (“I really enjoy the opportunities of playing sports. I really like meeting new people and sharing the common interest of the sport”), the hardwood calls to her.

“Basketball is by far my favorite sport,” Renninger said. “I love playing with my team and it is the best feeling in the world to make that pass or shoot that last shot in the game that makes a difference.”

A fun-loving, very outgoing young woman, she embraces her teammates and holds them close.

“I love to hang out with my friends!!,” Renninger said. “I play most of my sports with them so it makes it easy to hang out after practice.

“I really like having the support from them with everything I do.”

As she makes the jump to high school, where she’ll join older sister Sage, who has been a CHS tennis and soccer star the past two years, Avalon just wants a chance to prove herself.

“My goals as a freshmen are to get some time on either the field or the court and to just keep improving,” she said. “I want to make the most of my sports and I just overall want to get better and have fun with my friends and teammates as I go.”

Helping her reach those goals are a number of people, from family to coaches.

“If I had an area I needed to work on it would probably be not being as hard on my self as I am,” Renninger said. “Coach King has really helped me with that and I want to keep improving to try to stay positive.

Even though I haven’t known coach King very long he has influenced me. He has been a very positive coach and I really respect him,” she added. “Even when I am hard on myself he has stayed positive and has never failed to make me laugh.”

Her biggest cheerleader and role model as an athlete might be her father, Phillip.

“I have had many people in my life influence me but especially my dad,” Renninger said. “He has been my number one supporter since day one and he was my soccer coach for a while and he never let me off easy.

“It seemed awful then but now I see how it has made me better and stronger and I really look up to him.

“I really appreciate all the coaching and everything that I have had in my life and I feel very fortunate.”

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Save your biggest cheer for Amanda!!

Posted in Cheer, Happy birthday, tagged Amanda Neitzel, Cheer, CHS Wolves, Happy birthday, school spirit on June 26, 2016| Leave a Comment »

Amanda Neitzel, about to get loud ‘n proud. (John Fisken photo)

Maybe there’s something special about June 26.

Much like birthday buddy Jared Helmstadter, Wolf cheerleader Amanda Neitzel is one of the truly special ones.

Like almost everyone who gets into the cheer game, Neitzel has school spirit flowing out of every pore.

She can get as loud ‘n proud as anyone, even big sis (and fellow cheer legend) Maddy, but it’s more than that.

Amanda is one of the most genuinely sweet-natured, friendly, down-to-Earth young athletes currently gracing our town.

Now, who knows, behind the scenes she may be throwing dinner plates at people’s heads and terrorizing the neighbors.

But I kind of doubt it.

I’m pretty sure that what we see in public is the real deal, a young woman who is whip-smart (Honor Rolls don’t lie), athletically talented, and, most importantly, kind and caring to everyone she encounters.

As she gets ready for her senior year at CHS, I know, no matter what direction she takes, she’s set for big things.

Happy birthday, Miss Neitzel. May it be a great one.

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