Sarah Wright has had hair-raising athletic success as just a freshman. (John Fisken photos)
A vital part of the Wolves on and off the court.
The birthday girl and her prairie.
Sarah Wright has been a star since day one.
No, not day one of her freshman year at Coupeville High School.
Day one, as in Apr. 5, 2001, the day Miss Wright popped into the world.
I wasn’t there, but I’m pretty sure she came out already talking, clapping and bellowing “Let’s get this goin’, ladies!!”
Sarah is a natural leader, not just because she can kick your butt at most of her sports, but because she has an air about her.
A mix of confidence, steel-jawed courage and love and respect for her teammates, I have yet to see her take the field (or the court) with anything less than a look that says “We are gonna kick some fanny today!!”
As personable, friendly and entertaining as anyone currently repping the red and black in Cow Town, Sarah is a three-sport standout.
Volleyball, basketball (where she made her varsity debut in a state playoff game and promptly ripped down a rebound 1.3 seconds into her floor time) and, now, her calling card to glory — softball.
The Wolf diamond women are off to a 6-1 start, the best the program has achieved in a decade, and much of the credit goes to Wright.
Her ferocious hitting, where she has laid claim to the cleanup spot once owned by highly-decorated slugger Hailey Hammer, is a key.
So is her base-running, where she shows off her smarts, and her work behind the plate.
As the new Wolf catcher, everything flows through her, and a river of confidence flows out from her to all her teammates.
Down by five runs on the road at Concrete with six outs standing between the Wolves and defeat?
Wright would not let her team fall, storming up and down the dugout, telling her fellow players this, right now, was when they would rally.
And, of course, they did, roaring back to not only tie, but win by five, leaving a giddy Wright reason to grab any teammate she could get her hands on and deliver a huge hug.
It’s that mix of natural athletic ability — she is one more link in a large, extended family of highly-accomplished athletes — leadership and ability to inspire those around her that mark Sarah as one of the most promising young Wolves.
By the time graduation rolls around in 2019, she will likely have a pile of awards and letters at her feet, and I fully expect by the time she is done at CHS her face will grace the gym hallway as an Athlete of the Year.
Of course, whichever way her sports career goes, one thing will always be true — Sarah is a truly wonderful person first and foremost.
To know her is to think the world of her, cause frankly, if you don’t like her, there’s probably something deeply wrong with you.
As she celebrates her cake day today, the sunny face of a new generation of Wolf student/athletes, all of her fans (and there’s a lot of them) want to wish her a happy birthday.
Keep being you, Sarah! Cause it’s working out pretty dang well.
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