Kylie Chernikoff, enjoying every minute. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)
Is Kylie Chernikoff’s middle name Joy? Cause it probably should be.
Few Coupeville athletes have displayed such a consistently-positive attitude over the past six years, and it’s a mood the recent Wolf grad displayed in both good times and bad.
When she wasn’t playing, Chernikoff was almost always front and center to cheer on her classmates in their athletic pursuits.
And not just to sit in the stands and poke at her phone.
Kylie was an enthuiastic participant in everything she did, and being one of the loudest ‘n proudest inhabitants of the Wolf student section was something which seemed to bring her great joy.
Goodwill to all has always seemed to flow from Kylie, and, from the perspective of someone in the stands, there is a rare light which shines when you see how she interacts with her friends, family, and fans.
It’s true — you can be a mopey mess and still be a very-good athlete.
Chernikoff, however, has embraced the other path.
She excels in all of her athletic pursuits, and seems like a very-intelligent, compassionate young woman as well.
From her first appearances here on Coupeville Sports — as a discus-flinging middle school track and field star — to the final days of her senior year at CHS, Kylie has been a whirlwind.
While she stepped away from track after her freshman season, Chernikoff also played basketball for the Wolves.
She was a scrapper and a hustler, a bit of a brawler on defense (which makes her one of the special ones), and the kind of player for which CHS coaches David and Amy King always had a deep appreciation.
But it was volleyball which held her in its thrall, as Chernikoff blasted spikes off of opponent’s kneecaps, destroying their will, then dancing off to celebrate with her teammates.
Hanging out with the parental units on volleyball’s Senior Night.
She was a dynamic JV player, capable of laying waste to everyone who came at her, and that carried over once she moved to varsity.
It’s easy to look at Chernikoff’s senior season and feel a certain degree of sorrow for her and her teammates, as the ongoing pandemic altered things.
The start of the season was pushed late, masks were required, and Coupeville played less matches than normal, with no chance to make a postseason run.
And yet, if you look closer, there is much to be happy about, and many reasons for Chernikoff to feel deservedly proud.
She rose to the moment, earning First-Team All-Conference honors, as the Wolves finished second in the Northwest 2B/1B League, losing only to two-time defending state champ La Conner.
The Wolves and Chernikoff pushed the Braves as hard as anyone did all season, and while they couldn’t topple the juggernaut, they made La Conner work for every point.
Charging into action on her way to being named First-Team All-Conference.
Making hustle play after hustle play, then going airborne to smash a put-away, Kylie impressed her coaches as well as the fans in the stands, ultimately taking home the team’s Heart of the Wolf award.
It’s true — events out of her control altered a season she had been working towards, a season she had been probably dreaming about.
That she didn’t bend, didn’t break, didn’t complain (at least in public), but remained committed to getting every last bit of joy she could out of what was offered, speaks to her character.
Chernikoff has talent, but I have seen a lot of athletes with as much or more talent drop the ball over the years.
Seeing Kylie fight, endlessly work, and celebrate what she EARNED is a lesson for every Coupeville athlete, no matter their age.
There were young girls camped in the stands this season, eyes glued to the action on the court (and the body language shown during time outs), and what they learned is they want to be like Kylie Chernikoff.
And that’s a beautiful thing.
A hustler and a scrapper, always.
When she comes back, somewhere down the road, to watch her old team play, now with new girls standing where she once stood, Chernikoff will know she made an impact.
She’ll know her work paid off, her commitment was rewarded — not just in the accolades she received, but in her ability to add another rock-solid brick to the wall that is CHS volleyball success.
As Kylie moves on to post-high school life — there are new worlds to conquer and new people waiting to discover that Miss Chernikoff is amazing — I hope she knows how respected she is by those in the stands.
Her game, her attitude, her commitment, the way she operated on, and off, the court, can stand as a bright, shining example to the next generation of players.
Today, on her birthday (convenient, yes, I know), we induct her into the Coupeville Sports Hall o’ Fame.
After this, when you stroll past the top of the blog and look under the Legends tab, that’s where she’ll be hanging out, enjoying every minute.
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