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Posts Tagged ‘CHS Wolves’

High school hoops decision tabled until Jan. 4

Posted in Basketball, coronavirus updates, tagged , , , , on December 16, 2020| Leave a Comment »

Izzy Wells snags a rebound during a February game, the last time CHS sports teams played before the pandemic shut things down. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Hold on.

After meeting Tuesday, the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association Executive Board announced it would wait until January 4 to make a decision on whether high school basketball will begin Feb. 1.

The current plan for Covid-delayed prep sports in Washington state is for traditional winter activities to go first, with fall and spring sports following.

Each will have a seven-week season — one week for practice, five for games, and one for a “regional culminating event” in place of a state tourney.

Under that plan, winter sports will run from Feb. 1-March 20, with fall sports March 15-May 1, and spring sports April 26-June 12.

Football will begin practice March 8, as it requires additional practice time.

The biggest issue, however, is whether schools will be eligible to play basketball (or wrestle, swim, bowl, or perform gymnastics — winter sports not offered by CHS) as COVID-19 cases spike nation-wide.

Which is why the WIAA is choosing to wait three weeks to see where things are before making any further decisions.

Under current state guidelines, counties must have fewer than 25 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents over a two-week period to be eligible to play “high-risk” sports such as basketball, wrestling, or football.

No county currently qualifies, with San Juan County being the only one recording less than 100 cases.

Where Coupeville and its Northwest 2B/1B League foes stand:

Friday Harbor — San Juan County — 40.8 cases
Orcas Island — San Juan County — 40.8 cases
Chimacum — Jefferson County — 131.7 cases
Coupeville — Island County — 172.1 cases
Concrete — Skagit County — 301.1 cases
La Conner — Skagit County — 301.1 cases
Mount Vernon Christian — Skagit County — 301.1 cases
Darrington — Snohomish County — 394.7 cases

But, things can change fast, and for multiple reasons.

Governor Jay Inslee released new guidelines Wednesday for in-person instruction in state schools, loosening previous restrictions.

It’s possible there will be a similar reassessment of the sports-specific guidelines, as well.

“The revised recommendations for in-person learning issued by the Governor’s Office, OSPI, and Department of Health show that our state leaders are using all available science and data to drive their decisions,” the WIAA said in a statement Wednesday night.

“While sports and activities were not covered during the announcement, the WIAA is hopeful that guidelines for extracurricular participation will also be revised to align with the data and information that was presented today.”

After Tuesday’s WIAA meeting, Executive Board president Tim Thomsen gave an interview to the Eli Sports Network.

During that discussion, he hit on several key points.

“We know, through all the studies and everything else, that one of the safest places for kids to be is in school,” Thomsen said. “And even safer than that, is in a sports program where it’s even more controlled and a smaller group.”

While saying he’d love it if someone could give him a crystal ball to tell the future, Thomsen urged coaches, athletes, and parents to remain upbeat.

While the WIAA’s hope is for its current schedule to go off perfectly, there are other options on the table as well.

Sports could still be shuffled, with low-risk ones such as cross country moving up. and high-risk ones momentarily stepping back.

Seasons might also be trimmed from seven weeks to six, with the first one starting Feb. 22 instead of Feb. 1.

“That’s about as short as you can make them and make them a viable season,” Thomsen said. “So we realize if we do that, that’s probably the last time we could utilize that option.”

The most dire option, and one the WIAA would like to avoid, is compressing sports into one or two seasons, instead of three, or cancelling some sports outright.

Everything will be done to avoid that if possible, Thomsen said.

There will also be an emphasis on preserving spring sports, as those programs already lost a season when schools originally shut down at the start of the pandemic.

Hovering over everything is the realization there may not be just one answer for the entire state.

If some counties are ready to play before others, they won’t be expected to wait for those lagging behind, with the WIAA pledging to allow schools and leagues to make a lot of their own decisions.

Which means, it’s possible we could see 2B Coupeville play 3A Oak Harbor and 1A South Whidbey if Island County were to improve its COVID case counts before the counties of Wolf league rivals do.

Anything is possible, and anything is on the table.

Barring the arrival of that crystal ball, no one knows nothing, no matter what they tell you.

For his part, Thomsen urges those who want to see prep sports return to approach the Christmas season with a plan in place.

Follow social distancing guidelines, wear masks, and do your part to help your county reduce its case count.

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Eternal and timeless in her kindness

Posted in Cheer, Hall o' Fame, tagged , , , , on December 15, 2020| Leave a Comment »

Mekare Bowen, who turns 24 today, is a special human being. (Photo courtesy Dea Bowen)

In a world of grey, she is the sunshine.

Not just a ray, but the whole sizzlin’ ball, lighting up the universe with her every action and word.

I’ve known Mekare Alora Bowen since she was born — which would be 24 years ago today — as her mom, Dea, worked with me at Videoville and Miriam’s Espresso back in the day.

From the moment Mekare popped into the world, (politely) bellowing “Let’s get this party started!!,” she has amazed me.

She is incredibly smart, not just in a “do well at school” sort of way, but where you look at her in awe, and wonder not whether she will accomplish something, but just how much she’ll accomplish.

Mekare wrote a 550-page fantasy novel, Flying Fast: Untouchable, during her teen years.

If a computer crash hadn’t eaten her work, it’s likely no one would be paying any attention to J.K. Rowling and Stephanie Meyer right now.

Her passion for writing was captured in this quote, when she agreed to let me write about her after much tut-tutting that there were others who should be featured ahead of her.

“I have a new idea every day. I’ve had a lot lately, but I typically forget them and then they come back to me randomly,” Mekare said back in 2012.

“I love those moments actually, because it’s like somebody punched you in the face with flowers wrapped around their knuckles.

“It’s a bittersweet moment because half of you is ecstatic to have the idea back, the other half is mad that you forgot it in the first place, and the idea typically hits you again at the most inconvenient time.

“Actually, if someone were to punch me, I’d probably punch them back — without the flowers. But I think you get the picture.”

While some would spend years wailing over their tech misfortune, our Hemingway just jumped right back in, continuing to write, while also developing a subtle touch with the camera.

As younger sister Aria also grew up, she could often be found on the other end of Mekare’s lens.

A photo from a few years back, capturing sister Aria at play. (Mekare Bowen photo)

The same was true for family and friends, every animal she could find, and a thousand other subjects, animate or inanimate.

Whatever the world wanted to show, Mekare was there to capture and immortalize.

A boat slices through the sun-dappled water. (Mekare Bowen photo)

Anyone can click a camera and call themselves a photographer.

But it takes a special skill to make those images come alive, and Mekare and her equipment work in often uncanny union.

When she hit high school, moving from private to public, Miss Bowen wanted a new challenge, and so she jumped head-first into cheerleading, joining legendary 20-year coach Sylvia Arnold’s final squad.

Sylvia Arnold with Mekare Bowen. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Mekare was an immediate hit with the sideline crew, joining close friends like Julia Felici and forming a vibrant, loud ‘n proud team.

Julia Felici and her nephew Drake join Mekare to celebrate a Coupeville win. (Shelli Trumbull photo)

Whether traveling to other countries to help those in need, picking up a new sport and embracing every aspect of it, or being quietly awesome without ever tooting her own horn, Miss Bowen has impressed me her whole life.

I’m sure, like all of us, she has her faults. But, if so, I have yet to see one.

There have been other Wolf athletes who have shown great skill and great kindness, finding a balance which is rare.

Breeanna Messner, Aaron Trumbull, Makana Stone, Hunter Smith, and Valen Trujillo immediately jump to mind.

But I put Mekare up on the top of this mountain peak.

She is, quite simply, the best of what Coupeville, and this world, have to offer.

Her continued success and high achievement in life, as she navigates the adult world, is a source of great happiness for me. And, I’m sure, for a lot of others.

In the grand scheme of things, induction into the Coupeville Sports Hall o’ Fame probably isn’t on the same level as say, winning a Nobel Peace Prize or a Pulitzer.

Both of which could easily be in Mekare’s future. Just sayin’.

But it’s what I have to offer, and so we celebrate her birthday — which should probably be a national holiday — by welcoming her into our lil’ digital shrine.

After this, if you cruise by the top of the blog and look under the Legends tab, you’ll find Mekare hanging out, along with those other five former CHS athletes I mentioned just a second ago.

It’ll say cheer next to her name, since it’s a sports hall, but we’ll all know she earned her induction for a lot more than that.

For her talent, for her grace, for her kindness, for her care to all around her, and for being, each day and every day, the kind of person I would like to be if I ever grow up.

You’re the best, Mekare. Thank you.

Hangin’ out with mom Dea. (Beth Kuchynka photo)

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Makana Mania rages in England

Posted in Basketball, Wolves in college, tagged , , , , on December 14, 2020| Leave a Comment »

Makana Stone (in headband) chases down a loose ball. (Photo property Loughborough University)

She made a very-good first impression.

And then a great second, third, fourth, and fifth impression.

Coupeville grad Makana Stone has played five basketball games for England’s Loughborough University, throwing down five double-doubles.

Now, after amassing 20 points and 21 rebounds Saturday, including hitting a game-winning bank shot with four seconds to play to upend undefeated Ipswich, the former Wolf is once again raking in honors.

Stone was tabbed Monday as the Women’s National Basketball League Player of the Week, the second time she’s snagged that award this season.

Ipswich is the defending league champ and looked like it would keep its record perfect after a three-ball staked it to a late 76-75 lead.

Enter Loughborough’s American assassin, who pulled down an entry pass, used and abused her defender — Gonzaga-bound Esther Little — then softly banked home the game’s final bucket while hanging in the air.

With the win, the Riders improved to 4-2 on the season, 4-1 with Stone in uniform, while sending Ipswich to 6-1.

Coupeville’s progeny, who had a torrid four-year run of academic and athletic success at Whitman College before heading overseas, is among the league leaders in multiple categories.

Stone is tied for #1 in rebounds (16.4 a night), #4 in efficiency (133.0), #5 in scoring (17.0), and #8 in free throw percentage (79.2%).

Loughborough has one game left before winter break, with a matchup against Nottingham this coming Saturday, December 19.

That game will pit Stone against three-ball gunner Mady Burnett, her running mate at Whitman for four seasons.

Together, the duo led the Blues to 94 wins, the most by a graduating class in program history.

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England, bow before your new Queen!

Posted in Basketball, tagged , , , , , on December 12, 2020| Leave a Comment »

Makana Stone recorded her fifth-straight double-double Saturday in England. (Photo property of Loughborough University)

Advantage, America.

Sparked by their Coupeville superstar, who outplayed her Gonzaga-bound British rival, the Loughborough University women’s basketball squad ended Ipswich’s undefeated season.

And they did it in electrifying, beat-the-buzzer style.

Former Wolf Makana Stone went off for 20 points and 21 rebounds Saturday, claiming her fifth-straight double-double as the Riders shocked Ipswich 77-76.

The winning basket, on a Stone bank shot off of a setup from Hannah Bird, came with just two ticks left on the clock.

The victory lifts Loughborough to 4-2 overall, 4-1 with its American assassin in the lineup. Ipswich falls to 6-1.

Ipswich’s Esther Little, widely regarded as the best player in the Women’s National Basketball League, collected 15 points and 14 rebounds, but was unable to answer Stone, missing a potential game-winner on the day’s final shot.

The two teams battled evenly through the first half, knotted at 19-19 at the first break, before going to the halftime break with the league leaders clinging to a 32-30 lead.

Loughborough struggled early, falling behind 10-0 to open the game and not scoring until Molly James singed the nets for a three-ball at the 7:46 mark of the first quarter.

Once that initial basket hit the bottom of the net, however, the Riders seemed to right things, using a 19-15 run to reclaim the lead.

Coming out of the halftime break, Loughborough once again flashed its ability to dominate.

Holding Ipswich scoreless for four-plus minutes, the Riders went off on a 14-0 run, threatening to turn a tight tilt into a runaway win.

If the league leaders were fazed, though, they didn’t crumble.

Carving the lead back down to 53-49 by the end of the third quarter, Ipswich narrowed its deficit all the way down to 58-57 two minutes into the final frame.

Stone, who played all 40 minutes Saturday, snatched an offensive board and slapped it back in to stake Loughborough to a 67-63 advantage with three-and-a-half minutes to play, then things got dicey.

Coming down the stretch, the two squads exchanged a trio of three-point bombs in a 30-second burst.

Rider gunner Robyn Ainge netted a trey, but Ipswich’s Susannah Rafiu hit a three both before and after Loughborough’s bomb, putting her team ahead 76-75 with 1:01 on the clock.

The scoreboard remained locked in place for 59 agonizing seconds after that, until Stone, coming out of a timeout, nailed the biggest shot of her overseas career.

The Whitman College grad has a double-double in each of her five games in England, and sits with 85 points and 82 rebounds on the season.

Stone also has nine assists and 12 steals.

Coupeville’s progeny has one more game on the schedule before the winter break, and it will reunite her with a former teammate.

Loughborough plays Nottingham next Saturday, Dec. 19.

That squad is led by Mady Burdett, a three-ball droppin’ ace who played alongside Stone for four stellar seasons in Walla Walla.

During their time at Whitman, the duo led the Blues to a 94-20 record — the most wins for a graduating class in program history — and three trips to the NCAA D-III national tourney.

 

The winning bucket:

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Smart choices, cool cash

Posted in Scholarships, tagged , , , , on December 11, 2020| Leave a Comment »

There’s money to be made.

The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association has opened the application process for its 2021 Smart Choices Scholarship Program.

Working together with the Dairy Farmers of Washington and Gesa Credit Union, the WIAA will award two $5,000 scholarships, and eight $1,000 scholarships to graduating seniors.

Deadline for applications is April 1.

The scholarships honor excellence in athletics/activities, academics, leadership and community service throughout the students high school careers.

Judging is based on:

Athletic/Activity Excellence (30%)
Academic Achievement (30%)
Leadership (20%)
Citizenship/Community Service (10%)
Originality/Creativity of the Essay (5%)
Financial Need (5%)

To apply, pop over to:

WIAA | Washington Interscholastic Activities Association

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