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Posts Tagged ‘CHS Wolves’

Have mitt, will travel

Posted in Baseball, tagged , , , , on January 21, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Former Wolf Joey Lippo is traveling from Coupeville to Maine to pursue his baseball dreams. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Baseball is taking Joey Lippo on another road trip.

The Coupeville High School grad is joining the diamond program at the University of Maine at Presque Isle, an NCAA D-III school.

The Owls, who are coached by Roger Stinson, are part of the 12-team North Atlantic Conference, which covers Maine, Vermont, and New York.

The last time UMPI played a baseball game was April 29, 2019, as the school’s entire 2020 season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

NAC Athletic Directors have said they will meet in February to decide how the 2021 season will progress.

“I’m not sure what the season looks like but we are hopeful to play a full season,” Lippo said.

For now, he’ll continue his studies in agricultural science and business, while acclimating to a new school.

Lippo most recently attended Green River College in Auburn, where he was on the baseball team with fellow Whidbey grads C.J. Smith, James Besaw, and Hunter Smith.

At UMPI, the former Wolf rejoins Bailey Corley, a teammate on the Seattle Bombers select squad.

“My friend from summer ball got me in touch with the coach, and the school had what I wanted to study,” Lippo said.

He expects to play mostly in the outfield, but adds, “I’m a utility player, so wherever I’m needed.”

During his time in Coupeville, Lippo played tennis, basketball, and baseball.

He was a First-Team All-Conference selection on the diamond, and teamed with William Nelson to compete as the #1 doubles duo for the Wolf tennis team.

Joey’s twin sister, Skyy, is attending The University of Missouri-Kansas City on a dance scholarship.

UMPI is a public university which was founded in 1903 as the Aroostook State Normal School.

After three other name changes over the years, the school has been known as the University of Maine at Presque Isle since 1971.

Alumni at the school include three members of the Maine House of Representatives, as well as grappler James “Chico” Hernandez.

A world champion in the sport of Sambo wrestling, which is based on Soviet martial arts, he was featured on the front of boxes of Wheaties Energy Crunch in 2001.

Hernandez, who coached the wrestling team at his alma mater, has earned 15 world titles, 53 international titles, and 36 USA national titles across eight combat sports.

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Mask up, or sit down

Posted in coronavirus updates, Everything changes, tagged , , , , on January 20, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Heidi Meyers sports a mask while working on her softball skills. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

It’s mandatory.

The Washington State Department of Health currently plans to require prep athletes wear masks in both practices and competitions through the remainder of the 2020-2021 school year.

The only sport that will be allowed to go mask-less is swimming.

There are ongoing discussions, however, concerning whether “low-risk” sports such as cross country and tennis might be freed from the mandate.

“We are continuing to share information on whether that (wearing masks) is appropriate in all venues,” said Washington Interscholastic Activities Association Executive Director Mick Hoffman.

“Right now we are being told we have to wear masks or we can’t do the activity,” he added. “That decision is made by the Department of Health, at the state level, and the Governor’s office.

“We (the WIAA) can not change that.”

Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin have required masks for some prep sports, with Michigan the only one to have a face-covering mandate for high school football.

That mandate was issued by Governor Gretchen Witmer in September, and Michigan was able to play a complete season, with state championships set for this coming weekend.

In Washington state, athletes in all sports other than swimming will be “required to wear a cloth mask over mouth and nose at all times.”

Gaiters are “allowed, but not preferred.”

The DOH recommends masks made from cotton, fleece or linen, with a fastening mechanism, preferably ties or an elastic strap which goes around an athlete’s head or behind their ears.

Along with solitary “low-risk” sports perhaps being exempted, there is also the question on how football players will wear both a mask and the still-required mouth guard, since most mouth guards are directly attached to the player’s helmet.

Like everything in the Age of Coronavirus, things can, and likely will, change from day to day as discussions between the WIAA and the DOH continue.

For now, the WIAA understands “there are conflicting medical reports out there,” Hoffman said.

But the athletic governing body can’t go counter to the mandates of state officials.

“For those that take the stance that this is a health concern for students doing it (wearing masks), and it can cause issues, all I can tell you, is if you feel that way, you can’t let the student participate,” Hoffman said.

“If it’s a bona fide health concern for that student, you shouldn’t put that student out there.

“No different from a head injury, or any cardiac issue; no different if they have serious asthma or smoke.

“Because, at this time, we can’t give you a waiver.”

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Listen up! ’70s Wolf hoops stars back in action

Posted in Basketball, tagged , , , , , on January 20, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Bill Jarrell wheels and deals. (Photo courtesy Renae Mulholland)

“Rebound up and in by Mike Ankney!”

The Wolf hoops stars of yore return, thanks to some slick technical work by Coupeville High School grad Renae (Keefe) Mulholland.

She’s digitizing her dad’s radio cassettes, which contain the audio from KBRC play-by-play of CHS games.

First up is a district playoff clash between Coupeville and Orcas Island from 1975, a thriller won 59-52 by the Wolves.

Dennis Wills and Ken Thompson were on the call, while Tom Keefe used his “new realistic Radio Shack cassette deck” to record the broadcast for posterity.

The broadcast even includes the commercials which ran during breaks in the action.

“Pie alone makes it worth the trip” to the Tyee, even back in 1975.

Mulholland plans to “knock a few out each week, if I have time,” making sure the ’70s glory days of Coupeville basketball will be available to Wolf fans young and old.

“Hopefully these 46-year-old cassettes will last a little longer,” she said. “Fun to listen to!”

 

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Bow Down to Cow Town, ’80s-style

Posted in Track, tagged , , , , on January 19, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Marlene Grasser, seen here with husband Jim, was a district track and field champ in 1987. (Photo courtesy Grasser family)

They were on a mission to reclaim their spot atop the podium.

And they did, in blowout fashion.

Jump back to May 15, 1987, and the Coupeville High School boys track and field team was in Stanwood, intent on winning its third District 1 title in four years.

Champs in ’84 and ’85, the Wolves fell short in ’86 as Friday Harbor claimed the team title.

But ’87 was all about Cow Town once more, as CHS rolled up 123 points, finishing well ahead of its closest competitors, Concrete (90) and Watson-Groen (72).

All in all, a much more comfortable win for the Wolf boys than the Watson-Groen girls, who barely held on to claim a 108-106 battle with Friday Harbor.

Those numbers are scrawled in ink pen across the back of a relatively thick program from that year’s district meet, part of a collection of Coupeville sports memorabilia belonging to Sandy Roberts.

The cover of said program features an animated runner reproduced by the finest dot matrix printer in the land, while inside the program are numerous handwritten notes, including some of the times and finishes.

For someone like myself, who was still back in Tumwater in ’87, leafing through the program gave me something to do while waiting for the power to blink back on after a January wind storm.

And now, with electricity once again rippling through the lines, powering computers and cell phones, I pass on my findings to you.

The district meet brought together 11 “B” schools in ’87, from Coupeville (duh) to Lopez Island and La Conner.

Also included were Anderson Creek, Arlington Christian, Concrete, Friday Harbor, Mount Vernon Christian, Mountlake Christian, Snohomish County Christian, and Watson-Groen Christian.

While four of those schools — Concrete, Friday Harbor, MVC, and La Conner — remain key Coupeville rivals as the Wolves return to the Northwest 2B/1B League this year, a couple of others remain question marks for me.

I’ve never, ever heard of Anderson Creek, and can’t seem to find anything indicating it still exists. Anyone out there have a clue?

Anyways, on the day in question, Coupeville was in fine form, claiming seven titles, including five on the boys side of the ledger.

Chad Gale (110 hurdles and triple jump) and Bill Carstensen (100, 200) were the day’s big winners, each taking two individual firsts while also running a leg on a triumphant relay squad.

The zippy duo were joined by Jay Roberts and Allen Weddell on the fastest 4 x 100 unit in the stadium.

Also standing atop the podium were Tina Barker, tops in the 800, and Marlene Grasser, undisputed queen of the 100 hurdles.

But there were other Wolves competing on that spring day as well, so here’s a look back at what went down almost 34 years ago, at least according to the penciled notes on our program.

 

1987 district meet results:

 

GIRLS:

100 — Robyn Rolain (3rd) 14.02; Karen Bailey (4th) NO TIME LISTED

400 — Rolain — NO PLACE OR TIME LISTED

800 — Tina Barker (1st) NO TIME LISTED

100 Hurdles — Marlene Grasser (1st) 16.8

300 Hurdles — Grasser (2nd) 52.8

Long Jump — Barker (6th) NO DISTANCE LISTED; Bailey — NO PLACE OR DISTANCE LISTED

 

BOYS:

100 — Bill Carstensen (1st) 11.00; Karl Mueller (7th) 12.00

200 — Carstensen (1st) 22.6; Mueller (6th) 24.8

400 — Jay Roberts (3rd) 54.4

800 — Trevor Peterson (4th) 2:15.7; Jeff Sobieski (6th) NO TIME LISTED

1600 — Sobieski (4th) 5:05.00

110 Hurdles — Chad Gale (1st) 15.3; Ed Cook (3rd) 17.7; Tony Ford (4th) 17.9

300 Hurdles — Gale (2nd) 43.4, Cook (4th) 45.3

4 x 100 Relay — Roberts, Gale, Allen Weddell, Carstensen (1st) 45.6

4 x 400 Relay — Roberts, David Ford, Cook, Sobieski (5th) 3:52.00

Shot Put — D. Ford (4th) NO DISTANCE LISTED; Dave Cox and Morgan Roehl — NO PLACE OR DISTANCE LISTED

Discus — Joe Tessaro (2nd) 114-00; D. Ford and Roehl — NO PLACE OR DISTANCE LISTED

Javelin — D. Ford (4th) NO DISTANCE LISTED; Eric Gunter and Tessaro — NO PLACE OR DISTANCE LISTED

Pole Vault — Cook (3rd) NO HEIGHT LISTED; Gunter — NO PLACE OR HEIGHT LISTED

High Jump — T. Ford (5th) NO HEIGHT LISTED

Long Jump — Weddell (5th) NO DISTANCE LISTED; Gale — NO PLACE OR DISTANCE LISTED

Triple Jump — Gale (1st) 40-06; T. Ford (5th) NO DISTANCE LISTED

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“Your smile will forever shine”

Posted in In memory, tagged , , , , on January 17, 2021| 2 Comments »

Lori Fredericks 

The kindness in her smile, and the joy in her voice, is what I will remember.

Through the Videoville years and beyond, every time I saw Lori Fredericks, my day was brighter for it.

She was a truly lovely human being, and it was a blessing to know her.

 

From her family:

In Memory of Lori (Fredericks) Hillard, March 16, 1978-December 2020.

Mother, sister, daughter, aunt, friend, Registered Nurse … you were always and will always be loved and held deep in our hearts.

Cheerleader and lover of all pets!

Life of the party … your smile will forever shine.

Although your presence is already missed … we know you’re resting peacefully in mother’s arms.

A memorial service will take place mid-February in Coupeville for family and private invite only.

In lieu of flowers, please donate to the Madelyn Hillard college fund which will be set up at the Whidbey Island Bank in Coupeville.

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