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Posts Tagged ‘CJ Smith’

“Captain Cool” serving ‘n protecting in Spokane

Posted in A freakin' American hero, tagged , , , , on October 10, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Bad boys, bad boys, whatcha gonna do when CJ Smith comes for you?

Maybe ask him for his autograph?

The Coupeville Sports Hall o’ Famer is back in the news, as his law enforcement career continues to blossom.

Smith, the oldest of Charlotte Young and Chris Smith’s three children, was sworn in as a deputy Monday with the Spokane County Sheriff’s Department.

The 27-year-old, who recently celebrated his first wedding anniversary with fellow former Wolf superstar Sylvia (Hurlburt) Smith, previously worked for the Mercer Island Police Department for four years.

CJ arrived in Coupeville midway through his sophomore year after a family move, and immediately became one of the linchpins for Wolf sports teams.

He played football, basketball, and baseball at CHS, with his biggest impact on the diamond, where he pitched the Wolves to their first league title in 25 years.

“Captain Cool” went on to play baseball at Green River College alongside lil’ bro Hunter, where he earned his degree, and also pulled a stint as JV diamond coach for his alma mater.

CJ’s swearing in comes on the heels of sister Scout being hired as the new JV girls’ basketball coach at CHS.

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Want wedding pics? I do!

Posted in Wedding of the Century, tagged , , , , on October 10, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Sylvia Hurlburt and CJ Smith are joined on their wedding day by (l to r) Scout Smith, Destiny Cleary, and Hunter Smith.

We had the wedding of the summer, and now we have the wedding of the fall.

Following on the heels of former Coupeville High School Athlete of the Year winners Hunter Smith and Payton Aparicio uniting in August, now we have the nuptials of CJ Smith and Sylvia Hurlburt.

The former played football, basketball, and baseball for the Wolves alongside his younger brother, with his biggest moment when he pitched the CHS diamond squad to its first league title in 25 years.

CJ’s bride was a standout cheerleader and track and field star who brought home four state meet medals while giving me considerable (well-deserved) side-eye when reminding me I should be at every one of her competitions.

The pics seen above and below, from Sylvia’s wedding day, come to us courtesy first-ballot Coupeville Sports Hall o’ Famer Valen Trujillo and Charlotte Young, legendary Wolf Mom who has witnessed both of her sons wed in recent months.

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CJ Smith, serving and protecting

Posted in Not sports? Tough!, tagged , , , , on April 21, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Coupeville grad CJ Smith is a fully-commissioned officer with the Mercer Island Police Department. (Photo courtesy Charlotte Young)

He’s Instagram official.

Coupeville grad CJ Smith was sworn in as a fully-commissioned officer with the Mercer Island Police Department Monday, but he got that sweet little extra internet recognition Wednesday morning.

Smith, son of Chris Smith and Charlotte Young, and older brother of Hunter and Scout Smith, graduated from the Basic Law Enforcement Academy.

He spent five months-plus at the academy in Burien, receiving 720 hours of law enforcement training.

Now it’s on to the streets of Mercer Island, where the former Wolf three-sport star begins field training this week.

During his time in Coupeville, the man known as Captain Cool (at least in Coupeville Sports stories…) played football, basketball, and baseball for the Wolves.

CJ arrived in town midway through his sophomore year, and immediately made an impact in all three sports, with his work on the diamond garnering the biggest raves.

He pitched the Wolves to an Olympic League title in 2016, the first baseball crown for the program since 1991.

After high school graduation, CJ studied Criminal Justice and played baseball for Green River College alongside Hunter.

Making the jump from being a starting pitcher to a relief ace, CJ stormed out of the bullpen to become Auburn’s answer to Mariano Rivera, earning accolades as a shut-down closer.

 

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Captain Cool embraces first responder role

Posted in A freakin' American hero, tagged , , , , , on June 30, 2020| Leave a Comment »

Coupeville grads CJ Smith (left) and Zane Bundy are both pursuing careers in law enforcement. (Photo courtesy Charlotte Young)

Captain Cool is switching up uniforms.

Coupeville baseball legend CJ Smith, who pitched CHS to its first league title in 25 seasons during his senior campaign in 2016, is the latest former Wolf to become a first responder.

Smith has been hired by the Mercer Island Police Department.

He joins Aaron Trumbull (Central Kitsap Fire and Rescue) and Zane Bundy (Kittitas County Sheriff’s Department) as CHS grads who have made the jump to the front lines in recent months.

Smith began his new job a day after serving as the best man at Bundy’s wedding to fellow Coupeville alum Rebecca Robinson.

Captain Cool arrived on Whidbey with his family midway through his sophomore year of high school, and immediately became one of the best athletes in a Wolf uniform.

Along with younger siblings Hunter and Scout, he approached every sport the way you would expect from the offspring of two coaches.

Dad Chris Smith and mom Charlotte Young raised children who mixed natural talent with a cerebral nature.

The trio never panicked in tense situations on the field or court, had a far greater understanding of rules and strategy than most rivals, and could drop the hammer of the gods when it mattered most.

CJ was a strong football and basketball player for the Wolves, but had his best moments on the baseball diamond.

A pitcher who never betrayed a flicker of doubt on his face when on the mound, he always seemed to pitch the same with a one-run lead as with a 10-run advantage.

That serene calm helped center his teammates, and, sometimes, his coaches, with Smith reaching the mountain top April 29, 2016, when he shut down Port Townsend to clinch the Olympic League crown.

It was the first baseball title for the Wolves since 1991.

After high school graduation, Smith studied Criminal Justice and played baseball for Green River College alongside his younger brother.

Making the jump from being a starting pitcher to a relief ace, CJ stormed out of the bullpen to become Auburn’s answer to Mariano Rivera, earning accolades as a shut-down closer.

While the COVID-19 pandemic cancelled this spring’s baseball season, both Smith brothers were awarded Green River’s Campus Life Leadership Award for “outstanding leadership and achievement.”

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One day, tons o’ thrills

Posted in Baseball, Softball, Track, Wolves in college, tagged , , , , , , on February 22, 2020| 1 Comment »

Coupeville grad Danny Conlisk lets it rip in a college track meet. (Photo courtesy Dawnelle Conlisk)

Sarah Wright cracked her first college home run Saturday in Georgia. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Four Whidbey alumni are playing baseball for Green River College this season. Left to right, James Besaw, Joey Lippo, CJ Smith, and Hunter Smith. (Charlotte Young photo)

One day, three sports, three states, a whole ton of former Wolves on the prowl.

Saturday was a busy day for Coupeville grads competing in the world of college sports, with events going down in South Dakota, Georgia, and Washington state.

How the day played out:

 

Sarah goes yard:

Just like the old days.

Playing in her eighth college softball game, Coupeville grad Sarah Wright belted a three-run home run to left field, the highlight on a day when the former Wolf catcher’s new team was swept in a doubleheader.

Sewanee: The University of the South fell 9-1 and 10-6 to Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Georgia, dropping the Tigers record to 2-6.

Wright and associates get a chance for a quick reversal of fortunes, as they play another doubleheader Sunday, this one against Wesleyan College in Macon.

The former Coupeville standout crushed her round tripper in her first at-bat in Saturday’s second game.

Through the first eight games of her freshman season, Wright is hitting .261 with six hits and a team-high six RBI.

She’s also doing it on the defensive side as well, where she tops Sewanee with 25 putouts and absolutely, positively no errors whatsoever.

 

Danny hits the jets:

A two-time state champ for CHS, Danny Conlisk continues to tear up the track as a freshman at the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology.

Bouncing back from an illness which kept him out of action last week, the Hardrocker freshman finished 2nd in the 400 at the Stinger Open at Black Hills State University.

Conlisk won his heat and smashed his collegiate PR in the event, hitting the tape in an adjusted time of 51.58 seconds.

That shaved .80 off of his previous best.

The former Wolf is one meet away from reaching the mid point of his season(s), with the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Indoor Championships set for February 28-29 in Colorado Springs.

After that, Conlisk and his teammates take a month off from competition (but not training), returning March 27 for the start of the outdoor season.

 

Strong start for diamond dandies:

It’s a reunion on the next level.

CHS grads, and brothers, CJ and Hunter Smith are back for their sophomore year at Green River College in Auburn.

Joining them on the Gators baseball squad this time around are former Coupeville star Joey Lippo and former Oak Harbor standout James Besaw.

All four Whidbey alumni saw action Saturday, as Green River opened a new season by sweeping a doubleheader from Western Washington University.

The Gators took the opener 11-4, with CJ Smith coming on in relief to earn the win.

Mr. Cool jumped in to the game in the second inning, with his team trailing, and promptly threw 4.1 innings of shutout ball, whiffing three.

His younger brother was a big supporter, as Hunter rapped a single, walked three times, stole a base, and scored twice as the Gators stormed from behind to nail down the victory.

Besaw played a key role, as well, walking and ripping an RBI single.

In the second game of the day, Green River once again rallied, plating two runners in the fourth to tie the game, then sending two more home in the sixth to eke out a 4-3 victory.

Hunter Smith collected another single in the nightcap, and he teamed up with Lippo for the defensive play of the game.

Recreating their high school magic, Lippo fielded a dangerous ball in the outfield which had extra-base hit written all over it, then came up gunning.

Airmailing a wicked throw to his former Wolf teammate, he started a bang-bang play, which nailed the WWU runner when Smith zipped the relay on a bead to Green River’s third-baseman.

“The play between Joey and Hunter was awesome,” said proud papa Joe Lippo. “Had the Green River fans yelling the loudest all day!”

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