Erin Rosenkranz (left) is joined by Aaron Curtin and her parents, Scott and Kerry (McCormick) Rosenkranz.
We are family.
Three of the four inductees into the Coupeville Sports Hall o’ Fame today have claimed the same house for years.
So, with all three being welcomed into these hallowed digital walls at the same time, we’re being thoughtful and ensuring no family arguments about who ranks where in the athletic hierarchy.
Just call me Mr. Considerate.
Anyway, with that, we fling open the doors and usher in the 68th class to gain entrance — Scott Rosenkranz, Kerry (McCormick) Rosenkranz, Erin Rosenkranz and interloper Aaron Curtin.
After this, you’ll find the fab foursome at the top of the blog, residing under the Legends tab.
Or, you can just swing by the Rosenkranz household around dinner-time. That works too.
Our first inductee, Kerry, is the only one of the family not to be inducted under the Rosenkranz name.
She’s being honored for her days as a standout cross country runner at Coupeville High School, and when we induct female athletes, we use their maiden names, since that’s how they competed and are listed in the record books.
Back when she was a McCormick, mama Rosenkranz was a team captain who helped lead the Wolf harriers to state as a junior and senior.
The first visit, in 1981, is a landmark moment, the first time a female sports team from CHS made it to the big dance in any sport.
Those trailblazing Wolves finished second at the Cascade League championships, third at districts and eighth at state, before McCormick and the core of the roster returned to achieve new greatness in ’82.
Bolstered by the addition of a whip-thin freshman named Natasha Bamberger, who would go on to win five individual state titles in track and cross country, Coupeville won a league title and claimed 4th at state, sending McCormick out on top.
Later she would meet and marry our second inductee, the low-key Mr. Rosenkranz.
Soccer has boomed on Whidbey in recent years and it’s coaches like Scott who have been in the trenches, doing the hard work day after day.
Working along side fellow Hall o’ Famer Sean LeVine, the duo turned Whidbey’s select girls’ soccer program into a powerhouse which has gone toe-to-toe with big city teams in recent years.
As Islander alumni continue to compete at both the high school and college level, while a steady stream of younger players rises through the ranks, his impact is immeasurable.
As a modest guy, he may try and brush off the praise, but girls soccer on our Island would not be where it is today without Scott Rosenkranz, and that’s a stone-cold fact.
Kerry and Scott’s progeny, Erin, is, like her parents, low-key, modest, not quick to single herself out by hootin’ and hollerin’. She simply goes out, kicks butt and walks away, quiet smile gracing her face.
As a distance runner on the Wolf track squad, she followed in the (many) footsteps of her mom, but it was while playing “the beautiful game” she made her biggest impact.
A brilliant soccer player, both for CHS and the Islanders select program, she was, with fellow Hall o’ Famers Micky LeVine and Jacki Ginnings, the glue which held both teams together.
Few have played with the intensity she brought to the pitch, and virtually none have played with such grace.
And, while he’s not related to the Rosenkranz family (that I know of), our final inductee, Curtin, played all of his sports with a similar style to how they conduct themselves.
The man they call “Church” was a CHS Male Athlete of the Year and one of the best to ever wear the red and black, a talented, deceptively calm athlete who combined raw talent with an inner drive like few have possessed.
Put him on a tennis court and he was deadly, making it to state as both a doubles and singles player, medaling in the latter as a senior.
He could beat you with power, he could beat you with pace and he could always beat you with his brains.
Slide Curtin onto a basketball court and he was a silky-smooth shooter, a relentless ball-hawk and an ideal teammate, especially during years when Wolf basketball struggled to rebuild from the ground up.
But, if we had to choose a sport to truly hail him for, it would be baseball.
A deadly hitter who thrived in big-game situations for legendary Wolf hardball guru Willie Smith, Curtin was also a go-to ace on the mound.
He may not have always thrown quite as hard as fellow hurler Ben Etzell, but he was impeccable with his control and rang up his fair share of punch-outs.
In all of his sports, Curtin, who might have raised his voice once, half an octave, in four years, was a leader, a guy who other Wolves would have followed into a fire-fight without a second thought.
You don’t have to be a screamer to be heard, and he was a fully-formed man among young men, a superior athlete who let his actions speak loudest.
And they spoke very, very loudly.
Read Full Post »
