Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Posts Tagged ‘first responder’

Hydros for Heroes cancelled

Posted in Boats Gone Wild, tagged , , , , , on June 4, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Vroom-vroom. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

The sounds of super-charged boats revving across Oak Harbor waters will not filter their way to my home on Penn Cove this summer.

The annual Hydros for Heroes event, set to go down August 16-17, will instead sit out the summer.

The cancellation of what was to be the 10th edition of the revved-up fundraiser was announced Tuesday.

“This difficult decision was made after careful consideration of some unexpected events beyond our control,” said officials on the Hydros for Heroes Facebook page.

“While we were looking forward to another memorable event, circumstances outside of our control have made it impossible to proceed at the level we feel this sport and community deserve.

“We understand how disappointing this is for our supporters, sponsors, vendors, the heroes and children we aim to honor and support and certainly do not take this decision lightly.”

The event, which promotes water-based sports and funds college scholarships for graduating seniors, while celebrating first responders, was launched by Oak Harbor realtors Craig McKenzie and Jim Woessner.

It put the spotlight on law enforcement, firefighters, EMS, military, healthcare professionals, and teachers — “heroes who make a huge impact in our community every day through their service and sacrifice.”

The two-day shindig has brought in 50 regional race teams and approximately 10,000 fans to Whidbey on a yearly basis.

While the Hydros for Heroes team has scrapped this year’s plans, they hope someone else will revive things down the road.

“It is our hope that we can find an organization, individual or group of individuals to take on this great event and continue to grow what we have worked very hard to build over the past nine years.

“It truly was an honor and privilege to be able to do so.

“Hopefully we are able to pass the torch to another willing and able victim/community supporter!”

Read Full Post »

Bernhardt sets world ablaze (with her success)

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

Coupeville grad SarahRose Bernhardt (left) is now a firefighter for the city of Buckley. (Photos poached from Bernhardt’s Facebook page)

It’s official.

Coupeville is providing the world with first responders.

Or at least the state.

SarahRose Bernhardt, a 2004 CHS grad, has been officially sworn in as a firefighter with the City of Buckley Fire Department.

Sitting below Mount Rainier, Buckley is part of Pierce County.

Bernhardt becomes at least the fourth former Wolf athlete to earn a first responder job in a city far away from Whidbey Island in the last year.

She joins Zane Bundy (Kittitas County Sheriff’s Department), Aaron Trumbull (Central Kitsap Fire and Rescue), and CJ Smith (Mercer Island Police Department).

During her Coupeville days, Bernhardt was a busy bee, participating in drama, cheer, Hi Q Academic Quiz Bowl, the Learning Partner program, and Honor Society.

She was also a school board rep, a tutor, and an active volunteer in the community.

Which hasn’t stopped in the years since – just in a different community these days.

Read Full Post »

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.”

Read Full Post »