Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Posts Tagged ‘Girl Scouts’

Super busy, super successful

Posted in Girls Basketball, Softball, Volleyball, tagged , , , , , , on July 2, 2019| Leave a Comment »

Maya Lucero keeps busy with a wide variety of activities, from playing three sports to participating in drama, band, and Girl Scouts. (Photos courtesy Jess Lucero)

Catching some quality time with dad Aaron on the softball diamond.

“I’m super busy, but I thrive on that.”

Try and keep a list of everything Maya Lucero does, and you’ll eventually end up flipping the paper over and still be writing.

Let’s just say Lucero, who will join twin sister Allie as freshmen at Coupeville High School this fall, likes to stay active.

She played basketball, volleyball, and softball through middle school and before, and plans to remain a three-sport athlete as she switches out CMS uniforms for CHS ones.

Toss in appearing in theater productions, playing trumpet in the band, Girl Scouts, cooking and baking, playing with her dog, going to the beach, and hanging out with friends and family, and Lucero’s schedule is booked.

But staying busy has helped her build a strong work ethic, something which has benefited her greatly in the past, and should continue to do so in the future.

“Some of my strengths as an athlete include my focus, commitment to my sports, and loyalty to my teammates and coaches,” Lucero said. “Being so dedicated is important, but not always easy.

“I always honor my obligations for team practices, volunteer work, training, and camps.”

That includes a recent four-day basketball camp in Soap Lake, “so I couldn’t submit my answers to you until now…,” she said with a laugh.

Lucero, who is following in the footsteps of older bother Dane, a 2019 Coupeville grad who was also a three-sport star, has been around athletics her entire life.

Dad Aaron is an assistant coach with the CHS baseball team, who pulled double duty this spring, working with Maya and Allie’s Central Whidbey Little League Juniors softball squad.

With the Lucero sisters ripping base-knocks to all fields, the young Wolves roared through a 13-1 season, and now will send a ferocious pack of hit-happy players on to the high school program.

Maya wants to “work my way to varsity, and to become stronger as an athlete,” and she credits her father with helping to shape her and fuel her dreams, both on and off the field.

“My dad has had one of the greatest impacts on me as a person and an athlete,” Lucero said. “He always pushes me to be my best, and has taught me mental toughness, perseverance, and determination.

“From the start, he has always supported me, led me through difficult times, and has always been at my side,” she added. “He is an amazing dad and softball coach.”

Lucero hails from a tight-knit, super-friendly family which includes mom Jess and two younger sisters, and having a large, loyal support crew is huge for the young Wolf.

“Allie has also always been at my side and has always been there for me, no matter how hard things get sometimes,” Maya said. “Overall, my family has helped me to be my best self, and has always supported me and my passions.”

Lucero loves that sports allows her to be “active and competitive.”

And, while she approaches every season with joy, she’s clear – her #1 passion is being on the diamond every spring.

“Without a doubt, softball is my favorite sport of all,” Lucero said.

She’s played school and SWISH basketball, as well as school and club volleyball, but put a bat in her hand and she’s at home.

“It has been one of my greatest passions. I have been playing it since second grade, eight years old,” Lucero said. “I love softball because it’s not the type of sport that you can pick up easily.

“Softball is a difficult sport that teaches you determination, perseverance, to work hard, and to stay mentally tough. Not everyone can do that.

“I feel that softball is my strongest sport because I’ve played it longer, so I have a strong softball IQ.”

Read Full Post »

Aurora Cernick carves out her own path!!

Posted in Girls Soccer, tagged , , , , , on August 30, 2017| Leave a Comment »

   Coupeville High School freshman Aurora Cernick. (Photo courtesy Michelle Cernick)

It’s a whole new playing field for Aurora Cernick.

The Coupeville High School freshman has played soccer before — she started in Idaho, then moved to Coupeville, and has four years of pitch experience.

But each of those seasons she played alongside twin sister Autumn, who has chosen to pursue drama over soccer as the duo enter high school.

For a young woman who admits “I’m a naturally shy person,” the loss of her sister brought on a few nerves, but Coupeville’s older players have helped her through the transition.

“The girls have been so great. They were very warm and welcoming to her,” mom Michelle Cernick said. “She was very nervous her first couple of days and might not have made it past those days because of her nerves if not for some really awesome upperclassman reaching out to her.

“I’m so grateful to these wonderful young ladies because it has not been easy for Aurora to branch out without her sister,” she added. “Soccer girls rock!”

Once she’s in the thick of action, with the game flowing around her, Aurora Cernick finds her groove.

“I enjoy the aggression required to play the game,” she said. “During a game I’m not as shy and not scared to get in there and use my body to move people out of the way to help my team.”

When asked to assess her strengths, Cernick turned to her youth coach, dad Reese, and he hailed her for “never giving up, no matter what.”

That is evident in her just taking the field, as she deals on a daily basis with Osgood-Schlatter Disease, a knee ailment which often afflicts young athletes when they’re going through growth spurts.

“It can make running difficult at times, but I never give up,” Cernick said.

As she begins to feel more comfortable on the pitch, the young booter is always intent on improving her skills. She took advantage of the school’s off-season Sports Specific Training workout sessions and also works on her own.

“I hope to be able to improve my endurance this season, because it is hard to be the slow girl on the team,” Cernick said. “I have been working very hard all summer trying to get myself in better shape for this season.

“As far as future seasons, I hope to improve my skills and get better the older and more mature I get,” she added. “I can’t juggle (the ball) to save my life and I would very much like to improve in that area.”

Cernick, who was involved in drama productions in middle school, is branching out in high school, with plans to join the choir and play softball for the first time.

Even before those additions, her life has been a busy one.

A big fan of the music of Panic at the Disco, Cernick is an avid reader and a long-time Girl Scout.

“I love to spend my extra time reading and my favorite book is White Fang by Jack London,” she said. “It is very rare that you will find me without a book in my hand.”

A self-described tomboy (“I don’t wear dresses or makeup; I enjoy participating in the dirtier parts of life”), Cernick is a fan of history (“I enjoy learning about things in the past”) and spent part of the summer helping her dad with his pest control business.

“I’m not scared of getting my hands dirty!”

Her family, which includes older brother Chris, a CHS sophomore, is at the core of her life.

“My family has greatly impacted my life,”Cernick said. “They taught me to be a better person in life and to always treat others with kindness.

“My mom always says to “kill them with kindness,” she added. “That is something I plan to always live by and I wouldn’t be who I am today without my family.”

Read Full Post »

“Our girls showed a lot of heart!!”

Posted in Softball, tagged , , , , , on June 30, 2017| Leave a Comment »

   Action was intense all week at the Minors softball district tourney. (John Fisken photo)

If it’s the final game of the season, might as well make it the craziest one, too.

The Central Whidbey Little League All-Star Minors softball squad bowed out of the District 11 tourney Thursday, falling to Sedro-Woolley in the championship round.

The 23-12 loss eliminated CW two wins shy of advancing to state.

But the score doesn’t tell half the story.

In a wild one, Sedro went up 11-0, gave back 10 runs in one half of an inning, then responded with 12 of their own the next time at bat, partially thanks to a missed call by the ump.

The tone of the game was set early, as Central missed a chance to take the early lead.

Trailing just 1-0 heading into the bottom of the first, the Whidbey squad got its first two runners, Mia Farris and Taylor Brotemarkle, on base thanks to walks.

Things took a tragic turn however, as speed demon Farris severely twisted her ankle leading off of third, forcing coach/dad Fred Farris to be cautious on sending his runners.

“We were set up for a lead,” he said. “Under normal circumstances both would have stolen home, considering all the passed balls that followed.

“Mia really sets the tone for us with her aggressive base running. She was hobbled throughout the game,” Farris added. “Would have been nice to have those two runs and the lead after one.”

Sedro tacked on three in the second, then broke the game open with five runs in the top of the third and two more in the fourth, making things look like a blowout.

Until the game took a wild swerve.

Leading off the bottom of the fourth, Madison McMillan ripped a single, Central’s first hit of the game, and it seemed to buckle Sedro’s resolve.

Or at least its ability to find the strike zone.

10 of the next 11 Whidbey hitters walked, and by the time Sedro had finally stopped the bleeding with an inning-ending strikeout, a romp had become a one-run thriller.

But then the game veered right back.

Four runs in the top of the fifth stretched the lead back to 15-10, but Central got the third out and was still close.

Except, the ump whiffed on the call which would have been the third out, and, given new life in the inning, Sedro tacked on eight more runs.

This time, a tired Central squad — many of its players pulled double duty, attending Girl Scout camp at Fort Casey, then heading to Anacortes three straight nights for playoff games — had no answer.

Even in defeat, Fred Farris had much to be grateful about.

“Tough loss, but Sedro is a good team. Our girls showed a lot of heart!,” he said. “Allison Nastali pitched great and Madison McMillan had a great game, both at the plate and on defense.

“It was a great experience for this young team,” Farris added. “I think seeing Sedro pose with the banner and celebrate, makes them want to be there next year.”

Central’s playoff roster was comprised of Taylor Auld, Brionna Blouin, Brotemarkle, Teagan Calkins, Farris, Mimi Forde, Jada Heaton, Katie Marti, Chloe Marzocca, McMillan, Nastali, Molly Nattress and Mayleen Weatherford.

Read Full Post »