Ema Smith fires up the offense during a senior-season game. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)
Sister Ciara is part of a large fan club for the ever-outgoing star.
Ema in her natural environment, entertaining everyone around her.
“I’m kind of a big deal, you know.”
Ema Smith is one cool cat.
In a sea of high school athletes, she stood out for many reasons, but the biggest was her attitude.
Nothing seemed to ruffle her all that much, even when she was down on the floor rippin’ arms off as she came away with every loose ball, every wayward rebound.
Ema played with intensity, fought with passion, always showed great heart and a willingness to step up in the big moment, regardless of the sport, but she never lost the grin.
The half-smirk, the wink and a nod to her coach, the whispered one-liner, complete with arched eyebrow, that made a tense teammate relax.
She is the closest thing Coupeville has to having its own Matthew McConaughey.
Talent carries you a certain distance, hard work takes you the rest of the way, but attitude – how you conduct yourself, how you handle your business – is what sets true legends apart from the crowd.
It’s what makes the people in the stands remember you always.
And no one is going to forget Ema anytime soon.
She arrived in town as a middle schooler, red hair flashing in the sun as she leaned out the passenger window of the family car, firing off finger guns at passerby and intoning “Alright, alright, alright.”
OK, maybe not, but Ema did become part of the fabric of Wolf athletics in less than 2.1 seconds, immediately contributing to every team she played on.
From the softball diamond, where she was a hard-hitting warrior until injuries slowed her roll (but just a bit), to the soccer pitch, the track oval, and the basketball hard-court, she was a star who soared even higher by being willing to accept her role.
That carried over off the field, where Ema has been one of the quickest to embrace younger athletes coming up behind her.
When she couldn’t take the softball field herself, she stepped into the dugout and worked as a volunteer with little league squads.
During her own basketball season, Ema worked the scorer’s table at middle school games, offering advice and (frequent) hugs to the girls who would one day replace her in the CHS lineup.
Theses days she’s the swim instructor with the biggest fan club, spreading the love some more in the weeks leading up to her departure to college.
Of course, there’s her photo game, as well, where Ema excelled as both a subject and the person operating the camera.
She shot a ton of photos across several Booster Club Crab Feeds, and they showcased an already-assured eye.
Some people just point and click, but Ema is already telling stories with her camera. She knows how to draw out her subjects, and captures images which captivate the viewer.
Put her in front of the camera, and she rivaled all-time greats like the “Photo Bomb Queens” themselves, McKayla, McKenzie and Mollie Bailey.
Ema never met a photo she couldn’t be a part of, on or off the field, and losing her to college is a major blow for Coupeville Sports as it hunts for those sweet, sweet page views.
Of course, at the top of all of this, is her performance while in uniform.
If her body had held up, Ema could have played a crucial role for a CHS softball program which has reached new heights in recent years.
But, while that wasn’t meant to be, her impact on the Wolf basketball squad can’t be denied.
A deft passer, a strong rebounder, and a defender with a nice little chip on her shoulder, Ema could also put the ball in the basket on a regular basis.
While playing with top-notch scorers like Lindsey Roberts and Mikayla Elfrank limited her touches at times, she always stepped up and took advantage of her opportunities.
A deadly threat from behind the three-point arc, Ema carried the team for a stretch during her senior season, especially when a crunched finger sent Roberts to the ER.
That injury came in a game down in the wilds of Sultan, a contest Coupeville desperately needed to win, to snap a losing skid and hold on to a top playoff slot.
Roberts was hospital-bound, the Turk fans were shaking the roof of the gym, the Wolves needed a spark, and whammo, Miss Cool Cat picked up the ball and went to work.
Scoring six of her game-high 14 in the fourth, Ema drilled a jumper, flipped a running layup through a maze of defenders, then banked home another bucket while three Turks hung all over her.
A big-time performance delivered under the blazing glare of the spotlight, it lifted CHS to a season-defining win.
By the time she finished, Ema retired with 228 career points, making her the #48 all-time scorer in modern Wolf girls hoops history, a period which stretches from 1974-2019.
But, as shown in the Sultan game, it wasn’t how many points she scored, but when she scored them.
And that we know, that, after that game, she probably fist-bumped every single person in the Sultan gym, including the locals, as she exited, mega-grin on her face, enjoying every last moment.
Ema is truly a one-of-a-kind person, both as an athlete and a young woman, and she will go far in life.
That we here in Central Whidbey got to experience a slice of her story was sweet. As she gets ready to go write the next chapter, we want to take a moment to honor her.
Her induction into the Coupeville Sports Hall o’ Fame today is based on many things.
Ema has stats, she has talent, she has fight and desire, but, most of all, she’s got that elusive quality that makes someone truly memorable.
After this, when you look at the top of the blog, under the Legends tab, she’ll be easy to find.
She’ll be the one everyone else gravitates toward, cause she’s a star, baby. Now and forever.
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