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Posts Tagged ‘Happy birthday’

Ryan Labrador (John Fisken photos)

Ryan Labrador, putting in work on the gridiron. (John Fisken photos)

He holds the line.

And sometimes comes busting through it, with fire in his eyes.

Coupeville High School freshman Ryan Labrador, who celebrates a birthday today, is a rising star in the world of Wolf sports.

As a football lineman, he was rock-solid his first time around, playing both ways and getting some attention from his coaches.

Given a chance to play some extensive varsity time in the season finale against Vashon Island, Labrador erupted for three tackles.

That one-game performance shot him up the CHS charts and landed him in the top 20 for the season, indicating a bright future on the gridiron.

Now, he’s out and about this spring as a member of the Wolf track and field team.

Tossing the shot put and javelin, Labrador is well on his way to follow in the footsteps of accomplished older teammates like Dalton Martin and Grey Rische.

As he moves forward in his CHS sports career, we just want to take a moment to wish him the best. Both on, and off, the athletic stage.

Happy birthday, Ryan!

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Jasmine Melena (John Fisken photos)

Jasmine Melena (John Fisken photos)

Mia Littlejohn

Mia Littlejohn

Melena helps lead the cheers with soccer mates May Rose (left) and Bree Daigneault.

  Melena helps lead the cheers with soccer mates May Rose (left) and Bree Daigneault.

Littlejohn swoops to the hoop.

Littlejohn swoops to the hoop.

It’s a birthday bonanza.

Two of Coupeville’s best and brightest, Jasmine Melena and Mia Littlejohn, celebrate joint cake days Saturday and the festivities sweep the nation.

The duo are united by the soccer pitch, while Littlejohn is also a Wolf hoops star and Melena has suited up for the CHS softball squad.

Regardless of the field of battle they take, both Jasmine and Mia are exemplary young women, whose personalities bring a noticeable spark to all they do.

Littlejohn is fast emerging as one of the most innovative of all Wolf athletes, a firecracker who never backs down and creates magic on the fly.

From the “Jersey girl” at the middle school level who juked foes out of their shoes, spun them around and left them flat on their butt as she sped by, to the more seasoned team leader she is becoming, Mia is part of the gold standard for Coupeville athletes.

A quiet warrior who lets her skills do much of the talking for her, the Wolf sophomore is on her way to being something truly special.

Melena is an ideal role player, the sort who is always there to support her teammates, and, when she’s not playing, often pops up in the stands at other events to cheer on her classmates.

Jasmine always exudes a remarkably serene spirit, and the Wolf junior is truly indispensable.

As the duo celebrate their big day, we just want to take a moment to pop in and wish them both the best, today and every day.

Happy birthday, and may your futures remain as bright as your present.

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Lilan Sekigawa nails another winner on the court. (John Fisken photo)

Lilan Sekigawa nails another winner on the court. (John Fisken photo)

He’s one of the true leaders of the pack.

Coupeville High School senior Lilan Sekigawa, who celebrates a birthday today, is a man for all seasons.

On the tennis court, he’s been one of the best Wolf players in recent years, excelling as a doubles ace while also injecting a sly sense of humor into the behind-the-scenes back-and-forth common among netters.

Even on the gloomiest fall day, when one wonders why on Earth they would schedule a tennis match, Sekigawa’s smile lights up the court.

This past season I was at every home match for the Wolf boys (amazing what you can do when you don’t have a “real” job…) and Lilan stood out.

No one else seemed to enjoy their time on the court as much as he did, bouncing around, playfully whacking doubles partner Jimmy Myers with his racket, or quietly cracking jokes.

Off the court, though, he is just as much of a star, a key member of the school’s Science Olympiad squad and a member of the National Honor Society.

As he heads towards graduation, we just want to take a moment to wish him the best.

Today, on his cake day, and every day, as he represents Coupeville with style and class.

Happy birthday, Lilan!

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Lindsey Roberts: Woman of a 1,000 grins. (John Fisken photos)

Lindsey Roberts: woman of 1,000 grins. (John Fisken photos)

(Amy King photo)

   Celebrating with part of her hoops squad after winning the 1A Olympic League crown. (Amy King photo)

She is The Natural. The Chosen One. The Savior.

Is she blushing yet?

Daughter to two former Coupeville High School Athlete of the Year winners.

Granddaughter to a legendary Wolf coach.

Cousin, niece and older sister to a whole host of skilled athletes, all of whom have little to no fear of the camera, as well.

So it comes as no surprise to see Lindsey Roberts lighting up the world, one day at a time.

The CHS frosh, who has already lettered (and been a key player) in soccer and basketball, is about to blow the roof off the joint in track.

Her debut on the high school oval is three days away (Thursday at the Island Jamboree in Oak Harbor), but first, there are more important matters.

Like a little cake day, as she (and grandpa Sandy) share a birthday today.

As she celebrates, we want to take a moment to gush about Lindsey, while not going too overboard.

After all, we have 3 1/3 more years to do that, as she shatters all the records and takes all the awards.

Part of a very impressive Class of 2019 (from Sarah Wright to Ashlie Shank to Kalia Littlejohn to Emma Smith to Maddy Hilkey to Ashley Menges and on and on, the freshmen girls boast one of the deepest classes of athletes in years), Roberts is the early leader.

Not to jinx her, but she’s the only Wolf 9th grader, girl or boy, who remains on pace to win a full 12 varsity letters, something very few before her have accomplished at CHS.

Whether she makes it to the land of Hailey Hammer and Megan Smith or not, she is going to be a delight to watch.

The biggest reason?

Not her talent, which is unmistakable. Not even her hard work and dedication, which bolsters the talent.

It is, quite simply, her joy.

The joy that spills out of Lindsey in great waves whenever she takes the athletic stage, regardless of the sport.

She is a young woman who genuinely seems to love being an athlete, and it carries over to how she interacts with her teammates, coaches, fans and personal photographers.

And we have to mention that, because Roberts is on a very short list (with McKayla and McKenzie Bailey, Lauren Rose, Taya Boonstra and Hunter Hammer) when it comes to lovin’ her time in front of the camera.

She is solid gold, the go-to standard, because no matter if she’s sick, eating or grumpy, she will bring her A-game whenever she hears a camera shutter go off.

Coupeville Sports lives and thrives thanks to Lindsey and her ilk, and it is absolute kismet that, as we lose a transcendent athlete like Makana Stone to graduation, we gain such a bright ball of energy as Miss Roberts.

I can go on now. I have a reason to keep publishing.

Yes, well…

Anyways, I just want to wish Lindsey (and her grandpa) the best of birthdays.

Never stop being awesome, Lou. Just keep on being yourself.

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Nick Dion (John Fisken photos)

  Nick Dion plays through the rain splatters during Friday’s jamboree. (John Fisken photo)

Lodell

Mike Lodell wants you to know it’s always sunny inside his brain.

Dion

   “Nice try, Lodell. But there are two small lakes inside my shoes and I’m 98.2% sure I’m never going to be warm again.” (Fisken photo)

It’s a birthday 2-for-1 special in Wolf Nation.

Saturday brings the cake day to Coupeville High School junior Nick Dion, a true scholar/athlete, and that irrepressible king of the grounds-keeping crew, Mike “Mr. Sunshine” Lodell.

They may be separated by a few years (we’ll say Lodell is old enough to be Dion’s … older brother), but they both play vital roles in Cow Town.

Dion is a super-smart whiz kid who, when he’s not dominating fools in Science Olympiad, is also a hard-working two-sport athlete.

Whether the game is tennis or soccer, Nick flies around the playing surface, fighting through every play.

Dude has no quit in him, and remains one of the nicest guys who will, without a doubt, slay you in two worlds.

Athletically, he’s a scrapper. Academically, he’s a juggernaut.

Put the two together and you have one of the very best Coupeville has to offer the world.

Now, Lodell, the smooth-talking master of the laid-back McConaughey-style vibe, is just as impressive in his own way.

A movie junkie, father of two (Noah and Hope) and notorious street ball assassin, Mike can brighten even the darkest day on the prairie.

Even if he is so good at his job that one day last spring we spent three hours being drenched while watching softball, because his work on the field made it super-resistant to the liquid daggers slashing the fans to pieces.

No matter how miserable the weather got, the field not only stayed playable, it brought oohs and ahs from the umps.

Any other town, any other field, the game would have been called off in the first inning and we would have all gone home to dry clothes and a cup o’ tea.

Not here, as Lodell’s handiwork kept the CHS field, and the softball schedule, chugging along beautifully (even as we all good-naturedly cursed him repeatedly).

Of course, deep down (right down to our sodden boxer shorts), our respect for Mike’s handiwork grew even more that day.

Even if we did contemplate beating him with a large stick for being too dang good at his job…

Like Dion, Mike brings a deep commitment to everything he does, which is why I know, without a doubt, today’s scheduled softball opener against South Whidbey (12 PM) is going on, regardless of how dank the weather looks through my sliding glass door.

Dang it, Lodell, you magnificent, Mother Nature-bustin’ bastard!!

Well, that’s fine, cause when I’m soaked a few hours from now, and they’re still playing, I’ll give him a surprise birthday hug and hold on long enough until I make sure he’s soaked too.

But anyways … happy joint cake day Nick and Mike.

May your day shine as brightly as the sun I (naively) hope will peek through the clouds when the ump says “Play ball.”

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