Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Posts Tagged ‘Happy birthday’

Wolf netter a true ace!!

Posted in Band, Boys Tennis, Happy birthday, tagged , , , , , , on January 31, 2016| Leave a Comment »

Joseph Wedekind (John Fisken photos)

Joseph Wedekind lets loose with a serve during practice. (John Fisken photos)

Young man with a horn.

(Super talented) young man with a horn.

Joseph Wedekind is a man of many talents.

The Coupeville High School junior, who celebrates a birthday today, does a little bit of everything, and everything he does, he does well.

On the tennis court he is a favorite of his coach and fans for his strong work ethic — he plays virtually year-round with double mate John McClarin  — and is coming off his best season as a Wolf netter.

He shared team MVP honors with senior Sebastian Davis and, along with McClarin, will be a returning captain next year.

Off the court, if you were to look up Wedekind in a dictionary, you’d find him right there under the term “whip smart.”

A Science Olympiad warrior who also plays in the school’s jazz and pep band, Joseph has talent shooting out in all directions.

Not that he would be the one to tell you that, however, as he’s also a low-key kind of guy not prone to shouting at the world about how awesome he is.

But it’s obvious to those on the outside looking in that he’s going places.

This is the kind of talented, friendly guy who is likely to end up doing big things, both during his remaining high school days and after he departs CHS.

So, we all need to get in good with him now, so he remembers us when he’s all successful.

With that being said, happy birthday, Mr. Wedekind. Enjoy your cake day and keep sailin’ on.

You have always seemed like a genuine class act, on and off the court, and, I guarantee you this, your fan base is an ever-growing one.

Read Full Post »

Heart of gold, elbows of fury!!

Posted in Girls Basketball, Happy birthday, Track, Volleyball, tagged , , , , , on January 28, 2016| 1 Comment »

Allison Wenzel: Beast Mode (John Fisken photos)

Allison Wenzel: Beast Mode (John Fisken photos)

Now, let’s imagine you’ve never been to a game of any sorts at Coupeville High School before.

At first, you see Allison Wenzel, with the ever-present smile, the serene sweetness of nature, the way she jokes around with bench buddy Skyler Lawrence.

A few words, and it becomes quickly obvious she’s smart as a whip, sensitive to others, a young woman who loves (and is loved by) her teammates.

So, you have one image of what you think she is.

Then, it begins.

A volleyball match, a basketball game, a track meet, and the second Allison Wenzel unleashes and it is … freakin’ awesome.

She is, quite simply, a beast at times, and I mean that in the best way possible.

At a recent basketball game, I was sitting next to Jodi Crimmins, the Nicest Woman in the Universe, but also someone who used to tear arms off of people on the basketball court in the ’90s.

As we watched Wenzel uncork a butt-whuppin’ on anyone who would dare to get between her and the basketball, I looked at Jodi and said, “You know, she is you reincarnated, isn’t she?”

Jodi’s smile covered one side of the gym to the other.

Allison Wenzel, kind, caring, smart, lover of animals and people, is a destroyer of worlds in the arena, and it is beautiful to see.

As she celebrates her birthday today, I hope she knows how many fans she has, people who appreciate her huge heart and never-say-die spirit on the floor.

Like her older sister Rachel, also a talented athlete and scholar and amazing young woman, Allison is a blessing to her parents, Susan and Tim, and to her town.

We are lucky to get to be a small part in her journey, to witness as she, day by day, shines even more brightly.

I always love to see young athletes like Allison get rewarded for the time and effort they put in, for showing you can play like a demon on the court and still be an angel in real life.

Happy cake day, Miss Wenzel. Never stop being awesome.

Read Full Post »

Born to be a star!!

Posted in Girls Basketball, Happy birthday, Volleyball, tagged , , , , , on January 17, 2016| 1 Comment »

Freshman phenom Maddy Hilkey. (John Fisken photos)

Maddy Hilkey: Class Act.

Maddy Hilkey lights up the universe.

The Coupeville High School freshman, who celebrates the big 1-5 today, is the kind of athlete every coach hopes for.

Positive, hard-working, scrappy, loyal to her teammates and friends, willing to do the dirty work, but also quite capable of being the star.

And then you top that off with one of the sunniest personalities in all of Wolf Nation, and you have a real winner.

Parents Travis Hilkey and Emrie McCauslin gave her good genes, which helps athletically, but their greatest achievement has been that their daughter is first and foremost a wonderful human being.

With close friends (and fellow CHS athletes) like Ashley Menges, Emma Smith, Ashlie Shank and Lindsey Roberts, Maddy is part of what seems like an especially strong freshman class this year.

As a group they are close-knit (or at least seem that way), supportive of each other and already making an impact on the athletic stage.

Hilkey is one of the true leaders, a young woman who helped anchor the Wolf JV volleyball squad all season, then jumped up and shined when ever called upon by the varsity.

With team captain Valen Trujillo gone for a funeral, Hilkey was called on to start at libero against powerful Bellevue Christian.

Playing on the road, holding down the position that is the linchpin to the attack, she more than held her own, impressing coach Breanne Smedley, who remarked that night, “Maddy did an amazing job.”

When the season was done, Hilkey joined Tiffany Briscoe in taking home an A.C.E.S. Award, which is given to the spikers who best demonstrate Coupeville volleyball’s four core covenants — attitude, competitiveness, effort and service.

Now, she brings the same pluck and passion to her work for the Wolf JV basketball squad and is one of those players who bring out a smile in CHS hoops coaches David and Amy King when they discuss her work ethic and commitment.

Again though, as solid an athlete as she is, our greatest praise should always go to the kind of person Maddy is in everyday life.

Every thing I see, every thing I hear, point to her being the real deal, the kind of young woman who is going to achieve great things in her life.

And now that we’ve (possibly) made her blush a bit, I just want to wish her the best of birthdays.

May your cake day rock, Miss Hilkey, as much as you do.

Read Full Post »

#74 in your program, #1 in your hearts!!

Posted in Football, Happy birthday, tagged , , , , on January 14, 2016| Leave a Comment »

Brenden Gilbert (John Fisken photos)

Brenden Gilbert: American Bad-Ass. (John Fisken photos)

When Brenden Gilbert graduates this spring, it will leave a huge hole.

A one-man wrecking crew, he anchored the line for the Coupeville High School football squad, doing his best to hold things together even when being bull-rushed by a swarm of Port Townsend big bodies.

And while the Wolves weren’t always able to put together the kind of season they wanted this past fall, any shortcomings weren’t because of their senior leader.

Every time #74 strode on to that field, he more than held his own, going down swinging on every last play.

Kid had no quit in him, and there’s a reason his coaches and fellow players looked to him as a rock.

As Coupeville’s younger players continue to improve and the wins start coming back, a large chunk of any future success will come from players following the work ethic Gilbert always exemplified.

But even more than his athletic ability, what will be missed will be his personality.

Brenden, who celebrates a cake day today, could be a fearsome beast on the gridiron.

But, unlike a lot of other high school football players, he always looked like he was having fun playing his game of choice.

Huge grin creasing his face, he could mess around for photos, then snap back into being deadly serious when it was time to protect his quarterback or try and decimate the other team’s gunslinger.

Gilbert played hard, but he never missed out on the enjoyment part, and that is huge.

That wisecracking personality is always on display, as he is also one of the most faithful of fans when it comes to rooting for his classmates.

Every volleyball match possible, every basketball game, he’s right there, at the heart of the CHS student section, easily the loudest and proudest of any of them.

Waving a Wolf flag, leading the cheers or just laying back and dropping one-liners, he’s the king of the castle.

I hope this birthday, and the many to come, are great, Mr. Gilbert.

From all your Wolf fans (and there are a lot, believe me), thank you for leaving it all on the field.

But also, thank you for just being a righteous dude.

Read Full Post »

She was just born awesome!!

Posted in Happy birthday, Softball, Volleyball, tagged , , , , , on January 10, 2016| Leave a Comment »

Hope "The Surgeon" Lodell, hard at work being all awesome and stuff.

Hope “The Surgeon” Lodell, hard at work being all awesome and stuff.

Somewhere, at this very moment, it’s highly likely Hope Lodell is performing various feats of strength.

The Coupeville High School sophomore, who clocks in at the big 1-6 today, is a physical marvel and has been since the day she popped in to this world.

One of the rare athletes who I currently cover that I can say I’ve actually known since day one, Hope has been a precocious fireball since her birth.

Now she spends a fair amount of time walking around while doing a handstand and last year wowed softball fans by ripping off a string of pull-ups on the overhang above the CHS softball dugout.

Bored while waiting for umpires to decide if a game was going to be played, the Wolves milled around, making small talk.

And then, suddenly, blond ponytail whipping behind her, Lodell elevated, snatched the wooden board and started flexing, lifting herself up rat-a-tat style as her teammates whooped and hollered.

You had the feeling she could have done it all day, but, after a bit, Hope dropped down, grinned and walked away, leaving a field full of awestruck onlookers.

It wasn’t the only time she did so, as her play on the field was often gasp-worthy as well.

Flying in all directions, Lodell was technically the Wolf center fielder, though she often ran down balls in both right and left, making her fellow outfielders jobs considerably easier.

Slick and quick and a dangerous slap hitter at the plate, she began to come into her own as a wily lead-off hitter as a freshman.

With a change in CHS coaching, and her little league juniors coach, Kevin McGranahan, taking the reigns this season, her sophomore year could be a huge breakout year for the irrepressible one.

It already was in the fall, when she shot on to the varsity volleyball squad and became a key weapon as the Wolves made huge strides, jumping into the postseason and winning a home playoff game.

A jump server capable of inflicting vicious curves on the ball, Hope was like a jolt of pure energy shooting through the gym every time she stepped on the court.

Seeing her soar so high, and yet knowing she can still go so much higher, is a genuine thrill.

She remains the same friendly, super-smart, well-spoken class act she was even as a little tyke, and, while she may roll her eyes a bit these days when people gush about her, she more than deserves it.

You are awesome, Hopey. Both in the sports world, and, far more importantly, in the real world.

I hope your cake day is truly special, cause that’s what you have always been and will always be — truly, truly special.

Read Full Post »

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »