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Posts Tagged ‘Happy birthday’

Britt’s the best!!

Posted in Cheer, Happy birthday, tagged , , , , , on October 23, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Brittani Wil;kinson (John Fisken photo)

Brittani Wilkinson (John Fisken photo)

Cheer

Born to cheer.

Wilkinson (center, middle row) during Senior Night for football. (Cheridan Eck photo)

Wilkinson (center, middle row) during Senior Night for Wolf football players and cheerleaders. (Cheridan Eck photo)

Like a bright, blazing light bulb, forever lighting up the world around her.

That’s Coupeville High School senior Brittani Wilkinson, who celebrates her 18th birthday today.

Her smile is huge, her heart even bigger, and she has excelled as a Wolf cheerleader and part of a large, loving family.

I remember the early days, when she used to toddle along behind older sister Courtney Boyd when she and her siblings would come in to Videoville and later, David’s DVD Den.

Now, she’s all grown up (well, mostly grown up) and headed towards graduation.

The smile has never dimmed, the sense of joy she exudes in everything she does, especially cheer, where she has made her name, never faded.

She is as bright, personable, friendly and outgoing as anyone, which I credit a great deal to her mom, Carrie Wilkinson, who is also all of those things.

The mom is a marvel and her daughters (and sons) have lived up to her example.

Happy birthday, Brittani. I hope it is as wonderful as you are.

Which would be pretty dang wonderful.

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Big day for a class act!!

Posted in Baseball, Boys Basketball, Happy birthday, tagged , , , , on October 22, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Morgan Payne 4 President.

Morgan Payne 4 President

Morgan Payne played his butt off.

Dude hustled every second of every day, every moment of every play.

Whether he was on the baseball diamond or the basketball court, the 2014 Coupeville High School grad, now a baseball player at Skagit Valley College, never backed down, never gave up on a play.

He let his actions speak for themselves as he was, at least in public, a young man of few words.

That didn’t stop the Bad-ass Party from stumping for him as their choice as President.

Waving signs and chanting his name for days, Brian Norris, Colin Belliveau and Co. made sure the whole world knew of their undying support for Morgan.

As he celebrates a birthday today, we also wish Mr. Payne the best.

He played the game the way it should be played, one mud-stained pair of baseball pants at a time, even if his heroic, game-saving dives sometimes made mom Joan cry when she remembered she’d have to wash those pants.

Morgan Payne for president? He has my vote.

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Serene superstar celebrates big day!!

Posted in Boys Basketball, Happy birthday, tagged , , , , on October 11, 2014| Leave a Comment »

The man, the myth, the quiet assassin -- Anthony Bergeron. (John Fisken photos)

The man, the myth, the quiet assassin — Anthony Bergeron. (John Fisken photos)

Senior Night, eyeballing mom Avis Mitchell.

Senior Night, eyeballing mom Avis Mitchell.

Dr. Dunkenstein. (Shelli Trumbull photo)

Dr. Dunkenstein. (Shelli Trumbull photo)

Anthony Bergeron was the quietest hoops sensation I’ve ever met.

The former Coupeville High School basketball stud (who could also get up in the air and haul down a pass or two on the football field) let his game speak for itself.

And it did.

In the two seasons he played as a Wolf, Bergeron took huge strides. Literally.

He went from a tentative player at the start of his junior campaign — the first time he had played organized basketball — to a high-flying, 20-point-a-game, slam-dunking highlight machine by the time he was a senior.

Bergeron was the lone Coupeville hoops star on the boys’ side of the game who could take a game over last season and simply dominate. When he was on and clicking, it was a thing of beauty.

Not that you would know it by his demeanor, however.

He was never one to throw out his chest and thump it during a game.

Bergeron treated his opponents, and the game itself, with respect, a trait most likely handed down from his mom, Avis Mitchell, a highly-respected local coach.

Anthony had a playful side, which you could see come out during practice and warmups.

But when the game tipped off, he was all business and it was a pleasure to see him take such an upward surge in his ability and confidence.

Soon, he will be playing college ball, and continuing to impress us all.

But today, since it’s his birthday, we’ll make him slow down for just a second.

You were, and are, a genuine class act, on the court and off, Mr. Bergeron.

We, your fans, were privileged to bear witness to your rapid growth and were blessed to have you join Wolf Nation even for a relatively short time.

Best wishes as you go forward. Keep showing them your talents run deep.

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A special day for a special woman!!

Posted in A freakin' American hero, Happy birthday, tagged , , , , on October 3, 2014| 2 Comments »

Corinne Gaddis, the early years. (Photo courtesy Ellen Christensen)

Corinne Gaddis, the early years. (Photo courtesy Ellen Christensen)

Gaddis

   Gaddis (right), modern day, with sisters Hannah Christensen (left) and Brandy Moe.

Gaddis with dad Jack.

With dad Jack at a Mariners game.

If there’s a special glow in the sky this morning, it’s because the Earth knows what’s up — today a legend was born.

Corinne Gaddis was one of the best athletes to ever cruise through the hallways at Coupeville High School.

Pick a sport, any sport and she would kick your butt at it, while beaming one of the greatest smiles to ever grace Cow Town.

How good was she?

When Gaddis graduated, the town got together and, realizing no one was ever going to match her awesomeness, went and tore the whole school down and built a new one just to give those who followed her a chance at a fresh start.

True story.

But once she was done blazing around the track oval at CHS (back when the Wolves could still host home track meets) and dropping the hammer on the basketball court, Gaddis didn’t stop being awesome.

She went on to graduate from Washington State University and is now a teacher and athletic trainer at Tahoma High School.

Corinne is following in the footsteps of mom and step-dad Ellen and Erik Christensen, teachers of great renown at Oak Harbor High School.

Undoubtedly she is making the duo, and her dad, Jack Gaddis, even prouder of her every day.

The bright, brilliant ball of fire that captivated Coupeville is now out in the real world, spreading knowledge and joy to a new generation.

The kid who hung out at Videoville (in the brief moments when she wasn’t busy with book learnin’ and athletic conquests) is 26 today.

While I haven’t seen Corinne in person in a while, I have no doubt she remains as effervescent and sweet-natured as she was as a teen.

I’m confident in this because I have never, ever seen a photo of her where her sunny smile didn’t pour out of the frame and envelop the universe in a virtual hug.

Corinne Gaddis has always been one of those truly special people whose mere presence makes those around her happier.

Brilliant. Amazing. Genuine.

She’s all that, and so much more.

Happy birthday, Miss Gaddis. May your smile continue to light the world for a very long time.

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Three times the birthday fun!!

Posted in Happy birthday, tagged , , , , on October 1, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Clockwise, from left, are Dalton Martin, Skyler Lawrence and Grey Rische.

Clockwise, from left, are Dalton Martin, Skyler Lawrence and Grey Rische.

Wolf Nation was not born in a day, but huge chunks of it apparently were.

Today might not be the single biggest blizzard of birthdays involving CHS athletes — Aug. 13 had five, headed up by all-world Valen Trujillo — but Oct. 1 has got some sparkle to it.

At least three young guns all popped into the world on this day, and little did anyone know they would all one day be starring for the red and black.

Dalton Martin started as a football player, morphed into a tennis ace and has brought the heat on the basketball court and track oval.

Grey Rische is a man for all seasons, playing tennis (where he often teams up with brother Jared Helmstadter for doubles), basketball and track.

And Skyler Lawrence is a standout on the basketball court (where I have yet to see another player pull a rebound away from her grasp … ever) and as a track thrower.

The trio share several things beyond a birthday and a school.

All three are hard workers, both in athletics and the classroom, seem to have a genuine sense of joy when they’re playing and stand as solid citizens.

Oct. 1 was very, very good to Wolf athletics and we wish the trio much cake and well wishes. You guys (and gal) deserve nothing less.

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