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Prove me wrong (I dare you)!!

Posted in history, tagged , , , , , on July 20, 2016| 1 Comment »

CHS state track champs (clockwise from top left) Jeff Fielding, Kyle King, Steven McDonald, Chris Hutchinson, Jon Chittim, Amy (Mouw) Fasolo, Tyler King, Natasha Bamberger.

   CHS state track champs (clockwise from top left) Jeff Fielding, Kyle King, Steven McDonald, Chris Hutchinson, Jon Chittim, Amy (Mouw) Fasolo, Tyler King, Natasha Bamberger.

This is actually going to happen.

After a lot of work, by a lot of people, the effort to install 116 years of Coupeville High School athletic history on the school’s gym walls is heading down the backstretch.

The research has been done (though, in a second I’m going to ask for your proofreading on that), the proper authorities have signed off on the idea, most of the fundraising is accomplished, and we meet with the sign guy Friday.

The plan has always been to have this installed prior to the start of the new school year in Sept., and it seems 99.2% likely at this point.

After years of having just a handful of banners hanging in the gym, the new installation aims to honor every league and district title won by Wolf teams, as well as individual state championships (there are 17) and top 10 team finishes at state.

That entails, as far as I have been able to determine, 112 title boards.

Originally, it was 109, but supporters of CHS cheer have made a solid argument that the program’s three top-four finishes at state (including a title in 2006) deserve to be on the wall as well.

And, before you say it, this is a SPORTS installation going up.

I am well aware the school has a strong run of accomplishments in History Day, band, Science Olympiad and the like.

Some of those are honored in other places at the school, and, to those who would like to see a more complete version, go get ’em.

I’m behind you, I support you, I would certainly write about your efforts and help drive your cause, but Indiana Jonesing 116 years of CHS sports history, on my own time, with no pay, has wiped me out.

The sports history was my crusade.

Someone else better suited to the task will have to take up the academic side of things, if that’s something you’re burning to get accomplished.

It can be done.

We’re proving that with this project, which has brought together the Whidbey newspapers (primarily Jim Waller and Keven R. Graves) with the pain in the ass blogger who you’re currently reading.

The Booster Club, bigwigs like Coupeville Schools Superintendent Dr. Jim Shank and CHS Principal Duane Baumann, and all the people who have donated money or offered research tips, are a huge part of this.

Of course, without the athletes who accomplished these feats, and the coaches who guided them, none of this would be possible in the first place.

When the display goes up, it’s all for us, Wolf Nation, near and far.

But now, as we head towards that meeting with the sign guy Friday, scan my list and see if you notice anything off. Did I miss a title somewhere in my bleary-eyed final days?

If so, let me know. You can reach me at davidsvien@hotmail.com.

And also, you can still chip in and help the fundraising efforts. Every buck counts, especially as we add cheer.

https://www.gofundme.com/2bzt6x76

 

Titles being honored:

 

BASEBALL:

1960 — Northwest League

1965 — Northwest League

1969 — Northwest League

1973 — Northwest League

1973 — District

1974 — Northwest League

1975 — Northwest League

1976 — Northwest League

1976 — District

1977 — Northwest League

1977 — District

1978 — District

1980 — Cascade League

1987 — District

1987 — 3rd at State

1991 — Northwest League

2008 — District

2016 — Olympic League

 

BOYS BASKETBALL:

1970 — Northwest League

1970 — District

1971 — Northwest League

1972 — Cascade League

1975 — Northwest League

1979 — Cascade League

1998 — Northwest League

2002 — Northwest League

 

BOYS TENNIS:

1961 — Northwest League

1967 — Northwest League

1968 — Northwest League

2002 — Northwest League

2009 — Northwest League

2009 — District

2010 — Northwest League

2011 — Northwest League

2015 — Olympic League

 

CHEER:

2006 — 1st at State

2007 — 2nd at State

2011 — 4th at State

 

CROSS COUNTRY:

1975 — Boys 9th at State

1976 — Boys 5th at State

1977 — Boys – Cascade League

1977 — Boys – District

1977 — Boys 5th at State

1981 — Girls 8th at State

1982 — Girls – Cascade League

1982 — Girls 4th at State

1985 — Natasha Bamberger – State Champ

2010 — Tyler King – State Champ

 

FOOTBALL:

1974 — Northwest League

1990 — Northwest League

 

GIRLS BASKETBALL:

1998 — Northwest League

2002 — Northwest League

2002 — 6th at State

2003 — 8th at State

2005 — Northwest League

2005 — 8th at State

2006 — Northwest League

2015 — Olympic League

2016 — Olympic League

 

GIRLS TENNIS:

1981 — Cascade League

1982 — Cascade League

1983 — Cascade League

1998 — Northwest League

1999 — Northwest League

2000 — Northwest League

2001 — Northwest League

2002 — Northwest League

2003 — Northwest League

2004 — Northwest League

2005 — Northwest League

2005 — 3rd at State

2008 — Northwest League

2009 — Northwest League

2010 — Northwest League

2011 — Northwest League

2012 — Northwest League

2015 — Olympic League

2016 — Olympic League

 

SOFTBALL:

2002 — Northwest League

2002 — 3rd at State

 

TRACK:

1979 — Jeff Fielding – State Champ (3200)

1979 — Boys 8th at State

1984 — Boys – Northwest League

1984 — Natasha Bamberger – State Champ (1600, 3200)

1984 — Girls 5th at State

1985 — Boys – District

1985 — Natasha Bamberger – State Champ (3200)

1986 — Natasha Bamberger – State Champ (3200)

1986 — Boys – 6th at State

1986 — Girls – 8th at State

1987 — Boys – Northwest League

1987 — Boys – District

1989 — Girls – Northwest League

1989 — Girls – District

2003 — Amy Mouw – State Champ (800)

2005 — Boys – Bi-District

2005 — Boys – 8th at State

2006 — Boys – Bi-District

2006 — Jon Chittim – State Champ (200, 400)

2006 — Kyle King – State Champ (3200)

2006 — Boys 4 x 400 – State Champ (Chris Hutchinson, Jon Chittim, Kyle King, Steven McDonald)

2006 — Boys – 4th at State

2007 — Kyle King – State Champ (1600, 3200)

2008 — Kyle King – State Champ (3200)

2008 — Boys – 4th at State

2010 — Tyler King – State Champ (1600, 3200)

2010 — Boys — 6th at State

2011 — Boys – 7th at State

 

VOLLEYBALL:

1997 — Northwest League

2001 — Northwest League

2002 — Tri-District

2002 — District

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Headed for the finish line!!

Posted in history, tagged , , , , , , , on July 11, 2016| Leave a Comment »

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   We move closer and closer to making the top photo a reality, but here in Coupeville.

Legacy is huge.

Tim Duncan’s retirement from the NBA today is proof of that.

For 19 years, the Big Fundamental played the game with such precision, such honor, that his bidding farewell to the game at age 40 is like a (quiet) meteor ripping through the sports world.

The five championships, the unparalleled success (19 straight playoff berths, 18 seasons of 50+ wins) the San Antonio Spurs enjoyed with Timmmmmmaaaayyyyyy as their centerpiece, are remarkable.

But it’s the man who will be remembered, for the way he conducted himself, on the court and off. Class personified.

As I’ve pounded out 4,400+ articles here on Coupeville Sports (the four-year anniversary, Aug. 16, approaches), I’ve tried to leave some legacy behind myself.

But, a blog on the internet is not necessarily the best way to do so, as it all kind of evaporates a day or two after a particular story runs.

There is the Hall o’ Fame up at the top of the blog, but even that is a bit gossamer.

Which is why I started the project which is, against all odds, careening towards being a reality.

It’s easy to complain about the limited number of title banners which hang in the CHS gym, but replacing them with something more concrete, more complete, entailed a fair amount of work.

First I had to delve deep into the past (CHS started in 1900, or 90 years before the first banner currently gracing its gym), which required help.

The Whidbey News-Times has archives going back to the 1800’s, but those archives (bound volumes of newspapers, not microfiche or computer files) are locked down these days, in an effort to preserve crumbling, but vital history.

The paper’s head honcho, Publisher/Editor Keven R. Graves, was nice enough to overlook my past poking of his Canadian bosses, and allowed me access, probably against his better judgement.

As I spent days glazing over, flipping through pages looking for a bit of info here, a nugget of history there, News-Times Sports Editor Jim Waller (my high school journalism teacher) was always around to check on my progress, offer advice and help guide me.

Son of a legendary coach (Mert Waller) who got his start in Coupeville, Jim Waller grew up to be a standout athlete in Oak Harbor, then put in 30+ years as a Hall of Fame coach, and his guidance and knowledge of Island sports history is invaluable.

As the research came together, school officials — Superintendent Dr. Jim Shank and Principal Duane Baumann — were open to the idea of installing sports boards similar to what Oak Harbor High School has in its gym.

By doing so, we could fully honor the 109 titles I found (a figure that grows as the discussion over whether to add competition cheer is underway) lurking in the past.

The biggest stumbling block in going from essentially zero to putting 116 years of history on the wall in one fell swoop is, of course, money.

And yet that hurdle has largely fallen, with the Coupeville Booster Club pledging $2,500 and a GoFundMe I started having cleared $3,000 so far.

Now, Whidbey Signs is preparing to craft and install the signs, with a goal of having them in place prior to the start of a new school year.

It probably won’t feel real until the day arrives when the signs are unveiled and I can stand back and say, “This. As a community, as a Wolf Nation, we did this.”

I look forward to that day, because at that moment, with the help of so many, Coupeville Sports will have left something of a lasting legacy.

Something real. Something tangible.

To help us, pop over to:

https://www.gofundme.com/2bzt6x76

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One more push!!

Posted in Fundraisers, history, tagged , , , , , on July 7, 2016| Leave a Comment »

A small smidgen of those whose athletic accomplishments will be honored when our title board project is a success.

   A small smidgen of those Wolves whose athletic accomplishments will be honored when our title board project is a success.

We can see the goal line approaching.

A project which has taken months of effort and the combined talents of many is about to come to fruition, but it just needs one more little push.

No, I’m not talking about the new track oval being installed for Coupeville High School, but nice thought.

What I am talking about is my great white whale, the idea to slap 116 years of athletic success up on the CHS gym wall in time for the start of a new school year.

As you may know, there are currently just a handful of title banners hanging in a corner of our gym, and the oldest one is from 1990.

Which means every time a Wolf alumni who played on the ’69 Northwest League champion baseball squad (coached by future football legend Sid Otton) or ran with the ’81 girls cross country squad that finished fourth at state enters the gym, there is no acknowledgement of what they accomplished.

But that’s changing.

Having obtained rare access to the Whidbey News-Times archives, thanks to Keven R. Graves and Jim Waller, I combed through history and came up with a list of 109 titles which should be hanging on the wall.

This includes all team league and district titles, top 10 team finishes at state and individual state titles (there’s 17 of those).

School officials have signed off on the project, Whidbey Signs has been selected to produce and install the signs and the Coupeville Booster Club ponied up the first $2,500.

The club also agreed to set aside funds for adding new title boards in the coming years.

Which won’t be too much of an issue, as once we get past that first 116-year step, it’ll be fairly inexpensive and the boards, while looking all glossy and historical on the wall, require little to no upkeep.

But, that first step is a big one, and I need to come up with $3,000 to add to the Booster Club’s outlay to make this a reality.

To get there I launched a GoFundMe Sunday night and we’ve already cleared 70%, sitting at $2,125 this morning.

All we need to is one final push to get over the top.

Whether you skip a day at Starbucks and give that $5 to honor your Pop-Pop’s legacy instead or come in big-time, every dollar truly counts.

The link to our fundraiser:

https://www.gofundme.com/2bzt6x76

PS — There are some who can’t or won’t use GoFundMe, but still want to contribute.

If so, I can be reached at 165 N. Sherman, Coupeville, WA 98239 or at davidsvien@hotmail.com.

I am a beach bum these days and have no phone of any kind, but don’t let that stop you.

Onward to the top, Wolf Nation!

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Rise Up, Wolf Nation!!

Posted in history, tagged , , , , on July 3, 2016| Leave a Comment »

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   Help Coupeville High School restore 116 years of athletic history by installing title boards like the ones Oak Harbor has in its gym.

Help us restore Coupeville High School’s rich athletic history!

The Wolves have stood tall on the prairie for 116 years, but you might not know it from looking at the championship banners hanging in the CHS gym.

Currently there are just a handful on display, stuck off in the corner, and they don’t go back beyond 1990.

Even those are far from complete, basically omitting virtually everything the highly-successful Wolf tennis programs have accomplished in the last two decades.

But we’re not here to assign blame.

The past is the past, and we’re looking to the future … while, um, embracing the past.

Working in conjunction with Jim Waller and Keven R. Graves at the Whidbey News-Times, I have spent several months tracking down a far more comprehensive history of what Wolf athletes and teams have accomplished from 1900-2016.

The plan I have spearheaded, and which school administration, the Booster Club and others have joined in on, is to replace the handful of dusty banners.

In their place will rise a gorgeous new display of 109 title boards which will showcase four things — all league and district team titles, top 10 team finishes at state and the school’s 17 individual state titles.

The style of title boards we will use is similar to what our neighbors at Oak Harbor High School currently do, which is depicted in the photo up top.

Using Coupeville colors, league titles will be on white boards, district titles on black and state accomplishments on red.

Once put in place, the title boards will need little upkeep, can be easily (and inexpensively) added to in years to come and will restore a true sense of history to our gym.

Since they will hang on the wall opposite the benches — a much more visible location than the current banner set-up — they will be the first thing seen by Wolf athletes (and their fans), as well as rival teams.

They will offer current athletes something to aspire for, honor the accomplishments of those who came before (in many cases, direct relatives of those now playing) and serve as a warning to those who dare to enter the CHS gym carrying another school’s colors.

The school’s booster club has agreed to pay $2,500 towards the initial expense of having the boards created and installed. They have also set aside funding for adding title boards in years to come.

But, going from zero to 116 years of history is a big jump to make, and we’ll need to raise the remaining money needed. That will fall in the $2,500-$3,000 range.

We want to have these installed before school starts in September, kicking off the 2016-2017 school year with a real bang.

I firmly believe there are enough current and former Wolves out there — athletes, coaches, parents, grandparents, fans — who can, and will, come together to make this a reality.

Please consider joining us on this mission, either with a donation or by sharing this story or the GoFundMe link.

Let’s put the growl back in Wolf Nation in time for opening night.

To join the movement, pop over to:

https://www.gofundme.com/2bzt6x76

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We’re gonna need a bigger gym!!

Posted in history, tagged , , , , , on February 25, 2016| Leave a Comment »

In 116 years, no Coupeville High School student has won as many state titles as this guy -- five-time champ Kyle King.

The most decorated male athlete in CHS history — five-time state champ Kyle King.

(Jim Waller photo)

If CHS were to adopt the style used by Oak Harbor High School, with its own color scheme, white could be for league titles, black for district titles and red for state accomplishments. (Jim Waller photo)

Natasha Bamberger, holder of four of the 17 state titles won by CHS athletes all-time.

Natasha Bamberger, the only Wolf to win five state titles completely on her own.

116 years. 113 titles.

That’s what I’ve come up with. So far.

Never having been satisfied with the small amount of banners that hang in the Coupeville High School gym, I decided recently, with the help of Jim Waller, Keven R. Graves and the Whidbey News-Times archives, to see if I could get a better read on the history of Wolf sports.

What I have come away with is about 100 (give or take one or two) more titles than what currently hang in the gym.

Now, this is not meant to be a slam on anyone in the school administration.

It doesn’t matter who let the history slip away, or when it happened.

But we are the generation that can save it.

It’s that simple.

If we move forward and restore the lost accomplishments, we can honor the past and inspire the future.

As we move forward, I’ll continue to talk to those who actually make these kind of decisions (administrators, school board, Booster Club), figure out what it would cost, how we could make it happen and all that jazz.

But, for the moment, let your eyes wander down the list.

61 league titles.

14 district titles.

21 teams that placed at state (top 10), topped by three (2002 softball, 1987 baseball, 2005 girls’ tennis) who finished as high as 3rd — and yet two of those teams (baseball and tennis) do NOT have banners currently hanging.

17 state titles. 15 in track (14 individual and one relay team) and two in cross country — won by six guys and two gals.

Fact-check me. Did I miss something while going cross-eyed? It’s possible.

Or just bask in the history of our little school on the prairie.

Coupeville High School title winners 1900-2016:

BASEBALL

1960 — “B” Northwest League
1965 — “B” Northwest League
1969 — “B” Northwest League
1973 — “B” Northwest League
1973 — “B” District
1974 — “B” Northwest League
1975 — “B” Northwest League
1976 — “B” Northwest League
1976 — “B” District
1977 — “B” Northwest League
1977 — “B” District
1978 — “A” District
1980 — “A” Cascade League
1987 — “B” District
1987 — “B” 3rd at state
1991 — “B” Northwest League
2008 — “A” District

BOYS BASKETBALL

1970 — “B” Northwest League
1970 — “B” District
1971 — “B” Northwest League
1972 — “A” Cascade League
1975 — “B” Northwest League
1979 — “A” Cascade League
1998 — “A/B” Northwest League
2002 — “A” Northwest League

BOYS CROSS COUNTRY

1975 — “A” 9th at state
1976 — “A” 5th at state
1977 — “A” Cascade League
1977 — “A” District
1977 — “A” 5th at state
2010 — “A” Tyler King — state champion

BOYS TENNIS

1961 — “B” Northwest League
1967 — “B” Northwest League
1968 — “B” Northwest League
2002 — “A” Northwest League
2009 — “A” Northwest League
2009 — “A” District
2010 — “A” Northwest League
2011 — “A” Northwest League
2015 — “A” Olympic League

BOYS TRACK

1979 — “A/B” Jeff Fielding — state champion (3200)
1979 — “A/B” 8th at state
1984 — “B” Northwest League
1985 — “B” District
1986 — “B” 6th at state
1987 — “B” Northwest League
1987 —  “B” District
2005 — “A” Bi-District
2005 — “A” 8th at state
2006 — “A” Bi-District
2006 — “A” Jon Chittim — state champion (200, 400)
2006 — “A” Kyle King — state champion (3200)
2006 — “A” Chris Hutchinson, Jon Chittim, Kyle King, Steven McDonald — state champion (4 x 400)
2006 — “A” 4th at state
2007 — “A” Kyle King — state champion (1600, 3200)
2008 — “A” Kyle King — state champion (3200)
2008 — “A” 4th at state
2010 — “A” Tyler King — state champion (1600, 3200)
2010 — “A” 6th at state
2011 — “A” 7th at state

FOOTBALL

1974 — “B” Northwest League
1990 — “B” Northwest League

GIRLS BASKETBALL

1998 — “A” Northwest League
2002 — “A” Northwest League
2002 — “A” 6th at state
2003 — “A” 8th at state
2005 — “A” Northwest League
2005 — “A” 8th at state
2006 — “A” Northwest League
2015 — “A” Olympic League
2016 — “A” Olympic League

GIRLS CROSS COUNTRY

1981 — “A/B” 8th at state
1982 — “A” Cascade League
1982 — “A/B” 4th at state
1985 — “A/B” Natasha Bamberger — state champion

GIRLS SOCCER

1994 — “AAA” Wesco (Coupeville/Oak Harbor)
1994 — “AAA” 4th in state (Coupeville/Oak Harbor)

GIRLS TENNIS

1981 — “A” Cascade League
1982 — “A” Cascade League
1983 — “A” Cascade League
1998 — “A” Northwest League
1999 — “A” Northwest League
2000 — “A” Northwest League
2001 — “A” Northwest League
2002 — “A” Northwest League
2003 — “A” Northwest League
2004 — “A” Northwest League
2005 — “A” Northwest League
2005 — “A” 3rd at state
2008 — “A” Northwest League
2009 — “A” Northwest League
2010 — “A” Northwest League
2011 — “A” Northwest League
2012 — “A” Northwest League
2015 — “A” Olympic League

GIRLS TRACK

1984 — “B” Natasha Bamberger — state champion (1600, 3200)
1984 — “B” 5th at state
1985 — “B” Natasha Bamberger — state champion (3200)
1986 — “B” Natasha Bamberger — state champion (3200)
1986 — “B” 8th at state
1989 — “B” Northwest League
1989 — “B” District
2003 — “A” Amy Mouw — state champion (800)

SOFTBALL

2002 — “A” Northwest League
2002 — “A” 3rd at state

VOLLEYBALL

1997 — “A/B” Northwest League
2001 — “A” Northwest League
2002 — “A” Tri-District
2004 — “A” District

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