Coupeville Sports

   Makana Stone (top) is joined by fellow inductees (l to r) Bessie Walstad, Jon Chittim, Ben Hayes and Yashmeen (Knox) Wilson.

How many exclamation points are too many?

Today marks the 51st class inducted into the Coupeville Sports Hall o’ Fame, and as we head down the back stretch towards the one-year mark (haven’t missed a week yet!), you might think I would run out of superlatives to bestow.

You’d be wrong!! Mostly.

Every class has its high points, though, so let’s just dial it down a wee bit and issue this claim — today’s class is as solid across the board as any.

Help me welcome Ben Hayes, Bessie Walstad, Yashmeen (Knox) Wilson, the weekend Jon Chittim won four state track medals and our version of Ken Griffey, Jr. — Makana Stone, who, if this Hall was voted on, would, could and should go in with 100% approval.

After this, you’ll find them at the top of the blog, under the Legends tab.

First up is Chittim, who is already in the Hall as an individual and as part of a state title-winning relay team.

Today he makes a third trip into these hallowed digital walls, as 10 years down the road we honor his performance from May 25-27, 2006.

Chittim, now a husband and father of two, was on fire that year, winning state track titles in the 200 (23.02) and 400 (49.93), while running a leg on the best 4 x 4 boys relay squad in 1A (3:28.11).

He teamed with Kyle King, Chris Hutchinson and Steven McDonald for that win, and they remain the only relay team in the 116-year history of CHS to stand atop the podium at the end of the season.

While Natasha Bamberger and Kyle King are tops, career-wise, with five state titles apiece, it’s Chittim who remains the only CHS athlete to win four medals and three titles at a single state meet.

Both are records which appear to be untouchable, withstanding the best efforts of even 11-time state meet medal winner Tyler King.

Joining the speedy Chittim in the Hall is the lanky, easygoing Hayes, an eternally laid-back two-sport star.

On the tennis court, he was part of a 2009 Wolf squad which swept to a district title, then moved up to become the program’s #1 singles player.

Put him on the hardwood and Hayes put his height to good use, teaming with fellow Twin Tower Hunter Hammer to provide a reliable one-two punch.

He topped the 2010-2011 squad in scoring, tossing in 287 points for a team which came within two buckets of being the only unit to have four 200-point scorers in the same season during coach Randy King’s 20-year run.

Our third inductee, Walstad, was the very definition of rock-solid, a team leader her entire career.

Playing volleyball, basketball and softball, Bessie piled up a sizable amount of All-League and team honors while operating as a captain for much of her time in the red and black.

She led by example, fighting for every rebound, every spike, every foul ball, and she led by taking command of her teams, knowing when to exhort and when to congratulate, when to hug and when to kick ’em in the rear.

Other players may have finished their careers with more points or glossier stat sheets, but Walstad’s impact can, and should, be measured in the respect and admiration she won, deservedly, from coaches, fellow players and fans.

Like Bessie, our fourth inductee, Wilson, was a three-sport star, a vital part of Wolf volleyball, basketball and track teams.

On the hard-court, she’s part of school history, one of six players who scored Mar. 2, 2000, when Coupeville rallied in the fourth quarter to upend Freeman 46-42 at the state basketball tourney.

The first state win in program history, it kicked off a run which stretched over six years and resulted in three state trophies for the Wolf girls hoops players.

But Yashmeen’s biggest impact came in the world of track, where she won five state meet medals, covering three different events.

After placing 8th in the javelin as a freshman, she came back to nab 7th in the same event as a sophomore, while also picking up a 6th in the high jump.

Wilson capped her stellar run with a 7th in the 100 and her personal best, a 4th in the high jump, as a senior.

And then we reach today’s final inductee, Stone, who is already in the Hall for big moments and as part of a historic team.

Today, however, she gets the big call, going in as an athlete honored for her entire prep career, which came to a close this spring.

Frankly, this could have happened back on week one, and it would have been appropriate.

Regardless of when it happened, Makana is one of the few whose eventual induction was written from day one in … uh, Stone.

I have covered high school sports on Whidbey Island, on and off, since 1990, and she is the best I ever covered in person, boy or girl.

End of story.

If she had remained as a soccer player, she would have been the best the school has ever seen.

On the basketball court, her scoring numbers are matched only by Brianne King and Zenovia Barron, but scoring was just the tip of the iceberg with Makana, who snatched rebounds, pilfered steals and made jaw-dropping plays at a rate previously unseen.

Put her on the track and the numbers speak for themselves — seven state meet medals, with at least one every year, and, oh yeah, she won her first 28 races as a freshman, something no other Wolf has ever achieved.

Watching Makana run in person, and seeing one of the nicest people in the history of civilization drop that Mask ‘o Death onto her face as she erupted down the backstretch, was goosebump-inducing.

I could go on and on about her ability to bring out the best in others, teammates and foes alike, how watching her play (any sport) was like watching a great artist paint a masterpiece in real-time, and much more.

But she’s gracefully put up with four years of me blathering on, always (and I mean ALWAYS) doing everything possible to divert the spotlight onto others, making sure to hit every teammate all the way to the end of the bench.

She deserves, finally, some peace.

So we’ll keep it short and sweet, and just say this, “Thank you, Makana.”

Read Full Post »