Jordan Ford (left) is joined in the Coupeville Sports Hall of Fame by David Torres and Robyn Myers.
School spirit? It flows through their veins.
The three inductees who make up the 64th class inducted into the Coupeville Sports Hall o’ Fame all shared a deep, abiding love for CHS.
Through different sports and activities, and different ways of showing that spirit, they remain united down deep, Wolves through and through.
So, with that, we welcome into these hallowed digital walls Robyn Myers, David Torres and Jordan Ford.
After this, you’ll find them at the top of the blog under the Legends tab.
Our first inductee, Torres, took the concept of school spirit quite literally.
One of the most upbeat dudes you will ever meet, the CHS Class of 2000 grad is a product of a bygone era, a time when the Wolf cheer squad was a coed, competitive team.
With the added muscle of male athletic stars like Torres, Peter Charron and Co., Coupeville, under the direction of Sylvia Arnold, was able to pull off moves and throws the current squad can’t.
It was a time when the Wolves went beyond their work on the sideline and regularly vied in their own competitions, bringing home a fair amount of hardware which can be seen nestled in the trophy case in the entrance to the high school gym complex.
At the heart of it all was Torres, loud, proud and fairly bursting with pride in his school.
During his days at Videoville, when he worked alongside me behind the counter, that spirit carried over to how he treated customers as well.
And, it’s sort of appropriate that he should be inducted on the anniversary of 9/11, as Torres also served his country faithfully in the Coast Guard, including leaving the store for a tour of duty right after the attacks.
One of my memorable moments in my 12+ years at Videoville was being interviewed in a locked-down back office by three “men in black” (well, the lead one was actually a woman) before young Mr. Torres was whisked away.
I came away with the impression that if I said the wrong thing, I might conveniently “disappear,” but I also had total conviction in my answers, so just turned off the banter for once.
Frankly, I have never met a bigger patriot than David Torres, who, even as a young man, believed deeply in his country and his faith, and that’s what I told my gun-packing, dark-suit-wearing, ultra-serious interrogators.
Watching him grow as a man, a husband and a father, there’s no doubt in my mind David remains first-class all the way, and welcoming him to my lil’ Hall o’ Fame for his trailblazing work as a cheerleader is the very least he deserves.
He shares a lot of traits with our second inductee, Myers, who was a pretty darn good athlete back in the day (at, shudder, Oak Harbor).
And yes, I’m fully aware my diploma is purple and gold as well…
Having married well, Robyn has found herself at the heart of Wolf Nation as an adult and her impact has been immeasurable.
As a mom and step-mom to numerous CHS athletic stars, she’s been important.
But during her stint as president of the Coupeville Booster Club, she took the invaluable part of the equation to a new level.
Now, am I biased because she was my biggest cheerleader during the drive to create the Wall of Fame that now graces the CHS gym wall?
Absolutely.
But having attended a fair amount of Booster Club meetings and seen them at work, I can honestly say that, even if she hadn’t greased all the wheels, made all the speeches and twisted all the arms on my project, Robyn’s run of wielding the gavel was impressive.
Even now, having recently turned over the reins to new prez Wendi Hilborn, she remains hard at work, doing all the crucial little things so important to keeping Wolf athletics, and its support base, strong and growing.
Our third and final inductee today, young Mr. Ford, is part of a family which now has six members in the Hall o’ Fame.
Jordan joins dad David Ford, uncle Tony Ford, aunt Aimee Bishop, cousin Breeanna Messner and grandpa Paul Messner in the pantheon, and what’s maybe most amazing is he truly deserves it, despite having only been a Wolf for one season.
When his family moved back to Whidbey just in time for his senior season, CHS got extremely lucky.
From the opening moments of his stellar year, when he snatched a fumbled football and took it to the house against South Whidbey, to his final triumph, claiming a state meet medal in the pole vault while ferociously sick, 2015-2016 was the Year of the Ford.
On the gridiron, he was a two-way terror, averaging 17.5 yards a reception (best of any Wolf receiver with 10 or more catches), while also piling up sacks, fumble recoveries and tackles on the defensive side.
When winter rolled around, he was Coupeville’s #2 scorer at 10.5 ppg (trailing Wiley Hesselgrave by just 217-210), #1 rebounder and the hardest worker on the floor game in, game out.
Sparked by his never-say-die attitude, the Wolves finished 9-11, the best record the program has put up since 2011.
Then came track and field in the spring, where Ford captured wins in four different events (long jump, high jump, pole vault and 4 x 100) while smashing the school record in the pole vault.
He left his mark (12-09) on the big board in the CHS gym, and his memory will continue to soar high with Wolf fans everywhere.
