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Posts Tagged ‘Korbin Korzan’

“You are more than enough!”

Posted in Everything changes, tagged , , , , on February 19, 2024| 1 Comment »

After coming through a very dark period, Korbin Korzan embraces each new day.

Korbin Korzan is one of the most physically gifted athletes I have written about during my time in Coupeville.

He was a standout high school football and baseball player and a key member of a Central Whidbey Little League hardball squad which won a state title in 2010.

Very outgoing, he always seemed to enjoy being in the spotlight, and shared those moments with family and friends.

But no one ever truly knows what another is going through, and today Korbin has agreed to let me share his story.

He does so in the hope that it will help others reach their own inner peace.

In Korbin’s own words:

 

I originally intended on waiting a decade to share my story.

Some recent events have happened that are pushing me to share it now.

I don’t know if there is anyone out there that can benefit from hearing this, but if it makes a difference for just one person then I will be happy.

So, seven years ago … my life looked a little different.

I just turned 21, had an amazing career at Bank of America, just opened my drone business, and was engaged to the love of my life (Whitney).

Sounds like an awesome life, right?

Looking at pictures (from then) you would probably think I was a pretty happy guy.

Well, that couldn’t be further from the truth.

I was severely depressed and mixing a cocktail of drugs and alcohol to try to numb my pain.

It took hitting rock bottom to fully accept that I was not okay.

And friends, it is OKAY to not be okay.

The biggest thing is accepting that and being willing to accept help.

That is so much easier said than done but I know you can do it.

I don’t want to go into details about what happened October 2017, but I do want to discuss what happened AFTER I decided to get help and get clean.

The first few months were riddled with anger and pain.

I dug myself into a massive crater and it was time to start making my way out. As time went on things began to improve.

I focused on bettering myself and surrounding myself with people who showed me love and support.

So, what has happened since October 2017? How much could YOUR life change in seven short years — just like mine did?

Since trying to take my own life, I have:

Married my soulmate.

Korbin and Whitney

Expanded my drone company to a full production company.

Traveled out of state 30+ times and gone on so many amazing adventures.

Made new friends.

Explored areas I didn’t even know existed.

Made over two million dollars.

Tried amazing new foods and played video games I once dreamed of as a child.

Drove awesome cars.

Started fun new hobbies.

Flown in planes, big and small.

Found my silver lining in life.

The list goes on and on. I have experienced so many new and amazing experiences.

I don’t say this to brag … I honestly never thought any of these things would ever happen to me.

So, whether your passion is family, love, adventure, or money, all of that can still be yours.

If my life can change that much, so can yours!

You might feel like you are in a dark place now but I promise you it can and it WILL get better.

Surround yourself with friends and family that love you. Accept that it is okay to not feel okay.

Talk to others and ask for help! I am always here if anyone needs to talk.

Suicide is a very real and scary thing in our world. Reach out to your friends and let them know you are there.

Even if you don’t think they are sad, sometimes the “happiest” people are truly the saddest.

It would be a lie if I said I didn’t still struggle to this day … but it is not as bad anymore and continues to get better every year.

I know the same thing can happen for you!

I promise you things can get better.

You are more than enough, and the world is such a better place with you in it.

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Korzan fever sweeps the nation!!

Posted in Baseball, Happy birthday, tagged , , , , on August 5, 2014| 1 Comment »

Korbin Korzan

Korbin Korzan

Lil’ Korbin Korzan dreamed big.

Big Korbin Korzan is still dreaming, and the dreams just get bigger and bigger.

The Coupeville High School senior, who turns 18 today, is now and forever, a champion.

Whatever comes in his life as he moves past high school and on through the world, he will share a bond with the kids he grew up and won a state little league title with.

Korzan was a middle schooler with a catchy name and a smokin’ fastball the first time I heard about him.

That summer of 2010, when he and Jake Tumblin, Ben Etzell, Morgan Payne and Co. went on a joy ride, carrying the Central Whidbey banner all the way to the top, stands out as a defining moment for Coupeville sports.

He’s packed on some muscle since then, and starred for the Wolves as both a baseball and football player.

The future? Wide open for a genuinely smart, friendly dude.

Keep dreaming, Korbin. You reached the peak once, you can certainly do it again.

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Korzan hot, Wolf bats cold!!

Posted in Baseball, tagged , , , on April 24, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Korbin Korzan whiffed four and shut down Granite Falls in relief Wednesday. (Shelli Trumbull photo)

Korbin Korzan whiffed four and shut down Granite Falls in relief Wednesday. (Shelli Trumbull photo)

Willie Smith is trapped in his own personal “Twilight Zone.”

A season of great promise has taken more than its share of tumbles off the straight and narrow, and, as his team fell to 6-8 Wednesday, the same day arch-rival South Whidbey shocked ATM for a second straight game, the Coupeville High School baseball guru is getting tired.

“Well, it’s basically a mix between the movie “Groundhog Day” and being Charlie Brown’s teacher,” Smith said “We play the same game over and over and I say the same things, but nothing really changes.”

It resulted in a 6-2 loss at Granite Falls this time, and all but guaranteed the Wolves will be the #2 1A school from the Cascade Conference come playoff time.

South Whidbey is 9-5 in league play and holds a 3.5 game lead over Coupeville (5-8). There is hope, however, as the Wolves have a make-up game against Lakewood, who they’ve beat twice, and three against winless Sultan.

If the two Whidbey schools finish tied, and the Falcons, who have won six straight, would have to cool off for that to happen, Coupeville has the tie-breaker.

The Wolves won two of three against SWHS to open the season.

To make a run over its final five games, CHS will have to find another gear, however.

At times, their pitching has been flat-out brilliant. The rest of their game, not so much.

“We came out, if it is possible, flatter than we did on Monday,” Smith said.

Granite, which got very little offensively against Ben Etzell in a 1-0 win in the team’s first meeting Monday, got to Wolf starter CJ Smith quickly this time.

“They jumped on CJ in the first inning and we committed two errors (on the same play, mind you) and before I could make a change it was 4-0 with just one out,” Willie Smith said. “Unfortunately for CJ, it was a combination of a lack of control and the poor defense behind him that led to his early exit.”

Korbin Korzan came on in relief and kept things close from then on. He whiffed four Tigers while going the rest of the way, delivering a performance that cheered his coach.

“If there was a bright spot for us in this game it was Korban’s effort on the mound,” Willie Smith said. “With each outing he has had this year, he has got stronger and more confident, which is going to be huge for us as we move on in the playoffs.”

Unfortunately, the Wolf offense continued its season-long trend of being its pitchers worst enemy. Lack of run support is killing what has been a generally first-rate pitching corps.

“Offensively, we were less than stellar,” Willie Smith said. “We continue to be our own worst enemies: swinging at bad pitches, watching good pitches go by, and waiting for somebody else to get the big blow.

“Too many of them change their approach at the plate with each plate appearance and that mentality is leading to poor at-bats.”

Coupeville finally got something brewing in the sixth, scoring its runs on a string of singles from Kurtis Smith, Aaron Trumbull, Korzan and Cole Payne.

The rally died too soon, however, as back-to-back strikeouts stranded a pair of runners.

The Wolves put two runners on in the top of the seventh, as well, but couldn’t plate either one, ending the game on a pop up and a fly out.

Josh Bayne was the lone Wolf to collect multiple hits, leading the way with a pair of singles.

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Concrete done got crunched!!

Posted in Baseball, tagged , , , , on March 27, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Korbin Korzan (Shelli Trumbull photos)

  Korbin Korzan threw three shutout innings Thursday, striking out five. (Shelli Trumbull photos)

Aaron Trumbull and teammates were all smiles, again, after rapping out 14 hits.

Aaron Trumbull and teammates were all smiles, again, after rapping out 14 hits.

The bats were smokin’.

A long bus trip did nothing to slow down the Coupeville High School baseball squad Thursday, as it banged out 14 hits en route to a 13-0 romp at Concrete.

Scoring in each of the first four innings, while hurlers Ben Etzell and Korbin Korzan combined on a one-hit, 11-strikeout gem, the Wolves made quick work of their non-conference foes, getting off the field in just five innings.

The win lifted Coupeville to 3-1 on the season, with one more non-conference game (Saturday at Nooksack Valley) before it faces off with Cascade Conference biggie Archbishop Thomas Murphy.

Wolf coach Willie Smith came away from Thursday’s game with a huge smile plastered on his face, pleased with every facet of his team’s performance.

“It was a great game for us: pitching, defense, and hitting,” Smith said. “It was great to see us come out and score early and often and hit the ball consistently and hard.

“We played like we were the better team and we never let off the gas until the last out, which was very encouraging.”

Coupeville never offered their former league rivals — from back in the Northwest League days — a chance.

Etzell was nasty from the first pitch, striking out all six hitters he faced.

He turned the ball over to Korzan to start the third, and the junior was spot-on. He whiffed five, while surrendering just one lonely hit.

“Korbin really established his fastball and then began mixing in his off-speed pitches,” Smith said. “It was a great outing for him and for us because he can be a major factor for us on the mound if he continues to throw with the confidence and control he’s shown in his two outings so far.”

At the plate, the Wolves hit everything that came their way.

Kurtis Smith, Aaron Curtin and Etzell each rapped out three hits, while Aaron Trumbull and Morgan Payne swatted two apiece. Payne, Etzell and Smith all collected doubles.

Payne was the leader of the pack on the RBI chart with four, while Smith and Etzell both knocked in three.

“We hit the ball throughout our lineup and there wasn’t really any cheap hits,” Smith said. “They were all hit hard and even our outs were hit hard at them.

“I’m pretty excited about where we are at right now and the focus that we have.”

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