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Posts Tagged ‘Kylie Van Velkinburgh’

Exit as champs!!

Posted in Girls Basketball, tagged , , , , on December 16, 2017| Leave a Comment »

   Ja’Kenya Hoskins will straight up murder you on the boards. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

   A quick snack and it was on to the championship game. (Stephanie Streitler photo)

Da champs. (Joshua Leavell photo)

Their swan song was a sweet one.

Rolling to three wins in as many games Saturday, the Coupeville 8th grade SWISH girls basketball team won its postseason tourney.

Now it’s on to the middle school season, where practice starts in late Jan.

Saturday, the Wolves opened by blasting the Swinomish Thunder 33-6.

After that came gut-check wins, as Coupeville nipped big city rivals Mount Vernon 22-20 and Oak Harbor 21-18.

The semifinals victory was one which brought a special smile to coach Dustin Van Velkinburgh’s face.

“I tell you what, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more intense, well-played eighth grade basketball game in my life,” he said. “We had some adversity, we have some girls get hurt and we got major contributions from everybody that played.

“In years past, in that game we would have lost by 10 or 12,” Van Velkinburgh added. “This year we stayed the course, hit free throws and did all the right things to win.

“It was a lot of fun to watch!”

Coupeville’s roster included Izzy Wells, Kylie Van Velkinburgh, Abby Mulholland, Ella Colwell, Anya Leavell, Ja’Kenya Hoskins, Samantha Streitler and Audrianna Shaw.

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Mission possible: rule the hardwood!!

Posted in Basketball, tagged , , , , , , on November 22, 2017| Leave a Comment »

   Coach Lark Gustafson (center) heads up a SWISH hoops squad featuring Coupeville players in grades 5-7. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

   One step away from high school ball, the Wolves playing for Dustin Van Velkinburgh are in 8th grade.

The little sisters are here, to lay claim to the court.

Coupeville’s girls SWISH basketball teams have been ultra-successful in recent seasons, and there seems little reason to think it won’t continue.

The young Wolves, many of whom have now been playing together for several seasons, are working their way towards the high school team, all with an eye on continuing the success those older squads have also enjoyed.

This year’s 8th grade SWISH team has already beaten Orcas Island and Friday Harbor, while losing thrillers to big-city foes from Anacortes, Blaine and Mount Vernon.

The Wolves, playing without several injured players, had late leads on two of those three teams.

“We are playing really well; just missing shots,” said coach Dustin Van Velkinburgh. “Should be a good group to watch throughout high school.”

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The future is full of spikes!!

Posted in Middle School, Volleyball, tagged , , , , on September 12, 2017| Leave a Comment »

   Jaelyn Crebbin and her teammates are ready to bite into a new season of middle school volleyball. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

A new generation of volleyball legends has arrived.

Some we’ve heard a bit about, while others are newcomers, but one thing is certain — Coupeville Middle School coaches will have full benches this season.

CMS 8th grade coach Casie Greve is back for a third season, while former Wolves Kimberly Bepler and Sarah Lyngra take over the 7th grade team.

The current roster:

8th grade:

Cecilia Camerena
Abby Clinkscales
Ella Colwell
Kiara Contreras
Jaelyn Crebbin
Noelle Daigneault
Angelina Gebhard
Chloe LaRue
Anya Leavell
Lily Leedy
Abby Mulholland
Audriana Shaw
Morgan Stevens
Samantha Streitler
Amanda Thomas
Kylie Vanvelkinburgh
Bella Velasco
Izzy Wells
Eryn Wood
Lita Woolett

7th grade:

Harlee Ausman
Kaielle Bepler
Alita Blouin
Karyme Castro
Vivian Farris
Hayley Fiedler
Gwen Gustafson
Taygin Jump
Ally Lucero
Maya Lucero
Trinity McGee
Sofia Peters
Abigail Place
Jill Prince
Jordyn Rogers
Brynn Schmid
Cypress Socha
Lucy Tenore

Managers:

Graci Lemaster
Mckenna Somes

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Heir to the throne!!

Posted in Basketball, Softball, Volleyball, tagged , , , , on May 29, 2017| Leave a Comment »

   Kylie Van Velkinburgh (right) gets all up in the ball-handlers grill. (John Fisken photos)

Using her long reach to pull in a throw at first.

The future is now. Stop by Coupeville Middle School and meet the next generation of Wolf stars before they make the jump to high school.

Kylie Van Velkinburgh is the next link in a family with a strong athletic tradition.

Dad Dustin was a multi-sport star during his time as a Wolf and now dispenses wisdom as a coach, while mom Jessica was a national-level gymnast back in the day.

And hot on Kylie’s heels are three younger siblings who all are already well ahead of the athletic curve for their ages.

But, in this moment, as she wraps up the final days of 7th grade and plays for the Central Whidbey Little League juniors softball squad, she is the Van Velkinburgh getting the most buzz.

Tall and graceful, Kylie is an athlete for all seasons, playing volleyball, basketball and softball. Though she might switch it up a bit once she hits high school.

“I plan to stay with all of these, but I might want to try cheer at one point of course,” Van Velkinburgh said. “For football (season), because I would rather give up volleyball than basketball.

“Basketball is and always has been my favorite sport, because I’ve been playing since before I can remember and it’s how I’ve made most of my friends and one of the biggest reasons I’m so close to my dad.”

Having fun with her teammates has always been a big draw, regardless of the sport.

“What I enjoy most about being an athlete is spending time with my team and becoming a family while creating amazingly strong bonds,” Van Velkinburgh said.

“I don’t have many physical strengths as an athlete, but I feel that I work great with a team and I love to help and work with other people.”

When she’s not on the field or court, Van Velkinburgh enjoys hanging out with friends, and, like a good coach’s daughter, knows hard work is what will carry her to future success.

“My goals for high school sports are to be a strong player that gets well-earned playing time!”

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Wolves knife Forks!!

Posted in Girls Basketball, Middle School, tagged , , , , , on March 2, 2017| Leave a Comment »

Samantha Streitler (John Fisken photos)

   Samantha Streitler (24), seen here in an earlier game, was one of five Wolf 7th graders to score in Thursday’s win. (John Fisken photo)

Give them time and they will win.

Coupeville Middle School sent two girls basketball squads to the far-off wilds of Forks Thursday, but only one got to play an entire game.

The Wolf 7th graders took advantage of playing an entire 32 minutes and romped to a 29-14 win over the host Spartans, evening their season mark at 2-2.

By contrast, the CMS 8th graders got yanked off the court prematurely, sent back to the bus so the Wolves could make the long trip home without missing the ferry.

So, instead of any second-half comebacks, the veterans settled for a 16-4 “loss” in a game missing its final 12+ minutes.

“I don’t base a game off the score, but for the effort and fight during the game,” said CMS 8th grade coach Ryan King. “Each game these girls fight and fight.

“We may come up short, but they always never quit and never let anything bring them down,” he added. “I am truly proud of these girls and we will continue to fight throughout the rest of the season.”

The young guns came out blazing, dropping in 10 points in the first quarter and putting Forks back on its heels.

By the time they were done, the Wolf 7th graders had three girls — Kylie Van Velkinburgh, Audrianna Shaw and Anya Leavell — each hit for eight points.

Ja’Kenya Hoskins banged home three and Samantha Streitler dropped in two to round out the scoring attack.

“My girls have been playing so well lately!,” said 7th grade coach Megan Smith. “I can’t wait to watch them succeed throughout this program!

“They have improved immensely already and continue to do so everyday! I couldn’t have asked for a better group of girls to work with.”

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