Freshmen, embrace the chance to have moments like this in your future. (John Fisken photo)
There is no good reason not to play basketball.
None.
Well, maybe two broken legs. But, other than that, nope, none.
As rumors sweep the land of a mass pre-season exodus from the Coupeville High School girls’ basketball program, primarily by a talented, confident and cohesive freshman class, I wish, for a moment, that those players who are deciding to prematurely end their careers could hop in a time machine.
Go forward ten, twenty years and you will discover what every former high school athlete knows in their later years.
What will haunt you in your later days is the opportunities you passed on, the chances you didn’t take, the memories you didn’t build.
When you speak to those who spent their school days at CHS — whether they won multiple Athlete of the Year awards and went on to play college ball or appeared in a handful of games — they almost always echo the thoughts of Wolf legend Marlene Grasser.
“I don’t remember awards, but do remember the fantastic experiences with my teammates,” Grasser said. “My best memories are all involving team sports. I looked forward to practices every day and the games were a blast.
“I loved my teammates and our mutual competitiveness and cohesiveness,” she added. “It is probably what I miss the most and was the hardest to let go of when I graduated.”
You have a unique opportunity in this town, at this time.
Coupeville sports teams aren’t cutting anyone, and we have a group of coaches (in all sports) who have shown a remarkable touch in making sure every athlete, from top to bottom talent-wise, has a chance to shine.
Makana Stone has shattered school records and is justly applauded, but the biggest roar I have heard at any Wolf sporting event in the past two-plus years was when Julia Felici scored the only basket of her high school basketball career.
A pass-first, second and pretty much always player who was usually looking to set up her teammates, Felici was the last girl on the Coupeville JV girls’ hoops squad to have not collected a basket.
Gently prodded by Wolf coach Amy King, Felici finally put up a shot late in the season.
Actually, she suddenly morphed into Kobe Bryant for one remarkable play, driving, stopping and popping, surprising herself more than anyone.
As the ball swished through the net, the student section went nuts. The parents lost it. King came unglued and the smile on Felici’s face is still there, two years later.
It is a scene played out across the board in numerous sports at CHS.
And, with the rise of Coupeville Sports, you have something else you won’t find at Archbishop Thomas Murphy or King’s, much less at Chimacum.
Regardless of where you land on the talent scale, your exploits will be covered, your memories captured on film and in print.
When I played tennis at Tumwater, a 3A school in the day, I once played first varsity singles in a match against North Mason. Not a single letter of my name appeared in the newspaper.
Now, here, even if you’re camping on the bench, you’re getting a feature story, several mentions in game stories and, very likely, frequent appearances in behind-the-scenes photos.
All you have to do is play.
When I watched the Central Whidbey Little League softball sluggers pound on opposing teams this summer, ten-running all comers, it was like stepping back to the glory days of the late ’90s and early 2000’s.
As they took the field, the Venom players, most of whom are now CHS freshmen, did so with a team-wide confidence that no group of Wolf players had displayed since the days when players like Ashley Bagby-Ellsworth, Tina Lyness and the Black ‘n Blue sisters put those state tournament banners up on the gym wall.
These are exciting times for Wolf fans, and it would be a shame if many of the young women who have such a bright future as athletes, students and Cow Town residents, sit out the winter.
But, as fans and writers, we will survive.
We’ll cheer for the girls who play and write about their exploits, both on the court and in the side moments where camaraderie and memories are forged.
The practices where a skill suddenly blossoms. The pregame shenanigans. The time spent with each other in locker rooms, on buses, grabbing food after a game and terrorizing the Washington State ferry employees.
If you choose not to play, no one can force you to.
And, while a poor turnout would hurt the entire program, especially if it reaches the point where there aren’t enough players to field a JV, the ultimate decision sits in the hands of each young woman.
Young women who I hope look into the future and see what they will be missing if they pass on this opportunity.
Regret often lingers for a long time.
The memories you would make playing ball? Those would stay with you for a lifetime.
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