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Posts Tagged ‘practice’

Start spiking early in life

Posted in Volleyball, tagged , , , , on February 18, 2022| Leave a Comment »

Get in on the ground floor.

Coupeville elementary school students dreaming of being the next generation of Wolf volleyball stars can get started today.

Or April 12 to be exact, when Coupeville High School coaches and players relaunch the Wolf Pups program.

Sidelined by the pandemic, the series of practices open to students in grades 3-5 is back and you can be part of it.

For all your details, jump up to the photo above.

“I’m very excited to get this started again and hopefully there won’t be any disruptions,” said CHS head coach Cory Whitmore.

Coming off of a high school season where young athletes had a huge impact for his program, Whitmore gives a lot of the credit to Wolf players getting in the gym as soon as possible.

“I think this is a huge reason why our current freshman class has excelled,” he said. “They were involved early and joined club (teams) soon thereafter because of the introduction.

“I’m hoping to build that back up.”

The program is meant to offer a boost for young players, but Whitmore also understands the need to be flexible if his athletes are pursuing more than one activity.

“I often get questions about how people are interested but their kids are already committed to other sports, hobbies, groups, etc.,” he said.

“I always tell them if their kid needs to leave early, arrive late or only make it to one of the two days a week, that is perfectly fine.”

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Hoops hotshots claim gym

Posted in Boys Basketball, tagged , , , , on May 11, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Logan Martin slashes to the hoop Monday during the first day of high school basketball practice. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

Basketball is back.

Thanks to the pandemic, games are being played in spring/early summer this time around, instead of winter, but it’s important to note — they are going to be played.

Both the Coupeville High School girls and boys hoops programs have 12-game schedules (down from the normal 18-20), with the first live action on the road May 18 in Mount Vernon.

Home openers are set for May 20, with Orcas Island the foe, and the season runs through June 17.

The pics above and below, capturing the first day of practice for the Wolf boys, come to us courtesy John Fisken.

To see his work from other sports, pop over to:

John’s Photos (johnsphotos.net)

 

Ryan Blouin debates his options.

Hawthorne Wolfe visualizes tossing the ball over his shoulder and hitting absolutely nothing but net.

Xavier Murdy rambles to the hoop.

“See the basket, be the basket.”

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Wolves adapt to new practice guidelines

Posted in Everything changes, tagged , , , , on November 16, 2020| Leave a Comment »

Outdoor practices with masks, such as this one with CHS softball player Kylie Van Velkinburgh, can continue. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Adapt and move on.

That’s the unspoken mantra for Whidbey Island athletes, coaches, and administrators during the Age of Coronavirus.

So, Sunday’s press conference by Washington State Governor Jay Inslee was just another bump in the road.

With COVID-19 cases rapidly rising across the country as the pandemic slams into the regular flu and cold season, many states are enacting new guidelines aimed at preventing people from interacting in contained spaces.

While there have been no games since February, high school and middle school athletes have been allowed to participate in off-season practices by the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association.

That won’t end, but everyone will have to adapt after Inslee issued an executive order instituting new mitigation measures.

For the Wolves, and their counterparts in Oak Harbor and South Whidbey, the quick takeaway is this – indoor practice, no, but outdoor practice, yes.

“In accordance with the new state guidelines issued by Governor Inslee, all indoor sporting activities are canceled until December 14th,” Coupeville Athletic Director Willie Smith said.

“Outdoor activities will continue with pods of 10 student-athletes wearing masks at all times.

“After conferring with other Island Athletic Directors, this will be the guidelines all schools on the Island will follow until further notice.”

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CHS puts some sports practices on hold

Posted in Basketball, Football, tagged , , , , on November 9, 2020| Leave a Comment »

Mickey Clark Field waits. (David Stern photo)

Better safe than sorry.

As the COVID-19 pandemic rolls on, Coupeville High School Athletic Director Willie Smith has been at the forefront of making sure the Wolves remain diligent in how they conduct business in the Age of Coronavirus.

When the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association opened the chance for schools to start workouts for their athletes — there will be no games until at least January — CHS took advantage.

But Smith has also been a hawk in making sure Health Department guidelines are followed by his coaches and athletes every step of the way.

So, with that in mind, he put a temporary hold on some activities starting late last week.

While there have been no positive COVID cases publicly reported among participants in the CHS practices, the start of cold and flu season has everyone looking twice as hard at every wayward sniffle.

Which is why some recent practices for sports such as football have been cancelled.

“Some of our student athletes have colds or cold-like symptoms and as an Athletic Department we have chosen to postpone the optional practices that those students participate in as a precautionary measure,” Smith said.

“As soon as we are able, we will begin offering our optional sports practices once again.”

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WIAA extends open coaching window

Posted in Everything changes, tagged , , , on October 9, 2020| Leave a Comment »

With Island County in Phase 3 of the Governor’s COVID-19 reopening plan, Coupeville athletes have been able to return to practices. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Games are still on hold, but everyone gets more practice days.

The Executive Board of the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association announced Friday it has extended the “open coaching window” from November 30 to Dec. 19.

With most schools across the state using distance learning as the world deals with the ongoing pandemic, actual competition is not currently planned to begin until Jan.

The open coaching window is normally offered during the summer, and allows coaches to work with their athletes during the off-season.

With COVID-19 having thrown the normal prep sports schedule into disarray, the WIAA opted to allow practices, or open gyms, or whatever you want to call them, to go from Sept. 28-Nov. 30.

With Island County in a modified Phase 3 in Governor Jay Inslee’s reopening plan, Coupeville was able to start practices immediately.

However, a lot of other counties are still in Phase 2, or below that, and quite a few schools have not been able to begin practices, mainly because their risk assessment offices have recommended against it.

By extending the open coaching window almost three weeks, the WIAA hopes to offer those schools lagging behind a chance to catch up and get some practices in the book.

Schools are allowed to hold intra-team scrimmages during this period, but can not currently hold competitions with other schools under WIAA rules.

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