Coupeville Sports

The mission is complete … for now.

Ken Stange recently wrapped an 18-year run as Coupeville High School tennis coach, leading the Wolves through two seasons most years.

As he marinates in his “retirement” down at Bailey’s Corner Store, he’s sharing memories, deep thoughts, and (maybe) clues to where the bodies are buried.

A nine-part odyssey inside the mind of the man, the myth, the always-entertaining net guru:

 

Court 1 will forever be my favorite of the CHS tennis courts.

Court 1 had the easiest access, the best viewing area, and the best light and backdrop.

When I played my own tennis at CHS, I played on Court 1.

It was also my preferred court for playing against and hitting drills with players.

It always felt like my home court (along with the grass court in Oak Harbor), and I felt very comfortable playing there.

Here are some of the memories Court 1 would share with you.

It would tell you that there were some unbelievable singles players that played there … how being titled a show court made it the home for #1 singles.

It would tell you about a long line of top dogs, both male and female.

Guys like Connor Tasoff, Ben Hayes, Aaron Curtin, Sebastian Davis, Jakobi Baumann, and Drake Borden.

It would tell you that each one of those young men led with a combination of kindness, dedication, humor, and passion for the game.

It would pause to tell you about the guys who have yet to be talked about in an in-depth way.

It would tell you about Sebastian Davis, who was one of the most intelligent players to be a part of the team. He was so well-rounded.

He played multiple sports, was a prominent member of the theater troupe, and earned very high grades.

What’s more, he had a sense of wonder that was well younger than his age, but he had the soul of someone much older.

It would tell you about Jakobi Baumann, who was a true-blue leader.

He played so hard, and he cared so much about his teammates.

I especially enjoyed the road trips we took during his time.

He appreciated good food, and I turned him on to gyros. That was a game changer on road trips.

It would tell you about the young women who dominated on that court and led their teams to many league titles.

It would talk about Ashley Sanders, Julia Maria Castaño, Emily Burchfield, Amanda d’Almeida, Jacki (Ginnings) McCormick, Valen (Trujillo) Printz, Genna Wright, Abby Mulholland, and Helen Strelow.

While it would have nothing but positive things to say about the list of outstanding #1 singles players, it would pause and tell you about a few from that list who have yet to be talked about in an in-depth way.

It would tell you how Ashley was a quiet leader and a stealthy tennis player who kind of snuck up on her opponents.

She ran everything down, hit it back, and waited for her opponents to make mistakes.

It would tell you that Jacki was the queen of three-hour matches.

She took Ashley’s strategy to all-time highs. Her opponents usually looked miserable for such long periods of time.

Jacki could run down errant balls for the entire three hours without looking bothered.

On the way home from road matches in Port Townsend, she could eat most of a large Waterfront Pizza, one of the classic road trip food stops, right next to the Port Townsend ferry terminal.

It would tell you about how Amanda d’Almeida was one of the fiercest athletes to grace the CHS courts, and how she was difficult to defeat because she had a full toolkit to go with endless speed and endurance.

It would tell you how Abby Mulholland was one of the hardest hitting players to grace a CHS tennis court, and how she led with her heart on her sleeve.

Abby possessed a great deal of want and power, and that often resulted in big wins.

It would talk about Genna Wright, the one player I ever had that stepped onto the #1 singles court and held it for her entire high school career, except her junior year, when she was rehabbing from knee surgery.

Genna was funny, calm, cool, and always let her racquet do the talking. I enjoyed having a close-up view of her maturation as a tennis player.

It would tell you it saved Emily Burchfield for last, because she did something physically amazing during her final year.

In the summer before her senior year, she was in a horrible bicycle vs. car accident. There were questions about whether she’d walk again.

Not only did she recover, but she played tennis the following spring.

She played hard-fought matches where she was dealing with her recovery at the same time. It was inspiring to me to watch her play through that pain.

Years later, when I broke my back, I told myself that if Emily could do it, I could do it, too.

I did, but while I thought I knew the kind of pain she was playing through while she was recovering, I now know that I never knew.

I don’t know if she ever thinks about the things she accomplished, but they were amazing.

Court 1 was my favorite court.

However, with all due respect to the fine people who played #1 singles, the best tennis I ever saw played at CHS was on Court 3.

Court 3 would tell you it’s just fine with me saying it was my third favorite court because it had some of the best doubles tennis CHS has ever seen.

It would tell you that it didn’t need me, because it was home to #1 doubles, the most exciting match of the day.

Doubles matches can be very fast paced.

As opposed to singles players who cover a vast expanse of court space, and usually stay towards the back of the court, doubles players are most successful when close to the net.

It is very common for all four players to be within five feet of the net, which is up close and personal.

The ball can move quickly. I call it tennis in a phone booth.

When two players were already close, and they both had great games, they could make a doubles team go far.

Many seasons, our team had more than one top player, and if the top two players could get along and play well together, having them play doubles gave them a far greater chance for postseason success.

That was often the case at CHS.

The doubles tradition is long, and so are Court 3’s string of memories.

It would tell you about that time when Jake Weaver and Brian Miller played a district doubles final against a duo from Friday Harbor, even though they knew they wouldn’t have time to finish the match because Brian’s father had recently passed away and he had to leave early for the memorial service.

Brian played his giant heart out, while Jake was there supporting him the entire way.

When the appointed time to leave came, Brian and Jake walked up to the net, apologized for having to forfeit the match, and Brian went off to honor his father.

It was the first time I cried at a tennis match.

It would tell you about how guys like Ben Etzell, Aaron Curtin, and Kyle Bodamer dove for balls on a semi-regular basis, leaving patches of DNA on the court.

It would tell you about John McClarin and Joseph Wedekind, who ascended to the #1 doubles spot by grit, hard work, and determination.

It would also tell you about Joey Lippo and William Nelson, who beat John and Joseph, taking Court 3 for themselves.

It would tell you about some of the most exciting matches that featured our top duos squaring off against pairs from private schools and larger schools from the peninsula, and how those were the matches that made our players battle tested.

It would also tell you about some of the girls doubles teams that dominated the court.

It would tell you about Hannah and Megan, who were the first pair to exert their dominance and earn a trip to state.

It would tell you about Jordan Akins and Jessica Blanchette, who were smooth tennis players and worked their way to the top, until they were dethroned at the end of the season by a pair of ninth grade teammates in the league tournament final.

It would go on to tell you about how Amanda d’Almeida and Jessica Riddle could have been one of the legendary CHS doubles teams, had Jessica not moved to Anacortes.

Alas, she did, eventually playing college volleyball, while Amanda had a stellar singles career before playing college soccer.

Then it would pause and remember the one doubles team that played in the top spot for four years.

It would tell you about Payton Aparicio and Sage Renninger, and how they steadily grew their games each day for four years, capping it off with a win and fourth place finish at state.

If those courts could talk, they’d have much to say about what happened between 2005-2023.

I associate so many memories with the individual courts, and the facility in general.

I think of the families that had multiple kids come through the program.

Names like Blanchette, Akins, Lamb, Knoll, Monroe and Wright, Parker, Fiedler, Borden, McCormick, Etzell, Curtin, McClarin, Daigneault, Renninger, and more that I’m forgetting as I write.

I think of the kids and the moments they experienced … the moments I experienced with them.

I think of the ups, downs, and the powerful emotions I felt about the program.

When I think of it all, I’m grateful for the time I had there.

I’m grateful I got to pass on the gift my dad shared with me, and I hope that some of the people who played for me play until they’re old, as my father did … as I plan to do.

Maybe a former player will eventually become a tennis coach.

If so, I hope that person can rely on and improve upon what was learned from the CHS tennis program.

The maintenance department will soon swallow the courts to make more room for their operation, and a new tennis facility will be constructed by the gym.

I wish the old courts were being demolished so I could get a chunk of court to keep as a memento.

The memories will suffice, though.

Oh yeah! If I hit you with the ball, it’s my point! Peace!

Stange

Read Full Post »