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Posts Tagged ‘Soccer’

“I love being fit and strong!!”

Posted in soccer, Track, tagged , , , , , on July 25, 2016| 1 Comment »

Mallory Kortuem (Photo courtesy Kourtuem)

   Wolf frosh Mallory Kortuem is ready to add to her family’s history of athletic success. (Submitted photo)

Mallory Kortuem is shooting for the stars.

As she prepares for her freshman year at Coupeville High School, she’s ready to make an impact, and fast.

Following in the footsteps of her athletic inspiration — former Wolf great Erin Rosenkranz — Kortuem is aiming to soar in both of her sports.

She’ll kick off the year by joining the CHS girls’ soccer squad, with plans to run track in the spring when the school christens its new oval.

With both sports, Kortuem is ready to jump into the spotlight from day one.

“My goal for track is to get on the number one women’s 4 x 100 relay team freshman year,” she said. “One of my goals for soccer is to make varsity freshman year.”

While she enjoys both sports, it’s the pitch life, where she follows older brother Keegan, that enchants her.

“My favorite sport would be soccer because I have played since I was four years old,” Kortuem said. “And I really enjoy the challenge of contact sports.”

Her brother’s girlfriend, Rosenkranz, a rock for the Wolf soccer and track squads before graduating in 2015, is her biggest inspiration.

“Erin is my role model for sports and school and generally how to be an awesome human being,” Kortuem said.

Away from sports, the Wolf frosh enjoys rock climbing, hiking with her family and dancing with friends.

Musically she bounces from pop to rap to Latin dance music, and movie-wise, teen comedy “The DUFF” is her favorite.

As she makes her run at soccer success this fall, Kortuem is eager to add to her already strong skill-set.

“My strengths are speed and aggressiveness,” she said. “I need to work on ball handling at speed.

“I am working on increasing my overall level of skill.”

And while she may still be young, don’t discount the size of her heart and her burning desire to blaze her own successful trail.

“I love the physical challenge,” Kortuem said. “I love being fit and strong and am a very competitive person.”

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Littlejohn enjoys Cali soccer excursion!!

Posted in Girls Soccer, tagged , , , , , on July 24, 2016| Leave a Comment »

Mia Littlejohn (John Fisken photo)

   Mia Littlejohn, seen here sacrificing her noggin for CHS, played in a select soccer tourney in California this weekend. (John Fisken photo)

California invasion, successful.

Coupeville High School junior booter Mia Littlejohn played four games in three days this weekend, helping the Bellingham Rangers finish 3rd in an eight-team flight at the Pleasanton Rage Tournament.

Littlejohn was one of four guest players for the Rangers, who finished 2-1-1 at the tourney.

Bellingham was one of two select girls’ soccer teams reppin’ Washington state, with the Rush G99 squad taking the tourney title.

There were five Californian teams and one squad from Utah also in their flight.

The Rangers absorbed their only loss Friday, when they were nipped 1-0 by Outlaws FC ’00G Black of Utah.

That was the only goal Bellingham gave up during the tourney.

Saturday was a rebound day, with the Rangers waxing two Cali teams — shutting out Placer United 98G Black 3-0 and slipping past Ajax East Bay AEB 99G 1-0.

Bellingham closed out play Sunday with a hard-fought scoreless tie against Davis Legacy 98 White.

Littlejohn played the entire way in all four games, as the Rangers had no subs for the tourney.

While she had to stay back on Whidbey (she’ll get to see the games later thanks to someone taping them) proud mom Dawn Hesselgrave was over the moon to see her oldest daughter get another crack at playing in a top-tier event.

“Mia really enjoyed playing with the team and the challenge it offered,” Hesselgrave said. “Sometimes you need the challenge in order to keep you interested and motivated.”

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Master of the universe!!

Posted in Cheer, Girls Soccer, Happy birthday, tagged , , , , , on July 19, 2016| 1 Comment »

Mckenzie Meyer: Master of all she surveys.

  Mckenzie Meyer: Master of all she surveys. (John Fisken and Deb Smith photos)

Meyer and Madison Rixe

   Wolf track and field teammate Madison Rixe approves of Meyer’s electric socks. (Fisken photo)

Where do we start with Mckenzie Meyer?

Probably with the fact she is freakin’ brilliant. That’s always a good kick-off to things.

The Coupeville High School junior, who I have known since the day she was born, which was 16 years ago today, is mega-smart, but in more than just a “read a few books and memorized a couple of facts” way.

As good an athlete as she is (in cheer, soccer and, sometimes, tennis), as talented a musician as she is, as friendly and outgoing and compassionate and kind and strong as she is, it’s Mckenzie’s brain which is truly taking her places.

She showed it from an early age, back when she was running around Videoville as a wee one, and every time you turn around these days, she’s being flat-out brilliant.

There are smart people, there are ones who go beyond that and then there are the rare few where you know, without a doubt, that they are on a rocket trip to success, and their brain is fueling the trip.

At some point we’re going to see her do stuff which revolutionizes the world, and, after we’ve pulled our jaws off the floor and reattached them, you know what we’ll say?

“Yep, knew it was going to happen.”

Cause she’s just that special.

Not that she will tell you that herself, as Mckenzie is Miss Modest when it comes to tooting her own horn.

Which is why I, as her self-appointed PR person, have taken it upon myself to lecture the world how awesome and amazing she truly is.

In the world I cover — sports — Meyer is an ideal teammate, the kind of young woman who screams louder for her friends accomplishments than her own.

She’s fun-loving, she’s funky and she seems to be having a heck of a time boppin’ through life, utterly devoted to her large, sprawling family and her friends.

And by friends I mean anyone who meets her, since she instantly welcomes people into her wide world of wonder.

The people I write about are a diverse bunch, and I readily admit, I play favorites sometimes.

Everyone does, and, as much as I might say I try to balance coverage and give everyone their shot, reality is reality.

But guess what? Some people just deserve to have the spotlight.

They’ve earned it, with their spirit, their actions and the way they approach things.

Mckenzie is on my Mt. Rushmore, and she’s in no danger of ever losing her spot.

She was pretty dang awesome as a little girl and she has merely become a deeper, more wonderful person as she’s worked her way up through the birthday chain.

If you know her, you know I speak the truth.

If you don’t know her, man, you are missing out. Get on that, post haste.

So, happy birthday Miss Meyer.

And just in case you missed the first 33 times I said it — thank you for being truly, wonderfully, amazingly awesome.

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It’s the pitch life for me!!

Posted in Girls Soccer, tagged , , , , on July 15, 2016| Leave a Comment »

Mia Littlejohn: Soccer Sensation. (John Fisken photos)

Mia Littlejohn: Soccer Sensation. (John Fisken photos)

Littlejohn

Littlejohn practices her karate mid-match.

The season never stops.

Coupeville High School junior Mia Littlejohn plays soccer nearly year-round, finding time to weave basketball into the picture as well.

All that time and effort continues to pay off, as she has been invited to play for yet another high-level team.

This time around it’s the Bellingham Ranger 98/99 premier team, which is headed off to California for a three-day tourney next weekend.

The Rangers will vie in The Rage College Showcase in Pleasanton June 22-24.

A prime opportunity for Littlejohn and teammates to be scouted by college coaches, the tourney will consist of four games in three days.

Bellingham opens against a team from Utah June 22, then plays two games against California squads the next day.

The Rangers wrap things with a final game against a team from California June 24.

Along with the college showcase Littlejohn will play in two tourneys in early August with her normal premier team.

Playing alongside sister Kalia, Mia is scheduled to take part in The Rush Cup and the Phillips 66 Rimland Challenge.

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All hail the queen of nice!!

Posted in Girls Soccer, Girls Tennis, Happy birthday, tagged , , , , , on July 10, 2016| Leave a Comment »

Bree Daigneault (John Fisken photos)

   Bree Daigneault, ready to rip up the tennis court (and make new friends while doing so.) (John Fisken photos)

Daigneault

Daigneault pushes the attack during a playoff game.

Bree Daigneault is a freakin’ ray of sunshine.

That’s the only description which really captures her personality and how she carries herself when playing soccer or tennis for Coupeville High School.

Daigneault, who will be a senior at CHS this fall, and also celebrates a birthday today, is happy, yes. But it’s more than that.

She is competitive, focused, feisty, fun-loving, vocal, incredibly smart, very caring and, this is sometimes rare in athletes, compassionate in a very public way.

There is little doubt Bree wants to win her matches on the court, or help her team to victory on the pitch, but she doesn’t want to do it in a way which embarrasses or demeans her opponents.

It’s especially evident on the tennis court, where, whether she’s winning or losing, she always finds ways to compliment the girl on the other side of the net.

Not in a grumbly, “Oh, nice shot…” way, but in a genuinely sincere, “I’m enjoying my time out here and I hope you are too,” way.

It’s easy to be friendly with your close companions (such as her real world partners in crime, May Rose and Ally Roberts) and teammates, people you know.

It’s not always as easy with someone you may have just met for the first time 20 minutes ago, a person who is now making you run side-to-side and trying to ruin your afternoon.

Daigneault’s tennis matches this spring were master classes in grace and sportsmanship, and she brought out the best in her rivals.

Win or lose (and, like everyone, it’s clear she enjoys winning more), Bree seems to treat sports as an important part of her life, but just one part.

She is a talented actress, a pretty brilliant student and an irrepressible young woman who once, at the counter in front of me at People’s Bank, grabbed her mothers’ money and flicked it back at her, bill by bill, while singing out “dollar, dollar, bills y’all.”

We have another year of her infectious spirit and positive attitude here in Coupeville, and then, one would assume, she will take over the entire world, spreading the gospel of Bree far and wide.

That she will be a success in whatever path she chooses is a slam-dunk.

It’s pretty hard to be this smart and this genuinely likable and outgoing and not do well.

So happy birthday Miss Daigneault, and thank you for blazing your own memorable path.

You’re a true original and Wolf fans are lucky to be experiencing a part of your brilliant journey.

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