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Posts Tagged ‘Soccer’

Birthday buddies Taichen Rose (top) and Gaby Halpin. (John Fisken photos)

Birthday buddies Taichen Rose (top) and Gaby Halpin. (John Fisken photos)

They are two of the best and brightest we have.

Taichen Rose and Gaby Halpin, who share a birthday today, are part of a band of young women who are at the forefront of Wolf sports.

Strong, competitive yet compassionate, intelligent, ready to help lead the future, they are a dynamic duo.

Both go their own way in the sports world, with Taichen, a junior at Coupeville High School, running the soccer pitch.

Teaming up with older sister May, the younger Rose gives the Wolf booters big energy and supreme effort.

A scrappy defender who learned her skills under the leadership of Jenn Spark, Taichen will be counted on to play a big role for this year’s team as it tries to shut down rival snipers.

Is she up to the job? Absolutely.

Rose is a winner, on and off the field,  the kind of bright young woman who is well on her way to astonishing the world with all of her achievements.

Halpin is a year younger, yet has already had a huge impact on Coupeville as well.

You don’t end up a cheerleader unless you have at least a smidge of school spirit and an outgoing attitude.

Gaby takes that and pushes the dial to 11.

She burst on the high school scene last year and immediately claimed the stage as her own, an exuberant ball o’ fire who was as loud ‘n proud as any Wolf cheerleader, maybe ever.

Through football and basketball, Halpin provided vocal and mental support to her classmates, embracing her teammates and looking very much like the future cheer captain I am sure she is destined to be.

The birthday duo both provide snapshots of the best Wolf Nation has to offer.

Happy birthday to you both. May the best be yet to come.

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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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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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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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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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