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Posts Tagged ‘Starla Seal’

The tennis court calls you. (Ken Stange photo)

It’s a golden opportunity.

When I played tennis at Tumwater High School in the late ’80s, I was fighting for playing time with about 30 other netters.

Jump forward to 2025 and if you attend Coupeville schools, the court can belong to you.

The Wolves are attempting to resurrect their boys’ tennis squad this fall, and they need six players to accomplish the goal.

Through the first two days of practice, they have two.

Which means, if you’re in grades 8-12 and have any desire to play the sport of Roger Federer, CHS coaches Tim Stelling and Starla Seal want to meet you — regardless of whether you’re a seasoned court ace or want to make your first bid to rep the red and black.

If interested, practices are set for 3:00-5:00 PM at the CHS courts, Monday-Friday. Those swanky courts can be found just down from the high school gym.

Don’t throw away your shot.

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The courts will be abuzz with aces and backhands again this summer.

Coupeville High School tennis coaches Starla Seal and Tim Stelling are back to host a skills camp for young netters, with slots open to girls and boys entering grades 3-8.

The event plays out July 21-25 and a lot of the info you need can be found in the photo above.

Though, one update.

While that flier says the preregister deadline is June 14, it’s been pushed out to June 20.

So, get crackin’. To sign up your child, pop over to:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScTL30yKAyv6s2PZQKOkj4Pavey_LH-tPeBqITPqL_Q9qaJUg/viewform?pli=1

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Learn the game today, play the game the rest of your life. (Starla Seal photo)

The courts call to you.

Coupeville High School tennis coaches Tim Stelling and Starla Seal are launching a tennis club in October.

It’s free and will run each Wednesday from 3:00-5:00 PM at the CHS courts next to the gym.

The club is open to boys in grades 3-12 and girls in grades 3-7.

Since there is an active CHS girls’ tennis program, girls in grades 8-12 are barred from participating due to off-season restrictions set by the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association.

If you have questions, contact sseal@coupeville.k12.wa.us or timstelling@gmail.com.

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One basket of balls for each season of high school tennis I played back in the day at Tumwater. Who wants to relaunch the sport in Cow Town? (Starla Seal photo)

There are brand new tennis courts next to the Coupeville High School gym, but it remains questionable when they will be used by a Wolf team.

The CHS girls, who played an all road-trip season this past spring while the courts were built, will be ready to claim the area in 2025.

But Coupeville boys could go first this fall … if they can get some players.

There is currently one player signed up with the start of fall sports practices set for Monday, and the program needs more like a minimum of six to be viable.

CMS 8th graders are eligible to play for the high school team, which could help if middle schoolers seize the chance to play.

Be brave and get rewarded! You’re not going to be sitting on the bench, that’s for sure.

The CHS boys’ tennis program has been AWOL since 2019, when Coupeville and South Whidbey competed in the Emerald City League against a bunch of ultra-rich Seattle private schools.

After that, the netters got shut down by the pandemic, then hurt by the school’s reclassification from 1A to 2B.

Boys’ soccer, which is played in the spring in 1A, competes in the fall in 2B, creating a logjam with football, tennis, and cross country also competing for male athletes.

Coupeville was the only school in its current home — the seven-team Northwest 2B/1B League — to try and field four male sports programs in the same season.

Someone was going to lose the numbers battle, and so far, it’s been tennis.

While the program has been shuttered through the past four seasons, new CHS tennis coaches Tim Stelling and Starla Seal, who made their debut with the girls in the spring, still have hopes of relaunching things.

Now, it’s just a question of whether potential players show up starting Monday.

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Young tennis players take a snack break during a recent skills camp. (Photos courtesy Starla Seal)

Tennis balls were flying, and water balloons as well.

Coupeville High School tennis coaches welcomed 22 young players to the courts recently for a summer skills camp, boding well for the future.

“It was a success!” said CHS net guru Starla Seal.

“I was impressed at how eager the kids were to learn the game; many of them couldn’t wait to show off their new skills and play with their families and friends.”

Seal and fellow CHS coach Tim Stelling led their young charges through fun sessions which covered topics such as hand/eye coordination, speed and agility, and the basic swings used by netters.

Capping things off, the young players learned the ins and outs of keeping score on the court, and proper tennis etiquette.

Plus, the aforementioned water balloon break, to help take the edge off of the hot-for-Whidbey weather.

Seal and Stelling, who recently completed their first season as CHS coaches, came away pleased with what they saw.

Building interest in tennis at a young age will likely pay off down the road, as the Wolves hope to see a steady turnout of players at the high school level.

But, even if these young athletes ultimately choose other sports later in life, the tennis coaches are happy to be part of the process.

“I am so proud of all the kids and the effort and attitude they brought to the court!” Seal said.

“It’s so nice to get these kids outside and play a good sport that will stay with them for a lifetime!

“I’m already looking forward to planning out our next skills camp!”


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