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“I want to give something back to my community”

Posted in Tennis, tagged , , , , , , on January 17, 2024| Leave a Comment »

Timothy Stelling

He has big footsteps to fill, but no fear.

Timothy Stelling is succeeding Ken Stange as Coupeville High School tennis coach, taking the racket from a man who led the Wolf programs for two successful decades.

But while this is his first stint as a high school coach, the new head man has taught as an assistant pro and embraced new adventures all his life.

From rock climbing in his teens to a lifelong love of plunging into the surf in search of killer waves, Stelling is always up for a challenge.

Whether it’s riding a “six-foot swell” at Steamer’s Lane in Santa Cruz, where “all three sections of the wave were connecting for over a half mile ride” or pulling off a complex climb on Middle Cathedral Rock in Yosemite.

Stelling’s latest challenge will be to pull together a girls’ tennis team this spring after most of the roster graduated.

He’ll have some help from new assistant coach Starla Seal, and, weather cooperating, will lead his players on to brand new courts currently being constructed next to the CHS gym.

Next fall, Stelling will get a crack at reviving the Wolf boys’ net program, which has sat out several seasons after the move from 1A to 2B pushed soccer into fall, forcing Coupeville coaches in four boys’ sports to scramble for athletes.

For now, the focus is on the upcoming girl’s season.

“I want to create an environment where teens can develop lifelong relationships,” Stelling said. “For the team to have fun and embrace a sport that they can play into adulthood.

“To enhance and grow the CHS tennis program,” he added.

“To teach tennis to our youth, (and instill) a desire to compete, camaraderie with fellow teammates, and to have a graceful attitude whether you win or lose.”

In his previous coaching work, and his own time playing tennis as a youngster in California and New Jersey, Stelling explored all sides of the sport.

“I believe tennis is as much of a mental/psychological game as it is a physical game,” he said.

“Learning how to manage your inner self is an important part of winning in tennis, and a skill that is needed to succeed in life.”

Ultimately, he’s taking the job with the hope of being a vital part of the town he has embraced.

“I love living in Coupeville,” Stelling said. “I want to give something back to my community.

“I also think that COVID had a significant effect on teens and want to support and encourage youth to embrace both change and challenges.”

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“I can’t get enough volleyball!!”

Posted in Track, Volleyball, tagged , , , , , , on July 7, 2018| Leave a Comment »

Noelle Daigneault spends time with her beloved pet duck, Chandler. (Photo courtesy Irene Echenique)

Put Noelle Daigneault on the volleyball court and she never stops smiling.

The busy, talented Coupeville High School freshman is also devoted to heaving the shot put, surfing, listening to the sweet sounds of ABBA, painting, and playing her ukulele, but there’s something special about her time as a spiker.

“Volleyball is my favorite sport; I have played club volleyball these past two years and still can’t get enough volleyball!,” Daigneault said. “I love the sport because it is very exhilarating!

“And the feeling of smacking the ball as hard and quick as you can and getting a point for your team is a feeling of such joy I can’t describe.”

On the court, she’s the player always firing on all cylinders, chasing down every last ball with an expression of pure happiness gracing her face on every play.

“One of my bigger strengths in volleyball is, I always want the ball,” Daigneault said. “I will try my hardest to not let the ball drop.

“An area I need to work on is technique,” she admitted with a laugh. “Sometimes I’ll make up my own form, and it more often than not does not help me…”

Daigneault, who follows on the heels of older sister Bree, a standout soccer and tennis player during her time at CHS, attacks each new day with vigor.

“I enjoy being an athlete because I don’t like not doing anything,” Noelle said. “And when you’re on the court there is always something we need to be doing and you’re never standing still.

“One of my goals for my high school career is to always do more, meaning SST, or open gym,” she added. “Sometimes spending an extra half-hour on the court or track, practicing, can make all the difference.”

Daigneault can’t go wrong emulating her older sibling, as Bree was a fireball on the field, while also being one of the most genuinely kind athletes to ever rep CHS.

“My sister has had a very big impact on who I am as a person and a player,” Noelle said.

But there’s also another athlete, a fellow freshman-to-be, who plays a big role in Daigneault’s life, on and off the court.

“My best friend, Jaelyn Crebbin, has always inspired me as a volleyball and track player,” Daigneault said. “I always thought, if she could do it, I could too!

“Considering she has one arm, that does not stop her, and that’s always inspired me to do my best on the court.”

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