Bree Daigneault being Bree Daigneault. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)
Daigneault prepares to launch a serve.
Some quality time with lil’ sis Noelle.
Bree Daigneault will save the world some day.
She’s that smart, that committed, that kind and caring, that environmentally-conscious, that much of a superhero disguised as a college student.
Two years after she graduated from Coupeville High School, Daigneault is off in the world, doing her best to light a fire under the rest of us, but in a really polite, friendly way.
During her days at CHS, when I used to watch her play soccer and tennis for the Wolves, it often amazed me how chipper she could be, win or loss.
Whether she demolished a foe on the tennis court, or went down after putting up a ferocious fight, when Daigneault departed the scene of the battle, something unusual always happened.
The other young woman playing against her, often a rival she had never met before that day, would walk off the court practically floating on air.
Even when they had just spent two hours trying, and failing, to stop Daigneault from cruising to a victory.
It’s because the player rockin’ the red and black, in between whipping forehands and crushing overheads, always dispensed a constant flow of friendly banter.
Daigneault showered her opponents with compliments, and not a single one ever seemed false or calculated.
That just was, and is, her personality. Open, friendly, receptive to all, and back to the two words which I think probably describe Bree better than any others – kind and caring.
That’s ingrained in her nature, so she complimented her opponent on their shot-making ability (even when she had just short-circuited it), their style, their fashion sense, and their intelligence.
There was one moment, when she faced off with Chimacum’s Renee Woods, sort of the off-Island mirror image of Daigneault, and the universe almost folded in on itself as Compliment Bowl went nuclear.
I don’t remember who won the match, but I do remember it felt so perfect, yet so alien, from my own days smacking tennis balls back at Tumwater High School.
In the late ’80s, the T-Birds tried to paste our own teammates with well-placed shots as much as possible, leaving precious little time to even think about complimenting players from Aberdeen or Olympia.
Probably why none of us went on to cure cancer or solve the world’s environmental problems…
But Daigneault is part of a different generation, and she was always at the forefront of things during her CHS days.
She was a regular presence on the theatrical stage, adept at drama and comedy in equal measure, was a student body rep to the School Board, and finished in the top 10 graduates for the Class of ’17.
Along the way, Bree found time to run the soccer pitch and slide across the tennis court, and did both as a polished varsity vet.
While she might not hold any school records, she was a vital part of both programs, both for her skills and her temperament.
Daigneault could launch shots into the back of the soccer goal, or zing winners down the line before a rival could reverse course and get to the tennis ball.
But, ultimately, she’ll be remembered by sports fans for many of the same reasons she’ll be remembered by theater addicts and education nuts.
Bree is, has been, and will likely always be, one of those truly amazing people who makes everyone else’s lives a little better by gracing the world we share.
Highly-intelligent, graceful, funny, a strong young woman with deep convictions and a burning desire to help others, whether by complimenting them or working to improve their lives, she is a rare one.
Daigneault has pulled in her share of honors, and that won’t stop anytime soon.
Today, we swing open the doors of the Coupeville Sports Hall o’ Fame and induct her into our lil’ on-line community.
She goes in for her athletic ability across multiple sports, but also for the way she played her games – with fire, with passion, and with deep love and respect for her teammates, coaches, and opponents.
After this, you’ll find Bree at the top of the blog, up under the Legends tab.
In the grand scheme of things, this sports induction will probably be a minor honor for a young woman who will likely win all the real-world honors.
I said all of them!
She’s gonna do big things, change lives for the better.
You can take that to Vegas, bet the mortgage on it, and go to sleep with a smile on your face cause that’s as close to a sure thing as we have.
However her coming years play out, I hope that Bree, occasionally, will look back on her time in a Wolf uniform and smile.
I hope she’s as proud of herself as we all are of her.
And that she realizes with a word here, an action there, she made others smile, made them want to be better, made them want to treat others with as much kindness and care.
If people were paintings, Bree Daigneault would be a masterpiece, treasured and priceless.
