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Posts Tagged ‘tennis’

He’s a miracle, he is!!

Posted in Boys Basketball, Boys Tennis, Happy birthday, Track, tagged , , , , , on June 26, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Jared Helmstadter

Jared Helmstadter

Jared Helmstadter’s grin is epic.

The kid always seems like he’s having fun, no matter what sport he’s playing at the moment.

And he plays a lot of sports.

A true three-sport star, Helmstadter plays tennis and basketball and runs track for Coupeville High School, and he does all three quite well.

To look at him now, a six-foot-one senior-to-be, you’d never guess that he’s a bit of a miracle.

Just two pounds when he was born prematurely at 26 weeks, Jared was not expected to survive.

To which he said, screw this, I got stuff to do. And off he went.

As he celebrates his birthday today, Jared has become one of the best athletes at CHS, and a better person.

A hard worker who seems well-liked by all his teammates, he sets an example for others by simply going out there, day after day, and putting every last ounce of himself on the line.

You can’t help but be a bit proud of him and all he has accomplished, whether you’re a friend, family member or, in my case, just an interested fan.

Some people you root for just a little bit harder.

Every time Jared steps on the court or the track oval, he earns that support.

Happy birthday, Mr. Helmstadter, today and for many years to come.

 

To read more about Jared’s life, pop over to this story I wrote when he was a freshman:

https://coupevillesports.com/2012/12/29/lightning-strikes-for-wolf-basketball-squad/

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Bow to your new queen!!

Posted in A freakin' American hero, Girls Basketball, Girls Tennis, Happy birthday, Volleyball, tagged , , , , , , , on June 17, 2015| Leave a Comment »

"It's mah birthday!!!" (John Fisken photos)

“It’s mah birthday!!!” (John Fisken photos)

McKayla (top) and McKenzie Bailey

McKayla (top) and McKenzie Bailey, the best there ever was in the photo biz.

McKe

“Dang straight, Skippy!!”

The stare started with side-eye, and not just side-eye, but truly epic side-eye.

Then, without seeming to do so, McKenzie Bailey’s head turned 180 degrees and, over the top of her glasses, one eyebrow cocked, she regarded me as if I just asked her to lick a fresh cow pattie.

I had made the mistake of telling her mom, Donna, that with older sister McKayla about to graduate, little sis Mollie, several years shy of high school, was Coupeville Sports next true superstar, the chosen one who would inherit the crown of the one true Photo Bomb Queen.

Realizing  my mistake too late (a common occurrence in my life…), I started to stammer while McKenzie held the look for just long enough to send ice down the spine.

“I do not believe I have left this school yet, have I?”

One more beat to let the eyebrow fully cock, then she let me off the hook, her trademark light-up-the-prairie smile breaking through.

And really, could there have been any doubt that McKenzie, who celebrates a birthday today, is already primed to take over the throne held for so long by McKayla?

Photos, taking photos, being in photos, photo-bombing others in photos — it’s a time-honored Bailey Tradition.

Mollie will certainly get her moment, but not until McKenzie lets the crown reluctantly slip from her college-bound fingers in a year or so.

Not that photos are her only claim to fame.

A consistent three-sport athlete (volleyball, basketball, tennis), McKenzie was one of just two Wolves — with Wynter Thorne — to play on both of the CHS squads to win an Olympic League title last year.

A key contributor for both the basketball and tennis teams, which put up the first new championship banners in Cow Town since 2002, Bailey is the real deal.

She’s also a pretty phenomenal student — like big sis — and can probably drive a tractor with one hand while popping wheelies and playing the guitar intro to Nirvana’s “Come as You Are” with the other (why not?) if she wants.

Talented, vivacious, and as friendly as all get out (except when her rise to power is being questioned) McKenzie is a true original.

She’s got some McKayla in her, and a dash of Mollie, and vice versa, but the middle Bailey is her own amazing young woman.

Happy birthday, McKenzie. May your reign be as impressive as you are.

P.S. — That’s pretty dang impressive.

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Excellence was born today!!

Posted in Happy birthday, tagged , , , , , , , on June 11, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Birthday trio (clockwise from top left) Connor McCormick, Allie Hanigan and Sean LeVine.

Birthday trio (clockwise from top left) Connor McCormick, Allie Hanigan and Sean LeVine.

June 11 stands as one of the deeper days for producing excellence in Wolf Nation.

If we wanted to hand out birthday well wishes to everyone and their sister, we could include Jennifer Dohner and Kristi Etzell, moms who sent numerous talented offspring through the halls of Coupeville High School.

But, for the moment, we’ll focus on three who have made a big impact on Wolf sports in the last few years — Allie Hanigan, Connor McCormick and Sean LeVine.

McCormick, who will be a senior at CHS in the fall, has done a bit of everything, and always done it with great passion.

Soccer goalie, deadly doubles player on the tennis court, baseball and football stud in his earlier days and a medal-winning twin threat with Science Club and History Day.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg for the middle McCormick child as he upholds the family tradition of awesomeness.

LeVine may technically not be a Wolf, having played soccer in his younger days for a different school that shall go unnamed, but his impact on Coupeville sports is undeniable.

His progeny — Micky “Two Fists” LeVine, Jae “Mighty Mite” LeVine and Izzy “The Real Superstar” LeVine, are among the brightest talents in the land, precocious, uber-talented, super smart (and sometimes smart-ass) young women.

Then there is LeVine’s soccer coaching career, which has touched countless lives.

Whether working with youth soccer programs, or guiding the Whidbey Islanders select soccer squad, which brought together players from Coupeville, Oak Harbor and the South end and rattled the big city programs to their core, Sean has guided the growth and development of an entire generation of pitch stars.

Plus, he’s done it all while working as a superhero on the side (he’s a paramedic) and showing an ability to grow an impressive beard. The man is multi-talented.

Topping off our trio is Hanigan, who moved to Coupeville from my birthplace, Kelso, and immediately became a two-sport sensation.

Ruling the volleyball and tennis courts for two years, she was a fearsome hitter who played in much the same way she moves through real life, with epic grace and style.

Allie is walking, talking class personified and even though she’s moved on to college life, she’s not easily forgotten.

As individuals or as a group, the terrific trio of McCormick, LeVine and Hanigan make the rest of us look better for being loosely connected to them.

Here’s to happy birthdays for all three, this year and in the future.

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Raise ’em high! Raise ’em proud!!

Posted in Girls Basketball, Girls Tennis, tagged , , , , on June 5, 2015| Leave a Comment »

The first new league championship banners in 13 years at CHS. (Shelli Trumbull photo)

   The first new league championship banners in 13 years at CHS. (Shelli Trumbull photo)

Seniors

   Wynter Thorne (big pic) and (clockwise from top right) Hailey Hammer, Kacie Kiel, the Luveras, Madeline Strasburg, Monica Vidoni, Micky LeVine, Haleigh Deasy, Julia Myers, Jacki Ginnings. (John Fisken photos)

They’re up!

Just in time for graduation, which will allow the 11 seniors who played on those teams to witness them on their final trip through the gym, league championship banners have been raised.

Both the Coupeville High School girls’ basketball and girls’ tennis teams went undefeated in 1A Olympic League play this year.

The titles were the first the school had won since 2002.

Playing key roles on both teams were members of the Class of 2015, with six seniors on each team.

Wynter Thorne was the lone Wolf senior to play on both teams (joined by junior McKenzie Bailey).

Monica Vidoni, Hailey Hammer, Kacie Kiel, Julia Myers and Madeline Strasburg joined Thorne on the hoops squad while Micky LeVine, Jacki Ginnings, Haleigh Deasy, Ana Luvera and Ivy Luvera also played for the netters.

CHS graduation is 6 PM tonight.

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Camera clicks turn to cold, hard cash!!

Posted in awards, tagged , , , , , , , , on June 2, 2015| Leave a Comment »

After appearing in many photos over the years, Julia Myers is now reaping a financial benefit. (John Fisken photos)

   After appearing in many photos over the years, Julia Myers (with ball) is now reaping a financial benefit. (John Fisken photos)

Aaron Trumbull works hard for his money.

Aaron Trumbull works hard for his money.

John Fisken came out from behind the camera Tuesday night.

After spending most of the school year clicking away, the Oak Harbor-based lensman swung by Coupeville High School to award his second annual scholarships.

Taking home the honors (and some cash) were Wolf seniors Julia Myers and Aaron Trumbull.

The duo follow in the footsteps of Breeanna Messner and Brandon Kelley, who won the inaugural awards in 2014.

The scholarships, which honor student/athletes who play at least two sports for all four years, are financed by families and fans purchasing photos Fisken shoots, then puts up for sale on various sites.

All those times when I dropped a plug for his work, this is where it pays off.

To be eligible, CHS seniors had to also have a GPA of 3.0 or better, not be getting any financial aid for playing sports from a college program and write an essay.

They then topped things off with a one-on-one interview with Fisken, who alone made the final call.

Myers, who played soccer, basketball and tennis, plans to attend Western Washington and study kinesiology, with a goal of becoming a physical therapist.

She developed an interest in the field after having to undergo physical therapy while rehabbing a soccer injury. Myers hopes to one day obtain a position with a professional sports team.

A fan of her leadership class (Pre-Calculus not so much…), she singled out CHS basketball coaches David and Amy King and soccer/basketball teammate Makana Stone as big inspirations.

Looking back over her busy sports career, Myers remembered a rec soccer game where she stopped every shot that came to her in an OT shootout as her personal favorite highlight.

Trumbull, who played basketball and baseball all four years, was a key player on the Central Whidbey Little League baseball team that won a state title.

Years later, that remains a treasured memory for him.

He plans to attend Olympic College, where he’ll play baseball, before eventually transferring to Central Washington University.

He hopes to earn an engineering degree and go into the military, possibly as a pilot.

Coupeville baseball guru Willie Smith was Trumbull’s favorite coach, while Aaron Curtin, a close friend who also played basketball and baseball, was his pick for most inspirational teammate.

In school he greatly enjoyed Barbara Ballard’s UW English class (a class all of the nominees mentioned), but could have done without taking Spanish.

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