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Wolf thrower signs with Central

Posted in Track, tagged , , , , on November 17, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Logan Martin signs to compete in track and field for Central Washington University. (Eileen Stone photos)

A family portrait, of sorts.

“You da man!”

Track season never ended.

Coupeville High School senior Logan Martin has been hard at work perfecting his throws, showing up and showing out in one-man workouts.

And all that work has paid off.

In advance of his final season with the Wolves, Martin signed paperwork to commit to competing at Central Washington University.

He’s expected to throw the discus and shot put, as he does at CHS, while adding the hammer and weight throw.

Martin, who has also played basketball, tennis, and soccer during his time as a Wolf, set PR’s in the shot put, discus, and javelin during his junior season of track.

His best discus throw in a high school meet has been 153 feet, 10 inches, putting him hot on the heels of older brother Dalton, who owns the CHS career record with a heave of 161-07 from 2016.

With a PR of 44-03 in the shot put, Martin is also chasing Hunter Hammer’s school-best mark of 51-03.75 from 2011.

This spring will offer Logan and teammates their first chance in three seasons to qualify for the state meet.

The ongoing pandemic erased spring sports during Martin’s sophomore season.

While CHS and its foes returned to competition last year, there were no postseason events.

That’s expected to change this time around, with Martin and Co. aiming to make the trip to Cheney for the big dance.

After that, Coupeville’s top thrower will return to the eastern side of the state, but this time with Ellensburg and CWU his destination.

That’s the same NCAA D-II school where former Wolf football star Nick Streubel pulled on the pads during a stellar collegiate career.

 

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Bayne a class act, always

Posted in Girls Soccer, Hall o' Fame, Track, tagged , , , , on August 18, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Lauren Bayne, a Hall o’ Famer in every way. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

She is class, personified.

Owner of a big brain, a strong work ethic, and a killer instinct when engaged in athletic battle, Lauren Bayne never asked for the spotlight, never screamed for recognition.

She just went out, kicked some fanny (almost always while radiating great joy), then ambled off to support her teammates, friends, and classmates.

Lauren was a pro’s pro, and, like older brother Josh, let the results largely speak for themselves.

She carried herself with calmness, grace, a quiet strength … and great class, always.

Three years after Lauren’s graduation from Coupeville High School, a look back at her Wolf athletic career reveals she accomplished much.

As a middle schooler, she played volleyball and basketball with panache, while also competing in gymnastics.

Once she stepped through the doors of CHS, Lauren locked on to soccer and track, however, playing four years in both sports.

On the soccer pitch, she was a calming influence on her squad, rising to captain status, and earning that distinction multiple times over.

Bayne and fellow Wolf soccer captain Sage Renninger enjoy Senior Night festivities. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Lauren did the dirty work, and did it with a spring in her step, anchoring the Wolf defense — a unit which gelled around her.

She would not be pushed around on the field, fighting for every 50/50 ball, constantly encouraging her back line mates to fight with the same conviction she always showed.

Through it all, what lingered longest was the class she showed, as when she hailed her teammates in her Senior Night speech.

“Our little soccer family is the best, and I’m so glad to have become friends with everyone and to get to play with you,” Lauren said in the moment.

“Most of all, my defenders, we have worked our butts off and the new defensive line this year has been killer.

“So, kisses to my back line!”

Lauren’s strength, her inner fire, and her class were all on display during her days in Coupeville’s track and field program, as well.

Bayne and Danny Conlisk, state track meet veterans. (Dawnelle Conlisk photo)

Never afraid to try something new, she competed in 11 different events over the course of four seasons — jumping, throwing, and running with wild abandon.

There was little Lauren wouldn’t try, as she ran on relay teams, tried distance running, did a sprint or two, and hurled throwing implements into the great wide open.

And she was good, often really good, in whatever she tried.

During her CHS track career, Lauren registered wins in the high jump, 3200, triple jump, and 4 x 400.

Twice she qualified for state, making it to the big dance in the high jump as a junior, before making a return trip to Cheney as a javelin thrower during her senior season.

In her final moments as a high school athlete, Lauren went out with a bang, setting a PR in the javelin and putting an emphatic stamp on her prep days.

Her throw, which smashed down onto the Eastern Washington University turf after traveling 109 feet, two inches, was almost 10 feet better than the best throw by any other Wolf girl over the past decade.

The queen of the booster club’s crab feed fundraiser. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Then, she moved on, off to see what adventures awaited off-Island, ready to amaze and inspire while chasing real-life dreams.

Whatever path Lauren follows in her post-CHS days, I am confident she will find great success.

She is smart, kind, very strong, and always willing to put in the work. Plus super-classy, if we haven’t already mentioned that multiple times.

Back here in Cow Town Lauren will be remembered for all she accomplished, and the manner in which she reached her goals.

Today, she joins her brother, Josh, in the Coupeville Sports Hall o’ Fame, welcomed into our lil’ digital shrine.

From now on, when you pop up to the top of the blog and look under the Legends tab, you’ll find her hanging out there.

A class act who deserves everything good which comes her way.

Always reaching for the stars. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

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9 for 9: Track titans tower

Posted in Track, tagged , , , , on August 14, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Jacob Smith hits warp speed. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

This blog turns nine years old August 15, and to mark the occasion, I’m picking what I view as the best nine Wolf athletes from each active CHS sport.

To be eligible, you had to play for the Wolves between Aug. 2012-Aug. 2021, AKA the “Coupeville Sports” years.

So here we go. Each day between Aug. 1-15, a different sport and (probably) a different argument.

 

We’re getting twice the picks on this one.

I went back and forth on track and field, debating between picking the best nine girls and the best nine boys, or squishing everyone together and picking the best nine overall.

In the end, I decided 18 fit better than nine, since boys and girls don’t go head to head in high school meets.

Other sports, from basketball to soccer, got 18 picks — just with different stories, one for girls and one for boys.

And, anyway, tomorrow’s big finale, when I choose the best nine athletes, regardless of sport, will pit male vs. female with just nine picks standing at the end.

But today, you get 18.

Maya Toomey-Stout (left) and Mallory Kortuem celebrate at the state meet in Cheney. (Konni Smith photo)

GIRLS:

Lauren Bayne — Qualified for state in both the javelin and the high jump. Competed in 11 events across four seasons. Her best javelin throw (109 feet, two inches) was almost 10 feet better than the second-best throw by a Wolf girl during the blog era.

Lauren Grove — Qualified for state seven times — three times each in the 4 x 100 and 4 x 200, and once in the 200 — winning four medals. Key part of record-busting relay units.

Sylvia Hurlburt — Qualified for state six times, claiming four medals. Strong sprinter who was a major part of relay teams which shattered school records during her time at CHS.

Mallory Kortuem — Four state meet medals, highlighted by a 2nd in the 400 as a junior. Holds school records in four events (400, pole vault, 4 x 100, 4 x 200). Denied a senior season by the pandemic, but now running for Western Washington University.

Lindsey Roberts — Won eight state meet medals, most of any girl in CHS history. Holds a share of three school records (100 hurdles, 4 x 100, 4 x 200).

Emma Smith — Arguably the most-successful Wolf female thrower of the blog era, she qualified for state in both the discus and shot put. Her best heave in the shot put — 34-05 — was 28 inches shy of tying a school record which has stood since 1990.

Makana Stone — Her seven state meet medals are second-best by a Wolf girl, fourth-best in school history. Qualified for state nine times. Holds school records in the 200 and 4 x 400. As a freshman, won her first 28 events, best start in school history by an individual athlete. That streak covered the 100 (six races), 200 (five), 400 (four), 4 x 100 (three), 4 x 200 (five), and 4 x 400 (five). Won 84 races in four seasons.

Madison Tisa McPhee — Holds school record in the 300 hurdles, and owns three state meet medals. A superb relay runner who was key to several teams which set school records during her time at CHS.

Maya Toomey-Stout — Holds a share of four school records (100, long jump, 4 x 100, 4 x 200) and claimed three state meet medals. Qualified for state 10 times across three seasons — advancing in five different events. Only Wolf girl to qualify for state in four events in one year, and did it twice. Denied a senior season by the pandemic.

A young Danny Conlisk, who would go on to win two state titles as a senior, takes the baton. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

BOYS:

Mitchell Carroll — Holds school record in the triple jump, and finished 5th at state in the event.

Danny Conlisk — Two-time state champ (200, 400) as a senior, the first Wolf to claim a title in a decade. Holds school records in 100, 200, and 400, and has six state meet medals, tied for third-best by a CHS boy.

Jordan Ford — Owns school record in the pole vault, and finished 8th at state in the event.

Lathom Kelley — Injuries prevented him from qualifying for state, but remains one of the most electrifying athletes to ever compete for CHS. Competed in 14 different events during his four years.

Jean Lund-Olsen — Qualified for state in three events across two seasons, winning a medal all three times. Denied a senior season by the pandemic.

Dalton Martin — Only Wolf thrower to win three medals at the same state track meet, finishing 2nd in the discus and 8th in both the shot put and javelin. Holds school record in the discus.

Jacob Smith — Has six state meet medals, tying him with Conlisk for third-most by a Wolf boy. Two of those medals were for 2nd place finishes.

Nick Streubel — Second-best male thrower of the blog days, he qualified for districts multiple times in both the shot put and discus.

Sean Toomey-Stout — Qualified five times for state across two seasons, claiming two medals. Denied a senior season by the pandemic.

Lauren Bayne soars. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

 

Up next: We wrap things up with the best overall athletes of the past nine years.

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Welcome to the Year of Ja’Kenya!

Posted in A freakin' American hero, tagged , , , , on August 9, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Ja’Kenya Hoskins, Superstar. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

Ja’Kenya Hoskins. Say her name, and write it down for good measure.

I’m calling it right now – this is her year.

When the students who form the Coupeville High School Class of 2022 head back to school for their senior year, there will be multiple athletic storylines waiting to play out.

From Hawthorne Wolfe chasing the all-time CHS boys basketball scoring record to Izzy Wells trying to become the first pitcher to lead the Wolf softball squad to state twice, potential glory is everywhere.

But, with no slight meant to any girl or boy in the Class of ’22, I’m anointing Ja’Kenya as the North star for this pack of Wolves.

It’s a testament to what she could accomplish athletically, as a key basketball and track star.

On the hardwood, Ja’Kenya is a high-energy, rebound-snatching, let’s-roll-in-the-open-court wrecking machine.

And, when next spring rolls around and brings with it the hope of a state meet for the first time in three pandemic-altered seasons, Miss Hoskins will brandish a major distinction.

She’s the only active CHS track athlete to own a state meet medal, as she was part of a 4 x 200 relay squad which finished 3rd at the big dance during her freshman season.

That also put Ja’Kenya up on the CHS track record board, where she joined older sisters Ja’Tarya and Jai’Lysa, part of record-owning 4 x 100 and 4 x 400 teams, respectively.

It was a great start, but then the pandemic took a chomp out of Ja’Kenya’s prep track career.

Covid completely wiped out her sophomore campaign, then track returned with a limited number of meets, but no postseason, during her junior year.

While nothing is guaranteed, the rise of vaccination numbers hopefully promises a more traditional final track campaign for Ja’Kenya and Co.

Breakin’ records, every day.

But the reason we’re tabbing this “The Year of Ja’Kenya” goes beyond sports.

The youngest of four children in her family (brother Will joins his three sisters), Miss Hoskins is everything you could hope for if you want someone to be the representative of your town, and its school.

Anyone who has met her can tell you she is a vibrant ray of sunshine disguised as a human being, someone whose mere presence makes everyone in the immediate area happier.

From middle school on, when rival teams arrive in Coupeville, it’s not been unusual to see most of the opposing players immediately crowd around Ja’Kenya, with her peals of laughter rising up to the ceiling as she greets everyone she knows and loves.

Which is just about everyone.

It’s the same when she hangs out with her fellow Wolves, such as close friends like Izzy Wells.

Want to find Ja’Kenya? Listen for the laughter, and look for the part of the crowd having the best time of anyone in the gym.

Ja’Kenya and Izzy Wells, possibly up to shenanigans.

Last year, during soccer season, I saw her on a fairly-regular basis in the press box, as she ran the clock and did announcements, and I pretended like I understood soccer.

I came away impressed.

Ja’Kenya is whip-smart, but not in a show-off way, very funny, remarkably-poised, and as genuinely kind and caring as any teen you’re likely to meet.

She was deeply-concerned when she thought she might have stumbled over a rival soccer player’s name during pre-game introductions (trust me: she nailed it), and had something nice to say about every single one of her classmates.

Every … single … one.

And she wasn’t being a smart-ass. Ja’Kenya is just that nice.

Now, she may have no memory of Videoville, a sad confirmation that we’ve gone far enough past my lazy, hazy video store days for that time to mean anything to the Netflix ‘n Instagram generation.

But even then, Ja’Kenya’s kindness shone through.

“Oh, I’m sure I would have liked the video store if I was there! Especially the gumball machine!!,” she assured me.

Meanwhile, I’ll just go sit over here in the corner, babbling like Grandpa Simpson, about the olden days…

But enough about me. Back to Ja’Kenya.

She impresses me, and has every day and in every way, since she was just a wee lass. The more I learn about her, the more my admiration grows.

I hope Ja’Kenya knows how highly others think of her – from the adults she interacts with to her fellow student/athletes.

The hope is for the 2021-2022 school year to play out as normal as possible, and to see a lot of really great Coupeville teens end their CHS days on a high note, athletically, scholastically, and socially.

But I’ll admit it.

I really want to see Miss Hoskins be rewarded. I want this to be “The Year of Ja’Kenya.”

She’s earned it; she deserves it.

Way back in 2013, Ja’Kenya (pink shirt) was already lovin’ the spotlight.

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Future so bright, Lyla Stuurmans may need shades

Posted in Basketball, Track, Volleyball, tagged , , , , , on July 5, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Lyla Stuurmans will be a Coupeville High School freshman in the fall, yet already has a varsity letter. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

“She lives to play sports!”

Once upon a time, Scott Stuurmans was a high-flying Coupeville athlete, but now he’s largely content to drape his lanky body over a seat in the bleachers and watch his children, like oldest daughter Lyla, grab the spotlight.

An incoming freshman at CHS, she’s bursting with talent, yet remains humble and hard-working, a team-first athlete in a me-first world.

Combining skills handed down by dad, and mom Sarah, a very-successful multi-sport Tenino prep star back in the day, Lyla has been at the forefront of every sport she’s played in Coupeville.

A soccer ace as a youngster, Stuurmans participated in volleyball, basketball, and track at the middle school level, and she plans to continue down that path in a CHS uniform.

A uniform she’s actually already worn for 12 games.

With numbers dipping for the Wolf girls basketball program this past season, 8th graders were allowed to step up and play for the high school team.

Two of those girls — Stuurmans and Savina Wells — made the varsity team, and both had an immediate impact.

Stuurmans was a whirling wonder on defense, a ball hawk who, while young, already exhibits a refreshing willingness to mix it up with rivals.

Firing off the floor on springy legs, eyes ever-alert, both on the floor and when leaning in to the huddle to hear her coach’s words, Stuurmans let her fire show on the floor.

She can also fill up a bucket, leading the Wolves in scoring in their season finale, and finishing eighth on the varsity team in scoring, while topping the JV unit in points.

While she and Wells will have the chance to be the first CHS girls to letter five times in any sport thanks to basketball, don’t sleep on Stuurmans in her other activities.

She’s got mad skills on the volleyball court, and was a blaze going by while competing in middle school track.

Stuurmans fires out of the blocks like a jet. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

While she loves all her sports, plus time spent riding quad and dirt bikes and joining family and friends in every water activity possible, it’s spikes and sets which currently call the loudest to her heart.

“I think at the moment my favorite sport is volleyball,” Stuurmans said. “I really like my teammates, and having alumni there helping has been really motivating to build my skill-set.”

The chance to interact with her teammates has always been one of the big draws for the young star, who takes great delight in seeing her running mates do well.

“Some of the things that I really enjoy about being an athlete are being a part of a team, and having people around that support me and vice versa,” Stuurmans said.

“I also really love the competition aspect and it really drives me to better my game and improve.”

“Oh, they’re gonna need that first aid kit when I get done with them!!” (Corinn Parker photo)

As she heads to high school, Stuurmans is committed to achieving all she can on a personal basis, but it’s team success which sits at the top of her wish list.

“I really think going to state and excelling would be amazing for the program (in all sports),” she said. “And it would really boost the energy for more upcoming classes to want to play at that level.

“Now, as an individual, the goal has always been to play at the collegiate level, and honestly as long as coaches will coach me.”

Stuurmans has natural talent, springing from a family with athletic stars ranging from her parents, to her aunts and uncles, to her cousins, but there’s more to her game.

Even at her young age, she comes across as a very cerebral player, and you can see her mentally digesting advice, then putting words into action.

It fits, for a young woman who already shows a great appreciation for those helping her achieve her full potential.

“Well, my parents have obviously had a large impact on what I am exposed to as an athlete and setting me up for success when it comes to the programs I am involved in,” Stuurmans said.

“My friends and their family have also been a big part when it comes to making me who I am, because they are the ones that are beside me, growing as well as helping me become a better person on and off the court.”

Her time on the soccer pitch brought her into contact with one guru who has had a marked impact on her, regardless of the sport.

“I think that one of my old soccer coaches, Kristan Powell, really showed me how working and putting in time outside of practice or class to build your skills will always help you out,” Stuurmans said.

Reflecting on her own skill-set, the Wolf frosh acknowledges she’s a work in progress.

“This is a little bit hard for me to answer, but I think my strengths as an athlete are that I enjoy being coached, and that I am consistently putting in full effort,” Stuurmans said.

“I am really trying to work on communication on the court, and also trying to not overthink my actions and just let the game flow.”

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