Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Posts Tagged ‘track and field’

Work hard, dream big!!

Posted in Basketball, Track, tagged , , , , on July 18, 2018| Leave a Comment »

Logan Martin skies for a bucket. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Logan Martin is always working.

The son of Coupeville coach Bob Martin, and younger brother of Wolf track and field legend Dalton Martin, he can be found in virtually every photo from off-season SST training at the school.

And, during basketball season, Logan is always the first one to hit the court at halftime or after games, putting up shots and working on his game.

The benefits have begun to show, as Martin has been a key member of successful middle school and AAU hoops squads, mixing a deadly three-point shot with strong work down low.

As he preps for his freshman year at CHS, the quiet, but driven, young baller has his eyes set firmly on the goal.

“I want to make varsity as a freshman, be a four-year varsity (player),” Martin said.

He plans to stick with track and field as well, where he’s a top thrower like his older brother, who captured four state track medals, but is letting go of football as he makes the jump to high school.

While he’s been successful in the track arena, it’s the hardwood life he fully embraces.

“Basketball is my favorite sport, because I feel it’s the sport I’m better at than other sports,” Martin said. “It’s a great way to exercise.

“It can be played by anyone – young or old,” he added. “And you can take a basketball with you practically anywhere and practice anytime.”

When he’s not practicing or playing, Martin is an avid photographer and has shown a canny eye behind the camera.

A series of pics he snapped during the spring high school track season ran in several articles here on Coupeville Sports, with the photos garnering praise for how they captured the inner essence of prep sports.

Whether he’s documenting others, or taking center stage himself, Martin is one to watch.

Playing against Sequim during his 8th grade hoops season, he opened the game by taking, and hitting, the first three shots of the game — a fall-away jumper, a soft fader, then a three-ball from the left side.

The display showcased Martin’s skill, and his versatility, something he’s always working on.

“I think one of my strengths as an athlete is my work ethic,” he said. “I would like to work on having a better attitude when I play.”

Mom Abbie is his biggest fan, faithfully appearing at every game to cheer for her youngest, while dad Bob draws praise for shaping Logan as an athlete.

“My dad (has had a big impact), because he started me in sports and coaches me all day in life and in athletics.”

Read Full Post »

Little sister, big talent!!

Posted in Basketball, Cheer, Track, tagged , , , , on July 9, 2018| Leave a Comment »

Ja’Kenya Hoskins powers to the hoop for a bucket. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

Hoskins and Izzy Wells lead a strong group of female athletes who arrive at CHS as freshmen this fall.

The third sister is on her way, and she plans to be just as spectacular as her older siblings.

Ja’Kenya Hoskins, who will be a freshman at Coupeville High School in the fall, joins Ja’Tarya as a Wolf, while both follow in the footsteps left by legendary big sis Jai’Lysa.

It’s a family of superstars, comprised of exuberant, talented, strong young women who excel in the classroom and in the arena.

And whatever you do, don’t sleep on Ja’Kenya, who could quite easily be the most explosive athlete in the trio.

The youngest sister is a beast on the boards, ripping rebounds away from tentative rival players, then sprinting down-court to pick up easy buckets.

Put Ja’Kenya on the track, and she has jets in her feet, zinging around the oval in a style very similar to both older sisters.

Once she hits CHS, the youngest Hoskins plans to add cheer to her long list of accomplishments, just like Jai’Lysa and Ja’Tarya.

While she enjoys all of her pursuits (rare is the time when the outgoing young star isn’t flashing a smile as she bops through life), Hoskins gives an edge to hoops.

She and a tight group of teammates have played together for several years now, winning titles and reviving memories of Wolf juggernauts of the past.

“I would say basketball is my favorite sport, because of how it’s not just about you,” Hoskins said. “It’s about the teamwork and being there for your teammates.

“What I like most about being an athlete is being a part of a team and learning you can’t blame everything on your team,” she added. “You have to accept responsibility for your actions.”

On the hardwood Hoskins is an intense defender, and one quick to dive for loose balls or end up in a wrestling match for a rebound.

While she wants to maintain her intensity, she realizes she needs to pick her moments to go full-tilt.

“I would say some of my strengths as an athlete are I’m determined to the very end and I will put my full 100 percent in everything,” Hoskins said. “Areas I’d like to work on are keeping my cool, mainly in basketball.”

When she’s not playing or practicing, she likes to hang out with friends, both online and in person.

That carries over to people from other schools as well, as a common sight at middle school games was Hoskins delivering enthusiastic hugs to many of the rival players when they arrived in the CMS gym.

She knew all of them, they knew her, and every game was like a happy reunion for both sides.

Hoskins, who wants to “go to state at least once in track and basketball,” deeply appreciates her large support crew.

“People who have helped me make me the person I am are my Swish teammates like Isabelle (Wells), Kylie (Van Velkinburgh), Anya (Leavell), and Kiara (Contreras).

“My family always supports me in all my sports and always pushes me to do more.”

Read Full Post »

Dig deep for Danny!!

Posted in Track, tagged , , , , on July 8, 2018| Leave a Comment »

Danny Conlisk hangs out with mom, and faithful fan, Dawnelle.

We need to make Danny Conlisk run out of town.

And by that, I mean, I’m calling on all Wolf fans out there to support the easy-going whirlwind of the track oval, and help him, his mom, and his sister make it to the national Junior Olympics.

Conlisk, who will be a senior at Coupeville High School this fall, ran strongly in the 400 at regionals Saturday and punched his ticket to the biggest meet of the year.

Only issue is nationals, which run July 23-29, is held in Greensboro, North Carolina.

But we’re going to make this happen.

So, I have taken it upon myself to engage in some participatory journalism, by launching a GoFundMe for Conlisk.

The money raised would pay for plane tickets for Danny, mom Dawnelle, and sister MaryBeth, as well as a rental car when the trio is on the ground.

Why help Conlisk, you ask?

Because he’s a class act in every way, a young man who has used running to shape his world and open up multiple new doors for himself.

From a quiet kid entering high school, he has emerged as a leader, a four-time (and counting) state meet participant, a strong student and a member of the Coupeville School Board.

When Danny comes bolting down the backstretch, serene look on his face as he blitzes past rival runners, his teammates lose their minds.

They do it because he’s developed into a killer on the oval, but even more so because he is such a good guy, and that’s something you can’t fake for too long.

Look beyond the ripped tape and the timers checking their stats, and all you need to know about Conlisk is on display as he seeks out and shakes the hand of each rival after his races, win or loss.

The quiet kid, who has become a stellar young man, is class, pure and simple.

He makes Coupeville look good, and we have a chance to put him on a national stage, where the whole USA can see Cow Town’s finest up close and personal.

How can you say no to that?

Spoiler: you can’t.

 

To help Danny and Co. make the trip to Carolina, pop over to:

https://www.gofundme.com/fly-danny-fly

Read Full Post »

Heart of a lion!!

Posted in Basketball, Track, tagged , , , , on July 8, 2018| 2 Comments »

Kiara Contreras, a scrappy ball-hawk for the Wolves, makes her high school debut this fall. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

Contreras flies in a relay this spring.

Kiara Contreras is a scrapper.

The fast-rising young athlete, who will be a freshman at Coupeville High School this fall, always played with a wild abandon during her middle school days.

Whether jousting on the volleyball or basketball court, or zipping around a track oval, Contreras never gave less than her best.

And her best usually involved things like diving between rival players to snare a loose ball on the hardwood, then spinning away and leading a mad charge to the net for a breakaway layup.

She might not be the biggest player on the floor, but Contreras always has one of the biggest hearts on display.

It’s a trait she shares with her cousins, CHS juniors Willow and Raven Vick, who Contreras hails as role models, along with mom Angella.

“I’m very competitive,” Contreras said, though she admits, “I need to work on being confident in myself.”

The young warrior, who enjoys math class, hanging out with family and friends and “practicing to get better,” plans to stick with basketball and track as she enters high school.

While she enjoys both sports, it’s hoops which claims her greatest devotion.

“Basketball is my favorite sport because of the adrenaline and meeting new people,” Contreras said. “(I like) the work you put into it and the competition.”

Regardless of what she’s doing, she will approach every day, every practice, every game, filled with a desire to make sure people remember her name, and her dedication, long after the final whistle.

“My goals are to work hard and hopefully make it to state before I graduate,” Contreras said.

Don’t doubt her.

Read Full Post »

Fly, Danny, fly!!

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

   Coupeville High School senior Danny Conlisk is North Carolina-bound after qualifying for the Junior Olympics national meet. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

   Conlisk and Fliers teammate James Dillow finished 3rd and 5th in the 400, respectively, both qualifying for nationals. (Dawnelle Conlisk photo)

Not even an injured groin could slow him down.

Battling through a nagging injury, Coupeville High School senior Danny Conlisk ran strongly Saturday at regionals, clinching a trip to the USATF Hershey National Junior Olympic Track & Field Championships.

Conlisk, who is running with the Kitsap Fliers this summer, finished third in his top event, the 400, hitting the line in 50.21 seconds while competing in Bend, Oregon.

That was just off his PR of 49.70, which he set in May while finishing second at the 1A state meet.

The top five finishers Saturday punched their tickets to nationals, which are held in Greensboro, North Carolina.

When he’s in the deep South (nationals run July 23-29), Conlisk could also be competing as a member of a Fliers relay team.

He’ll run in the 4 x 400 Sunday afternoon, seeking to punch a second trip to nationals.

With just five teams entered, all the Fliers have to do is run a clean race to advance.

Conlisk was originally entered in two other races at regionals, the 200 and 4 x 800, but opted out to protect his groin.

In a positive sign, the injury didn’t seem to bother him much in the 400.

“He went out in the first 200 softer, noticed he didn’t hurt so he picked it up in the 300 and still didn’t hurt so he did “The Danny” in the final 100,” said mom Dawnelle Conlisk.

Doing “The Danny” is synonymous with flying down the backstretch and shredding the hearts and souls of foes as they fall beneath his final burst of speed.

Sort of his trademark move.

When Conlisk returns to school this fall, he’ll be gunning for a second-straight trip to state as a cross country runner and a fourth-straight trek as a track supernova.

One difference is, after training and traveling with South Whidbey’s harriers in recent years, he will get to be at the forefront of a cross country revival in Coupeville.

The Wolves have restarted their own in-school program after a two-decade absence, with Natasha Bamberger, the most-accomplished runner in CHS history, hired as coach.

Read Full Post »

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »