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Posts Tagged ‘US Navy’

Navy nabs a proven winner

Posted in Navy pride, tagged , , , , , on December 14, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Coupeville High School senior Peyton Caveness announces his career choice. (Photo property Richard De Castro)

Peyton Caveness doesn’t play basketball for Coupeville High School, so he needed something to fill his winter hours.

The Wolf senior, who is a captain, team leader, and key player for both CHS football and baseball, is spending his “down” time preparing for his future.

Caveness recently signed on the dotted line with the United State Navy, with plans of becoming a Naval Firefighter.

Coral’s lil’ brother has followed in his sister’s big athletic footsteps and done so impressively.

With a diamond season left to play, Peyton has already made it to state twice.

A heavy hitter on the gridiron, where he terrorized any rivals foolish enough to enter his part of the field, he was part of a Wolf football team which won its first league title in three decades plus.

As a baseball jack-of-all-trades, he carries a big bat while manning multiple positions.

When Coupeville upset Toledo 3-0 last spring, earning its first win at the state baseball championships since 1987, it was Caveness who delivered the game-busting hit, blasting a two-run shot to center in the top of the seventh.

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Vote Ford for Board!

Posted in school board, tagged , , , , , on October 9, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Part of the David Ford Fan Club.

The race for Position #4 on the Coupeville School Board features two strong contestants in incumbent Alison Perera and challenger David Ford.

Both are deeply committed to our local schools and put an emphasis on financial well-being for the district.

That being said, my personal support goes to Ford, a CHS grad whose family is deeply intertwined in the community.

His campaign sign is in my front yard, and the following is his personal statement for why he is running.

Do I think you should vote for him? I know I am.

 

The words of David Ford:

 

To state that I have an invested interest in the success of the Coupeville School District is an understatement.

Both my lovely wife and I were raised and graduated from Coupeville and five generations of my family have attended Coupeville Schools with two granddaughters currently in elementary school.

I am a software engineer for Boeing and have served in the Navy, both active and reserves, going on 29 years.

A lot of folks ask why I continue to serve and it’s a simple answer.

I live to serve my country and community and if I didn’t do it, one of our sons or daughters would have to.

A couple other questions that you may be asking yourself about me is why now and why haven’t you been more active in the schools previously?

To be honest, it has been a work/life balance issue.

During the week, I work for Boeing in Tukwila, so the daily four-hour commute with the unknowns of the ferries, left me little time to commit to my other interests and passions.

With that, I have focused on supporting our students and community via contributions and donations.

With my retirement from Boeing on the horizon, June 2024, I plan to take advantage of my free time to work on what interests and excites me.

And that is giving back to the community that helped raise me.

Also, you can’t bitch about something unless you’re willing to dig in and get your hands dirty!

As a candidate for the Coupeville School Board, I am a passionate advocate for the future of our children while ensuring that education remains the priority.

Our schools are not just institutions of learning; they should be a reflection of the community and the starting point for our next generation’s dreams, aspirations, and innovations.

Our community, known for its work ethic and compassion, deserves an educational system that is just as focused and equitable.

But how do we get there?

Listening First: A top-down approach doesn’t work in education.

It is crucial to listen to our educators, our students, and our parents.

Their unique daily experiences provide invaluable insights into how we can make improvements and ensure a student-centered learning environment.

Equity and Inclusion: Every student, regardless of their background, deserves an equal shot at success.

This means making sure that our schools are equipped with the resources they need to support students of all backgrounds and abilities.

It means fostering environments where every student feels seen, heard, and valued.

Transparency and Accountability: As your school board director, I promise to maintain a culture of transparency.

Every decision, every policy, and every dollar spent should be openly accounted for and justified to you, the community.

Why are decisions being made? How do they align with the district’s Strategic Plan?

I look forward to asking the hard questions and weeding through the “noise” for facts and data to help drive board decisions.

Mental Health and Well-being: The well-being and safety of our students and staff is paramount.

We need comprehensive programs that prioritize mental health, helping our children navigate the pressures and challenges they face while providing the staff with their own resources to cope with having to do more with less.

Continuing our districts support to the Social and Emotional Learning curriculum will help our students by promoting self-awareness, empathy, resilience, and responsible decision-making, while fostering a positive and inclusive school climate.

Finally, Support for our Educators: Our teachers are the backbone of our district.

It’s essential that they are given continuous opportunities for professional development and growth while ensuring that they have the time and resources to focus on our students.

I envision a community where our schools are not just places to pass tests but are hubs of creativity, innovation, and personal growth.

A place where all children are excited to learn, where they feel safe, supported, and nurtured, and where they leave ready to take on the world through the career pathway of their choosing.

Not one school board director has all the answers.

I have been encouraged by the hard work and dedication of the current board to set priorities, set expectations of accountability and transparency and I’d like to be a part of the solution.

I don’t have years of drinking the district Kool-Aid, but I bring diversity and a fresh look at old problems.

I will listen, be your voice and provide answers.

You may not like all of them, but you will know what’s going on and why decisions are being made.

I seek your partnership, your advice, and your commitment.

Let’s roll up our sleeves together to make education the priority and build stronger schools for brighter futures.

Vote Ford for Board!

 

DISCLAIMER: This is NOT a paid ad but can be taken as an endorsement of David Ford for Coupeville School Board.

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“Running is something I’m very passionate about”

Posted in Cross Country, tagged , , , , , on August 18, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Paige Spangler, a successful runner in her own right, is the new Coupeville High School cross country coach. (Photos courtesy Spangler)

There’s a new Wolf on the trail.

Paige Spangler has been tabbed to take over the Coupeville High School cross country program, a hire which becomes official after she receives school board approval.

She follows on the heels of Natasha Bamberger, Luke Samford, and Elizabeth Bitting, who all worked tirelessly to rebuild the program after it returned from a two-decade-plus absence in 2018.

Bitting, who coached the CHS harriers last season on the condition it would be a one-year gig, returns to her first love — shepherding Coupeville’s middle school runners on the path to success.

With the high school job opening back up, that gave Spangler, who moved to Whidbey in 2020 with her Naval aviator husband, a prime opportunity.

“I was attracted to the job because running is something I’m very passionate about,” Spangler said. “And I love sharing that enthusiasm I have with others.

“When I saw the opening, I knew I would enjoy working with these young adults and help them become stronger, faster, and learn valuable skills that apply to running and beyond.”

Spangler has been actively involved in athletics almost from day one, competing in cross country, soccer, softball, basketball, and weightlifting.

An avid runner for more than a decade, she’s currently training for her second marathon, which comes after an assortment of 5K’s, 10K’s, 15K’s, and half-marathons.

After Spangler and her husband Garrett arrived on Whidbey, she nabbed a job as a personal trainer, and a lot of the skills she uses in that position will carry over to the world of high school cross country.

“I have worked in strength and conditioning with several clients with various athletic backgrounds,” Spangler said.

“I am hoping to take the solid foundation that these athletes (CHS runners) have, and build their strength and athletic skills so we can have a highly-competitive season.”

Spangler and her canine companion explore a forest trail.

As schools return to more-traditional competition after a Covid-altered 2020-2021 school year, the Wolf harriers have three league meets scheduled, as well as four invitationals.

Coupeville hosts a regular-season showdown at Fort Casey with Northwest 2B/1B League rivals Orcas Island and Mount Vernon Christian, then welcomes those same schools back to Whidbey for the league championships.

While state meet veteran Catherine Lhamon graduated after winning all four of her races as a senior, there is a deep roster of returning runners.

“My main goal for this season is to build on the solid foundation that Elizabeth Bitting has set these runners up with,” Spangler said. “And work on increasing strength and speed so we can have a great season.

“Overall, the athletes having a great time and loving what they do is the goal, but winning meets and seeing improvements in their times is something we will strive for.

“I want the athletes to leave this season with a passion for running, great memories with their team, and wins under their belt.”

The first day of practice arrives Monday, Aug. 23, and Coupeville’s newest coach is ready and rarin’ to get going.

“I’m so excited to work with these athletes and see them grow during the season!,” Spangler said. “I’ve heard great things about the team, and can’t wait to start working with them!”

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Former Wolf makes huge splash

Posted in Swim, tagged , , , , on June 9, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Former Coupeville student Ethan Tack will swim in the US Olympic Team Trials. (Photo courtesy Tom Tack)

And then there were two.

Ethan Tack has become the second former Coupeville student in recent times to qualify for the US Olympic Team Trials, following in the footsteps of marathoner Kyle King.

Tack, who swam for the North Whidbey Aquatic Club and attended Coupeville Elementary, eventually transitioned to the East Coast after a family move.

He now lives on Long Island, and is a rising senior at the Naval Academy.

Tack qualified for the Olympic Trials in the 200 individual medley and competes June 17 in Omaha, Nebraska for a spot on the team headed to Tokyo.

The Navy has a program-record 24 swimmers competing in the trials.

During their time on Whidbey, the Tack family were at the forefront of the local swim scene.

“Ethan started his journey to the trials while at Coupeville Elementary and swimming for NWAC while cutting a few of Mrs. Sherman’s classes for practice and meets,” said dad Tom Tack. “I believe he’s the first NWAC alum to ever make the trials, though I’m not positive.”

After moving East, Ethan Tack eventually graduated from Half Hollow Hills High School, where he lettered in swim all four years.

His team won the New York State Public High School Championship in 2016 and 2017, while Tack twice earned All-State honors.

Also a Scholastic All-American, he was the county championship meet MVP in 2018, competing on both the club and school level.

Since arriving at the Naval Academy, where is he pursuing a computer engineering major, Tack has earned First-Team All-Patriot League honors twice.

He will be the second member of his family to graduate from the academy, following in the footsteps of his father.

 

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“Dedication to improvement is all I ask”

Posted in Boys Soccer, tagged , , , , on January 28, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Robert Wood has been named the new head coach for the Coupeville High School boys soccer program. (Photos by JohnsPhotos.net)

He’s a familiar face in a new place.

For anyone who follows soccer on Whidbey Island, Robert Wood has been one of those guys doing a bit of everything, helping the sport boom locally.

Always upbeat, radiating a love for the sport which he tries to pass on even to those heathens such as myself who have a limited appreciation for the beautiful game, he’s a go-getter.

And now, he’s the new boys soccer coach for Coupeville High School, bouncing up from an assistant position to replace Kyle Nelson.

Wood’s former boss is not going anywhere, but decided to focus on coaching just the Wolf girls now that both CHS soccer programs will play during the same season.

Previously, the Coupeville girls played in the fall, with the boys taking the pitch in the spring.

But, with the Wolves moving from 1A to 2B, all soccer will now be played in the fall.

Except during a pandemic…

The current plan for a return to play during COVID-19 is for spring sports to kick things off, with fall sports, including soccer, set to run from March 29 to May 8.

With the adjusted schedule, Wood and other coaches will need to adapt.

Consider the well-organized new head man ready and raring to go.

“The season will be short — six weeks — so player development isn’t going to happen,” he said. “Thus, playing time and teamwork, and enjoyment is the focus.

“Getting the kids to realize what works, what wins, what fails, and the movements/leadership required on the field,” Wood added. “Long term … there’s a noticeable lack of soccer banners in the CHS gym. It’s time to fix that!”

After slamming into state soccer powers such as King’s, Klahowya, and South Whidbey in recent years, the transition to the Northwest 2B/1B League and playing against schools with student bodies much closer to Coupeville’s should be a confidence-booster.

“Now that we’re playing in a proper league we have a great opportunity to develop a winning program and the kids should realize we’re no longer a complete underdog,” Wood said.

“(We) want to develop a long-standing, long-running, successful high school soccer program that is integrated with the community soccer club.”

Wood, a father of three — two of whom have played soccer for CHS — was deeply involved in the Central Whidbey Soccer Club.

Toss in his work as a high school coach (five years with girls and boys), as a select coach (six years with Deception FC), and running the field as a ref, and he comes to his new job with a rock-solid resume.

Soccer has been a big part of his life, from his childhood days — when he also swam, ran, skied, and played lacrosse — to his time with the United States Navy.

Wood continued to patrol the pitch, and was an avid runner, until “my legs gave out,” he said with a laugh.

Now he teaches computer software classes for the Navy, hangs out with wife Jill, the Director for the Washington State Department of Radiation Protection, and gets his soccer thrills coaching and watching his children play.

Wood (right) watches a game with fellow Wolf dad Kelly Keilwitz.

James, currently a freshman at Colorado State University, rattled home six goals across three seasons for the Wolves, while showcasing a powerful kicking leg and a scrappy on-field demeanor.

He lost out on his senior season when the pandemic shut down sports last March, but had already wrapped up a stellar run as a doubles player on the tennis court.

Daughters Eryn (a CHS junior) and Aby (a CMS 8th grader) are both athletes pulling down A’s, keeping their brother’s tradition alive.

Eryn tallied her first varsity soccer goal last season, while Aby currently plays volleyball in the fall as CMS does not have a girls soccer program.

When he’s not coaching, or trying to explain the finer points of the game to us heathens, their dad “loves to cook” and “at one point was a pretty good guitar player … until I started studying soccer.”

Intently preparing for all possibilities on the pitch is part of his game-plan, though he admits sometimes he needs to step back and just take a deep breath or two.

“I am a perfectionist, but I’m continuing to learn that not everyone is, so I can’t expect perfection,” Wood said. “I will make mistakes … oh well, let’s acknowledge that and move forward.”

What he wants from his players is not necessarily perfection, but a desire to strive for that ideal.

“Trust the process! We’re starting a program that I hope will be effective and successful long after we’ve all moved on,” Wood said. “Laying the foundation is a requirement for players in later years.

“Playing a game without your hands and without timeouts is difficult and requires mental thought and a dedication and focus beyond what they’ve given before.

“Dedication to improvement is all I ask; the wins will come as long as we move forward as a team.”

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