Joey Lippo scooped up votes like he does grounders — smooth and easy — running away with the title of Coupeville Sports Athlete Supreme. (John Fisken photos)
Ever at the ready, ready to swat away any late voting rallies by would-be challengers.
The Michigan Internet Mafia sends its regards.
For the third time in five years, I left the voting for the Coupeville Sports Athlete Supreme wide open.
No rules. No restrictions. Wild West.
If you’re smart enough or talented enough, or know the right people, and are able to game the system, so be it.
Everyone knew that going in — or should have, if they read my original article — so any cries of “cheating” are going to fall on deaf ears.
Unlike last year, when supporters of Hunter Smith and Lauren Grove waged a bitter battle down to the final hours, year five was over pretty quickly.
After a strong showing early on by supporters of CHS sophomore Chris Battaglia, the tech-savvy people in the shadows who wanted to see junior Joey Lippo win did their work, and did it convincingly.
Once the hammer dropped early in day two of the 100-hour voting period, the lead got so substantial, a chunk of potential voting dried up as others walked away.
That left Lippo to coast home to victory, and the three-sport (tennis, basketball, baseball) star did, setting a new Athlete Supreme record with 50,432 votes in the final tally.
Rounding out the top five from our 25-athlete field were Katrina McGranahan (14,210), Battaglia (10,174), Jacob Martin (3,074) and Danny Conlisk (2,674).
And, in a side note, props to William Nelson, or his “people,” as he jumped from #25 to #7 in the final day.
So, after five years, the roll call of Athlete Supreme winners is:
2013 — Nick Streubel
2014 — Amanda Fabrizi
2015 — CJ Smith
2016 — Hunter Smith
2017 — Joey Lippo
Congratulations to Lippo and his supporters for doing what needed to be done to take home a completely imaginary (but very prestigious) prize. You played the game well.
And a warning a year in advance.
After seeing how things played out this year, I’m 98.3% sure next year I’m going to revert back to year one rules and make it so it’s one vote per person.
Not because I think anyone “cheated” this year — you can’t cheat if there are NO RULES, people — but because I believe it would inject a new layer of suspense into the action.
If nothing else, it would force people to find a new way to game the system.
Coupeville Sports 