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Posts Tagged ‘Willie Smith’

Pump the brakes, road fans

Posted in Fashionable Fans, tagged , , , , on March 23, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Avalon Renninger launches a shot in pre-pandemic times. Even with Washintgon state moving into Phase 3, don’t expect local gyms to be this full anytime soon. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Everything is fluid in the Age of Coronavirus.

Day to day, game schedules and rules can, and do, change, and school athletic directors have to remain nimble and ready for everything.

As Coupeville AD Willie Smith and his associates in the Northwest 2B/1B League continue to pull off a remarkable comeback for school athletics, the latest twist is the state moving to Phase 3, and how that affects fans attending games.

So far, all NWL athletic contests have been limited to home fans, with the exception of track and field, where fans have been barred.

That’s because schools have been working with a limit of 200 people at an event, which includes coaches, athletes, refs, officials, media, and fans.

With most track meets featuring 6-8 schools, that number fills up fast counting just participants.

Baseball, softball, and girls tennis, with just two teams playing, leave enough open slots that league AD’s opted to include home fans, something many other leagues statewide have not.

The move to Phase 3 statewide includes language which seems to indicate the number of people who can be at an event bounces from 200 to 400, raising the idea road fans might be allowed.

But it’s not that simple, as there are a lot of moving parts involved.

“Our league is still working through the process,” Smith said. “The Island schools (Orcas, Friday Harbor) are waiting to hear back from their health department on what the requirements will be.”

While all spring sports are played outside, the return of fall sports in early April present a new challenge for the NWL, with volleyball matches played in gyms.

“One thing that needs to be made clear is that indoor sports are predicated at 25% of max occupancy OR 400, whichever is less,” Smith said.

Coupeville’s high school gym legally holds 1,459 people, while its middle school gym holds 1,048.

That means the limit for each under Phase 3 is actually 365 and 262 people, respectively, not 400.

Determining how many people can legally be at a soccer or football game at Coupeville’s Mickey Clark Field is still under review, Smith said.

The other six NWL schools, which all have smaller student bodies than CHS, face similar, unique issues with their gyms and playing fields.

“Determining who gets in is going to be quite a task, which we are still working on,” Smith said. “We don’t have an answer yet, because it’s not quite as simple as just saying all are welcome.”

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Wolf athletes build online presence

Posted in coronavirus updates, tagged , , , , on March 10, 2021| Leave a Comment »

With the pandemic restricting live access for fans, you can see Coupeville High School athletes like Hayley Fiedler online. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

It’s a tricky dance.

After a year-plus absence, high school sports are back.

But to keep them back, people will have to follow guidelines set down by the Washington State Health Department.

While there have been cases of mask scofflaws gettin’ up to no good in places like Mossyrock, which caused Naselle to cancel a road trip there, the early results from Coupeville have been positive.

Having made it through the first home contests for Wolf softball, track, girls tennis, and baseball, CHS Athletic Director Willie Smith is in a good mood.

A cautious one, but a good one.

He released the following statement Wednesday:

I would like to take this opportunity to thank our players, coaches, and fans that have been at our events for their support in following our safety guidelines and rules and ask for your continued support as we move forward.

As we prepare to begin traveling to games, this is just a reminder that our league guidelines prohibit any away fans attending.

With that in mind, our league Athletic Directors are working very hard to provide streaming platforms for those games which will allow our fans to watch those games.

During this time and under our current situation, it is not about politics, opinions, or taking a stand.

It IS about giving our kids the opportunity to be safe and continue to play now and through the remainder of the season(s).

Once again, thank you to all that have attended and continue to follow the guidelines and policies in support of all of our athletes and coaches.

 

To watch road contests (or CHS home games), try the links below.

Friday Harbor and La Conner broadcast for free, while Darrington and Coupeville charge $4 a contest.

 

Friday Harbor:

One link is for baseball, one for softball, but the Friday Harbor IT department hasn’t determined which is which yet, so you’ll need to check both.

Friday Harbor Tiny Radio | Facebook

Friday Harbor Tiny TV – YouTube

 

La Conner:

La Conner Athletics Alpha Channel – YouTube

 

Darrington:

Justgame Web Services (justagamelive.com)

 

Coupeville:

Justgame Web Services (justagamelive.com)

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CMS offers full intramurals schedule

Posted in Everything changes, tagged , , , , on February 25, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Coupeville High School girls basketball guru Scott Fox is among the coaches who will work with Wolf middle school athletes as they participate in intramurals during the pandemic. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

Sports, uh, find a way.

While Coupeville Middle School athletes will not compete against other schools during the 2020-2021 school year, they will get a chance to stay active.

Athletic Director Willie Smith has pulled together a plan under which CMS students in grades 6-8 will be offered a variety of intramural options, with a mix of clinics and games.

“We are trying to offer our middle school students an opportunity to experience/participate in sports that are offered by us or in our community,” Smith said.

“Our high school coaches have partnered with either our middle school coaches or are working with our community programs to provide a clinic type atmosphere with some games thrown in each week.”

In some sports where CMS does not normally field a program, the school is working with groups such as Central Whidbey Little League or the Central Whidbey Soccer Club.

There is no cost, and students can participate in more than one sport in a season.

The plan calls for each sport to run 2-3 days a week during its season, with one day devoted to games.

“It is a great opportunity for our middle school students to get out and get exposed to some new, fun activities that in a regular year, they may not get to,” Smith said. “We really want this to be successful and have great attendance.”

 

The plan (with coach contacts):

 

SEASON ONE
(March 1-April 3)

Cross Country — Elizabeth Bitting — ebitting@coupeville.k12.wa.us — (**XC starts March 8**)

Flag Football (coed) — Marcus Carr — mcarr@coupeville.k12.wa.us

Girls/Boys Soccer — John Fowler — vicepresident@centralwhidbeysoccer.com

Volleyball — Cory Whitmore — cwhitmore@coupeville.k12.wa.us

 

SEASON TWO
(April 5-May 8)

Boys Basketball — Brad Sherman (bsherman@coupeville.k12.wa.us) and Jon Roberts (jroberts@coupeville.k12.wa.us)

Girls Basketball — Scott Fox (sfox@coupeville.k12.wa.us) and Fred Farris (ffarris@coupeville.k12.wa.us)

 

SEASON THREE
(May 10-June 12)

Baseball and Softball — Gordon McMillan — centralwhidbeyll@gmail.com

Track and Field — Elizabeth Bitting — ebitting@coupeville.k12.wa.us

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“We have some positive progress!”

Posted in coronavirus updates, tagged , , , , on February 25, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Catherine Lhamon and fellow track stars return to action – but with less fans than seen here in 2019. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

One week from today, Coupeville High School sports returns from a year-plus layoff.

When the Wolves host a five-team track meet Thursday, March 4, it will be the first time a CHS squad has squared off with a rival in any sport since Feb. 11, 2020.

As everyone adjusts to a new reality and continues to work through an ongoing pandemic, school officials released a statement reflecting the challenges and their optimism.

 

It is with great pleasure and optimism that we are writing to you today to talk about athletics starting back up for our high school students.

It has been a long journey and one that we are most likely not through with yet, but at least we have some positive progress to getting back to some normalcy.

The reason for this letter is twofold: one, to explain how Coupeville and its new league, the Northwest 1B/2B League, will move forward with this season and two, to appeal to you, our community, in supporting those decisions that the league and our district has had to make in order for this season to occur in a safe manner.

First and foremost, our league’s focal point was safely getting the kids back on the playing field; it was not about creating opportunities for league, district, or state championships.

While all of us are competitive in nature and we want those opportunities for our students and schools, this year was more about participation.

So it was in that vein that we created shortened seasons which offered game opportunities, and yes, the possibility of a league championship, but more importantly gave our kids a chance to play.

This year is not going to be the same as every other year: officials are struggling with membership, all of our current plans are still very tentative, and it is very possible that games or seasons may have to be canceled.

All of this is and continues to be driven by COVID-19 guidelines and safety protocols that are necessary to control the spread of this virus.

Not everything we will do during our seasons will be popular but it is what our schools and athletic departments are required to follow in order for our kids to have the opportunity to play.

What will all of this mean for families and spectators?

It means that during home events, we are asking that if you are coming to watch that you are healthy and not exhibiting any symptoms, either that day or within 48 hours of your attendance.

For a list of COVID-19 symptoms please see page 2 of this copy of state guidelines — Employervisitorscreeningguidance (1).pdf – Google Drive.

District provided transportation to and from games may be limited due to limitations created by our current in-person school schedules and the limited number of students who can ride on a bus due to social distancing requirements.

This means parents may need to provide transportation to and from some competitions.

No away fans are currently allowed at any athletic event; this is a Northwest 1B/2B League policy.

We will review this policy as each new sports season begins.

This does create the possibility that parents will have to transport their children and not be able to attend competitions.

We require masks to be worn at all times while on our campus or in our facilities; if a mask is not being worn you’ll be asked to leave.

We will ask that you practice social distancing while watching and stay a minimum of six feet apart from anyone who is not part of your household.

Spectators will be limited for athletic events.

We have a limit of 200 total people at all events; this includes teams, coaches, officials, and workers at the events and we will have a process in place that will address how people can attend events such as football, volleyball, and basketball.

For most of our other sports we believe our number of spectators will fall within the given parameters of 200 total people and just ask that you follow the health and safety guidelines as previously mentioned.

The only sport we will not allow any spectators at this year will be our track meets and it is simply a numbers issue.

We will have two home meets this year, March 4 and the Northwest 1B/2B League Meet on April 3; between the athletes, coaching staff and workers needed to run those meets we will easily meet the 200 person limit.

Fortunately for us, and this is true of all events occurring at our track/stadium and our high school gym, we have a streaming system in place and we are already scheduled to stream each one of our events on that system.

You would simply need to go to  High School Sports Online – Stream Live & On Demand (nfhsnetwork.com) and sign up for a subscription in order to view these events.

While this step forward for our athletes is still far from returning to normal, we are excited that it creates an opportunity for our students, especially our senior athletes to play.

So please, as games begin in a week, follow the guidelines, work with us and understand that of all years, this is the year that we put the emphasis on our kids getting to play games for the sake of fun and enjoyment and we are going to work together to ensure that we do this safely.

Thank you,

Willie Smith — CHS/CMS Athletic Director
Geoff Kappes – CHS/CMS Principal
Steve King – Coupeville Schools Superintendent

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Be ready to play!

Posted in paperwork, tagged , , , , on January 27, 2021| Leave a Comment »

Barbi Ford (right), here hanging out with Sylvia Arnold, is one of your go-to people for athletic paperwork. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)

You only need to get poked and prodded every other year.

District 1, which includes Coupeville, has opted to move to requiring high school and middle school athletes get a new physical every two years.

Previously, a new one was needed every year.

“If you got a physical last year and participated in athletics, either at the middle or high school, it will be good again this year,” said CHS/CMS Athletic Director Willie Smith.

With the change, Wolf athletes and parents need to stay on top of their paperwork.

“That is also why it’s VERY IMPORTANT that you sign up on the form I sent (athletes), as well as get your paperwork in,” Smith said. “We can then reference and crosscheck the status of your physical and let you know whether or not you need a new one.

“We did this for a few reasons. The first is we didn’t know how difficult it would be for students to get into the doctors office/clinic to get a physical this year with all that’s going on.

“The shortness of time between the announcement of the start of our season is very tight, and lastly, the WIAA allows for a two-year physical and this aligns us with both South Whidbey and Oak Harbor.”

With everything topsy-turvy thanks to the pandemic, Smith stressed the importance of everyone responding, quickly, to emails sent out by school officials.

If a parent or guardian didn’t receive an athletic packet and signature forms last week, they can obtain one by emailing Barbi Ford (bford@coupeville.k12.wa.us) or Lisa Yoder (lyoder@coupeville.k12.wa.us).

Athletes also need to return the form sent out asking which sports they intend to play this school year, if COVID allows games to happen.

“As much as we need the paperwork from your parents/guardians, we also need this information (from athletes) for our planning purposes as well as the coaches planning purposes,” Smith said.

Last, but not least, stay on top of your grades, even at a time when most are doing school work online.

“We are holding our students to the same standard of attendance and academics as we would in a regular year,” Smith said.

“With the start of the second semester beginning next week, it is extremely important that if your planning on participating in athletics you get started off on the right foot and stay up to date and on top of your grades.

“We have systems in place to assist those students that may need help with grades, as we have always done, but it really is important that students start and maintain strong attendance and grades the remainder of the year.”

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