“Noooo, don’t leave me. I complete you.”
We’re building something unique here, you and me.
From those who have allowed me to use their photos, to those who have financially supported my 2:00 AM rantings, to those who read, discuss, and then choose not to throw tomatoes at me in the parking lot, you’re the backbone of what this blog is.
If you weren’t involved, it would just be a dude screaming random thoughts at the heavens, making it harder for the landlord’s cats to digest their meals in peace while staring out across Penn Cove.
But we have this interaction, on multiple levels.
Which isn’t always easy for me, as I am a severe introvert who would otherwise happily stay tucked under my blankies on my old recliner, watching endless crappy movies, if I didn’t feel a certain responsibility to fire up the Xterra and head into Cow Town to cover sports in person.
And, as anyone who plops their butt on the rock-hard bleachers in the CHS gym tonight as Coupeville’s hoops stars wage a holy war against eternal arch-nemesis La Conner will tell you — live always beats digital.
The modern era, with its streaming “options,” offers a chance to see games on your TV, computer, or (choke) phone, yes.
But the de facto national leader, NFHS, is a two-bit con job offering up cameras which break, freeze, fracture into double or triple images, or are easily defeated by a random hair floating by in the breeze.
Much less a drop of rain, which basically shuts the whole system down.
On the positive side, there is “MorganTV,” as Wolf Mom Morgan White — a one-woman wrecking crew who will come down there and rough you up if you elbow her pale prairie prince, Cole, one more time!! — delivers the best entertainment value on the internet.
For free, NFHS, for free. So, get your grubby hands out of my pocket!!
I kid, I kid … I don’t pay for NFHS. That’s why I stay on Willie Smith’s good side, so I can use his account.
But anyways, back to Coupeville Sports, which, as far as I can tell, is the only blog of its kind in Washington state.
In a world where old school newspapers have seen their staffs gutted, we’re still out here, in a small town on the prairie, in the middle of a rock in the water, covering EVERYTHING.
Which doesn’t always amuse school administrators.
But you want to bask in the 99% positivity, you sort of have to accept the 1% “negativity” — and maybe make it easier to get access to the positive stories, so I have less time to troll social media for gossip.
Just sayin’.
“Santa Claus is always watching us? He ain’t got jack on this guy! He already knows football is playing Winlock next year! And not even my mom knew that!!” (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)
When you have someone comin’ in hot 24/7/365, you get varsity, JV, C-Team, middle school, youth sports, off the beaten path stuff like horse riding and dog showing, and more non-sports stories than you would reasonably expect on a blog called Coupeville Sports.
Go back through the 10,944 articles I’ve produced since debuting in August 2012, and there’s a cornucopia of stories covering everything from Renaissance fairs to robotics to theater productions, to, I kid you not, mermaids.
I mean, I’ve even covered stuff from Oak Harbor, South Whidbey, Anacortes, and Brocktonville (maybe not Brocktonville…) on a blog that starts with the word … COUPEVILLE.
I move quickly, I strike when least expected (seriously, 2:00 AM is a sweet spot for publishing), and I rarely, if ever, say no to a story idea.
My unspoken agreement with my readers is that 99.92% of the time, when you get up in the morning and sit down to pour coffee into your Bran Flakes, you’ll be able to read about every game played the night before.
EVERY game, varsity or JV.
EVERY day of the year.
Today, Valentine’s Day, is the 163rd consecutive day I’ve published at least one story (and I never publish just one story…).
Last time I missed a day, there was no power in Coupeville for 24 hours-plus. And it still chafes me.
It’s a fair amount of work, but it’s resulted in a somewhat rare occurrence — instead of plateauing or receding, my readership numbers are booming as we approach 12 years in the pits.
During 2023, Coupeville Sports broke all of its high-water marks, in terms of readers and page views, and 2024 has started with another big jump forward.
Love it or hate it, people are reading it like never before.
Which keeps me going, through the great days and the mediocre ones. The days where I think I can do this forever, and the days where that recliner beckons.
As I said, I am a severe introvert.
More than once, I’ve debated taking my winter depression beard and running off into the woods to reside amongst the squirrels.
Until my sister realizes I’m living out of the Xterra on the back of her property and sends out my nephews, tasers in hand, to “clean up the joint.”
“What I want out of each and every one of you is a hard-target search of every gas station, residence, warehouse, farmhouse, henhouse, outhouse, and doghouse in that area.”
So, while I’m probably not getting that indoor/outdoor swimming pool anytime soon, I keep on writing and survive day-to-day thanks to the generosity of my readers.
Coupeville Sports has always been free, from article #1 to article 10,944, and it will remain so until whatever article marks the end of this odyssey.
Read away.
But, if you want to be my valentine, or be the wind beneath my wings, or just want to ensure that my nephews don’t taze me, man, you can support the cause several ways.
Venmo:
@David-Svien
PayPal:
https://paypal.me/DavidSvien?country.x=US&locale.x=en_US
Snail mail:
David Svien
165 Sherman
Coupeville, WA 98239
Mob style:
You haven’t fully lived until someone slips you money, or a co*ke and hot dog, or smoked salmon and cookies, at a game, leaving other fans wondering if they saw a drug deal go down live and in living color.
“Is he dealing smack now?!?! Someone should tell his sister! She’ll have his nephews tase him!”
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